Pulling from Russell Moore’s blog again.
Is it ok for a Christian to post on the web and not use his real name?
Good discussion going on with the original post btw.
Christian schools are notorious for putting things in contracts that IMHO shouldn’t be there. It is not unusual for them to be quite lengthy and outline things that you can and can’t do 24 hours a day – seven days a week.
Well, I had a contact from a school in a neighboring town about teaching math for them. They sent me an application which looked fairly straight forward until I got to the “these are the things you can and cannot do” part. Some of the stuff you expect – like sexual purity. However, I do not for the life of me understand why that has to be spelled out in a Christian setting. Have a morality clause. NC is an at-will employment state. Terminate. Do we really need to list all the sexual perversions that could possibly occur? Apparently we do.
Other things just go to far. No smoking, dancing, drinking. That’s not even biblical. No watching inappropriate movies, tv or videos. What exactly is inappropriate? No rock-n-roll. Not even Christian rock. No social networking and that includes blogging. Found with a blog or SN site, disciplinary action will be taken that may include termination of employment. What? I have blogs for the math courses I teach, for my sales on Amazon and eBay, and this one of course. I talk about books and the little things that go on in life. Dreadful I’m sure. In addition, I do happen to be on facebook where I hang out with the likes of my family, other teachers, and you guys! *shaking head*
AND the King James Version is to be used for all teaching and references. Couldn’t do it. NASB would slip out even when reading KJV.
I feel so . . . . liberal.
Excellent post from Trevin Wax: Gospel Confrontation and Gospel Comfort. While he addresses counseling situations, it hit me that those of us who are Christians and active in the Christian/church community see these same people. It’s not just a job for pastors and counselors. Shouldn’t it be part of our life’s work to listen and to care and befriend, and then maybe to confront or comfort.
Pictures like this always touch me – and certainly not just for their physical fates, but their spiritual ones. Praise God for missionaries (long and short term) who follow His call to the uttermost parts of the world.
of A Walk In Faith! Come check it out . . .
I’ve had the privilege of being involved in the early stages of a new non-denominational Christian Forum: A Walk In Faith
It’s small right now – less than 30 people, but we hope to grow it and interact in ways that represent Christ. It’s full of conservatives and liberals. I think If you love the Lord, you’ll fit in.
My handle is mcdirector if you decide to come check us out.
by Voddie Baucham
good stuff!
It’s almost Valentine’s day and it’s time to think of love. I’m so thankful to God that He gave me Ron to spend my life with. And of course – children that also have my heart.
But as I think about love, my first thoughts go to Jesus. We are so depraved that we needed a Savior. He loved us so much that He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross.
What greater love is there?
I was ready to walk away from education. It had been brewing for a while. I am by nature not happy staying in one place for a long time – not doing any thing for a long period. AND teaching is rather like working in a box, especially if you teach the same subjects year after year. The alternative though is to exhaust yourself learning new subject matter and prepping it for presentation. Then there is staff development. I think if I had to sit through one more staff development on cooperative learning I’d absolutely run screaming from the building. Of course that’s not all we did, but it was all so similar, so mundane.
When you teach in the same building you go to church in, matters are complicated. You may be approached by a parent about school issues when you are fully in worship mode. On the other hand, it also provides a great sense of community. Double edged sword I suppose.
For several years, I’d been on edge.
Then near the end of last school year, we lost our Associate Headmaster (soon to be Headmaster) over what I considered was a small incident. To the higher ups, it wasn’t. I ached for him. I hurt for our school. I cried. I was mad. I signed my contract because I didn’t want to leave then and there in a fury, but the appearance of how things were handled was hard to get past. AND the real kicker was not only did it involve my work life, it involved my church life.
An Interim Headmaster was hired. As webmaster I met with him early. Seemed like a nice guy. I gave him my resignation from the classroom almost immediately. This would be my last year. Told him I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Then I watched as God worked – around me and on me.
In chapel we’ve worked through the book of Romans. For me as a Bible teacher that means that my students’ conversations after chapel are more coherent and connected. They’ve heard the plan of salvation time and time again. In October we had a former student commit suicide and the Headmaster stood up to preach. If I had any doubt that he was God’s man for this place, they were all gone that day. He addressed it as plainly as it could be addressed and once again presented the Gospel.
For staff meetings, we are reading professional materials and are being challenged at a high level. As I’ve been teaching, I’ve literally heard God say, “Bitsy, this is your experience speaking. Anyone can do this equation, but how you present the material is the years that I’ve trained you.” I’ve walked away days asking myself, “Is this something I can just walk away from?” AND of course the answer is no.
I spend a lot of time working with curriculum and new teachers. I’ve taught all the core subjects from elementary to high school. I don’t know that this experience has to be used in the classroom – maybe it can be used with teachers, but it’s been humbling and was even more humbling to go knock on the Headmaster’s door today and tell him that I needed to share with him how God had been working on me. That I am willing to teach or do whatever else is needed to be done at this school.
So what will next year hold? I don’t know right now. Whatever it is, I’m trusting God that it will be just what He planned for me.
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