In this natural followup to the burnout episode, Chris and Wayne trade ideas for improving and maintaining spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health through summer.
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Baccalaureate Speech 2017 – Chris
Below is the full text of Chris’ Baccalaureate Speech. (Once Wayne gets back from Guatemala, we hope to post his as well)
In some form or another, you have probably heard someone tell you to follow your dreams. If you count all of the times such a message has been subliminally or explicitly directed at you in film, television, social media, literature, or a motivational speech in one of your classes here at our school, I’m sure that it would total roughly around 18,000 times.
“Follow your dreams.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to.”
“One of you may be the future President of the USA.”
The American dream and many successful people in our country have verified this notion that hard work, sweat, desire, and passion can help you achieve anything. You can do all things… through Christ… right? Even the way that Philippians 4:13 is Continue reading “Baccalaureate Speech 2017 – Chris”
CHSBT-Bonus-Speeches on Dreams and Life
BONUS EPISODE! Chris and Wayne both had the privilege of speaking at their school’s baccalaureate service to address the class of 2017. Hear their tag-team speech as they reflect on the book of Ecclesiastes and Deuteronomy.
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CHSBT-008-Burnout
Burnout is often a perennial reality for teachers and ministry workers, and the situation is often compounded in Christian schools where people are both ministers and teachers. What are the signs of burnout? How did we get here? Why are we always so tired? Chris and Wayne investigate the symptoms, reasons, and roots of burnout, and pose a few suggestions for prevention and treatment.
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CHSBT-007-Doubt
Doubts, questions, and uncertainty are all seemingly inevitable aspects of a life of faith. Chris and Wayne use their own experiences with intellectual and existential doubt as a frame of reference to inform thoughtful and loving ways of helping students and friends in the midst of their own doubt.
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CHSBT–006–Science w/ Robert
Science and religion are often assumed to be two diametrically opposed forces, but maybe the conversation is lacking nuance and a real understanding of what those two words mean. Chris, Wayne, and Robert (their science teacher colleague) team up to explore the relationship between science and the claims of the Christian faith.
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CHSBT–005–Empire or Kingdom
Political and economic systems of evil have plagued humanity since ancient times. Chris and Wayne explain how these realities clash with God’s Kingdom, and discuss how these ideas can inspire their students to live meaningfully.
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CHSBT–004–Eternity for Teens
A surprising number of students in Chris and Wayne’s school have expressed an interesting “fear of eternity.” And not just the normal fear of the idea of hell… but fearing existing forever. Why should we be excited about eternity, and how do we help students catch that same excitement? As Chris and Wayne discuss eternity and the human perception of time, they also play with the topics of relativity, heaven, and boredom.
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Ep3 Denominations and Mixed Messages?
In Episode 3: Church and Competition, Wayne and I tossed around a few numbers as we estimated and hypothesized how many Christian denominations there are. Depending on how you are counting, the number can span anywhere from 300-30,000. This helpful article from National Catholic helps explain the conflicting data.
The World Christian Encyclopedia says “World Christianity consists of 6 major ecclesiastico-cultural blocs, divided into 300 major ecclesiastical traditions, composed [sic] of over 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries (Vol. I, p. 16).”
Also, as some of you picked up in podcast episode 3, there were probably some mixed signals sent. One listener pointed out that we were sort of sounding anti-institution toward the beginning, but then seemed to advocate for the benefits of “church life” in Christian schools (an institution with potentially more oversight and bureaucracy than local churches). As we wrestle with some of these topics, one of our main motives is to get thoughts brewing, and to open cans of worms that perhaps have remained sealed on the shelf too long. So please, help us continue the conversation and keep sending us your thoughts and feedback (commenting on the website, tweeting, or Facebook). We need your brains to sort out this muddled can of worms!
CHSBT-003-Church and Competition?
Churches and parachurch organizations (like Christian schools) sometimes find themselves competing for members, marketshare, and money. In this episode, Chris and Wayne explore the difficult and complicated nature of those spaces where local churches and parachurch organizations overlap. Listen as we ask: What is the Church? How do Christian schools fit into that bigger picture? And what happens when churches and organizations operate within a capitalistic system and worldview?
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