BJU Press Blog

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3 Ways to Grow in the New Year

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How do you prepare for the new year? Whether you celebrate the first day of the year with a party or treat it like any other day, now is a good time to think about the challenges (and blessings) of the past year and to set goals for the brand-new year.

But we can’t make assumptions about changing for the better without some prior preparation (Proverbs 21:31). Make the choice now to grow. A large part of growing is making an evaluation and setting a goal to change. God delights when we actively pursue changes that develop Christlikeness because it honors Him and reflects His grace to others. Take inspiration from the following practical ways to grow in the year ahead.

(Image use) WP 01/2017

Grow as a Mother

Bring on the New Year’s Resolutions! Find a tip for making each of your goals attainable.

5 New Year’s Resolutions Moms Will Want to Keep can deepen the relationship between you and your spouse as well as with your children. Which one will you focus on?

Grow as a Teacher

10 Tips for Your Homeschool Year offers ideas for refocusing after the holiday season. Choose one of these tips to apply to your homeschooling.

How Do You Plan Your Homeschool Year? Sometimes schedule changes take place in the middle of a school year. Be inspired with these resources.

Grow as a Homemaker

Use meal planning ideas from $5 Dinners on Pinterest! There are tons of yummy recipes to choose from, including meals for those in your family who have dietary restrictions and food allergies.

Household Management Forms can help guide you on the path from chaos to order. Download these printables that include cleaning lists, daily chore charts, and meal planning worksheets to get started.

How to Embrace (and Love) a Cleaning Routine keeps things simple by setting aside different days of the week for specific tasks. Learn how to develop a cleaning routine that works for you and your family!

Whatever goals the Lord lays on your heart for this new year, create your plan for growth so that it is laid out one simple step after another. Then share your plan as well as your goals with someone else. This action might be the hardest of all, but we all need motivation and encouragement along the way in this journey. Here’s to a blessed year of seeing God’s grace and strength at work in you!

Learning in Order to Teach

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statue of General George Custer on horse
Statue of General Custer by Dwight Burdette/Wikimedia Commons/CC-By 3.0

In a recent post, Karin showed us how the whole Bible is connected in one big story about God’s work to restore a fallen creation back to Himself. The truths of the gospel describe to us our destitute position and God’s wonderful deliverance. God has exalted the human race far beyond what we deserve—first, by creating us in his own image (Genesis 1:26); second, by promising to redeem us (Genesis 3:15); and lastly, by sending the Son in the likeness of human flesh (Romans 8:3). These truths also have implications for our whole lives, including what we do in relation to education.

Education should develop people in all the ways appropriate for human beings. This honors the reality of the image of God in man. We’re also training our children to live among other image-bearers. This can only be accomplished if they truly realize what being an image-bearer means and have been trained to view others that same way. School is a valuable opportunity for Christian worldview shaping.

Let’s consider one subject area—history. Do you ever talk about people as you teach history? Of course, you do. People are the primary topic of history. But does the fact that those people are made in the image of God ever affect what you say or do? Consider one familiar figure in American history, General George Armstrong Custer. To some people he’s a tragic hero. To others, he’s a villain. What you believe about the image of God in Custer, the men under his command, and the Plains Indians will affect what you say about him and the Battle of Little Bighorn.

I hope you’ll take a trip sometime this summer and visit a historically significant place. There, on the wall or in the ground will be a statue or a plaque to a certain man. Your homework assignment is to apply the reality of humans as image-bearers to that man. Then share that with your kids. Why is his statue there? Is he important? Is he valuable? Was he good or bad or a mixture of both. Remember that “good” and “bad” are determined by God. A person is not good simply because he agrees with you.

As you talk about him as an image-bearer of God, you can ask another question, “Did he honor the image of God in other people?” As you prepare to defend your conclusion from the Bible, you just might find that your own thinking hasn’t been entirely scriptural. What a wonderful opportunity to develop your biblical worldview alongside your child’s.

What Roles Are Assigned for BJU Press Online Learning?

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Last week we listed the different teams involved in creating an Online Learning course. We also introduced a scene shop team member and the head drama associate, who shared in their own words about the roles they play. Today, you will meet three more people—a teacher, a video specialist, and a production manager.

image of BJU Press Distance Learning reading teacher in the studio.

What roles are assigned?

Mrs. Walker—Teacher

How would you describe your role?

I’m one of the content teachers. I’ve been here since we started in 1996. My first love is teaching reading, but I have taught math and heritage studies when needed. I use the BJU Press teacher’s editions and curriculum to teach in a one-on-one style.

What excites you about including biblical worldview, sound education, and joy of learning in your lessons?

I try to include something in each lesson that will pique the interest of students. (I call it the “dinner nugget,” something that they care enough about to mention at the family dinner table.) If I can get them to enjoy learning—to really love learning—then they will pay attention long enough to get a sound education that’s God-centered. Each reading, history, and even math lesson can present situations that encourage the student to think about what he would do; then I give him Scripture and point him to what he should do. Daily exposure to this biblical integration will help him develop his own biblical worldview! The Bible is not just for Bible class!

image of BJU Press Distance Learning studio behind the scenes.

Mary—Video Specialist

How would you describe your role?

I run cameras, sound, and a switcher while recording live video for lessons and special segments. Depending on the day, I may go to a brainstorming meeting for one of the classes, edit segments, and record lessons.

How much time does it take to record a lesson?

It may take around an hour to record a lesson with the need to start and stop in parts of the lesson, but [many] hours may have already gone into the recording and editing of segments for that lesson.

image of BJU Press Distance Learning studio behind the scenes of Reading 6

Juanita—Production Manager

How would you describe your role?

As the senior manager of video production, I get to oversee a very talented group of writers, producers, artists, and video specialists as well as a dedicated crew that helps distribute video content to our customers.

What impact do you hope BJU Press Online Learning courses have on students?

I hope we are making an eternal impact, helping to train disciples for Christ who are well educated and able to think critically, who can go out into this world and make an impact in their own generation for the Lord. For example, we recently heard about an Online Learning student who came to faith in Christ. The Lord used the teaching in his Bible class and the testimony of his teacher to stir his heart. A report like that reminds us why we do what we do.

Check back next week to see where everything comes together. We’ve created a special video tour just for you!