Archive for category: LivingEd – Charlotte

Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

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Estimated Reading Time: 4 min.

Mr. Weston’s latest forum challenged the Living Education students to ask themselves, “Why am I in this church?”

This question may seem simple, but the real answer is more nuanced than we may realize. Our decisions are influenced by our past choices, past experiences, and even factors we have little control over like temperament and family. 

Understand your Life 

To illustrate, Mr. Weston summarized his childhood and early years and related the moment he first came into the Church. While the world is much different today, we all must learn to examine the experiences that shaped our perspective, because we will face critical decisions in our lives and the right path will not always be clear. To do this, we must understand ourselves. This includes our weaknesses and proclivities, and if we examine our lives and experiences, we will be better prepared for those serious decisions when they come. 

A Crossroads 

Mr. Weston had a certain momentous decision, as he recounted, in his life. In 1994, he was a minister for a church that began to radically and rapidly alter fundamental doctrines. Mr. Weston recalled how he was forced to decide whether to go along with the changes or stand up for what is right and resign. He had been a minister for that church for over 25 years, and this position was his livelihood. He knew he might have to find a job flipping burgers to survive if he chose to follow God! We may face such decisions in our lives, too. If we do not understand why we are in God’s Church, we may be tempted just to go along with changes, taking the path of least resistance. Mr. Weston chose to follow God, gave one last sermon, and then was forced to resign. But this was not the end of the decisions to be made. 

Finding the true church

Continuing with his narrative, Mr. Weston explained that various churches existed at the time. He had to find the church that was in alignment with God’s ways, which is a search that all of us must make. We cannot simply end up in a church as the mindless culmination of our experiences, family, temperament, and subconscious beliefs. We have to find the real church of God.

Mr. Weston continued by telling us about how, after resigning his ministerial position, he investigated a few different organizations and the differences between them. He determined two critical keys to discerning the right church. First, he looked for a church that has “not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). God’s Church knows more than just the Holy Days and the Sabbath. Some organizations may allow a lot of flexibility in beliefs among their members and ministers, but Mr. Weston stressed that the Church needs to lead its members in the right paths, not allow confusion. Second, God’s Church started in the right direction, which includes the right government. God’s Church fulfills Christ’s commission of feeding the flock and preaching the Gospel. A church must be founded on this commission and be absolutely ruled by Christ, with the leadership structure outlined in the Bible. In the future, we will face similar choices, and we can use these same principles to find the true Church of God. 

The right church?

Why is it so important that we find the right church? Mr. Weston turned to the account in Revelation about the church eras (chapter 3), in particular the churches of Laodicea and Philadelphia (vv. 7-22). In the end times, there will be two separate churches: a lukewarm one and a zealous one. It seems one of these churches will be spared from the great tribulation because it has done a work, spreading the Gospel as much as it could. The other will be tried and refined in the fire of tribulation. 

Therefore, we have two questions to ask. First, are we sure that we are in God’s Church? If so, are we in the zealous church? We need to answer these thoroughly, proving the answers for ourselves. It is not enough that we were born into it; people were born into Islam, false Christianity, and other religions. We have to prove that this church is the right place, fulfilling the commission and purpose of God’s true Church zealously.

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

Author: Sabrielle McNair | Student Leader, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

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Estimated Reading Time: 4 min.

In his recent lecture for Living Education–Charlotte, Mr. John Strain spent his time focusing on the phenomenon of friendships.  Describing the different kinds of relationships we all develop throughout our lifetimes, he explained how to regulate who we spend our time with, how that time affects us, and why it should be a thoughtful process even at a young age.

We Change; So Should They

Mr. Strain made the point that our associations should change as our relationship with God develops over our lifetime. We should continually ensure that those around us are on a similar path or of a similar moral compass, so their effect on us will be a help as we grow to be more like God. Having quality friends is far more valuable than having a large quantity of friends. 

Mr. Strain pointed out that one way to attain this is by respecting the friendships and relationships of our parents, and he read Proverbs 27:10. We should learn from people of quality that our father or mother might have gained over their lifetime.

Tips to Keep ’Em

Mr. Strain gave us various keys on how to best maintain and keep friendships:

Be kind. “It is possible to take liberties because you’re friends.” Here, Mr. Strain used the analogy of an emotional bank account. When we have positive interactions with friends, there are deposits into the account, but with negative interactions that currency is withdrawn. This imagery can be applied to any relationship in our lives.

Be a good listener. Everyone wants to feel understood and have their thoughts heard. We need to develop the ability to process what has been shared with us and then ask any questions that can make us better understand their thoughts and feelings.

Open up. We must be willing to disclose personal feelings to other people. This shows that we care about them and want them to know more about how we think and feel on various topics and issues. However, this should not be done without thought. As the next point shows, we should prove ourselves trustworthy before opening up.

Show trustworthiness. We have to follow through when we make plans with others, and not go around gossiping about others behind their backs. This applies to friendships and even to businesses and Church congregations; this is an all-around good practice.

Be available. We should put effort in our interactions with those around us, making commitments to spend time, even if it isn’t convenient. Just giving of ourselves will show them we are willing to put work into having them around in our lives. And if we maintain that contact, we will build friendships that last a lifetime.

The Bible Gives the Good Stuff

Mr. Strain proceeded to emphasize that we are to be friendly, as we are directly told in Proverbs 18:24. For example, Christ and His disciples were close, but He still interacted with all the people who came to Him for help. And when the question of the “best friend” arises, we can also take our cues from Him: He had twelve disciples who were all close to Him, and three even closer friends—Peter, John, and James—who stayed with Him in some of the most difficult times of His life. But none were singled out as the only friend of Christ. So why should we do that? 

If we have the mind of Christ and not a mind of competition, we will be helping all those around us overcome and prevail into the Kingdom, in whatever ways we can. And if we know that we will have the opportunity to live eternally with our brothers and sisters in Christ, why don’t we start building those relationships now (John 15:13)?

Value of a Friend

To conclude his presentation, Mr. Strain stated that to have two or three really good friends that last throughout your life is an amazing, unusual thing. He told the students that we should use these principles to build strong, quality friendships now that may even last a lifetime. While many of the principles of building friendships are simply standard practices every Christian should perform, we can get so much value from good friendships that we develop by being friendly and investing our time and attention in other people.

Sabrielle McNair is currently one of the student leaders at Living Education. For the majority of her life, Sabrielle lived in Albany, New York. Having grown up in the church, she has been involved in church programs since she was a young girl. Presently, she works as the women’s Resident Assistant, assists in LivingEd event preparations, works in the finance department, and writes for the website.

Estimated Reading Time: 5 min.

Etiquette—What Is It Good for?

Mr. Jonathan McNair began his forum by elaborating on the importance of showing respect for others, and the role that etiquette plays in fulfilling that objective.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, etiquette is a set of behaviors either indicative of a high social status or enforced by an authority for an occasion. For instance, some upscale events require attendees to follow proper etiquette or they will be asked to leave. In modern times, etiquette is often associated with a bygone era of stiff ladies and gentlemen following strict social guidelines who are unable to “be themselves.” But this is not the case.

Etiquette is a blueprint for us to ensure that we do not make others uncomfortable or present ourselves in a bad light. To introduce the students to this pertinent subject, Mr. McNair showed the students two videos on dining etiquette. 

Best Practices for a Dinner Engagement

The first video addressed fundamental table manners for informal, semi-formal, and formal dining environments to a limited extent. Table manners are important because they can show respect to the host or to guests. They are a way of regulating our behavior so that we do not detract from the conversation and the overall dining experience. The video outlined a scenario where one is invited to another person’s house for dinner, and it went through the event showing the different rules of etiquette for such an occasion and why they were beneficial.

But before the dinning begins, there are some preliminary rules. We should always respond to an invitation and always issue invitations. We should not show up unannounced without RSVPing or give guests too short of notice. And an important rule for modern times: Our cellphones should be put on silent before a meal and put away; we should not leave them on the table or check them excessively during the meal. 

Table Manners

Here is a summary of what the video discussed on table manners: We should not excuse ourselves from the table often, and when we do, it should not be for longer than five minutes. We should eat politely, taking small bites, chewing with our mouth closed, and waiting until everyone is seated with their food before beginning to eat. We should be polite and try every type of food that the host has prepared, unless it is necessary not to due to allergies or some other limitation.

Such embarrassing moments as removing food from one’s teeth should be handled in the bathroom rather than at the table. Serving dishes should be passed to the right to avoid any mishaps, and serving utensils should always be used and not one’s own cutlery. While eating, elbows should not be on the table, and we should strive to maintain good posture, sitting all the way back in the seat, having our feet placed firmly on the ground, and avoiding leaning over our food excessively.

The video made another interesting point: Be sure not to over-explain. If one is getting up to take a phone call, he need not explain every detail of how his mother is calling him and she has had terrible health as of late and he simply cannot miss it. Instead, we should simply ask to be excused and have that be the end of it. The same applies to refusing to drink and other personal decisions. 

Restaurant Etiquette

Mr. McNair then showed a second video on a similar yet unique topic: restaurant etiquette. This topic can be quite significant for many reasons, but there is one less obvious reason that is quite relevant. Many employers take interviewees out to eat to see their dining etiquette and social skills on display, and knowledge on this subject can be a professional asset. All the principles just discussed on table manners still apply, and this video brought up many good practices specific to restaurants.

The first is to budget for the event. We should know what the menu is, know how much it costs, and be prepared to pay for ourselves, even if the host says they will pay for it. If we have coats and hats, we should ask the waiter if they have a coat room they will store those garments in rather than having them by our table. If another dinner guest comes in while we are already seated, standing up to shake their hand is best practice.

If the host is paying, we should order around the same price range as them to be courteous. When a guest is ready to order, closing the menu and placing it on the table lets the waiter know that we are ready, and when dealing with the staff, we should always be polite and kind, even when pointing out that food was not correctly prepared or that some mistake occurred. If we are arranging to pay for the whole table, telling the waiter beforehand to avoid any awkward debates or hassles at the dinner table can improve the experience by removing any potential for contention. 

What We Learned

After each video, Mr. McNair asked the students if they heard anything that they had never heard before. While  we were somewhat familiar with many of the topics, we all found something in particular that we did not know. Mr. McNair also prompted us to state the bad practices that the videos brought up that we were guilty of doing in the past—we all had a few. Ultimately, etiquette is a set of helpful guidelines that ensures we know how to behave in order to set others at ease and present ourselves in the best light. These are not complicated or overbearing customs, but rather just good rules for life. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), and we should do all things “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). In light of this, we will all take the chance to include etiquette in our dining experiences from now on.

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

Author: Nathan Kroon | Student Leader, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.

In his recent forum, Dr. Douglas Winnail spoke on the demise of the West and the degradation in its quality of life.

Businesses are failing, morality is loosening, millions are fighting for the right to kill their unborn children, and Marxism is becoming an increasingly popular school of thought in our society. Dr. Winnail stated that “ideas have consequences,” and he followed that comment by explaining that our nation is in decline due to a lack of a proper understanding of the Bible.

The Missing Biblical Perspective

Over the years, Western nations have been influenced by many leaders, both political and ideological, who have spread their disruptive ideas throughout the world. Dr. Winnail listed several individuals and their respective works and ideas that have shaped the thinking of our world, and he stated that their ideas have become “new gods of the mind.” He began with Voltaire and Rousseau, who criticized the monarchy and religion, and that their philosophical ideas influenced the French Revolution and even our modern world. Charles Darwin doubted the teachings of his former church—the Church of England. With only speculative ideas about evolution, Darwin was able to convince many people that there was no need for a Creator. The atheistic socialist revolutionary, Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto, which attacked religion, the family and private property and eventually led to the deaths of millions of people who were subjected to his ideas. From the perspective of today, we can see the influence these men had on our culture and society. Simply stated, ideas have consequences.

The Frankfurt School

After Marxism failed in Europe, the Marxists packed their bags and brought their ideologies to America. Ultimately, the followers of their philosophical ideologies became known as the “Frankfurt School.” The ideas of these “cultural Marxists” have spread through the media and our social institutions as public schools now promote radical sex education, homosexuality and gender-fluid bathrooms. All these ideas are the product of Satan, and Revelation 12:9 states that he “deceives the whole world.” His ultimate goal is to hinder and disrupt God’s plan to expand the God family. Satan will attempt to divide society in any way possible, and he uses all the “devices” that he can get his hands on, including misguided ideas and leaders who have been able to influence millions (2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:1-15).

Why is This Happening?

Dr. Winnail pointed to Genesis 12, where God made promises to Abraham that his descendants would become great. These promises were eventually fulfilled by America, Britain and other nations of the West. He also read from Leviticus 26:14-17, where it states that if the people of Israel obeyed and worshipped God, they would be blessed; however, if they disobeyed, they would be cursed and ruled by those who hate them. The divisions that are tearing at the foundation of Western nations today have come as a result of our nations turning away from God and following the ideas of misguided thinkers and leaders. If our nations would turn to God, we would experience better lives and truly enjoy a land of prosperity. While we wait for the kingdom that God will establish on this earth, we will see the western nations continue their downward spiral to their demise, because they have been deceived into following ideas that have serious negative consequences.

(Edits were made to the original post on September 30, 2022)

Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.