Off and Running!

It was great getting the school year off and running this morning.  It was great to see the students' faces in the building and get reacquainted with them after the long summer break!  It is good to work with other staff members here at Western, but to be honest, it's working with high school kids that makes this job as much fun as it is.  And to see their faces again after the summer hiatus was a treat!

I'm truly looking forward to a new, fun and engaging year this year at Western.  There are so many new and exciting things going on here.  But the faces of the kids ramped up the excitement for me that much more.

I'm guessing that's how God feels about us as well.  When he created us, I'm sure he was excited when he saw our faces  because he saw a reflection of Himself.  That too is part of why working in a school like Western Christian is fun.  We have the opportunity to mold lives-- image-bearers of God-- in a way that pleases Him.  It's an important task.  One that has some weighty responsibility.  But don't kid yourselves.  It's also fun and a joy to serve these students.

May God bless us all as we start a new school year!

Prayer

After over a year of making a post I thought it was high time to make a posting...and perhaps someone may read it!

I simply want to share with you the power of prayer.  I can't express to you how much the power of prayer is displayed to me in this job.  As the principal of a school, with many different persons in the building, one learns early just how little control one has over the feelings, attitudes and yes, spirit of individual persons.  In order for a school to work well, the spirit of individuals is supremely important.  I can hire the best persons and have the most intelligent and well-bred students, but without a spirit of love, cooperation and grace, positive things are unlikely to happen.  It is so important that everything be bathed in prayer.  I often pray for specific things to happen, or not happen, but I also pray for a spirit of love, cooperation and peace amongst all of the souls in this building on a daily basis.  I also pray for the board and myself, that God works through them and me as we make critical decisions that impact the families that support and love this school.

I'm often reminded how weak I really am in this job.  Many times I am asked if I have everything "under control" at Western.  My answer is always the same:  "No."  You see, although I have this title of Principal, the only one truly in control is God.  He controls me, He controls the board, He also controls the teachers, their students, and the students' parents.  And the only way things work well is if it is done in the spirit of ultimately pleasing God.  So, my goal is to do that.  To run the school in a way that pleases God, and to continually seek his guidance, and to pray for his will to be done in the decisions I make and the interactions I have with others in and in relation to Western Christian High School.

It is truly an honor to serve here.  It is a special place.  And I want to please God in the way in which I make attempts to manage it.  But most of all, I am thankful for an All-Powerful God who I can talk to that truly is in control of everything and everyone here.  When I am weak, He is strong.  Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.  Thank you God for being strong for us.

A Month In

The job of being a school principal is a journey.  Mostly it is very interesting.  I am blessed to work with very talented and committed teachers who have the best intentions for their students.  Many times I've considered how fortunate I am to work in a place where Christian principles are valued and adhered to as the foundation for what we do.  Why is this so important for me in my situation?  It is because those principles are the glue that makes things work well.  I have often said to kids at Western Christian that God's laws are for our benefit and not, as so many have thought, to somehow constrict our lives.  A school without a Christian compass can be a place where there lacks the moral glue to hold the ship together.  Staff members committed to these Christian principles make things simply work together better.  Those principles guides our mission, our curriculum and also, our attitudes from day to day.  Is this to say that all things are perfect here?  No way.  We still live in an imperfect world.  We still have issues, but at least we overtly have the glue, Jesus Christ, that holds the ship together.  I'm thankful for that, and I pray that God will continue to bless us and keep us from stumbling.  I also ask that you pray for us, because I also believe that the Adversary wants to trip us up.  So pray for our students, their families, and our staff, that we may stay true to our calling and commitment to help students learn to serve the King.  We need you and that "cloud of witnesses" to continue cheering us on.  Thanks for cheering and we ask you to keep it up.

Thank You

I want to thank the entire Western Christian community for the many good wishes and prayers offered up on my behalf as I have begun this new venture as Western's principal.  So far it has been a good experience.  I have really enjoyed the challenge of it, and at times, even the busyness that goes with the job.  I have also truly appreciated our student body.  We have an excellent student body at Western.  When I hear about troubles ongoing at other schools, I am thankful that I work here, and I am glad that my son also attends school here.  We truly have an encouraging student body here at Western Christian.  I know this because of the experience of kids that tell me so.  Do we have issues sometimes?  Yes, and we deal with them as they occur.  But overall, we have truly nice, caring kids who honestly care for each other.  That's one reason why I chose I Thessalonians 5:11 as our theme verse for the year.  "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  Our students already do this quite well.  In many ways, we as adults can learn from them.  As humans we all need encouragement as we live our our lives for Christ in this broken world.  We also want to strive to be positive encouragers to better reflect our love for Jesus, and as a result of this choice, to make God's world a better place in which to live.

So I encourage you, as the Western Christian community, to also make the choice to become positive encouragers in your daily lives.  Let's make the commitment to be positive examples for our students and vice versa.  By doing so in our daily lives, we let our light shine before others and glorify God.