CQ

Originally Written for the Westside Way- Modified to communicate the current planning
Over the past month I have been challenged to begin documenting the collaboratively developed vision for our school. This is a process which includes prayer, study, brainstorming, discussing, listening, and openness to God’s leading. I love to talk about the future and prayerfully join God as He unveils His plans. It is a temptation to move faster that God as well as be distracted my own desires rather than His. The last month has brought some clarity to one part of our vision, and we are beginning to work that out prayerfully.

As you may know, last spring we felt called to focus our attention on being more intentional about developing the hearts of our students. In the process I think God has done work on me. Isn’t that typical? I have been forced to grapple with my own leadership approach as we have been talking about the kind of leaders we want to equip our students to be. Our conversations have been about doing a better job of inspiring students toward becoming Christ-centered leading servants.

I have been challenged in my reading through the gospels and through conversations with Christian leaders to look at Christ as the example of leadership. His leadership style is not self seeking. It is honest, loving, and passionate. I have been reading Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” where he (through research) identifies organizations that have moved from being good to great and have been able to sustain that greatness over time. In his research he identified that every organization that was able to sustain that greatness had an atypical leader at the helm. This is not a Christian book, but every leader they identified in these companies had two seemingly dichotomous characteristics; humility and a passion or overwhelming will for their cause or organization.

Diane Moore describes her sixth stage of moral development as a place of leadership. This is a place were decisions are made out of the combined motivation of truth and love. Obviously these characteristics (humble, passionate, truthful, loving) aren’t a complete picture of the character of Christ, but it has been a challenge for me personally to truly seek God in these particular areas.

It is mind boggling for me to think of how much could be accomplished if we were truly humble, yet on the other hand passionate to fulfill the calling God has given us. It would be amazing to live out that passion in the spirit of Christ’s love and the truth of God’s word. How do we work this out in our own life and present opportunities for our students to work toward being a Christ-centered leader? There isn’t a formula or three step process that will get us there.

I believe our community building focus, grace filled environment, and challenging Christ-centered academics over the past twenty-five years has placed Westside in a unique position to work on developing further the hearts of our students. It has been happening for the past twenty five years, but I believe God is positioning us to do even more. As I’ve reflected on the readings and conversations I’ve had over the past year I’ve come to believe that for learning to take place at the heart level, it may need to include two components.

One component is first-hand experiences. These are experiences that allow us to see, hear, feel, and smell the realities of God’s working in this world. Another component is emotion. To couple emotion with God’s truth in an experience forces us to grapple with heart level commitments and convictions, and fuels our passion for Christ’s calling in our life. Imagine what it might look like if our students were to understand more clearly the world they live in and were more equipped and passionate about living out God’s calling for them in this world.

Over the past year our Spiritual Life team has been working on developing local, national, as well as international opportunities that would help us accomplish our goal of moving forward with heart level learning. As a first step in this process Westside is developing a relationship with an outside organization, Remember Nhu. Cooperating with Remember Nhu will provide our students with a powerful experience that will help us continue to fulfill our Westside mission.

“Our school exists to equip servant leaders in God’s kingdom for the next generation by educating and developing the whole person to the glory of God.”

*Equip servant leaders – To give the practical tools required for Christ-modeled leadership
*Develop the whole person – Encourage the development of a heart that seeks to glorify God
*Glorify – To bring glory to God through one’s actions.

Through Remember Nhu, Westside will partner with a ministry in Thailand to provide a home to children who are at risk of falling into slavery. Remember Nhu will serve as a middle organization providing the administration, consulting, and logistics of our relationship with our Thailand partner. In a grassroots way (not out of the school budget) Westside will fund all capital expenditures and operating costs of this orphanage. In addition we would send a group of our students to this location on an annual basis (with staff and strategic partners) for an extended short-term experience. Our students will be challenged to humble themselves to understand the complexities of another culture, join in the working of God through a ministry to Thai children, bring back that experience, and apply it to their life in the States.

There is no doubt this experience will develop the hearts of our students to glorify God in a new way. I believe this experience will result in a dramatic challenge and heart transformation. Those who go will be challenged to evaluate God’s calling on their life. They will be inspired to a form of leadership perspective that is humble, passionate for the cause of Christ, seeks the truth, and expresses that truth in love to others.

The Next Step:
This summer a pilot trip is being planned (late June, early July). This trip will include a small number of students, faculty and staff, and strategic partners. We realize that this announcement will develop more questions than this article will answer, and for that reason a letter will be mailed in the next week announcing an evening where the details of the vision of this movement in our school will be communicated further.

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Tutu is the woman who runs the orphanage home that Steve and I visited near Chiang Mai. She is native to Thailand and an amazing example of servant leadership. Below are her own words describing her story.

My name is Tutu. Before I was born, a Christian Missionary trekked all the way to my village by foot to tell my village about Jesus Christ. We were very fortunate to have a missionary come. I am so thankful to God for bringing that missionary to our village. Because of him we can know Jesus Christ and tell others about Him.

When I was young, my family never had very much money, so we would eat food from the jungle such as fruit, vegetable, crabs and fish. Every Saturday we would trek all day through the jungle to gather vegetables. I had a basket on my back and we would go up and down the mountain. I have very fond memories of those days. We would gather these vegetables for worship on Sundays.

We lived in a village that was very far from the city. When I was six years old I would walk to school every day all by myself. The journey was about one hour each way. I had to wake up at 6am to get to school on time. I would eat breakfast and go to school all day long without any food and return at 6pm. My parents had no money to pay for my schooling so my dad would do work around the school, like cut the grass to pay my schooling. All of my teachers were from the Karen village.

When I was in fourth grade, I prayed that God would provide a husband for me that would serve the Lord. From grades four to nine I received a scholarship from Compassion International and was able to go to school. During 7th grade, my teacher asked my parents if I would marry him. I did not like my teacher and said that I would not marry him. My parents were upset with me because they thought it would be a life for me. It made me sad that they were so disappointed with me. English was my favorite subject to study. I had a big desire to learn English, but I had no book. During my free time, I would write the alphabet on the dirt road to practice. When I finished grade nine, I really wanted to come to the city to study, but my parents had no money to send me there. Finally I asked a lady in Chiang Mai to do housework for her and study English with her on Sundays. I worked all day long and cleaned the house and took care of her daughter all week and then she would teach me on Sundays.

I started gong to church in Chiang Mai and after one month I met my husband Luke. Luke invited me to English class and it was for free. Shortly after that he asked my uncle if he could marry me. I made a decision to marry Luke and we had the wedding in Chiang Mai. I was so scared that night that I slept with my mother. Luke still teases me about it today. At that time I was nearly 17 years old.

After three months of marriage, I became pregnant with my first son, Zechariah. When I was pregnant with him I prayed that he would serve the Lord. I wanted to give him to the Lord. After he was one year old I went to adult high school every Saturday and Sunday. I finished high school after two years. After that I was pregnant with my second son Daniel. When Daniel was two and a half years old I went to Bible school. During my third year of Bible school I became pregnant with David. Every day I would ride my motorbike to Bible school. When I graduated in March, my 3rd son David was born.

For many years I have had a passion in my heart for the hill tribe girls. I have always wanted to do ministry with orphan girls and poor girls. I prayed every day that God would open up the doors for me to do that. I knew that many of the hill tribe girls wanted to study but had no chance. I remembered two of my girlfriends that hung themselves from a tree because they were so hopeless and wanted a better life. This grieves me deeply and gives me such a burden for these people.

Another thing that drove me was the problem with prostitution. Three of my cousins went to a Buddhist monk school and were raped by the monks. Other friends of mine were taken into prostitution and the police would not close down the brothel because they were bribed. This has been something on my heart for many years and I would pray every day, all the time that God would open up the doors for a ministry.

After David was born I would serve the Lord with Luke full-time and go to many villages. I loved to evangelize the people in the hill tribes. We taught Bible school and discipled many. We opened up a church in Chiang Mai in about 1998. Soon after that we had to move the church outside of the city to cut down on costs. After much prayer and consideration, God opened up the doors for Luke and I to run a home for hill tribe girls. We now have 26 orphan girls that are learning about Christ and His wonderful love and are being given the opportunity to study. I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness!

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Originally Written for the Westside Way on 01.17.06

Steve and I returned from our thirteen day vision trip to Thailand a week ago. The purpose of our trip was to scope out ministries to determine if and how we might develop an ongoing relationship with a ministry that would be mutually beneficial. Our desire was to evaluate whether these ministries could partner with Westside in further developing our students’ hearts toward compassion for the poor and the oppressed.

On the third day of the trip we visited a ministry called Asia’s Hope in the city of Chiang Mai. This organization provides safety, housing, and education to children at risk of being victimized in the sex trade and other exploitive labor. As we arrived I got out of the van before anyone else, and a little girl about my daughter’s size ran from a very primitive grass hut and clung to my leg like I was her father returning from a long trip. I was taken aback and was not sure how to respond. My only thought was to try to react like I would if this were my daughter or a child from our church nursery. Later that day I played volleyball with some of the older children. They laughed and joked with us in the same way as the students at Westside would.

The next day as we arrived, the children were singing praise songs. One girl captured my attention as she sang with an incredibly worshipful spirit. Her eyes were closed, and she looked so present with God in that moment. After the singing, while the children began to play some of the games we brought for them, I walked around looking for the opportunity to meet this little girl. I found her and gave her a hug, and she asked to be picked up. I asked her what her name was, and she said it was “May”. We walked into the open air dining hall (again made of grass and bamboo) and found some coloring books. We picked a picture and began coloring it together. This is a common occurrence in our home, making this moment with May so precious.

I asked the orphanage director Tutu (an amazing woman who grew up in the hill tribes) to tell me May’s story. She said that May’s father was a drug dealer and was killed by police in a raid. Her mother has a birth defect and cannot earn enough to support May and her brother. This puts them at risk of being tricked into exploitive labor. Thankfully for May, Tutu was able to take her in and will provide her with a high school education and a trade. If she is capable, she may also be able to go on to college.

We were in a very busy market (like Saturday Market times 10) after dark. I would not let my children out of my sight if they were here, let alone allow them to walk around by themselves. I could see my daughter in the eyes of this little girl who looked like she was about the same age (approximately 5 years old). I wanted to bring her home with me. I knelt down to her and offered her 10 Baht for her bracelet. She grabbed one for me and ripped it from the bunch; it broke. She looked very disappointed. She pulled another with the same result. To my surprise I said “I would like to buy the broken one.” Steve gave her enough money for the rest of the bracelets. I will cherish that bracelet, broken like that little girl, broken like me.

This trip inflicted a wound to my heart. The wound quickly turned into compassion and affection for the people I met. That affection gave me an authentic desire to seek God for His hope and direction to act. This is one thing I learned from this trip. That God can break our hearts with the things that break His heart. He can plant His compassion within our hearts. And He can show us the ways in which we can join Him to bring about His healing and hope in the world.

Psalm 10:13-18

Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?
How can they think, “God will never call us to account”?
But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You are the defender of orphans.
The LORD is king forever and ever!
LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.
You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
in order that they may terrify no more.

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Originally Written for the Westside Way on 12.05.05

I have recently been challenged to look at the word poverty through a new lens. Before the last few weeks I would not have categorized myself, or anyone I know, as being poor. This is because my definition was not deep enough. In our societal circles, poverty is easily hidden from sight. In fact I think I try to hide it from myself. Our environment actually encourages us to hide our poverty.

I have also recently read articles that challenge me to think about the underlying purpose of education. The purpose of education may be different depending
on the mission of any given learning institution, but one common underlying purpose of education is to eliminate poverty.

In three weeks, Steve and I will be in Thailand learning about some of the most heart wrenching problems that exist in our world. One of the roots of these problems is extreme poverty, which can lead to horrific sins committed against the most vulnerable and innocent. I anticipate that this type of physical and economic poverty will be easy to identify.

In our circles, another type of poverty also exists. This is the poverty of the heart. An example of this type of poverty became evident to me recently as I was reading a book by Gary Haugen that challenged me with this question: Why do we, as followers of Christ, not act when we have knowledge of the pain and poverty of others? (Matthew 25:40 “… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”) Haugen’s response was that it is because of our own poverty of compassion, poverty of hope, and poverty of purpose. We do not have sufficient compassion to be passionate enough to act. We believe that the problems of this world are too big, so we never get started. We have not listened to God to get a sense of His direction, calling, and purpose for our life. It is this type of poverty of the heart that the typical American church member, Christian school student, teacher, and administrator can easily fall into.

So, if we are called to address issues of poverty (not just economic), how exactly do we do that? I sure wish there was an easy answer to that question. I have a hunch that those (me) who are living with a poverty of compassion, hope, and purpose could gain a clearer purpose, sense of hope, and more compassion for others by being exposed to and helping to address the poverty of others.

My perception is that this generation of students puts a high value on the relational aspects of learning. That is a core value to them. This makes modeling a key tool for teaching values, complex connections between principles, and what it means to be a servant leader and follower of Christ. Jesus modeled the way we all should live as he ate, traveled, worked, and interacted with his disciples. The disciples had the ultimate experiential learning environment and the results have changed our world.

My prayer is that we continue to grow in our ability to model Christ to others. If we claim to be a follower of Jesus yet our life does not attempt to reflect the life He lived, then we are damaging the cause of Christ. It will be exciting to look at our school and educational processes, honestly identify the poverty that exists, and in partnership with you, the Westside community, work toward eliminating it. The results could be amazing!

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Originally Written for the Westside Way on 11.14.05

In the past few months I have been challenged to honestly examine the ways that I am responding to Christ. Do my choices reflect Him working within me? Am I willing to listen to God’s calling and move when He says go? This year we have talked about being intentional about developing the hearts of our students through modeling principled decision making, partnering strategically with parents, and providing opportunities to practice what we are learning.

I am inspired by people who authentically seek to practice being like Jesus. It is so easy for me to rationalize my decisions to fit my relatively cozy life. It is easy to overlook the things that God loves, flirt with the things He hates, take on causes that don’t matter, and ignore the things that do.

Over the past year, our Spiritual Life Committee has conversed with each other, local pastors, and various missions organizations about ideas for creating an experience for our students that could challenge them to see the world more clearly through the heart of Jesus. One of the possible ideas we have discussed is providing an opportunity for our students to apply their faith and education in a practical way by serving others in an overseas mission/vision trip. This type of trip has the potential to provide perspective and cast a lifelong vision. It can provide them with a sense of compassion for others in whatever calling they find themselves looking to fulfill. Over the past year the idea of this Compassion Quest has not died or faded away, as so many ideas do. God seems to be leading us to continue to investigate the possibilities.

If we move forward with this idea we want to develop a long-term partnership with an overseas missions organization. One possible partnership, that seems to have progressed faster than others, began over the summer when I felt God’s nudging to notice more closely the horrific tragedy surrounding child slavery and the sex trade. With a new burden on my heart to learn more about these children, I eagerly followed up on a potential link with a businessman named Carl from Ohio. Carl has responded to God’s calling on him regarding this issue by starting a non-profit organization called Remember Nhu. (Nhu is the name of the child that first touched Carl’s heart and drew him to respond to this issue). One of the functions of his organization is to link lay people from the states to missions organizations in Thailand and Cambodia that are strategically working to eliminate the use of children in the sex trade.

In July, I had the opportunity to meet with Carl, and I told him I would be very interested in learning more about how a high school could link with his ministry. Carl began to describe a missionary in Thailand named Charles who was saving children before they were sold into slavery by their parents. It is common for parents to sell one of their children as a sacrificial lamb so that the rest of their children can survive. Charle’s innovative approach to this problem is to provide a home and a Christian education for these children through college so that they will have the skills to earn a professional wage. These children grow up in his care being educated and saved (this term has tremendous depth of meaning to them) to the Glory to God. They have the skills to support their families and end the cycle of slavery. Harvey’s vision is to start more homes like his that are run by Thai graduates of his school.

About a month ago I became aware of a vision trip to Thailand that Carl was planning in December. I felt a nudge to call him and learn more about the trip. When I called I described to him the vision that our Spiritual Life Committee has to link closely with a ministry overseas. It was at this point that I learned that Charles was visiting Ohio and listening in over the speaker phone. Charles expressed an excitement and enthusiastically felt the impact that a high school from the States could have on his ministry. Carl shared a desire for us to think about sending people on the vision trip at the end of December to learn more about what Harvey’s ministry and others are doing in Thailand.

This is one of those moments where I felt a powerful leading to respond. After checking that leading with the school board and receiving the blessing of our Spiritual Life Committee and my wife, I made a commitment to join Carl on his trip. Steve will be partnering with me. We will travel throughout Thailand visiting various ministries. We may have the opportunity to visit a location where the tsunami hit. It has been reported that there are still thousands of orphans as a result of this disaster that are at risk of becoming victims of the sex trade.

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Originally Written for the Westside Way on 8.20.05

A few weeks ago, Don and I were sitting in my office talking about the focus we were going to bring to the faculty and staff during orientation week. The discussion centered on issues of the heart and our desire to be intentional about living our lives coram deo, before the heart of God.

Before Bob Pierce founded World Vision, he had these words written in the fly-leaf of his Bible: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” One of our desires this year is to help students move closer to the heart of God. Unfortunately there is no simple formula to change or strengthen the heart, yet this is at the core of our relationship with God.

During this discussion with Don, I began to think about Solomon and his honest request for wisdom. He could have asked for wealth, an easy life, happiness, or power, but he asked for wisdom. This request was not a manipulation to impress God but an honest desire, with a motive that was pure, seeking after a better understanding of God’s heart. I pray that in the coming year I will continue to grow tender for the things of God, that I will understand Christ more, and that I will honestly ask for His wisdom and be able to live out his love.

It is also our desire that our students get to the point where they, like Solomon, honestly desire God’s wisdom and a tender and compassionate heart. It is important to be excellent at teaching our students knowledge, but if God’s principles do not become a conviction and passion of the heart, all is lost. Our mission as a school is “to equip servant leaders for the next generation, by educating and developing the whole person for the Glory of God.” In the coming year, we are going to saturate our school with a focus on developing our hearts. This is not an easy task and will require us to work together as a family.

One of the ways we intend to accomplish this is through providing more resources for our parents. In partnership with PTF we will be providing various parent seminars, some around the topic of developing the hearts of students. We will also be using our Core Groups to strategically support this topic. Our faculty and staff will spend time developing tools to encourage heart growth in balance with the training of the mind. We are also looking at providing some kind of out of class ministry experience for students that would stretch them and allow them to better understand God’s heart.

I really believe that God is building up students from Westside to be the next generation of Christian leaders. I also believe that a battle exists for their hearts, and we must be strategic and intentional about providing opportunities for them to grow toward servant leadership.

In July Marta and I went to Bellingham for a friend’s wedding. Just before we left for the trip, we saw a documentary that powerfully communicated the tragic injustice of child trafficking and the sex trade that is currently at epidemic levels in our world. Our hearts ached for these children, and we began researching and talking to our friends about this horrible practice. In our conversations we discovered the name of a man who had a similar experience and has decided to take action by using his gifts and talents to bring about change for these children. Carl Ralston is a businessman with many gifts and talents, who felt a nudge to be used by God. In tandem with reading through The Purpose Driven Life he heard a missionary from Cambodia speak at a seminar regarding a specific instance of a twelve year old girl named Nhu who was sold into child slavery and exploited in the sex trade. Carl’s heart was touched and he took action. He is still a businessman, but he is using his gifts to run a non-profit organization he started called “Remember Nhu.” This organization focuses on prevention and intervention, identifying girls and boys most at risk for a future in the sex trade, and providing them with housing, education, and vocational training in a Christ-centered environment. It is this type of servant leader that we seek to develop at Westside. In the future, some of our students may be in vocational ministry, but I pray that all of our graduates’ hearts will be in line with God’s heart and that they will use their gifts to further His kingdom. God has a purpose for each of us and we need to be ready to ask him for the wisdom to live it out.

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Originally Written for the Westside Way on 3.15.05

Try to put yourself in this story. You have been happily married for over twenty-five years. Life is pretty comfortable. You have been living in the same house nearly your entire marriage. In fact, your mortgage will be paid off in just a few years. Your children are not children anymore and they are leaving for college this year. Your career has been fruitful, and you have made a difference in people’s lives. You have done your part and retirement is now within reach. It will be a nice change of pace. Because you have been fiscally responsible over the years, you will be able to live out the remainder of your years modestly.

Now this is where it gets a little sticky. One day you go to a doctor’s office for a routine check-up. While at the clinic you strike up a conversation with a woman (we will call her Vicki) in the waiting room. She tells you the story of an infant that has just been left in her care as a result of a difficult family situation. Vicki is planning on taking care of the baby until other arrangements can be made. Feeling God’s leading, she expresses to you an immediate dilemma. She has an unavoidable, previously scheduled engagement tonight and will not be able to take the baby with her.

Your son and his friend are sitting on the couch watching TV when you walk in the door. You feel somewhat foolish and scared, yet faithful and obedient. Before they get a chance to see the bundle in your arms you say, “I have an interesting story to tell you.” As you explain the situation, a look of shock comes over your audience.

This story does not end with you helping this child for one night. No, you feel called to faithfully continue to support this young child. Vicki, you and your spouse feel called by God to love this child for life. Vicki decides to seek custody after already having raised her children, and you release your financial future into God’s hands in order to help support them. You do not retire when you had planned or pay off your mortgage when you thought you would. But now you have a critically important relationship with a child who needs you. Fifteen years later, your compassion and willingness to sacrifice for this teenager is unwavering.
(The above story has been modified to protect identities)

I remember that day when my good friend and I were sitting on the couch watching TV when his mother walked in with that baby. I remember the sacrifices they made to pay for the legal bills as they helped Vicki seek custody. I also remember thinking that they were taking a foolish risk. I don’t think that anymore.

What is it that causes people to be compassionate like that? The first chapter of James gives some great examples of how God prepares and molds us to be compassionate.

James 1 (Message)
“3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

9 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer!

12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

22 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! 23 Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, 24 walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.”

And finally in James 1:27 (NIV)

“27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

My friend’s parents lived out these verses and risked it all to save a child they barely knew. What caused them to do that? I believe it was the result of two people allowing Christ to transform their hearts. And when God’s compassion manifested itself in their hearts, they were able to relinquish control and obey.

I recently read about a study where a minister named Doug Huneke interviewed three hundred rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust. From these interviews Huneke found ten common experiences or characteristics among those who were willing to risk it all to save their Jewish neighbors. The themes from James 1 have an amazing parallel to these findings. The rescuers:

-Experienced some form of being left out, undervalued, or marginalized.
-Tackled childhood problems and worked toward goals.
-Identified with a morally strong parent. (Sometimes this was a grandparent.)
-Belonged to a community or group that valued compassion.
-Grew up in a home where hospitality was valued.
-Were exposed to suffering at an early age.
-Were able to empathize with others.
-Were able to present themselves, speak up, and be persuasive.
-Were skilled at cooperating and promoting the well-being of others.
-Were able to examine their own prejudices.
(*Paraphrased from Growing Compassionate Kids, Johnson, p. 36, )

I share this topic with you because it seems to be a recurring theme and challenge in my life. I’ve also been challenged to consider how a school can teach compassion. Can a school partner with parents to encourage students to live out their faith? Can we help our students develop hearts like their Savior’s for the lost and hurting?

Compassion is not a personality trait. It is the overflow of love that originates in Christ. It is learned in times of suffering, trial, and sorrow. It is learned on a mission trip when we empathize with the poor and sick. It is learned when we are mocked for speaking up for the broken and hurting. It is learned when it is modeled to us by a mentor or parent. It is learned when we see others faithfully risking it all to love the widows and orphans.

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