Israel Putnam in the Revolution against England

One of our favorite talks at the history conference was about Israel Putnam. Who is he?, you might ask yourself. He was a real man of courage, one of those great men in history that we want our children to emulate. Putnam was a farmer in Massachusetts that immediately left his plough in the furrow, mounted his horse, and left for Cambridge when he received word of the battle at Lexington & Concord. Washington was appointed commanding general and Putnam was one of the four major-generals. Ohhh!! I didn't know that (because we don't really know our own history as well as we think we do).

Israel Putnam made that famous statement, "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes". You see, the colonists were low on gun powder and needed to conserve until they were sure of defeating their enemy. Israel Putnam was not afraid to face battle, or death. His example sustained his men. His compassion was overwhelming, even in the face of battle. His courage was of a lion - simple, direct, genuine. He truly had a heart of mercy.

Putnam defines courage for us...doing what he is called to do in the face of fear, in the fear of the Lord. Putnam knew whom to fear . . . God!

Kerry

Teaching History to Our Kids

If we don't tell our kids the stories and history of our American heritage, they won't know it.

This seems so obvious, but is so overlooked. If you and I don't tell our kids our version of history, someone else will tell theirs. Look at the way the US has changed its history over the years to reflect its new beliefs. It has been said that our founding fathers would turn over in their graves, if they knew what was being said about them.

So, why tell your kids the stories of history? That they will know your beliefs and your values.

Growing up, I was taught that the American Revolution was over some tea and taxes. I even taught that to my fifth-graders. Over the last several years I learned that those were only symptoms of the American Revolution. One of the biggest issues in the revolt against England was a Presbyterian revolt.

At Yorktown, all of Washington's colonels (with one exception) were Presbyterian elders. Over half the soldiers in the Continental Army were Presbyterians (and the rest were other kinds of Calvinists). The British army specially targeted Presbyterian churches because they knew that they were in the thick of it. One of the names for the war in England was the "Presbyterian revolt". The single biggest controversy in the colonies before the war was whether or not the king was going to appoint any Anglican archbishop over all the colonies. "No King But Jesus"
(taken from Doug Wilson's notes at Trinity Fest, August 2005)

You see that it does depend on who tells the stories as to what your view of history is. I, for one, want my own kids to have my view of history. . . a politically, incorrect view of history . . . a verifiable view of history.

Kerry

ps. to read and learn more about history see America: First 350 Years.

Real Life Mentoring

The rest of our week has been spent at Schola Academy, sponsored by Wes Callihan of Schola Tutorials. Wes is truly modeling a mentorship. His academy is open to his present and past online students. Each day he spends part of the morning talking about Church History. Now, picture this! Wes is sitting on the steps of his house and 50 or so kids (high school and older) are sitting on the lawn listening to him tell fantastic stories from history. Occassionally, the kids raise their hand to ask a question and Wes proceeds down that rabbit trail. You know, rabbit trails ARE the point.

Yesterday during the first hour he set the stage for the seven Ecumenical Councils, telling story after story about Rome and the foundation it laid for Christ's church. Since he did not make it to the first council, he continued church history the next hour. In the afternoons, he takes kids in small groups on walks and has them do some orienteering and map skills. After dinner, he read a Wodehouse short story around the campfire. Then, he begins to point out the stars that each appear in the sky. Once it is dark, he uses his beamer to point out constellations.

Today, we spent a few hours hearing more about the second, third and fourth church council and how they relate to us today. After our morning break, Wes discussed the star charts in our packet so we will know more about the constellations tonight.

Again, I believe it is important to not be "wooden" in our interpretation of mentoring. Even though this is not read, write and discuss, it is definitely education! And I'm proud to be a part of it.

Kerry

Busy Week at Trinity Fest

I had the privilege of exhibiting at a history conference this week. Last year's history conference changed to Trinity Fest this year. It was an absolute blast and kudos to all the people at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho for an excellent job. My favorite part was being "inspired" by the speakers. Steve Wilkins told fascinating stories about Light-Horse Harry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee, and Israel Putnam, a man of true valor. All of my kids were disappointed that Wilkins did not have any talks the last day. One of them even said we should start attending his church. I hope that some of their interest will carry over next week to studying even further about these greats from the American Revolution. I am in the process of finding books about both of these men to inspire my kids to greatness.

Which great heroes of the past have inspired you or your children?

Kerry