New Math and The Heart

Today's post comes from Pastor Luke Dowdy's "Northeast District Youth Leaders Blog". Luke and his wife Amanda serve as student ministry and worship pastors at Berlin Brethren Church in Berlin, PA.


Our son is in second grade and we are really starting to get into the “new math” or Common Core methods. The school has been having Parent Math Nights for each grade to educate parents so they know what is going on in the classroom and how to help their kids. I’m not going to get into the whether common core is good/bad or right/wrong, but I thought the meeting gave a keen glimpse into the condition of the human heart.


During the presentation, a teacher commented, “we are not as concerned about rote memorization as we are about teaching students how math works so they can use several different tools in their toolboxes to come to the right answer.” One of the moms spoke up and said, “my daughter will never understand math this way. I can’t imagine any kid doing math this way. Why can’t we just tell them how to do it the old way and move on?”


The teachers were trying to get at the heart behind the math, and we just want the quickest and easiest way to get the answer right now, without thinking of the long run. Isn’t that how we approach our spiritual lives? Isn’t that the mentality that Jesus flipped on its head? To people that had been following (or trying to follow) the law for centuries, adding their own rules on top of it, Jesus said, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!” (Matthew 5:21-22). Teachings like this and others show that Jesus was more concerned about the heart and its overflow than behavior modification.


We think we don’t like behavior modification and rules, but the reality is we like things straightforward. We want to know steps A, B, and C to get the right answer, and we want to know what God wants and what he doesn’t want. Sometimes, that answer is easy. Don’t kick puppies, do read your Bible. But there are a lot of times the answer isn’t so simple or clear. We often find ourselves wondering how far is too far and how close can I get to that line? This is as true in our sexuality as it is in the kinds of movies we watch or what we let become priorities for our time.


"We want to know what God wants and what he doesn’t want. But there are a lot of times the answer isn’t so simple or clear."

It is easier to have a clear list of do’s/don’t’s and we are quick to point to hot topics or behaviors that are in the “danger zone.” We unknowingly carry that same mentality into our student ministries. We hear that drug use is up at the school so we do a “don’t do drugs” lesson. Then we hear kids are getting bullied on Snapchat, so we do a “don’t be a bully on social media” lesson. These are all great things to discuss in a Christian context, but if we focus solely on behavior, we’re going through the low hanging fruit of rule memorization. Over the past few years, we have been trying to move the focus from the fruit to the root.


When we teach students about Jesus, when they see him for who he truly is and love him for what he has done and is doing, their life choices flow from that depth of heart. It is a much harder way, and both we and they fall and make mistakes, but it has been so much more fulfilling. When Jesus transforms a student’s heart and she sees people the way God sees them, she won’t put a degrading comment on social media. When he realizes that God gave him his body for a purpose, he won’t put drugs into it. This is much harder than a list of rules, but the behavior outcome is the same, and we don’t have to run around like crazy trying to figure out what the next danger to teen behavior is. When they have a heart like Jesus, they will think and act like Jesus in whatever comes up.


This probably sounds difficult, and it is. You might also think you need to be relevant and that kids won’t relate to an old-fashioned Bible study, but I encourage you not to underestimate the power of the Word, and also don’t underestimate the capability of your students.


That mom that said she couldn’t imagine any kid doing math the new way? A few students were at the meeting that night and guess what? We did some samples and they were doing the new math. What was hard for us parents to wrap our minds around, these kids were already starting to use.



Whatever your views on Common Core math, I pray that you are able to set aside the way things have always been done and be open to the Spirit’s leading as you live your life and lead students.

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By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired shot heard round the world. “Concord Hymn,” Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1836. This is true. The American Revolution was transformative. One hundred years later, poet James Russell Lowell celebrated the modest span as “era-parting.” As the Concord militia ran across the bridge chasing retreating redcoats, they ran from one era into another. This is also true. The United States was the first government founded on the principle that “all men are created equally.” To be sure, this noble concept was very imperfectly implemented, but nobody else, certainly not European monarchies, even pretended to believe it. On April 19 we rightly celebrate the 250th anniversary of Concord, the beginning of a war that led to American independence. But there’s more. The first shots were not fired across Emerson’s “rude bridge” but on Lexington Common. Here three British companies faced the village militia. Major John Pitcairn, the British commander, ordered the Massachusetts men to disperse. The militia captain, John Parker, seeing that his men were significantly outnumbered, ordered them to break ranks and leave. But before they could, somebody—we still don’t know who—shot, and the British spontaneously responded with heavy fire. Then, again without orders, they charged, shooting and bayoneting, including the wounded. Historians disagree over whether British officers encouraged the melee or futilely screamed for order. Almost certainly, however, redcoats cut down fleeing militiamen. It was more massacre than battle. This atrocity, not Emerson’s “shot heard round the world,” inaugurated a lengthy, difficult, brutal war. The War for Independence lasted eight years, the longest conflict in American history until Vietnam and now fourth behind Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam. Civilians were targeted, casualties high, and prisoners, when taken, treated inhumanely. Lexington wasn’t the only time in the war when wounded and surrendering soldiers were assaulted; both sides did it, but more often the British. As people of faith remember Lexington and Concord, they can find three takeaways. 1. Injustice creates conflict. Identifying wrongs inflicted upon us comes naturally, but the call is to recognize injustice felt by others. The colonists had legitimate grievances: They were unrepresented in Parliament and taxed without their consent, a fundamental injustice. Logically, they demanded self-government. For ignoring American complaints, Imperial leadership lost some of its most valuable colonies, and its military endured high casualties. The lesson is that release for the captives and freedom for the oppressed are both the right thing to do—"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”—and pragmatic because of the problems they solve. 2. Similarly, bad things happen when people stop listening to each other. Mostly, this falls again on the British. Even a few months after Lexington and Concord, independence was still not mainstream among Americans, who probably would have accepted something short of full sovereignty. How might the history of the British Empire evolved if it had listened and applied the Golden Rule? Tone-deafness cost the British severely. Likewise, may we remember that most arguments have two sides. The Empire’s anger over the extensive property damage caused by the Boston Tea Party feels legitimate. Refusal to concede that the other side has a point or two often has significant practical cost, in this case further widening the breach between the Empire and its seaboard colonies. This is not to say that Jesus compromised his values, but he lunched with tax collectors and sinners and, presumably, listened. 3. Wars are easier to start than to stop. This includes labor (strikes) and trade wars. The great conflict that started on Lexington Green lasted much longer than anybody thought. In fact, there was little deliberation. Tensions escalated and anger boiled until violence erupted, and once the floodgates of war opened, it took eight years and rivers of blood spilled before they closed. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are not only the children of God but, in practice, they rescue society and, especially, innocents from the suffering of war. In the long run society is best served by peace (and justice). Do justice, listen, and make peace: Put together, these lessons from Lexington are foundation stones of Christian behavior, and they equip Brethren to be the salt of the earth in tumultuous times. Steve Longenecker is Professor of History, emeritus, at Bridgewater College (VA). Photo by Donovan Reeves on Unsplash
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On Sunday, March 23, the Brethren Church in Cay Pombo, Philippines gathered as usual to lift their hearts and hands in praise and worship to God, their Father. Yet that day was far more than a typical Sunday; it was a joyous celebration of God’s goodness and all He has accomplished in the church during its first full year of ministry. “As we celebrated our 1st anniversary, we're reminded that God has a plan to prosper us and give us a hope and a future. We're excited to see how He will continue to work in the lives of many through the JOFF (Jesus Our Firm Foundation) Cay Pombo Church. We've seen God move in amazing ways. We've witnessed lives transformed, relationships built, and how Jesus moves in everyone's lives, and yet, we know that this is just the beginning. We're trusting God to guide and direct us always. To God be all the glory! Happy anniversary, JOFF Cay Pombo!  As we celebrate this first year of ministry and Kingdom growth, may this moment inspire the church here in the United States and around the world to boldly witness for Jesus in our neighborhoods, communities, and nations. Amen!!! Scott Soden Coordinator, Brethren Global Partners
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