I have a new energy and a new motivation this school year. Seeing staff every day and having students back in the building reminds me why we do what we do. We engage minds, nurture hearts, and shape God’s world. We do this by educating through relationship. The best way to foster these relationships, and to support one another, is to actually BE together.

And this is finally possible!

Change Is Challenging

We have so much to be thankful for. We are together, our new school building is quickly taking shape around us, and staff and students are adjusting to a “new normal.”

But this doesn’t mean it’s always going to be easy this year. We will have our challenges, our worries, and our fears. There are things we miss and things we mourn. Everything is different at our campus (I don’t think I’m exaggerating…).

Not all the change is bad, but it’s certainly challenging at times.

Righteous Reminder

During our first secondary staff meeting we reflected on our theme verse for the year, Hebrews 12: 2-3: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith,” as well as a “bonus” theme verse from Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” This reminder that Jesus endured so much more for us and that we can run to him in our time of need is something we need to keep on the forefront of our minds this year.

Then every staff member wrote their fears, worries, and concerns about the upcoming school year on a Duplo block. Using the blocks, we created a “fortified tower,” so that we could run to it and leave our fears, worries, and anxieties with our almighty God. This tower lives in my office, as a reminder to myself and the staff when they visit from time to time, that we have a God who is, who was, and who is to come. He is a lot bigger than COVID-19!

The tower is something we will come back to at the end of this school year and I’m confident that we’ll be able to celebrate and praise “Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

In This Together

It’s easy to focus on negative headlines, worries, and concerns. It’s hard because our connection to others (church, school, social circles) looks very different. God created us for community and it’s easy to feel alone and isolated at times. I know this is true for our students and, looking at our Duplo tower, many of our staff feel the same way.

As we experience ups and downs this year, I want to continue to point us to the “Lord, our fortified tower.”

What will you write on your Duplo block and give to our heavenly Father during this time?