Delight Directed Study

What is "delight"?

Psalm 119: 35 [Direct me in] your commands, for there I find delight.

* A delight is a stable intrest in some particular thing, the study of which brings great satisfaction and pleasure to one's mind.

* Because God is good, the satisfaction of our basic need to study and understand His great works is also a source of great pleasure.

Where does a delight come from?

* God has designed our minds to enjoy learning just as our palettes enjoy eating. " Boredom" is "mental hunger" -the opposite of delight.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

* God has also designed us to enjoy for social relationships- to be loved and accepted by others. "Loneliness " is "social hunger."

Genesis 2 :18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good form man to be alone;...

* Because this is true , boredom draws us to study while loneliness draws us to study those topics that our family and friends approve of.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

The power of companionship is involved when we "catch" a new delight from others and when our own delights become contagious to others.

The means by which we catch and impart a delight is called "enthusiasm."

As parents we are called to be our child's wisest and most enthusiastic companions.Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach [God's commandments] dilligently yo your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

How can we "ignite" a delight- directed study?

1. Harness the power of both Boredom and Lonliness!-

Use these two appetites for what is good to pull your children into wholesome studies.

• A. Purge! - Remove the "mental snacks" that spoil your family's good menatl appetites and "foolish companions" that cause harm ( e.g. TV, web loitering, pop music, video games, comic books, junk novels, etc.)

• B. Stock Up! - Equip your home with the tools, and resources and companions needed to support delightful study. (e.g. great books, videos, musical instruments, "power tools", transportaion, etc. ) Be wise!

2. "Build Fences" & "Put In Sidewalks " at the same time!

• A. Set Boundaries- Avoid wasting time on unwholesome activities by defining what, when , where, & with whom your students may study!
• B. Facilitate- Help them pursue what is good and wise by investing ample time , energy and money in their delight- directed studies.

How can we build a delight-directed study?

• Read books, journals & magazines that support the topic of delight.
• Seek out (or create) "fellow enthusiasts" with whom to study.
• Host or participate in a study group/club (e.g. Speech, Journalism, etc.).
• Identify a "Solomon" in your area of delight who might be your model.

2 Chronicles 9:1 Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions.... and spoke with him about all that was on her heart. Solomon answered all her questions; when [she] had seen the wisdom of Solomon, she was breathless. Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard.... Nevertheless, I did not believe it.....until..... my eyes had seen it."

This is taken from Greg Harris's outline of a Delight-Directed Study. Ash and I went to a home school seminar this weekend and needless to say that it was a wonderful weekend of encouragement and refreshment. We both came away with a clear reminder of the vision God has given us for our family.

Many points were very convicting, but I think the one that hit the heart was the reality of what really influences a delight directed study in the home. First, it starts with us as the parents, second the influnces that we allow to enter our home like movies, video game machines, the use of the internet/computer etc. We have been very slack in these areas in our childrens lives. I believe that the hunger for our companionship, when not met, is subtituted by these things which we define as "mental junkfood." Therefore the Lord has done a wonderful job at speaking to us through Greg Harris. Amen!

If you would like to find out more about Greg Harris and his family, you may visit his website at www.nobleinstitute.org