Thoughts on life's experiences and God's nature by Robby Hyche…

I have been fascinated with the demonstrations in Tehran, Iran last few days.  I sometimes forget that not everyone in Iran “likes” their government.  I certainly do not want to be a dumb American and be so flat-footed in my thinking that everyone in a place like Iran really believes what its leader says.  All I have to do to remind myself of this is to look at our own situation here at home.  It is really inspiring to read the blogs, watch the iReporter videos on CNN, and see how people in Iran are peacefully – but forcefully – pronouncing that they want more freedom.

This encourages me because it gives us all hope that even in a totalitarian situation people never stop dreaming, believing, and hoping in a better day.  It encourages me because while I think that Iran probably helps to support certain terrorism around the world, there are those within its borders who putting lives and fortunes on the line for peace and freedom.

I don’t want to give America too much credit for this, but I cannot help but think that our recent elections have helped to spur this on.  Not eveyone voted for Obama, and not everyone who voted for him is happy with what he is doing.  Many in the world (and even our own country) believed that somehow Bush would have run again for the Presidency or that somehow he would have pulled a fast one to get McCain elected.  But the fact is there was a change and it seemed very unlikely.  This is not about idealogy.  It is about freedom.  I believe that when other countries see how we can have an honest election by the people and for the people that it gives others hope that they too can have a government of the people.

My desire is that our country will continue to give hope to countries like Iran, but that we will also borrow from the strength of those who want nothing more than their freedom.  Let’s not take it for granted!

Okay, so I had to go to lunch by myself a couple of Sundays ago after church. I should’ve grabbed someone to go eat with me but I had church-stuff to do and the rest of the family was out of town. I get to the BBQ place by myself and while I am satisfied with who I am and frequently eat alone, it can be a depressing thing eating alone. I am not talking about a quick bite at lunch when you’re working hard and in-between appointments. Nor am I talking about a burger on the road to a destination. I mean consuming an extended meal by yourself in a table-service restaurant. If it has been a while since you’ve tried this then perhaps you should again: particularly at dinner.

For a few years I traveled for my job. in a couple of different capacities, I worked semi-alone but there was those times I worked with a team. During these years I watched how different people handled their solitary journeys. Here’s a few of the personality types I noticed:

* Loaners – they seem to never eat with anyone. Do they eat at all?

* Joiners – these guys must have someone around or they can’t eat. If they can’t find aomeone to eat with, they’ll sit at the bar and bug the bartender or waitress all night.

* Doers – these people don’t do just dinner. They must have a further derstination in mind, eg a ballgame, Dave & Busters, bowling alley, a Hard Rock cafe, wine cellar, or cigar shop in mind.

* drinkers – some people must have a local beer, wine, or other alocholic drink to make their evening complete.

* followers – these will do what the others want, but are usually game for anything.

* readers – obviously.

There is one common element to these personality types: loneliness. Each of these must deal with the loneliness of their soul. I have worked with dozens of people around the country on the road and when you get down to it, most people really don’t do lonely very well.

Unfortunately, many times families, marriages, friends, and affairs actually only mask our real need. We are all very lonely if the truth is known but families only seem to be less lonely b/c they have people around. That’s good and people are needed in our life – I am not subtracting from that.

But is it possible, could we find real satisfaction outside ourselves but not in another human being?

Could it be that God is there as the primary feeder of our soul?

A report was recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics (see http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/).  This report shows that almost 50 million students are enrolled in schools in the USA.  Of these about 1.5 million or 2.9 percent of all school-age children, were homeschooled in the United States, an increase from both 1999 and 2003.

Those numbers represent a 74% increase in homeschooling from period of 1999 to 2007, and a 36% increase from 2003 to 2007.

For those of us who are in the homeschooling movement, this is not surprising.  Almost every week I receive a call from a new family thinking about homeschooling their children.  Most of the people who call me about homeschooling say they feel led by God to do this.  Homeschooling needs to be a calling but guess what: so is parenting.  In my opinion it is impossible to uncouple teaching your children and parenting.  We are all homeschooling parents, the issue is who do you want teaching them Math, English, morality, and behavioral skills?  The job of moral instruction and behavior is ultimately given to parents – not the state. 

This study echoes what I have just said (or I am echoing it).  In 2007, the most common reason parents gave as the most important reason for homeschooling their children was religious or moral instruction (36 percent of students).  Obviously, more parents are taking an active role in what sort of moral instruction kids are taught (by teachers) and caught (by peers).

Twenty-one percent of families noted a concern about the school environment as their reason for homeschooling: safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure were all cited.  I heard of a family in Florida just this week that brought their child home – with the help of the state – because she had come into contact with drugs.  That’s an interesting move.  The state suggested that this student be given a computer and work assignments from the local school system to be done at home so that she would be out of reach of those negative influences.

Seventeen percent of the families polled listed dissatisfaction with academic instruction as their reason.  And “other reasons” included more family time together (about 14 percent).  I see this quite often in our group because of commute to/from sporting events, time required for piano or other important interests, or simply “sanity” in the life of the family and the home.  About six percent of the families noted the child’s health or other special needs which influenced their decision to home-school.

One interesting statistic shows that in 1999, 49% of those homeschooled were boys, but in 2007 that number had dropped to 41.9%.  This should be a source of caution to us who homeschool boys.  I am not sure what is driving this number.  It could be athletics.  Most school districts require enrollment in the local school for boys to play sports.  Florida is an exception to this (as with the Tim Tebow Law as it is called).  It could also be that moms struggle to teach their boys as they grow older.  Dads, we need to stay involved with our sons and help them progress through these years.  One other interesting note is that more and more college-educated parents are choosing to home-school.  Again, this is an interesting development.  These are not backwards people who are trying to incubate their kids away from the world.  They have been around the block and want a say-so in how their children think.

I have three take-aways from this study:

• Public educators take note – If schooling was a business and we saw a 74% increase in the sales of a competitor’s product, then we would be trying to figure out what is going on and make adjustments accordingly.  We have tried to make public schools sterile from any religious influence but the fact is that when we remove religious influence we remove morality.  It is my prediction that eventually schools will eventually begin to teach moral values again (this has actually already begun as some districts are using the Constitution of the US as a morality model).  They will have to in order to maintain order and change the course they’re on.  The question becomes whose values will they be?  
• Homeschoolers take note – Don’t think your job is any easier because it is growing.  If we want to do the good work that God has given us to do, then we need to keep pursuing excellence.  We also have a responsibility from God to make disciples of the world and not just our own home.  The schools we remove our kids from still need our support, prayer, and involvement.  The schools are our greatest mission field because they are teaching and influencing the culture of the next generation.
• Churches take note – We should do what we can to support homeschoolers.  However, the reasons motivating parents to bring the children home also means there is a need for a greater role from the church in the life of the schools. 

This report is enlightening and scary.  It is great to see homeschooling grow in respect and numbers, but the reasons behind the movement move me to prayer for our nation.