A New Appreciation For Doug

From Right to Left:
Doug, Beall, Joshua, Justice, Liberty, Jubilee, Faith, Honor, Providence, and Virginia Hope

I went to the CHEC Conference today but I did not follow my initial plan of attack. I found out last night that, due to airline problems, Doug Phillips was not going to speak at the morning General Session. I decided not to go to the conference at all but then, in an attempt to cure her cabin-fever, Margaret wanted to go. Of course we had to bring five-day old Moses with us, so his first outing was a homeschool conference (Yeah!). As odd as it sounds to take a new born to a conference, we were not alone. I was actually amazed at the amount of infants at the conference. I don't remember there being this many babies in previous years.

The first full session we saw was the 1:00 teaching by Doug Phillips' called The Family Table. This lesson was basically an encouragement for homeschooling families to make dinnertime a special occasion; a time for bonding and learning. In his teaching I learned something about Doug that surprised me--he's Jewish on his father's side.  He mentioned his father's Jewish identity because it was his father who instilled this principle in him. This idea of family fellowship and teaching during a meal is an Hebraic concept. He also suggested that, during dinnertime, parents teach their children to sit still and listen.  This serves as a good time to practice for Sabbath Services.

We missed the 2:15-3:15 session because, well, Moses was hungry and a bit uncomfortable so we had to find a place for Margaret to nurse him. We spent the time together talking about what we had just heard and learned and how we could apply it to our family.

We caught the last session at 3:30 called A Homeschool Vision Of Victory by Doug Phillips. In this lesson he expressed the importance of why we, as believers is Messiah, should homeschool our children. He shared a little bit more about his Jewish heritage that helped to give me a better understanding of and a new appreciation for him and his ministry. He mentioned that he attended Hebrew school as a boy and that he knows many Yiddish words and phrases because his family spoke Yiddish in his home. He revealed that he comes from a long line of Rabbis who claim to be of Levitical descent. Because of his father, Doug is familiar with Judaism and Hebraic thinking. I have come to the conclusion that the passion that he has about the family stems from the Jewish influence in his upbringing. A lot of what he teaches about the family is Hebraic in nature. Now it makes sense to me why I've been drawn to his ministry and teachings. He's coming from the same perspective.

For another Hebraic perspective on homeschooling I would recommend this article by Tim Hegg called Homeschooling -- Why? In this article Tim Hegg comes to many of the same conclusions that Doug Phillips and other proponents of homeschooling have made. Could homeschooling be a more Hebraic or Biblical model for education?

He also told them a parable: 

"Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 

A disciple is not above his teacher, 

but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher."

Luke 6:39-40

Who is teaching YOUR children?



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