Nurture December 2015 (Christian Education National CEN)

A magazine for parents, teachers, and kids

Wild Wycliffe Christian School

p18

Boys Men

to

The call of the

p4

POSITIVE

BOYS PROGRAM

Mt Evelyn Christian School

2015 PHOTO

competition winner p9

p10

Christian worldview

Creativity, service,

&

community p20

So what is it really? p12

KIDS’ ZONE

Parenting and Christian Schools

p23

Dec 2015

$6.50 incl.GST

Bulk discount: $3.30 incl.GST

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editorial

by Anne Blair-Hickman

More than a mark . . .

Another year has nearly come to an end and we are all a little wiser about this parenting journey—we hope! I’m sure you, like me, have navigated through uncharted waters: some calm, some choppy, and some downright hair-raising.

Through the rough patches, it’s always wonderful knowing with certainty, that as Jesus calmed the storm all those years ago, He can calm ours. We’re not in this alone. In fact, we have a whole community around us. We just need to reach out and ask for help.

My oldest daughter did just that several weeks ago while preparing for her HSC exams. As commonly happens, she was a little overwhelmed with the pressure of study and not wanting to fail. I found myself holding her and saying “Em, you’re more than a mark. You are an incredible young lady with a bright, beautiful future ahead of you. You shine light into the world and no matter what ‘mark’ you get, it doesn’t define who you are. Just do your best.” As I’ve mentioned before in Nurture, education is more than learning the ABCs and 123s. It’s about shaping the whole person, both at home and school. It’s about preparing our kids for God’s world, so that the ‘world’ doesn’t define them.

As you read through Nurture, you’ll find some wonderful stories about how our parents and schools are leaving their

mark on their kids. David Blanch’s article on “Boys to Men” (p. 4) is a wonderful father/son story which inspires us to be even more thoughtful about our role as parents to help shape our kids. The “Positive Boys” program (p. 10) article by Ben Clark at Mount Evelyn Christian School shares with us the story about how they are actively building relationships with the boys in their school—helping them understand their place in God’s world and what really makes a man, a man.

I’d also like to highly commend Taminka Hanscamp’s article about “Why I’m Glad I Went to a Christian School” (p. 20).

Taminka’s reflection on the impact of her years at school is truly inspirational.

May you all have a peaceful and blessed Christmas. May it be a time of refreshment and a rich opportunity to share, to relax with, to love, and to cherish some of the most amazing God-given gifts—the birth of Christ and your wonderfully, amazing children.

Anne Editor, Nurture Do you want to contribute?

Email: editor@cen.edu.au

Parenting and Christian Schools Saturday, 17th September 2016, Sydney City Be inspired in your parenting parenting and Christian education nurturing parent partnership good practice in Christian parenting

Conference Save the date registrations open in 2016

Boys Men

to

by david blanch

T

here is a humorous saying that is funny because it is close to the truth: “Girls grow up and boys just get bigger”. It’s funny because of the continuing irresponsibility of youthful males that leads many of them to make some dreadful (and some not so dreadful) mistakes in life. As a parent, this can be a very real personal concern. There are many books available that address this issue such as Steve Biddulph’s Raising Boys that are readily accessible in the secular market. There are also Christian authors that have addressed this issue.

One such book is Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis. In it, Lewis highlights the need to have a Godly vision of manhood that should be passed on from father to son and that a process of initiation is an effective means of enabling that transfer. This impressed me so much that I determined to set up an event where I provide recognition and direction for the man that is developing in my sons.

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In the last school holidays I went through this process with my third son. I chose the birthday before the start of high school for the timing. We do an eight kilometre hike into the bush (we live in the Blue Mountains). I lead us out informing my son that he has to pay attention because he will be responsible for leading us out. They usually start out thinking that this will be a piece of cake, but as the kilometres roll by, they become less confident. After dinner, they are responsible for starting and maintaining the campfire and it is at that fire where the father to son talk happens.

MY SON AT THE CAMPSITE, RESPECTING THE DANGER AND KNOWING HIS LIMITS.

So what is a Godly vision of manhood? I have used Robert Lewis’ book as a base, using some of his ideas but also adding some of my own. I would highly recommend your own Bible reading and thinking to form your own vision to pass on. Below is my version which you can make use of as a base to form your own. At the campfire, my son and I look at each Bible passage and discuss each one. With each individual discussion is a phrase.

At the end of the entire discussion, we have six phrases, six anchor points, describing what it means to be a Godly man.

A real man of God: 1. Rejects Passivity - Genesis 3:1-6.

In this passage, we have the fall of humanity, the original disobedience. In this passage, where is Adam? He was there! He was there and he did nothing! He was passive! We are by nature lazy. It is easy to sit in front of a screen (be it the television or a mobile phone or computer) and be passive. We need to be men of action, ready to do the right thing!

2. Accepts Responsibility - John 4:31-35. In this passage, Jesus has just finished talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. He tells the disciples that He has food to eat that they know nothing about.

That food is doing the will of God. There is nothing more satisfying than accepting the responsibilities God has given us and doing them. Jesus had a job to do and He went on and did it. We need to also accept the responsibilities we have been given and get on with it.

3. Heeds the Word of God - Luke 6:46-49. The wise and foolish builders. Either we pay attention to Jesus, the Word of God, and have a firm foundation for our lives, or we don’t and we will watch our lives just fall apart. That is the sobering warning in this passage.

4. Serves God and Others – Philippians 2:3-13. It is natural for us to be selfish and make ourselves comfortable.

We need to follow Jesus’ example and serve God and others first. We need to nurture an attitude of humility that then governs our behaviour.

5. Leads Humbly – Mark 10:42-45. If we are doing the first four points of what it means to be a real man of God, then it won’t

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be long before we find ourselves in positions of leadership. Leadership does not mean ‘lording it over’ others. We continue as we began — we lead through service. This model of leadership was modelled to us by our Lord and Saviour.

6. Relates Honourably to All – 1 Timothy 5:1 -2. This passage provides a brief guide to relating to older men, older women, younger men, and younger women.

It is relating to younger women that has an additional direction — “with all purity”. It is this that I focus on which also leads into a father son talk about girls, puberty, and sex. At the end of it all though, we go back over the six points as the vision for Godly manhood.

Without something to aim for, something bigger to live for than ourselves and our own comfort, we are lost. This vision is a starting point. With God’s help and His sanctifying work through His Spirit, this vision provides a target to aim for in life and a step in transforming the mind of your young man (Romans 12:2).

David is a teacher at Nepean Christian School who seeks to bring the light of the gospel into his teaching to help youth to know the forgiveness and life that comes from Jesus.

He is married to Annette, has five sons and two daughters and is enlightened by good coffee.

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Heart of our vision

news

By Michelle Dempsey CEO, Christian Education National Governance is not an easy task, but it is a privilege to be serving God in that capacity. During the Godly Governance conference, I had the pleasure of sharing our objectives which speak into the heart of our vision.

From Michelle Dempsey, CEO When I receive my edition of Nurture, I embrace it with two hats on. First, with my CEO hat on, I just smile. I’m proud of this magazine and I know how much work goes into it by the editorial team. It is impressive, it is relevant, it speaks loudly of the mission of Christian education, and it invites you to be a part of it. The second hat is my mum hat. I appreciate the articles, I gain insights as a mum, my kids enjoy looking through it, and I like to pass it on to other mums for a read.

1. To celebrate the Lordship of Christ over all of creation

As the end of the year approaches, may the Lord bless you over the summer break.

Enjoy time with your family and friends and if you get a chance, share the vision for Christian education with someone!

2. To position the gospel rather than culture as the primary shaper of how we think and live

Cheers, Michelle

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READING WORD AND WORLD Christian education understands that narratives or cultural ‘stories’, alternate to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, are shaping the lives and affections of young people. Christian educators seek to be biblically literate, enabling them to unfold the true view of life and world to their students; how the gospel of the Lord Jesus brings sense and meaning to all of life.

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Christian education understands that narratives or cultural ‘stories’, alternate to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, are shaping the lives and affections of young people. Christian educators seek to be biblically literate, enabling them to unfold the true view of life and world to their students; how the gospel brings sense and meaning to all of life.

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My heart sings when I let this statement resonate in my soul. All of life, not just little parts that look ‘Christian’. My getting up and my lying down, my work and my play, my eating and spending. All of life.

How easy it is to let culture begin the shaping. It’s so appealing! But when we let the light of the gospel shine onto culture we see the limitations and lures of consumerism, humanism, and more . . .

3. To affirm the role of parents as having the responsibility to ensure that their children are educated within this understanding

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That’s why I love this magazine. It’s a great tool, a great encouragement, and reflects this vision strongly. It’s primarily our job folks, to educate our kids. I’m so grateful for the pioneers of all of our schools who saw fit to ensure that this vision came to life in the schools we are a part of.

2016 nurture photo competition beauty, brokeness, building-up Open to all students, parents, and staff ENTRIES CLOSE 31 OCTOBER 2016 Visit www.cen.edu.au to find out more details on the competition

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Godly Governance Reflection by Miriam Lili, Wagga Wagga Christian College

Thirty-three board chairs, vice chairs, and board members gathered for the Godly Governance Conference in October 2015.

Thanks to all who organised this event.

It was a great time of community, networking, and encouragement to achieve excellence in a distinctively Christian form of board practice.

Over three days, we dined on a variety of insights and shared experiences. The President of Heritage Christian College Board, Darren Iselin gave us two hearty main courses from his research into Christian school sustainability; with an emphasis on the “transition period”. This is when a first generation of pioneers places a school in the hands of the second generation of guardians. He encouraged us to keep our cantus firmus song line strong, to stand on the shoulders of those before us, and to face the challenge of laying a new foundation for those who will follow.

Our CEN boards serve their schools in dual roles as guardians of the vision, and strategists. Regular ‘service’ is needed to ensure we are not sliding away from our core convictions, or fossilizing in our practices.

a valued addition to the meal. Similarly, some willing parents on our CEN school boards might seem or feel a bit out of place. There might be, or could be, some possibilities that they offer that have not yet been revealed or discovered.

John Sikkema from Halftime Ministries cleansed our palates with a call to be strong, trust God, stand together, and boldly move out of our comfort zones, beyond our fears of tension and tough decisions. Speaking of tough decisions, the dessert buffet offered mini lemon meringue pies and mini pavlovas, with accompanying bowls of raspberry sauce, whipped cream, and multi-coloured mini marshmallows. The inclusion of the marshmallows was a bit of a puzzle, but finally my table group tried eating them as after dinner snacks, mixing them with cream and raspberry sauce, and floating them in milky chai tea. With a little innovation, the misfit on the table became

Our own Michelle Dempsey (CEO, Christian Education National), Geoff Bateman (Northern Territory Christian Schools), Gerry Beimers (CEN National Board), Yvonne Bradley, and Martin Hanscamp (Australian Association of Christian Schools) all helped us to better define our roles and responsibilities as board chairs and board members with their informative presentations, scenarios, and stimuli for round-table discussions.

Their candid insights in answer to our own questions during the panel session rounded off the meal nicely.

be strong, trust God, stand together, and boldly move out of your comfort zone

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BOOK REVIEW

BY TONY JONES

DO HARD THINGS

BY ALEX AND BRETT HARRIS Has there ever been a time when you’ve looked at the harsh world into which our young people are being thrust and wondered what we need to do to armour them and equip them to survive the danger and hardship? Or is our instinct to wrap them in a metaphoric bubble of protection and love, that they may be cocooned by our need to keep them safe?

May I suggest that both notions are natural parenting instincts, but if our emerging young men and women are to grow well, they need to grow strong beyond our ability to protect them and to walk with integrity in the love of God.

A remarkable book has confronted my parenting, teaching, and youth leading approach. Do Hard Things written by a couple of teenagers, Alex and Brett Harris, puts forward a thesis called The Rebelution, a rebellion against living an easy life of low expectations and a challenge to young people to live tough for God. In the foreword of the book, Chuck Norris states, “Today we live in a culture that promotes comfort, not challenges . . . to whom can we turn to motivate a new generation of giants? . . . the authors sound a battle cry to raise the cultural bar on teenage potential and to challenge young people to reach for their God-given best”.

Do Hard Things is divided into three sections—Rethinking the Teenage Years, Five Kinds of Hard, and Join the Rebelution. What began as a blog by the twin brothers has become a substantial multi-country phenomenon. With the accompanying website therebelution.com and a follow-up book Start Here, Alex and Brett have encouraged countless thousands of teenagers to use God given abilities to raise the bar on expectations and to achieve more than they thought possible. They state, “Our mantra is ‘Do hard things’ and our mission statement is 1 Timothy 4:12”.

Tony and his wife Josie live in the Blue Mountains of NSW where they have raised four sons to young adulthood.

Tony has worked in teaching and ministry and is currently encouraging and challenging young people at Wycliffe Christian School.

Do Hard Things is an inspiration, recommended not just for teenage boys and girls, but also adults, parents, ministry workers, and teachers. It challenges some of our modern paradigms in a logical and easy to read fashion, with many practical examples and stories of real-life rebelution in action.

If we are to prepare our kids for the world into which they will soon be operating independently, a book such as Do Hard Things is a worthy addition to our resources.

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WINNER: JONATHON ROSE, 16YRS, YEAR 10, LAUNCESTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, TASMANIA “Whilst on holidays with my family, I specifically asked to go to the top of Mount Wellington to take this photo. I woke up at 4am, three mornings in a row to get the perfect conditions.”

Photo competition Beauty, Brokenness, Building-up

Thank you to everyone who entered our Photographic Competition. Congratulations to the winner, Jonathon Rose—he is an incredibly talented photographer—and to our runner up, Cooper McDonald. We received some beautiful photos and will be featuring more of these throughout next year.

For details of the Nurture 2016 Photo Competition, go to www.cen.edu.au RUNNER-UP: COOPER MCDONALD, 7 YRS, YEAR 1, RICHMOND CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, BALLINA, NSW “I took this photo when we went camping in the holidays.

We went to Brooms Head. My mum took me for a walk at 5am in the morning because I was awake and she didn’t want me to wake everyone else in our camp up. I’ve never seen the sunrise before and I didn’t know that it was so beautiful. I think that God made the sunrise to be beautiful so we can look at it and remember Him.”

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Positive

By Ben Clark, Mount Evelyn Christian School

Boys For the past three years, I have been fortunate enough to coordinate the Positive Boys Program here at Mount Evelyn Christian School. The program is run once a week for two periods throughout term 3 with our year 6 boys, in both a whole and small group setting.

Throughout the program, we: • Create, build, race, play, design, and complete challenges • Learn to use tools and work as a team • Encourage the relationship between father and son • Disciple, mentor, and tackle important misconceptions • Build camaraderie between the boys • Surround our boys with positive role models • Foster strong relationships between boys and male staff In term 3, we hold a challenge day at Camp Oasis in Mount Evelyn.

Our boys work in teams to complete an array of challenges including archery, flying fox, rope courses, and initiatives—all of which challenge the boys in a number of ways. The day focuses a lot on teamwork, communication, and building of camaraderie between the boys before we get into the term ahead.

The grand finale of the day is the Crate Climb where boys are strapped into a harness and get to see how many milk crates they can stack on top of one another without falling off. Some boys have reached 18 crates which sees them as high as the gym roof.

Throughout the remainder of the term, the boys have the opportunity to design and build their own billy carts. For some, this is the first chance they have had to build something on a larger scale in a team setting. It caters for the boys who love using tools as well as the artistic members of each group who have the opportunity to put forward design ideas for their cart paintwork. It gives them an opportunity to learn a few skills and also practice using a drill or hammer.

While building billy carts is a component of the program, there is also a 10-15 minute time slot at the start of each session to share together in devotions.

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Program

Some great devotion topics we look at include: • Being a man of your word, not saying one thing then doing another • The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing up for what was right, and not bowing down to the gods and statues that King Nebuchadnezzar did . . . and the transformation that took place here because of their stance • The way women should be treated and respected equally, rather than for their looks or for their perceived 'role' that they play in society that is still held by many men today The aim of this time, is to give these young men an opportunity to discuss what ‘being a man’ really means in today’s society, with a focus on biblical teaching, as well as to discuss and challenge some of the misconceptions and stereotypes that go along with being a ‘bloke’, such as:

To finish our program off, the boys invite their dads, or other significant role model, along to Bloke’s Night. First, the boys get to challenge their dads in a MECS favorite game of Skittles.

While every year the boys think that their experience and athleticism in this game gives them the edge over their dads, more often than not the dads win quite convincingly!

From here, the boys and their dads get to share in some time together and get to ask one another a couple of questions such as: • What you appreciate about each other?

• What you love about being a boy?

• What is your proudest moment as a dad?

This again is a chance for stereotypes and norms to be challenged and to give dads and their sons a chance to communicate together and share openly on what they really love about one another. Communication for men can sometimes be a struggle so this gives boys and their dads a chance to be intentional in giving each other some positive feedback.

• Men are just the bread winners and that is their sole role in the family unit

We all then share in a BBQ together and are able to bless the dads with a nice meal and time of community.

• Men do not and should not cry . . . it is weak to cry

To top the night off, the billy carts are then auctioned off towards a really great cause. The boys from each of the teams who built the carts get to auction off against one another with all money raised going towards Jinja Christian School in Uganda, a school set up by two former teachers of MECS, Ron and Anne Matheson. This year the boys and their dads dug deep and raised in excess of $400.

• Real men drink beer and get drunk with their mates on the weekends • You are not man enough . . . with the presumption that all men are strong and can fight • One of my favourites this year was a man’s main role is to just help “reproduce” . . . kids these days • All men should be able to build things like cubbies and fix things that are broken

Throughout the program, these misconceptions form the basis of discussions and we start to unpack them.

I really feel this is a vitally important part of the program, as soon these boys will be people of influence in our communities and leading the next generation.

While I get to do a lot of the talking and sharing with them, equally as important are some of the other men who come in either to share with the boys as a guest speaker for the week, or to help us in the hands-on component of the program in building the carts.

It is essential for the boys to be surrounded by positive role models, not only in the school setting but also through influential guest speakers in the community. All the men, who invest their time and teachings into the program, are such an invaluable resource.

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When the carts are all finished and looking like they have just rolled off the showroom floor, we take them out and compete in our annual Billy Cart Race. The boys race throughout part of the school grounds in a circuit and also have the opportunity to complete a time challenge race.

Whilst the program only runs for two periods per week, it is such a valuable time of learning about what being a man is like in today’s context, growing together, and having the opportunity to work in a team whilst having some fun along the way.

Ben Clark is one of the senior primary cluster leaders at Mount Evelyn Christian School in Melbourne. Outside of the classroom, Ben enjoys being a new dad alongside his lovely wife Bec and son, Isaiah. When the chance arises, he is likely to be watching an AFL or NBA game, out enjoying the lovely Melbourne weather, or travelling somewhere tropical and enjoying all the adventures on offer.

• Established 1973 • Approx 629 students from Kindy to year 12 • Located at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges nurture December 2015 11

WORLDVIEW

BY CHRIS PARKER

CHRISTIAN

SERIES: PART 4

T SO WHA IS IT ?

REALLY

In the first article in this four part series we learned that our worldview is like a lens through which we ‘see’ the world—how we understand meaning and purpose. We learned that everyone has a worldview and that they are formed— commonly without us even realising—by the ‘storytelling’ of our culture. e are constantly being shaped by the “patterns” or stories of our world (Rom 12:2). Movies, advertising, political debate, music videos, public ceremonies, government curriculums (to name a few), are all giving a shaping message about; where happiness can be found, the purpose of life, the role of the individual, the meaning of work, how we should treat the Earth, where hope can be found, etc.

The Christian worldview, anchored in the Bible and centred on the gospel of Jesus Christ, is beautiful, lifegiving, and full of hope. It provides an explanation for the struggles of life and an intellectual consistency that can sometimes be deceivingly lacking in other readily embraced worldviews. It

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is not old-fashioned and from another time; it is timeless. It flows from the truth about the nature of nature and the purpose of people. Truth does not need to be new to be true.

HOW DO WE RESPOND? All worldviews by their very nature will prescribe a response—a way of living out the view of life that is held. The Christian worldview is no exception.

Christian education not only seeks to unfold an understanding of this world via a Christian lens but also seeks to provide opportunity for heart transformation such that students are invited, and inspired, to respond to their world in a way that is shaped by the Christian worldview. The life and message of Jesus Christ is central and provides profound hope, purpose, and meaning to respond to.

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Examples of responses that are shaped

by Christian worldview (and woven into Christian curriculum) might be: • Love God and others Students respond to God’s love by loving God in return and their neighbour as themselves.

• Care for the Earth Students respond to God’s call to carefully manage all of creation.

• Shape culture Students respond by discerning the distortions within their culture and to engage as cultural transformers.

• Embrace diversity Students respond by respecting and celebrating the Goddesigned differences between cultures and people groups.

• Invent and innovate Students respond by inventing and innovating technologies that serve the common good and seek human flourishing.

• Practise hospitality Students respond by welcoming and accepting others and to embrace community over individualism.

• Pursue peace Students respond by bringing healing and restoration to people and places of brokenness.

• Seek justice Students respond as agents of change by identifying and responding to injustice.

These responses have been adapted from Transformation by Design, a new curriculum development resource published by the National Institute for Christian Education.

The Christian worldview is transformative, hopeful, and purposeful.

It provides a wonderful opportunity for God to be glorified and for humans to flourish. This view of the world is at the heart of Christian education. Christian education seeks much more than a transfer of information through a lifeless worldview. It seeks faithful, passionate, resilient, self-sacrificing disciples of the good news that God is reigning, and it seeks disciples of His son Jesus who has acted to bring a restoration to all things and the fulfilment of God’s promised Kingdom.

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The Christian worldview is transformative, hopeful, and purposeful. It provides a wonderful opportunity for God to be glorified and for humans to flourish WORLDVIEWS CAN SOMETIMES BE REPRESENTED (SIMPLISTICALLY) BY ‘ISMS: Individualism – a worldview that has the needs and desires of the individual as a central aim. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Secularism – a worldview that suggests that the physical or non-‘spiritual’ aspects of the world and life are the only ones that have importance in public life. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.* Nihilism – a worldview that suggests that there are no values, morals, or beliefs that we can rely on. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Naturalism – a worldview based on the idea that all that can be known is what can be measured. Physical laws and forces are all there is. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Scientism – a worldview that suggests that science and rationality are ultimate; meaning and truth can only come from science. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Environmentalism – a worldview that places meaning and hope on ‘saving’ the environment. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Consumerism – a worldview that pursues happiness, meaning, and self-worth through the consumption of goods and experiences. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Humanism – a worldview that acknowledges that humans and humanity have the capacity to solve the problems of the world and to rationalise and build a better one. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Economic rationalism – a worldview that suggests that money and the open market are the ultimate considerations in building society. Understanding of the world tends to be viewed through this lens.

Christian education teaches discernment of these views while presenting the beautiful, hope filled true view of life and world found in the Bible and anchored in the cross of Jesus. * It could be suggested that we are seeing a more militant form of secularism growing in Australia where not only is anything related to the ‘spiritual’ or the ‘religious’ deemed irrelevant for public life but is not to be tolerated for individuals or communities of individuals to adhere to all.

Chris is passionate about helping children to see the world through the gospel of the Lord Jesus. He is currently a lecturer and speaker with the National Institute for Christian Education and on the executive team of CEN. Chris and his wife, Coco, live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. They have two children and a growing collection of ukuleles.

nurture December 2015 13

BLUE LIGHT EXPOSED WHY STUDENTS NEED TO TURN OFF DEVICES AN HOUR BEFORE SLEEP Artificial light from electronic and other devices generally emits a blue light (it may not actually look blue, but that is the underlying light). Blue light, along with ultraviolet light, is a type of non-visible light at a very short wavelength. You can see an image of the spectrum here: bluelightexposed.com/#what-is-blue-light

WHAT DOES BLUE LIGHT DO TO THE HUMAN BODY? Non-visible light has a lot of energy and studies show that a lot of exposure to this type of light can do damage to eyes and also impair sleep cycles. During sleep lots of essential physical processes take place and it is also when learning from the day is consolidated in memory. So getting enough sleep is essential for students.

BLUE LIGHT IS NATURALLY GENERATED ONLY DURING THE DAY, FROM SUNLIGHT. WHEN IT GETS DARK, NATURALLY OCCURRING BLUE LIGHT CEASES, SIGNALING THE BODY TO PRODUCE MELATONIN, THE HORMONE ASSOCIATED WITH SLEEP. USING ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AND DEVICES WHICH EMIT A BLUE LIGHT AT NIGHT CONFUSES THE BODY CLOCK (THE BODY’S NATURAL SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE) BY STOPPING THE BODY FROM PRODUCING MELATONIN. THIS CAN RESULT IN DISRUPTED SLEEP PATTERNS INCLUDING DIFFICULTY IN FALLING ASLEEP AND STAYING ASLEEP AND SHORTENED SLEEP DURATION.

Those at greatest risk from night-time exposure to blue light are those with existing sleep disorders and adolescents who often experience delayed sleep patterns as a result of biological changes.

WHAT CAN STUDENTS DO TO LIMIT THEIR EXPOSURE TO BLUE LIGHT AT NIGHT? Some suggestions include: • Be exposed to sunlight during the day to assist in accurately setting body clocks • Stop using all electronic devices preferably at least two hours before bed

EXPOSURE TO THIS TYPE OF LIGHT CAN DO DAMAGE TO EYES • Turn off all artificial lighting 1-2 hours before bed • Get a red or orange reading lamp, which does not emit blue light • Use blue light blocking glasses at night • Install a program or app on computers or devices to change the type of light they emit. A variety of programs are available including F.lux, EasyEyez, Night Filter, Zzz iPhone filter, Bluelight, and Twilight • Invert the colours on iPhones or iPads • Turn the brightness down on devices for a few hours before bed (not perfect, but better than nothing).

Printed with permission from Study Skills Handbook studyskillshandbook.com.au/ bluelightexposed. com/#bluelightexposed

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New engaging articles on parenting every week Reviews on culture and how it impacts our kids Free monthly e-newsletter iPad and tablet-friendly kids’ section Online bookstore with kids’ and parenting titles

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PART 4 OF 4:

LIVING GENEROUSLY

WE OFTEN HEAR THE VERSE “IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.” (ACTS 20:35). YET THE CULTURE IN WHICH WE LIVE USUALLY CAUSES US TO INTERPRET THIS VERSE IN ONE OF TWO WAYS; WE GIVE TO BECOME MORE BLESSED (GIVE TO GET) OR IN OUR DESIRE TO BE A SOURCE OF BLESSING, WE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RECEIVE. However both are mere shadows of God’s true intention for us. By human default we start and end with ourselves, but truly living generously isn’t about us at all. Of course it includes us, but it starts and ends with God. We give because He gave.

Generosity is a response to receiving. Through accepting God’s free gift of grace, we discover that we are the ‘more blessed’ people on the earth, and so we give. Not to become blessed, not to be seen as generous, but because we are the more blessed. It’s something God made us to be in Christ Jesus and it’s not from ourselves.

(Ephesians 2:8).

Giving benefits the giver more than the receiver (Acts 20:35). God’s plan for us to live generously is that He would be generous first, towards us. The key to living generously, is to receive generously from God, and then give from what He gives to us. We truly are more blessed to give out of the abundance of God, than we are to receive from the abundance of man.

Giving increases our intimacy with Christ as it directs our heart towards Him. Matthew 6:21 tells us “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Giving also develops our character. Our heavenly Father wants our character to be transformed to look like Christ.

Jesus was unselfish. Someone once said that “giving is not God’s way of raising money, it’s God’s way of raising people in the likeness of his Son.”

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Sharing leads to life. “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

So how much should we give? Submit yourself to God and earnestly seek His will for you in this area. However the Bible does teach us to give in proportion to the material blessing we have received, and it especially commends sacrificial giving.

To whom do we give? There are three categories of people outlined GOD’S PLAN FOR US in the Bible: our family and relatives; TO LIVE GENEROUSLY IS the local church, THAT HE WOULD BE GENEROUS Christian workers, and ministries; and FIRST, TOWARDS US the poor.

Tim Macready is a Christian who is passionate about financial stewardship, having completed a Masters of Divinity with a thesis on the topic of contentment. He is married with two children and is chief investment officer at Christian Super.

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WASHING HANDS When should you wash your hands with soap and water?

Hand hygiene is a new term to describe washing or hand decontamination.

TO WASH, OR TO DECONTAMINATE— THAT IS THE QUESTION

Do your kids remember to wash their hands before every meal or after playing with the family pet? As our kids get older and more independent, we may overlook some of the basic hygiene habits we were so strict with when we had toddlers.

• When hands are visibly dirty • Before you eat • Before you prepare food items • After touching raw meats like chicken or beef • After contact with any body fluids like blood, urine, or vomit • After changing infant or adult nappies • After touching animals or pets • After blowing your nose or sneezing • After going to the toilet

HAND DECONTAMINATION

This refers to reducing the amount of germs on hands through the use of alcohol-based preparations, in the form of solutions, gels, or foams.

Alcohol-based preparations have two distinct advantages over soap and water: they kill many more germs and are less drying to your skin.

When can you use alcohol-based hand rubs?

Advice given from experts at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states: “Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.”

• For routine cleaning of hands any time they are visibly clean

Years ago we were taught that washing our hands with soap and water was the best way to keep them clean. But we now have another option called ‘hand decontamination’. So when do you wash, and when do you decontaminate?

• Whenever you want to decontaminate your hands

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• After touching dirty tissues, nappies, etc.

• Before and after contact with someone who is sick, old, or very young

Important! Wash hands for a minimum of 15-20 seconds.

While alcohol-based preparations reduce the germs on your hands, they cannot remove visible soil or contamination. It is always important to WASH hands with soap and water any time they are visibly dirty.

HEALTH TIP Did you know that most health professionals agree that the best way to keep kids healthy during the school year is to make sure they wash their hands.

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Adam Osborne

WILD the call of the

Christian rite of passage, initiation, and the significance of sowing specifically into boys and young men at wycliffe Christian school

• Wycliffe Christian School was established in 1977 • Prep-12 co-ed school with 500 plus students • Based in the beautiful Blue Mountains, approximately one hour from Sydney

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O

ur schools are full of wonder, adventure, rough and tumble, outbursts, loudness and the noise of a unique group of students; BOYS. Jumping off the table which they’re not supposed to, taking that one step too far out of bounds, constantly pushing the boundaries we set in place on purpose or for fun, or that abruptness of the Monday morning boy with his treasure of tales from the weekend which he just has to share. There has been much written and researched to do with formation, education, and the reality of ‘growing’ boys into men.

And for the most part, this research has looked at the causes and factors involved in areas like behaviour improvement, cognitive development, academics, and pedagogy. Yet little has been studied looking at the type of boys these systems and barriers create and the men they grow into being. But what type of men are schools aiming to ‘grow’? Is it a polite, nice, conforming, and productive young man? Or is there more than this?

When Wycliffe Christian School initiated its wellbeing drive almost a decade ago, one of the preambles was to create enriched learning experiences and outcomes to help our boys cross the great chasm into manhood, helping them stumble, trip, fall, and overcome the perilous and rewarding journey of adolescence. For the greatest lesson we can teach our boys, is to be themselves, to be brave, to be bold and sometimes brash, full of love for humanity and in deep connectedness with their Godbreathed identity.

The outstanding privilege to help boys become young men, is a rewarding and unpredictable pursuit that needs to be undertaken with the following essentials in your educational and spiritual rucksack: a large vat of experience mixed with discernment; a sharp eye for the treasure within boys; a load of mercy, grace, forgiveness; and some lengths of inspiration, prayer and bravery to take boys on the expedition of life; a full canteen of faith; and camouflage paint that says “no matter

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the way a boy or young man in our care acts, reacts, and responds Yahweh God has a perfect plan for each of them”.

We need to allow our boys to make mistakes and not always give them the solutions, but guide them to find and figure them out for themselves.

Educating and teaching boys can be much more about the ‘heart’ than the ‘head’. It can be much more about guiding than telling. Traditionally rites of passage and initiation have been pulled from other cultures and worldviews and tried to be meshed into what a Christian man and boy should be. As schools, we can fall into the trap of being tokenistic in our growth of boys and young men, by not understanding clearly what a solid, biblical worldview says about the path and adventure to becoming a man.

There are some great written works that will help parents and schools better understand this needed and often overlooked area in a boy’s development.

Books like John Sowers Heroic Path are good places to start. Looking deeply into the Maori tribes of New Zealand and several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander indigenous nations in Australia also gives us insight into the way men are shaped. These help us understand the clear messages in the New Testament about how to build up, encourage, exhort, and champion the cause of boys both in a relationship with Jesus and those that have not yet experienced it. They also help us as educators and parents know how to truly help our boys ‘grow’ into men.

We need to delve deeply in relationship with parents to explore with young men the richness of highlighting that we value them—not because of what they are doing, right or wrong—but for WHO THEY ARE and will be.

At Wycliffe Christian School, in years 9 and 10 especially, we design and implement specific rites of passage throughout the year to help our boys come into manhood in more meaningful ways. We want to intentionally promote the biblical foundations of humility, confidence in Jesus, strength, and mateship.

Significant events or markers such as building bush bases, using canons and slingshots, cutting through terrain that hasn’t got a track or trying to create a fire from nothing (all in a welcoming and safe environment) helps young men to learn to be fierce for the right reason, passionate for the lost and broken things of this world, and energised to conquer great feats personally and in community.

We need to be countercultural, not only in our ideas or thoughts but in our practice, relishing the time we have with these young ‘warriors’ to help them find their true fight, their true gifts, and the path to their best future.

Speaking with a dad a few months back, his words summed up our efforts in helping boys. He said “thankyou for helping my son get a wildness that I didn’t know he had”.

One of the greatest adventures we can take boys on, is not down a canyon or a white water river, but the adventure found in Jesus’ words to His friends on the hill of olives. It is meekness. Not a meekness that is defined by niceness and properness and even weakness, but a true biblical journey of meekness, that being ‘Yahweh’s power in a person, under Yahweh’s full control’. That rite of passage will create humility, resilience, self control, and robustness.

Like King David, the apostle Timothy, and Jesus, let’s give our boys the space, the time, and inspiration they need to be all they are called to be.

Adam Osborne is the Stage 5 coordinator and pioneer of the Year 9 Encounter Program at Wycliffe Christian School (7 years). Before this he worked in Mt Druitt for six years in youth justice, education and welfare. He is married to Cath with four beautiful kids and is the co-founder of Sanctuary Kingdom Colonies church plant in Western Sydney. aosborne@ wycliffe.nsw.edu.au

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Creativity, service & community How my experience with christian education shaped me to be the person I am today

by Taminka Hanscamp

oday I am a 20 year old Christian halfway through a Global Studies and Law double degree. I am also a babysitter, ukulele player, volunteer, and West Wing enthusiast.

It is somewhat difficult to identify the impact of a Christian education because I know nothing different. Like the fish we learnt about in worldviews, it’s difficult to appreciate the water you swim in. Nonetheless, upon reflection many memories flood together to allow me to identify some clear things about how a Christian education has shaped me.

Education is increasingly becoming standardised and test performance based. This may have a place but it is sure refreshing to know that my worth, and that of my classmates, never came from those results. Having an education grounded in the belief that you (and everyone else in your class) were created in the image of God and can work for His purpose, but also knowing that you are broken and will fail and that you can’t work your way to pleasing God, is a pretty spectacular backdrop for engaging in learning. I am still competitive, perfectionistic, and prone to stress so it wasn’t all plain sailing and nonchalance. However, I could say, believe, and take great comfort in the fact that, for example, my concern with my ATAR extended only insofar as I would be able to say I did my best. Beyond that I didn’t care what the score was, or where it could get me. I have lots of skills and interests and I was happy to go with them where I could, knowing that whatever I did I could do it meaningfully and with a purpose so long as it was for God’s glory.

If I was to identify three characteristics that stood out to me about my Christian school experience they would be: creative engagement, service, and the importance of community. Whilst these may not be wholly distinct to a Christian school, I think they are common features.

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First creative engagement

There were lots of times throughout school where we did things creatively. Not only did this allow me to see the way in which certain classmates all of a sudden came alive, but it allowed me to better understand what we were learning about. Particular memories include the daily entrance ceremony we did in Year 2 when we were studying medieval history and we had turned our classroom door into a drawbridge door and the maintenance guy became our castle knight and would lower the door so we could start the day. This type of constant challenge to creatively engage with what we learning has allowed me to be a more adventurous thinker who is willing to challenge the norm and extend my understanding of what I am learning at uni or how I might go about a tutoring lesson.

Third community

What I learned through much of my experience at school was that community was really important.

People have different skills and abilities, good!

All of what everyone has to offer is valuable and needed. This, surrounded by a sense of being able to support each other, provides a really good undertone for healthy community. Since leaving school I believe the values of commitment to service, community, and creative engagement have enabled me to make the most of lots of opportunities and engage meaningfully with the world.

Second service

It often strikes me as really sad just how entrenched so much of our society is in its selfishness.

The Christian faith rebukes this. The core of our life’s calling is in selfless service to others, particularly those who are on the margins. I don’t quite know how to articulate this with an example but I think the culture of a Christian school often encourages this type of service; be it in the way students are willing to help each other out, in the interaction between staff and students, and also between staff and leadership. What I have noticed is that these values; of knowing that my gifts, my abilities, my time can be used to glorify God, necessarily involves using these to serve others. Service and generosity become normal in an environment committed to humility, justice, and mercy.

Summary

I think having a background in Christian education has helped me to know who I am, what I can do, why I should do it, and how I should treat others. It has given me a foundation to see the way in which my Christian faith, my walk with God, and serving of Him is intimately bound to every facet of life. It has given me an appreciation of the importance of valuing other people and an ability to see the way in which I can contribute instead of just waiting to be served. It has shaped me to be someone who loves learning and wants to serve Jesus.

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Taminka Hanscamp is 20 years old and went to Mount Evelyn Christian School.

She also attended Mountain District Christian School and Channel Christian School during her primary years.

nurture December 2015 21

did you know?

the ark

Cats sleep 70% of their lives

ABRAHAM ANIMALS ARK BIBLE BIRDS CATS COWS DOGS DOVE ELEPHANTS FLOOD GENESIS GOD HAM JAPHETH

P A I R D W M E U F C Z C F B

E H V W I A W L D C L A N S I

S G O D H M T Z E O T O I Q B

S E X A A I P E V S O N O R L

Y L R I O C E A H D O W J D E

E B A O N E D I Q B O B U P P

A L I M O J I J O D T V G E T

D S E L I V C C E I H I E M N

S O G P R N G P G P I H E R S

L A G R H E A E Z X S H G G I

K R A H G A R D O R S S X Y S

S C E T H S N R B G L W F R E

H T E H P A J T H K O O Z E N

A V B I R D S B S Z J C F Z E

M A O L I V E L E A F I W F G

Dogs have three eyelids

Tigers can run up to 65 kilometres per hour

MICE NOAH OLIVELEAF PAIR

Hummingbirds can fly backwards

SHEEP SHEM SIN TIGERS WOOD

BY RACHEL RAJ

22 nurture December 2015

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Templates are available on Pinterest or just google “Minecraft Papercrafts”.

CHECK OUT Minecraft Papercraft Studio app.

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