Hey friends! Today's another blog tour day in which I'm interviewing my lovely friend, Isabella Daou. She's opening a blog at thepublicschooledchristian.com, and today we're talking a little bit about its mission. My questions are in the bold. :)
Hey Isabella! Thanks for being here! First of all, what topics will your blog primarily be discussing?
Hi! Thanks for having me.
My blog will be focused on 3 main things–giving encouragement, stories, and advice for public-schooled Christians.
It will encourage Christian students with articles that motivate them to glorify God in their school life. I hope to create the kind of blog posts that leave you with a resolution and push you to take a new step in living for Jesus.
Second, the blog will provide stories. There will be interviews with other public-schooled Christians. Every Christian who attends public school has a different story of their journey, and because of their different stories, will give different kinds of advice.
I will also tell stories about my own experiences in public school. Most of these stories will be sent in weekly updates to The Public-Schooled Christian email list, which you can join here.
Lastly, the blog will give public-schooled Christians advice. It’s hard to navigate school without guidance, especially when you are not only trying to learn, but also to make friends and be a light for Christ.
I have wished for advice about being a Christian in school for a long time, but haven’t found any online, so I’m putting out tips myself instead. I want The Public-Schooled Christian to benefit you as much as possible.
Can you tell me a little about your faith journey…when did you accept Christ, some trials he’s brought you through, etc.?
I accepted Christ when I was 9 years old, but I didn’t really start living for Jesus until I was 13. That was when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. I was stuck at home, and the time alone and away from life’s busyness made me realize how broken I am and how much I need Christ.
I began to read my Bible then, and realized that I hadn’t been following Christ up until that point. I didn’t know Jesus well, because I never spent time with Him.
Things changed, though. I read a chapter each day of my Bible, and it soon left me longing for more. I read more and more of God’s Word and my love for Christ blossomed. I wanted to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. I wanted to glorify God in everything and take up my cross like Luke 9:27 says.
I started pushing myself out of my comfort zone to serve Christ. I talked with new people despite my shyness, I calmed myself down when I started to get frustrated, and I could see a big change in my life because of God.
Of course, that high didn’t last forever. It seems like being a Christian becomes harder the longer I am one, partly because I realize how much I fall short. But knowing God also becomes better every day because I get to see how amazing He is.
What is one thing that you love about being public-schooled?
There’s a large variety of people there. There are Christians, non-Christians, “nerds” and “jocks”, social butterflies and introverts.
In public school, you don’t have to go out of your way to find nonbelievers to share the Gospel with–they’re all around you. And, in a way, it’s easy to bond with people because you have shared classes and you’re a similar age.
I also love the events. The football games at my school are awesome and our sports teams are really good. I like going to different clubs and afterschool activities.There are a lot of opportunities to get involved in public school.
What is one thing that you don’t love about public school?
It doesn’t feel like home.
Most of the people there don’t love Jesus. And many of the people who claim to love Jesus don’t seem like they do. They’re Christians, but they swear, they don’t show respect for their teachers, and they gossip. We all sin, but these people don’t seem like they’re trying not to. I live in a moderately Christian area, so I can’t imagine what believers at more secular schools face.
I love being at church because it feels like I’m where I’m supposed to be–because of the people there. It’s the people that make all the difference. School doesn’t feel like home–and it’s not expected to–because of the people in it.
What is one stereotype that you feel public-schooled Christians often fall into?
I think public-schooled Christians can fall into different stereotypes depending on what area they’re in and how some Christians behave in that area.
We can be seen as hypocrites (though we are–every Christian says they believe the Bible, but sins and falls short of its teaching daily). We teach that you should love others, but if many of the Christians at a school aren’t loving, this can cause people to think that Christians are generally hateful or prideful people.
We can be seen as people who are accepting and loving of everyone and everything. That is cultural Christianity–we are supposed to love everyone, but we’re not supposed to accept or approve of everything people do. In addition, Christians are not passive. We can and will stand up for our beliefs.
Those 2 stereotypes are prevalent in society as well as school.
What’s your personal experience been with evangelism in a public school setting? Some struggles or triumphs?
Usually, I build relationships with people before I share the Gospel with them. We shouldn’t share the Gospel only with people we know well, but I find making friendships with people shows them that I care about them and they are often more receptive to the Gospel.
I, like most Christians, get nervous when I’m about to share the good news. When I feel that God is calling me to share with a certain person, often, I have to push myself to follow through.
To overcome my nervousness, I count “3, 2, 1…” in my head… and then I plunge ahead. One thing that we all need to remember is that it’s not up to us to convert someone we share the Gospel with. It’s only up to us to tell them about Jesus.
Here’s a triumph–one girl I shared the Gospel with recently is Hindu. We talked about our different religions together, and afterwards, she said she has always wanted to experience what church is like.
Not all times we share the Gospel will end up that way, but I’m glad the girl was so receptive this time. I am planning on inviting the friend to church soon.
And last but not least, what’s one thing you want all public-schooled Christians to know?
You are not alone.
You may not know many others following Jesus at school. Living for Him might seem like a lonely road. But know that there are public-schooled Christians throughout America living for Jesus alongside you.
Christ has faced the same things you are facing. He has lived in a world far from God. To help us through this world and to glorify Himself, He created the church. Others in your church and the worldwide church will walk with you. They will encourage you, pray for you, and love you.
Have you ever seen people turn their phone flashlights on in a dark room and wave the flashlights back and forth to the rhythm of a song?
You are one of those flashlights. If you have faith, you are a light for Christ in a dark world. That’s beautiful.
But the sight becomes breathtaking when there are hundreds of lights waving back and forth together.
Wow, thank you so much for that, Isabella! Please, please check out her blog at the bottom of this post. I would share the rest of the tour info, but mine is actually the last stop on this blog tour! However, if you'd like to visit yesterday's post, it's titled Q & A–The Top Challenges a Public-Schooled Christian Faces and How to Overcome Them. You can find the post at The Book Dragon’s Alcove.
are you a public-schooled christian? what are some of your experiences sharing the gospel in school? how did this post impact you?
Toodeloo, friends!
~Lily May
Thanks for doing this interview with me!! 😄