Where Are You Leading Them?

Part of the series Questions For Home Education
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-09-01.

We have all heard the first line of the Bible which reads, “in the beginning, God”, but how often do we consider that in the end, it is still God?

Our world view is shaped by everything we have experienced, whether true or false. We tend to trust what we have come to believe as true and may even defend ourselves when presented with opposing thoughts. This series is meant to challenge your world view.

Bible Reference: Deut. 6:4-6

Raising children requires a lot of things, not the least of which is parental leadership. Since those in leadership positions are, supposedly… leading, it might be a good idea to ask them, exactly where they are leading us. Children would never ask such a question of their parents so it must be asked by parents of themselves. So, where are you leading your children?

Leadership requires a direction, otherwise it becomes whatever it has to be in order to survive, eventually taking on a life of its own. Leadership takes a variety of different approaches, not all which lead to life and truth. Leadership that makes sure nothing is ever challenged or questioned is not leadership but a way of maintaining the same old thing or encouragement to live in a rut. Leadership that is showing others how to do what everybody else is doing, is not leadership either, but simply a matter of being at the beginning of a line of followers. Leadership is showing that you know where you going and how you are going to get there. Leadership is not as much spoken as it is demonstrated by example. Once a path has been chosen, leadership does all it can to make that path available to all those who are following. Children follow parents, whether or not those parents have a plan. Good parents do. Bad parents don’t. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Not good!

If the beginning is marked by God creating life, the end should be obvious. There may be a long time between the beginning and the end of your child’s life, but if there is no clear vision of where it all ends, nothing they will do in life will ultimately have any meaning. When parents focus on the temporal, there may be an appearance of success, even if only “temporarily”, but if the eternal becomes the goal, life takes on a meaning and decisions become thoughtful.

The beginning of home education is the realization that nothing can take the place of parents or of the God-given learning environment of the home. Parents ultimately will answer to an eternal God, not to man, so we need to pay more attention to the bigger picture. To acknowledge God as the beginning should lead to God in the end. If we train our children to see the end, then and only then will they be able to clearly see the path they need to take to get there. Parents, therefore have a relatively “minor” role in leading their children to the eternal God, who in turn assumes the larger role of leading them in their lives.

What is Leadership?

Part of the series Getting Started With Léo’s Blog
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-08-25.

Leaders are born and not made. They are called and when they obey, are trained and then chosen to fulfill God’s will through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

(Léo’s blog will be presented from a biblically based Christian world view. No apologies are given or expected from those who disagree with or do not subscribe to this world view. The blog is meant to provide possible answers to the classical statement, “What is Truth”.)

Bible Reference: 1 Tim 2:4

To make a difference in this world, one has to be different. To lead with a difference, one has to be a leader of a different kind, for to lead others to do what everyone else is doing is not leadership as much as a form of specialized “followship”. People can be fooled by one’s ability to do things well, but doing things well is not the same as doing things right and most certainly not the proper measure of true leadership. Scripture tells us that “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”. There are two parts to this statement, the first being God’s plan of salvation, already taken care of through His son, Jesus Christ. The second part is our part, our individual responsibility and corporate purpose. God-ordained leadership informs, directs and equips others so they can come to this knowledge of the truth, which should in turn provide the needed direction in their lives. Leadership should follow the Lord’s directive to make disciples of all men. First to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ , then to grow in their knowledge of the truth. It most certainly is not something that “blends” with the worldly wisdom that advances a plurality of truths and personalized versions of what faith means or is. We know that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable but we are also told that many are called yet few are chosen. Those who are chosen are commissioned to do the work of the Lord through the leading of the Holy Spirit. This should be evident by the fruit, which should not be in opposition to the scripture. We should therefore quickly disqualify leaders that use worldly tactics or are willing to enable people to do things that would not be supported by the Bible. God’s truth is universal, no matter what people think. He was, after all the One who created us and not the other way around. We should be looking to leaders who do not contradict the directives found within the Bible. Leaders who are “peculiar”, different from the rest, sincere, courageous, uncompromising, willing to risk coming into conflict when advancing the truth. Leaders who would do whatever is needed to change the world rather than capitulate to its secular image. It is with these thoughts and motivations that Léo’s Blog was conceived. Not everybody will agree with its contents, but to the best of our knowledge and ability we will be directing home educating families to the knowledge of the truth, being prepared to quickly apologize for and to fix error when discovered.