What in the World are You Doing?

"What in the world are you doing?"  

Did you ever hear your parents say that to you as a kid?  My parents asked that of me numerous times!  I was always a curious one that wasn't afraid to try new things.  One instance was when my Dad found my best friend and I in one of our outbuildings on the farm digging into a sack of farm fertilizer.  We were inspired in our Science class to make a potash bomb and we read on the bag that there was potash in the fertilizer, so we were simply gathering our supplies to create a bomb that would impress our teacher and secure us a good grade.  Thankfully Dad found us before we actually lit a match.  Also could be why Dad blew a fuse of his own a few weeks later with me when he heard a loud BOOM and found that I had blown up an old M-80 of my brothers in the same outbuilding.  (I have to say though, it was pretty loud and echoed nicely in that metal building!)


Today those words take on a completely different meaning for me.  What in the world AM I doing?  I once heard a preacher say "What in the world are you doing for heavens sake?"  A thought provoking question.

As we watch our nation change and listen for things that may affect us, it is difficult to always know exactly where faith comes in and where fear leaves off.  Confusing?  Well here is just a little bit of what I mean.

Because of working at a Christian school, I have parents, staff and others who email, post, blog, tweet and call about everything from the parking lot potholes to politics.  In order to keep it all in perspective - I pass the comments or questions along to the administration. There are several things that continue to breed fear into the hearts of our Christian families however.  One of those being the recently publicized  push about adopting the common core.

The Association of Christian Schools International issued this press release in October addressing the Common Core Standards.  http://www.acsiglobal.org/about-acsi/acsi-press-releases

This is a topic that sounds like it "matches up" doesn't it?  I mean, there should be skill based standards and effective teaching strategies in our classrooms.  That is true!  But, that is not truly where the problem lies, it lies more in WHERE the standards come from and the objectives.  The mission and objectives at Lincoln Christian remain firm, and as a reminder, I am posting them in a little bit different format than what you are used to seeing them in.

If anyone asks me "What in the World are You Doing?"  I want to have a ready answer.  Because Christian education is a mystery to many people, we need to be clear about our mission and objectives.

The Mission of Lincoln Christian School is:

…to teach the Truth

by studying God’s world

in the light of God’s Word,

presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

providing mental growth

through sound basic

academic disciplines,

stimulating spiritual growth by

teaching Christian character, and

training students to live out their faith

in word and deed.