High School Speech Club is Coming!

High School Students:

Overcome your fear of speaking in public!

Build confidence through interactive (and fun!) speaking opportunities in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Register Here

You'll have several speaking opportunities during the year (Ice Breaker, Object Speech, Impromptu, Table Topics Questions, MC, Evaluator, etc.). You will also take part in various activities to help you conquer your fear of speaking in front of a group and build confidence as you do!

When: We will meet for four classes in the fall and four classes in the spring from 7 pm until 8:30 pm.

Fall:

October 6

October 20

November 17

December 15

Spring: January 26 February 23 March 23 April 27

Where: West Fort Worth (contact me directly for location address)

Cost: $80 for the year ($40 for each semester; payment due at the time of registration)

Contact: support@nexusfamilyministries.com or beckc@rocketmail.com

Get signed up today!

REGISTER HERE

High School Christian Worldview Class is Coming!

This class will give high school students a deeper understanding on how biblical principles apply to all areas of life. Beginning with an evaluation of the student's worldview, instructors will guide and teach what the Bible has to say about such issues as theology, philosophy, politics, law, economics, history and more. Students will have the opportunity to discuss current event topics to practice evaluating the worldviews of modern culture and develop their own ideas based on the Word of God. This will give them confidence in defending their faith.

Target Student Ages: 
High School
14 - 18 year olds

Location:
West Fort Worth
(contact me directly for location address)

We will have an online option available (via Webex) for out of town students (a link will also be given to any student who primarily attends in person but is out due to illness).

Day / Time:

Two Tuesdays each month (Sept - Dec)
1 pm until 3 pm
See schedule below.

Course Cost:
$120 per semester ($15 per class)
8 classes in the fall and 8 classes in the spring

Required Text:
Thinking Like a Christian by Dr. David Noebel. A used copy will suffice. The accompanying CD-ROM is not required for this class. (A used copy should be around $20 or less.)

Coursework:
Students will be expected to read the assigned chapter from the book prior to attending each class.
They may also be asked to bring in an article on a current cultural topic.
 

What to Bring to Class:
Bible
Notebook (or loose leaf paper)
Pen

Fall 2020 Schedule	Spring 2021 Schedule
September 15	January 5
September 22	January 19
October 13	February 2
October 27	February 16
November 10	March 2
November 17	March 9
December 1	March 23
December 15	April 6

Ready to Register?

Follow these easy steps:

• Fill out the Registration Form (Google Form) here.
  
  
• The instructor will contact you directly for payment. Fall payment ($120) is due prior to the first class on September 15. Payment options: check or PayPal.
  
  
• Purchase the book Thinking Like a Christian by Dr. David Noebel. A used copy will suffice. The accompanying CD-ROM is not required for this class. (A used copy should be around $20 or less.) Your student will need to read Chapter 1 prior to class on September 15.

Meet Your Instructors

Paul Carby

Paul Carby has spent over eleven years in youth and college ministry. The Texas native spent his school years in Mississippi and eventually Alabama where he and his wife, Sammi, welcomed their daughter Cate in 2009. Prior to attending seminary, Paul pursued a major in Poetry and Film at the University of Southern Mississippi before moving to Fort Worth in 2015 to finish a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Philosophy and Apologetics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently working on a Ph.D in Philosophy (minor Patristics) at SWBTS, with his research in the works of Boethius on Divine Timelessness. Paul has a desire and calling to enter into an academic setting to teach and equip Christians to engage worldviews and defend their faith in real and practical ways. He now serves on staff at Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth as the Minister to College and Young Adults and director of the Trellis Collegiate Ministry. When he has free time, Paul enjoys archery, writing, discussing philosophy and comics and playing board games with his family.

Mr. Carby will be teaching the fall classes.

-------------------------------

Christi Beck

Christi Beck is a graduate of Texas Christian University where she received her degree in Education. She is a certified teacher in Texas who taught in the public school system for six years before staying home to raise her family and home educate her two children. In May of 2020, Christi received her commissioning as a Colson Fellow, an intensive 10 month Christian worldview training program. Her goal is to help educate students and families in understanding what a Christian worldview is and how we, as Christians, need to live it out in all areas of our lives.

Mrs. Beck will be teaching the worldview topics of biology, psychology, ethics and sociology.

------------------------

Jeff Kurland

Jeff Kurland is a licensed CPA and earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota. He is currently the Director of Research Finance at Cook Children’s Hospital. While at the University of MN, he participated with a campus Christian ministry to disciple and train students, including internationals, in the Word of God and in a Christian worldview. As a home-educator, Jeff and his wife are lead-learners and influencers to their active and joyful children.

Mr. Kurland will be teaching the worldview topics of law, politics, and economics.

Testimony from Past Family 

After class my daughter would share with me what she learned and then couldn't wait to speak with her father when he made it home concerning the class. In her speech class she picked the topic of apologetics to discuss and this class was just the icing on the cake. Mr. Carby was able to engage the kids in an in-depth conversation about the Lord and other topics that pulled the teens into the study. Kayla is often quiet in class but he was able to make her comfortable enough to communicate her views. I like that he would ask them to bring an actual Bible to class instead of just using their phones. This approach teaches them to find scripture and learn where the books of the Bible are. She already had some knowledge about the Bible but this class took her faith to another level. If you want your teen to have a deeper understanding of the scripture and real life topics, I would advise you to join this class.

Danielle Hudson

Unsure About the 2020 - 2021 School Year?

We are living in such a different world right now ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When schools closed, parents were thrown into the world of helping finish out their child's school year from home. Whereas many people said they were now homeschooling, I called it 'crisis schooling' and it's WAY harder than actual homeschooling. Trust me.

It was hard enough on me and my family when we chose to leave public school to home educate, but the thought of having to figure it out in the span of a couple weeks (some only a couple of days) must have seemed very daunting and overwhelming for many families, teachers and staff. My hats go off to all these parents!

School is just now finishing up for many students (whew!) but now families are already faced with the question about what school will look like in the fall. Based on a variety of articles (like this one from WFAA) and the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, school will not look like school any more I'm afraid. (See the Texas Education Agency's ideas in this Powerpoint presentation for the upcoming school year calendar.)

When I first read the CDC's recommendations, about the 2020 - 2021 school year, my heart sank both for the teachers and the students. How can schools implement such recommendations without completely changing what makes school, school?

I remember the school days of eating lunch with my friends in the cafeteria, playing outside at recess, playing dodge ball in PE, talking in the hall with friends around my locker, being in classes with different people and having a variety of different teachers. According to their recommendations, none of those things can happen. Maybe it will only be for a year but the likelihood of it ever going back 'to the way it was' is very slim.

This image I found on Facebook sums up what the CDC is recommending:

This type of environment may seem "safe", depending on your definition of the word, but is this really a healthy learning environment for our children?

Now more than ever, families need to know they have choices in how educate their children in a healthy and individualized way. And, it may look very different (but in a good way!) than what you think.

When I first starting teaching public school, I thought the only choices in education were private school or public school. Then when public school didn't work out for us (you can read our full story here) and we couldn't afford private school, I realized there had to be other options. And guess what? There are! There are a ton of options! And, you as the parent get to find the option that best fits your child. It's an individualized education just for them. 

Does it take some work? Yes! Does it take creativity and 'outside the box' thinking to make it work? Yes! It is all worth it and so are your kids!

I've come up with a few suggestions if you're interested in at least dipping your toe in to see what's out there:

• There are a lot of myths out there about homeschooling (like homeschoolers don't socialize, they don't learn as much as public school children, they don't go to college, parents are qualified to teach, etc.). I encourage you to do research about the facts of homeschooling and don't buy into these myths. A short but informative article that addresses some of these myths can be found here.
  
  Another article that I thought was insightful helps us realize that the 'crisis schooling' that many parents have had to do is not the same as homeschooling. It's actually much more difficult. Read the article here.
• Read the book So You're Thinking About Homeschooling Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It by Lisa Whelchel. This book was a huge help for me to see that homeschooling takes on many different shapes and forms. She tells of families who travel and learn together, of a family who schools in the evening when the parents get home (the kids are with their grandparents during the day), some families that educate by attending their local co-op, etc.
• Read The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool by David and Kim d'Escoto. This is a quick and easy read written by a former public school teacher on the benefits that homeschooling has on the mind, body and soul.
• Look through the Database of Resources I've put together. Don't spend too much time there yet. I just want you to get a feel that there are a lot of places (online and in-person) where you can get support and find encouragement if you choose to school in a different way.
• Ask me questions! I'd be happy to help you and talk with you as you decide what educational path will work best for you and your children.

Just so you know: I do not receive any type of compensation for the book recommendations. These books are just ones that have helped me over the years and think they would be beneficial for you, too.

I hope that no matter what educational path you choose, you feel you had a choice in the matter. And, just because you chose one way this year, doesn't mean you are stuck with it forever. Every year of our homeschooling looked and felt different because my children were different, their needs were growing and changing so our education matched where they were each year.

Best wishes to you and your family on your educational journey!

-Christi