I love Christian Education

I was so blessed last Sunday, January 25th.  I spent the entire
morning at Bayside Church in Granite Bay chatting with families about
Christian Education. I love Christian Education. I love being a Christian
school principal especially on days like this. Our high school Chamber choir
had the opportunity to sing at all three Sunday morning services. In
addition to presenting four numbers of their own the choir was privileged to
accompany Christian recording artist and worship pastor at Bayside, Lincoln
Brewster in his morning worship set.

Although I really enjoy talking with people about a Biblical
philosophy of education it is even more enjoyable to observe it in action as
played out in the lives of students. Christian day school education is
perhaps the most critical investment parents can make in the lives of their
children. In my conversations with people about Christian Education I often
hear the question “What’s the return on investing in a Christian school
education?” In our economy we may be tempted to question the value of the
investment, fret over the price tag. But the bottom line in Christian
schools is education for virtue: character development, renewing children’s
minds so that they are God-centered when making decisions.

I have often likened Christian education to a three legged stool.
One leg represents the home, one the church, and the third is the school. My
thoughtful conclusion about this analogy is simply that each leg on the
stool is critical to its stability. Remove any sound leg and replace it with
one that is unstable (like secular education) and you see your children
begin to adopt the values of their peers and teachers. If those values are
decidedly secular that investment will not pay good dividends either in the
now or the future.

What I experienced on Sunday last was the product of three stable
legs diligently pouring Christ-like character into the lives of forty eight
teenagers and the result was enough to make a grown man weep for joy as God
was glorified.

Someday, someday much too soon my two children and yours will be
making their own decisions without consulting us. As parents we have one
opportunity to help them shape their hearts to love God and there-by make
God centered decisions. It is the most important responsibility that God has
entrusted to us, so we can use all the help we can get, especially during
those seven hours a day, five days per week that our children are in school.
That is why I have chosen Christian education for my precious children; I
value the community of believers that surround them throughout their day.
The admonition found in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 affirms to me the reality of the
stool analogy. Though money is tight and the sacrifices can be very real,
after watching our Chamber choir last Sunday I am certain all the mothers
and fathers that were at Bayside were convinced they had made a wise
investment with their children.