by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
On a recent errand trip around town with my 4th grade son, he remarked how he wished Salem had less evergreen trees. He was greatly enjoying all of the autumn colors developing on the deciduous trees, and thought it would be great for there to be even more color. I reminded him that once all the autumn colors had fallen to the ground, the evergreen trees provide color for the next six months. He finally agreed that the Willamette Valley has a nice balance of color and tree diversity. After spending hours of time picking up leaves around my house later in the day, I began to think that perhaps we needed less deciduous trees. It seems that having more evergreen trees would only make my life easier, especially when it seems that “fall” goes into February before the last leaf finally hits the ground. I am grateful that man discovered the power of electricity and developed affordable leaf blowers. It is a common temptation to wish for circumstances that are more favorable toward our preferences or comfort. Each day can be a battle to walk according to the Spirit or according to the flesh. Discontentment is one of the manifestations of the flesh, while true contentment is the foundation for longer strides with the Lord. As the apostle Paul committed the second half of his life to serving God and furthering the gospel, he experienced the extremes of earthly happiness and tribulation. When he wrote “I have learned in whatever situation I am in to be content,” (Phil. 4:11), he became a role model for all of us as he experienced a full range of circumstances. He goes on to write, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (vs 12). The “secret” is simply choosing to trust God’s sovereignty in our lives with gratefulness. Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins and is preparing an eternal home for those who put their trust in him. All the pleasures of this world are simply undeserved gifts, while the uncomfortable challenges of life point us back to the love and redemption provided by our Heavenly Father. As humans have explored and discovered God’s creation, we can now explain why leaves of certain trees change color and fall to the ground, while evergreen needles can last through the winter. But the quest to explain life itself, along with the beauty and order of all creation is fruitless without the existence of a powerful and mysterious God. In the same way, choosing contentment in the face of life’s hardships can often seem fruitless without the presence of a powerful and mysterious God. Paul’s “secret” is not a simple definition but a simple commitment to trust daily in a God who knows how to bring life to what is dead. He does it every spring. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
My favorite non-religious holiday is the 4th of July. It always seems like the official start to summer and the beginning of consistent sunshine. Our neighborhood does a big block party in front of our house, complete with food, a kids parade, and of course fireworks purchased across the border. This past summer, one neighbor brought out an extremely large homemade set of Jenga blocks. Instead of small blocks you could hold in your hand, they were made from 2x4 and 2x6 scraps. The combined weight of the set must have easily been over 100 pounds. You had to be careful when playing, because when the 6 foot tower fell over, your toes could receive quite the consequence for losing. Not only was the game a rough one, but the blocks themselves were rough. After the tower would fall, a splinter would inevitably find its way into my skin as the tower was rebuilt. Our lives are very similar to the game of Jenga. Through growth, learning, and work, our lives are being built up like a tower, often reaching new heights. But because sin is a part of our world and our lives, the tower can come crashing down in an instant. The lives we build in this fallen creation are unbalanced and teetering, susceptible to the changing winds. Yet while we may get knocked down, we know we are to rebuild. But even then, our best efforts leave us with splinters in our hands. The enemy wants nothing more than this constant building and crashing and rebuilding of our lives to lead to madness. The loving Creator of the universe wants to replace the madness with hope, joy, and peace. The awareness and acknowledgment of the madness of our lives is the very thing that can lead us to peace in Jesus Christ. He is the solution, but first we must admit the problem. Our lives can’t be perfect and never will be, apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. If we attempt to live a perfect life, or pretend to live a perfect life, while behind the scenes life is crashing down around us, we will experience more pain than simple slivers in our hands. It is a common thought among children that they are perfect, and a common claim by parents that their children are perfect. Those thoughts and claims are not only woefully inaccurate, but increasingly dangerous. Without awareness of their significant depravity, children will see no need for a Savior. Before we can help train “good kids”, we must succeed in helping them recognize their “badness”. Children who constantly believe they are intrinsically good all the time will be confused by the gospel message. But when they are genuinely poor in spirit and sorrowful over sin, they truly become citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven receiving constant comfort in the midst of life’s trials. Then the tower God builds in our children’s lives may be full of holes, but can withstand the storms of life. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal
One outstanding trait defining the Crosshill community is our commitment to prayer. We partner in earnestly praying for hearts to be transformed, lives to change, for the power of the Holy Spirit to be released, and for God to be glorified in the process. In His infinite love and wisdom God begins to answer our collective prayer, and as His plan unfolds, we unravel a bit. Sometimes, instead of our prayers being answered with the expected fruit of the spirit harvest, we are faced with serious challenges. A student is caught lying, cheating, or being disrespectful. Perhaps it has been revealed that they are failing academically, struggling socially, or backsliding spiritually. When these situations arise it’s easy to fall into the enemy’s deception that somehow our parenting is damaging them, the school is failing them, their friends are corrupting them, and God is abandoning them. It is time to take a deep breath, and turn to the guidance and perspective of God’s Word. I love how the Bible is brutally honest about the failures and weaknesses of it's greatest heroes. God doesn’t hold back if they lied, committed adultery, were callous or criminal. Even King David, a “man after God’s own heart”, wasn’t spared. Although he was anointed and chosen to lead God’s people, his human weakness, poor choices, and the moments he lacked character were in the spotlight for his benefit and ours. Along the journey from pasture to palace our Heavenly Father was at work, building godly character into David’s life. God knew that David couldn’t become a giant-slayer or Israel’s greatest king without going through trials and tribulations in his everyday life. In the process, whether facing tragedy or triumph, David’s response to God was the same; He sought God and praised Him with all of his heart. God is preparing our children for their calling, and a great deal of what they need to learn is tucked away in each problem, challenge, temptation, and persecution. He is looking to upgrade their level of faith, trust, and reliance on Him. As God is ever so efficient, we are also being tempted and challenged in the way we choose to handle these discipleship opportunities. Will we hijack the Lordship of Jesus by removing our children from a situation, avoiding, escaping, and bypassing a divine lesson because of our desire to protect them from discouragement, and pain? Or will we align our perspective to God’s, by encouraging and equipping them to face each situation with prayer, thanksgiving, and a determination to persevere? The greatest victories are achieved through the toughest battles, and God is in every detail. – Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
It was my freshman year at Oregon State University and I was away from home for the first time. Practically every day I was learning more about who I really was on the inside, and making decisions about who I would become. I was invited to join a large group of young Christian men for an impromptu Christian retreat at the beach. Some Christian leader in the Corvallis area had thought it a good idea to allow a bunch of young men to enjoy peaceful meditation at his second home. While there was worship and prayer, there was also a lot of crazy and immature activities. One evening I was in an intense ping pong battle with a fellow roommate. We were in cramped quarters down in the basement. At one point, a lack of coordination and a oversupply of energy directed the heel of my lace-up boots right through the drywall. I stood stunned for a moment, but soon realized I had won the previous point and jumped back into action. With almost practiced skill I was able to ignore and even forget about the damage I caused. The rest of the retreat completed with no further disaster. As we were packing up and heading to our vehicles, I noticed a couple of older college leaders who had arranged the retreat staying behind. Later I learned they took that final afternoon to purchase materials and repair the damaged drywall. They wanted to maintain a healthy friendship with the Corvallis benefactor and leave the place better than we had found it. The next few weeks were a pivotal time in my life. That particular incident (I still remember it) and others revealed a lack of character in myself that I was not proud of. I was ultimately driven by selfishness. I did not like the person I had become and was determined to change. I was someone who did not take responsibility for his actions or consider others more important than himself. I began to observe others around me who had the character I desperately wanted and began to practice their habits. I began to dig into God’s word and truly understand the practical attributes that a Godly person of character not only demonstrates but authentically possesses. So often, character and virtue do not blossom without training. Spiritual formation in young people is the result of an investment by others to expose lack of character and then teach Godly character. On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) to describe a heart that is soft and eager enough to become a person of virtue. At the top of the list is having an attitude of being poor in spirit and someone who is mournful over that condition. A turning point in my life was when I developed the awareness that the Fall in the garden impacted me personally. Without Christ, I was a fallen person. But to truly change, I had to want to change. I needed to have sorrow over my condition, and then true spiritual transformation could begin in my life. This community exists to train young people to develop a heart that possesses and practice Godly character. If you are up for a game a ping pong, give me a call. I promise I will repair any damage I cause. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent |
Adam Kronberger
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