In 2021 the West Virginia State legislature passed a bill, The Hope Scholarship Fund, that was subsequently signed by West Virginia Governor Justice that would provide funds to families so that they could choose the best path for their child’s education. These funds would not pose a reduction of funds to public schools, but it would do what many parents desire, and what MVCA continues to lobby for in Virginia, provide a true path forward to funding families instead of public schools.
We have shared this in a previous blog, but it serves to be repeated, when you create competition it only makes both sides work harder to be better. When you give parents the choice of where they can send their children to school, it creates a better future for the community as a whole. Studies over the past several decades indicate quite clearly that school choice has positive academic effects on both private and public schools. School choice has positive effects on both taxpayers and Public Schools. School choice has positive effects on racial segregation in schools, and it has positive effects on civic values and practices. (Greg Forster, Ph.D.) I bring all of this to your attention again, and I urge you to pray even more, because on October 4, 2022 the West Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments about the West Virginia Hope Scholarship. Hundreds of families, even some of our own, were counting on these funds to help send their children to a school that would be a better fit for their child, and to provide better opportunities. For families across our nation, school choice is what we need to pray fervently for. It is right for West, Virginia, it is right for Virginia, and it is right for the nation. There is not one aspect that takes a negative hit because parents have a choice. And please hear my heart, we are not pro-school choice because we dislike those within the public system. We are pro-school choice because it is right for families and America. For more information about school choice visit https://www.edchoice.org/ or https://schoolchoiceweek.com/. To read Dr. Greg Forster’s report on the Empirical Evidence for School Choice visit https://www.heartland.org/_template-assets/documents/publications/friedman_-_2016-5-win-win-solution-web.pdf
0 Comments
This past April I was blessed to have the opportunity to fly to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a conference. The conference was amazing, but it was the flight home that got me thinking about this blog post.
I flew on Southwest, you know, the no frills airline. It was a fairly short flight, so I only got a cup of soda and a small bag of trail mix. I guess I could have had more if I asked, but I try to not be a glutton when I am amongst strangers. When the drink and snack was served, it came with a small dessert napkin. It was the napkin that really caught my attention. On one side of the napkin were the words, “Where will your wanna take you?” My wanna-whata? “Where will your wanna take you?” At first, I thought that was strange, but when you really think about it, we all have “wannas” in our lives. It makes perfect sense. We wanna go someplace, we “wanna” be something, We “wanna” do something, we “wanna” this and we “wanna” that. (I feel that Dr. Seuss could have had a field day with “wanna”.) The idea of “wanna” is the beginning of visions, dreams, desires. These are good things. The Bible tells us that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) It is a good thing to dream, to imagine what our lives could be. Our children dream of their future and what they “wanna” be when they grow up. It took me well into my adult life to figure out what I “wanna” be. When I was young it was to be a firefighter/paramedic. I made it to Intermediate EMT, but never made it to firefighter. (I guess that was a half-a-wanna-be) The “wannas” in our lives are what dreams are made of. And our dreams are what our realities can be. But we can’t fulfill our lives on “wannas”. We have to take the step up to the next level. Fortunately, I turned to napkin over. The other side of the Southwest Airlines napkin completed the equation. “In 1971, a triangle scribbled on a napkin transformed a dream into an airline and a wanna into a gonna.” Visions and dreams are great, but it is what we do with those visions and dreams that really matter. As I write this my wife and great niece are in the process of baking a cake. Prior to this they had the vision, dream, “wanna” of baking a cake. Had they not gotten up and into the kitchen, gathered the ingredients together, turned on the oven, and mixed everything together in the right proportions, they would not have turned the “wanna” into the “gonna”. In a little bit there will be a cake that we are “gonna” eat. The “gonna” creates the satisfaction of the finished product. If they only stayed on the “wanna” our stomachs would be empty and my taste buds would be terribly disappointed. The same can be true, will be true, if we leave the “wannas” on the drafting table. We take our visions and dreams and we put together a plan that will help us get to the “gonna” and beyond. So, I ask, what is the “wanna” for your life, for your child’s life? What do you “wanna” be, where do you “wanna” go with your life? What dreams, visions do you have? Once you have a clear vision of your “wanna”, it is time to plan to turn the “wanna” into a “gonna”. Draft the plan, finalize the plan and make it happen. You can’t go anywhere on a “wanna”, but you will be fulfilled with the “gonna”. So, how are you going to turn you “wanna” into a “gonna”? “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal., that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Those words were penned by Thomas Jefferson 246 years ago and included in the Declaration of Independence. Those words rang true then, and they ring true now. As a nation, brave men and women have fought and died to protect our rights to be a free and independent nation. But, as Thomas Jefferson eluded to in the above quote, these rights come from one much higher, with much more authority than any individual or group can ever attain. Our government can pass laws, enforce laws, and make or break our nation, but ultimately, we have to look at the one who has provided the means for our Democratic Republic to exist. As I write these words, and I think about where our nation is right now, it is very easy to get swept up in the political divide that we are finding ourselves in now. A divide that we should not find ourselves in if we are going to remain THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. We must be able to find common ground, we must be able to have open debate without hatred or a dismissive attitude towards those who have differing opinions. Psalm 133 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Our freedoms are proclaimed in the documents that created our great nation, but they are provided for by the God who created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Not only has God created the physical universe, he has also established the “governing authorities.” Paul, in writing to the church in Rome made this statement in chapter 13, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Our forefathers, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and the list goes on, clearly understood where their authority came from and where life, liberty, and our pursuit of happiness originates from. So, this fourth of July, remember the gift it is to be living in a free country, to have the liberties we have and the ability to live our lives in a way that brings glory to God. Perhaps, just as we read the Christmas story to our children at Christmas, we should remind our children of how we became a nation every 4th of July. I know that may not sound very exciting, but if we are not reminded of where we came from, who we ought to be as a nation and as a society, and by whom we have been granted this freedom, it becomes all too easy to forget, and fall away from the position we once held. God Bless your family, and God Bless these United States of America. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 Well, here we are at the end of another school year. Class awards, graduations for high school and kindergarten, field day and the end of the year picnic are all that is left. Where does the time go?
It is a fact of life that time stands still for no one. The years go by, our children grow at amazing speed, and years that at one time actually took 365 days to get through, now seem like they go twice as fast. So, what do we do to slow down time? Well, reality is we can’t, but maybe I can suggest a few things that might make the time we have more meaningful.
Take a walk, a bike ride, swimming, playing catch, whatever you can think of, these are the opportunities that we need to take, and the lifelong memories we can make.
The opportunities to send time and make memories will present themselves, we just have to purposefully make and take the time. Take pictures, videos, keep a journal, and make sure you save these things to the “cloud,” so there are always available wherever you may be. You don’t want to one day try to find picture or video and it not be in your phone.
SLOW DOWN, MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER! I prat that this summer you have plans to do those three things. Time is short and moves at the pace God has set, but life doesn’t’ have to pass us by. We are all given the same number of seconds, minutes and hours in a day. The difference is how we use the time given. James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” What is an organizations greatest asset? Is it their building, their organizational structure? Is it their program or products? What is it that makes an organization great?
Some may argue that it’s all of these things working together, but what keeps them working? Why can’t we find one asset that is greater than the rest? I know, that is a lot of questions and you probably haven’t had your full compliment of coffee yet, but these are important things to consider. Why? Because each organization is unique. Unique in what they offer consumers, unique in how they deliver their goods and services, and unique because of its greatest asset, the people who put it all together. The first week of May we will be celebrating TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. Started in 1984, this is a week that we celebrate the dedication and hard work of the men and women who diligently prepare our children for the challenges of life that lay before them. Lesson plans, grading papers, answering questions, solving problems, and that is before they get into the classroom to teach our children to read, to write, the importance of history, the excitement of science, and how to relate to those around us. Our children’s teachers are so much more that just that person who stands in front of a classroom telling them what they should know, how they should do it, and why it is important. Our teachers are also councilors, nurses, social workers, referees, dieticians, janitors, and so on. And, they do all of this with love, compassion, patience, and a will to see our children succeed in life. In the book of James, we find the reason that we should see the value of those who answer the call to be teachers. It is a profession that demands much of the person. It is a profession that easily comes under fire when something goes wrong. But, what it really is, is a mission, a ministry to teach, disciple, love children and train them in the way they should go. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Teaching as a profession is not for everyone. I am a living example of that. Although I did it last school year for a wonderful group of 9th graders, it is not my calling. My dad was a teacher of literature and poetry, he was a great teacher. I was never blessed, or cursed, to have him as a teacher, but I have heard others speak very well of him and the work he did. I believe he was called to be a teacher, but I was not. At Mountain View Christian Academy, we always say that we have the best teachers this side of heaven, and we do. The men and women who serve this ministry do so not out of a love for money, for we all know that private school teachers are the lowest paid, but out of a sense of mission. To teach and train the next generation of leaders. To be a part of something bigger than themselves. To be able to deliver quality education for the whole child - Spiritually, Academically, Socially and Physically. In our world there are many people who are heroes. We can debate who is the greatest of the heroes, but the ones who touch lives, and have the opportunity to shape the future, they are teachers. According to Dictionary.com a hero is 1. A person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character, 2. A person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal. You tell me if that does not describe a teacher. So, to all the teachers of the world, HAPPY NATIONAL TEACHERS WEEK! You have been, and still are heroes by the very definition of the word. For many the idea of celebrating someone’s death is a difficult concept to grasp, especially when we have had a close relationship with that person. With death comes an end. An end of a period of time, an end to a beautiful, earthly relationship, and the end of life itself. We cry at the loss, we mourn at the thought of not seeing that person again, and the sadness lingers for what seems like an eternity. But, death does not have to be the final goodbye. It does not have to be the end of the final chapter. It could be just a time to say, “I’ll see you in a little while.”
On Friday, April 15th we remember the night that Jesus Christ was arrested, wrongfully tried and convicted, brutally beaten, and nailed to the cross and left to die. The narrative is difficult to read without shedding tears. I could not imagine what it would have been like to actually witness what he had to go through. Hollywood has attempted for years to put on film what that night must have been like for Jesus, but even then, I have to wonder if it wasn’t even worse. The Passion of the Christ was probably the closest, but even then, was it even more brutal than Hollywood can depict? And yet, we celebrate the death of Jesus. We, Christians, look upon the cross not as something to be despised, but as something that was necessary. I mean, we do call the day, “Good Friday.” But the death of Jesus was not the end of the story, and because of what happened on Sunday, it does not have to be the end of our story either. Jesus’ end on this earth was the beginning of life for all of us. It opened the door between mankind and God the Father. What once was an ugly, blood-soaked cross is now a beautiful bridge between us and God. When we accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, to be His disciples, to die to our sins in the watery grave of baptism, and arise in a newness of life we become heirs to the very kingdom in which He, the only begotten Son of God, came from. Romans 8:17 - Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Galatians 3:29 - If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Titus 3:7 - so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Because of what Jesus endured on the night of his betrayal and the day of His death, we share in His inheritance when we become children of God. Galatians 3:26 - So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. So, the story of the cross, of the death of Jesus, is not the end. We know that on the first day of the week, Sunday, the stone was rolled away from the tomb and the body of Jesus was nowhere to be found. HE IS ALIVE, and because of His resurrection from the dead, we too, can share in that resurrection one day as we live for Him, serve Him, and share His marvelous story. In the same way we shall rise from our earthly graves to walk in the glories of heaven. Romans 6:5 - For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. This past Sunday, nearly 2000 years ago, was a time of great joy as Jesus entered Jerusalem, but that joy quickly turned to great sorrow as Jesus was beaten and crucified, but in three days it became a day of great hope. Life as we know it on this earth will stop one day, but life with Christ will live for all eternity. There will be no end to the story if we accept Him, His grace, mercy and the assurance of what will be for all eternity. 1 Corinthian 15 - 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When you gather together with family and friends this Easter Sunday, remember, what may have seemed like a sad Friday, was in fact “good,” as it was the forerunner to what became a “GREAT” Sunday! “Without a VISION, the people will perish.” Proverbs 29:18
When we are young we can envision anything. We dream and imagine what our lives will be like when we get older. As children we are going to grow up and be a professional athlete, or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a police officer, or a firefighter. When I was younger, it was being an astronaut or a pilot. These are great dreams and visions we have for our future lives. But something happens when we become adults. I don’t know if reality sets in, or fear, or what, but all of a sudden, we don’t have those same visions. Some of us become what others want us to be. We become someone’s vision that was not ours. Having a vision for who we want ourselves to be is important, but we have to have a plan to make that vision a reality. The same is true for a business. There has to be a vision of what the future looks like whether it is one, three, five, or ten years down the road. Where there is no vision, there is no real future. Sure, you can go day to day doing what you do, but what does tomorrow look like? Is it the same as today, and will it be the same tomorrow, or is there something exciting that you have been working towards? Hopefully you have a vision for your future, and hopefully you are working hard to make that vision a reality. On March 5, 2022, Mountain View Christian Academy unveiled a vision that has been prayed about for many years. It is a vision of what the 33-acre campus could one day look like. It is a vision that includes remodeling existing structures as well as building new structures for the church as well as a new home for Mountain View Christian Academy. That is very exciting! Visions like this are not realized by only one person. It may take one person to light the fire, but it takes many to keep it burning through the night. The same goes for bringing visions to reality. The vision that was presented for Mountain View Christian Academy will not be realized in a day, a week, a month or a year. It will not be realized by one or two people. For this, or any vision to become the reality we all hope it will be will require an entire community of people who share the vision, who grasp the vision, and who commit to seeing the vision become a reality. It may start with “I”, but it ends with “US!” The collection of people who are closest to the vision. The ones who have seen where we were, where we are and where we envision ourselves to be in the future. And that all starts with PRAYER! Our entire MVCA family, and beyond, needs to be praying together for the future success of MVCA. We need to be praying about the growth in our enrollment numbers through right-fit families. We need to pray for our current teachers and staff, as well as for new staff that may be added in the future. We need to be praying for each other as a family who share in the vision, mission and philosophy of MVCA. And we need to pray about how we can commit and contribute to the funds necessary to fulfill the vision. No one truly enjoys talking about money, but it is necessary for this vision to become the reality we all hope it will become one day. If each of the current families committed just $30 dollars per month for the next 5 years we could raise $288,000 dollars. Add to that new families, friends and relatives of families, other donation amounts, and that number can jump exponentially. Like I said, this is not an overnight success. It is not a sprint, it is a marathon. It is praying, working, praying, giving, and praying, praying, praying! It is a community of people committed to what MVCA stands for and strives to be in the future. “Our vision is to be the premiere educational institution in Frederick County, Virginia, and a forerunner for kingdom education delivered in a manner worthy of bringing glory to the excellent name of Jesus Christ.” (mvca.ccmv.com) Visions are necessary for survival. Without a vision there is no growth and without growth there is no future. Together we hold the keys to the future, but God holds the power, the strength and the ability to make our vision a reality. There is an old children’s Sunday School song that speaks of how precious we all are in the eyes of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” All of us, young and old, rich or poor, black or white, etc. etc. were created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. February is Black History Month and our country celebrates the amazing accomplishments the black community has made on the national and world stage. When Thomas Jefferson penned the words, “We hold these truths self-evident, that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL,” (emphasis mine) he envisioned a united nation with no negative, divisive rhetoric that puts a wedge between people of different race, ethnicity, and religion. In the gospel of John, Jesus prayed that we would all be one, united as we serve God and serve one another. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23) To be the people God desires us to be, we must come together despite our differences and disagreements. We must be able to civilly sit down at the table of fellowship and agree that sometimes we may disagree, but we are still created together in the image of God to live together, to work together and to serve together for the greater good. I have said for many years that regardless of what our skin color may be, the blood that gives us life is always red. As a nation, we should remember all history, the good, the bad and the ugly. History teaches us the consequences of our past mistakes and how we must move forward and not repeat those same atrocities. But our history is also filled with great triumphs and accomplishments by people of all races, nationalities and religions. This nation has been able to accomplish what it has accomplished only when we all come together as “one nation under God” with the eyes of children who do not recognize color, but only the character of the other children sitting next to them in the sand box. Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” Not being judged by the color of their skin must be applied to all races. All nationalities are precious in the eyes of God. In the whole scheme of things, His eyes are the only eyes that matter. We should see others through His eyes blind to the color, but wide open to the character within each of us. In so many aspects of our lives we are given choices. We have a choice of where we want to work, what we want to do, where we want to live, etc. etc. When we go out to eat we have a plethora of menu choices and then within those choices there is many times the choice of soup or salad. When I was younger, a lot younger, I always heard that choice of soup or salad as “super salad,” and would many times say yes. It was then that I was informed I had to make a choice. Some choices are easy, and some choices are hard, but it is nice to know that part of living in a free country is that we have choices.
Next week we will celebrate School Choice Week. This is a week that celebrates the many different choices, Public, Private, Home, Charter, as well as others, that parents have when it comes to their child’s education. Of all the options that there are, Christian Schools offer the best option when it comes to educating the whole child. All schools teach academics, physical education, and being with other students helps with the social skills necessary to relate to other people, but it is only the Christian school that stresses the spiritual aspect of education. The love and compassion from teachers, the moral and ethical teachings found only when one can open their Bible and be taught from it, and the realization that ALL things were created by God for us to enjoy. Whether it be History, Math, English, or Science, we can see the hand of God in all things. If you take away any of the four areas listed above you are not teaching the whole child. We are all created with minds to think, bodies to move, a desire to be with others, and a spirit that desires to be connected with God’s Spirit. All four of those pieces of the whole student education puzzle are found only in the Christian school setting. But, as with all choices, it is imperative that the choices made are the ones that rightly fit the needs of the individual. When there is an opportunity to choose between products or services, it creates competition. Competition, as in sports, creates the need to be better, stronger, and find more creative ways in order to be the best. Coke and Pepsi are constantly looking for better tastes to make them better. AT&T and Verizon are constantly advancing technology to make them better. Grocery stores, retail stores, and other service related organizations are constantly changing and re-imagining how to reach more customers in order to be better. The more competition, the better the product, or the organization does not survive. Where there is choice, there is a better, freer society, eager to develop and always striving to be in the number one spot on the charts. Giving parents a choice of where they send their children, and helping them financially to make that choice, as we are seeing happening in many states now, will create a better society because all schools will have to find ways to be better. If schools have to work harder in making sure students are engaged and thriving, does that not equal a better students, which translates into a better society for all? When there is no choice and no incentive to make a choice, society is forced to do what the one entity wants them to do, or learn. I firmly believe that it is a parents God given responsibility to see that their children are cared for as they see fit, and that includes where they get their education. The right educational atmosphere can truly shape a child for future success by allowing them to learn in a way that best fits their needs. When all of those pieces are put in place, it will not only benefit the child, but also the family and the community. For more information about school choice, visit schoolchoiceweek.com or edchoice.org. Mountain View Christian Academy has been providing a Christ-centered, Biblically based education to families throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley since 1992. Our curriculum is integrated with Biblical truths, and is taught by teachers who truly honor God and love the children they are teaching. Being a Christian school creates an atmosphere where learning is accomplished through studying textbooks, just as in any school, but also the freedom to open God’s word, pray when prayer is needed, and focus on the whole child, Spiritually, Academically, Socially and Physically. For more information about Mountain View Christian Academy, fill out the contact form on the right, or call 540-868-1231 to schedule a time to come and tour our facilities. Every January first at midnight, we begin a new year. We can gleefully say goodbye to the past and say hello to what we hope will be a better year ahead.
For the past 30 years MVCA has been working, serving, and preparing for what has been a wonderful year of celebration, remembering the past, and looking to the future. 30 new years have brought us to the year of new commitments, new dedication, and a renewed vision for a future that is becoming clearer by the day. The Bible gives us the insight for what the number 30 means. It is the age that King David was when he took his place on the throne that eventually would belong to the Messiah, Jesus, for all eternity. Joseph, the son of Israel that was sold into slavery, became second in command in all of Egypt when he was 30 years old. John the Baptist was 30 when he began his ministry of salvation, and Jesus began His ministry of love, peace, and hope at the age of 30. And it was in 30 AD that the Church of Christ was born on the day of Pentecost. For Mountain View, our 30th year stands in great company. It is 30 years of blood, sweat, and tears from a multitude of staff, students and parents that have gotten us to this point. But now, it is time to look forward, realizing that after 30 years WE HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN!
Over the next month, be in prayer as we enter re-enrollment time, which begins February 1st. Also, be in prayer for new families to see the MVCA difference through you. Invite, share your MVCA Difference story, and together we will share in a new beginning that will shake the very foundations of our small piece of God’s world. HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you on January 3, 2022 |
Archives
July 2023
To find out more about MVCA please click the link below.
|