In An Age of Incentives Eric Felton says incentives for students are spreading like kudzu. Not only are parents paying off their kids for making good grades, schools in New York, DC, Chicago and Dallas have paid out $6 million in incentives for getting better grades, reading books, and behaving in class. North Carolina is [...]
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Archive | June, 2010
praying for missionaries
June 21, 2010
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The sovereign purpose of God in missions and evangelism suggests two things. We should count less and pray more.
Read morea spirit of responsibility in an age of opportunity
June 18, 2010
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Today’s college graduates are often called the boomerang generation, a reference to their tendency to return home after graduation. I often joke with students about this, suggesting that they get their resume and job search in gear early so they won’t end up living in their parent’s basement. It’s no joke, unfortunately, as I indicated [...]
Read morea spirit of humility in an age of entitlement
June 15, 2010
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In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer This is the age of entitlement, and few things cause more difficulty for college graduates today than unreasonable expectations and overreaching self-esteem. Self-esteem, as it [...]
Read morewhat hope looks like
June 12, 2010
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For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4. In a recent post, it’s a jungle out there, I discussed the daunting challenges confronting college graduates today. It’s not just that the job market is slow. [...]
Read morehappy anniversary to us
June 7, 2010
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Tomorrow is our 36th anniversary. We stood together under a gazebo at Signal Point, a little park overlooking a bend in the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, and promised to love each other until death did us part. I was happy to be married, although it was not nearly as easy as I had hoped. The [...]
Read morea symbol of civility
June 5, 2010
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There was some great food in Argentina. Asado, a kind of barbecue concept, involves eating different cuts of meat over a period of about 3 hours. Katie and I even came back drinking mate, a hot drink unique to South America. But understanding and appreciating the cultures where our missionaries work is not about the [...]
Read moreit’s a jungle out there
June 4, 2010
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In a “Lament for the Class of 2010,” satirist Joe Queenen pulls no punches. Let’s just say it’s not funny. He argues that a Pilgrim toddler had better prospects, since at least the economy was expanding. And he backs up his concerns with more than jokes and anecdotes. Two million college graduates are out of [...]
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showing respect in an age of rebellion
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the [...]
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