Hey! If you haven't read the blog that follows this one, please read it first. This is a series of replies and responses I've had with this group called PASE. They are a religious organization located in Western Michigan. They opposed my show before even seeing my show, based off of rumors. They sent out a letter to the parents in their community to band together and protest my show by not allowing their children attend school on the day I appeared.

I wrote a scathing retort, and I received a letter back from one of the members of PASE, then I answered him back. So, here it is.

Hi Mykee,

I appreciate your response and I do understand your concerns regarding our PASE letter. I want you to know that we agree with you on many points that are made in your show and do not harbor anything against you personally. But you must understand the frustration that we feel as parents who "give a damn" as you put it, when our schools continuously remove instructional time for pop shows on political correctness and diversity. And before I continue, I do owe you an apology for misinformation that I received about you, which was, that you were an atheist. This of course, lent itself to my further frustration as this is obviously not a mindset that is in tune with God. After reading your blog I will accept your response that you are a Christian. So for that misinformation, I am very sorry.

Now, regarding our frustration, we are becoming very weary of our schools placing the sanctimonious crown on their heads as the newly appointed judge of what is to be our children's correct view of society. And please don't take any offense, but who decided that Michael Fowlin was the answer for our kids? And what do you think would happen if we asked the school for a day to make a presentation on how to love one another based on what Jesus said in the Bible? We would be ridiculed and laughed out of the building. That's not fair. So what we are saying is, let moral and social topics be issues that fall under the domain of the home and the parents. Let the schools stick to reading, english, math and science, and keep their social agendas out of the process. And does what I just said mean that we do not embrace diversity in our schools and our homes? Of course not. All of the PASE parents abhor the bullying or mistreatment of any child for any reason, especially in schools. We all teach our children to reach out in kindness to those who seem to struggle in their school and social life. We teach them to act as Christ would in any situation. And many of us have homosexuals in our families and we have only had love and caring for them as well, and will continue to love them always. But again, this is a topic for the home and not for a school agenda. In short, we are just fed up with school boards that decide who can and who cannot speak to our children without any parental consideration whatsoever. So this reply may or may not give you a better insight into PASE, but maybe it will help you understand our frustrations. You claim that you have many miles to walk. So do we. And yes we will pray for you, pray for us too.

Thanks,
Rick

So, there was the PASE response to my blog, and now, here is my response, plus further thoughts, concerning this letter.

Rick:


Thank you for writing me back. I think you are correct about our parental responsibility to teach and instruct our children about these issues of diversity. However, I do not believe that schools are just relegated to math, science, history, etc. When I do my show I prefer to work on a three tiered system: teachers/staff, children, and parents/community. PASE does an important work when they teach their children, however, let's be honest, not all children live in PASE homes. School violence, racism, discrimination, gender insensitivity, and other issues are not sufficient to trust to the homes. Do you really believe that segregation in schools would have ended if the education of these issues were limited to the homes? Furthermore, you were a student once, and thus, you know that parents have a limited amount of influence on their children. The peer group in which the child travels can be a positive or negative influence reinforcing or dismantling parental influences. Where does the child, who has misinformed parental influences, go to find out how to properly treat other individuals, if not in school where that child spends countless hours for 13 years? And I know you will want to tell me the church, but the church has failed many of these same children. The church has forgotten how to love people who Jesus will never stop loving.


Through my shows, there have been individuals who have gotten the help that they needed. Through God's blessings, I have altered the minds of children who were contemplating suicide, homicide, and rape. Once, I was able to intervene in a situation where a child, who had detailed plans of his schools layout, was stopped from setting off a series of explosives. If I were into bragging, I would detail to you about the thousands of individuals who have opened up their lives to being more loving because of my show. Yet, it is not I who takes this credit. I am humbled that God has used me when I am not worthy. I am like Sampson, blinded because of my disobedience, yet, willing to allow God's grace and power to be shown one more time, even at the expense of my own life. This is my ministry given by God to do great and mighty things.


We must all remember: God transcends our boxes, our limitations. God works out of God's plan and God's design. If God needs a mule to speak his truth, he will use a mule; if God needs a [burning] bush, God will use a [burning] bush; if God needs a prophet, then a prophet shall be brought forth; if God needs a home with loving parents, then a home with loving parents shall be the forum; if God needs a school, then a school shall be the vehicle of God's message.

I have learned in my short time on this earth that just when I think I know how God works, it is then that God shows me how God works. I am constantly learning, and I thank you Rick for being a part of this learning process.

So much to pray for and about . . . and you will certainly be in these prayers, as I will be in yours.


with [more] understanding,

Michael