Have you ever been sent to the Principal’s office? I shared that experience a couple of times in my youth. As an adult, I have been on the other side of the desk a few hundred times. Students are sent to the Principal’s office because they are in need. In need of correction. In need of training. In need of prayer. In need of discipline. These needs exist as a result of the sin that exists in this broken world. They affirm our Christian worldview that God is perfect, we are made in His image, yet His perfect creation has been marred by sin. These needs allow us as leaders and parents to point others to the gospel and how Jesus made us right with God. Our response is to claim this “rightness” and walk in it according to His life-giving love, joy, peace, and hope.
Here at Crosshill, many students visit with the Principal not as a result of sin, but because of Jesus. That is, many of these meetings are motivated by a request of the student. Their needs may be a bit different. They need wisdom. They need counsel. They need partnership. They need challenging. They are students who take the next step in their authentic faith. To move beyond the starting line of salvation and into the race of running in the Spirit. They want to help in chapels, start Bible studies, and make a difference in God’s Kingdom. The writer of Hebrews encourages us that we have a Great High [Principal], Jesus the Son of God. His office is in the heavens, at the right hand of the throne of God. Our needs to receive mercy and find grace are always met, whether someone sends us to His office, or we make our own appointment (Hebrews 4:14-16). Whether our experience in the Principal’s office has been positive or not, may we as parents actively pursue God’s office. May His presence be common in our homes, cars, and activities. May his correction, counsel, wisdom, encouragement, and even discipline be a constant source of life. May it be clear to others that we have been sent to the Principal's (God's) office every day! When I was little, I quickly learned which parent to go to that would increase the likelihood of receiving what I asked for. As I grew older, I learned to access both of my parents in meaningful ways in discussions about my life. My mom and dad had different ways of looking at the same thing, and the combination of their viewpoints gave me a much richer understanding of the situation. Even if their counsel to me seemed to differ, the blending of the two viewpoints often produced greater wisdom.
When it comes to God’s truths in His Word, there often appear to be competing viewpoints from different authors and sometimes from the same author! Some of God’s truths are simply so rich they require looking at them from several different angles. Take Paul and James, for example. Paul had a consistent message of being “saved by grace through faith, not by works.” And yet James makes the point “faith apart from works is dead.” While it appears that Paul and James are going toe-to-toe in a battle of gospel theology, they are actually standing back to back defending the same truth. Paul makes it clear that the core of the gospel is a surrendered faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, apart from anything we can do. James clarifies that a truly surrendered life of faith will also result in a transformational life full of fruit. It’s the same gospel, yet even richer! How awesome is God’s Word! In JH/HS chapel this week, we unpacked Scriptural principles surrounding living a life of truth in love. Truth and love are not competing qualities but rather complimentary attitudes manifesting the work of the gospel. Love and truth are intended to coexist, both inside the church and in our lives outside the church. Pray for this next generation of disciples as they develop personal convictions of shining the truth of God’s love through their lifestyle and words. Many of us may be using an airport for holiday travel this winter. I remember the first time I saw a moving walkway in an airport. So cool! Especially in large airports, these moving walkways reduce the burden of the thousands of steps hauling carry-on luggage, often with family in tow.
In many ways, our school mission of discipleship training is much like one of these moving walkways. The Scriptural principles that guide the process of making true disciples are a tremendous accelerant to the growth of our students. Jesus himself encourages us to lay down the burdens of this world, and to partner with Him on this amazing faith adventure. Exhausted legs and calloused feet receive rest and rejuvenation when we hop on the path God has laid out for us. I know at times I have balked at using the moving walkway in an airport. Perhaps I wanted to get some extra exercise. Or maybe I was a bit critical of the “laziness” of those taking the free ride. Occasionally my pride or insecurity held me back. Sometimes I just wanted to prove that I could go faster on my own two feet. At the airport, the choice of using the moving walkway or not using it has minimal consequences. But the choice to partner with Jesus and walk on His path has true Kingdom and eternal implications. Much like standing on a moving walkway, being a part of a discipleship community like CCS will help get you where God wants you to go a bit faster. Those who truly cooperate with the plan and the path and keep their feet moving will experience rapid speed and growth. Still, the option remains to even walk backward on the moving path and literally go nowhere. This last option often requires the most work and provides the least fruit. I encourage all of us to consider what God expects of our us in this community. First, are our feet planted solidly on God’s path? Are they pointed in the right direction? And are they moving in the unique way God expects of each one of us? What a blessing to be a part of this discipleship community! Thank you for sharing this journey with us as we move toward the amazing destination of heart transformation and Kingdom investment. And if you see a moving walkway on sale that can take me from my couch to my refrigerator this holiday season, let me know! That is one ride I won’t balk at! Early on in my journey as a leader, I read the book Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. Many of you may already be familiar with this short fable. And if you aren’t, you may be buying it on Amazon right now! Meetings are generally not fun. Most of us have sacrificed hours of our lives in meetings that we wish we could get back.
But I have a confession to make. I actually love meetings. Well, most of them. I am grateful for this book and others similar to it that have helped guide me on how to lead and participate in efficient and valuable meetings. Why do I love meetings? I’m not sure. I’m an introvert by nature. Put me in a closet with unlimited resources and a challenging project, and I will walk out 10 hours later fully charged and fully alive. But I am realizing that what is comfortable for me may not necessarily be what God has designed me to be. He died for me because of the love of the Father. And this same love now lives in me, just waiting to be activated. Not to simply love fulfilling tasks, but to love people through God’s amazing grace! This past week I’ve participated in dozens of meetings. Short, powerful prayer meetings with our entire staff. Strategic department meetings with a teaching team. One-on-one meetings with teachers and students. A Leadership meeting with our Principals and Directors. Meetings with coaches. A Finance Committee meeting. Several Chapel services. A Board meeting. And several sovereign appointments at the crosswalk. What do all of these meetings have in common? The opportunity to be like Christ. A popular T-shirt reads “God loves you, and I’m trying.” Our interactions with those in our respective communities give room for God to grow us more into His image, to reveal more of Him to others, and also to see Him working through others. When I consider the army of employees and volunteers who commit their time, energies, and passions to the Crosshill mission of discipleship training, and the Kingdom mission of the Great Commission, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. And if you are ever stuck in a meeting led by me that could use some refinement, feel free to slide me a copy of Patrick Lencioni’s book. Only do it in love! Growing up on a rural farm, chores were assigned to us kids about the time we could begin to walk and talk. One of our chores was to keep our fields clear of rocks. They came in 3 sizes: tall (skipping rock size), grande (softball size), and venti (lift with your legs)! The larger rocks posed the greatest risk to farm equipment, livestock, and crops, and were attended to first. After that, the medium rocks. And then finally, the smallest rocks. The result was a field able to reach its assigned potential.
Jesus taught a similar message in Matthew 6. He encourages us to identify the logs in our eyes that prevent us from seeing clearly. Through true repentance (confession and behavior change), the logs can be removed. Much like the large rocks, these obvious sins carry the greatest risk to our relationship with God. Once removed, we can see clearly, and God can begin to use us in His community to help each other out with the specks (smaller rocks) that seem to continue to plague us and others. Unlike my solitary chore demands, Jesus is a co-laborer with us on this adventure. In fact, all the sins of the world have already been removed through His sacrifice. So he asks us to yoke ourselves to Him in this sanctifying process. He has made us right with God, and He desires us to act like it! Not so we can earn our salvation, but so we can tap into its marvelous benefits. After the dark, cold days of winter, a strange thing appeared back in our fields: ROCKS! The constant rain and freeze cycles had rooted up more rocks from the depths of the earth. My rock-picking chores were never-ending! And so in our walk with the Lord, the sins of this world at times will continue to plague us. But instead of despair, these imperfect reminders can cause us to rejoice with thankfulness in our eternal hope of a Savior that always takes care of us. As we parent our children through this journey as well, may we maximize the opportunity to share the goodness of the gospel in all things. And if you ever need some help with rock-picking, I know a guy! |
Adam Kronberger
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