by Kelly Knowlden
In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel gives the birth announcement to Mary and says that her son shall be great. In all the Bible, I cannot think of a greater understatement. Mary is being told that the eternal God, who sits resplendent in light and majesty, whose regal qualities invade every corner of heaven, and who is grand beyond all superlatives, is going to be great. And poor Mary, caught in a drama of such magnitude beyond imagining, responded to the angel in child-like faith, “let all you that have said, come about…”
And of course, we, who are caught in a drama beyond what we imagine, get caught up in the celebration of Christmas as though this event were a postcard moment—that somehow, if we say the right things, sit in front of a warm fire with Christmas music in the background sipping our cup of warm cocoa, if we can capture the right mood, something magical will happen and we will have peace - if not on earth, at least a bit of inner peace from the bustle of our frustratingly busy lives. And we forget that the holiday is really about Him who IS great!
His greatness comes from the fact that the majestic God described above came to rescue us! That rescue was not from our national debt, from physical oppression of a foreign government, or from a commercialistic interpretation of His own birth. He came to rescue us from ourselves… our declaration that we are great! So His rescue involved taking our sin on Himself, paying the penalty that distances us from God and giving us life instead of deserved death.
Our child-like faith in that exchange puts us in the midst of a great drama. We are in the great drama of proclaiming His greatness! We do it by living in the moments of our days with child-like faith, “let all that You have said, come about…” Christ did this in facing His greatest crucible - the cross. He did it so that we might indeed have inner peace. May you know that peace this season. Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Cultural Literacy
by Kelly Knowlden
In 1987, E.D. Hirsch, Jr. published a book called Cultural Literacy. In it he talks about what every American needs to know in order to be culturally literate. The premise of the book was to focus “on the background knowledge necessary for functional literacy and effective national communication.” He acknowledges that while it is necessary to keep up with the changes that language and influence from foreign cultures brings, yet in making a list of items necessary to know, 80% of them have been in use for more than 100 years.
To have a common cultural conversation, we must be able to convey common ideas drawn from a common set of information. It is this background information that Mr. Hirsch is trying to establish in his book.
At ICS we also are trying to establish that background information. We want students to know about where phrases come from like, “too many cooks spoil the broth” and what a topic sentence is, and what topsoil is, where Toronto is, and who Sojourner Truth was and to know the theme of The Tortoise and the Hare. We want children to understand who Arthur Miller, and Michelangelo, and John Stuart Mill are and what contributions they made to our present cultural conversation. So we work very hard at helping children to understand the facts they are studying as well as the context in which the facts fit. Our desire is for students to be able to critique those facts through the lens of the Bible so that they can contribute something important to the cultural conversation.
In 1987, E.D. Hirsch, Jr. published a book called Cultural Literacy. In it he talks about what every American needs to know in order to be culturally literate. The premise of the book was to focus “on the background knowledge necessary for functional literacy and effective national communication.” He acknowledges that while it is necessary to keep up with the changes that language and influence from foreign cultures brings, yet in making a list of items necessary to know, 80% of them have been in use for more than 100 years.
To have a common cultural conversation, we must be able to convey common ideas drawn from a common set of information. It is this background information that Mr. Hirsch is trying to establish in his book.
At ICS we also are trying to establish that background information. We want students to know about where phrases come from like, “too many cooks spoil the broth” and what a topic sentence is, and what topsoil is, where Toronto is, and who Sojourner Truth was and to know the theme of The Tortoise and the Hare. We want children to understand who Arthur Miller, and Michelangelo, and John Stuart Mill are and what contributions they made to our present cultural conversation. So we work very hard at helping children to understand the facts they are studying as well as the context in which the facts fit. Our desire is for students to be able to critique those facts through the lens of the Bible so that they can contribute something important to the cultural conversation.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Encouragement
by Kelly Knowlden
(This is exciting to me to write about the next generation!) One of my grandsons, (15 months) and I are reading together one of the classics of children’s literature: Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever! We look at a page and act out "SHOUT" or “run” or “cry.” And of course, we make truck noises and gorilla noises and point out noses and ears and all such things.
Here is the practical application of that. On Sunday, I got the opportunity to hold my grandson for about ten minutes during the sermon. Because we have talked about (demonstrated) “whisper,” whenever he started to talk, I whispered in his ear, “whisper,” and he did. When the pastor was done, I could say, “Good boy!”
That is what children need to hear. That is what parents need to be saying. “Good job!” “Great work!” It requires us to be doing the background work of making them successful (training) and then commending them for when it comes about. We will reap what we sow. If I sow negativity, guess what I will reap? If I am impatient, they will not only be impatient, but also will learn that nothing pleases dad. Interestingly the word “encourage” is next to “exhort” in the Bible. That means that my encouragement must be in the midst of teaching children right from wrong.
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Heb. 3:13
(This is exciting to me to write about the next generation!) One of my grandsons, (15 months) and I are reading together one of the classics of children’s literature: Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever! We look at a page and act out "SHOUT" or “run” or “cry.” And of course, we make truck noises and gorilla noises and point out noses and ears and all such things.
Here is the practical application of that. On Sunday, I got the opportunity to hold my grandson for about ten minutes during the sermon. Because we have talked about (demonstrated) “whisper,” whenever he started to talk, I whispered in his ear, “whisper,” and he did. When the pastor was done, I could say, “Good boy!”
That is what children need to hear. That is what parents need to be saying. “Good job!” “Great work!” It requires us to be doing the background work of making them successful (training) and then commending them for when it comes about. We will reap what we sow. If I sow negativity, guess what I will reap? If I am impatient, they will not only be impatient, but also will learn that nothing pleases dad. Interestingly the word “encourage” is next to “exhort” in the Bible. That means that my encouragement must be in the midst of teaching children right from wrong.
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Heb. 3:13
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