by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

I try to be present at my children’s bedtime as often as I can, and create some quality moments with each child, “tucking them in.” As both children enjoy reading, it’s convenient to use books as a medium for conversation. As my daughter enters her teenage years, I have experimented with compensating her for reading books of my choosing. Of course to receive her earnings, she must also provide regular updates of what she is reading and learning. While perhaps contrived, it has opened a pathway of dialogue that otherwise might have simply remained wishful thinking.  

My son and I have been reading through “The Action Bible” at bedtime. With its fast-paced “comic book” style and impressive illustrations, this is something we both look forward to each night. Most recently in our reading, God had just handed down the 10 Commandments to Moses. As God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai, his instructions to the people of Israel were to not touch the mountain or they would die. My son asked, “Did anybody die because they got too close to the mountain?” I quickly responded that of course nobody died from getting too close to the mountain. Who would have dared to touch the mountain! My son countered, “But there’s always someone who ‘touches the mountain’. Like the woman who couldn’t help but look back at Sodom and became a pillar of salt!” My son may also have been thinking of other notable characters of the Bible who couldn’t help but test God, such as Adam & Eve, Jonah, and Gideon. While the Bible doesn’t say anybody died from touching the mountain, it certainly was in the nature of the Israelites at times to test God. Why does humankind have the temptation to test God? 

I think of the Psalmist who wrote, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (37:4). What grabs our attention with this verse? The delight from walking with the Lord, or having the desires of our heart fully realized? And what if those desires aren’t met?  Do we no longer delight ourselves in the Lord? Perhaps we test God because we do not have His desires in our heart.  

Instead of looking to God to fulfill our desires, we should look to God to give us His desires. Maybe the Psalmist is not speaking about a promise for God to give us what we want, but a promise to simply give us His desires. And what does God desire? He desires every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl to know God and confess He is Lord; for every soul to be redeemed here and now and to live a life marching toward the delight of eternity with Him. Having a desire to delight in the Lord is a self-fulfilling prophecy. One will always lead to the other. As you “tuck in” your kids each night, may His desires be your delight. 
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

At the last home varsity basketball game of the regular season, nine seniors from the boys and girls teams were honored in front of the home crowd. Surrounded by their parents, the brief moment included reflections on the years of basketball during high school. Much appreciation was voiced by the athletes for the support given by their parents. One young man explicitly remarked how much he appreciated the commitment and sacrifice his parents had made to send him to CCS for all four years of high school. It was clear he understood the cost his education required of his family, as well as the privileges and benefits he experienced as a member of the CCS student body.

One morning I was standing out in front of the school greeting students and parents with “high-5’s” and “fist bumps” as I am in the habit of doing. A parent and her young daughter approached me for the normal greeting routine. The mom was excited to share how her daughter was responding to the most recent chapel. Between mom’s enthusiasm and her daughter’s reluctant submissions, her story was revealed. The most recent chapel had encouraged students to consider things in their life they might be committing an unhealthy amount of time on, and even perhaps placing as a priority above God. This young student had realized an “idol” she has set up in her life and was excited and committed to fasting from the activity for the next month.

Another student recently initiated a meeting in my office. We wrestled through some challenges occurring both at school and elsewhere. At the center of the conversation was the constant awareness of God’s sovereignty in each situation. We prayed for solutions to the challenges, but more importantly we welcomed redemption in our own hearts and the hearts of others. Despite the heaviness of the conversation, the student rather spontaneously volunteered how much CCS has meant to him. Though brought up in a Christian home, the school helped take his faith off the back burner and become a more consistent passion in every area of his life. 

As parents we are often juggling many things at once. Life sometimes never seems to calm down. And there are certain seasons when everything just seems to be going wrong. Our school community is also not immune to the busyness and fallenness of this world. But the school is very committed to being a partner that disciples your children each day. Some fruit in our students matures and is harvested in the same week. Other fruit may be reserved for completeness years down the road. But day in day out, as you drop off your children at the front doors of the school, God is at work in the lives of your children. Stories of growth abound in the lives of our students. Thank you for your commitment, patience, and partnership. To God always be the glory. 
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal

My husband and I purchased our first home in 1996 (a lovely 1976 ranch with harvest gold appliances) with the intention of staying a few years and upgrading to our “dream” home. Fourteen years and two children later we decided it was time for that upgrade. During the move a friend commented that he had never known someone who owned so many mirrors, and that I must like looking at myself… a lot. He was half right; early into homeownership I discovered the amazing result of strategically placing mirrors throughout my home to add depth and dimension to small spaces, and reflect light into dark places. 

Strategically placing the correct mirror in our spiritual lives will also reflect light into dark places, and add a much needed dimension of truth. In last week’s Superintendent’s message, we were reminded that “as a result of the fall in the garden, we are all born with a bent towards sin” and that “Only the grace of Jesus provides the solution, which also lives in our heart.” We find that solution by looking intently at our heart through the “mirror of God’s word”. However, sometimes it is difficult to see ourselves in scripture. We may have blind spots of disobedience, or we only take a quick glance, looking but not truly seeing. When we gaze deep into the word, it reveals the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. It brings to light the beauty and the ugly, and speaks to how we really appear to the one who created us in His image. 

James boldly proclaims,  “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25 (NLT). We rarely take time to look in the mirror, note what needs fixing, and walk away without making the necessary adjustments. An important responsibility of all disciples is to make those necessary adjustments through a relationship of trust with the divine image consultant. Learning to fully access and understand the truth, relevance, and transforming power of God’s word will beautify our thoughts, words, and actions. Then, as we are conformed to the the image of Christ, His character will be reflected in all we do.
 
I must admit, having a bent towards clumsiness in addition to sinfulness, I have broken plenty of mirrors in my life. Thankfully, the mirror of God’s word can never be broken, tarnished, or distorted. 

May we all reflect the light and love of the Father!
 
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– Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal

by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

A few days ago, my wife referenced an upcoming weather forecast that we should be concerned about for its wintry impact. As I consider myself an amateur meteorologist, I was quick to correct her and let her know that everything was going to be fine according to my research. She mentioned her concerns at various times throughout the day, and I verbally or just mentally corrected her for her error. After another comment, I made her show me the app she was using for her weather forecast. Sure enough, it had wintry mix in the forecast. How could that be? All of my research and instinctive abilities confirmed the weather was going to be mild. I rushed to my phone to check my app and somehow set things straight. As I opened the app and scanned the forecast, my eyes shifted to the top of the screen and read “Lincoln City”. For days I had been getting my information for another city. My wife had been right all along, and I had been treating her with an attitude of doubt and disbelief. Everything in my being wanted to somehow still prove I was right, as it is never fun to be wrong. Finally, I put a smile on my face and surrendered victory to my wife and her forecast and admitted I was wrong. I felt terrible. 

Admitting wrong is never an easy thing to accomplish. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, they were quick to make excuses, blaming each other and even blaming God. We like to be right. We even like to believe that we are generally good people. But as a result of the fall in the garden, we are all born with a bent towards sin. We are powerless to always be right. Failure will constantly follow us. One piece of marital advice I always try to remember is that in arguments with my wife, I generally am wrong 50% of the time. Understanding our wrongness is so vital for us as adults and for our children.

If there is nothing wrong with us, then there is no need for Jesus. Our children must understand their wrongness, otherwise the need and attraction of Jesus’ complete work on the cross is minimized. Understanding this principle also radically changes how we parent our children toward rightness. It changes our own efforts toward rightness. Jesus came to this earth because the laws of the Old Covenant were unable to bring people into rightness. Yet we oftentimes rely on rules as the primary method to bring about transformation. Yet rules on their own are powerless. The power comes from the grace of Jesus Christ. His grace first confirms our old identity of being powerless to change on our own. His grace also provides the power to be changed as our hearts are renewed.

This month the school will focus on the character trait of responsibility. Students will focus on giving your best, keeping promises, not making excuses, and making things right when they do wrong. Rules and procedures may be helpful at time to help understand the heart is the problem. But only the grace of Jesus Christ provides the solution, which also lives in the heart.  Just don’t ask me about the weather...
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent