Léo’s Blog 2013-2014 Academic Year

The Foundation

Part of the series Getting Started With Léo’s Blog
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-08-18.

This blog has been a long time coming and a new experience for us all. The first “episodes” will attempt to explain what can be expected from this new web site feature.

(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: Matt. 6:33

Every once in awhile I feel so strongly that something should be done that I wonder if it is of me at all! I felt this way when I was compelled to do something about the admission of unaccredited home educated students in post-secondary institutions. Rather than accept the way things had always been done, I set out to change the way home educated students were evaluated for admission when they arrived without accreditation. When no one else wanted to expose the fallacious and fraudulent advancement of blended programming, not even the organizations that existed ostensibly to protect home educators, I did, and at no small personal cost. I felt strongly that we had to be involved in a ministry to the poor in Mexico, something that just came without previous consideration. The urgency that most concerns me today is the deplorable state of the western Christian church and the normalization, advancement and “Christianization” of secular humanistic philosophy in all aspects of daily Christian life. A great number of the programs, teachings, tools and strategies advanced as “biblical” today, would not only fail the Bible test but would simply be dismissed as heresy by our forefathers and third world Christians. Only within a culture obsessed with immediate gratification and instant formulas could we find ready acceptance of this foolishness. Is the pursuit of truth and a willingness to follow God our foundational motivation or is our personal well-being of greater importance? The problem is largely based on a ubiquitous lack of knowledge of scripture and the will of the Lord. It may come as a shock to many, but the Lord never promised us happiness or comfort and Christianity is not simply about being nice, using the right words and doing “Christian things”. The Christian walk is hard work, usually rewarded with persecution when “done” appropriately. It should be evident by our love for our fellow humans and a sincere desire to please God rather than man, no matter what the cost. What does this all have to do with home education? Everything! If we are not solid in our foundation we cannot build a lasting house. Most parents are convinced that God requires them to train and make disciples of their children but quickly get fooled into thinking that this responsibility is to become the best teacher and to outperform the world in the world’s game. I have long been convinced that home educators needed a place that would inform them of the truth and not perpetuate the worldly wisdom that takes us back from which we came. This was the compelling reason for the creation of Education Unlimited in the first place and the reason this blog was created.

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.

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.

What Can Be Expected… For now?

Part of the series Getting Started With Léo’s Blog
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-09-02.

Having discussed our foundation and our understanding of Godly leadership, we will now describe what to expect in this blog. Since it is indeed a new venture, we anticipate learning and modifying the way things will be done.

(As clearly stated in our web site Disclaimer, 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 Cor. 10:31

I have been encouraged to share the wisdom I have attained through a lifetime of actively seeking the truth and the nearly forty years of activity within the education arena. I have often been asked to “write the book”, but have largely been prevented from doing so by my inability to “stop the clock and take a picture”, since my understanding changes as I grow older and “wiser”. I am at my best when I minister to individual people with specific information appropriate to the moment. My dear friend calls these “sound bites”. He was the one that planted the idea of including a blog in the new web site where these sound bites could be made available to all, everywhere. Léo’s blog, will therefore be, my effort to share of the wisdom, knowledge and understanding that I have with anyone who wants to hear, but specifically directed to the Christian home educating community. I make the assumption that those who read it also share a sincere desire to come to the knowledge of the truth and are willing to act on the knowledge gained to better equip themselves and others for the cause of Christ. If indeed, I have become “wise”, it is because in my sincere search for the truth, I have learned how precious little I do know in the grand scheme of things. Wise perhaps, because I am fully aware of my sin, failures, inconsistencies, flaws, short comings and imperfections. There is no doubt these characteristics will find their way to the blog. It can’t help it, as an imperfect “blogger” reaching out to an imperfect audience in an imperfect world is bound to run into trouble or opposition. I am, therefore, fully aware that not everyone will agree with what has been said, however, agreement is not as important as giving the information presented some thought and consideration. If you like it, share it with others. If not, let’s agree to disagree and to remain friends, but please send me your comments and concerns. Needless to say, the blog will reflect my understanding and commitment to the Christian faith and biblical world view, and so it will often present thoughts applicable to life in general as well as to my target audience. I will do my best to keep things on a positive note but things may come up that provoke a bit of righteous indignation! I am not going to box myself into a plan or series but this may indeed be how things end up. I will be taking my direction, firstly from the Holy Spirit and from the “Ask Léo A Question” feature of the web site to keep the information fresh and pertinent. More than just a platform for me to express my views, my motivation is to be of service to the home educating community and to provide it with helpful hints and information to confidently train children in the way they should go. I plan to make the blog a weekly event for now and will on occasion have others participate in its dissemination. The public will have three editions available while members will have access to all past blog articles in the Library Archives. I trust this blog will be a blessing to you. In closing, I ask for your prayers and suggestions as we go forth by faith in this new venture. May God bless you richly as you seek and find His wisdom.
Léo Gaumont,
Director,
Education Unlimited

Thirty Reasons You Should Not Send Your Children To School!

Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-09-09.

Nobody actually questions what we expose our children to when we send them to school, even though the media makes it obvious!

Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the blogger which, although based on personal experience and knowledge of the scriptures, can be in error. No one has a corner on the truth but we should all sincerely be in search of it.

Bible Reference: Deut. 6:4-9

I always enjoy the first few weeks of “back to school”! Not that I go back or advocate that anyone should go or go back to school. I simply enjoy the entertainment I get from reading the various articles in the newspapers or listening to the “advice” being given to parents and teachers from the endless list of “professionals” who must fail to read their own articles critically. One such article was entitled “Students share more than a class”. After reading the article, I felt that a more appropriate title may have been “Thirty good reasons to teach your children at home”. The article listed many potential issues that should have caused the reader to immediately go to their child’s school and extract them from the potential dangers listed as part of everyday activities. Besides listing homework as an obvious negative, children’s bad hygiene practices, including failing to properly wash their hands, sharing brushes, pillows, hats, cups, food, straws, head to head contact, exchange of respiratory and throat secretions through kissing, led on to list lesions, blisters, scabs, coughing, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, fever, altered mental status and possibly even death as causes or symptoms of communicable diseases including common colds, influenza, strep throat, oral herpes, mononucleosis and meningitis, the article talked of parasites such as lice being an expectation when students spend time in close proximity with each other. Surprisingly, no mention was made of exposing children with allergies to their allergens nor to the possibility of the school building itself being less than an ideal healthy environment! This article only addresses potentially hazardous health conditions, without mentioning physical abuses, anxiety, bullying, social ostracization, peer counseling, teacher neglect, the application of learning disabilities to increase school funding, long bus rides, parent-less homes at the end of the day and a host of other “normal” expectations of a school. However, if this list hasn’t yet convinced you that school children are in danger, perhaps we should give one more consideration some thought. Obviously of greater concern, if this is what can be expected of our children’s physical and mental well being, what do you think is happening to their spiritual well being? Do not be deceived that private schools are any better as most simply bring the public school issues to another venue. The normalization of school has led some, few actually, to take precautions, yet the most obvious answer is to keep the children home where they can be better protected from the danger inherent in schools and properly cared for in every way by the parents that know them best.

Are We Being Careful To Define The Term?

Part of the series What is Being Communicated?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-09-16.

Words can be used to direct others on what to believe (advance a lie) as much as to tell the truth.

Bible Reference: 2 Tim 2:14

Political correctness has changed the way we communicate. In our attempt to not offend anyone words are being redefined, corrected, avoided and/or perverted to no longer have the linguistic effect intended. Terms that once communicated one thing now communicate something altogether different. Some may recall the proper use of the word “gay” which meant to be light hearted and carefree. Some parents even chose to name their daughters “Gay or Gaye”. To be “born again” once described a true Christian who had come to the knowledge of the truth and dedicated him or her self to the cause of Christ (note that himself used to apply to everyone but now we must “include” her in order to not offend!). Some rather unsavory examples of “born again Christians” help pervert the meaning to be equated with hypocrisy. A fundamentalist was a person who upheld a strict and literal interpretation of the Bible, but now has become synonymous with he who is intolerantly opinionated. Words are purposefully twisted and used in such a way as to communicate what we should believe or upload as virtuous, the “pro” in pro-choice, and the “anti” in anti-abortion serve as good examples. A private corporation is often described by the left leaning media as “for profit”, as if making money is less virtuous than the red ink of government mismanagement. Arguments are made against biblical teaching and perspectives by perverting or abusing terms such that Christians try to avoid using those terms in order to not offend or to be numbered among those who misuse the term. One can easily become cynical when considering the use of terms in titles such as Honest Ed’s Used Cars, Solid Rock Foundations or Wisdom’s Ways. Really! What is so wise about this way? What rock are we talking about? Sandstone? When exactly is Ed honest? How many time is the word Christian used in a title when that is the only thing “Christian” about it? Are the terms employed to describe or to mislead? Words can and are used inappropriately, often because of, or to take advantage of the ignorance of their true meaning. However, sometimes words are purposefully misused to advance as true, things which are not. Who would question policy supposedly advanced under the covering of “for the children” or “for our safety” or “in our best interest”? By questioning the presupposed meaning of the words used, and by questioning the unspoken underlying intent of the statement or terms, one can get a much better understanding of what is being communicated or purposefully “miscommunicated”.

Whose Children Are They?

Part of the series What is Being Communicated?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-09-23.

Sometimes a slogan is so good we dare not question it. But does it actually advance what we think it says?

Bible Reference: Eph. 6:4

While on a walk, my wife and I spotted a school sign that got our attention. All it said was “Our Children”. At first brush, this wouldn’t cause much concern for most people as it appears like a collective concern for the educational plight of children in general. However, the LED sign on the school wall provided us with a bit clearer picture. It read “Our Children, Our Future”. Once again, without really thinking about this statement, it has the appearance of nobility, of being concerned for the future, until, that is , we start asking a few questions. If the sign had said “Children: Their Future, Our Future”, it would communicate to me that if we took care of the children, they will take care of us, but that is not what I got from “Our Children, Our Future”. I saw this more as a directive that communicated that if we want to shape the future, we had better shape our children. There is definitely truth to this, but the result will depend on what our presupposition about the future is. Define the future and you have an idea of who these children are and what we have to do to get them to it. If our desire is to have a nation where God is upheld in the highest authority and followed in obedience, we would be directing our children differently than if we wanted a nation where man is central, the determiner of values and maker of rules. For a Godly future, would we not teach them values and precepts as outlined in the Bible? If preparing them for service or conformity to a Godless society, would we use the same resources? Different objectives founded on different values depend entirely on our presuppositions. Believing in God, the authority of His Word and His purpose in creation, or not, will most certainly direct those teaching the children to instill in them different knowledge and values. “Our Children, Our Future” should beg us to question what future “our” children are being prepared for in that school. Our children indeed are our future and we do have a choice on how to prepare them for it. However, we would be wise if we prepared them for one that ultimately extends beyond this life. This future is far too important to entrust to perfect strangers in an institution that may not have the same ideas of what the future should look like or what the children need to learn to get there.

Helping Parents To Be The Best Teachers?

Part of the series What is Being Communicated?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-09-30.

At first brush, many slogans sound good but when one gives it a bit of thought, we discover them to be in error.

Bible Reference: Col. 2:4

Listening to, or reading commercials, slogans and advertisements is not what most of us do. More often than not, we simply ignore them or brush quickly over them as we press on to more important tasks. If most people pay so little attention to these things, why do so many organizations spend so much money and effort to endlessly assault us with so many of them? Could it be because they are more effective than we think? Without questioning the obvious motive of making you do something you may not want to do, commercials, slogans and advertisements are also very effective in making us think in ways not likely in keeping with what we know to be true. Take, for instance, how many commercials present men, dads in particular, as creatures who have not been well endowed with intelligence! What about those that tell us we “deserve” that furniture, vacation or car? There are even commercials that indicate that the sooner our children get out of our hair, the sooner we can reclaim our lives for ourselves! We should know that all the examples used here are not based on a biblical world view but on a secular one. Is it possible that well meaning organizations can unwittingly use secular thinking when trying to entice people to their organization’s services and resources? Take, for instance, the slogan of “helping parents to be the best teachers”. Initially, it sounds wonderful until one questions the basis for the statement and takes it to its logical conclusion. Is being a teacher more important than being a parent? Apparently so. And what does a good teacher do? Teach, obviously, but what? Academics of course. So when helping parents to be the best teachers, are we not emphasizing academics over discipleship; helping students to reach their “academic potential”; the world’s standards over God’s expectations; teaching over parenting? Does it then not become obvious that the thinking is secular thinking, where the state and its representatives are of greater authority than the parents? Did God not create the parents before government? Does He not use parents, rather than government, to create children, who are then to be trained by pointing them back to their creator? Did God create government to create teachers to deliver a program that directs children away from God or parents? Should we not expect Godly wisdom using a biblical perspective from those who would claim a Christian faith base, rather than a twisted “christianized” version of secular philosophy?

The Thread That Holds It All Together

Part of the series What is Being Communicated?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-10-07.

Is there a pattern to the messages we are being subjected to?

Bible Reference: Matt 12:30

We are exposed to so many messages every day, we hardly take the time to listen carefully to what is being said. We see nothing wrong with messages like “Our Children, Our Future” or “Tiny Tot DayCare: Where Learning Starts” or “Success For Every Child”. That is because we are easy targets for such messages as we are mostly ignorant of the truth. No one can expose a lie unless they know the truth and that truth is being buried in a plurality of lies that have become so commonplace as to be believable. Pilate asked the question we should all be asking, “what is truth?”. To find that truth we must first desire to find it. Truth applied is wisdom. Since there is a wisdom of this world, it is safe to assume that it does not follow truth but something being passed off as a “form” of truth, which is not truth at all. Wisdom has its beginning when we acknowledge the existence of God and reaches its maturity with a clear understanding of the purpose of creation, the fall of man, the history of God’s intervention in this world culminating with the redemption of man through the sacrificial atonement of the messiah and the application of His teachings. Sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is not difficult to understand as Godly wisdom is identified by its simplicity. The truth is that there are only two possibilities. We will either be for Him or against Him. Therefore, when exposed to a message, from any and all sources, we would be wise if we simply asked ourselves two simple questions. What are the underlying presuppositions and are they advancing the truth as outlined in the Bible or are they actually working to disqualify the truth? Back to our starting point. Only those who know the truth can expose the lie. The answer to Pilate’s question is simple. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. Get to know this truth and the lies become obvious. Learn this truth by studying God’s truth message in the Bible.
Now is there a pattern to the messages we are receiving? Yes, indeed! It is either advancing the truth or it is not. Check the source of the information and ask yourself what role God has in this place. If God is not welcomed, neither will the truth be. If man is central, then God is not. If we are being directed to do what everybody else is doing, be careful! We are not to be like everyone else. We are to be peculiar in that we actively search the truth and are willing to come into conflict with those who would oppose it for the sake of personal earthly gain. With a bit of practice, it should not take long to see the pattern is mostly hostility towards the Christian Biblical world view. It may even be disguised as Christianity.

God “Cs” All

Part of the series Commanded, Commended or Condemned?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-10-14.

How do we know if something is acceptable or not. If measured from a biblical perspective, one can use a simple little formula to arrive at the right conclusion.

Bible Reference: 2 Tim 2:15

How often do we ask ourselves the question, “is this right or is this wrong”? The answer to this question depends on the foundation from which you make your decisions. The way I see it, there are three main categories of foundational premises from which lives are directed. For those who have not considered that God has created them and the world they live in, there is no absolute right or wrong, therefore you can do anything. Truth is, if you have not considered God in any matter then you are not likely to give too much consideration to what is right or wrong aside from what you can get away with respecting government. The second group believes in God and may even have accepted their salvation through Christ but are not that interested in coming to the knowledge of the truth. They do not spend much time in getting to know who God is and what His expectations of us are and largely rely on what others have told them is right or wrong. This group is most likely to develop a strong sense of self-righteousness if they are passionate about doing right without having a good foundation or reason from which this correctness is to be based. The third category is made up of those who desire to have have a biblical perspective in their lives and are active in searching the truth, knowing that they will be judged according to our understanding of what is right or wrong. We must be careful here not to fall into the “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” mentality. Ignorance has never been an excuse for breaking the law! For those who really want to know how God feels about something, there is a simple little “formula” that may be used to discern the will of the Lord concerning any particular matter. If God commands something, or if He commends its doing, we should be convicted of its correctness. Conversely if God has not commanded nor commends or condones it, we can come to the conclusion that to commit it is a crime before Him. We should apply this simple formula whenever the world is trying to advance something as normal or acceptable, knowing that “God Cs All”. To be sure, one must be familiar with the narratives of the Bible to be able to apply this formula. The reason so many Christians have been corrupted into accepting something as right or wrong is because of the general lack of knowledge regarding the teachings of the Bible. As we become more familiar with what is within the pages of this collection of books we will be better able to use this little formula to discern right from wrong and to commit ourselves to act accordingly.

Feeling Inadequate?

Part of the series Commanded, Commended or Condemned?
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2013-10-21.

Feelings of inadequacy, while normal should be replaced by the knowledge that God is sufficient.

Bible Reference: 1 Cor. 10:13

My wife expressed a concern that got me thinking about why we have some of the feelings we do. Feeling inadequate is one of those feelings. We can be overwhelmed with worry and concern about what we need to do, but is this of God? Scripture tells us that God will allow us to be tested but that He will not allow this testing to go beyond our ability to withstand. So if we are getting these feelings of inadequacy, is it God, or is it us who is the cause? When considering the fact that God cannot be inadequate, the answer should be obvious.

Feelings of inadequacy should immediately inform us that we may be trying to do something that God neither commanded or commended. Essentially, we have taken over God’s job and made it our responsibility rather than entrusting Him to the task. Could it be that we have feelings of inadequacy because we actually are… inadequate? Perhaps we need to focus on the work God has instructed us to do without assuming His responsibility for it. After all, we are actually not the ones who are ultimately in control. Servants should understand this.

No doubt, parenting provides many opportunities to feel inadequate. We take upon ourselves, the entire responsibility for raising these children, including their future when, in fact, no parent actually knows what that future is! To be sure, we must act responsibly. However, we must understand that we can indeed be responsible without assuming the responsibility. For instance, we can parent responsibly towards a future which is ultimately God’s responsibility.

Prayer is a good place to start when feelings of inadequacy start to come upon us. It will help us to recognize that we do have a responsibility to parent responsibly, yet without having to assume the responsibility for our children’s lives. If we do our part and allow God to do His, we will be better able to adequately prepare the children for their future with God. He, after all, is the one who is sufficient which is much better than being adequate. Direct the children to God, then let God direct them in their lives. Our job then becomes one where we demonstrate our faith in God by the actions we take. This is entirely adequate. In fact, it is sufficient.