A Fresh View of an Old Story: What is in your nativity?

I found them in a stable
Kings and shepherds gathered round
It seemed there was no room 
For the likes of me there to be found

I could not understand it
But I had to see the child
When the mother bade me to come near
I swear I saw him smile

Then I heard what sounded like 
A thousand chains breaking apart
And a door now swinging open
Letting light enter my heart (The Innkeeper L.Gallant)

It’s not hard for Christmas rhythms and rituals to become detached from their significance and meaning. Routine and repetition of the well-known Bethlehem narrative can dull the event down to a cozy, warm story that is more of a hot chocolate memory than the transformational-for-all- time event heralded by a sky full of God’s finest.

I`ve always appreciated songwriters who, like Lennie Gallant above who has the innkeeper recount how the story changed him, move us away from ritual and unrealistic ideas of Christ`s birth toward deeper reflection of what Immanuel – God with us was like for the inhabitants of the chaotic city of Bethlehem, with all of the rough edges included. The innkeeper’s realization above that Christ’s birth was for him too helps us to see God knew of our need of a Saviour that night in Bethlehem so long ago.

Our students will also tell the story of our Saviour`s birth at the Christmas Program on Wednesday.
It will challenge us to see it without the layers we add to it by custom or ritual, but rather for the real
story of love and grace that God`s only son given to us really is.

May God grant our community peace, love, and lasting joy as we recount the best story ever told.

SJ

Raging Nations and "Peace on their lips"

“Why do the nations so furiously rage together
          and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2)


Our bright LCES hallways and classrooms of relative peace stand out in sharp contrast to the wider world which longs for peace, knowing peace more by its absence than a currently reality.

U Thant, then United Nations secretary general from Burma, addressed 1600 delegates from 42 nations in the late 1960’s with a question. “Why is it for that, for all our professed ideals, our hopes and skills, peace on earth is still a distant objective seen only dimly through the storms and turmoil of our present difficulties?”

Translation: Why haven’t we figured this out already?

The question reads as a lament as much as a real question for us to consider. With Remembrance Day thoughts only a month behind us, the rise of tension internationally, and the violence witnessed last week in California we can find ourselves hard pressed to believe the good news given to the Bethlehem shepherds long ago announcing `peace on earth.‘ We still wait for the world to recognize the authority and follow the pathway to the peace the Christ child made possible. The rage of nations still feels like a forest fire of hatred that leaves behind the scarred remains of hope the world over. Families are torn apart, people are displaced, and suffering and disillusionment saddens our hearts through the images of war we see.

Where do we go with our craving for peace? God’s Word. David’s mention of raging nations isn’t the final word. That is found in the book of Revelation where John proclaims: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ.” (Revelation 11:15-18) The nations rage, but they cannot change the final outcome. The battle has already been won. Our task in Christian education is to so capture our student’s hearts with the peace of Christ that they are compelled to speak with "peace on their lips" (Isaiah 57:10) and act with mercy.

May peace abound in the hearts of our students and transform them as they pronounce Christ’s
kingdom that will one day come, and is already here. SJ

Reason to Celebrate

A decorated tree in the hallway and Christmas songs being practiced just outside my office this morning remind me that only three weeks of school remain before the end of the year. I’ll easily admit it is a special time in the cycle of our school year that, although it tends accelerate our pace of activity, is a highlight that brings deep satisfaction. Having the opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and what it means for our world and specifically for us is a source of great joy in a Christian school. Christ is the center of the reason we exist as a school, so it is fitting that students help us to marvel at the awesome gift of Immanuel – God with us and radiate the joy that gift brings as they worship alongside the angels, shepherds, and wise men of old.

Here are few ways in which we will be celebrating the birth of Christ:

Christmas Around the World for grades 1-3 is teacher-led cultural “excursion” during which those students travel around to different classrooms to learn about how Christmas is celebrated in other places. We are reminded both of the diversity and unity of God’s people globally as we notice these cultural responses to Christ’s birth.

Our Christmas Program has been months in the making and takes place on December 16. New this year is an extra afternoon performance which we hope will allow more to come to the event. This is a fantastic event to bring someone to who you know is curious about what we do at LCES or someone who would like to get re-acquainted with us.

Pasta Lunch will be a new thing for us at LCES this year as we share a festive communal meal organized by grade four, benefiting our Student Service Project linking us to Compassion Canada. The family of LCES will gather in the gym and give thanks over this special meal which will ultimately bless others.

A Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long will take place on the last Friday. It allows us to enjoy the gift of the wonderful music by which we can celebrate Christ’s birth and proclaim him King.

School Skating for our LCES happens on the last Friday afternoon before we leave for our Christmas break. At the close of the week, this is a fun afternoon of celebrating community and good cheer as we finish out a busy month of learning and week of special events.

SJ

Our Christian School: a place of many spinning plates

I’ve often used the analogy of “many simultaneously spinning plates, all moving in the same direction” to try to describe life at LCES. Here is a snapshot of just some of the things that happen in a typical week that I notice:

• A staff member will start Monday morning with all staff by reading a Psalm and praying over the week ahead. God’s name will be praised in chapel. 
• Grade seven will collect compost school-wide and help us divert organic waste from landfill. Grade eight will collect all recyclables school-wide and ensure they get to the curb.
• A parent will walk around the perimeter of the building praying over its inhabitants.
• Our resource teacher will meet with teachers, parents, and staff to attend to the needs of students and plan the best path forward for learning. Volunteers will come alongside classroom teachers to make great learning available for all and help with the intensity of tasks. 
• Our building will be cleaned thoroughly by our custodians giving us a clean, orderly place to live and learn.
• God’s creation will be unpacked in new and creative ways for students, inviting a response.
• Many, many times a staff member’s words and actions will respond to a student who is sick, injured, sad, overwhelmed, confused, or lonely.
• A student will come to the principal’s office with an eager invitation to “come and see” the results of classroom learning. Laughter, singing, and smiles will be noticed in the hallways and classrooms.
• A volunteer will come in to install, repair, or maintain some part of our physical building. 
• A busy evening parking lot will be evidence of board meeting and/or several committee meetings where the school’s needs are being attended to. 
• Poorly made student decisions will be responded to with both justice and mercy, on the way to restoration and renewal. A class meeting in most grades will address current successes and challenges that the community of learners needs to respond to. 
• Several grades will spend time helping other students practice reading.
• A generous donor will choose to bless the school with unexpected funds to keep us moving forward. 
• On Friday afternoon, ready for rest and renewal, staff will meet again to close the week in prayer and ask the Lord to bless their words and actions with students all week. 

As principal I feel privileged to have so many of these windows on life at LCES that show our community’s desire to educate children for life in biblical wisdom, and see God’s incredible faithfulness in blessing the school with the means to do so. May God be praised by the many spinning plates of LCES. SJ

Creating vs Consuming

I was invited last week to share in the joy of being able to create something. A class was incredibly excited to share with me the results of their pumpkin-pie tart expedition into baking.  From whole pumpkin and raw ingredients through to the warm, pleasantly smelling and tasting finished results, they were able to share with me the step-by-step process that led to the finished product. The end result was that they ate them and proclaimed them to be the “best ever!” This was no doubt because they participated in their creation. They were tasting the process as much as the finished result in their exuberance.

We live in a culture that seems to be satisfied with consumption more than it promotes creating things. We consume products by the Costco-sized value pack, our devices consume data by the hour bringing us media with blurred lines of what is information, entertainment, and communication.  Our vehicles consume oil, or Keurig machines consume coffee pods, and the pattern goes on and on. We generally live a long way from a life where everything that you need or want comes as result of us creating these things. Not always a bad thing, but over time, those patterns do affect the way we think of and respond to God’s world.

This leads me to wonder; do we participate in culture more as consumers or creators? What should we be doing? God placed humans as his image-bearing creations in a position to be in authority in creation, with the task of co-creating with him. We were designed for more than consumption alone. The delight and deep satisfaction found in creating things, whether a pumpkin tart, a quilt, a computer program, or a tree house mirrors the delight and love with which God made us and our world. We find satisfaction in creating because that is the work God equipped us to do. Let’s make room for the messiness of creating for our children – they are following the lead of their creator!  

SJ

Wisdom and Remembrance: We Will Remember

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” N.Postman

Camp Westerbork in the Netherlands was originally a safe haven for Jews fleeing Germany just before WWII. After Germans took hold of it, it became a gateway for Jews and others to be moved through to other concentration camp locations throughout Europe. Desiring compliance and control, an illusion of a good, civilized life was created by music, sports, a school, hospital, and more. Each Tuesday more than a thousand left the camp by rail and eventually died at the hands of those who
believed absolute power and tyranny could create a better life for some. It was a place of deceit that led to death for more than 100,000.

When the camp was torn down, a decision was made that the railway line that carried so many in, never to return, should both stand as a memorial and act as a public statement to the future. The two rusty railway tracks were visually made impassable by bending them up to the sky in memory of the loss of life, and so badly mangled to say “this will not happen here again.”

There is great pain in remembering the high cost of peace and the atrocities of war each Remembrance Day. Those who have personally and directly felt those costs have experiences that awaken remembrance within them all the time. Those who have not, which includes most of our students who have no such direct connection or experience of present or past pain, depend on others to prompt them to listen to the stories of sacrifice and the gift of peace. Growing in wisdom means teaching the value of remembrance for our students, who will live in a time we will not see. Remembrance Day reminds us of a world torn apart by the depths of sin, and yet entirely loved by its creator and rests in His care.

We will remember.

Students from JK-6 will participate in a special assembly of remembrance at the school from 10:45-
11:15am on Wednesday. Grades 7 & 8 will travel to the downtown area of London to participate in
the cenotaph proceedings. The LCES community is welcome to come and join us in the school gym.

We will remember.

SJ

Power in a Christian School

"I am stunned by the ability to care for the whole person seen in Christian education" A.Crouch

Power in organizations and human relationships is a word some first associate with misuse and heavy-handedness. Many creation stories in religion begin with conflict and absolute power being used at great tension resulting in chaos and violence. The creation account in the bible records something different – power given in order and abundance for the flourishing of human life. Like all aspects of the perfect original creation, power was first intended for good and was a part of God’s design for how our world should work. Granting power and authority to humans was part of God’s plan to see a flourishing creation – where every creature of God comes to the fullest realization of its created possibilities.

Big ideas to consider on a Monday morning, and even more challenging perhaps to bring them back to our school and meaningfully connect and apply them. They are from the Edifide Educator’s conference last Thursday and Friday which our teaching staff attended. Encouragement, networking, spiritual nourishment, challenging ideas and specific training filled the days for the close to 1000 attendees. A highlight for many was the singing with treasured colleagues aligned in purpose and mission with great solidarity that raised the roof in the auditorium. The privilege of attending such an event with this large group of professionals committed to kingdom education was both memorable and helpful as we aim to offer quality Christian education at LCES.

Our school is a place where there are many “power intersections” that have the ability to cause tension or growth, friction or flourishing, pain or healing, isolation or community, stagnation or greater wisdom. Our days are filled with these opportunities and their outcomes shape our students' futures. LCES students, parents, teachers, administration, board and more all create a web of relationships  with power running through them. One of our main speakers, Andy Crouch, challenged us that leadership in this area might best be described by noting where power is exchanged and acting in those areas with intentionality and purpose. Jesus modeled for us power fully rooted in divine authority and absolute vulnerability – our pattern to emulate as his dearly loved image bearers.

We pray for God-given wisdom and spirit-led follow through in using power for His glory and praise
at LCES each day. SJ

The learning in service

If our students graduated in grade eight believing that every other school-aged child in the world lives exactly as they do in their school-home-church universe, we would be missing an opportunity. Similarly, if the only mention of money and fundraising in their elementary years at LCES were efforts to direct funds back toward themselves and/or their school, something would be missing.

One of our goals at LCES is to shape hearts and minds toward future learning and giving when our students become adults. As an expression of thanks to our faithful God and in response to the instruction to be a blessing to “all nations” (Genesis 12:2), students participate in a Student Service Project each year. Each class invests time and effort in some kind of initiative that generates funds that support the chosen project. Examples of this include bake sales, a fun fair, ice cream refreshments at the Shakespeare play in May, and much more.

The actual project is chosen each year after staff deliberation, looking for projects that encourage either a local or international opportunity of giving to become a learning endeavor. Through chapels and classroom activities, students learn about the need, pray for those who will receive the help, and see the results at the end of the project in a chapel. This year we have chosen to partner with Compassion Canada, who links us to “..the developing world to end poverty in the life of a child, in Jesus’ name.” (https://www.compassion.ca) Specifically, safe homes for families in Kenya and water sanitation for children in Tanzania and Uganda are our chosen projects for this year.

It has been our experience that these service projects offer unique opportunities for learning. Students are challenged to meet the brokenness of this world in ways that are not otherwise familiar to
them. They can see themselves as part of returning this world to the way it was intended to be by
God’s design and for His glory. Economic, cultural and geographic differences that become clear in
unique ways and empathy for others and recognizing the call to be of Christian service (see LCES 
Graduate Profile) are valued outcomes.

May our student’s minds, hearts, and hands be changed by this learning opportunity. SJ

Fall Questions for Students and Parents

As week seven of school gets underway today, I can’t help but notice the symphony of autumn colours on display across the street through my office window. Time moves along quickly in a school year and we trust that you and your children have experienced a positive initial beginning to the 2015-16 school year that is nearly 20% complete. We believe each day and each moment counts as we move through the year. We are thankful for the fresh new opportunities the Lord provides us with each morning to live and learn together as a community of faith.

Last Friday marked the first of many times this year that your child will be given a formal and more
summative indication of how learning and growing at LCES is going for them. Teachers in grades
one through eight sent home a Learning Skills Rubric with your child which was a checkpoint on the
journey from September to June. They are designed to confirm and celebrate great patterns of stu-
dent conduct already observed, and to pinpoint areas for personal growth that can be areas of focus
before we get to the first report card which is sent home on November 27. Our hope and prayer is
that they stimulate productive conversations with parents, students, and teachers that help a student
to flourish.

It can be challenging to dialogue with your child about school and get meaningful answers. Here are
some examples of great questions that I have encountered in various places that encourage stu-
dents to process their day with their parents:

• If I was your teacher tomorrow, what would you want me to teach?

• What happened today that you wished would happen everyday?

• Did you have a chance to help or encourage someone today?

• What was the funniest thing that happened today?

• Was there anything that frustrated you today?

• Tell me about three different things you did in your classroom today.

• When were you happiest today?

• Was there a question you or your teacher couldn’t answer today?

• Is there a part of today you wish you could do over?

We are excited about working with our students, your children, every day. We do so in the sure
knowledge that God goes with us in this most important task. SJ

Cost, Value, and Christian Education

Cost, Value, and Christian Education

Around the age of 10, I spotted it. A sophisticated flashlight that I thought was the neatest thing ever. It was a door-crashing deal at bargain store that nearly sold out immediately. I think I got one of the last on the shelf and felt myself fortunate in my timing. I bought it. With much anticipation, I packed it along with my other items on a family trip. It brilliantly lit my pathway for all of 3 minutes before it broke. Since it was a promotional item, there were no returns. I was in the dark, out my hard earned paper route money. Life lesson learned.

Since then, more than once I have stood at a checkout counter and decided to abandon a purchase after thinking through its financial implications. Other times, I have wished I had reconsidered a purchase longer when, like a dishwasher I own, items break and become unusable 6 weeks after their
warranty period is over. Sometimes, I’ve regretted my choice to pass by what would have been a
great purchase.

A campfire or coffee table discussion will flush out the fact that everyone has a story like this in their
life. Why do these things bother us so much? I would suggest that they irk us as they do because we
feel the cost of things was out of alignment with value. When we see great value in the product or ser
vice we celebrate, when we feel like there is low value we grumble and complain.

Sometimes we need to compare our situation with the alternative. We don’t love paying what we feel
are really high prices for hydro, water, or natural gas. But do we really want to make candles, dig a
well, and stack wood? An investment opportunity comes our way and we hesitate, but perhaps the
missed opportunity cost is too big to pass by?

Over the weekend I noticed an exceptional editorial discussing these questions of value, opportunity,
and trust as they relate to Christian Education and its cost. I encourage you to spend just a few
minutes to read through Dave Koetje’s article and see if it might help you along the financial pathway your family is on. I trust that even if you don’t fully agree with all of it, that it will challenge and invigorate you as it did me. SJ

Grateful Thinking

Baking apple muffins in JK classroom

I was challenged by an author recently to ensure that the calendar event of Thanksgiving is not only a quantitative listing of items that we have received in the last year from the Lord, but also a

reminder to live looking forward with a mindset of thankfulness and gratitude. When we live grounded in gratitude, we face challenge and tragedy with an underlying faith that there is also hope. This kind of gratefulness opens our hearts and assures us our God is with us in ways far beyond what we can imagine. God is good, of that we are sure. Living
in gratitude helps us realize that we live in grace
before the Lord who looks on us with love.

I think that is good advice for a person, and also for an organization.

Looking backward, I am thankful for:

• A legacy of faithful parents and leaders who have nurtured, protected, and guided LCES
• planned and spontaneous moments of fantastic learning that bring joy to our days at LCES
• a network of financial supporters who give generously and sacrificially
• the time and talents given by volunteers
• challenges our board has faced that have been eclipsed by evidences of God’s great provision.

Looking forward, I am grateful for:

• committed and industrious staff, working in unity and truth to achieve our school’s vision
• the space and freedom we have to operate a Christian school in our city and province
• the areas of growth and change that we will encounter to continue to make us flourish
• the energy and excitement new families and new staff members bring to our school
• growing interest in young parents in the parental choice of Christian Education
• the “Bright Futures” campaign and its future benefit for our school.

May God bless our families as we pause with gratitude and thankfulness on our hearts and praise
our great God. SJ

Running Out of Letters in JK

The happy noises of learning and living in community are always around me, especially so at my desk in my office since both the JK and SK classrooms are immediately across the hall. While I am busy with my work I frequently hear the pulse of play, social trials and successes, joyful songs, and sometimes loud complaints and frustration. Once I overheard two students waiting to go outside for recess just outside my door. One commented to the other “So many letters. Why couldn’t they just make five of them?” immediately answered by “Then we would run out of things to learn too quick.”

In the middle of it all, the positive, encouraging voices of our teachers steering the group on their
safari of learning keeps things going where they need to go. I’m amazed at their ability to create the
order and atmosphere they do. I had the opportunity to become another voice in the room when I
read a book to JK two weeks ago. The book was on creation, telling the story of God’s handiwork
with beautiful artwork. We had fun reading through the story and trying to imagine all these things
happening for the first time. “I am one of God’s creations!” shared a jubilant child with me. That was
a highlight of the week for me – both in its truth and its spontaneous offering.

Watching and listening to our youngest learners at the start of the year is exciting to me. With fresh
eyes and in circumstances and surroundings very new to them, they are experiencing the gift and
challenge of living in a community of learning. They are learning to look with their eyes in a more
focused way at God’s world and recognize with their heart God’s claim and purpose for them. I really don’t mind the noise that process creates and it is a sound I won’t grow tired of soon.

SJ

Strong Roots, Clear Vision

A Christian school is wise to pay attention to both of these parts of the “tree” that the organization represents. Deep roots become a solid foundation for daily life where purpose and practice have been honed well, sometimes easily, sometimes at great price. A clear vision orients future growth toward continued health and strength as it faces new opportunities and challenges.

The Bright Futures Campaign represents what the LCES Board of Directors believes to be our best foot forward as we tend to the needs of our school. The pathway to this campaign started with a desire to ensure the health and fiscal viability of our school in terms of daily operations, enrollment of new families, and the excellent facilities and learning environment we currently benefit from daily. Working with a consulting company who specializes in fundraising in Christian school communities, a feasibility study was completed with a test group in our community early in 2015. Last Thursday night at the Back-to-School barbecue, Pete Hamstra, chair of this campaign, announced its launch and shared some specific details about this 1.65 million dollar fundraising campaign.

There are three main goals for this campaign:

Capital funds for learning tools, building maintenance and upgrades, and other immediate needs. While the LCES staff always are our greatest asset in offering excellent education, we believe we need to maintain our facilities well and ensure we have great tools for learning.

Bursary funds that will be added to a managed fund whose annual dividends can be used to provide greater financial assistance to area families desiring access to Christian education.

Debt Reduction in order to bring greater financial health and stability in the future.

Please join many others already committed to praying for the campaign, its leadership, and the specific goals that have been outlined. We are very excited about the prospect of what this combined effort will mean for our present and our future LCES families as we consider our very bright future!

For our school, SJ

Playing with puzzle pieces

“Why did God makes wasps anyway?” was the question of the day as a few students helped me bundle up apples falling and attracting them in large numbers at the edge of our property. The question seemed to be asked believing that there was no possible answer that could place these stinging pests as part of something good for us. As we carefully boxed up the fruit to make them go away we talked about God’s design in creation, pollination, controlling other insect populations, and other details. One of the students came back to me this morning and shared with me that she learned on the weekend that a wasp nest can catch five tons of insects in one year. I don’t know if she is correct, but I am excited she chose to look in to it and share her findings with me.

Those in education call this inquiry learning – following the questions and learning opportunities life presents. Children are keen to figure out their world and makes sense of it. In the normal rhythm of our daily activities we have so many opportunities to guide our students to understanding, rather than simply “dumping” information their way. In addition to gathering facts, figures and processes, students are busy building their way to an overall means to put all the puzzle pieces of knowledge together in a meaningful way. This includes answers to questions like: What is good? What is valuable? What is important? What is true? For what purpose did God make ____? Giving our children a means to “put it all together” is one of the best tools we can give them to navigate the wide ocean of information they have available to them.

I am thankful for the ability Christian education affords us to make our students master puzzlers. With the help of adults around them committed to the truth of  God’s promises, students are able to not only absorb content, but to connect and arrange what they learn in a way that shows biblical wisdom.

Perhaps I’ll have to change my yard duty instruction. “Watch out for the wasps. They may teach us something about God.”

SJ

Shoes That Light Up

“I’m so happy to see my friends again.”
“I missed math.”
“I have a special snack for today.”
“I get to sit at a desk – like all the time!”
“I have a male teacher.”
“I’m excited to learn more about God this year.”
“My shoes light up when I jump.” 

These were some of the answers I got this morning outside when I asked students what they were excited about during the first recess break. The range of answers tells us what we perhaps already know; the school year launch means many things to many students – none exactly the same. For many of our newer students, today is a first tentative step into a new world. For others, coming back to LCES feels like returning to the comfort of your favorite pair of shoes. Either way, it
the prayer of the LCES staff that the everyday experience of school – all 183 of them - will be a source of continual delight of learning and fellowship.

The fact we ran out of chairs this morning in the gym confirms for me that many of our parents were just as excited to start a new school year as the students were. We are thankful to have your children back with us in the hallways and classrooms which were abuzz with the newness brand new school year this morning. How exciting for us all to be back together to share missing teeth, summertime stories, and new beginnings.

We look forward to working with our new school theme for 2015-16, SRL or “Serve, Respect, Love” which comes from 1 Peter 2:16-17. Students were challenged this morning that how we conduct ourselves can be a sign of what God is building among us - a strong community of faith whose conduct helps others know how to live life God’s way.

Remember to pray for our board of directors, teachers, and staff throughout this year as we work in faith with your children. To God be the glory.

SJ

P.S. Be sure that you reserve time next Thursday evening, September 17, for our Back-to-School BBQ. There will be something new and different this year – stay tuned for more details!

Learning to count again

"Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done." – Jonathan Oatman Jr. (1897)

One of my elementary school teachers used to have us sing this song each week as she accompanied us on the giant dilapidated piano I can still picture. She never failed to play it with enthusiasm and energy. I think we were actually more captivated with the rhythm than with the words, since it encouraged us to mimic a boisterous singing marching group. I’m pretty sure being thankful and taking stock wasn’t on our minds.

Nevertheless, worn in by childhood memories, this song comes back to me often as I work. As I read through and sign report cards, observe year-end activities, take in an avalanche of pictures, and anticipate a graduation on the horizon I can’t help but make an observation. God is over all, in all, and through all. Naming the blessings “one by one” directs us to take in the fullness of “every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1) God loves LCES and is at work among us. Praise the Lord!

Counting blessings in this way is not intended to be a “cheer up, it’s not that bad” antidote to the very real and pressing challenges we face. We wouldn’t be authentic if we didn’t acknowledge that the pathway through this year at LCES has included some dark clouds. Financial hardship, disappointment, grief, conflict, and uncertainty have been part of our individual and collective pathway.

We are consoled and encouraged that God is much larger than any of these. Even though we are
“burdened by a load of care” as the song states later, we are wise to follow David and say “I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” (Psalm 42:5) Let’s not forget, He who promised is able.

When the celebrating and thanksgiving of this week ends, may the Lord bless our LCES families, students, and staff with a time of refreshing change and rest. We can’t wait to see everyone again in September to see what God has in store for us at LCES!

Grace and peace,  SJ

Tomorrow's Most Wanted

There was panic. I remember people were lined up at the gas station rushing to fill their tanks before midnight. “Y2K” was believed to bring about major complications for anything guided or monitored by a computer as the year clicked over to 2000. Fear about anticipating the future was stirred to fever pitch by some media outlets. The end result? Nothing newsworthy happened.

In a conversation last week following the visit of the new JK/SK students arriving this fall, I used the phrase “LCES class of 2025.” I have to admit, it felt a little like something out of science fiction, since that it is a quarter century after the supposed crisis of the end of 1999. What will the world of our grade eight graduates be like at that point? I’m sure we can’t entirely understand and I’m thankful that our incoming students will have the opportunity of nine or ten years of faith-nurturing, perspective-shaping, and habit-forming Christian education before then. It is an investment well worth making that will prepare them for what lies over the horizon, a future already known by God.

Our graduates will someday look for work to fulfill their God-given purpose. What will tomorrow’s job recruiter be looking for? A 2013 study of 500 top leaders who collectively employ millions was entitled “Tomorrow’s Most Wanted.” This poll revealed that personality, not competence, is the most highly valued trait. A desire for employees who can collaborate, adapt quickly, are personable, and
have the drive to get the job done have an enormous advantage. In other words, evidence of initial
task-specific competency was far less important compared to the substance of the person’s character.

These are important cues to us as we consider the changing nature and methods of Christian education in the present world. I’m confident that we are preparing our students well for their unique
future when we challenge them to know themselves intimately as leaders, learners, and children of
God. May God bless our current graduates as they seek to be a faithful presence in the unique and
important place where God will plant them. SJ

Making Lists and Giving Thanks

“Being thankful is a mindset as much as it as an action item” is a phrase I remember from a wise
person in my life. Our weekly chapel earlier this morning challenged staff and students to create a
list for things that we are thankful for. Much like a “bucket list,” the action of actually writing down
what we are thankful urges more reflective consideration and perhaps greater realization of the
bounty of God’s favour experienced every day. Seeing a physical list helps our heart to see God’s
blessing and provision. An attitude of thankfulness ensures we place the focus on God, his faithful-
ness, and his plan for us.

Here is the list of things JK students are thankful for:

 • My hands so we can pick up things.
 • My heart so we can love.
 • Our body because it holds up.
 • Shoes so we can walk outside if we want to.
 • Mom and Dad because they love me and know God
 • Feet so we can walk to the bus stop
 • A coat because it keeps us warm.

From my vantage point, here is my list of what I am thankful for about LCES this morning:

• for rain falling today that is nourishing our dozen new trees and keeping our grounds so green
• for an answer that a student gave me this morning that showed growth and wisdom
• for parent leaders on the board and committees committing to guiding LCES next year
• for the chance to be working with students loved by God to help them grow
• for answers to prayer for wisdom and consensus on challenging matters
• for safe travel for many class trips that have and will soon take students on the road
• for growth and learning of our grade eight students who are soon ready to graduate
• for a healthy lunch and all the clean water I care to drink

• for new JK and SK students entering our building for orientation this week (Class of 2023/24!)

Taking the time to write out this list was helpful for me this morning. What are you thankful for? SJ

Growing Trees and Nurturing Schools

“I can’t wait to come back in 50 years and see how big they are!”

 

I overheard those words of expectation from a young student here at LCES after seeing the result of holes dug and many trees planted last week in various areas of our property. What vision, I thought, to look that far in the future and measure the success of something with a long view to the eventual outcome; mature trees flourishing where they were planted. 

We look forward to watching these trees grow and flourish in the coming years, much the same way that we as staff delight in watching our students grow in faith and wisdom during their years here. It is a joy to have many of our graduates from years long ago come back to enroll their children, complete practice teaching, co-op placements, lend a helping hand, or just for a visit. Like the trees just planted last week, our graduates move on from their humble “seedling” beginnings and become mature in their own way. 

LCES was once “planted” here as a seedling too, small and full of potential to grow as result of God’s blessing and provision to become a tree that now has 53 “annual growth rings” as tree experts describe. Certainly some of them indicate lean and hard times, others times of surging growth and prosperity. The tree has survived and matured to be what it is today; LCES is a vibrant, contemporary place of learning and faith. 

I’m thankful that there were visionary planters here on Clarke Rd many years ago with a shovel in the ground, a dream, and hopes of a flourishing school 53 years down the road. God has been faithful. I’m also grateful for many at present who are working to consider our maturing tree and its future. Reviewing our student program, finances, strategy, debt, and more are the tasks of today. 

May God bless the gardeners at LCES. SJ 

We are very grateful for the TD “Friends of the Environment” grant which allowed for the purchase of these trees and for the Ebert and Van Maar families for organizing and planting, as well as the grade seven class for helping to get the trees in the ground and spread mulch.

Busy intersections

Last fall a young newcomer to our school knocked on my door and came in to share a drawing made specifically for me. Honored by the gift, I offered a very quick tour of my office. At the end of the 30 second tour showing where I work, the student asked me a revealing question: “This is all really nice, but where do you sleep?”

As a child, I remember meeting one of my teachers in a store on an evening or weekend. My world was turned upside down by considering the fact that they weren’t dressed in the same “teacher clothes”, which meant that they had a purpose (and a life) outside of being a teacher.

“Teachers teach at the intersection of their story and their student’s stories”.

I remember hearing this at a Christian School educator convention in the past. It’s true; our teachers have stories of their own. Several of our teacher’s stories are about to change in the coming months. Here are a few of them:

We want to thank Ms. Gronfors for an excellent year of teaching in grade four. We have been so blessed by her energy, creativity, and ways to challenge students to grow in all of who God made them to be. We congratulate her on receiving a teaching position at a Christian school in the Toronto area starting this fall. May the Lord bless the next chapter in your story, Ms. Gronfors.

This September will see the return of Ms. Appendino to grade four following a one year leave while she and her husband welcomed the arrival of their first child. Ms. Appendino has frequently dropped in to visit this year to referee for us, take in special events, and stay connected to the LCES staff and what we are doing.

We look forward to having her return back as a regular part of living and learning by faith at LCES.
The end of June will see Ms. Graham leaving JK for a time as she and her husband prepare to become new parents. How exciting to wait in expectation for the gift of new life! Join us in praying for God’s leading hand and protection over that young life expected to arrive this summer.

We’re excited to announce that we will be adding a new teacher this September! Alexandria Hessel will be joining the LCES staff and taking good care of our newest learners in JK. Although she knows London well and attended university here, she and her husband are far away from here as they are currently finishing a year of teaching in Sweden. She is excited that her story includes a return back to London.

Please join the LCES Board who prays frequently at the end of their meetings for our teachers who teach truth and love into the stories of our children’s lives. SJ

www.londonchristian.ca

Lack of Inner Compass...

Radio makes me think. Talk shows on CBC radio or NPR often keep me company while working around the house or driving alone. I find it fascinating to be challenged to consider different viewpoints or issues that I wouldn’t consider following my own interests. While doing the proverbial list of May long-weekend tasks, I was introduced to someone I’d never heard of through an interview that proved fascinating.

Leo Koretz was a financial wizard who “made” 400 million (in today’s money) around 1910 by convincing people to invest in worthless Arkansas rice farms, Panama timber operations, and then later Panama oil extraction. He was so persuasive that people begged him to take their money to invest in his financial empire. One person apparently even threw a bundle of money over an office wall, with written instructions pleading for him to invest the funds. Every bit of the operation was fake, however, as investors who traveled to Panama found out when they showed up expecting a bustling oil empire and found nothing there. The entire operation was a fraud. He “hid” in Nova Scotia for a time before being sent back to face charges in Chicago.

The interview with the researcher got very interesting after the story was told. How could someone so talented and effective go so far astray? The response was “the lack of an inner compass” that didn't guide him correctly. Abruptly, the interview ended to my dissatisfaction. So, why am I recounting this to you on our Christian school newsletter?

First, it is essential to realize that we aim to do much more than deliver learning content at LCES. We seek
to impart knowledge that is always accompanied with wisdom. Wisdom orients action. Our present students
will eventually be charged with key leadership pieces in their life that offer, much like Mr. Koretz, the opportunity to use it for God’s kingdom or for something else. We are the training grounds for making future decisions well.

Second, the need for our children to be equipped with discernment and critical thinking to choose well in a
sometime confusing world of choice and “opportunity” is essential for their future well-being. Unlike the many who were duped and hitched their dreams to Mr. Koretz’s imaginary wagon of success, we want our stu-
dents to be critical thinkers with good questions that pursue truth and God’s kingdom.

It takes much more than a compass to get it right. SJ

Flutes and Field Day: Risk and Reward

“Every accomplishment began with a decision to try.”

So said an educational leader at an event I recently attended. I continue to hear often about both the obstacles for students in facing risk as they learn, as well as the immense learning potential of what those risk moments can give when taken. A greater sense of self, ability to work toward long term goals, and resilience are just a few of the first benefits.

A multi-year initiative has been underway at LCES to change the structure of our field day. Three years in, we are still revising but are pleased with the results so far. The goal is to attempt to acknowledge every bit of effort that every student invests in the day. Rather than give a ribbon only to the top three or four finishers, our field day structure uses the results of all of events that students complete to achieve an overall score for the day. Students receive an overall total which is compared to standards that earn them a first, second, third, or fourth place achievement. Since every centimeter and second counts, we are excited to see students reaching for their best with a sustained overall effort. We also are excited that students look to better their previous year’s achievement as they practice for the event.

New this year, we have a means to recognize risk taken and effort invested independent of the  outcome of that attempt. Students in the younger grades will be running a longer distance event of 200m. Our schedule has been revised to more easily allow school-wide participation. We are pleased to see small changes that refine the day and make it better as we learn and grow along with our students at this community event. Please feel free to come join us this Friday (weather permitting) – or better yet, volunteer for any of the remaining spots! The musical May Soirée on Wednesday will also be a means for our students to shine and present their learning to an audience.

Whether it is playing a musical solo on Wednesday night or playing at all, whether it is looking to set a new track record or to make a first successful attempt – we are excited at LCES to give students a platform to take risks and do great things. God has prepared them for just that! SJ

The Flat Tires of Life...

“A bad attitude is like a flat tire: You can’t go anywhere until you change it.”

While visiting another school several weeks ago this message, shown below a frustrated student on a poster, grabbed my full attention. I thought for several moments how attitude shapes our student’s learning experience – often much more than their immediate success or failure - while they navigate through new information, skills, and opportunities presented to them.

We are quick to label a grumpy, edgy tone in someone’s interactions as being evidence of a bad attitude. While it is no fun to be around someone like that, I think this is perhaps a limited definition. A bad attitude (or mindset) might better be described as a moment when the person has given up on the chance for something that isn't going well to actually turn out positively in terms of their learning and personal welfare. Their perspective has become narrow and shortsighted and they don’t see a way out of it that can be a win-win for themselves and those they are interacting with.

Sometimes there isn't a way out of the situation that is a win-win all the way around. In those moments, coaching our students to accept the results in a way that respects themselves, others, and their possible future success is the most valuable prize.

Some thoughts on developing a healthy attitude in our students:

•  Ensure that a student has opportunities to be publicly recognized for the things they do well or have shown growth in. Success creates an appetite and determination for future success. 
•  Encourage re-attempting things that didn't work, perhaps in a more success-possible manner. A delay is fine too. Resilience is a key part of developing healthy attitude. 
• Work to have a child’s feeling of self-worth not be entirely dependent on immediate success or failure in challenging situations. Learning to cope with first-attempt failure is a key life skill. 
• While every student is talented in different ways, we don’t help our students by labeling them as “not a math student” or “not musical” or “not creative” in their crucial years of development. We are shutting doors for them far too early in doing so.
• Model responses for them that show a healthy attitude. I’m convinced our children are watching and listening much more closely than we first realize when we ourselves encounter struggles. We are the lesson they are closely studying in those moments. 

I’ve changed my fair share of flat tires on cars, wheelbarrows, bikes, - once I even had to arrange for it on a transport truck. None of them were great moments that conjure up happy memories. All of them helped me to grow in my response to unexpected problems or failures.

Be ready for your next flat. It's coming soon. SJ

A torrent of talents

“No one can do everything; everyone has a talent to contribute.”

The above words of wisdom came from the student chapel grade four led this morning. It led me to think about several things going on in the life of students and in the life of our organization in the next number of months. Here they are:

“Caribbean Breeze” Spring Auction: Last Saturday’s event was very clearly the sum result of many people with organizational, relational, financial, and especially creative talents. None of those talents on their own would have made the night what it was and we are so grateful for their contribution. (See details later in this newsletter).

Spring Membership Meeting: Just like students are talented in different ways, we have parents
contributing with their talents across the organization. Our school would not be able to do what it
does without them and we give them our sincere thanks. Come out and hear all about what these
talented volunteers have been doing tomorrow at 7:30pm.

LC’s Got Talent: Believing that all students are diversely and uniquely equipped by the Lord, we
want to take opportunity to showcase, celebrate, and enjoy those talents as a group. I can hardly
wait to see music, drama, and the spoken word on display this Friday. Come join us at 1:30pm!

May Soirée: Part of playing in a musical group, be it a group of two or twenty, is the ability to
organize differently talented people to work together to produce something of excellence and
beauty as a response to God. Musical talent will be on full display May 13.

LCES Field Day: I’m excited to hear our students practicing to give their personal best and top
their previous year’s achievement against our standards based field day as they showcase their
talents. We pray for great weather on May 15!

Shakespeare Play: You will be amazed at the talent of our students (and their teacher!) to make
“Romeo and Juliet” come alive on May 29. It is not something you want to miss.

Graduation: Work begins at this time of year to design an experience for our community to
celebrate the gifts and talents of our graduates who have reached a milestone in their educational
journey. I encourage you to come June 24 to gain a wide perspective on the journey from JK (or
SK) to grade eight!

God’s gift of talents to our community is a rich blessing to us and I’m thankful for places those
talents can be identified, used, and oriented back to God in faithful service. SJ

Information Overload

“We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.” E.O.Wilson

This quote grabbed my full attention when I saw it last week. The author of these words is an 85 year old biologist from Alabama who watches with interest as research has revealed more and more about how the natural world works. He theorizes that the intense period of growth of discovery 
and knowledge that began in the 1960’s will continue for many more decades. In short, information continues to flood our understanding of things as we dig further, deeper, and wider into the natural world in our understanding. But we aren't necessarily wiser for it. 

In the information-rich culture our students are immersed in, I found myself thinking about the role of wisdom. Perhaps more than their parents or grandparents, student learning needs are less centered on opportunities to be provided with more information, but rather they have a pressing need to have a means by which to connect information meaningfully, sort what is of value, and ultimately what is true and faithful. I’m thankful that this is the kind of wisdom that we endeavor to help our students develop and practice at LCES. 

The original 1962 LCES keystone boldly proclaims that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10) The faithful who placed it there could probably not really comprehend the age we live in today, but their choice of that text is as contemporary as ever. Knowledge alone will not fully help the future inventors, scientists, parents, business people, politicians, entrepreneurs, and much more that exist in our student body. 

The potential of knowledge in the hands and mind of someone armed with biblical wisdom – now that’s something that can change the world back to how God intended it. May God bless us in pursuit of that worthwhile goal. SJ

Of hidden things and eyes to see them

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Waking up to a spring morning as we did today, it is hard not to notice the welcome advances of spring with the greening of lawns, the return of the birds and their morning symphonies, and even the first plants emerging from the soil. After a harsh winter has temporarily caused us to forget the joy in these things, it seems that they can’t help but captivate us and draw us in when they reappear. There is nothing new about spring, after all, it happens every year. However, our delight in it is the result of our eyes and ears being focused on it, captured by its newness and freshness. The promise of new life in Christ is mirrored by new life in nature.

But what about the other 45 weeks of the year? God is present there too, even if we don’t have the same overwhelming spring-like feeling of God with us. This morning in chapel we were reminded at
school that travelers alongside Jesus on the road to Emmaus lost perspective in that they couldn't
recognize Jesus and although seeing the things around them, they had lost true vision of God with
them. Their eyes were open, but their hearts were closed. Jesus’ response was to teach them, eat
with them, and pray with them. Proper perspective takes practice, discipline, and a community to sustain both.

Christian education follows that pattern of teaching, working, and praying to train young eyes and
ears to see God at work in our world. We want our children to have at the ready questions like “What
will I see new about God’s world today?” and “How does God’s world praise him?” and “How is God at work in my community?” as their first responses to the new things and even the mundane things they encounter. We seek to train their hearts to notice God with the same eagerness and delight with which we look for something green after a harsh long winter. SJ

The power of two minutes

In 120 seconds, what would you chose to say about our school? Three parents have recently recounted with me conversations that they suddenly found themselves in regarding their choice to send their children to a Christian school, specifically LCES. The surprise they felt was both in their timing and the people with whom they were having the conversations. One took place at a sports event, one in a grocery store, and another at a car repair shop.

These parental exchanges of “here is why we do what we do” conversations are of the utmost importance for our school. Frequently they result in those parents choosing to contact me at school, arranging a visit, and in some cases eventually enrolling their child(ren) at LCES.

For those reasons, it may be wise to take the time to sit down with a spouse or friend and ensure the “elevator speech” is actually ready when the moment arrives. Talkative parents who deliberately promote our school remain one of the most persuasive and effective means to boost enrollment and welcome more people to the opportunity of what Christian education has to offer.

One of the challenging parts of these conversations is knowing what to say. While every conversation needs to be matched to the context of the relationship, what often works best is to talk about what it is that you want for your child at LCES, what brings you lasting satisfaction, and what things (songs, questions, truths learned, observations) your children take home with them from their days here at school.

I encourage you to check out www.whychristianschools.ca to be affirmed about the choice you are making to send you child to LCES and to perhaps be well supplied with further talking points regarding what Christian education has to offer. The content is fantastic and organized very well.

Please encourage any family you might know is or should be considering to consider coming out to
our April 21st Open House event from 7-9pm.

For our school, SJ

A resurrected Christian school

“How deep the Father’s love for us, 
how vast beyond all measure,
that He should give his only Son, 
to make a wretch his treasure.”

No doubt that many of our families and our churches have already begun reflection and observance
of the narratives and faith rituals of Easter. The above words sung this morning by the staff and
students pulled us out of our Monday morning rhythm of routine and challenged us to think deeply
about the events of this Holy Week. Walking out I was left with this question in my mind: What does
the resurrection mean for the Christian School?

The gift of grace in our educational setting means that all of our students need not be defined by their
weakness, shortcomings, or failures. God promises that “he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6) which for us and our students is a source of great encouragement to remain steadfast in our pursuit of faithful living and learning – even when success is not immediately apparent. We are dearly loved people, all of us, and even in our brokenness God promises to do great things with us. He is our God, we are His people.

Riding a donkey, washing feet, and serving the Last Supper to his disciples – these are images for us
today that ought to cause us to reflect. For us and our students, Jesus’ death and resurrection plants
a vision in our minds and hearts of a radically different kingdom where power is not equated with
wealth, power, or prestige – but rather a place of power derived in service, humility, and love as
Christ modeled it for us.

The Christian school is a place where we look to help plant and ignite that longing to follow Christ in all areas of life, capturing the “first love” of our students and orienting it toward their creator.

In the hope of the resurrection, SJ

The words we speak...

“I’m not sure what job I am going to do. God has to choose that and he hasn’t told me yet.”

So said a young child recently, obviously absorbing a lot of conversation around him and making him see his future through a particular worldview: God is in charge and he will wait. 

Children are known to quickly copy the words of parents, teachers, and others they listen to intently. I can clearly recall one of the first times that I heard one of my students using phrases and expressions that I had used earlier in various lessons about truth and grace at the auspicious occasion of a grade eight valedictorian speech. While in part it was quite honoring and satisfying to hear that they had grasped the essential understanding of the lesson, the immensity of the responsibility of a person of influence was very clear: children watch and listen to those around them constantly. As they are deciphering how life works, they take in every word, every action, and often mull it over internally, only for it to come out in a comment hours, days, or even weeks later. We should never discount the pow-er of our words with children, since they are seeds sown in the ripe field of childhood that create either fruit or lingering struggle in the future. Paired with actions, they become the first road map our children follow as they learn to walk in faith. 

While children generally listen passively to those around them talk about the walk of faith, we know 

they are listening when they speak up and comment about how faith and practice, in their minds, are 

not in sync. Or when a parent has not done what they ask a child to do. These conversations, although they often come during the hardest or most inconvenient times, present us with the opportunity to meet our children’s hopes and fears straight on. They can also challenge us to reflect, and think. How many times have we been challenged by the simplest of questions by a child that has left us speechless as to how to respond?

I heard it said once that we don’t know the kind of fruit we are producing until we are squeezed. The 

gospel of Luke speaks of the same: “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45). 

Words chosen carefully are a blessing to our children who are taking this world on, one challenge at 

a time.

  SJ

The teacher and the parent: one goal, two different roles…

Two evenings this week will have our teachers talking with parents. The goal of that communication during parent-teacher interviews is to strengthen the link between what you, our parents, are doing at home with students and what we do here at LCES. We wish to celebrate the growth and success of your child and to outline other potential areas of growth, change, and further development.

Here is a quick summary of what might be considered the essentials of a very productive parent-teacher relationship that supports learning well. Consider:

Uplift your children’s teacher in prayer on a regular basis.  It is a tremendous blessing to be prayed for by the parents of the students you teach as an educator. Pray for wisdom, energy, patience, and clarity for them as they respond to individual students and the learning environment as whole.

Share your priorities and hopes for your child’s development. At the end of the day, what is it that you want for your child? To know clearly that the parents and teacher are of one mind is incredibly affirming for the day-to-day learning moments that arise in classroom.

Commit to starting with trust, and to directly engage the teacher with concerns. Trust that the teacher’s choices have intended goals and specific reasons based on experience, training, and the desire to bless your child and the class. Your parent voice of concern or support is most welcome; respect and bless the teacher with the first opportunity to explain why they do what they do when you are unsure.  

Allow your child to see that you support the goals and objectives of the teacher and the school as whole. Powerful and formative things start to happen when your child sees their parent and the teacher as part of a supportive, success-oriented team consistently working for their welfare. 

Support the extensions of learning that reach to the home environment.  There is significant evidence in research that shows children who have parents that take an active role in their child’s learning gain much more from their education than those who do not.  Allow your children to practice, re-tell, and explain their most recent learning, read to you, and follow up with their “I wonder” extensions of learning. Love given is often the investment of time spent well – sometimes on the simplest of things that don’t initially feel very important.

Grace and peace,  SJ

For the birds

With ladder in hand, I was asked to join in on the latest learning going on in JK recently. It was a highlight of my week.

Before the snow started to fly in earnest last fall, our JK class had been driven by curiosity to ask “Where do birds go in winter?” That became a driving question that set direction for their learning as they started with various theories. “They go to Florida, or Mexico” and “not all leave” were suggested as possible explanations. “Where is Mexico?” soon followed as did other related extensions of their high interest in understanding these creatures as part of God’s creation.

The late February continuation of this learning was wondering if they could somehow take care of
God’s creation and give food to the birds to take care of those that were still here or had already
returned. Out came the bagels, “WOW” butter, and bird feed. These became the raw materials for
hand-made bird feeders made with love and care and ready to be hung up on the tree outside their
classroom. I was happy to string them in the tree outside the JK class as the students were wading
waist-deep in the snow below. We have together watched to see if the birds have started to enjoy
the food.

Learning like this which feeds off of student’s curiosity, is enhanced by group learning, and is
framed by a clear understanding that, indeed “This is My Father’s World” is a delightful example of
quality, Christian education. Patterns of learning and a clear sense of perspective become a way of
viewing their world for these young children, made in God’s image.

LCES - a place for student’s to grow in wisdom, discernment, and to practice care for God’s world.
Sometimes it’s for the birds. SJ

Cleaning house: words from my past

While it may not be spring yet, I have been cleaning. In an attempt to set up good “digital habits” I have been working through old information I have stored from my past – both the paper-and-pen sort and the digital variety. Old pictures, letters, even a few high school papers I had to write. CD’s, disks (remember those?) and even a few journals.  What do you do with all this stuff?

Last weekend I came across a set of three papers I had to write in high school that asked me specific and pointed questions about marriage. It’s amusing to read through what I thought then, with all of the wisdom a fifteen year old might bring to the topic. I smiled and laughed while reading it – not because I was so far off base, but it was so interesting to hear my own voice so obviously still in the process of figuring out my world. Clearly I wasn’t finished yet.  I heard some echoes in that writing too.

I heard the echo of a family structure that created a warm and nurturing place for me to hear the Word of God and see faithful living as important. Growth in the life of faith starts at home.

I heard the echo of a Christian church which emphasized a praise-filled response to God and regular and consistent teaching of Christian discipleship. Worship and discipleship continued at church.

I heard the echo of a Christian school environment that equipped and challenged me to look at the patterns of this world and consider “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable” (Phillipians 4:8). Discernment and wisdom in living faithfully were cultivated at school.

I’m glad I did not throw out or delete those pieces of my past. They stand now as a touch points for me, and motivation for me as principal and parent to provide the same for our children. Every moment, every word, ever action counts for our students as they grow and learn in faith. To God be the glory.  SJ