Tag: back to school

Henry’s Glory—Back to School in Nigeria!

On By johneltonpletcherLeave a comment

Henry's Glory Cover

God is at work all over the world! He has graciously allowed Henry’s Glory to journey into some very special communities in the past two years. One of those new places is Nigeria! In the coming school year, a principal is planning to have 50+ upper-level students read the book.

Segun, the school principal, has graciously granted us an interview. Enjoy gleaning bright insights into their endeavors!

John: “It’s a great joy to hear of God’s work through you and your teachers, Segun. Would you please share with us a bit of background about your school, your students, and your school’s unique characteristics?”

Segun: “Our school is a k-12 school named Kingdom Citizens International School, located in Jos, North Central, Nigeria. Founded in September 2004 by The Kingdom Citizens Pavilion (our church is the mother organization), we use basically Nigerian Government curriculum. We have about 400 students and 37 staff. Our school’s vision/mission is to produce students who will have a global mindset and national relevance.”

Nigerian map

John: “What are you aiming to accomplish in your student’s minds/hearts related to a biblical worldview, and specifically God’s perspective on work and vocation?”

Segun: “We have been exposed to several training events, seminars, and books about Theology of Work, and it has shaped the minds of our staff immensely on how to approach work from God’s perspective. This mindset is what we are trying to pass along to the students by making them see God’s perspective through every subject matter taught to them. We are currently undergoing a course called Worklife Restoration and Advancement Project (WRAP) by Dr. Christian Overman. This course is really revolutionizing how a teacher should weave Theology of Work into the curriculum in a systematic, intentional, and repeatable manner. It is a three-year course and we are just about to conclude the second year. The impact of this course is already being felt in the lives of our students and their parents. The whole intention is to INTEGRATE Biblical worldview and Theology of Work premises into the government-approved curriculum.”

John: “I’m aware that you plan to include Henry’s Glory in your required reading for Middle/High School students in this coming year. How do you anticipate Henry’s Glory will help shape such worldview related to work/vocation?”

Segun: “Henry’s Glory is such a fabulous book that teaches Theology of Work in a prose format. I really enjoyed reading the book. It has a way of helping one assimilate the basic truths of God’s perspective of work as one enjoys the story. I believe that our students will enjoy reading the book as it is written with a fictional design and will drive home the basic truth about work that the teachers have been trying to get across. I am also sure that the stories in Henry’s Glory will guide our High School students in making accurate career choices as they graduate from our school into the Universities.”

John: “Thanks so much for your enthusiasm for the book and your plans to utilize it with your students. How may we best pray for you, your teachers, students, and their families?”

Segun: “Kindly pray that God will enable our staff to continue with the momentum and excitement that they have in the WRAP program. Also pray for our students to remain open to this new paradigm of teaching that incorporates Biblical worldview into every subject matter. Please pray that the parents of these students will continue to cooperate with the school to use every means to consolidate on the teachings of accurate perspective about work to their children. Many thanks!”

John: “We are grateful for this opportunity, Segun, to partner with you in shaping young leaders’ perspectives! We will indeed be praying, and thank you for your meaningful work for Christ!”

nigerian-school-segun

Rolling Back to Work (how to greet your dreaded fall schedule with greater joy)

On By johneltonpletcherLeave a comment

Rollercoaster in clouds

I LOVE riding roller coasters, and I love the fact that my boys sincerely enjoy jumping on to join me. This was not always the case. I found a picture from several years back. We were trying to convince one son that the biggest coaster at Hershey Park would be a joy to ride. He stood in line waiting, growing more anxious, dreading every inch of the track, and longing to bail out. We managed to keep him in line, got him to ride, and he finished with a big smile. (Yes, this is before and after.)

Hershey Joel and JarodHershey Joel and Jarod after

Contemplate the concept of coasters. We can’t help but conclude it’s a bit crazy. Think about it. You willingly place your body into this large contraption of metal, plastic, wood, bolts, and thousands of moving parts. The aim of this device is to hurtle you down the tracks, throw you into loops, then send you screaming until your voice is hoarse. It’s really rather awesome and requires a crazy amount of faith.

‘Truth is, how we roll back into fall’s work-school schedule requires similar trust and adventuresome perspective.

I could read it in many friends’ eyes and hear it in their voices this week. It seems we are all plunging down the tracks too fast, headed back toward normal workweeks and ferociously full schedules once again. Some of us feel dread, disappointment, and self-induced preliminary stress over soon-to-be early wake-ups, oh-too-predictable meeting schedules, and an overall return to the ridiculously full-throttle pace. Sarcastically, we say, “I just cannot wait to get back to my marvelous, wonderful, oh-so-fulfilling daily grind.”

How do we roll in healthier ways? Is it possible to discover a different perspective when we already feel overwhelmed? How will we roll into the tedious tasks, piles of projects, and fall’s spike in work expectations?

Consider this provocative point of wisdom from Proverbs 16:3. “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”

Proverb on Work-Commit

This lead off, ancient Hebrew word “commit” conveys a potent, picturesque concept. Among Scriptural incidents, the word was used of rolling a boulder over the door of a cave to incarcerate enemy kings (Joshua 10:18). This same word played a pivotal role in the covenant scene for the Israelites of Joshua’s day, as they intentionally and devotedly rolled back into practicing circumcision and experienced their guilty reproach being rolled away (Joshua 5:19).[1]

Proverbs 16:3 challenges us to COMMIT, to deliberately let our work concerns, plans, strategies, and worries roll toward God. We can commit to rolling our work issues, opportunities, and each endeavor in God’s direction, trusting Him to empower, infuse significance, and establish our plans. Rolling our trust His way can transform our attitudes from dread and gloom to adventure and productivity.

Consider three simple yet profound ideas for how to roll stronger as you head back to the normal full schedule for the work-school routine.

With start of fall, start a new habit. Commit your work to the Lord with start-of-the-day prayer. Too many mornings, we rush into our mad dash, forgetting to actually tap into our Lead Consultant’s great guidance. What might happen if we slow down at the start, to actually roll our concerns, challenges, and opportunities in His direction? Such transference of trust can lead to a deeply personal transformation, bringing greater peace and joy.

Commit to go God’s way—follow His directions—in all you do and say all day. As you trust Him and consult His Word, He will supply you with real-time wisdom, commands, principles and precepts that challenge the norm, set you on new paths, and call you into fresh opportunities for influence. Determine and say, “Lord, each step of my workday, I’ll roll your way!”

Roll into your fall work and full schedule with a fresh sense of adventure. Commit to greater productivity, creativity, and pursuing God’s mission. It’s wonderful to realize that God planned long ago for us to engage in purposeful, creative, difference-making work (Genesis 2:15, Ephesians 2:10, and Colossians 3:23-24).[2] When we truly sense how our daily work can bring God glory and reach others with his redemptive plans, even the seemingly mundane, thankless tasks and pressurized schedules can take on serious joy and significance.

With such deliberate prayer and a greater sense of adventure with God, we can be “on a roll” with fall’s work, bringing God glory with greater productivity—experiencing almost as much joy as riding roller coasters. Instead of dreading it, let’s revel in it. There is phenomenal opportunity for our fall endeavors to bring him greater glory!

 

 

 

 

[1]Harris, Archer, and Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, (Chicago: Moody Press), vol. 1, 162.

[2]Wayne Grudem, “How Business In Itself Can Glorify God,” On Kingdom Business: Transforming Missions Through Entrepreneurial Strategies (Wheaton: Crossway), 132-133.