The Proper Course Of Education

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

To get anywhere, you need to know two things:

1. Where you are heading.
2. How to get there. 

That is just such a stunning and profound insight that you might need to sit down for a minute.  Take a couple of deep breaths.  Ready to go on? 

Let’s say I want to go to New York.  Well, first I need to know where New York is (165 miles northeast of Abingdon).  Then, I need to know how to get there (by car, driving I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike).  With the aid of technology, I can even know that it is supposed to take me approximately 2 hours and 59 minutes to arrive in New York City from Abingdon, MD. (I’ve never actually made it in less than 3 ½ hours myself.) 

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Why Should We Care So Much About Education?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

“All education must be unsound which does not propose for itself some object; and the highest of all objects must be that of living a life in accordance with God’s Will.” (Catherine E. Beecher, Principles of Education, 1866)

The ship set sail with the latest navigational technology on board.  The crew was skilled, highly trained and disciplined.  The captain was experienced and confident; he knew his ship well.  Everything was ready as they pulled away from port heading for...?  Well, there was one small problem: No one knew where they were going, not even the captain.  Before long, the ship was adrift at sea, well equipped and expertly manned, with nowhere to go and no way to get there.

What happened to this ship can happen all too easily in education.  Without the proper goal in mind, the latest technology and the best theories cannot take a child’s education anywhere.

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Hang On - We're Getting Closer To Home

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." –Jesus (John 14:1-3)

Have you ever been on a really long car trip, one where it never seemed like you were ever going to get where you were supposed to be?  Long car trips can be frustrating—you’re looking forward to where you’re supposed to be, but the process of getting there can be irritating.  It can even make you want to disobey your parents and hit your little brother or sister after they’ve told you not to.

Sometimes life can seem like a long car trip, always heading somewhere and never quite sure you’re going to get there.  Ultimately, where we’re heading as Christians is to an eternity with God.  It’s the best possible destination, far better than we could ever imagine.  Yet along the way, we can lose sight of where we’re heading and our frustration can cause us to disobey our Heavenly Father and do what we know we’re not supposed to do.

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What Did Jesus Do For Us?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

I remember going to Disney Land in California when I was six years old. I had a blast, until I got lost. I don’t know how it happened, but I still remember the panic and fear of not knowing where my parents were. I freaked out. I don’t even know how long I was lost or how I eventually found my parents again, but I know being lost—even at Disneyland—was terrifying and I never wanted to be lost again.

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Why Do We Need Jesus?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV)

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV)

"No one is good—not even one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God.” (Romans 3:10-11, NLT)

One time, I took a light bulb out of its box, screwed it into my lamp, turned it on and—nothing. No light! I unscrewed the light bulb and looked at it. It looked ok to me, until I looked a little closer. Inside the light bulb, something was broken. From the outside, from a distance, it looked fine, but something broken on the inside made it useless. The only thing I could do with that light bulb was trash it.

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