CQ

Last spring I had the opportunity to visit New York City with our choir. Our hotel was right at Grand Central Station and we frequently traveled by subway to get from one place to the next. The New York subway system in the eighty’s and early ninety’s had a reputation of being a very dangerous place, but on this trip I felt perfectly safe as we maneuvered through the subway system.

Something seemingly small happened in the mid to late nineties that dramatically changed New York’s increasing crime rate. Malcom Gladwell describes this phenomenon in his book, The Tipping Point. Gladwell believes that epidemics of ideas, products, and movements develop and grow out of the introduction of the right people, message, and context or environment. In New York City, new leadership believed that the context of an environment of graffiti and broken windows encouraged criminal behavior. Their idea was to begin a campaign to systematically clean up the subway.  To their surprise, the crime rate declined monumentally and almost overnight. The ripple effects of this change have altered the overall perception of New York City. In this case an epidemic of pride in one’s city, which in turn led to a decrease in crime, was set in motion by the removal of graffiti.

As I read through Gladwell’s book over Christmas, seeing example after example of the tipping point factor in action, I could not help but begin thinking about the elements that could begin an epidemic within our own school community. I started by dreaming about what that epidemic might look like.

Imagine if you will a learning community where people are captivated by Christ, motivated to take initiative in learning, and inspired to discover their purpose in God’s economy and kingdom. Learning is a very high value in this community and it is experiential, meaningful, and inspiring. The relationships are life-giving, joyful, supportive, and encourage a high level of excellence. This community is not static and joins Christ in initiating significant movements, working to connect people’s greatest passions with the world’s greatest needs.  The young people that emerge from this community have been exposed to excellence in the arts, athletics, and academics. Students are becoming independently motivated learners because they see how what they are learning is equipping them for their journey beyond this community.

I envision an epidemic of enthusiastic rich learning within a Christ-centered community.

In many ways we already possess what is required to begin a spiritual and learning epidemic within our community. This fall we outlined a vision document that communicates in ideal language what we believe God is calling us to pursue over the next three years. We are now beginning to pursue specific strategies to bring that vision to reality. This four page document simply put speaks to the following elements of our school:

Listen – We seek to be a community that begins all purposes with God’s purpose in mind. We are intentional about listening for that purpose.
Relate – The development of healthy relationships within our community is foundational to learning and pursing a life of influence for Christ.
Inspire – Instructional methods in the classroom and extracurricular experiences are developmental, holistic, learner-focused, and encourage the development of a passion for life-long learning.
Discover –Through unique experiences we are able to challenge students to begin the discovery of Gods values, mission, and passions in their lives. 
Lead- We believe that our students can change the world and we are intentional about developing them as Christ-centered leaders.

Gladwell describe the type of people, message, and context or environment that when combined can initiate an epidemic of ideas, products, and movements. Although his thoughts are not directly from a Christian perspective, elements of his message and case studies confirmed for me that our vision includes these elements (the right types of people, messages, and environment) and could lead to a significant learning and spiritual movement within our school.

Let me give you two examples of how this may already be occurring (there are more).

I believe that when students are inspired to learn and begin to discover something they are passionate about, beautiful things happen. If you visit our science lab each day at four o’clock you will see students engaged in active and self motivated learning. This did not occur until we developed a new science team who established a new learning culture. The science team is very relational and has focused on the science inquiry method, a learner-focused approach, and frequent hands-on lab exercises.  Something has happened within this area of our school.  We have students that are passionate about science like never before. We also have better equipment, because people appreciate what is happening and are eager to give. Our science department has now become one of our greatest strengths; we have more students interested in pursuing science and a greater ability to direct resources toward the program.

Another example started very humbly this fall. Three junior students came to me with a heart of compassion for our school and a desire to do something to encourage spiritual growth. They have a vision to see Westside become a place of passionate devotion to Christ. As we talked about this we thought the best place to begin would be to pray. So, we committed to praying each week on Wednesdays at lunch with a listening heart. It was just the four of us all fall and a very simple effort.

During spiritual emphasis week some amazing healing and spiritual encouragement occured within our school. There has been a steady movement of students seeking God in new ways. We have had some powerful chapels and life altering spiritual conversations with students. We have twice as many applications for the Thailand trip this year. God is bringing some amazing people and opportunities into our community that could have tremendous spiritual influence in the lives of our students.  God is actively transforming us into disciples. I believe that part of this movement within our school comes from the faithful devotion of a few students who have taken the lead to pray.  I believe that increased and sincere prayer has been the tipping point that is beginning a spiritual movement with our school.

I want to be a part of a movement that brings glory to Christ, don’t you? Let’s join together in prayer as we seek to begin a learning and spiritual epidemic at Westside.

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According to Wikipedia an iceberg is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Since the density of pure water ice is ca. 920 kg/m3, and that of sea water ca. 1025 kg/m3, typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion’s shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface.

From what you see on the surface, you’d assume that the part below water is about the same size.  But when you look below the surface you realize that ninety percent of the iceberg is under water and is serving as a ballast – providing stability, depth, and substance to the visible portion.

It is the same way with our lives.  It is the substance of our center, or core, that provides stability and strength to what is visible. For this reason we are committed to nurturing our community and focusing on that which draws us to Christ as our source and center.

What is the ballast in my life that provides meaning, stability and depth to everything I feel, think, and do? Is it a set of rules? Is it me and my own thinking?  Is it other people and their ideas?

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your back on the world’s “sure thing,”
ignore what the world worships.

Doing something for You, bringing something to You –
that’s not what You’re after.
Being religious, acting pious –
that’s not what You’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears so I can listen.

So, I answered, “I’m coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
you’re throwing for me..”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
 became part of my very being. (Psalm 40:4, 6-8 MSG)

Colossians three states, “Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” 

One way we are working at increasing our ballast both personally and corporately is through prayer.  A deep inner life requires an ongoing conversation with the Savior. Our staff is beginning each day in focused prayer for each other, our students, and the school community. Once a week a group of parents meets in the morning to pray for the future of the school. Moms in Touch has been covering our school in prayer for years. 

PTF is sponsoring prayer evenings where parents can walk the halls and pray for their students, teachers, and the school as a whole. Our student-led core groups will focus attention on prayer. Once a month we will spend time during chapel in corporate prayer. In the spring we are exploring the idea of a staff and parent prayer retreat.  The purpose of the retreat is to pray for the school and develop a deeper partnership between teachers and parents. 

Another way we’re seeking to build ballast is by seeking to discern God’s vision for the future of our school. This month we had a community wide meeting on the 11th to gather input on the vision that has been developed so far. We are excited about how God is moving within our school to improve relationships, teaching and learning, and our ability to equip and encourage young adults to live Christ-centered lives of purpose.  Through the clarification of a shared vision we are confirming that we are a community whose center is Christ.

If we are seeking to be an extraordinary community of purpose then we must be clear about what fuels our community.  The Tuesday before students came back, our faculty and staff spent the day discussing what we see as the center of our community. After some great discussion we agreed that a purposeful community is developed from the inside out, and that above all, we desire that Jesus Christ be the source and center of our learning community.

What would a truly Christ-centered community of depth and purpose look like? 

I imagine that the people involved would be whole-heartedly committed to spending time with Jesus. I imagine they would take in scripture regularly, allowing it to penetrate their hearts and change them. I imagine they would be where the action is, following Jesus to dark and dirty places. Like icebergs, I imagine these folks would have a depth of humility, passion, and courage that is far greater than anything visible from the surface. 

May we be such people.  May we be such a community. 

(Iceberg analogy is from Seeds for the Future, Dale, 2005.)

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One of Westside’s three core values is “family,” or community.  Why?  Why would an educational institution place such a high value on community?  Some might argue that this is a distraction from a school’s main purpose of educating students, but I believe it is critical to the educational process.  

When students are in an environment where they feel connected, known, wanted, and challenged, they are more motivated to learn. When teachers are in an environment where they are supported, growing, and have the time and opportunity to connect informally with students, parents, and each other, they are more passionate about teaching. Our purpose in seeking to develop a healthy community is to further our mission to educate the whole person.

In his book Seeds for the Future, Robert Dale identifies three elements which, when developed, encourage healthy community. I have found that these elements have been confirmed by scripture as well as my own experience. These elements are overlapping and are clearly dependent on one another in order to function properly. Over the next few months I intend to take a deeper look at each of these elements of a healthy community.

Element 1 – Centering – The depth of community
A purposeful community of depth must seek Christ as its source of strength. It must be intentional about taking time to care for the soul and discern God’s direction. 

Over the past year I have developed a deep friendship with a man who truly lives a life with Christ at the center. He spends two hours a day in prayer and reading God’s word. He says that he is captivated by Christ. This man is truly humble and sacrificial, which is so attractive and counter cultural. His response to spending time with Jesus is a passion to take on Christ’s mission to love others, glorify God and further His kingdom.  He could not be as effective in loving and caring for others if he did not spend so much time with Jesus – growing in the Spirit and discerning God’s will. 

Element 2 – Connecting – The width of community
Recently, while in flight from Los Angeles to Portland, I spent time journaling and seeking God, asking Him to reveal areas of weakness in my life. This is not a pleasant prayer, but I have found that with an honest confession of brokenness comes the opportunity for growth. It became clear to me that I needed to be more intentional about connecting with people.

My personality does not lend itself quickly to small talk, but I enjoy talking about things I consider meaningful. It is not that small talk is bad; I am just bad at it. When I got home I told Marta that I felt I needed to be more intentional in making connections with people. We both agreed that we want our home to be a safe and comfortable place; we want to open our home and ourselves to others. Marta and I want to befriend and love others as Christ does. This requires face time and a willingness to open up one’s heart to others. God is beginning to answer this prayer. Over the summer we have had a steady stream of connecting with students, parents, and staff from WCHS, and others from within our community. It has been a rich summer of connecting.

In the same way we need to provide intentional opportunities for connecting within the school community. This is required to expand the width of community at Westside.

Element 3 – Challenging – The height of community
The last element of an extraordinary community is to have a purposeful vision and the courage to live it out. This includes the development of a personal vision and sense of purpose within God’s kingdom, but also a community-wide vision.  We have often talked about excellence as one of our core values. We already promote an environment that seeks continuous growth and improvement.  What we need to add is a prayerfully planned, all encompassing vision and a detailed plan to realize it. This vision is just fluff unless we have the courage to follow Christ toward the execution of His vision for our community and for ourselves.

Over the past few months our school leadership and staff have begun the development of a vision that will lead us toward a specific strategic plan over the next three years.  This vision describes conceptually how our community would function and support the educational process, how teaching and learning in the classroom and through extracurricular experiences would progress toward more completely fulfilling our mission, how our community would prepare and challenge our students to become people of influence for Christ, and how our school is uniquely positioned to serve the Christian community.

If you were not able to attend our community meeting on the 22nd please consider joining us on September 11th to give your input into this visioning process. We are excited about what God is doing within our school and need your help to take it to the next step.

As we all know, life is lived in community in one form or another. To be able to navigate and contribute to the growth of a healthy community is a powerful learning objective in itself. We have the opportunity to model healthy Christian community to the next generation, which could inspire our students to develop communities of extraordinary purpose and influence throughout their lives. I look forward to the coming year as we connect, ground our souls in Christ, and challenge each other to seek a life of vision and the courage to live it out.    

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This past week we had a few students over to our house who will be traveling to Thailand on a vision trip. The adults who came filmed the students’ reactions to the following questions. It will be fascinating to see how the answers to these questions may change after the trip. I decided to give the questions a shot. This is a long post so you may want to bite it off in chunks.  How would you answer the questions?

1. There is an obvious need for us, who have so much, to help the lost, hungry and oppressed. What makes it so easy for me to let these needs pass by without responding?

2. Put yourself in the place of a parent of children born in the hill tribes of Northern Thailand. Your family has experienced severe illness and without money your entire family will be at risk of hunger, disease, and exploitation. You are approached by a “business man” from Chiang Mai (the big city) who offers to take one of your young girls to work in his “laundry mat.” He is prepared to give you a year’s wages upfront. How will you respond?

3. Imagine your own elementary school experience growing up. What different types of safety surrounded you on a daily basis?

4. What do I have that is of importance to the people in the hill tribes who experience oppression, injustice, poverty and sometimes a lack of hope?

5. What could the people in the hill tribes have that could be of importance to you?

6. What could be considered blessings or accomplishments in our society?

7. What do you think could be considered blessings or accomplishments for those in the hill tribes? 

8. Knowing that today hill tribe children and their parents are facing danger and impossible moral dilemmas, what could be your immediate responsibility? 

9. How does God feel about the oppressed, the hungry and lost? What is his plan to demonstrate his goodness to the world?

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A few weeks back I was in invited to a two-day training in Seattle sponsored by International Justice Mission. It was a test of my courage to respond to this opportunity because I knew I was going to be out of my league. As a result of the training I have committed to becoming a “Justice Advocate” representing IJM in our community.  (If you would like to learn more I would love to talk to you about IJM – They are freeing slaves around the world!)

At the training I was given all kinds of materials including the book Good News About Injustice. In the opening page of this book Gary Haugen states that if he were only able to give his children one gift it would be that they become men and women of courage.

He then goes on to quote C.S. Lewis saying:

Courage seems like an attribute we must have in order to effectively move out and express our faith in action. If I were to add courage to compassion the result would be an active expression of Christ’s love.

Like Gary, I have prayed for my children since they were born that they would have a heart of compassion. I am not so concerned about intelligence, athletic ability or good looks. Instead I have prayed that they would have a tenderness for other people. I think I will add to that prayer, courage. 

Undeveloped Thoughts: 

Compassion + Courage = Active expressions of Christ’s love

Westside Outside – I am wondering if this label could describe a movement within our school to respond outside of the world we are comfortable in. I am also challenged to move outside of a purely self-focused expression of faith. This is not a judgment of our current state as much as a challenge to examine where we are and where we feel called to be. I want to continue to explore this.

Gary Haugen is speaking at Sunset Presbyterian this Sunday at 9am, 11am and 5pm.

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Over the past eight weeks I have felt convicted to be more intentional about prayer. God has recently captured my heart and given me a deeper love and burden for people, which compels me to drop to my knees. In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, “The inner sense (that comes from Christ) of compassion is one of the clearest indications from the Lord that this is a prayer project for you (p. 40, 1998).”  There seems to be a link between compassion for others and an aspiration to pray.

After my recent experience in Thailand I’ve become passionate about praying for the oppressed and those who minister to them. I am also determined to pray that our students are being equipped to become a generation of servant leaders. This means they are not only prepared well educationally and biblically, but also with a deep calling to live their life sacrificially for Christ. I believe they could be the hands and feet that change the world for Christ. That is worth praying for!

John 12: 24-26

24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

I feel so blessed to work in a learning community that encourages and even requires us to continuously learn more about disciplines like prayer, service, and dying to self. The disciples of Christ expressed their desire to learn about prayer when they said to Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1).  I still have a lot to learn.

Foster says, “I determine to learn to pray so that my experience conforms to the words of Jesus rather than try to make his words conform to my impoverished experience.” (Celebration of Discipline, p37, 1998).  Jesus says in John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” I think this scripture implies that we will know the right things to ask for because we know and are known by Christ intimately. Since I have started praying more consistently, some amazing things have been happening. God has been answering my prayers.

Last Saturday evening was the culmination of banquet week at Westside.  It was a celebration of our school community, highlighting the students that were selected by their peers to be on the banquet court. The most encouraging point for me on Saturday evening was the announcement of the court. As each court member entered the room, thoughts they had put on paper were read aloud for all of us to hear.  Every student on the court expressed to their peers and teachers their unique and authentic desire to serve Christ with their lives.  God is answering prayer!

Recently Marta and I have been praying about her level of participation in the Thailand trip this summer. We are both passionate about the trip and all that it represents, and she would be there in a heartbeat if we didn’t have two young children. Last week we stayed up late one night weighing the pros and cons. On one hand it would be hard for our kids to be away from both of their parents for such a long time, but on the other, they (especially our five year old) could learn a heart level lesson by sharing their parents for twelve days with children who don’t have parents. Marta was leaning toward not going but felt she needed to keep praying because she hadn’t heard clearly from the Lord yet. We brought up the subject with our daughter, telling her that we were in the process of praying about it, and not to our surprise, she told us she didn’t want Marta to go.

Two days later our daughter asked Marta, “Have you decided to go to Thailand?”  Marta replied, “No, Daddy and I are still asking God if He wants me to go?”
“I don’t want you to pray.”
“Why not?”
“I know what Jesus would say.”
“Oh really?”
“He would want you to go.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know, I just know that’s what He would want.”

Two hours later our daughter asked in a very soft voice, “Are you going?”
Marta asked, “To Thailand?  We’re still praying about it.”  With a sad look on her face our daughter said what sounded like, “I think you should go.”  Marta was not sure she’d heard her correctly so she asked, “Did you say you think I should go?”  Our daughter nodded affirmatively.  Putting together the sad face and the response, Marta said, “You think I should go even though you know you’ll miss me and that will make you feel sad?”  She nodded again.

Another prayer answered!  We were amazed that our little five year old was willing to show this type of sacrificial love.  Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us through a child. This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last. Needless to say, we are leaning the other way now.

PSALM 8: 1-2

“1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Keep praying!

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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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