CQ

This past weekend Marta and I were invited to attend a hooding ceremony and graduation at George Fox Seminary. It was a pleasure to listen in as professors spoke one last time into the lives of their adult students. The students had the opportunity to share with those in the audience who have sacrificed so much to make their education possible. Students also gave praise to their instructors and fellow students who they have shared life with over the past few years. As the graduates walked in front of us I was looking for the face of that special lady we came to support. She was so beautiful! She was clearly beaming with pride and a sense of accomplishment. We were all so proud of her.  Let me tell you a little about this amazing lady.

She is one of seven children. This has its challenges and rewards. She has persevered through life’s pain in the most gracious and classy way possible. This lady is an elegant fighter and has not allowed life’s challenges to keep her down. With every curve she has found a way to seek God’s discernment and discover healing. She is continually growing and I suspect she will do so until her last breath. Her passion is to inspire the development of the inner life; a life that is in tune with and listening to Christ with each breath. This lady is real; there is no room for superficial fluff.

She has inspired me to live a life of purpose; influenced me to develop a healthy marriage relationship, helped me to learn perseverance, compassion, empathy, independence, the importance of service, good communication, and personal hygiene. I am still working on that last one. You may be asking who is this person and how could I get to know her. This amazing women is my Mom.  I am so proud of her!

Well done Master Mom!

Ecclesiastes 1:18 MSG
Much learning earns you much trouble. The more you know, the more you hurt.

Proverbs 1:7 MSG
Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  ~ Henry L. Doherty

Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.  ~Mark Twain

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.  ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  ~Henry Ford

Learning is like rowing upstream:  not to advance is to drop back.  ~Chinese Proverb

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.  ~Confucius

Patience is the companion of wisdom.  ~St. Augustine

The years teach much which the days never knew.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.  ~Isaac Asimov

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.  ~George Bernard Shaw

Quotes from “The Quote Garden!”

 

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Over the past few months I have been writing about three elements of our theme for this school year – an extraordinary community of purpose. At the beginning of each year we develop a theme derived from our core values, mission, or vision.  This theme is more than a slogan. We use our theme as a reminder of the core beliefs that have given direction to our school for over twenty five years.

The first element of an extraordinary community of purpose is our desire to intentionally give space for and invite in the source and center of our community. We are committed to nurturing our community and focusing on drawing near to Christ as our source and center. The second element is to seek authentic relationship or connections within our community.

A few weeks ago we experienced one of the most powerful series of chapels in the history of our school. Irvin Brown shared about the importance of transparency and the transformation that comes in Christ.  He challenged us that what we do in this life echoes into eternity. He invited our students to forgive themselves and others, and to begin to see how risky and life changing it is to have an intentional loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  At the end of chapel, students came forward for prayer. It was a beautiful sight to see students and staff in tears praying together. The residual impact of that chapel continues. We are responding with a regular time of prayer for students at lunch time. Our recent chapels illustrated both our intention to respond to the Holy Spirit in our lives and to provide an opportunity for us to connect in authentic ways with each other. I believe with all my heart that it is through Christ and in the context of relationship that the most powerful learning and growing can occur.

The third element of an extraordinary community of purpose is challenge – we are challenged to dream big dreams. I believe that this generation of young people has unbelievable potential to impact the world. They are up for a challenge. I also believe that dynamic teams are fueled by the courageous pursuit of a purposeful vision.

In a few hours school will be shutting down early. Our community will be heading to a soccer field to support the vision and courage of our girls soccer team. In the same way our Cross Country team has pursued a vision. This past weekend our guys team finished 2nd and girls 3rd in the state. Like the soccer team this vision for excellence was accomplished after months of courageous preparation. Last weekend our performing arts program completed a fantastic performance of You Can’t Take it With You. They have persevered through the difficulties that come with pursuing a challenging task. We have students who have recently been recognized as National Merit Scholars. Years of disciplined endeavor have brought them to a place of intellectual prominence. There are also students for whom school work does not come easily, yet they courageously pursue learning in the face of discouraging results. We have students who have a vision to change the lives of poor and orphaned children at risk of exploitation in Thailand. Since they’ve returned from their trip this summer, they have told the story of these children. The response is a home being built this month that will save nearly thirty more children from exploitation. Our students are looking for a challenge. They want to start movements. They want to impact the world for Christ. It is right that our community inspire and encourage courageous visions such as the ones mentioned above.

Since school has started, my daughter has included an interesting clause in her prayer at dinner time. We get the typical “thank you for the food,” but she ends each prayer with, “thank you God for monkey bars.” She is passionate about monkey bars.  Everyday we get a report on the progress she has made in this pursuit. At the beginning of the school year she was struggling to get across. We celebrated that triumph at the dinner table, but the next day we heard about the next goal to go down and back, and then skipping a bar was the big accomplishment.  A month into school and she could wave to people between bars. She was pretty disappointed when she was out of commission for a few days, a case of blisters, but she was proud when her blisters became calluses. Next she hopes she will be able to “wrap her legs like licorice” while skipping bars and waving.

There are always new challenges to face if we are growing in Christ. I am humbled and blessed that God invites us to partner in His mission.  It is not easy to pursue a Christ-planted vision, but the challenge is worth it. Our community is fueled by the courageous pursuit of a purposeful vision. 

Thank you God for monkey bars.

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As I reflect on my relationship with Marta I recognize that I have a blessed life. I am blessed because my most significant earthly relationship surpasses my expectations. I live with my best friend! My wife is constantly growing and challenging me to grow. That is an amazing gift that keeps life real and alive. When I am hurting or burned out Marta points me to the source of healing and replenishment. I am thankful for her beyond measure!

Marta is also an amazing mother. She is intentional, purposeful, committed, persevering, honest, playful, and loving. It brings me pleasure to see our children develop under her prayerful and thoughtful leading. Marta is concerned for the hearts of our children, not just that they perform well in public. She wants them to develop into kingdom minded people with a heart of compassion for others.

Today I was searching the web on motherhood and found a section written by a mother that spoke to me.

This parenting task is not easy. It can be overwhelming, monotonous, tiring, and discouraging. It is work that does not result in instant gratification or produce accolades. Marta is committed still. Parenting is nonstop and is more about perseverance than getting it right every time.

My wife is a masterful mother.

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The last two weeks have been extremely busy and draining. I have not had the margin in my life to adequately refill what I have been required to give out. This weekend I am shell shocked after the week I just had. It does not seem to be ending. Yesterday was my daughters birthday party. I am speaking at Church tonight with Josh regarding Thailand. Marta and I are leaving for D.C. on Thursday night for the prayer gathering at IJM. I have a site 25 team meeting on Monday night, a Thailand Team meeting on Tuesday, and I am trying to schedule a meeting on Wednesday after school. That has been the consistent pattern since I got back from NYC.

Margin is required to function at a deep level. I need space alone to think, write, pray, and listen. I want to live my life with deep purpose and not dictated by deep pressure. I want to spend time doing what is important and not only dealing with the urgent. I want to be where my God is, not where I have wandered to because I have not looked up for weeks.

This morning I am sitting at my comfort place… Starbucks. If I can get a couple of hours alone to renew my perspective my battery is quickly charged. I find that when I take this kind of time my focus changes and I quickly remember that I am not operating on my own strength or for my own purposes.

Philipians 4:13 MSG

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

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I have never received a thumbs up from my daughter before, but it happened tonight at Safari Sam’s. This is a pizza place with all kinds of play equipment, noise and craziness for kids and kid-like adults.This may seem like a strange topic for a post, but give me the benefit of the doubt and read on.

After a long, emotional, and tiring day Marta called me on my cell to say we were meeting some friends and their children at Safari Sam’s for dinner and play. This sounded like a great way to end our week.

As you walk into the place they stamp you and your children with matching serial numbers. As you leave they make sure each child is matched with the right adult. They always check Marta for this, dads don’t seem to be as credible when it comes to keeping track of their children, I guess. This process gives parents a sense of security and children some independence.

So, my daughter and her friend were running around the place like free spirits, having a merry time. They were checking in periodically, but were enjoying their freedom. After we finished dinner and they had been playing for awhile my daughter came up to me and did something she has never done before.

She asked me for money.

I guess this is something Marta and I need to get use to, but this was a first for me. I asked what it was for, and she acted like I should just trust her.  She said she wanted to buy some ice cream for her friend and herself, so I gave her the two dollars and was intrigued along with the other adults to see what would happen next.

They walked up to the counter. Many times I have tried to encourage her to have the courage to purchase things on her own. It is in moments like this in the past that I have seen her freeze and just stare at the person on the other side with a sad weepy face. This time was different. She handed the man the two dollars and requested a sherbet ice cream and two spoons. It was at this moment that my world spun for a split second.

My daughter turned and looked at me with a proud smile and gave me a thumbs up. It was as though she was saying to me, “I can do this Dad, I’m okay.” It was very cute, but at the same time made my heart skip. At that moment a scene from the future played in my mind of us walking down the aisle at her wedding. I turn to my seat looking back and my daughter turns toward me with a proud and loving smile, flashing the thumbs up. “I can do this Dad, I’m okay.”

It is a great thing to experience growth. It can be hard and scary, yet exhilarating. It brings me joy to see my daughter developing. I look forward to flashing my heavenly Father the thumbs up as I begin to understand more the workings of his kingdom. 

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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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