The opening of the twenty-first century finds the people of God experiencing a growing yoke of oppression from a multiplicity of sources. Even in the formerly Christian nations of the West, churches and families are steadily finding themselves trodden under foot of men (Matt.5:13) as they have neglected to be salt and light within their respective cultures. The age-old clash between the forces of Satan and the people of God has indeed begun to escalate. Christian home educators must, therefore, recognize the urgent need to labor diligently and pray that God would use their efforts to raise up the type of dynamic and courageous leaders that the Church so desperately needs.

For far too long Christian parents and church leaders have vainly imagined that they can produce strong and godly leaders while they permit their children to be trained in Pharaoh’s court. Such thinking explains, in large measure, why there are so few young adults in the world today who are prepared to stand in the gap and be counted for Christ. The Christian church and the family are learning the hard way that “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” It is profoundly naïve for those who love the Lord to think that dynamic Christian leaders can be constructed by using man-centered textbooks, carnally minded educators, and humanistic philosophies.

In 1943 the famous Christian author C. S. Lewis published a book titled The Abolition of Man. In this work, Lewis argues that it is foolish for people to suppose that godly, courageous men can be made within an educational environment that is profoundly materialistic and secular. C. S. Lewis wrote:

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and then bid the geldings to be fruitful. We strip young men and women of the certainty that they are created in the image of God, and we are surprised when they act like the beasts of the field.”

More than sixty-five years ago, C. S. Lewis recognized what most Christians living in the West today refuse to acknowledge: We have no business supposing that Almighty God will bless a nation with godly leaders when righteousness is permitted to be removed from the sphere of learning. As the Scriptures so clearly state, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

Until professing Christians get on their knees and repent of their unwillingness to follow a biblical approach for the training and education of their children, they can scarcely expect the Lord to grant them the ability to raise up Gideons who can help to heal their land. It is not good luck or fate that sends courageous and just leaders into a society, but God. Every child born into this world comes to the planet at just the precise moment of God’s choosing (Acts 13:36). The Lord alone knows whom to send to free a people from the poverty that is caused by their sin—and when such a person needs to be sent. God even knows to which household to send such a child so that he will be trained to accomplish all of his God-ordained destiny.

Parents in general, and home school parents in particular, need to embrace the truth that their children have been sent into the kingdom in accordance with God’s perfect timing. When parents truly comprehend this marvelous truth, they will then realize why they need to ask God for the boldness to pray that they would be granted the privilege to train up a Gideon or an Esther. How exciting it is for Christian home educators to walk by faith and to know that their labors are not in vain in the Lord—to know that their children, to one degree or another, will be used by God in future days to turn the hearts of people in the direction of righteousness.

More than 100 years ago Josiah Gilbert Holland penned the now-famous poem “God, Give Us Men!” It communicates so well the prayer that should be on the hearts and lips of God-fearing parents in every generation. Christian home school parents would do well to take the time to read this poem with their families as they earnestly pray for God to bless their labors to train up a whole flock of Gideons.

God give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office can not buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty, and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.
God give us men;
Men who serve not for selfish booty;
But real men, courageous, who flinch not at duty,
Men of sterling worth;
Then wrongs will be addressed;
And right will rule the earth.
God give us men!

Josiah Gilbert Holland – 1895

Gideon, the youngest man in his father’s house, was humble enough to doubt himself, yet wise and courageous enough to trust God to do the impossible. Christian parents and church leaders need to ask God to raise up more men like Gideon. The hour is later than most Christians in the West think. Such believers are, in many cases, already surrounded by their enemies and marked out for destruction. Now is the time for believers in this part of the world to plead with the Ruler of the nations to spare their lands from the chaos and destruction that they so richly deserve. While there is yet time, God’s people must bow before the throne of God to request that souls be sent into the kingdom who know that one dedicated Christian can chase a thousand enemies of the cross; who understand that if God be for us, no power on earth can stand against us; and who believe that the Lord can still perform wonders, even to the moving of mountains.

May God grant parents within the Christian home school community the vision and courage to persevere in the Christ-centered training of those who will be the leaders of tomorrow. If the once-great nations of the West are to have bright futures, it will only be because the Lord sees fit to raise up a new breed of men who are willing to walk in the old paths.

The post God, Help Me to Train a Gideon appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

In my case, the love of collecting began sometime shortly after I could crawl. Like many youngsters, I began with an Indian arrowhead and rock collection and soon found myself collecting other items such as toy trains and little green plastic soldiers. Many happy hours were spent searching for something new to add to my collection or perhaps trying to fix something that was broken amongst my treasured possessions. As I grew, my interests changed, and I eventually abandoned my rocks and plastic toys in order to collect pocket knives and baseball cards. This was exciting for a time, but as I moved into my teen years, I decided to collect artifacts from World War Two (WWII), as well as coins and motorcycles. Years later, after I became a husband and father, I began to collect children. (My wife and I have seven at last count!) Now that I sit at the ripe old age of fifty; however, I still find considerable pleasure in collecting treasures such as old schoolbooks and antique pottery.

As a home school dad and unrepentant collector, I now have the pleasure of encouraging my own children in their respective collections. I do this because I am convinced from my own experience that this type of hobby can be educationally profitable as well as entertaining. As my children grow, I want to encourage them to use their spare time to cultivate a lifestyle of learning and exploration, and collecting is one means for them to move in this direction. Frankly, one of the most appealing aspects of collecting is that it enables my children to fight against their tendency toward idleness, which often manifests itself by too much time sitting in front of the television set.

If you still need to be convinced of the educational benefits that can be derived from the pursuit of collecting, then consider the following examples:

A coin collection can be pursued in such a way as to involve young people in the following educational activities:

• Students can study the history of coin minting, from ancient times to the present day.
• Young people can be taken on a field trip to the U.S. Mint in order to learn how coins are made. A virtual tour may also be found online at www.usmint.gov.
• Homeschool students can do a unit study on the topic of how coins are “graded” in terms of their condition and value.
• Students can study the history behind the development of specific coins. This type of study could include the background of the artists/engravers who worked on the development of a particular coin.
• Older students can be encouraged to start a home business as they become more skilled at buying and selling coins.

A collection of artifacts from WWII can enable home school students to engage in the following educational activities:

• Research the historical developments that led up to WWII. Web sites such aswww.bbc.co.uk/history provide students with a wealth of information on this subject.
• Read books about the military units that actually utilized some of the artifacts that are in their collection.
• Interview veterans from WWII to obtain first hand accounts of their exploits during the war. (VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] posts or retirement homes are good places to locate such veterans.)
• Become involved with a WWII re-enactment group, or attend one of their mock battles in order to learn more about the way men used their equipment during combat conditions.
• Do a unit study on the subject of life on the “home front” during WWII. Learn why and how citizens planted “victory gardens” during the war and about what items were rationed as well.
• Visit a local museum that has a WWII display.

The hobby of collecting is as diverse as the types of people who homeschool. Regardless of whether your children choose to collect butterflies or old musical instruments, the key is to help them start a collection that will involve them in meaningful research, specialized training, or self-improvement.

It should also be mentioned that certain types of collecting, if done wisely and prudently, can actually provide young people with a source of income. Most antique artifacts have value on the open market, and if students learn how to identify those items that have the most desirable/collectable traits, then they can often sell these items at a profit. Who knows? Your child may even find a meaningful career flowing out of what began as a mere hobby!

Too often it seems, in the course of being a parent, our reaction to the interests and dreams of our children to begin a collection is lackluster, if not outright hostile. There are occasions, to be sure, when parents may need to gently steer their offspring away from certain types of collecting due to safety/spiritual concerns. Notwithstanding, it is my hope that as much as possible parents would be willing to grant their children the freedom to explore the fascinating and intellectually invigorating world of collecting.

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