What Was I Thinking?

I can't believe that the temperature is supposed to be nearly 70 degrees today. This is the month of February, after all, and we are supposed to be dealing with sleet, snow, and bitter cold, not balmy weather. All of our students' prayers for a snow day have come to naught, but they have had two days off this week, one thanks to Presidents Washington and Lincoln and the other thanks to parent teacher conferences. The dearth of snow days hasn't harmed us one bit. We are all relatively healthy in body, mind, and spirit, and we aren't playing catch-up for missed classes and scrambling to re-schedule basketball games and field trips. Greater Grace Christian Academy is chugging right along like a train steadily making its way down the tracks toward June and the final days of the school year. We have much to accomplish between now and June 4th. Besides completing our academic courses and finishing sports seasons, we have concerts, a high school banquet, a spring fundraiser, s...

I downloaded a song this weekend called "The One You Want" by the Christian artist, Todd Agnew. I've listened to it a couple of times, and the lyrics have really spoken to me, because they expresses some of the thoughts I have had at times as a believer. The beginning of the chorus says, "It's hard for me to believe that I could be lovely in Your eyes, that I'm really the one You want." It amazes me time and again to be reminded that I have been made acceptable in God's eyes, and that the blood He shed for me on Golgotha's hill has blotted out all my sins, and that God sees me as perfect in Jesus, His Son. Sometimes I forget that maybe not everyone reading this blog I write is a born again believer in Jesus Christ. From time to time, parents inquire about the possibility of putting their children in Greater Grace Christian Academy, and they hope we have a open seat in one of our classes, because we have a caring, safe, academic environment an...

I cannot believe that an entire month has passed by without my writing a blog entry. Such neglect on my part! I apologize to any of you who have been waiting for a new post. Today I will make amends by writing about something dear to my heart - our GGCA students First and foremost, understand that each GGCA student is an inestimable treasure, most certainly in your eyes, but also in ours, and we thank you for entrusting your treasure with our school. It is like you have entrusted us with your treasure and we are the stewards working to produce a return on your investment by investing in each child ourselves. We aren't going to be like the steward in the parable who wrapped the talent entrusted to him in a napkin and buried it. No. We are going to do our best with all we have to work in partnership with you to help bring you child to his or her full potential. Of course, the difference between a financial investment and a human investment is that the human investment has a ...

Twenty-twelve. Two thousand twelve. 2012. Wouldn't it be incredible if our Lord Jesus Christ came back to take us home this year? More and more, I realize that this world is not my true home, and that this world's system is diametrically opposed to what I am taught from God's Word to live and believe. When God said that His thoughts and ways are not my thoughts and ways, that His are higher, He wasn't kidding. When I am thinking with His thoughts and walking in His ways, I feel like an alien living on this planet, and I long to be in the place God has prepared for me where I can feel one hundred percent at home. Pastor Schaller has been teaching us about how our God knows us and loves us deeply. John's gospel tells us that the Maker of the world came into the world, but the world did not know Him or receive Him. Pastor Schaller spoke about how how Joseph's brothers did not know him when they met him in Egypt, and how we, too, may not recognize God when He is...

I just nearly did myself an injury. I walked into the teacher's lounge and saw Mr. Colby in a sky blue, short-sleeved, collared, cable knit sweater buttoned all the way to the top, and I bent over laughing and ran right hip first into the counter. It is Ugly Christmas Sweater Day here in grades 8-12, and we are awarding prizes to the student in each of those grades who shows up wearing the ugliest sweater. The prize will be free ice skating on our traditional Wednesday morning before Christmas trip to Ice World, and amazing $10 value! I am wearing an ugly sweater from the Cosby Show era that I bought last week for an elementary chapel skit. In the course of that skit, the sweater was doused with chocolate milk, but it all came out in the wash so that I could sport its ugliness today in school. Unfortunately, I am ineligible to win won of the prizes. Yesterday  baked cookies for the staff. My Grammie Manzo's Ginger Crinkles and a recipe I got from America's Test Kitchen ...

Christmas can be a stressful time of year for a child, especially at school. I remember being really nervous about Secret Santa or Secret Angel gift exchanges. What if I draw the name of a girl? Argh! How do I know what a girl wants? And what if the girl likes the presents and thinks I like her for some reason? Double argh! What if I get the name of someone who doesn't like me? Do I have to get that person good presents? And what if my name is picked by someone who doesn't like me? Will I get anything? What if my name is picked by a girl who likes me? Maybe I'll get good presents, but how embarrassing is that, huh? Maybe I will be lucky and draw the teacher's name and my best friend will pick my name. Yes! Oh, please, God, make it so. As you can see, Secret Santa or Angel time produced a lot of anxiety in my schoolboy soul. Added to this stress was the keen despair that occurred when (unknown to me) my Secret Santa was absent or broke and I did not get a gift on the fir...

I'm a bit confined to my desk today, because I am suddenly overcome with dizziness and altered vision. I was trying to read a portion from a book and found that I had little spots before my eyes like you get when you are out too long in the sun on a white, snowy day. Those of you who have been to my office know that it is not brightly lit, so this phenomenon confused me, and when the dizziness began, nausea was right on its heels. I went to the GGCA prayer room and lay down for a while and felt a mild headache build behind my right eye. I feel as though I have a migraine headache without the pain. Whatever it is, I am taking it easy here in my office and taking some time to write to you. The weather has been unseasonably warm for December, but that has not stopped the younger students from asking almost daily, "Is it Christmas yet?" and singing songs like Jingle Bells as they trail along in their teacher's wake each morning from the Family Center to their classro...