I am sure this reflection is caused by the death of my Joe. For 51 years purpose in life was in prayer for his salvation and doing as God commanded. "It's your job to love him, it's my job to lead him." And lead us both he did toward Joe's salvation on August 2, 2020 and then on to his death November 20th, 2020.
So, after 51 years what was I to do?
Two dear friends involved themselves in my life. Betty Peters and Barbara Moore. Anyone acquainted with them know that they are first and foremost devout, patriotic, Christian women. They are now widows, fearless in their beliefs, devoted to children, and their country. They were not about to let me idle about without purpose for whatever years God has for me.
And so, once again I find myself drawn to the Eagle Forum, an organization that researches issues and lobbies for faith, family and freedom by being aware of what is happening on every level of government, in our schools, and the culture about us. But, I am not alone here in Dothan. Barbara, Betty and I hope those of you who share our concern and love for our children and our country will join us in this endeavor.
Joe encouraged me to be a part of this wonderful organization before he died. He also admired these dedicated women.
Today this poem landed in my brain and would not leave.
Only One Life
C.T. Studd
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And then I recalled a post I made on Facebook a while ago when Joe and I lived in Panama City after his retirement -- before health and a hurricane brought us back home to Dothan. I will relate it to you because there are still those involved in education who have been brainwashed by those who have caused the problems in the first place. This event typifies much of what we are up against They are the experts with the clean shirt and brief case speaking educrat and pretending to have research to back up their curriculum. The research they have usually turns out to be anecdotal rather than empirical. But there must be those who challenge rather than joining in circling the wagons.
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Had an interesting experience today at a church group meeting. I am a member of that group and I wanted to invite this group of Christian women to the Panhandle Eagle Forum meeting. I said, "I would like to invite you to the Panhandle Eagle Forum meeting a week from Thursday at noon at the Bay County Library. Eunie Smith, President of the Eagle Forum, will be there to speak on the Eagle Forum, Common Core and more. If you don't know about Common Core, please watch the video with Dr. Duke Pesta Common Core --Six Years Later. Common Core is here in our schools."
I started telling them about the graphic sex in the American Experience Literature 11th grade specifically the recommendation for Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eyes and how graphic it was. I have a granddaughter in the 9th who may eventually be affected by this. I also expressed my concerns about the Common Core inclusion of teaching Kindergarten children how to know if they were transgender, gay, or lesbian introducing pre-schoolers to age inappropriate sex education being required to be INTEGRATED into the curriculum. (I have grandsons this age.)
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Suddenly one of the attendees interrupted saying, "I have LET you speak before."
I couldn't help but say, "Thank you for LETTING me speak."
"But I cannot sit here and listen to this propaganda," she continued.
I persisted, "Christian women ought to be concerned."
She said, "I was a principal." (As if that meant she was an expert on Common Core and what works in education.)
"But, Common Core is new," I responded.
She said, "No, it isn't."
As if that made it better? Really? That was a sad admission. So, now what failed before has been canonized in Common Core?
Then another former music teacher spoke up and said, "You just don't know about what the Black children live in. Toni Morrison's story is just the kind of thing those children experience!"
Well, first of all, who gave the former principal the authority to LET me to speak? That is freedom of speech, isn't it? Or is that another example of the Left attempting to silence the Right. Where did the Left ever come up with the idea that they have the RIGHT TO SILENCE others.
Secondly, she was a principal? I wanted to say, "Oh, then, we have you to blame for the continued failure of our schools. Isn't that why Race to the Top and then Common Core got into our schools in the first place? Everyone felt they "had to do SOMETHING" because things were so bad?"
But I didn't. I did not persist because that would have been bad manners. So I took a deep breath and the program ended. I left.
JUST CURIOUS--WHY DO WE LISTEN TO THOSE WHO PRODUCED THE PROBLEM TELL US HOW TO FIX IT?
And then to the woman who defended the use of pornography in the classroom, I wanted to say, "Don't those children who might have experienced rape and incest have the right to NOT to be mentally raped again? You really consider that (what I think they justify calling it authentic texts) worthy of 11th grade literature. Couldn't you expose them to tried and true classics? What is the REAL AGENDA FOR THIS?
How dare our schools allow curriculum that will Rape the Minds of those innocents who have NOT experienced incest and rape?
And...isn't assuming that Rape is a Normal part of the Black experience CONDESCENDING?
Why don't ALL CHILDREN have the right to an education that will prepare them academically for whatever the world might send them opening windows of opportunity with quality instruction for reading, Math, History, etc. rather than the condescension of assuming we should lower the standards of academics, civility AND COMMON DECENCY in effect giving that pornography the endorsement of the education establishment!
Needless to say, I came home with my tail tucked between my legs. Discouraged. I admit to feeling as if I had been struck by a woman prominent in the organization of the church.
Joe said, "Sharman what did you expect? If you stand up for something you truly believe there are those who will try to silence you or intimidate you into backing down."
I've been there before. I will do it again. It would be easier if God had called me to Uganda to build missions. It is quite difficult when going to "the ends of the earth" happens to be your own town.
This was indeed a wake-up call. The LEFT has an agenda. They blame us for challenging that agenda and want to silence us. They promote this agenda under the guise of social justice-- a term that sounds so righteous. And yet, the purpose is not social justice, but the undermining of the values that founded our country and seeks to establish an atheist globalist, one world order--though those individual teachers did realize this!
It is our wonderful culture that has produced the greatest Social Justice the world has ever seen. Their version would create a nation of slaves because the uneducated are gullible and defenseless.
Too many have "drunk the Kool Aid" and simply circle the wagons defending whatever comes down from the central office.
These two ladies are lovely people. But, we have a serious difference of opinion (as Christians, fellow educators, and citizens) on what the purpose is for sending our children to school where we entrust them to those who assume en loco parentis position when we walk them to those school house doors. That is an awesome responsibility and not one teachers or parents should take lightly.
Ironically, I spent an hour yesterday with a young mother bemoaning how the new Math was creating a very, very sad and emotionally drained fourth grader. She was herself quite frustrated because she did not have a clue how to help her daughter with it! I could relate. My own granddaughter here in Panama City did the same thing. And that was when I started digging deeper into what once more was happening in my profession.
"As a man thinketh, so is he."
Our God is an awesome God. 2nd Timothy 1:7. For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.