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by Adam Kronberger / Head of School
Growing up in the home of two public school educators, I vowed I would never grow up to be a teacher. While it was mostly all I knew when it came to vocational opportunity, it seemed too mundane and familiar for my taste. I even recollect my father telling me at a young age that I would make a great administrator. Despite my early misgivings, eventually I surrendered to this clear calling in my life in my early 20’s and have only experienced blessing after blessing. A well-known Proverb exhorts us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (22:6).It seems my parents had a hand in determining my career destination. While I am sure my parents were pleased I chose a similar career path to their own, nothing elicits more celebration from a parent than a child who continues to pursue Jesus into adulthood. Author Jan Magruder surveyed 2,000 Protestant families about their parenting journey and the effectiveness in training up a child in the ways of Jesus Christ. She uncovered consistent factors during a child’s upbringing that were the most predictive of spiritual health in young adulthood. The significant and consistent predictors while growing up included parents who...
As we enter the summer months, many of our children will have more disposable and unsupervised time than during the school year. Reflect on this list and consider how to maximize these experiences in your child’s life. How can our family and my child get plugged in to our church more? How can Bible reading and prayer be modeled and practiced daily by the entire family? What strategic friends, young and old, are having an influence in my child’s life? What kind of music is regularly influencing their worldview? Some parents may desire their children to grow up and take over the family business. Other parents may dream of their child becoming an athletic star or influential politician. Yet the most important goal and responsibility is the one that holds eternal consequence: long-lasting transformational faith. And the formula is simple. Read, pray, and connect. – Adam Kronberger / Head of School by Adam Kronberger / Head of School
At a recent track meet, a Crosshill high school athlete had an idea minutes before the start of their race. Rather than simply offer up a single silent prayer for a good performance, the runner invited all of their fellow competitors to join in on a corporate prayer asking God to help all of them to run their best. Both in the race of life and a race on the track, we are called to run the race to win (I Corinthians 9:24). In order to win the race on the track, it seems others must lose. So why pray for others to run their best? Because that is how you run the race to win in both life and on the track. When those around us are giving their best, it calls us to even greater things. The CCS runner not only ran a significant personal record, but also qualified for the State Championships. Perhaps more impressive is what happened next... After the race, a rugged older man approached the Crosshill racer. Through misty eyes, the stranger stated, “I’m a veteran who has fought for this country. Son, what you did before the race is exactly why I made that sacrifice. We have the freedom to exercise our religion and its exciting to see young people courageous enough to use it!” The process of discipleship training in the lives of our children is a team effort. Daily prayer, weekly chapels, and annual mission trips are just a few habits students develop. When the runner was asked why they considered praying with others before the race, they responded with a simple shrug, “that’s just how we do things.” Constant prayer, daily devotions, weekly church, and annual service can develop automatic habits that can be relied on when the situation requires it. A racer has no chance to win if they have not been training. Walking according to the Spirit is a challenge if the source of that power is a distant memory. As we remember those who have served and died for the freedoms we proudly possess, may we honor them through exercising them regularly. That’s a race everyone can win. – Adam Kronberger / Head of School by Adam Kronberger / Head of School
In the early 2000’s my wife and I enjoyed a whitewater rafting adventure on the renowned Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. My brother was a rafting guide and the trip was a wedding present.At one of the overnight campsites, there was a technical rolling rapid nearby that crashed into a sheer rock wall as the river made a sharp turn around the bend. After eating dinner, a few of the daredevils strapped on a helmet and attempted to successfully ride the violent stretch of rapids in a hardshell kayak. As most attempts were unsuccessful, a man downriver would throw a rope to the gasping floater trying to hold on to their paddle and overturned kayak. Once a firm grip was placed on the carefully tossed rope, simple tension and the force of the river would veer the exhausted kayaker to safety on shore downriver. I made several unsuccessful attempts myself, enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes from a challenge against nature. We got into a routine in which the last person down the rapids would be responsible to throw the rope for the next hopeful hero. The guide on the shore with the rope would also shout words of instructions as the kayaker attempted the rapids. As expected, after a failed attempt each submerged swimmer gladfully accepted the help and guidance from the previous kayaker and the well-placed rope. Yet too often in life we can arrogantly refuse the aid of those who have gone before us, neglecting the very lifeline that is intended to bring us back to safety. Many of the writers of the Bible have experienced the rapids of life and learned the value of a lifeline, and provide Spirit-led wisdom verse after verse. God also puts others around us who may be in a position to provide guidance in areas we unknowingly have inadequacies. Just as I accepted the words of instruction and the rope lifeline from the rafter who witnessed my rapids attempt, Christians are surrounded by “witnesses” who testify of God’s faithfulness and wisdom. (Hebrews 12:1) As the end of the school year draws near, consider how your family can be mentored throughout the summer by God’s Word and by the wise counselors available in your life. You can also join those in the CCS community who have recently signed up for 10,000+ Bible Study videos on RightNow Media (you can also text RightNow Crosshill to 41411 to join on your smartphone). It can make a nice addition this summer to “Family Night” in between running the rapids. – Adam Kronberger / Head of School by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal
“WHERE’S THE DISCIPLESHIP!” – It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation hurled at me like a dagger from the desperate mother standing before me. I’m not sure how long I stared at her in disbelief, unable to answer. All I could think about were the events of the school year that raced through my mind: the extreme challenges, the intense intercession, the tears, the strategies, the joyous victories, the spiritual growth. In that moment those three words broke my heart, and forever changed me. The Bible says “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Claiming that promise, we have the opportunity to create a Romans 8:28 testimony out of our painful experiences. Mine took a lot of prayer, but truly blesses me each day. For in nearly every situation, challenge, and interaction with students, I now ask myself (and the Lord) “where’s the discipleship?” I’ve learned that discipleship thrives in the everyday moments. It patiently waits for the chance to change hearts and guide through encouragement. It can be messy, and easy to mess up. It’s often overlooked and overshadowed, yet it stands ready to restore and build character. Oftentimes it simply meets a need, shows love, or quietly listens. It never manipulates, condemns, never strives for conformity or a performance. It’s not a quick fix, but a grace-based process to lead the disciple back to God’s word, and presses into Jesus for authentic transformation. Those three words drive me, challenge me, and keep me focused on the school’s mission and vision for our students. They whisper into my own life, whereas the ability to effectively disciple is directly correlated to, and is an outpouring of our own discipleship. God is faithful to reveal discipleship opportunities in every situation, may He give us eyes to see them and equip us as we raise up this generation of world changers. – Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal by Adam Kronberger / Head of School
Here’s a fun exercise: See how many times you can fold a single piece of paper in half. Go ahead, try it! This week in chapel several students accepted that exact challenge. Three students made 6 folds and one student made 7 folds. Both Mythbusters and mathematical formulas appear to uphold 12 as the maximum number of folds possible. Yet there is a supernatural Biblical formula that blows that number out of the water... the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We read in Mark 4:8 that when the message of the Kingdom of God falls on good ground it can yield thirtyfold and sixtyfold and even a hundredfold!While the traditional application of this parable is that it represents a return equal to 30 or 60 or 100 times, the impact of the Gospel is rarely linear, but rather exponential. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest.” Each positive impact of the Gospel in individual lives and in community builds upon itself producing fruit that can be challenging to measure. For example, a piece of paper folded 7 times is as thick as a notebook. 10 folds equals the width of your hand. 17 folds would be taller than an average house. 30 folds is as thick as the outer limits of the atmosphere. 50 folds is as tall as the sun. 70 folds is equivalent to the distance of 11 light-years. 85 folds would be 4 times the diameter of our galaxy. 100 folds would be equivalent to the distance of 12 billion light-years or the radius of the known universe. As you can see, the thirty/sixty/hundred-fold ROI (return on investment) in the Kingdom of God is out of this world! How can each of us and each of our children be good ground so we can experience and participate in such amazing growth? Consider another popular parable in Matthew 7 about building the foundation of a house. A solid foundation built on rock is contrasted with the shaky foundation built on the sand. How is one’s life built upon the Rock of Jesus Christ? Both vs. 24 and 26 explain that we must not only “hear the words of God”, but we must “put them into practice.” Godly knowledge must be partnered with application. The process of discipleship in our homes and our school hallways could not be phrased in simpler terms. So each time you fold a newspaper, fold a blanket, or fold an omelet, remember the phenomenal folding promise in God’s Word for those who put it into practice. – Adam Kronberger / Head of School |
Adam Kronberger
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