I don’t know about you, but Peter’s
promise motivates me to persevere
and practice these qualities with great
diligence. But how do we motivate our
children to practice anything diligently,
without constant coercion, threats, and
reminders? I believe the answer is found
in one of the ;rst instructions given
on parenting—the o;-quoted Proverbs
22:6: “Train up a child in the way he
should go . . . .” How many times have you
heard this verse quoted? It is very possible that, in its familiarity, and because
it has been presented with such varying
interpretations, its original meaning
may have escaped us. ;e English word
train does not translate the full signi;-cance of this word. ;e Hebrew word,
hanak (חנך), or its expanded form,
Hanukkah, carries the idea of dedication
and describes the feast of Hanukkah,
also known as the Feast of Dedication.
Perhaps this means that, as parents,
we are to dedicate our children to the
Lord. But this de;nition falls short of its
true meaning.
;e root word for train means “to instruct, to initiate, to narrow.” In Arabic
it also carries the idea of “palate” or of
rubbing the palate of a child. ;e ancient
Hebrews and Egyptians rubbed the palate of a newborn child with dates or ;gs,
perhaps to create a sucking re;ex so that
the child would begin nursing.
Training our children requires more
than simply providing an education.
We must create an environment of captivating learning, with experiences that
motivate them to passionately pursue
worthy goals. External rewards will not
su;ce; motivation must be intrinsic. We
must help to ignite a ;re from within
so that the child’s passion becomes the
driving force behind persevering practice that leads to the achievement of excellence. Turning passivity into passion
by providing experiences that cultivate
their taste for what is Godly, great, and
glorious is the essence of true Biblical
“training.”
Audios to Listen To
Ravi Zacharias delivers a powerful mes-
sage that is sure to ignite a ;re in the
heart of any listener who desires to have
a meaningful and signi;cant life. He
conveys how the necessary foundation
to moral absolutes is being destroyed by
one of the greatest cultural roadblocks
www.; eHomeschoolMagazine.com
known to man. ;is is a must-hear
for every parent: www.oneplace
.com/ministries/let-my-people-think
/listen/the-problem-of-pleasure-part-
2-of-2-238268.html.
People to Meet
•;John;Campbell: world-renowned;com-poser who has produced music for the
audio dramas Chronicles of Narnia
and Les Miserables, for Adventures in
Odyssey and Lamplighter ;eatre
•;John;Fornof:;president;of;the;alumni
for Act One, former script writer for
Adventures in Odyssey; producer, di-
rector, and script writer for Lamplight-
er ;eatre
•;Todd;Busteed:;sound;designer;and;en-
gineer for Les Miserables, Adventures
in Odyssey, Lamplighter ;eatre and
many other internationally recognized
dramas, too long to list
•;Kathy;Buchanan:;script;writer;for;Ad-
ventures in Odyssey and Lamplighter
;eatre
•;Allen;Hurley:;pastor;of;music,;former
sound designer for Adventures in Od-
yssey and Westar Media Group, and
sound designer for Lamplighter ;eatre
• Peter Moreton: celebrated actor in
London and Broadway and leading
voice in many Lamplighter ;eatre
dramas
•;Philip;Glasborow:;producer,;director,
actor, script writer and British liaison
for Lamplighter ;eatre. Philip also
played Mr. Tumnus in the audio dra-
ma, Chronicles of Narnia.
• Lizzie Glassborow: music instructor
and voice teacher at the Lamplighter
Guild3
Proven Strategies for
Balancing Family Life
and Home Business
“
”
Mary Jo is a real pioneer
in this arena. We were truly
amazed when we saw what we had
accomplished using her guidelines.
– Colleen in TX
Her practical teaching takes
real life into consideration—
interruptions, dirty dishes, & all!
– Joy in LA
Mary Jo liberated me to pour my
energies into being a woman of motion,
rather than being paralyzed by my list
of what ‘should be’ but wasn’t.
– Dawn in LA
HowDoYouDoItAll.com
Mark Hamby is the founder and president
of Lamplighter Ministries, where he serves
with a dedicated sta; to make
Lamplighter Publishing, Lamplighter ;eatre,
Lamplighter Guild, Lamplighter Life-Transforming Seminars, and Lamplighter
Moments Daily Radio Broadcast a reality. It is his mission to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord by building Christlike
character . . . one story at a time. You can
read or listen to the most recent Lamplighter production at
www.lamplighter.net.
Endnotes:
1. From ;e Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, p. 100.
2. 2 Peter 1: 5–8, 10, (ESV), emphasis mine.
3. Each of these master teachers will once again
share their experience and expertise with students at the Lamplighter Guild for Creative Disciplines, July 15–20. If you are a lifelong learner
between the ages of 16 and 99 and have longed
for an opportunity to be mentored and apprenticed by godly teachers who are masters in their
;elds, we invite you to join us at the Lamplighter
Guild. Learn more at
www.lamplighterguild
.com.
