LAST LESSONS #244 — NEEDED

“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. … When you come, bring the cloak left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” 2 Timothy 4:9-13

Apparently, Paul needed some help from Timothy. I just had my 96th birthday, (July 20th) and everyone, especially my family, was most kind to me. Of course, they said that I would live to be 100! Well, I don’t want to live to be 100. I am ready to go to heaven to be with Jesus unless I am needed here on earth.

Since God has left me here on earth, I have been asking him where I am needed. He has made it clear that I would be useful in helping to raise the funds needed to build the permanent Rafiki Classical Academy (RCA) building. This building is dear to my heart. Its purpose is threefold:

1. It will meet the local needs for a classical Christian school since it will be the only classical Christian school in Lake County.
2. Rafiki will use the school to train teachers to work in the schools in our Rafiki Villages in ten countries in Africa.
3. It will serve as a model and a training facility for those in the United States who want to start their own classical Christian school. They can receive the excellent curriculum that Rafiki provides.

No doubt you can see why I am glad to be involved in more than just being on the board for the RCA.

This RCA involvement will be taking most of my time, so I will not be writing blogs regularly as I have in the past. You don’t need them, but I will write a blog when I think it might be helpful for you to hear from me.

In the meantime, I would appreciate hearing from you if you have any friends who might want to give to the RCA fund. We need close to ten million dollars to build this school that will go from preschool through eighth grade. Know any billionaires? Or a few millionaires?

And for you, are you doing a work that is needed? Don’t waste this time in your life. Ask God where you are needed, and he will show you. He has always shown me. Just wait. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7.

In the meantime, if you need me for anything, I’m here for you.

Rosemary

LAST LESSONS #243 — PREACHERS

“But how are they to call on him to whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Romans 10:14

When I heard of John MacArthur’s death this week, I was extremely saddened. I knew that one more of the great teachers of God’s Word had left us. Where are America’s great preachers today? Charles Spurgeon is gone. James Montgomery Boice is gone. John Stott is gone. J. I. Packer is gone. Tim Keller is gone. R.C. Sproul is gone. And now John MacArthur is gone.

I am grateful that we still have Scottish preacher Sinclair Ferguson who commutes from Scotland to preach regularly in the United States. And I am grateful for some great teachers like Robert Godfrey and Michael Horton. But I do not know of many “great preachers” today.

I am sure that God will raise up young men to fill the empty places left by these “greats,” but if ever we needed powerful trustworthy preaching, it is now. As I see it, some churches are called to plant new churches, some churches are called to send missionaries, and some are called to produce great preachers who can teach for changed lives as well as call sinners to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. The church where I am a member is one of those churches.

We have a very good preacher with the potential of being a “great.” He is still young, so he has many years to preach. He will become great. I also know that the devil attacks great preachers. That’s why I pray for my pastor every day.

Are you praying for your pastor every day? 

LAST LESSONS #242 — GAINING KNOWLEDGE

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

Before I stop writing blogs, I want to mention a couple of the ways I tried to gain knowledge and wisdom during my lifetime. I know that the most important pursuit in life is to know God. I also know that I must read the Bible to know God. Wisdom is putting the knowledge God gives me into practice. Here are a couple of ways that I have gained knowledge in my last years.

By God’s grace, I have been able to hear good preaching and to read good Bible commentaries. I was privileged to know James Montgomery Boice and to listen to his Bible Study Hour on the radio or internet (still available). I have also read all the Bible commentaries that he has written. He introduced me to R.C. Sproul by putting us both on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. When we moved to Florida in 2007, we joined Saint Andrew's Chapel where R.C. was the pastor. Listening to him preach each week taught me much. I still listen to him on Renewing Your Mind every day.

The other knowledge I get on my computer is Al Mohler’s The Briefing. The Briefing is a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Listening to this each day keeps me current on what is happening in the world. I love it.

These two sources of knowledge keep me informed so that I can read, watch, and listen to other sources of knowledge. For example, I bought Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung and was so impressed with how much I learned about doctrine that I (Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation) bought 30,000 of these books and sent them to pastors in Africa. I really learned from that book, and they will too!

Getting knowledge is necessary for any Christian. We need to keep on learning. I am grateful that my eyes are still good enough to read. And I am grateful that I can still remember enough to put some of my knowledge into practice.

I hope this blog helps you become a knowledgeable and wise Christian.

LAST LESSONS #241 — WHY CLASSICAL?

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

What is so great about Christian classical education? Why has Rafiki started a Christian classical school (RCA) at its Home Office where children can learn and where teachers can be trained to teach classically?

Here is the short definition of classical education as found on google:

“Classical education is an approach to learning rooted in the liberal arts traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. It emphasizes cultivating wisdom, virtue, and critical thinking skills through the study of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). This method aims to develop well-rounded individuals equipped to engage in public life and pursue intellectual and moral virtues.”

Rafiki’s Classical Academy has been in operation for two years, using the classical curriculum developed by Rafiki where all subjects are taught from a Christian worldview. Just for example, look at what the children in second grade are doing:

We are thrilled with the little school we have going now, but we need a permanent building for pre-school through eighth grade. We are trusting God to give Rafiki the funds to build it!

LAST LESSONS #240 — RCA BUILDING — 2

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

Last week I told you that Rafiki now has a Rafiki Classical Academy (RCA) operating at the Home Office. At this point the school is small and located in remodeled office buildings. What is needed now is a permanent building for pre-school through eighth grade. Next week, I will tell you why it is important for Rafiki to have this facility where children are taught, and teachers are trained to teach classically. This week I want to show you the building we envision and what is needed to build it. Please take a look at the fly-through below:

Rafiki Classical Academy Fly-Through

We know that this building could cost up to ten million dollars, depending on the cost of living when we build. Since Rafiki does not borrow money, it may take a long time to raise what we need. Therefore, we are purchasing a modular that will accommodate the fifth and sixth grade classes until we can build the permanent school.

Rafiki has set up a line item in its budget called the RCA Building Fund where people can give.

I intend to give what I can every month and I hope you will join me.

LAST LESSONS #239 — RCA BUILDING — 1

Psalm 127:1…3 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain….Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.”

You already know that Rafiki has a classical Christian school. We call it RCA (Rafiki Classical Academy). It has just finished its second academic year and to say it has been successful would be an understatement. Here are a couple of comments from parents of the students and I could cite many more:

“Choosing Rafiki Classical Academy was the best decision we made for our daughter's education. Rafiki is a Christ-centered, nurturing environment that provides a biblical curriculum unlike any other. Rafiki emphasizes the focus on developing students’ faith and relationship with God. We have seen our sweet, shy child blossom over the last two years while attending Rafiki. We send our daughter to school with peace of mind, knowing she is getting the best education there is, surrounded by the most loving people in our community.” – RCA Parents

“We are extremely happy with our experience at RCA. My child is thriving, growing, and being challenged daily. We just finished our second year, and my child has faith in God and she is learning how to build relationships with family and friends. The students are learning to seek and depend on God, work hard, think critically, love others, and be responsible citizens in the world. The academics are strong. My child just finished first grade, and she can read and write with confidence. She is eager to ask questions in order to solve problems. She writes in cursive and print. This classical model really teaches children not what to think but how to think. Students are engaging daily with each other, staff, and real books—not iPads or Chromebooks. They are definitely learning at the Rafiki Classical Academy, and the children are being prepared so they can do hard things.” – RCA Parents

The curriculum has been written by Rafiki and is available for anybody who wants to buy all or any part of it.

So far, the school has been housed in remodeled Home Office buildings and has pre-school through fifth-grade students. The sixth grade will be squeezed into an office building next year. It is planned to place a modular building on the grounds for the immediate future.

As you can see, Rafiki needs a good permanent building. I will write you about the plans for this building next week—so stay tuned!

LAST LESSONS #238 — DECORATING

“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6)

If you have been to Rafiki’s Home Office, you have no doubt noticed the way everything is appropriately decorated. That is because as we were planning the buildings, I enlisted my oldest daughter, Annie, to help us. She is very artistic and at present designs houses in Saint Augustine, FL. (If you live in the Saint Augustine area, I can tell you how to get in touch with her.) As we were building the Home Office she suggested that we save money and give the buildings an African look, by making all the floors stained concrete. Her husband, who has a construction business, designed and built the gazebo that stands in the middle of the complex. Annie put up all the pictures and curtains in all the buildings. To me, the most impressive thing she did was to furnish and decorate the Exchange building. She put in my old table, put a hole in it, and put up a grass umbrella over it resembling a hut in Africa. She single-handedly installed tin wainscoting, wallpaper, and even painted signs in Swahili on the walls. It was fun watching her high up on the ladder painting the walls and the signs. It was, and is still, perfect!

Annie has a daughter named Jenna Alexander. After Jenna finished college, she spent a year in Tanzania as a Rafiki missionary. She loved it and the children adored her. While there, she began painting some of the children—just for fun. When she returned to the United States, she came to work for Rafiki at the Home Office where she helped with Rafiki’s website for two years. Then she married and moved to Saint Augustine, FL. She now has an art studio and thriving business. Check her out at www.jenna-alexander.com

The next building that Rafiki will construct on its property is the Rafiki Classical Academy. It is where children in K-8 will be educated. I hope that as Rafiki builds this Rafiki Classical Academy that Annie will help with the design of the interior and that many of Jenna’s paintings will hang on the walls. That would make “mom and grandmama” very happy.