From the Desk of the Head of School

Matt Mitchell, M.Ed.

On Finding the Will of God for the Class for 2011

Revised and reprinted from April 2010

Over the last two centuries, a popular but troubling theology has emerged in today's Christian churches.  The doctrine of "Gods perfect will" suggests that our Creator has a hidden will for our lives that we must somehow "find."  And, woe unto us if we step outside of His hidden will, for doing so may bring great trepidation upon our lives.  I become profoundly unsettled when this troubling understanding of Scripture paralyzes godly believers with fear. 

As the class of 2011 prepares to graduate and sets out to find the will of God for their lives, I cannot think of a more appropriate time to explore and unravel this fearful understanding of who God is and what He wants for us.  Although theologians look at God's will from a number of angles, two of them are particularly helpful when it comes to our desire to find God's will for our lives.  First, His "preceptive" will is that which God desires for the way we live and behave.  He has already told us how things work best in the world He made.  It is His will, for instance, that we not kill or steal; that we love our enemies; that we worship Him; and that we care for others.  These are all biblical precepts, clearly stated in Scripture and in no way hidden from us.  The second type of will is His "decretive" will, that is, what God decrees.  The distinction between these two angles of God's will is a critical one that must be made.  To better understand the decretive will of God, it helps to remember that God is all-powerful and all-knowing.  At the very least, He sovereignly "permits" (many theologians would argue he "orchestrates") every event that comes to pass in human history.

An example will help explain these two views of God's will.  Was it His will (preceptive) that the Fall of mankind might take place in the Garden of Eden?  No.  God never said to man, "It is best for you to you choose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  Man did it anyway.  On the other hand, was the Fall of mankind God's will in the second (decretive) sense?  Absolutely; our God ─ who is both all knowing and all powerful ─ at the very least permitted, but perhaps even ordained that it would come to pass.  It did.

Confusing?  The study of theology always reminds me that I am a finite being with limited understanding, and that He is infinite and beyond our understanding.  So, I move to the practical application for this mini-lesson in theology.

As a senior in high school, I remember staring my future in the face with an incredible sense of anxiety.  Where does God want me to go to college?  What does He want me to do with my life?  How will I know whom I should marry?  Where should I work? As these questions flooded my mind in high school, I would have benefited from a more complete understanding of the theology of God's will.  Since then, I have learned two lessons that may help the class of 2011 sort out their own future.

First, I am increasingly aware that God has already decreed a perfect plan for my life.  I don't have to "find" it.  Rather, it has already been ordained.  You may ask, "What if I marry the 'wrong' person?"  You won't.  "What if I pursue the 'wrong' career path?"  You can't.  Here is where the doctrine of the "perfect will" of God gets it wrong.  God does have a plan for your life and, no matter what you do, you cannot thwart it.  On the contrary, you can believe in this plan, trust in it, and take it to the bank.  It is real.

Not buying it?  Then consider the logical implications of the idea that God has a "perfect will" that we must find for our lives by considering an example.  If you accept the wrong job offer, for instance, then that means that the person who was supposed to have the job you now occupy is also in the "wrong" place in life.  And, what about the person whose job he took?  She is in the wrong place, too.  And what about the person who took the job you were "supposed" to have?  And so the dominoes fall.

You see, if we accept the premise that God has a secret perfect will that we may or may not mystically find, then when we make a misstep in finding that will, we also cause everyone else in the world to miss it for their lives.  Now, that's pressure!  I submit to you that we simply do not have the power to make such a cosmic mess.  Our God's sovereign, decreed will is coming to pass no matter what we do. We must praise Him for that!

The second lesson I learned after high school was that, through Scripture, our God has provided us with principles and precepts that we can (and should) apply to daily Christian living.  I like to think of these as "God's instructions" for the way His world works best.  The preceptive will of God is comprised of principles that should guide life's decisions, both big and small.  These precepts are anything but hidden or mysterious, for they are revealed in His Living Word!  Our task, then, is to study His Word diligently under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we might learn more about what He has set forth for us.  While you cannot alter His decretive will, you certainly can ignore His preceptive will.

So, what if you do?  Trust in His sovereignty, knowing that you will never fall out of His plan for your life.  Even if you do make sinful choices that do not align with His precepts, He still has a purpose and a plan for those choices (notice that, in Romans 8:28, Paul says that God "works" all things together for the good of those who love Him; this does not mean that everything will "be" good).  When you discover that you have not followed His precepts, repent.  When sinful choices cause lasting effects upon your life, learn from them.  But, as you learn, rest in the knowledge that this was part of His plan for your life.   

You are not beyond His sovereign reach!  So, do not be paralyzed in fear.  Instead, rest in knowing that whatever happens and whatever decisions you make are part of His grand plan for your life.  As Psalm 139:16 puts it, "All the days were ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So, the sum of the message I share with this year's graduates (and with our broader Salisbury community) is this:  As you consider your future, find God's will for your life by delighting yourself in Him, and make choices that adhere to His biblical precepts. This requires continuous study of Scripture, as well as wise counsel from godly men and women who thoroughly know His Word.  So, do not choose your future spouse based primarily upon your feelings (which are neither consistent nor reliable), but choose him or her based upon the individual's godliness, integrity, and character. Instead of selecting based upon a "feeling," choose your college and career path by examining your God-given gifts; the integrity of your prospective employer; and the opportunities for you to make a difference in the world for the sake of the Kingdom. There is no mystery here; apply sound biblical principles to your daily life, and watch God work!

In the end, what I want you to know above all is that God does not call us to a quest for some mysterious, elusive will that we must seek to discover.  Instead, He provides His Word in full view to guide and direct our lives as the Holy Spirit opens our eyes. Choose to follow this Truth instead of your heart's whims, and you will not be misled. May God bless you - the class of 2011 - as you are launched in the world fully equipped, as the mission statement of North Hills Christian School says,

"...to impact the world for Christ."

Lower School Integrates Technology with Curriculum with Learning.com©

On a recent afternoon, a second grader (we'll call her "Lucy") from North Hills Christian School, asked her mother if she could "go on Learning.com©," a program she was apparently using in Computer Lab at school.  It is not unusual for Lucy to ask to play on the computer after school, but these games usually involve buying imaginary furniture for stuffed animals or taking ailing stuffed animals for imaginary visits to the veterinarian's office.  Learning.com certainly sounded more worthwhile, but the mother was skeptical.  So many computer programs for kids were long on bells and whistles, but short on real learning. 

Lucy logged on to Learning.com©, entered her password, and started up a program called EasyTech©.  A voice instructed her how to place her fingers properly on the home row keys and type various combinations of letters and words.  The lessons were short, and each one built clearly on the previous one, until Lucy could type the home row keys with ease.   At the end of each lesson, Lucy got to "race the kangaroo" to the finish typing line.  It wasn't easy to beat the kangaroo, but it was so much fun, she wanted to practice over and over again.

According to Matt Mitchell, Head of School, "We did a lot of research before choosing EasyTech©.  Dr. Shirley Luckadoo [Curriculum Coordinator] and Mr. Joshua Houghton [Head of Technical Services] spent a lot of time trying out other programs before settling on this one." 

"We were looking for a program that would do three things," says Luckadoo, "first, meet National Standards for technology instruction; second, allow students to work at their own pace; and, third, allow easy integration with classroom subjects." 

"It's ineffective to teach technology skills in isolation," says Mitchell, "and it takes up valuable instructional time.  This program applies the technology.  It teaches technology through projects related to course content.  Instead of just getting a tutorial on spreadsheets, for example, students use spreadsheets on a project that reinforces what they are learning in science." 

EasyTech© lessons are keyed to what students are learning in each grade in a number of subject areas.  This helps teachers incorporate technology without "re-inventing the wheel" in their lesson plans.  On a recent Monday, Kristin Sabia's second graders spent their science class in the computer lab building a database about the solar system.  Having learned their way around a spread sheet in EasyTech© - What's a row? What's a column? Where is Cell D7? - they were now entering data about the size of the planets and their relative distances from the sun.

EasyTech© provides lessons, discussions, activities, journals, quizzes, and games to make it easy for teachers to incorporate technology into their lesson plans.  Teachers can assign lessons to be completed at home, so that a student who needs more practice can work at his or her own pace.  The quizzes allow Mr. Houghton, who team teaches in the Computer Lab with the grade teachers, to test the students' acquisition of valuable computer skills.  The school has recently acquired another EasyTech© module for testing the technology skills of teachers, too, so that the school can provide opportunities for professional development where needed. 

At $2,800 per year for the Elementary Grades subscription, EasyTech© is an investment for the school, and more modules are being added for Middle School instruction.  The acquisition of EasyTech© is just one step in a process that has seen the school adopt a Tablet PC program for high school students and install RenWeb©, a comprehensive school-management program that provides everything from calendars and attendance to  grade tracking and homework assignments for teachers, parents, and students.  Learning.com© offers many programs in addition to EasyTech©, including Aha!Science©, and Aha!Math©, both supplemental curricula that are being considered for use at the school.  

"As the students get older," Mitchell explains, "technology becomes even more relevant to the work they are doing, and relevant even to their preparation for college and careers."   It is hard to anticipate what today's second grader will be doing with computers as a high school senior.  But it is clear that these North Hills students are learning how to make computers work for them, in school and in the workplace of their future.  

As the weeks went by, Lucy -- and her second grade classmates -- used EasyTech© to learn how to set up a spread sheet and build a database, create graphics and presentations, and organize ideas in a computerized chart or outline.  She still occasionally takes her Webkins© to the vet, but she understands that the computer is a powerful tool that can do much much more than that.   

Students Receive Honorable Mention for North Carolina Bar Association's Project Citizen Competition

 

Leonard Murdock, Wes Fazia, Olivia Houghton, & Jane Miller

   

Chris Norris, Eric Shyu, Josh Robar, Madison Neesmith

 

The following North Hills Christian School middle school students competed in the North Carolina Bar Association's Project Citizen competition and received honorable mention for their entries:  Wes Fazia, Olivia Houghton, Jane Miller, Leonard Murdock, Madison Neesmith, Chris Norris, Josh Robar, and Eric Shyu.  The competition was held in Raleigh at the North Carolina Legislative Building.  The purpose of the competition is to encourage young people to be active in local and state government.  The students presented their portfolios that outlined a public policy that they selected for evaluation.  They researched the policy and proposed alternative policies based on their findings.  They conducted surveys and collected letters of support.  The titles of their projects were "Drugs.  You use.  You lose." and "It pays to go green."

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Matt Kuhn, Class of 2004, was selected to represent Columbia University by delivering an address to Sonya Sotomayor, United States Supreme Court Justice, in a national competition of law students.

Katie (Ward) Campbell, Class of 2005, attended UNC-G where she was selected as "State Science Student Teacher of the Year" through the NC Science Teacher's Association.  She joined the NHCS faculty as a first grade teacher in 2009.

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Contact Angie Richard at arichard@northhillschristian.com