If We All Do Something....My Something

A couple of months ago I preached a series on issues of social justice and working for equality and justice to the most vulnerable around the world.  Our motto was, "I can't do everything, but I can do something.  If we all do something, we can do everything."  I challenged our members to find their "something" - a way they could give/serve/lead that would connect with their passions.  Throughout and during that time, I prayed and considered what was my something.  I thought I knew what it was, but I didn't know how to get involved.

I first learned about micro-financing while I was in seminary.  Basically, there are people all around the world who work really hard and have great ideas for how to make life better, but they have no capital to invest in their ideas because they need every dime they earn to buy food.  Moreover, they are unable to get loans to start their businesses because either the loan amounts are too low and banks don't want the hassle, or their economies are so bad that the banking system is non-existent.  That is where micro-financing comes in.  Various ministries and other non-profits help these budding entrepreneurs by providing small loans, business coaching and accountability, and other help as needed.

The raging capitalist that is me loves this- truly a hand-up to those who are very poor and are willing to work hard and help themselves.  This is no entitlement program that traps individuals in a cycle of dependency!

But how could I help?  We live on a very tight budget that doesn't leave room for much extra.  We faithfully give a full tithe to our church.  Plus, I wanted to really make a difference- maybe even fully fund a loan and not just give $25 to ease my conscience.  Then I read The Hole In Our Gospel and God spoke clearly and convincingly.  A couple of years ago I sold my old flying-V guitar for $200 (ironically, for the same amount I paid for it twenty years ago).  I kept that $200 safe- hoping that someday I could add to it and buy the guitar that I really want - a Fender American Standard Stratocaster.  But I have 3 other guitars and rarely play any of them.  God said, "Give it away - loan it to some entrepreneur somewhere in the world.  That is your something."  Initially I resisted- but God really worked on my heart. 

So, with that money and some other birthday money I had been saving to spend on something I don't really need, Erica and I jumped onto Kiva.org and looked for someone who could use a loan.  Why Kiva, when there are lots of organizations who offer micro-loans?  With Kiva, when the loan has been re-paid, I get to loan that money to someone else- it helps me to stay personally engaged- which I need.  It might be a little selfish, but I need to stay connected to this.

Dionesia

I now have two new friends in the Philippines. Dionesia has a food production business, making baked goods and selling them to support her family.  She requested a loan of $250 to buy sugar, mayonnaise and other ingredients to make the food that she sells.  Someone else funded $100, and I was able to complete the funding with the last $150.  I imagine that Dionesia is working hard today to support her family and to grow her small business- and I have the privilege to be a part of that.  In February she will make her first payment of $35.  I will pray that she will be ready and able to repay her loan.

Cecelia

Cecelia is a farmer in the Philippines who has been growing and harvesting corn for 5 years.  Her farming operation produces $125 every month.  She requested a loan of $250 to purchase fertilizer and to pay for weeding services.  She is planning for a better harvest and for the ability to expand her fields and capacity.  Again, someone else funded $100, so I funded the last $150.  I can log onto my account and watch her progress and look for updates! I will be praying for Cecelia, that God will bless her farm and her crops, and that she will thank him and worship him!

By the way - if you want to check it out for yourself- go to Kiva.org. Or, you can help me by clicking on http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/jason9666 Apparently another donor set up this referral system, and if you decide to get involved (you can start with as little as $25), then that donor will give me another $25 that I can loan out to someone!  (And no, this is not the reason for posting all of this!  And no, this is not some network-marketing scheme.  I promise you I won't be calling you, wanting to talk about a great "opportunity.")


In the long run, I imagine I will never miss the money I was saving.  I may never buy another guitar- but that is really okay with me- I probably wouldn't play it all that much anyways.  Given the choice, I would much rather help these two ladies- and the others I get to help in the future after they repay their loans.  It kind of makes me want to look around for some other junk to sell.  In fact, does anybody need a guitar?  I have one I would like to sell!

My Day As A WatchD.O.G.

Today I spent the day at Olivia's school as a WatchD.O.G.  This program encourages dads to be involved in the education of their children by spending an entire day at school. Today was my day.  Olivia was so excited! Since last week She has been counting down the days.

I began my day in the gym as the students waited for their teachers to take them to class.  Olivia proudly stood next to me as they introduced her dad as the WatchDog for the day.  The computer teacher took our picture to be placed on the WatchDog wall of fame.  Then the work began.  The first Kindergarten recess was crazy. After I zipped up a few jackets, a student asked me to push her on the swing.  Soon the swing set was filled with kids all needing pushes.

After recess, it was time to help a few teachers.  I read a book with three third-graders and discussed its content to help them with comprehension.  Then it was lunchtime.  For two hours I opened yogurt containers, retrieved silverware, and joked around with students.  I purchased a lunch on Olivia's student account and sat with her and her class. Do you know how difficult it is to eat a mixed green salad with a spork? After lunch,  I helped with the afternoon Kindergarten recess.  More swing-pushing.  Before I could get inside to help another teacher, Olivia and the first graders came out for recess.  Guess what?  More swinging.  And some tag.  Finally, near end of the day, I helped a teacher by reading a test to a student and helping another student with a math worksheet.  It was nice to provide some needed individualized attention so that the teacher might tend to the entire class.

My time at Raymore Elementary served much more than to just provide an extra hand to teachers and staff. It also helped me to better understand  my daughter's days at school.  After watching teachers work so patiently with difficult students, I appreciate all the more just how great all of those teachers are.

I really like the WatchD.O.G. Program.  I could tell that the students are used to having dads in their school to help the teachers and to have fun.  All day I heard, "hey, WatchDog can you help me?"  Several times throughout the day I thought about my colleague and friend, Donnie Miller.  After several years in pastoral ministry he sensed that God was leading him in a new direction and took a job teaching in an elementary school in the urban core of Kansas City. It was a terrible experience.  You can read of his experiences in this  blog post.  Given Donnie's description of the environment of his school, I am guessing that they do not have an active WatchDog program.  But I can't help but to imagine that it would radically improve the school if the fathers of the students would invest one or two days per year in their children's education.

Dads, it is time for us to get involved in all aspects of our kids' lives.  If your child's school has a WatchD.O.G. program, sign up for a day.  No program? Talk to your principle or PTA President. I signed up for another day next February.  I am looking forward to it already.  Olivia is probably already counting down the days.

My Thoughts on Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now

I just finished reading Joel Osteen's bestseller Your Best Life Now: 7 steps to living at your full potential.  I have to admit that at the outset I was skeptical.  After all, I was taught to be suspicious of faith teachers who have no formal theological education and yet amass widespread popularity.  (Sometimes I wonder if that skepticism isn't fueled by a bit of jealousy (of a Christian kind, of course)).  Having read the entire book (a feat that I doubt many of its harshest critics have accomplished) I can say that I was encouraged, inspired and challenged.  Hopefully I am smiling more.  I won't however, attempt to grow a cool mullet; only Joel can pull that off in 2012.

My first assumption that needed some correction concerned the title of the book.  The whole notion of being able to live our best lives right now seems a bit heretical for a classic evangelical like myself.  I firmly believe that our best life is still to come, in the perfection of the future fullness of the kingdom and presence of God (also called heaven).  However, it is clear from reading the book that Joel is not downplaying heaven, but merely attempting to teach how to live the best life that is possible during this life, here and now, pre-heaven.


Many of Joel Osteen's critics label him as a "faith teacher," argue against the classic teachings of this movement, highlight the abuses, heresy, or outright sins of other similar teachers, and then declare them all guilty by association.

You may wonder what is a "faith teacher."  So-called faith teachers focus their teaching on biblical themes and stories of blessings, healings, abundance, and prosperity.  They regularly quote, and over-quote, Jesus' teaching on mustard-sized-faith that can move mountains.  The key to the God-blessed life (the good life) is to develop faith, by which a person can ask God for anything and get it.  God is then viewed as a genie, with faith as the golden lamp.  The hypocrisy of such teaching is evidenced in the self-indulgent lifestyles of its preachers, including their private jets, sprawling mansions and air-conditioned dog houses.

Part of the problem is that by constantly teaching on these topics, preachers ignore other important issues and these topics are abused by over-use.  This is true of any tradition, and the reality is that focusing on one aspect of theology, whether it is blessing, the sacraments, or even holiness, leads to misuse of other important aspects of the Christian faith.

This forms the basis of my thoughts:  if Your Best Life Now is presented (by Rev. Osteen) or received (by his readers) as merely one aspect of Christian living, and not as an encyclopedic tome of all that is true, then there is tremendous value.  For the person who claims to be a Christian, the book is a good kick-starter to living out what we claim to believe.  Osteen encourages readers to expand their vision of God's power in their lives, to learn to see themselves as God sees them, to harness their thoughts and words and use them for good, to forgive others, to persevere, to give generously, live compassionately, and to always do what is right.  He does not portray God as a mere distributor of blessings.  He does not advocate living the good life while neglecting the poor.  If we need to use formal theological terms, we could say that he encourages an emphasis on the nature and character of God, a godly self-consciousness, forgiveness, reconciliation, social justice, and holiness!  Most theologians would agree that those might be pretty good themes to encourage a person to live in their daily lives!

Throughout the book I enjoyed Joel's honest use of personal stories.  He regularly shares his own struggles and faults.  He shares stories of personal victory and successes, including some of his giving, but there is never a hint of arrogance.  He regularly honors both his mother and father and their influence in his life.  He regularly refers to his own times of prayer and devotion, and the insights, guidance, and rebuke that he receives from God.  He does not advocate a mere power-of-positive-thinking that excludes God.

I do have one big critique, though.  I really wished Joel would have spent more time, or at least some time, describing the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ revealed to us in his death and resurrection, and the sin that necessitates it.  I know that Joel believes in the gospel and shares it at his church in Houston, so he is not heretical nor ignorant.  I just didn't see it in the book.  That makes me wonder who he believed his audience to be?  Maybe he assumes that his readers know the gospel and believe they have accepted the gospel. (He does minister in Texas, after all.)  I was really hoping that he would conclude with a telling of the centrality and necessity of the gospel.  That didn't happen.  I am not sure why, and I assume he had a good reason.  It probably would have been helpful for that reader who once again needs to be confronted with the reality of Jesus.

In the end, though, the book is one helpful ingredient in growing as a follower of Jesus.  I have purposefully chosen the word ingredient for what it implies.  Recipes have multiple ingredients.  A lifelong pursuit of following Jesus has multiple influences as well.  For the person whose only exposure to the Christian life is Joel's book, they shouldn't expect a rich, lasting, growing faith.  But when viewed as one helpful ingredient among many, this volume is helpful and encouraging!

Quiet - Introverts Everywhere are Applauding

Do you hear it?  One third of the population is standing, applauding this monumental work by Susan Cain.  You probably can't hear it.  The applause is subdued, but heart-felt.  Most of the applauders are standing alone in their living room, a fire crackling in the fireplace, and the television is off.  They like it that way - the alone part, the fireplace part, and non-television part.  They are the introverts of the world, and they just finished reading the first book dedicated to explaining their sensitive, reflective selves.   The book is entitled,Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking



At 268 pages of text, 271 End Notes, and a full index, the book covers a lot of material, and much of it in depth.  The book is no dry textbook, though.  Susan Cain shares much of her own story, including her discovery of her strengths and weaknesses as an introverted attorney. She shares her journey to understand those similar to her, the introverts in the world.  Throughout much of the book she shares her firsthand accounts of meeting the researchers who have spent their careers understanding introversion and extroversion.

I was hooked in the introduction.  A quick self-assesment concluded that I, indeed, fit the bill for introversion.  I couldn't agree more with statements like,"I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me, " and "I prefer not to show or discuss my work with others until it's finished."

In the first part of the book, Cain attempts to illustrate what she calls the "American Extrovert Ideal," by highlighting the work of Dale Carnegie ("How to Win Friends and Influence People"), business models that force employees to work in teams, and business schools that coerce the "quiet kids" into constant collaboration.  Cain even visited an evangelical mega-church and concluded that much of American Christianity doesn't work for introverts.  She almost lost me in this first section.  The tone was humorous, but still a bit reactionary.  I realize that she was building her case, but in doing so, her conclusions were much too broad.  For instance, in the area where I have the most experience, the Church, I think she got it wrong!  In fact, in reflection on her mega-church visit, she quotes her host - a fellow introvert and pastor (who does not attend the church they visited) who says, "There was no emphasis on quiet, liturgy, ritual, things that give you space for contemplation."  Hence, their discomfort in a public worship service.  Were they to dig deeper, they would find that this church teaches those contemplative practices to their members as they grow in their faith.  And while I am a raging introvert, I have to say that I do not prefer to worship publicly in a quiet setting featuring formal liturgy.  To suggest that introverts prefer a certain style of worship is to push general conclusions too far.  And if this was the case in an area where I have a bit of knowledge, I wonder where else this was the case.  However, she makes a strong case for the struggle of most introverts to find their place in American culture.

In part two, Cain shares some of the relevant research on introversion.  I especially connected with the research of Jerome Kagan.  Kagan discovered that introverts tend to be very sensitive to external stimuli- almost over-stimulated - in that we observe everything around us, and then, having reached stimuli-capacity quicker than the extroverts around us, we need to retreat to a non-stimulating place in order to reflect, rest, and re-charge our ability to be stimulated.  Kagan noted especially that introverts are very alert, very sensitive, and experience complex emotions. That is so me!

Cain's book is not just stories and theory.  In part four, she suggests strategies and practices that introverts can adopt to thrive and succeed in a world that is often uncomfortable for them.  She shares the secret to public speaking (and no, it has nothing to do with imagining the audience's clothing, or lack thereof).  She shares networking strategies for introverts who really want to "work a room."  Finally, she shares strategies for parenting an introvert.  (I think I have one - I better re-read this chapter)  I would suggest that the reader only read the chapters in this section that directly interest them.  Honestly, the book feels a little too long at this point.

I heartily recommend this to any introvert who wants to better understand themselves and learn to succeed in a world filled with extroverted success.  I would also recommend it to the spouse of an introvert.  This work will remain a standard for years!

Required FTC Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  That means they gave me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion about it.

Adventures in Churchland - a good read on Church and organized religion

Dan Kimball is a crazy guy.  He drives a classic Ford Mustang.  He sports a pompadour hair cut.  He plays drums- preferably in a rockabilly band.  He is a pastor and seminary professor.  About a decade ago, he broke into the Christian leadership world with a book on how to reach young people while still teaching the reality of hell.  Dan is funny, but serious; simple, but profound.


The subtitle of this book says it all:  "Finding Jesus in the mess of organized religion."  This book is different from his previous books, in that it was not written for pastors to understand young people, the art/music crowd, etc.  Rather, it was written for young people, artists, or really just anyone who has been hurt by by the church to love and appreciate the church.  It is a very easy, quick read, but it is not "fluff."  Much of the book portrays Dan's story of coming to Christ and learning to thrive in and in spite of the church.  He shares his experiences, from scary, heretical and hypocritical to hilarious and heart-warming.  He shares his experiences of hope and hurt found in the church.  Dan relates to those who like Jesus but dislike the church, and then he challenges them with a strong theology of the church.  (In the world of formal theology, we call it "ecclesiology" because we like big words.  Dan, however, skips the big words and faithfully teaches the concepts of a solid, Biblical, practical, and convicting belief in the Church of Jesus Christ.)

Some of the best material is found in the final chapters of the book, where Dan lands with his final challenges, the logical conclusion of what is written earlier.  In one place he writes, "Every time Christians point at the church and say it is messed up, we point at ourselves.  We are part of the problem because we are the church."  Twice, he approvingly quotes Henri Nouwen- here is one sentence- "When we say, "I love Jesus, but I hate the Church," we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too."

This is a resource I will keep on my shelf, waiting for the day someone, probably younger, but willing to engage in reasoned discussion, says, "I love Jesus, but I don't like the Church...." at which point I will say, "read this book and let's talk about it."

In the meantime, I will continue to lead the Church, as God has called me to do, faithfully but with greater sensitivity to those who might have had bad experiences in the Church.  And I will be careful to clearly explain how we worship, helping every member and visitor know what we think happens with "the cup of wonder."  (If you don't know what I am referring to- read the book- it is a pretty hilarious story- and convicting as well.)

If you find yourself disconnected, disgruntled, or just curious about the Church, pick up this book and check it out!

A Spiritual Growth iPlan

This morning I taught on the importance of continued spiritual growth.  Spiritual growth is a lot like weight-training.  You start somewhere, with whatever you can do, and go from there, increasing the weight as you can.  But after two years, if you are still doing the same exercises with the same amount weight, something is wrong!

Like exercise, spiritual growth is natural, but it is not automatic, easy or quick.  In other words, if you are a follower of Jesus you should be growing- if you are not, something is wrong!  However, spiritual growth requires attention, effort, hard work and patience.  This is the school with no graduation!
 
I also talked about the various spiritual disciplines, or habits, that help us grow.  Someone later asked me for a copy of the full grid.  Here it is:

	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced
Bible	Read	Meditate	Study	Teach
Prayer	Needs	Thanks & Praise	Intercession	Conversation
LIFE Group	Attend & Talk	Prepare & Contribute	Lead	Coach
Quiet Time	5 Minutes	15 Minutes	30 Minutes	1 Hour or Multiple
Ministry	As-needed	Regular	Leading	Overseeing
Giving	Donation	Regular	Tithing	Tithe Plus
Other	Journaling	Silence	Fasting	Direction
Sins	Outer sin	Omission	Inner Sins	Consistency
	Practices	Habits	Character	Destiny

 
  All of this is great and helpful, but doesn't bring change unless it is put into practice.  And you most likely will not put it into practice until you devise a plan.  How and when will you do which of these practices?

Here is a sample five-day plan that you can begin this week!  And for you iPhone folks, you can do most of it with your phone. 

Meditating  Mondays - No, we are not referring to the empty-your-mind kind of meditation, but rather, the fill-and-focus-your-mind kind, specifically with Scripture.  If you have not done so, download the free YouVersion Bible app (available at the iTunes app store, or at www.youversion.com) and read the Bible on your phone.  This handy app also features several Bible reading plans to help you get started!  How about filling your drive-time with the Word of God?  YouVersion will even read the Bible to you, just like if you were listening to a song!  So on Mondays, how about popping in your earbuds and filling your time with God's Word?

Teaching Tuesdays - The beauty of the internet is the availability of so much great material!  If you attend New Vision Church, you can listen to previous messages by visiting our iTunes Podcast page or just search for "Jason Matters New Vision Church" in iTunes.  I recently talked with one of our members who downloaded a previous teaching series on parenting and really appreciated it!  Also, check out other great teachers.  I subscribe to the podcasts of Andy Stanley at NorthPoint Church and Craig Groeschel of Life Church.  How about listening to some Bible teaching while commuting to and from work on Tuesdays?

Worship Wednesdays  - More drive-time help here.  Rather than listening to some random radio station with the same-old morning show, how about your favorite worship music? I typed "worship" in the search bar of the iTunes store, and the top 50 songs listed many of my favorites.  How about making your own worship playlist?  You could even find songs that you like but don't get to hear at church.

Thankful Thursdays - Sorry, no app here, but you still won't need to make an actual phone call on your, um, phone.  Think about 2 or 3 people for whom you are thankful.  Take some time and tell God why you are thankful for these people in your life.  Now grab your phone and send them a brief text message, telling them, in 140 characters, why you are thankful for them and what they mean to you.

Fasting & Feasting Fridays - Fasting is not weird.  It is merely taking something out of your life for a short time in order to replace it with something more important.  Like noise.  How about riding to work in absolute silence?  No music, radio or phone calls.  Just silence.  Maybe skip lunch to just sit quietly, and read more of the Bible and pray a while.  Then go home and feast!  Spend your Friday evening surrounded by family and friends, celebrating life with them!

There it is.  A sample plan, with enough alliteration to make even Rick Warren proud.  It is not the only plan, and it certainly is not the best plan.  But it is a place to start.  Try it and you will grow.

I Believe In Public Schools - Part 3 - Why 'C' Students Rule the World

I am a nerd and always have been.  I am pretty sure one of my school pictures features my brown, plastic-rimmed glasses, my hair slicked-back with the help of too much gel, and the only thing missing from the picture is a pocket protector.  By the end of high school, my transcript displayed only A's, a class ranking of 1, and an ACT composite that was well within the 99th percentile.  College was similar, with a solitary B that I earned while in high school taking a college class. (I still regret transferring that class.  I should have just taken the CLEP test and saved my transcript the embarrassment of an inferior grade.)

All of that is only important because of what comes next:  it turns out that good grades are not the greatest factor influencing success.

In my previous posts, I addressed the concerns that are raised, mostly by Christians, regarding the morality of the atmosphere in public schools.  In this post, however, I want to address the other concern: the quality of education.  I often hear parents claim that they can do a better job of teaching in their children in three hours per day the material than the school teaches in six.  Some parents insist on a private school education because of its superior curriculum and results.  After all, what good parent would not want their child to get the best education possible?  The assumption is that if their children are surrounded by higher-performing students, taught by better teachers, and led by better administrators, then they will get better test scores and have greater chances of success.  But is this assumption true?

In 1995, psychologist Daniel Goleman published a book entitled Emotional Intelligence.  A person's emotional intelligence quotient (their EQ) is based on 5 factors: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skill, empathy, and motivation.  He argued that a person's (their EQ) is a better predictor of success than is their intelligence quotient (their IQ).    Psychologists and researchers have hotly debated his claims over the predictive value of a person's EQ, but they do not question the significance of these factors.  Note that 2 of the 5 are social skills, and 2 more highly influence a person's social skills.

Related to education, we have assumed for years that the best and brightest go on to achieve the highest measure of success.  But it is just not true.  Why do so many scientists, inventors, business owners, and even world leaders have embarrassing transcripts?  Because it ends up that C students really do rule the world.  Why?  Because while the A students were sitting alone reading books and writing papers, the C students were hanging out with their friends, partying, playing sports and learning teamwork, conversation skills, leadership, conflict resolution, and a whole host of other social skills.  And now, in the real world, they are able to flourish because they work well with people.  Whether we like it or not, the work-a-day world is collaborating and working in teams.  Office walls are torn down and even managers are expected to work in open floor plans.  Students in Harvard business school are never alone even from the first day of entering the program.  Why?  Because success is really determined by how well we work with others.

This is not to say that academics are not important.  A diploma is not just a piece of paper.  It suggests that a person has been exposed to a class of ideas and has demonstrated a set of core competencies and understanding.  But that is about it.  After graduate school I was called to serve a church. (That is preacher-speak for, "I got a real job.")  And they never even looked at one transcript! 

I believe in public schools because they provide the greatest opportunities for social interaction and for building social skills.  Compared to private schools, public schools offer an unmatched range of diversity, pushing students to learn how to work and get along with others who are richer, poorer, faster, slower, popular, overlooked, of all different religions, native backgrounds and moral influence.  The public school, like no other institution, provides a place where our kids can best develop academically and socially.

I am not looking forward to the day one of my children comes home with tears inflicted by a bully.  But bullying is not reserved for minors.  Bullies grow up and learn sophisticated adult bullying techniques. Learning to handle a bully is not a social skill reserved for children.  But I am guessing that adults who learned to handle bullies in a healthy way while they were young  do a better job of it as adults.  Which brings us back to the idea of the secure base.  If we, as parents, will provide a secure base at home for our children, from which we launch them daily and then wait for them to return, they will be well-equipped to grow academically and socially while attending public schools.

I Believe In Public Schools (Part 2)

So here is the summary of Part 1: Jesus purposefully and strategically did not and does not extract his followers from a sinful world, but leaves us here to influence the world for good, for God and to invite sinners to accept and follow Jesus.  I proposed that this applies to our children, and that their "world" in which they can influence for good is their public school.

The popular objection to this argument often sounds something like this:  Our kids are too young and impressionable to be subjected to such huge responsibilities.  They need to be protected and nurtured in a safer environment.  Later, when they are strong and mature, they will be able to influece the world.

That objection sounds reasonable until we re-read the Bible chapters I referenced earlier (John 14-17).  Jesus speaks to his followers in a peculiar tone: he speaks constant re-assurance, acknowledging their fear of living without him by their side.  In chapter 17 he prays three times for their protection!  He does not treat his followers like strong, capable men.  On the contraary, he acknowledges that in their faith they are young, weak, immature and in need of protection!  By way of analogy, Jesus does not ask his children to hide away in safety, waiting to interact and influence the world until they are mature. Plus, he simply trusts that his Father will protect them as they mature.  I wonder if our fear of public schools is really an indicator of our lack of trust in God's protective power?

There is also a practical response to this objection.  At what point in my child's life will he/she really be ready to face to realities of the mean, cruel world?  Let's face it; we can't shelter our kids forever.  Eventually they will grow up, move away from the safety of the commune we call home and be faced with the darkness of our world.  And last I checked, neither a high school diploma nor the arrival of an 18th birthday include a magic potion labeled, maturity, wisdom and perseverance. It seems to me that the structured environment of a six-hour school day followed by eighteen hours at home is a great combination of environments in which our kids can graually learn how to resist evil and influence the world for good.

Psychiatrist John Bowlby proposed a great theory to help parents.  In his theory, healthy parents create a secure base at home, in which their kids are loved, nurtured, fed, disciplined, etc.  When those children know they have a secure base waiting for them at home, they can have the confidence to face difficulties, try new activities, take risks, etc.  Applied to school, children can endure temptation and even thrive in a difficult place because the safety of home is coming soon. 

So here is my proposal:  Send your kids to public schools.  Create a warm, safe, loving home for them to return to.  Stay in constant communication regarding their experiences at school, both good and bad.  Talk through their difficulties.  Help them process their conflict and coach them on how to respond. Encourage them to take risks and try new things!  Be there to cheer them on and be the first to pick them up when they fall!  

Or, I suppose you could also just sit on the couch every night and complain about how the schools aren't doing a good job raising your children for you.

Next, in Part 3:  ACT's, IQ, and why C students rule the world.