Christian Education Europe - Weekly Blog #vision

An Example of Obedience

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 12:30:00 +0000

Some of the characteristics of Christ are easy to want.

To be kind, generous, honest, courageous—these are things many aspire to, whether they are followers of Christ, or not.

Obedience though…obedience doesn’t have that same attraction.

At first glance, obedience looks like the opposite of what we want to be as humans—free, independent, able to make our own decisions and live our own lives. But, if you look closer, you see that obedience to God doesn’t steal your destiny from you; it actually assists you in achieving it.

How was Jesus obedient, and how do we apply that in our lives?

Well, Jesus was obedient to death (Philippians 2:8).

Imagine being obedient to God, even though it means dying a terrible and shameful death. It doesn’t sound very appealing. However, in order to understand the significance of obedience, we have to look at the whole perspective:

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:19

Because Jesus chose to obey God and die on the cross, the path has been opened for all to be saved from the penalty of disobedience.

If we look even closer at the events after the death of Jesus, we see His resurrection and entry into glory, by which His death on the cross pales in comparison. His murder, an ugly act of great injustice, was the catalyst of what is the greatest miracle of all—eternal life through Christ for all who reach for it.

Dying is quite extreme though, isn’t it? Surely God doesn’t expect us all to die for him?

Well, in one sense… yes, He does.

We are all sinners; we have acted wrongly, against the will of God; we have hurt one another; we have been malicious, jealous, angry, unforgiving. Yet, because Jesus obeyed God, took our sins upon Himself, and died in our stead, we have been given an invitation to repent and walk under the banner of His righteousness, forgiven.

God calls us to repent, to fall at His feet and ask for His forgiveness. Our first act of obedience to God is to obey this call to repentance. And when we do, the sinful past self is dead, and a new person in Christ is born. To obey God is to die to sin and live renewed in His righteousness.

But obedience doesn’t stop at the point of salvation. As Christians, we are called to obey. We must humble ourselves and be willing to serve. And yes, it’s really hard.

But remember to look at the bigger picture.

When you feel persecuted because of your choice to follow Christ, remember that you are loved, that you have been found, you are safe, you will be with Him in heaven. That your obedience to Him will make you stronger in faith, full of the Holy Spirit, and a partaker in His glory. Your obedience is a catalyst for miracles, just like it was for Jesus. He is the benchmark that we must aspire to.

Sometimes things are so difficult that we beg God to take the problem away; there’s no shame in wanting a burden to be lifted.

Even Jesus prayed for relief in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-44) –

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”  And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.  So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

Imagine being so upset and so alone, not being supported or understood by your closest friends at your greatest moment of need, knowing that a gruesome and painful death was ahead. It’s not surprising that Jesus asked God for a way out.

Yet, He still obeyed. He still did what had to be done. And He did it because He loved us. He did it because of the bigger picture. Because He knew the ultimate result of obedience to God is not death, but life.

Many of us will not have to die for what we believe (though some still do).

Our acts of obedience to God will come as we go about our daily activities, at work, at home, and at school.

Throughout the New Testament, Christ gives us many commandments to obey, but He does narrow it down for us in Matthew 26:36-40:

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

It all comes down to loving God and loving others. By doing these things, we are obeying God.

So, as you go ahead with your day, remember to live in obedience to Him and watch and see as He uses your actions to bring life and restoration to all those around you.

The Pursuit of Confidence

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 12:04:25 +0000

In the space of a year, many of our lives have been changed in ways we couldn't have expected. Big changes like the ones we have faced can knock our confidence, and in turn, affect our physical and mental health.

Practising confidence can help lift us into a better mentality and boost our self-esteem, which leads to us being able to look after our physical health more. Some people are naturally more confident, but that doesn't mean that confidence is inherent in some and absent in others. No. Just like any skill, if confidence is practised, you get better at it!

"But how does one practise confidence?" you may ask.

Know Your Worth

The root of confidence is knowing your worth. If you want to know your value, you just have to remember that you are child of God. Anything created by God is not a mistake, not purposeless, and not worthless.

King David got it right when he wrote these words in Psalm 149:14 –

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Don't look at yourself from your own flawed view of what a person of worth is, look at yourself through the eyes of God, the One who created you. Since you are a creation of God, you ARE wonderful. He thinks that, and so should you.

Praise God

Whenever you start to feel down about yourself, do what David did. Praise God for choosing to create you as one of His wonderful works. Thank Him for your ability to think, and learn, and move and breathe; thank Him for the potential He has placed within you.

Allow your self-esteem to be influenced by how God esteems you, and your confidence will be off to a flying start!

Steps of Faith

A great way of practising confidence is to take calculated risks.

This doesn’t mean you have to go base jumping or invest all your earthly savings on the stock market. It’s more about encouraging yourself to step outside your comfort zone.

Life is so short, and the only way to accomplish things is to actually try.

Doubts about our own abilities are huge factors in slowing us down, but let’s outsmart those doubts. The truth is: most of the time we are never REALLY good at anything to begin with.

The only way you can do something well is if you practise it, and the only way to practise something is to do it. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t perfect at first, take a step of faith and put yourself in the running.

God created us with minds that are able to learn. Trust in the wonderful system He has placed within us. Have faith that He can make all things good.

Write down the vision you have for your future.

Write down all the doubts that are stopping you from working towards that vision.

Reword those doubts into productive goals.

See how this process helps you get closer to your vision.

Example:

Vison: I want to complete this difficult Maths PACE.

Doubt: I’m not good enough at Maths to get this equation right, so I won’t try it.

Goal: I am weak in this area of Maths, so I will use this equation to practise because it will help me improve.

Result: I’m better at Maths.

Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone causes you to accomplish more than you would if you stay safely doing nothing. Even if you don’t succeed straight away, these little steps of faith are an investment towards a future version of yourself who is confident in accomplishing the task at hand.

If you want to read some Scriptures about making calculated risks (or wise investments), you can read in Matthew 25:14-30 a great story on the topic, told by Jesus himself.

Battle Laziness

Another reason that we are low in confidence is that we are lazy. Confidence is a characteristic that is fuelled by activity. These activities could be—taking care of ourselves, cleaning up our space, or getting our goals complete. The more you do these things, the more you feel better about yourself, are healthier, and feel brighter. All these things lead to more confidence, which leads to being more able to take on further challenges, causing a healthy and positive chain-reaction.

Laziness, on the other hand, is what fuels our doubts, fears, and saps us of confidence. Laziness WILLS confidence not to exist. Laziness does not want to encourage anything to grow if it takes effort.

Laziness is a thief. It steals time, it steals joy, it steals self-worth, and of course, it steals confidence. Awful, right?

If you want to grow confidence, you MUST battle your laziness.

If you are hit really hard by the laziness bug (it gets us all from time to time), one of the best ways to combat it is to give yourself a simple structure through the day. Take some time to write down the tasks you want to complete within a day (not too many), and use all the energy you have to complete those tasks.

Once you have shown yourself that you can accomplish that set of tasks, you might be ready to add more, until eventually, you will have made a habit.

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." – Proverbs 13:4

"For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." – 1 Thessalonians 3:10

"The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor." Proverbs 21:25

"The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway." Proverbs 15:19

The Bible pulls no punches on the subject of laziness; neither should you. Don’t let laziness rob you of your confidence!

These are just a few ways in which you can pursue and maintain your confidence.

In Summary:

Know your worth – You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Praise God – Reinforce the knowledge of your worth by thanking God for creating you.

Take steps of faith – Turn doubts into goals.

Battle laziness – Don’t allow this thief to rob you of your opportunities.

We hope you can put some of these things into practice today, and that your confidence becomes an expression of the great things God is doing in your life.

Are there other ways that you would recommend boosting confidence?

All About Jesus in 2021

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 13:30:00 +0000

Reset your Focus

We are exposed to so many confusing and frustrating things on social media and through the news. It’s so easy for our attention to dwell on the melting pot of current events and be overwhelmed with thoughts like, “I need to keep up to date with this, I NEED to have answers for everything that is going on, I NEED to find a way out of this situation.” The truth is the only thing you do NEED to focus on is Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.”

He is literally telling us that He is an all-in-one solution.

So, how do we focus on Jesus?

Well, a big reason why we easily focus on the mainstream ‘Debbie Downers’ of the world is because we get blasted with their obnoxious reports and opinions as soon as we pick up our phones and start scrolling.

So here’s an idea—have a cull on your phone.

Get rid of the apps that tend to take your focus from where it should be (on Jesus). OR do one even better, tweak those apps so that you get blasted with content from creators and trusted sources that are sensitive and honest in how they share news. Follow sites that uphold Biblical principles and that share information that would build your confidence, not knock it down.

This is not to say you shouldn’t be ‘in the know’ about current events or whatever else is going on, but you can control how you receive it, and you can control who you hear it from.

Try and adjust the way you see the world according to the ways of Jesus, His character, His words, and His example. Try to see Jesus in everything that is going on (kind of like when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fire and weren’t afraid, because they knew that they weren’t alone).

As you begin this year, try not to be distracted by the dumpster fire of current events. Reset your focus to be on Jesus. He is there; sometimes you just have to refocus to see Him.

Exercise your Trust

Once you have committed to focus on Jesus, you need to remember to trust Him.

Our free will enables us to make decisions in this life, and sometimes we don’t make the right ones. Take time, as often as you can, to entrust your decisions to Jesus. Ask him to help you in your decision making, and also trust that if you make wrong choices, He can make things right.

Actively exercise your trust in Him, so that it becomes second nature.

Trust in Jesus allows positive traits to flow into your heart. It allows you to have joy, even when things are tough. It allows you to have hope, when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

If you do not strive to trust in Jesus, you can easily stop focusing on him and fall back into drowning in the mire of doubt and hopelessness that tries to close in around us every day.

How can we exercise trust?

A great exercise to enhance your trust muscles is to look back and be thankful.

Look back at all the different situations the Lord has brought you through. Gratitude is a powerful tool in conquering anxiety and is a balm for soothing worries. Try and take some time daily (or weekly, or however is best for you) and write down a few things that you are thankful for. Try and do this in the morning as it will help you start the day with a brain that is reminded of the goodness of God in your life. It’s amazing how much of a difference this can make.

Your trust in Jesus is a guard against ideas and feelings that will try and convince you that there is no hope. Don’t forget to exercise it!

Plan to be like Jesus

With your focus on Jesus, and a trust that is strong, you can start making plans with confidence. Of course, we like to make practical plans for ourselves at the new year, to push our creativity, grow our businesses, get healthier—all that good stuff—but here is another challenge for you, from us.

The Character Trait Challenge –

For the past few years, the staff at CEE have sat together and assigned one of the 90 Biblical character traits to each month of the year to be our monthly focus.

If you don’t know what these character traits are, here’s an explanation:

ACE has compiled a list of 90 character traits that Christ exhibited throughout the Bible. This list a great tool, because it can help us learn more about each individual trait and then figure out how to put it to use in our own lives. Ultimately, as Christians, we want to be like Jesus, so implementing and putting these traits into practice is a step in the right direction!

So here is a challenge for you! Using the list of Character traits below (click the button to download), choose a trait for each month this year, try and learn more about the trait, and have a go at putting it into practice throughout the month. Keep a diary of what you think about the character trait, how difficult (or easy) it was for you to implement, and what you learned through the practice of it—How did it make you feel? How did it affect others? What resulted from your actioning of this characteristic?

Dig deep into what it means to be like Jesus and put it to practice!

We hope you enjoy taking part in this challenge and that it blesses and surprises you this year.

In Summary:

Reset your focus on Jesus.

Practice trusting in Jesus.

Plan to be like Jesus.

Happy new year to all our readers! 😊

Download the 90 Character Traits here!

How Much Do We Need Each Other In Christian Education?

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 13:32:57 +0000

Steve Beegoo has recently been appointed as Head of Education for Christian Concern and highlights the importance of mutual encouragement…

I was sitting at my desk when I received the email last week. “I am overwhelmed with your kindness… Thank you!”. Then a little later from someone else, “Thank you for your prayers, I really appreciate that especially as I have had a hospital procedure this week - very timely!”. My own encouragement of others comes back to encourage me!

As a trainee teacher I was overwhelmed, and almost destroyed, by the amount of criticism which was the standard vernacular of the teacher trainers. When in my early days as a teacher, the ‘robust’ criticism of Ofsted set a fear inducing atmosphere for so much of school life. Yet, there were always those who brought Christianencouragement. En- courage-ment. Putting in courage! And the value of this, is incalculable for those of us in education…

When I spoke at the Christian Education (CEE) conference two years ago, the sense of mutual encouragement around was a powerful dynamic. I find this in courageous Christian communities, and schools all around the world. The distinctive flavour of Christian encouragement, which multiplies courage, is not the bland flattery which forever shuns from facing issues, nor is it the ‘please-like-me’ platitudes given to curry favour. No. Christian encouragement is deeply real, and deeply needed. This kind of encouragement has given me courage and sustained me, in very challenging times, because it is divine. And it multiplies itself!

Paul, in Ephesians 4, explains a wide range of gifts and abilities needed in the ventures of the kingdom. In speaking about teaching, he encourages the Ephesians with this: “Speaking the truth, in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by everysupporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4 v 15-16; NIV 1984).

We tend to understand that there are different gifts, and different parts to ‘the body’, and that they all have a part to play in our ventures for Christ. But in this passage there is also a revelation that what we say to each other, ‘speaking the truth, in love,’ as we are equipped by Christ, will have the effect of holding us together through the supporting ligaments of relationship that you and I can cultivate. Deep attachment, formed through divinely inspired encouragement. As each of us do our work in this truth-speaking in love, the body holds together and is built up. How are your supporting ligaments of love? As you bring divinely inspired encouragement to another person, so others in turn bring that to you. Are you being divinely encouraged and equipped through others?

Another equally good translation of the word ‘supporting’ is ‘supplying’. As we are connected to the Head, we supply each other through strong relationships. The gifts of skilful apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, connected to the Head, can equip us and supply us, so that through great teaching and encouragement we can all mature into all that God has for us. And as we actively seek to be encouragers, suppliers to others, so this comes back to us and we all benefit.

But even without these events, there is something we can all respond to today. Can you choose to see, what God sees, in a child, a colleague, a friend or a family member? Bring divine encouragement by simply naming it in them, thanking them and thereby honouring God for who they are, as much as for what they have done.

May your supplying ligaments strengthen you in these months ahead! May you not only ‘hold together’, but grow and be built up in love. May you receive from the great people God is giving you opportunity to connect with, so that joy-filled courage may sustain you.

The link to the ‘Further Up Further In’ conference can be found here.

F A I R

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 12:09:08 +0000

Fairness—or equity—is integral to God’s character and His dealings with humanity.

"With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity." - Psalm 98:9.

If evolution were true, then fairness would not exist as it is based on survival of the fittest, and good moral behaviour only counts as an expedient to 'perpetuate the species’. So the fact that there is a sense of ‘fair play’ points to a higher calling for humanity than just living out animal instincts.

The enemy of God on the other hand is intrinsically unfair. He doesn’t play by the rules. He distorted the Word of God to Adam and Eve. He inspired false accusations against Naboth, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus. And against William Tyndale and the many saints described in Foxes Book of Martyrs. And against many Christians today accused of hate speech for faithfully testifying to the gospel of salvation from sin through repentance.

There is another dimension to God’s fairness which goes beyond human reasoning. God is more than fair. He gives us salvation we don’t deserve (definition of Grace) and does not give us the judgment we do deserve (definition of Mercy). He receives the prodigal son back home. He pays the worker a full day’s wage when he has only been hired at the end of the day. He credits righteousness apart from works. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." - 1 John 3:1

So, how should we react? Like the unmerciful servant who has been forgiven much but then goes back and throttles someone who owes him little? No, we should adopt God’s measure of fairness. Forgive 70 times 7. Love our enemies. Shout from the rooftops the gospel of salvation. To do any less would not be fair.

U N D E R S T A N D I N G

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:20:16 +0000

Understanding is one of the missing elements of our modern world. There is an ever increasing quantity of information and ‘big data’, but an increasing shallowness of understanding in a growing trail of publications—hardcopy and digital.

‘Of the making of books there is no end.’ (Ecclesiastes 12:12) This verse surely foretold the exponential growth we can now see on the internet. Aside from what is being added to the pile, there is the problem of filtering. Godly discretion (noted in Proverbs 2:11) should be deployed to find godly and wholesome content, and yet, never has there been a greater danger of truth being filtered out before we see it! No longer does one see the book-burning of medieval—or Nazi—times, because secular humanist algorithms and search engines do the job without any need for a match! Daniel was warned, ‘At the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.’ (Daniel 12 :4) But such knowledge does not equate to understanding and wisdom. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Cor 8:1).

At the dawn of time Adam and Eve were deceived by the Serpent, whilst the warnings—and promises—of God were still ringing in their ears. How much more should we be on our guard when distortions, deceptions and the mocking of God’s Word saturate the digital world! The Word of God was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation (Samuel 3:1). How much more so today! The National Viewers and Listeners Association founded by Mary Whitehouse in the 1960s to protect children from perversions on TV is never more needed than today. A small book, written many years ago, entitled ‘Turn Off the Evil’ sums up what is needed. If we want to gain understanding and wisdom, we need discretion to spiritually filter what is being fed into our minds and the minds of our children from this world.

If we want to hear God’s voice, we must listen with unmuffled spiritual ears. And then speak to God with the understanding He has conveyed to us. We love God because He first loved us. And we can be confident that God hears and understands us from the depth of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33).

We are Family

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 09:01:49 +0000

Family is God’s idea.

When you have an idea there are often different factors that come into play. For example, if you want to bake a cake, you have to find the ingredients, access the necessary apparatus, and have a good recipe to follow. Different, but necessary things that come together to make an edible cake.

When God created the earth and then populated it with humans he brought together the perfect elements to make a family. You can read about it in Genesis 1:26-31. God created earth to be a home and families are His way of populating that home. He wanted humans to thrive and multiply and be caretakers of this amazing planet.

Our Second Chance

Unfortunately, because the first family chose to disobey God (Genesis 3) life became a lot more hostile for humankind. Animosity and selfishness grew between people and it was harder to work together and be in unity as God intended.

Even though this was (and still is) the case, the family was given a second chance through a man called Jesus.

Jesus came to show people that to love one another is our highest purpose and ultimately brings the highest reward. In order to prove to humankind that this was the only way, He came from Heaven – leaving perfection – to this hostile and neglected earth, where he became a pure example of selflessness and love. He took the eternal judgement of every wrongdoing onto himself, and died for all (John 3:16). Because of this great act, all people can now go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness for every hurt we have caused, because only He has the power to give that forgiveness – and He gives it freely.

The family now has the opportunity to have a new head – Jesus. If we make Him the example, we learn to love, respect, and support one another and this mobilizes God’s original plan – that we would all live and thrive together in a beautiful home with Him.

Our Responsibility

It’s not an easy task though. You see, some people don’t want to follow the example of Jesus. This is because He is not a dictator who bends people to His will and wants. Although being in His plan is the best choice, it’s not mandatory.

Unlike before The Fall when everyone was united and with God, we as a family must work even harder to that higher calling of projecting the love of Jesus. It can be really difficult, but in it we have the opportunity to grow MORE patient, MORE kind, and MORE generous. It’s a big task, but it’s not impossible, if we make Jesus our example, we can still work towards God's plan. We can support causes that promote strong families, make choices that lead our loved ones to Jesus, and be there to support families that have been broken. There is so much to be done!

Be Wary

God is good, but there is also an enemy who is actively working at tearing down the family plan. We must come to the Lord daily and pray that He give us the strength to make choices that will build up and not tear down. Each individual has the choice to listen to Jesus, or not. Remember that your choices affect your family, and they also affect God’s plan.

Remember the bigger picture – God wants us to be in unity. It is promised in the Bible that this fallen world will end and that God will create a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13) – THAT is where we want to go and we want everyone else with us too.

The Body of Christ

Now, you have your own biological family, but there is also a bigger family – The Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

All the members in the body of Christ are people who have made the decision to make Jesus the example in their lives. It is SO important that we respect, love, and graciously admonish one another. As members of this family we are examples to the greater population, many of whom do not know Jesus. It is our responsibility to show His love to one another and everyone else as well. If people see that we are divided, jealous, undermining one another, and out for our own gain, yet calling ourselves followers of Christ – we are misrepresenting God's plan. We MUST support one another, pray for one another, and encourage one another. In whatever sphere of life we are in, if we call ourselves Christians, we MUST represent Him in our actions. If people see hypocrisy they will not want to come to Christ. We can’t let that happen.

Christian Education and the Family

You are probably reading this because at some point, you decided to look into what Christian education is about. Well it’s simple really. Christian education is about teaching children what being part of God’s family really means. Its purpose is to show people who are beginning their lives that they have a place where they belong, that they have something to work towards, and that with Jesus at the helm, they have the power to make the right choices. Christian education is about telling students and young people the truth about God’s bigger picture. Knowing this truth gives students a strong foundation and identity and enables them to move forward into their futures with confidence and purpose.

Finally.

Just like the illustration of the cake at the beginning, each person is unique and gifted in their own way, and by working together we can be part of a great plan, and a wonderful family.

Please take some time today to pray for strength in individual family units and also for the Body of Christ as a whole. We are in this together!

COOPERATION

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 11:51:12 +0000

The majority of us live and work in environments with multiple other people. In fact, there is probably not one person who can say that they rely entirely on themselves to get through life. The truth is, we all depend on each other to get things done at one level or another.

Now, let’s have a little exercise.

Take some time to let the below statement settle in your mind for a moment:

It is really hard to get through life alone.

Now, invert that thought:

I have the power to be present for others.

Yes, as a human being, your cooperation will almost 100% make life easier for those who are living and working around you. Just think about that. Let it settle. Feel that responsibility

YOU have the power to make life easier for those around you and by NOT cooperating with them, you will most definitely be making life more difficult for them.

If you state that you believe in something, if you state that you are a good person, if you state you want to get good grades, or do well in a project, but you are unwilling to cooperate with the people that have the same dreams, or are there supporting you – you are being false to yourself and to them. You are essentially stunting forward motion, quality, and success.

We have all felt the frustration of making a group decision to get something done and then certain people don’t step up and take up their share of the load. Its discouraging and hurtful. On the other hand, let’s not kid ourselves, none of us are perfect, we have all been the person who doesn’t pick up their share as well. So what can we do to stop this? How can we make choices towards constructive cooperation?

The definition of cooperation is: the action or process of working together to the same end.

1. Do you have a clear idea of what that goal is. Have you discussed and agreed with your family, peers, or co-workers and come out with a clear understanding of what you all want to achieve. A lot of the time dysfunction is a result of miscommunication.

2. You want to ask yourself, “Do I really want to achieve the same goals as these people?” If the answer is ‘no’, you probably need to have a rethink about your place and priorities in life. If the answer is ‘yes’ move on to the next point.

3. (This could be the most challenging point so brace yourself), identify areas of weakness in yourself. For example – when it is time for YOU to pick up the slack, what is it that makes you want to procrastinate? Is it laziness? Is it a bad attitude towards someone? Do you not feel ready to take on the task? Are you trying to move the work away from the common goal for selfish gain? If you truly want to encourage environment of cooperation, you need to be constantly checking your own heart and integrity.

4. Finally (and this should be after you’ve addressed you own issues), you need to confront those who are not pulling their weight. Part of being cooperative is knowing when you need to intervene to help your those around you. It’s easy to get mad and blow a fuse at someone, but before you do that – take a closer look. Think of the times when you felt discouraged, or lazy, or out of your own depth – then approach them with suggestions on how they can move towards productivity. Let them know you see what they are not doing – but give them opportunity and space to grow.

Cooperation is about working together for a common goal, but it is also something that the individual needs to believe in, and encourage. As part of a family, classroom, or team – you have an individual responsibility to promote a cooperative attitude. If you are in a position of authority be the example – communicate well, check yourself, approach those you are concerned about (with grace). If you are someone who is in a place of instruction, listen – follow the advice of those who are being a GOOD example, do the best that you can in your chores, or studies, or work.

Here are some quotes from people who knew the benefits of cooperation (so they know what they are talking about)

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan (American Basketball Player, 6-time championships winner)

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." – Booker T. Washington (American educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States)

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." – Sir Isaac Newton (English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time)

"It takes two flints to make a fire." – Louisa May Alcott (American novelist, short story writer and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women)

And the Bible says:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… -- Philippians 2:1-30 (ESV)

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. -- Nehemiah 4:6 (ESV)

One person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 (ESV)

But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. -- Exodus 17:12 (ESV)

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. -- Matthew 18:20 (ESV)

The Bible has so much more coverage on this subject in advice and in the stories, so if you want to know more, the Bible is an excellent guide.

Cooperation is not an easy thing. But the benefits and success stories of working together far outweigh going it alone.

If there is a famine of cooperation in your life right now, encourage communication, inspire people with true stories of how working together paid off, intervene graciously if someone isn’t picking up the slack – you can be the change. Let’s get stuff done together!

FINDING FOCUS

Thu, 14 May 2020 09:50:48 +0000

Home can be a very distracting place. It has siblings, toys, food, television and many more things that, to a child, will seem a lot more interesting than schoolwork.

For a homeschooling student, these distractions can be quite the challenge to ignore. It’s even more of a challenge for the parents trying to encourage their children to keep their eyes on their schoolwork.

With that in mind, here are a few things that can be done in order to encourage focus in academic studies.

Explain the long-term importance of studies to your children. Although this may seem to fall on deaf ears, regularly remind your children of how learning will help them in their lives. This is not to push them forcefully into great academic accomplishments, but rather to emphasise that education is a key to many doors. Your children may not know what they want to achieve in their adult life, but they can be equipped, so that when they get there the possibilities will be open to them. Education leads to opportunity.

For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. - Ecclesiastes 7:12

Keep to a schedule. Schedules bring stability and predictability to the schooling hours, and these things are so important in keeping a child motivated to keep working. Academic work is exhausting. For a student to know when their breaks are, or when PACE time is due to finish, will make a huge difference in their performance. Schedules and time-tables will help students learn that there is a time for everything, and that if they allocate specific time to focus on their schooling and NOT let anything else push into that time, they will GET WORK DONE. This accomplishing of work then leads to feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction in completing their goals, and actual digestion of knowledge – and all that leads to motivation to get work done the next day. Scheduling shows a student that they only have to give a limited amount of time to their schoolwork, after which they can focus on their hobbies, chores, family – other life stuff – so they won’t feel bogged down. We have a recommended timetable in our TEACH handbook (download below), but there are lots of other timetables and scheduling solutions available online too. Find the one that is right for your family and try to set it in place.

He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. - Psalm 104:19

Get the hard stuff done in the morning. Scientific study shows that the brain can comprehend and digest academics more in the morning. After a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast, your children will be mentally ready to take on the bigger challenges. Start the school day with all the heavy-duty subjects (usually Maths, English, and Science) that need extra concentration. If these harder subjects are left for the end of the day, you may find that your children burn out quickly and are unable to achieve their goals, which can be discouraging and deceive them into thinking that they are not capable – which is not the truth.

If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success- Ecclesiastes 10:10

Encourage a love of learning. Yeah, there probably will be a subject that your child just DOES NOT enjoy – a least favourite subject, if you will. Sometimes this one (seemingly) lackluster subject can make them think that learning/education is boring. It’s your job to show them otherwise. If one way of learning something isn’t working for your child, maybe they just need to see it from another perspective. Now, the PACEs have the academic information, but if your child is struggling, maybe find a video that supplements the topic, or do a project that will help boost their understanding of it. When they do master something they have found difficult, praise them and rejoice with them. Sometimes a love of learning comes from the fact that yes, something was REALLY hard, but they still got it in the end.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

You are THE example. Children are watching you. If they see that you are procrastinating, they will procrastinate. You have to practice what you preach. And if you fail (which will happen, because you are human) you have to show them how to make it right again. It’s a daunting thought, but how you behave as an adult will have a huge impact on how they develop. This goes for aunts, uncles, older siblings, and friends of the family as well. Children are our legacy. It is our responsibility to imitate Godly character, so that they can learn valuable life lessons.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

As the French Proverb says, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” If you are finding there is a lack of focus in your school day, these are all really good ideas, and we encourage you to implement them. However, not everything is a quick fix. All children are different, and their needs are different. You can tweak and alter these suggestions to fit with what brings out the best focus with your children. Be encouraged.

Download the TEACH Handbook Here!

OPTIMISTIC

Thu, 07 May 2020 09:47:58 +0000

Let’s be honest, we are living in a scary time. Aside from the fact that there is a global pandemic, there is also upheaval, change in lifestyle and routine, inability to be with loved ones, concerns for the health of people and the health of the economy. Because the current generations have not experienced anything like this, there is a lot of uncertainty and a feeling that maybe the world will be different when we come through it – whenever that will be.

Now, with all that in mind, we must make a choice. Do we choose to be overcome by the negative, or do we choose to be optimistic?

Optimism, by definition, is – hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.

There are so many factors that can push our thinking over to the side of pessimism. Those factors have loud voices that can take over our minds and cause anxiety and fear and hopelessness. In order to combat this, we need to be actively and continuously focusing on the things that give us hope and security.

The truth is, scary things do happen, and we have to take them into account. But we also need to bring them to heel. We can accept things and also not allow them to control the way we feel in our lives. Sometimes this is a battle, but it is a battle we should fight.

Anxiety and desperation can be debilitating and harmful to our own quality of life and the lives of those around us. By actively choosing to be optimistic, we are facing our fears with hope. We are saying, “Yes, the times are uncertain, but I won’t sacrifice my joy and my energy to be overcome by fear.”

The Bible gives us one very big reason to be optimistic – Jesus.

Jesus came in order to crush the hold of death over us. So, even though our earthly bodies have an end, we are eternal. And one day we will not die, but rather, we will go to be with Him, in a place of inconceivable beauty, full of purpose, without pain and loss and fear.

All we have to do is look to Him, and we have a reason to hope, a reason to be optimistic.

The Bible is FULL to the brim with content and reminders to BOOST your optimism –

Remember the bigger picture:

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:5-8 (ESV)

When you feel anxious, enter into His presence:

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him

For the help of His presence.

- Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

Keep informed, but look at the world through the eyes of someone whose hope is in Jesus:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

- 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

Fill your mind with positive things, and speak positive and uplifting things to others. Try to relieve anxiety rather than feed it:

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

- Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

Find the joy in every day you have been given:

This is the day which the Lord has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

- Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

We have reason to look forward to the future with great hope:

Hope for a world drawn closer to God.

Hope for the body of Christ to come closer together.

Hope to see our friends and family again.

Hope for positive new things to emerge from a world that has been changed.

And ultimately, hope for a glorious eternity together with countless people and the Lord.

You have the choice. Do yourself a favor and choose to be optimistic.