There’s something so special about a sunrise, something that transcends the beauty of the deep, bright, alternate colors… Something that goes beyond the breathtaking simplicity of each beam of sunlight as it breaks its way through the early-morning fog and shines onto our gazing eyes. There’s something incredible that fills our hearts as we stand and watch each drop of mist burn away and a new day begin. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so amazing about a new-born child, something that can never be put into words. Something in those pure, trusting eyes, something about those perfectly formed little hands, as they reach out and grasp a hold of your finger. There’s something about the helplessness, the utter-dependence upon a greater strength, something so peaceful. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so mind-boggling as we watch as tiny seed sprout and grow, slowly, surely, breaking its way through the hard soil and showing its first little leaf, soaking in newfound sunlight, newfound energy. There’s something about the first cracking of a rosebud, just as the earliest bit of color shows… there’s something that burns its way deep down into our heart as we watch it slowly open and for the first time display its full beauty. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so far-fetched about a freshly hatched butterfly, with the almost ugly beauty of its short wrinkled wings. There’s something so awesome as we watch the wings unfold, expand, and flutter in the breeze, something so icy-fresh that our whole being tingles with the anticipation of a new, beautiful creature. It’s a new beginning.

And, you know, without new beginnings, we’d all die. There would be no new day, no new chance to try again, no new opportunity to trust, no new heart from above, no new life to live. Nothing. We would die a ghastly death, because we would realize so quickly how much every new breath of air means to us.

Yet, in this world all around us so many people have never tasted life. They have never felt the fresh air of mercy and grace upon the hot, dry desert of sin. They have never felt the icy-fresh waters of divine love upon their parched, cracked, and bleeding hearts. They have never felt the wonder of forgiveness, the comfort and beauty and sorrow of repentance, and the inexpressible joy of a heart cleansed, cleansed white, whiter than snow by the crimson blood of Jesus Christ. What shall we do!? Let us grasp them by the shoulders, let us pick up their hand, let us point their eyes towards their Savior and cry, “Look! The New Beginning!”

I’d like to apologize for the un-notified impromptu vacation from blogging. The past few weeks have been very busy and time has slipped by faster than I’d like to realize. This post is to let you all know that Oneway Purpose will return to regular programming on Saturday, August 12th.

After that date you can expect posts coming with a much higher frequency. But in the meantime, please go ahead and read through the Archives.

Sincerely,
Me

From the Men’s Titanic Association, by Doug Phillips.

When asked during the Washington, D.C. Senate Titanic hearings whether the doctrine of “women and children first was the law of the sea?”, Second Office Charles Lightoller responded, “it is the law of human nature.” Of course, there were no formal laws, maritime or otherwise, which required the implementation of such a policy in times of danger. Lightoller’s comments suggest that he, and others like him, believed the doctrine of “women and children first” to be a widely-held and fundamental principle of conduct. Further evidence that this principle was deeply imbedded in Western thought comes from an incident that took place more than half a century before the demise of Titanic.

In 1852, the British troopship Birkenhead sunk off the coast of South Africa. She carried the 78th Highlanders, their families, and the ship’s crew. Once it became clear that the boat was going to sink, the orders were given to remove the women and children first by placing them into the Birkenhead’s few lifeboats. Twenty minutes later, the boat sank. Every one of the Highlanders and sailors aboard the Birkenhead died a grisly death in the shark-infested waters while their wives and children helplessly watched from the safety of the lifeboats. In the last minutes before the boat sank, these brave and self-sacrificing men lined up in military formation. Their band played the national air as the ship went down. Like the men of the Titanic, the British soldiers understood that in times of crisis, men must give their lives so that women and children may live. The Birkenhead incident inspired the poet Rudyard Kipling, one of the 20th centuries most accomplished defenders of bold manhood, to pen the following verse:

So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill
Soldier and sailor too.

Real men. Real women. The world today has no concept of them. This story is thrilling, not because we aspire to have to do that. But because we know that were we faced with the same situation, before God we could do no different.

Yet, today’s culture has been infiltrated with a lack of respect for our weaker counterparts. Does that law of human nature that Charles Lightoller was confident of still exist? I don’t mean to speak proudly, but were I faced with a situation like that, I could do no less. It would be painful to die, yet more painful to live and let a woman die. Am I a rare breed? I know there are many men who would, yes could do none else. But unfortunately polls indicate that the typical high school male laughs at the idea of giving up his seat on a lifeboat to help a woman or child.

No, you’re right, we don’t have any more ships sinking today in the same way we used to. But the loss of chivalry spreads wider, much wider than that. I don’t need a poll that tells me that the typical high-school male will laugh when challenged to protect the honor, the purity or the safety of a girl. This was integral to chivalry, in fact here are some of the commandments of chivalry, listen up.

• Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.


• Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of her whom thou lovest.


• Thou shalt not knowingly strive to break up a correct love affair that someone else is engaged in.


• Thou shalt not chose for thy love anyone whom a natural sense of shame forbids thee to marry.


• Be mindful completely to avoid falsehood.


• In giving and receiving love’s solaces let modesty be ever present.


• Thou shalt speak no evil.


• Thou shalt be in all things polite and courteous.


• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.


• Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.


• Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.


• Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.


• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Every single one of these means as much today as it did 500 years ago. No we can’t go around with that shining sword and glittering armor, but that’s not what made the man. What made a man was his character and what still makes a man is his character.

In this modern culture or ours we can follow through with the era of chivalry. By God’s Grace we can continue something that He has engrained in us, but that, much of the world has rejected. Today we shall protect both our honor and their honor, we shall guard their safety, we shall defend their life, we shall honor them by putting them first.

This world has forgotten all about care, all about chastity and all about honor. As a generation of men, you and I shall keep that as our first priority. We shall protect the purity of our sisters; we shall protect their honor. We shall keep ourselves chaste for their sake and for God’s glory. We shall promote this as the most important way to show true and heartfelt respect for our sisters.

We shall guard their safety. We shall defend their life. We shall never be guilty of ‘standing back and doing nothing’ when a woman is in danger. We shall defend their life with our life.

And with that attitude, we find it much easier to do the little chivalrous things like opening doors. Most woman and girls know enough to appreciate it. But if they don’t, remember this story. There was a gentleman who held the door open for a woman. He got swiped for it and told in no uncertain terms that she could hold the door open herself. He replied calmly, “Woman, I didn’t hold the door open because you were a lady. I held the door open because I was a gentleman.”

Let us not be cowards in the face of a rapidly falling world of feminism. We shall not be cowards. Let us stand up and be real men for a real world.

Two years ago in November I climbed into the most unlikely place for an intense debate, a hot tub in a hotel in Portland, Oregon. The water was a bit hot, so as I waited for my body to adjust to the temperature I caught some interesting conversation. I can’t recall exactly what the topic was, but a father, son, and daughter-in-law were discussing something about evolution.

It wasn’t too long before I posed my first question, and plunged into an hour-and-a-half-long discussion with a college professor. 5 minutes in, his daughter-in-law got out saying something along the line of, ‘this is beyond me’. His son followed a few minutes later with a shake of his head and a, “Have fun guys.” Maybe it was beyond her, but apparently it wasn’t for the skinny 15 year-old that was set to overcook himself in the tub.

After that debate I discovered that believing in evolution for this man lead to some very corrupted views of God. The consequences were frustrating. First off we fell to debating, you guessed it, evolution. As we went along I discovered he was a ‘Christian’ and believed in God.

When I learned that, I was a little setback for a moment. Then I started pounding him with questions. Did he believe that God created the world? Firstly, no, but after following him all the way back to the big-bang, I asked, “Who created that first tiny everything-molecule?” He smiled, and pushed his hand slowly back and forth over the foam, “Well,” he said, “I guess you could say God created that.”

This is the first major consequence of believing in evolution and believing in God. You use God as an excuse to what cannot even be theorized. As long as there can be a theory other than God, there will always be one. But bring it back down to something where you absolutely have no idea, and, “Oh, I guess God did it.”

That reflects on the type of God you believe in. Honestly. My next question was, “Who is God to you then?” So he started metaphorically, “I think God could be explained as a presence, a universal being, a… something, a power, a presence of good.” I looked at him for a long moment while I pushed my hair back off my forehead.
“Do you believe in Jesus Christ? You said you were a Christian, what does that mean?” He replied, “I believe Jesus came to bring a good message to the world and to change how people thought. Etcetera.” After explaining some of my disagreement with him, I asked, “Have you read the Bible?”

“Yes!” he quickly replied, “every book of the Bible, all the way through.” Then in addition, “except for Revelation, I don’t believe Christians ought to know where they are going, or about the future like that.” As I thought some confused thoughts, I replied, “Well then, what do you believe happens after you die?” He replied, “I believe in re-incarnation…” “You believe you’ll come back as an ant,” I finished for Him. “Well,” he said, “not necessarily as an ant, you could come back as a human, or an animal yes.”

I shook my head in disagreement, “What can I say? I have a much greater hope for my future than that. I believe when I die, I will be given the gift of eternal life, because of my Savior Jesus Christ who died for us, for the whole world. The bible teaches this. Christ taught it. I’ll believe it.”

I’ll confess, I know I wasn’t talking to a theologian. But, the consequences of believing in evolution are almost certainly to destroy your God. Why? Because a God that isn’t your creator is what? An ethereal presence maybe? A good something? A presence? Or who is He? Is He the creator, ruler, and savior of the universe? Is he interested in our personal lives? Or do we reincarnate as our nephew’s cow? You see, the reason why the choice between God and evolution is so clear is not because of theories. Yes there are theologians that do believe in evolution, and have all the theory worked out. The choice is not distinguished by theories—it’s distinguished by your source of truth.

If the Bible is not taken as the source of right, of unequivocal truth, then what stops somebody from developing theories for everything? Evolution, in my mind, is greatly responsible for the spreading disease of relativism. Theories, theories are all that exist. Or are they? Is there a greater purpose, a greater source, and a greater end to the Christian life? Thank God there is.

The choice lies clear, it’s not a presumption. God or Evolution? God and His Word, or man and his word?

Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

And may I add, you cannot serve God and evolution. It is not an accusation, it is a basic principle. If you serve the goals of the theories of corrupted humanity, you do not serve the living God. You cannot.

As for me, I will follow God—and debate evolutionists.

Just checking out again on what’s happening here at Oneway Purpose.

A reader emailed me wondering where Part 2 of The Dumbest Attack on Homeschooling was.

As I said in the previous schedule it is divided up so I can address the issues. It won’t be quite the excitement that the other debate was since I believe Wilkey isn’t monitoring it anymore.

I’ll leave this list on top for a while so everybody can get to the posts they’d like to read without trouble.

• Christian Mathematics?!: This post has dealt with how math can be taught as Christian. This was Wilkey’s first problem with homeschooling it seems.


• Interview: Why Homeschool? {Part 1} | Why Homeschool? {Part 2}: This post has dealt with why parents should be taking their kids out of public school. Mr. Wilkey didn’t think that an Exodus out of the public school system was right. So we looked into that. Check out the comments on each of these posts.


• JUST POSTED! Scroll up! >>> Created to Evolve?: This post has dealt with evolution and its impact on Christianity, as well as the impact on theology.

And the rest are coming up shortly, I was hoping to finish them last week, but unfortunately was not able to. Keep checking back.

• Taking over the world: This post will deal with the myth that some homeschoolers are endeavouring to take over the world by having large families.


• Separation of Church and State: This post will deal with what separation of church and state was all about and what it has become.


• Chivalry and the Modern World: Just imagine what it will be about.


• Vision Forum etc: This post will deal with Vision Forum and what they’re doing, what they stand for, etc. [This post may be a while, there’s quite a bit of research involved in getting an accurate picture of an organization]

Yesterday we dealt with the first of 3 reasons that Bill, a public school principal, gave us to homeschool. Read Part 1 Here.

Not everybody has money to spare, Bill tells us that’s just fine if you’d like to homeschool—it’s not hard on your bank. “Homeschooling,” he begins, “is the best value.” And then he relates, “I remember the first time I walked through a homeschool convention. I had been an administrator for a few years already and my wife and I were getting ready to start training my oldest. I remember seeing the families in the booths, the families throughout the convention in the pull-out sessions, and having the feeling that I have been completely robbed!” Robbed of more than money too, he had seen “the accomplishments of the young people in this setting and was amazed, and sickened at what our society has come to accept as ‘a great education’.”

I’ve talked to many people my age who are going to public school, and for the most part, I see a bit of jealousy. There are so many things about homeschooling that are just so much more enjoyable—but not just that, as a statistic, we homeschoolers get to ride the score sheets. Why wouldn’t you feel cheated? Imagine somebody saying, “I spent all day in school, and just think I could have done it at home in a couple hours, and I could have been smarter for it, and had a whole lot more fun doing it.”

But instead, society has come to accept that public education is good education. Actually, here in Canada we’re supposed to have one of the best, but one look at the average score in my county sends me wondering. In the words of Bill, “I’m sorry, but, BARF! OK, not a professional term for a public school administrator, but it really works here.”

So we choose something better, that’s home education. And it’s not only better on the spiritual and financial levels, Bill gives us the final scoop, “It’s practical.” From an administrator’s perspective he sees and hears of almost everything that goes on at the school. The more serious the incident, the more he is involved. Then Bill tells us, “It was a complete no-brainer that I would not want to send my kids to school because of the peer influence and “socialization”. I would just as soon bathe my children nightly in a cesspool.”

Now, that’s pretty strong, but you know I think that more parents might hold that opinion if they were to take a week in his shoes. What really does go on at the school where your kid is going? If he’s homeschooled, you know full well, if not, it would be good to know. For Bill, he knows too much—too much to risk putting the children he has borne, has loved, and is raising into public school. “I would move,” he says, “to another community, state, or country if I had to in order to avoid placing my children in the state system.” Wow, we think, he must really be in a low school or something, but listen to this, “I am in a “great” school with test scores to die for and wonderful “safety” record, and I wouldn’t touch it.” Does that mean that even the best aren’t good enough? I think that’s precisely his point. And he’s not the only one, as he says, “Even the teachers I serve know I homeschool and have expressed that if they had the chance they would also homeschool.”

And in this case, the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. But unfortunately, most people would like to live a lifestyle that just doesn’t support a homeschool environment.
And that’s the end of our reasons for homeschooling.

In another question, Oneway Purpose asked Bill what ages he thought children would be hurt most by the system. He replied, “The younger the child and/or vulnerable the child, the more potential there is for long term damage to the young one’s being.” And I totally agree, in Canada’s recent federal election one of the issues at stake was government funded childcare. In relation to that, my brother Isaac wrote, “History bears record that any time when a government or any agency other than the family assumed the primary role of raising children, societal disaster, corruption, and destruction followed close.” Fortunately the Conservative government elected squashed the deal.

But Bill says he wouldn’t let his kids go to public school until they’re fully capable of entering the world—and standing firm. I think Bill would agree with this other statement Isaac made,

“As Canadians (or Americans) we believe that children are to be raised by their parents. Not by a government, not by a government system, not by a government agency. We believe it is our right, and our responsibility, and we will retain and defend that with the integrity of citizens against a socialist scheme designed only for political gain, and destined for ultimate corruption. We will not give one inch of our responsibility and right to any government system, federal or provincial. We stand firm to maintain the core of society.”

Oneway Purpose also asked Bill to list three areas where he believes his children are excelling most above their public schooled counterparts, and also asked whether he thought his children were lacking in any areas where public school students are not.

He listed: a) Learning and understanding God’s Word. b) Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control, commonly known as the Fruit of the Spirit. c) Discipline (the kind that “is sorrowful for the moment but in the end is the peaceful fruit of righteousness” Hebrews 12:11

He also says, “When it comes to excellence and lack we are comparing the Fruit of the Spirit to the fruit of the world, otherwise known as Life and death. The rest is mere academics. Limiting the comparisons to the realm of academics alone is fighting the argument in terms dearest to the world.”

I want to be careful here, because the fruit of the Spirit is given by the presence of the Spirit. It’s not the fruit of homeschooling. But I believe Bill meant that, given the opportunity to train his children, he has been able to inculcate these principles into their life, while in public school, they would be trained in principles to the contrary.

But now, I’d like to say that this is a great reason for Christians to take the positions of teachers. In Ontario, we have a section in our education act that reads,

Section 264 c) [Teachers’ responsibility in relation to Religion and morals is] to inculcate by precept and example respect for religion and the principles of Judaeo-Christian morality and the highest regard for truth, justice, loyalty, love of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety, industry, frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues;

How many teachers really do that? How many ever read that? I’m afraid not many, but there is a place for Christian teachers, and principals, and I’m proud to see Bill filling one of those places.

And that’s it folks! I was hoping to have some other interviews to include with this, but it just didn’t happen. Hope you enjoyed this!

Goodmorning! First I’d like to apologize for not posting this earlier, second I’d like to apologize for not posting more on the other topics. They’re coming! I had other writing deadlines I had to take care of and can also excuse myself by reason of busyness. Actually, the only time I really get to write here is between 5am and 7 am. Yes, you got it, I’m an early riser most of the time, and it’s not necessarily because I’m homeschooled either.

And homeschooling, that’s what I’m going to be talking about again this morning. I would like to thank Bill from Ask The Principal for letting me interview him. Bill is a public school principal with more years of experience educating than I have living. He prefers to remain anonymous so we’ll just have to be satisfied with well, Bill.

Bill first heard about homeschooling while in college. “In the early 80’s,” he says, “the movement was just taking off and receiving a lot of press locally in my college town.” He met a couple homeschool-supporting professors over the next few years that gave the homeschooling movement credibility in his mind. After meeting a law professor who gave him the legal ins and outs of the issue and told him of the victories that homeschooling families had, Bill anchored his favor of homeschooling permanently. But as he says, “I was yet far from developing my own reasons.”

I guess he’s had enough time to do that, since we have quite a good list here of reasons to homeschool. Unquestionably, he has them down pat. And would you guess, he’s homeschooling his children. So what we have here is a teacher, a principal, and a homeschooling dad who can sign B.S., M.A. Ed behind his name. Very unique. Let’s plunge into the interview.

I asked Bill to give me 3 reasons to homeschool. The three points he chose were “Spiritual, Economical, and Practical”, so let’s take a look at the first. This is Bill.

Spiritual. One of my favorite books in the New Testament is Colossians. We don’t know what heresy that was infiltrating their church, but it was significant and Paul had to address it. I suppose if we knew the exact heresy we would spend more time avoiding the particular instance than in avoiding heresy in general. One of the popular verses in the book is in chapter 2 verse 8:

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (NASB)

The command “See to it…” is pretty strong. In fact, as a principal if I tell a staff member “See to it that…” I know it will be done. It is not an option. There is no waffling, etc. In terms of consequences, well, let me say that there is nothing I can do to anyone that comes remotely close to the consequences implied here if one does not take the command Paul gives of “See to it…” seriously. This whole book is excellent in terms of defining who Christ is and who we are as Christians in Him, to help us to “see to it” we are not taken captive.

As a husband and father, the “see to it” goes beyond just my own self. It is included in the leadership and discipleship of my family. For me, “See to it…”, among other things, includes the fact that my children will not be placed in a public school setting for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in godlessness. (See 2 Timothy 3:16 for an appropriate application of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in Godliness)

Ok readers, see to it that you read all the way through and comment now and on every post I make in the future. But now seriously, Bill has this pinned up very well. I think he’s seen a lot more of the training in godlessness than you or I have, and I admire him for seeing to it that his children grow up trained in Godliness.

We don’t have much time or space left for more today, so we’re actually going to leave the other two points for tomorrow morning. Check back as soon as you get out of bed to hear (aka read) what Bill has to say about the Economical, the Practical, his thoughts on the grading system, how he believes his children are excelling over their public school counterparts, and even more that I’m not mentioning.

Random: Why doesn’t Microsoft Word recognize ::homeschool:: as a properly spelled word?

• Read Spunky’s series of posts discussing homeschooling with Dr. Beam. [1] [2] [3]

Read Part 2 Here

Math is one of those things… one of those things that we tend to place quite quickly into the area of secular studies. But is that really where it should be?

I’m going to visit this issue looking at an article [pdf] written by Johan H de Klerk – School for Computer, Statistical and Mathematical Sciences – Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education – Potchefstroom, South Africa

Taking a look at the question, “Is there such a thing as Christian mathematics?” He answers:

No, there is no such a thing as Christian mathematics; and also no such a thing as unchristian mathematics. Yes, one can have a Christian perspective on mathematics. And yes, mathematics can be taught in a Christian way. As Christians, it is our calling to teach mathematics in a Christian way from a Christian perspective.

If I say there is no such a thing as Christian mathematics, I mean it in the same sense as saying there is no such a thing as Christian musical scales (or, for that matter, a Christian theory for the construction of musical scales). One system of musical scales may differ from another (for example Western and Eastern musical scales), but one cannot say that one is more “Christian” than the other. In the same sense one melody cannot be more “Christian” than another. Of course, if words were added to the music, one song might be more Christian than the other. In the same sense one can perhaps raise objections to the use of mathematics in designing an atomic bomb, but the calculus that is used to build the mathematical model or the numerical analysis that is used to solve the problem is neither “Christian” nor “unchristian”.

He then explains,

My first point of departure is that one’s whole life is religion and that there is no part of one’s life that can actually be called ‘secular’ ... [and] ... my second point of departure is the view of science in context. ... In contrast to the view of the logical positivists (that is, the so-called standard view of science), my view is: All aspects of one’s subject should be viewed in context with other, wider aspects, such as the history of mathematics, the laws of science, science in general (with its different viewpoints and paradigm shifts), nature and religion.

He then visualizes the science in context viewpoint as a point (the details of the subject) with some circles (the contexts), surrounding it, and also with some connection lines between the circles. “Some contexts,” he explains, “(such as the historical context for example), may even cut through the others.”

Then Klerk summarizes how he usually teaches his classes; he explains that he uses 5 points of context and enumerates them as follows.

• a. Introductory: What is mathematics? Is it possible to study this particular mathematical course from a Christian point of view? Man’s life always in God’s service. Science in context and the viewpoint of science in context as basis for a class discussion.
• b. The historical context: Some historical aspects regarding the subject. Some foundational matters from history. Some paradigm shifts, if any, from history.
• c. The context of mathematical theories and models: What is a theory? Induction and deduction in science and mathematics. Mathematical induction. Scientific models; models not equal to reality.
• d. The context of science and society: Different scientific views: positivism, logical positivism, modernism, post-modernism, etc (if applicable). The “power” of science. The idealization of science and mathematics. The ethics of mathematics (if applicable).
• e. The context of creation: Different world views (also concerning mathematics). The beauty of our world.
• f. The religious context: The science/theology debate. The beauty of God’s creation. Can mathematics become one’s idol/religion? Psalms 8 and 19. God as sustainer of His creation.

And then he concludes,

Typically, the details of any subject in the exact sciences—such as mathematics—as lectured by a Christian and by a non-Christian, would not differ. The difference, however, would rather be in the different contexts which are related to the subject under discussion. That is exactly what I have tried to illustrate. I believe that in this way I can fulfill my calling of teaching my scientific work in the light of God’s Word, in the words of Psalm 36:9 (which is also the motto of my university): In your light we see light

Is it not then reasonable to propose that even mathematics could be being taught from a humanist, secular point of perspective in the public schools? Is it so easy then to ridicule those that think it well to teach it from a Christian perspective? I fear some have forgotten that Satan will try to corrupt wherever at all possible. He may well influence the teaching of such neutral fixed-sciences as math.

Therefore I believe that a biblical worldview will influence every area of our life.

Yes. Even mathematics.

Ok, we need to take a look at what’s happening here since most of you are expecting Part 2 of “The Dumbest Attack on Homeschooling” to be coming up.

It is. It is. I’ve just reconstructed how it’s coming, so now it will be divided into 7 posts.

• God or Evolution: This post will deal with evolution and its impact on personal Christianity.


• Christian Math: This post will deal with how math can be taught as Christian. It will go on to talk about how other secular things can be taught or done from a Christian perspective.


• Exodus: This post will deal with why parents should be taking their kids out of public school.


• Vision Forum etc: This post will deal with Vision Forum and what they’re doing, what they stand for, etc.


• Taking over the world: This post will deal with the myth that some homeschoolers are endeavouring to take over the world by having large families.


• Separation of Church and State: This post will deal with what separation of church and state was all about and what it has become.


• Chivalry and the Modern World: Just imagine what it will be about.

*All these posts will more than likely appear under different titles.

I hope to blog most of this over the next week. If any of you would like to contribute to one of these articles please email me at contact(at)onewaypurpose(dot)com. I may feature you.

I can’t say what order they’ll be in at the moment. So expect any one of them at any time.

These posts will not be addressing Wilkey’s article, I wouldn’t be spending any more of my time on that. Each post will simply stand for what it stands and serve as a rebuttal to the issues Wilkey attacked.

Prayer… This is one thing that we as youth can not place too much importance upon. Prayer is the line of communication between our Father in Heaven and us that cannot be broken without forfeiting our eternal wellbeing. It is very important that we keep this line open between our Father and us. We must not only keep the line in working condition but also keep the cables sizzling. So hot that they cannot be touched by the enemy, Satan. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” Now, speaking in a practical sense, how is this possible? Hardly giving us time to be confounded by him, he says, “Quench not the Spirit.” There is the answer to our question; when the spirit of Christ is dwelling within us, we are constantly in communication with Him – whether it is consciously or unconsciously. While the flag is flying high from the castle of our heart to show that the king is in residence there, nothing can cool the circuit.

“As children of our heavenly Father, we have been given the immeasurable privilege of coming into His holy presence with our praises and petitions. Sadly many Christians do not value or understand what an amazing opportunity they have…” – HW Magazine

Yes, sadly many do not. Many people look at prayer as a sort of religious exercise; they do not realize what an opportunity they are missing. Prayer is an undevoidable privilege given freely to all… but unaccepted by many.



As youth we need to spend time with God, we need to have a time of strengthening and sharpening of our character. While we are building our life is when we need to seek God in prayer. He has much in store for us in His heavenly warehouses, and what is holding us back from receiving them? We only need to ask and we shall receive. God wants us to spend time with Him, to spend time seeking His face.



Christ said, “Pray lest ye enter into temptation.” He knew the importance that prayer has for our wellbeing. For Christ, prayer was an actual communication with His Father in Heaven. It wasn’t one of those mechanically memorized prayers that we spit out thoughtlessly so many times. He wanted to gain audience with His Father. This is the same thing that God wants of us; He wants us to speak with Him, to tell Him our problems, to unload our burdens at His feet, to praise Him in all circumstances, to build faith in Him, to daily lay ourselves down at His feet. God wants to work with us as a father beside his son. He wants to have a relationship with us, yes, one like He had with Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David. We have an eternity of learning ahead of us. We are only preparing for it in this short breath of life, but God wants to give us a foretaste of His wonderful plan for eternity!





The question is asked, “How can we maintain the balance between ‘praying in faith’ and asking, ‘not my will, but Thine be done’?” But really, there ought not to be a separation. Saying, “not my will, but Thine be done” is the only way we can pray in faith. Any other way is not trusting God, which is what faith is all about. Simply because our prayers are not answered the way we would have liked them to be does not mean that our prayer was not or is not going to be answered at all. When Christ said, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” He displayed the greatest faith known to mankind. He trusted His body and soul into the hands of God.

Many people view faith through rather fatalistically tinted glasses. “If only I had faith… I could… move mountains, I could…” but lets stop here for a moment and take a second look. We can have faith and we can move mountains, but moving the Rocky Mountains to the east coast would hardly be helpful to God! Instead, the mountains which we have to move today are not physical ones, but rather they are mountains in our lives, trials and difficulties, that can be moved by faith. All we must do is trust God, to say, “Not my will but Thine be done.” Yes, we can start moving mountains right now; or rather we can start trusting God to move the mountains for us.



When we face physical situations that are testing our faith we need to trust God’s will. We don’t need to try moving the mountains, or healing the sick, for we cannot. There has never been anybody who has, no, not even Christ! Christ Himself said, “I can of mine own self do nothing!” which was a result of His life purpose, “I came… not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” Our Father is the one who can and does according to His selfless will. When we ask of the Lord, we must keep in mind that He knows what is best and even if He does not answer us in the way we think, He has something better for us in mind. When Job—spotless before the Lord—was going through the testing and trying of his faith, he trusted God, and was willing to place his entire life into the hands of God, thus completely defeating Satan’s wicked plan. Yes, faith has conquered the world and the prince thereof—Satan—at the cross. (Please Note: I do not mean to bring Christ down by saying this. I mean to magnify Faith. Christ lived and breathed His Father, we need to do the same.)



Satan knows that once he destroys our line of communication with God, we are helpless. This is the first thing that he tries to destroy—our relationship with God. This is his entire goal for mankind; he wants us to misunderstand God. He wants us to get an unclear picture; in fact he doesn’t want us to get one at all. If he can break our spiritual relationship with God, he has gotten a strong foothold on our heart. There he can then instill fear, fear that cannot be there when we have a trusting relationship with our Father in Heaven. Is it possible to have trust or faith without prayer?



Through prayer faith has its beginning, without prayer we cannot have faith, without prayer it is absolutely impossible to have faith! Without faith we cannot have a trusting relationship with God. Unless we take the time to get to know God personally we will have trouble believing His words. For after all, why would you believe somebody that you don’t even know? I read somewhere about a bumper sticker which said, “God isn’t dead; I just talked to Him this morning!” That is the kind of relationship we need to maintain with God. We need to know Him personally.