Dear Firend,
There’s a lump in my throat as I write this week’s Training for Excellence e-zine. My daughter just called to let me know that she was boarding the plane in her final leg to Zurich, Switzerland.
My little engineer just finished up grinding finals in linear algebra, computer programming, and statistics on Saturday, packed her college belongings for summer storage and loaded her smallish backpack (her only luggage for 3 months) on Sunday, and caught the train to New York on Monday to begin the adventure of a lifetime.
This is not a sponsored study abroad program. This is the fulfillment of a young girl’s dream. Natalie secured several travel scholarships and completely planned this trip on her own. She will spend seven weeks at the Swiss L’Abri Fellowship (founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer) studying the movement of philosophical ideas through history. Then, her brother will join her for another month of youth hostelling through Germany to see the things she has read about all her life – the church home of her beloved Johan Sebastian Bach, important places in the Reformation, castles, and museums. The scope of this honestly takes my breath away.
I need to be upfront with you that when you train your kids for excellence, amazing things happen. God opens doors that we don’t even know exist. And, because our kids are seasoned leaders, understand themselves and their possibilities, and embrace life, when that door opens a tiny crack they are through it in a heartbeat.
Carpe diem!
Jeannette
Back to top
Feature Article: Preparing for an Unknown Calling
We have lots of really interesting discussions in our family. Because my kids grew up thinking out loud and I always made it a priority to listen, those conversations are still happening. Even though they are hundreds of miles away, they call every day at least once and we continue to dream, ask questions, and bounce ideas off each other.
When Austin was 18, he totally stopped me in my tracks one day with the musing, “I wonder if what we are called to do depends on what we are prepared to do.”
He was honestly just wondering about how God worked in our lives, whether we could miss God’s best by not preparing well and refusing to live up to all He designed us to be as individuals. There’s just never a dull moment in homeschooling!
I looked up at this lanky man-child and realized the basis of his question. By this point in his life, Austin had worked to financially support our family, taken on adult leadership responsibilities in developing multiple organizations, and routinely sacrificially served others. The kid understood deprivation, delayed gratification, hard work, and rigorous study (mostly on his own without the benefit of tutors or teachers). His life didn’t look like his friends’ lives. At the same age, his acquaintances lost hours playing video games, spent lots of time hanging with the teen crowd, were handed money and a car with which to enjoy life, never held down a job, and took the easy way out academically.
Did it matter to God? Would their futures look different because of the choices made while young? He posed that question to me standing on the brink of manhood with an unknown future in front of him. None of the awards or scholarships or opportunities had yet presented themselves. All he knew was that we had lived life differently.
Within 12 months, he had the answer to his question. He found out that the Lord does indeed hand incredible opportunity to those who are prepared. God opened the storehouse of heaven and the blessings are still pouring out on a young man who rose to the challenges and did all he could do each day to improve himself and improve the world around him.
As we stand at the beginning of summer, I have to ask - Are you helping your children prepare for whatever they might be called to do? Are you purposing to train them to rise above their weaknesses? Are you helping them push the envelope of their strengths? Are you demonstrating (and expecting) sacrificial service to others?
I’ll be frank. I frequently talk with older teens that are honestly unprepared to make a difference in their world. They don’t have the skills to do great things. They are nice Christian kids who are soft. They are fairly smart, but haven’t challenged themselves and developed their minds. They don’t know how to manage their time. And they hit 18 with very little to offer.
We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know what God might call our children to do, what fabulous kingdom work they could accomplish if we have thoughtfully trained them. I encourage you to spend your summer preparing your children for an unknown future. Who knows what doors might open to them if we do our job well.
Back to top
Resources: T-Tapp, The Wellness Workout
It might seem a bit out of place to talk about an exercise program in a newsletter devoted to training children for excellence, but I can assure you it is extremely relevant for both moms and kids. Most homeschool moms I know are so busy in their multiple roles as wife, mom, teacher, chauffeur, daughter, friend, volunteer . . . that their own health takes a back seat. As the years roll by, the pounds pile on and we find we don’t have the stamina to deal with the everyday challenges. Our children see our poor example and do not learn to value a healthy lifestyle, so the cycle repeats itself.
Several years ago, a dear friend of mine suddenly woke up to the fact that she had grown into a size 22W, was exhausted, and still had a houseful of children to raise and educate. She discovered a program called T-Tapp that promised results in 15 minutes a day. She plunged in and lost over 100 pounds and 9 sizes. The transformation has been astounding to watch. But what is really astounding is that Charlotte is a homeschool mom, pastor’s wife, mother of 12, (no twins) and grandmother of 1. I decided that if Charlotte could do this with all her responsibilities, surely I could.
My family is now devoted to T-Tapp. Natalie can fit in a workout before classes at college. My husband is up at 4:30 a.m. to get in his workout before leaving for the office. I am completely off allergy medication (for the first time in 28 years), am pain free (after battling sports injuries and daily pain for years), and feel great.
Check out Charlotte’s story and T-Tapp here: http://charlottesiems.com/
Back to top
Archives/Subscribe
Do you know someone else who would benefit from this newsletter? Forward it to them!
Did someone else forward this email to you? Subscribe here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox!
If you’ve missed past editions of Training for Excellence, visit our Archives!
Want to Use This Article in Your
E-zine or Website?
You have our blessing, as long as you include this complete author's resource information with it:
“College Consultant Jeannette Webb publishes Training for Excellence, a bi-monthly e-zine designed to empower families to make thoughtful choices for their younger children, to confidently navigate the difficult high school years, and then ace the college admissions process. Sign up for your FREE e-zine at www.AimingHigherConsultants.com."
Back to top
About Us
Jeannette Webb is the founder of Aiming Higher Consultants, a firm dedicated to helping Christian students gain admission to great colleges. She has a heart for assisting parents as they train their children for excellence. Jeannette works to empower families to make thoughtful choices for their younger children, to confidently navigate the difficult high school years, and then ace the college admissions process.
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love her personalized consulting services that help you map out a holistic plan for your student.
While Jeannette is best known for her clear-sighted counseling, her clients feel that her biggest gift to their family was permission to be themselves.
Back to top
|
