Creativity is the phenomenon of transforming something out of nothing or something into something wholly other than. God’s educators have at their disposal the most transformative power in all of creation—the agape love of God. It is the reason the scripture says that if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. They are created anew because of God’s unconditional acceptance. Such acceptance results in creative transformation. Read more
The book of Acts provides a framework of the parallel between the work of the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and what is happening today which is the apparent work of the Holy Spirit to take a Christ-honoring education to the ends of the earth.
In Luke 4:18, 19 Christ announced what would amount to as “good news” because a time of acceptance and favor had come for people who historically were unacceptable and unfavorable. Upon His departure He stated that His band of followers would be witnesses to Him and would carry this good news to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Read more
On several occasions when Jesus acted on behalf of those in need the scriptures state that His acts were precipitated by “compassion.” The Greek word for compassion is splagchnízomai derived from splágchnon which is often translated “bowel.” It means to feel deeply from within. This word was also used to describe the motivation of a Samaritan when he came upon a person who was left in a debilitating condition by others. Read more
It is possible, as evidenced in God’s word, for religious organizations to be institutionally profitable and missionally poor. This happens when the means by which organizations exist take precedence over the ends for which they exist. It is the essence of institutionalism. Like all institutions, religious ones are prone to allowing the well-being of the institutions (the means) to supplant the well-being of people for whom they are established (the ends). Read more
The word that’s translated “Christian” appears three times in the Bible beginning in Acts 11:26.
And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
In Antioch, the followers of Christ were distinguished from other followers (disciples) with the more definitive term “Christian.” A person’s followers or students were their disciples. For example:
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Mark 2:18) Read more
The account of the temptations of Jesus by Satan contains a claim by him to having all authority which Jesus did not deny.
And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (Luke 4:6 NKJV) Read more
A Persistent Need
There are millions of school-age children in this nation and around the world who are academically disenfranchised, culturally diverse and disesteemed, and economically disadvantaged. The persistent challenge is how to effectively educate a child who:
We call them A.C.E. children for short. Education is the greatest hope for an effective and successful life for these A.C.E. children, yet most do not learn well in the schools they attend. This is true even though many A.C.E. students are in well-resourced schools with highly qualified educators utilizing proven pedagogical practices. For several decades, billions of dollars and multiple school reform efforts have failed to improve the plight of A.C.E. children.
My vision is such that I must wear corrective lens to see clearly. With my natural eyes, I can see but everything is blurred. I must wear corrective lens to see clearly. By the same token, with their natural eyes, educators can see the children they teach but they are out of focus—a blur.
To see the child clearly, an educator needs to put on God’s corrective lens. God’s lens, however, are not designed for the eyes that are in the head but for the eyes of the heart.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened… (Ephesians 1:17 NIV)
When children are seen through the eyes of the heart they come into clear focus Read more
Simply put, the more resources available to a child, the more assets a child has for productivity. Resources are like capital gains. Low-resourced children possess very few of the capital assets necessary for being productive. As a result, a quality education which historically represented the way out of poverty has all but eluded them. An education that should hold out the hope of attainment for low-resource children often becomes an instrument of containment to a life of poverty. They are often locked in at the bottom with little to no hope of acquiring the capital necessary to be the productive and resourceful individuals they can be.
It is relatively easy and natural to celebrate successes and victories whether in education or life accomplishments. It is more challenging, on the other hand, to celebrate the path that God often chooses for His people to get to those accomplishments and successes. Consider Joseph whose brothers sold him into slavery landing him in the house of a government official and finally in the government’s prison. Joseph did not understand why things happened the way they did. It was not the path that he would have chosen for his life in his desire to follow God’s leading. On the contrary, there were unwelcomed “assignments.” While he had had some successes that were celebratory in nature, the circumstances and people along the way certainly were not.