Teaching from a Place of Rest

Andrew Kern was in Colorado Springs last weekend for a Lost Tools workshop. As usual, he dropped a few phrases that have been rippling through the Isle since then. “Teaching from a place of rest” is the one that really caught my attention and it builds on much of what I came away with from Memphis in July.

In order to teach from a place of rest, we must live in a place of rest, and the only truly trustworthy place of rest is Christ. Unless our hearts are resting in Christ and in the gospel, I don't know how successful we can be in teaching from a place of rest, even with the best of intentions.

I don’t think this requires that we come up with a list of things to do in order to work toward that place of rest. These changes rather are the fruit of the rest and peace that grow in our own souls as we fix our eyes on Christ.

I know. I tried the to do approach for a long time, but it's only recently, as the Lord has been making the gospel more and more real and more and more functional in my life, that I’m seeing the fruit of tranquility and peace in our schooling. It didn't start with school, but in my heart and soul and our schooling is affected, too.

Through my next few entries, I’d like to see if I can try to explain the changes the Lord is bringing about and how the fruit is becoming evident in our schooling, not to give anyone a to do list, but to give encouragement that, if the Lord can do these things in our home, he can work in anyone’s, although it probably won’t look exactly the same.