“. . . I Did Let Down My Bucket”

He was not a mighty military man; in fact, he was always rather frail. He was not a polished politician. He was not even an effervescent executive. But he was a most enterprising individual in his field of expertise. Some, in fact, consider him to be “. . . the most remarkable American who has ever lived.” Emerging from a most underprivileged upbringing, he fought battles on par with the great commanders and generals.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

A recent article in the liberal magazine Parenting covered the concerning statistic that more than one in five American adults now take at least one type of medication to treat a psychological or behavioral disorder, a 22 percent rise since 2001. Similarly, there was a 264% increase of medication for ADHD among women aged 20-44 in the last decade.  The author described a young mother who was diagnosed with “situational depression” by her therapist. What was the horrendous “situation” that she confessed was the trigger for her depression? Her children.

“. . . I cannot be silent”

The conventional axiom, “Good things come in small packages,” and  the more cryptic aphorism, “Dynamite comes in small packages,” would seem to run counter to each other. The former refers to the matter of quality; the latter to quantity. But can they be woven together? Yes, they can, and a classic candidate for this synergism is 19th century missionary to China, Lottie Moon.

“I was a stranger in a strange land . . .”

Have you ever fought a battle, or contended for a matter, which seemed too large to overcome? Did you feel that you were alone in the midst of the morass? What kept you tethered at the throttle, persevering and enduring? No doubt, it was the conviction that the cause was commensurate for the combat. There are many “heroes” in American history who have personified this paradigm; yet one stands out uniquely--Harriet Tubman.

The concept of advertising intrigues me. Think about it with me for a moment. People who live thousands of miles from us, who don’t know us at all, get paid a whole lot of money to get us to buy something we really don’t need. How often have you gone into someone’s home or even a place of business and there on the television set is the Home Shopping Network? It takes me back to my nostalgic high school days of Ronco and K-Tel. (I just dated myself.)

Our first trip to the ICHE Convention was in 2000, some 13 years ago. We’ll never forget that initial five-hour trip from our southern IL home as we drove through sunshine, torrential downpours, excessive winds and tornado warnings. We even had to pull off the road once because we were afraid the hail was going to crack our windshield.

“I love to live on the brink of eternity”

Track athletes recognize the world of difference between the sprinter and the marathoner. Two divergent types of runners who train and compete dissimilarly. And yet, the prizes at their respective finish lines are quite the same. The trail to the trophy is worth the toil. In the Christian life, the treasured target is eternal life. Paul exhorted his Philippian brethren, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3.14).

The tendency of most people—Christians included—is to wait for things to get really bad before they react and, unfortunately, that reaction can get pretty ugly. Legislative Days has been ICHE’s way of being a proactive and positive presence in Springfield and beyond for several years. Because of this forward thinking, who knows how many potential pitfalls have been avoided that would have otherwise threatened our home schooling freedoms here in Illinois. An ounce of prevention …

“Here I Stand! . . .”

How would you respond if you discovered a rare jewel which seemed hidden, but was actually always in your possession? Would you not guard its virtues and gauge its value? A 16th-century theologian, named Martin Luther, discovered the treasured worth of God’s Word, much as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3.15--”[Wisdom] is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire compares with her.” In his quest, he reformed the place of the Scriptures among the common Christian.