“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.
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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.
 

When it comes to Christmas, There are different ways people look at this holiday.

For a child it is the excitement of looking at lights, decorating the tree, watching Christmas programs on TV, performing in school Christmas programs, and of course opening a plethora of presents.

For adults, some of it can be the same, because during this time of the year the child we once were tends to shine again as we see homes lit up, trees decorated, and the joy on our children’s faces. But, there is also the stress of shopping, buying the gifts our children want, working, parties either to plan or attend, baking cookies, cooking dinners, and making sure everything is just right for Christmas morning. Depending on what your family does, you could add to that list.

And then there is what Christmas should mean to all of us.

In the Dr. Seuss story of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” Starring Jim Carrey, Lou Who may have said it best. “You can't hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, because it isn't about... the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights.” Although those things are nice, sometimes we place too much of the emphasis upon the tangible, and lose sight of the true meaning.

The reason we even have a Christmas break, holiday, celebration, or whatever else you want to title it, is the fact that, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The King of kings came down from heaven to be with His people. To show them what the meaning of life is. What true love is. And what eternal life will look like. Christmas doesn't come wrapped in pretty paper topped with a bow. Christmas isn't in the lights on the houses or trees. Christmas is Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. The indescribable gift sent from God, the Father.

I think I say this every year, but it stands to be repeated. When you are finished reading this, stop and ponder what Christmas means to you, and what you would like it to mean to you. See if there is a difference. If there is, slow down, take a deep breathe, and think about why you are doing what you are doing.  Is the celebration about you, or is it about the birth of the promised Savior, who has come to take away the sins of the world? He may have been born over 2000 years ago, but He is still just as relevant today.

In the end, even the Grinch figured it out...almost.                                                                                                                                          "Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"