by Dick Buckingham, Administrator
That may very well be the question you are considering as you begin reading this entry. It is a worthy question, one deserving an answer. We all have a limited amount of time to read and explore new information online. It seems everyone these days has a blog about something. Everyone thinks they have something to offer the world and the web makes it easy to gain an audience. At least initially. You know as well as I that if what someone writes is not helpful in some way to my life or I have some measure of respect for them, I am likely not to go much beyond reading the first entry or two. The fact that you have read this far in this paragraph indicates that you have some understanding with what I am saying. So if you will permit me a few more minutes, let me suggest the top reasons why you should subscribe to this blog from Faith Christian School:
10. The contributors to this blog besides me will be Jennie Smith, our Secondary Assistant Principal, and Meridith Borta, the Elementary Principal of the school. We will rotate with one of us adding something new each week. Between the three of us, we have some 53 years of experience in the realm of Christian education. We have each made a lifetime commitment, not to a job, but a calling, serving the Lord to train and disciple young people to be citizens not just of this world, but the world to come as well. We have a lot of experience to draw upon and we will relate stories, problems and issues that are common to many families. Sometimes we may share with you the best way NOT to deal with a situation. Other times, we may have great insight into exactly what you need. Either way we will seek to be a help and an encouragement to you in bringing up your child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
9. Not only are we educators but we are parents. Between the three of us, we currently span the full spectrum of child-rearing, from new-born (less than one year old) to empty-nester grandparent with grown children on their own raising their own families, and just about everything in between . We are parents too and we are not just talking theoretically about child rearing and educating, but have put our own advice to work in the laboratory of our everyday lives and families. We know the things your kids are dealing with and we understand the heart of parents who want to be faithful to their divine calling as parents. When we share, we will share a part of our own hearts.
8. Faith Christian School has been in operation since 1988 and during these 24 years, we have had the privilege of working with literally hundreds of families and countless students, working with some for as little as a few days to all their childhood years. We have had well over 100 graduates who have gone out to be successes in college, career, and life. Among our alum we have missionaries, pastors, nurses, engineers, IT managers, salesmen and women, musicians, teachers, and countless other professions including exceptional moms and dads. We have had former students obtain multiple degrees up to and including PhDs. Though not the only factor in the life of these kids, we have played an important role in helping parents successfully teach, train, and disciple their children. Many of these parents have shown gratitude to the school long after their children have completed their attendance.
7. We love kids. There we said it. Have you ever been to a pediatrician or pediatric dentist and wondered why in the world did this guy decide to work with kids? We are not prone to that kind of criticism. We enjoy having them around and endeavor to make them feel like we really want them to be here. God’s Word indicates that children are a heritage from the Lord. They are a gift and we have the privilege of being with them and helping mold them into what God desires them to be. What a wonderful feeling that is. We look forward to coming to school every day because we see great value and joy being with the students God has brought here.
6. We really understand the challenges of parenting in this world. As most of you know, it is relatively easy to become a parent, but it is really tough to be a good one. As parents, we get only one shot at doing it right for each child. There are no do-over’s in parenting. Every parent has an innate desire to do their best. Christian parents are particularly desirous of raising up a godly heritage. In today’s world, that is so difficult. You feel like you are continually walking a tight-rope, trying to balance being too strict and over-bearing or too permissive. Between the three of us, we have been there or are right there with you in the battle. We can and will share successes and failures with you.
5. Believe it or not, our children are not/were not perfect. Often times, we think we are the only ones whose children do unthinkable things. Did your son blow up a sink at school? Guess what? So did mine. Did you have children that don’t want to do homework? Same here. Does your child think “everyone at school hates him or her?” Ditto. How we handle these things may not be the newest thing on the block, but we are in the trenches and are looking for support and help from others just as you are. We can be an encouragement to each other.
4. We really like the opportunity that a blog provides to promote discussion and feedback. We could write a book, but the only way we would know if it was helping anyone was if it sold well. Even then, aren’t there times you would like to interact with the author of something you read and either give your insight or ask a detailed question? With a blog, you can do that and we welcome and encourage you to do that. We will be checking the blog frequently and responding to questions or ideas that you contribute. Obviously, we ask that all your comments be appropriate and respectful for all ages of readers.
3. You may be reading the above and come away with the idea that we are just giving you insights from our own lives. We actually love to read and do frequently so that we may share a thought with you from something we have read as well. There may be whole books that we will recommend that you add to your library and you may recommend reading to us as well.
2. This may sound obvious, but we are committed to learning and growing ourselves. There is never a time when we feel content to just sit back and coast in our lives. We are fully aware of our need to be going deeper in our understanding of God, His world, children, and parents. We learn and challenge each other to learn though a broad variety of ways. We hope to share our growth with you through this blog.
1. We love the Lord. Everything we give you will be thoroughly grounded in the Lord and in His Word. We believe that a Biblical world-view is the only one that truly makes sense and helps us to navigate some of the treacherous waters we find ourselves in. Our dependence upon God is warranted by His Word, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7) As we depend upon Him for what is true and right we will find that our understanding of what He has revealed will help us in our task as parents.
So why should you subscribe to this blog? We believe it will be a real help to you on a regular basis. If you check back weekly and contribute as you are led, we will all grow in our understanding and abilities as parents.
If you do, here is our promise to you.
1. We will be Biblical. We will always use God’s word as the source and support for what we are doing, endeavoring to live a Biblical world-view before you and your children.
2. We will be practical. We don’t want to bore you with a lot of technical jargon or statistics that you could get anywhere. We want to be down-to-earth and give you things that you can use right away in your family
3. We will be relevant. We are on the front lines of parenting and working with the children of today. We know what they are dealing with and we are working to stay on the leading edge of that.
4. We will be real. You will not find us just to be expert know-it-alls who portray that we are somehow a cut above everyone else. Sometimes our blog may raise more questions than it answers. But together we will look to the One who truly knows-it-all and seek to learn from Him.
Will you join us? Will you be among some of the first to subscribe to this blog? We invite you to join us in this great adventure called parenting.
