"Step one is to pull them from government schools that serve as hothouses for this kind of behavior and thinking. Step two is to reduce lavish lifestyles so that parents work less and invest more time in their children, with one parent actually staying home to make the home a safe haven. Step three is no television in the home. Television has become hostile to the things most parents want their children to believe and embrace. It is deadly to their moral development; it encourages disrespect for fathers and undermines those things that used to make families a strong, positive cultural force. The government schools and the sex and entertainment industries aren't about to fix the problem. The responsibility to properly raise children belongs to parents. The state and various interest groups have no right to develop the moral fiber of a child and, in fact, they are speedily undermining that development."
-- An excerpt from a 2005 article written by a nationally syndicated columnist, Cal Thomas.
Mr. Thomas opens a very necessary dialogue here, doesn't he?
Remember, we cannot send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come back as Romans.
What are you doing to raise your children so that they bring glory to the Lord? What is the world doing? What does the Bible say we are to do? Search the Scriptures and see how He directs you.
There may be some wonderful teachers at your child's school (I know some amazing teachers and count it a blessing), but if the system is run by the government and there is no room for God, then that system is broken and in need of a divine healing.
Surely there will never be a consensus on this issue, but it is a conversation that desparately needs to be had among conservative Christian families. We cannot blindly continue sending our children to public schools as they are. We must do something drastic, something different, if we are to effectively disciple our children.
This is a time for training our children, discipling them, preparing them. They are not ready to face such extreme tactics of Satan at such a young age.... boot camp is not over, yet we send them out to battle, and they are being massacred right in front of our eyes. Don't believe me? Research finds that 88% of children raised in evangelical homes now leave the church by the age of 18.
I refuse to sit back and allow my children to be one of these statistics. My face is on the floor as I seek God's direction in every area of their growth and discipleship. People may laugh, we may be thought of as strange, we may even be ostracized, but God has given us children so that we would raise them to be godly (Malachi 2:15). We intend to do our absolute best.
Please pray with me that there is a greater burden for Christian, biblical education among our families, children, and churches.
I am on my knees. Will you join me?
Passionately Pursuing,
Thanks for taking the time to visit Like a Bubbling Brook. As another busy mama, I understand that your very few spare minutes are precious. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to receive free updates via email. Thanks for visiting!
My dear friend,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heart on this ever so important issue. Thankful for like minded friends and the support that I receive.
Love you!
If only all Christian parents knew the importance of discipling their children's hearts at all times. How much time is stolen away, when children are away in school all day, surrounded by those who do not care for them as only their parents do. The fruit from taking our parenting roles seriously, (knowing that God gave these children to us, not the state, not some babysitter, He gave them to us, and He will provide for us, so that we can obey His calling for our family...) the fruit we are now reaping, it's real we see it in the lives of our children every single day.
ReplyDeleteGod receives all the glory, He is the one who enables, and provides so that families can do what He has called them to do. I wish more Christian families could learn to trust Him in this.
Thank you for this post, as it is a great reminder to keep praying for the families we know, who do not see the importance of this issue.
In Christ,
Mrs. C
Hi Jaime,
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent, I am going to post this on The Homeschool Corner and A Wise Woman (once my giveaway is over)! We are also going to have a gathering at our place on the 12th and wanted to invite your family. Let me know if you can make it! :)
Many blessings...
@Shelly, I'm thankful for a like-minded friend like you! What a blessing you are! xoxo
ReplyDelete@Mrs. C, yes, God receives all the glory! If we trust him, he will make a way! So true!
@Mrs. June Fuentes, thank you so much for your kind words and sharing this post. I'm so thankful for your friendship... and yes, we'd love to get together on the 12th! Send me the details and we'll make plans for it. Let me know if I can bring anything. Love you!
This was so well put! I believe exactly what you said and I am praying with you. May I repost this on my blog (with credit given to you of course)? I believe that my readers would benefit from hearing this too. Thanks
ReplyDelete@Freely and Lightly, thank you.... and please feel free to repost :) I appreciate you asking.
ReplyDeleteI shared this article on facebook so, that my friends may read it. Thank you for posting this, it is a true blessing to know that others feel the same way I do. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely yes! We feel much the same way Cal does up there about the school issues. We HAVE to show our kids that there is a different way--a better and more fulfilling way. And yes, we must pray and trust our Father!
ReplyDeletesuchakingdom.blogspot.com
Will be joining you on your knees for my nieces and nephews!
ReplyDeletehttp://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm so grateful to find this blog, too! It's wonderful to know that we're not alone.
ReplyDeleteHello Jaime,
ReplyDeleteWhile I dont' totally disagree with what your saying I must point out that the article you received this statistic from is from 2002. Here is a very good article on the statistics scare an exactly how "accurate and truthful" they really are. I mean no disrespect whatsoever, but feel that when we use statistics to back up our views they really should be researched throughly. Thank you.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/08/14/beware-the-over-hyped-stat/
@Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteThe blog post (Kevin's) at Gospel Coalition that you referred to references a Lifeway study from 2007, which is a few years newer, yes, but the statistic isn't very different than the one I shared, in my opinion.
Lifeway found that 70% of young adults left the church for a year or more, and of that 70% there would be 35% that may come back to church twice a month. Others would come back less or not at all. In some regards, that statistic scares me even more than the one I shared in my post.
Thanks for passing on the link, and for your thoughtful comment.
Kindly,
Jaime
I really appreciated many point of this post. Thank you for sharing it!!!!
ReplyDeleteJamie, thank you for this post. I'm joining you and appreciate your boldness.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you.
I am definitely on my knees for my son. Maybe we should start a prayer group of Christian mothers :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaimie for sharing your thoughts. My heart is heavy because of the many young people that are making choices to leave the church. The church must realize that what has been employed in the past is not working. We must go back and reevaluate what has been done in the past and see what the missteps are. Remember, our methods must be God's methods, or it simply isn't going to work. I don't think that the principle of public education is part of God's agenda especially if you are trying to raise Godly children. We must pray.
ReplyDeleteThe promise is unto me and to my children and then to all that are afar off.
ReplyDeleteIn that order.
We have to get it for ourselves if we are to convey it to our children and then those that are afar off are last on our list of priorities when it comes to the promise of the Holy Ghost. So many churches, and homes have it all wrong dont they?