Don't Forget the Life Skills

Schools are closed.  Businesses are closed.  Some will be closed temporarily.  Some will never open again.  This is the reality that we are all faced with as we deal with the Covid-19 quarantine, and a meltdown of the world financial system.  Change is the reality of our time.   It may seem like it, but this is not the time to panic.  This is the time to count your blessings (even if you have lost your job).

I'm not going to go into all of the complexity of the imploding financial markets, you can get that information at other places:  Goldsilver.com and Wealthion, to name two.  What I am going to go into in this article is school closings.  This might be the greatest opportunity that you and your family receive out of this whole thing.  Now is the time to investigate your different options.  Education doesn't have to be institutionalized.  In fact, the best education isn't, and never has been.  As parents, it is your responsibility to provide the best educational opportunities for your children.  Maybe that's at school, maybe it isn't.  Now is a great time to figure that out.  First I will give a list of resources to help you figure this out.  Then I will give you some ideas on how to take advantage of this blessing that your family has just been given.

Resources

1.  Homeschool Helps from this website.
2. Leadership 3000 "Education" articles
3. Christ for Disciplers podcast
4. A Thomas Jefferson Education  by Oliver DeMille.
5. tjed.org
6. Paradigm Shift by LIFE Leadership
7. Rascal Radio from LIFE Leadership

How do you take advantage of this opportunity now, today?  Good question.  If you have received homework packets for your children from their school, give those packets 2-3 hours per day.  One hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon for children up to 10 years old.  For children 11 and older, work on those packets two hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.  

While they are committed to their academics, don't forget about the opportunities to teach life skills at this time.  If you are all home together as a family right now, don't miss this.  This is the perfect time to start developing new habits, productive habits- for yourself and them.  Here are some ideas:

• Go to bed at a decent time every night.
• 11:00pm for adults
• 8:30 for children younger than 12
• Use your best judgment, they are your children.
• Get out of bed every morning by 8:00am, at the latest.
• Read the Bible.
• Schedule time in the morning and afternoon for academics.
• Start an exercise program- You and them.
• Divide up the chores around the house and let each child be responsible for that chore.
• Family Projects
• Learn First-Aid
• Repair/Maintenance projects around the house.  Teach them how to take care of their living space.
• Yard clean up.
• Clean the cars.
• Wash the car.
• Vacuum and clean the inside.
• Clean the garage.
• Don't just rearrange and organize the space.
• Pull everything out and CLEAN the garage.
• Family Book Club

During this time when everything is closed, don't just focus on your children's academics/education.  Now is a great time for you to go to work on your own education.  If you are not a life-long learner, you are going to have a difficult time inspiring your children to invest in their education.  Now is the time to develop the habits of READ-LISTEN-ASSOCIATE.  If you aren't sure how to get started on this path for yourself you're in the right place.  

On this website there are several tools to help you do exactly that.

• Let's Read Together
• Audio Library
• Podcast links
• Leadership Challenge Group
• Top 50 Book list
• Articles posted here weekly (subscribe to get notified when they post)

The best way to create this habit/lifestyle is to start reading 30 minutes every day.  Also, listen to three audios everyday.  This isn't difficult.  Don't be overwhelmed by it.  Just start doing it.  You will see the benefits before all of this blows over.  It is also the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for the world that we are going to face when the dust settles from all of this.  The world that you have known your whole life is gone, it's not coming back.  This is how you prepare yourself to lead out in whatever comes next.  Developing your leadership skills is how you take advantage of this blessing we have all been given.  You can do this.  Start today.  Always remember:  God has this under control.  None of this has surprised Him.  He knew it was coming and is "working it all out for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Turning Points- When Life Gets Real

Luke 22:54

Then seizing Him, they led Him away and took Him into the house of the high priest.  Peter followed at a distance.

Jesus' disciples had followed him for three years.  In the final year of Jesus' ministry He continually told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and will be killed and on the third day be raised to life."  Somehow, the disciples didn't seem to understand what Jesus was telling them when He said these things, or they just didn't want to accept it.  Whichever is the case, on that Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus' words became very real for His disciples.  When Jesus was arrested they all ran away in fear.  

It became so real for Peter that a short time later he denied knowing Jesus three times.  It became so real for the disciples that they locked themselves away in a room for the next three days, only John was at the crucifixion.  The disciples were afraid.  They didn't understand that Jesus had to die.  They were unsure what He meant when He told them, "...on the third day I will rise again."  They were afraid and confused.

This is how it has been for many of you over the last week or so in the United States.  Things have progressed quickly with the corona virus.  Many Americans were simply watching the updates on the news each day like it was just another Netflix series.  Few Americans really understood the significance of this virus.  Few really thought it would come here and effect their life.  

And that was the case, until it wasn't.  One day there were infections in the United States.  One day the WHO finally declared it a pandemic.  One day your children's school was closed, with hardly any warning.  One day, this got real for you.

As schools and businesses close, and are going to stay closed for weeks (probably months), this has gotten real for everyone.  Sadly, too many are only just now waking up to the real ramifications of the corona virus- the collapse of the Global Financial System/Markets.

Just like it did for Jesus' disciples on that Thursday night/Friday morning, things might seem hopeless.  You're afraid.  You're confused.  Somehow this has totally blindsided you despite the years of warning (for the financial markets, not the corona virus).

But what did Jesus say?  On the afternoon of Resurrection Sunday, Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were locked away in that upper room and said, "Peace be with you."  Then He showed them His wounds and told them to touch Him and see that He was truly raised from the dead, in the flesh.  Jesus showed them that He had conquered sin and death.  This world had no hold on Him, and because of Jesus, it has no hold on us.  We are no longer slaves to sin and fear and worry.  In Jesus, we are free from all of it.  We still experience the effects of living in this broken sinful world, but we are no longer slaves to it.  

Just as all of the disciples' fears and worries and confusion melted away when Jesus appeared to them, ours will as well, when we turn our focus and attention to Jesus.  As Christians we don't have to fear what the future holds.  We know Jesus has already taken care of it.  None of this has caught Him by surprise.  Before He created the universe, He knew this was going to happen.  It is not by accident that you are living at this time and place in history.  God has placed you here on purpose as part of His plan.  You have been born for such a time as this.  Now is not the time to cower in fear.  Now is the time to look to God's Word for guidance, and to LEAD!

Our world has changed forever, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Like Noah, we can trust God's plan for our world, and for our lives.  Like Noah, we also receive this promise from our Heavenly Father:

"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil form childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease." 

-Genesis 8:21-22

God's got this!

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Jason Fredrick

Prove It!

Matthew 16:4

"A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."  Jesus then left them and went away.

"Prove it."  That's what we tell people when they tell us something unbelievable.  This is also the trouble that the Pharisees and Sadducees had with Jesus.  

They didn't believe that He was the Son God, even though He had performed many miracles.  Every time they confronted Him about anything, they wanted Him to do another one on-demand to prove it to them.  The problem was, every time Jesus did a miracle in their presence they would make false accusations against Him.  They got mad when He did miracles on the Sabbath.  They accused Him of being from satan when He drove demons out of people.  No sign would convince them.  That's why Jesus said that no sign would be given to them, except for His resurrection.  And they didn't believe that either, instead they tried to cover up that it actually happened.

Guess what, this generation is no less wicked and adulterous than that generation.  People today are still demanding proof, but all the proof in the world won't convince them.  They think they are being smart by demanding more proof, "Show me something else."  Just like the Pharisees and Sadducees, everyone today has all the proof that they need- God's Word.  If people won't listen to the Gospel, you aren't going to convince them of anything.  You aren't smarter than God.  The Holy Spirit doesn't work through your word, He works through God's Word.

I love apologetics, but apologetics don't bring people to faith.  Apologetics can help start a conversation or break down someone's false beliefs, but they don't convert anyone.  Apologetics only opens the door so you can share the Gospel of Jesus with them.  If you never get to God's Word in your conversation you can be assured that you did not win a soul for Christ.  The Bible is very clear about this:  the Holy Spirit only works faith through God's Word and the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion).  You will never argue anyone into believing in Jesus.

I love how Jesus shows His immense grace to the Pharisees and Sadducees.  As long as they kept coming back to Him and asking questions, He kept sharing the truth with them.  He continued to give them chance after chance to repent of their sins and turn to Him.  Sadly, they continued to harden their hearts and many of them are in hell today, but your adversaries aren't yet.  They are still in their time of grace.  So don't give up on them.  As long as they will dialogue with you about spiritual matters, keep the conversation going.  Keep feeding them God's Word at every opportunity and then trust the Holy Spirit to work how He will.  God has promised that His Word will not return to Him empty.

God bless

Jason Fredrick