David Poston

The last time our high school students met for chapel, the Spirit of God really moved in a great way in the service. Scores of students came forward to pray and to worship together. uninvited, a senior guy stepped up to share what God had instructed him to say. With a broken spirit, he pleaded with his peers to consider how God wants 100% of each of them, how much God can do when a person surrenders, and how important it is for each of the students to get serious about walking with God. He closed his short exhortation as he dropped to the floor and prayed for the school. Several others rushed from their seats to join him in prayer. Others separated to a different place to pray privately. One thing was certain: the Spirit of God was touching hearts and changing lives.

Let’s back up earlier in that chapel service. After our praise team led the students in a moving rendition of “Victor’s Crown,” I stopped the music and asked students to meet me on the floor to sing the song once more if they truly believe Jesus is their Lord and Savior and if they desire to worship Him. I do not expect or ask our students to worship in any certain way. I’m aware that while some of our students have been raised to worship expressively others have been raised to worship more intimately, less expressively. However, I felt it necessary to encourage our student body to unite in corporate worship in which no one should be ashamed to sing forth or to direct his attention to our Lord! After I asked, a majority of the high school students came forward and met me on the drama center floor to sing. It was truly a refreshing sight to see students sing forth without worry of what others would think or concern for if it would be embarrassing.

Yet, such an event proves to be a serious stumbling block for many unbelievers and even some Christians. There were plenty of students who sat in the bleachers watching this event unfold and surely recognized that some of those who came forward to worship were students who have vulgar mouths, who participate in inappropriate relationships, who seem unashamed about the sin in which they dabble, among other questionable things. Hence springs the idea of “hypocrites.” I’m sure some wondered: “How could this guy talk the way he talks every day and say the things he says every day and now raise his hands toward heaven as if he is a Christian?” or “How could this girl be so promiscuous then act like she’s godly when we’re at chapel?” Good question.

The truth is: We’ve fostered an environment where being hypocritical is the norm, where being hypocritical has been perfected. Please don’t forget what the word hypocrite means. When Jesus called someone a hypocrite, the word meant “actor.” In a previous blog entitled “You are fake!”, I mentioned how good we are at acting. It’s a fair statement to say that most of our students have learned how to play this game by watching adults.

Many adults are (sometimes) dragging to church because “it’s what Christians are supposed to do.” Some are praying at meal time or bed time because “you’re supposed to.” Think about it-we sound like good actors. We determine what a Christian is supposed to look like, what a Christian is supposed to do, the things a Christian is supposed to like, the rituals a Christian is supposed to follow. So much of our religious activity is based upon tradition, ritual, and the idea of following some set of rules. That’s not worship. In many cases, that is acting. We are playing the part of Christian without being a Christian. Our children have mastered the concept.

Our students have bought the lie that simply singing a song or raising their hands is worship. When the word “worship” is used in your Bible it is speaking to a blended idea of humility and adoration! The last command in Scripture is found in Revelation 22:9–“Worship God!” In Greek, this “worship” means to fall down on one’s face in adoration. Even a simple modern dictionary defines worship as reverent honor toward something one adores. At the time many linguists believe the English language was at its purest state, “worship” meant to prescribe worth. One could make a valid argument that worship happens more in our daily life than in our Sunday morning services. But back to our chapel service.

Were many of our students hypocrites during that service? Were many of our students acting? Undoubtedly, yes. Our students were acting in a similar way to how we act. Have you ever been mad at the world, running late, spilled your coffee, mad that you need to run in the bank to make a deposit, just threatened to knock your children out if they do anything foolish while you’re in the bank, simply put just mad at the world and ready to blow a gasket, and now you see someone you know in the bank? Oh yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Now, you’re smiling; you’re more patient; you’re magically cheerful; you answer the familiar question with “I’m doing great. How are you doing? …Oh, that’s great. Ok, good to see you. Have a great day! God Bless!”

Wow, we’re good actors!

So too are our children.

Consider this blog post as a warning. I believe with all of my heart that God plans to rock our school. I believe He is going to move in such a mighty way that not a single person will be able to reasonably deny He is moving. I am praying and believing that God uses Friday’s chapel in a great way. The Lord has given me a sermon on hypocrisy. I will be dealing with the idea of how hypocritical Christians have become. Lord willing, I will be discussing our student body’s response to my previous invitation to come worship corporately. We will consider what represents true worship. Your student will be challenged to leave chapel with a desire to be real. It is possible that your student will approach you to confess about issues in his/her life. It might hurt to hear the seriousness of your student’s struggles. You might even rather keep believing your child is a saint than help him be accountable about the sin in his life. I implore you to get on your knees this week and join me in asking God to break down walls in our student body and to do a great work and to prepare us to help these students as the Holy Spirit moves them.

God forbid that any of our students commit to being real Christians who worship and bring glory to God with their lives while their parents, teachers, pastors, etc. aren’t.

As many students and teachers usually are, I was quite excited to see snow flurries falling outside my window at ACS Tuesday at lunch time. In fact, if you saw a man of my size wearing a suit jumping around with excitement in the car line early Tuesday afternoon, it was not me! Ok, it was. First off, I love snow! Secondly, any unexpected days off are a great blessing. Third of all, I love snow! Sadly, having snow often means having ice also. Even the most experienced, careful driver stands no chance maintaining control of a vehicle while driving on ice. I’m certain you have heard or seen some of the coverage of the fiasco in Atlanta last week. The arrival of snow and ice collided with the departure of what seemed like every Atlantan. The two did not mix well. Travelers stranded on roads hour upon hour and students stuck at their schools were the two most notable stories of the situation. Obviously, things would be done differently if a mulligan was allowed.

Schools are in a lose-lose situation when making decisions about weather related closures/delays. When a school cancels or delays but no hazardous conditions occur, parents complain and outsiders mock. When a school does not cancel or delay but conditions prove it was needed, parents are outraged and the media seizes the opportunity to highlight the mistake. School administrators truly have an unenviable responsibility in making those calls. Surely, Fulton County (among others) wishes they could go back and do things differently.

When discussing this issue with some of our faculty and staff last week, one lady made a comment that really stuck out to me. “We’re all a family here. When we heard Tuesday morning that school would be dismissed early, a mom called me and asked if I could help with her child’s transportation. We’re a family-that’s what we do.” What a great statement! Her comment resonated in my mind as I considered how often I hear of our faculty helping with transportation or I hear of ACS parents helping each other out in different ways. Also, I couldn’t help but to wonder if there are some ACS families that have not experienced this unique idea of community and family here. If you have not, there are two things I would ask you to consider. First, get involved! From volunteering with class projects to assisting with coaching to helping with parking and much much more in between, there is a plethora of ways for you to get involved. Your help will prove to be a great blessing both to the school and to you and you will start realizing the idea of family/community that most experience. Secondly, I want you to know that ACS is here to be a blessing to your family. Obviously, there are rules and procedures in place to help us follow 1 Corinthians 14:40’s command (“let all things be done decently and in order”), but you will find ACS to be gracious in your time of need. If you haven’t found a “family feel” at ACS, it might be because either you have not taken any steps to get involved in this ministry or perhaps you have not felt comfortable to mention it when you have a need.

Each morning before school starts, our teachers are lifting many of our families up in prayer who have asked us to pray about different struggles which they are facing. Our faculty desires to rejoice with you when you rejoice and sorrow with you when you sorrow. Most importantly, we want you to know that beyond the academics, the tuition, the extracurriculars, and everything else, our goal is to partner with you in developing well-rounded students who bring glory to God with their lives. We encourage you to reach out to us, to communicate with us so that we can be more effective. Also, please know that I am available to you. If you would ever like to pray about an issue or to meet for any reason, feel free to contact me!

Now that things have settled down a bit from the Holidays, I’ll more frequently update the blog!

If you weren’t able to attend last Friday when the Children of the World Choir visited ACS chapel, you missed an awesome service! The 14 students, from Uganda, Nepal & the Philippines, stole the heart of our students. The choir, a ministry outreach of World Help, serves to glorify God in song, bring attention to various World Help ministry opportunities, and encourage others to sponsor needy children around the world.

Our elementary students were given coin holders to save money as an offering for World Help to build a well in a location where dirty water is causing much disease and famine. With a load of quarters and some additional offering, our elementary school raised $542.50 to give to this project. What an amazing job by our students to support this project!

The team visiting our school shared a separate ministry opportunity to our upper grades students. World Help has partnered with a ministry in Guatemala to create the project: “Operation Baby Rescue.” A video shown in our chapel showed the director of the operation traveling into the mountains of Guatemala to pick up babies that would surely die without proper medical treatment and food/water. In the clip, World Help’s Vice President Noel Brewer Yeatts traveled with the director to pick up a baby who was reportedly at the point of death. The baby was rescued and brought back to the mission. However, they didn’t simply find one needy baby that day, they came back to the mission with TEN! The work this ministry is doing is incredible. The ACS upper grades students gave $694.35 to Operation Baby Rescue.

That our students gave a total of over $1,200 toward these projects is truly phenomenal! Praise God for their generosity.

Our time with the children of the world choir reminded me of two specific things. First, if we’re not careful, our being accustomed to certain luxuries will tempt us to forget that the citizens of many countries are struggling just to survive. Second, quite often we believe that only people in Guatemala or Haiti or Africa or some other foreign place are struggling with disease, hunger or poverty. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My prayer is that ACS won’t solely come together to support missions around the world but will also be active in our local communities to reach out and show the love of Christ to people who truly need to see it. Our effort in the hunger bowl the past couple of years is a good springboard for us! Would you join me in reminding and encouraging our students that there is a need right in our community and we can be an outreach of Jesus Christ every day?!

Don’t forget: You’re always welcome in our chapels! Middle School meets every Thursday at 8. High School meets every Friday at 8. Elementary meets every Friday at 9. It might be best to contact me at dposton@athenschristian.com to ensure we are having a regular scheduled chapel before you come! Sometimes our schedule changes for various events.

When viewing this world through the lens of a physical eye, it is nearly impossible to overlook the sorrow, chaos, and evil present in our world. Wickedness dominates our media. There seems to be little good news on any front. Yet, he who is looking through the lens of a spiritual eye sees hope amidst dismay, peace among chaos, and God’s hand through the storm clouds. Last week when I met with an ACS alumnus whose baby has been fighting a series of challenges, he told me, “I don’t know how others here (at the hospital) can make it without having the hope we have in Jesus.” Even though I have not faced a situation similar to his, I echo his sentiment. I don’t know how anyone living in this world can make it without Christ.

As we encourage our younger students to make a list of things for which to be thankful or craft a bulletin board which points out the physical blessings from our God, I’m reminded of the blessings He has showered upon us which cannot be seen. Some of these blessings are hard to put into words. There is certainly a reason the Spirit led Paul to write that God’s peace goes beyond our understanding and Christ’s love goes beyond our knowledge. How is it possible for a couple to see life come to a standstill as they spend weeks at the children’s hospital with a struggling newborn yet cling to God’s promises and believe He is always good (especially today?) How is it possible for one of our high school students to stand in chapel a couple of weeks ago and express that God has been so good in his life though his mother had died years before? God’s love, His joy, His peace, His strength, His comfort, His purpose, His calling are not things that can be seen. Yet the effect of these things is most assuredly seen by many and is the greatest testimony we have to a lost world.

The truth is that this week some of our ACS families will gather to give thanks for good jobs, a nice house, great vehicles, a beautiful healthy family, and a nice bank account. Others from ACS will gather knowing that the bank account is low, and/or the vehicles are struggling, and/or a family member is very sick, and/or finding a good job seems impossible. What makes ACS great is not that we are all rich. We’re not. What makes ACS great is not that we all live in the same subdivisions or drive the same cars or work the same jobs. We don’t. What makes ACS great is that both families who are prospering financially and those who are struggling, families who are well and those who are sick, families who are advancing in their employment and those who are struggling to find good jobs, families who were raised in church and those who weren’t, families that have been at ACS for 15 years and those who are new will all gather this week in unity to recognize that God’s love and goodness means more than any physical thing. His grace is not refused because of pre-existing conditions. His mercy is not merit based. As one, we can all gather to praise the One who gained the merit for us, who paid to make us worthy, who died to bring us life. Some will be gathering in beautiful homes. Some will be gathering in apartments. Some may very well be meeting in a hospital. But all can be grateful for things that eyes can’t see.

I want to wish each family a Happy Thanksgiving and say “thank you” to those who came to worship with us at our Thanksgiving service last Friday. It truly was a great time of song and testimony. We are thankful you attended!

There is absolutely no positive connotation for the statement “You are fake!” Yet, there is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed on the topic. Our society has glorified things which are empty, shallow, and fake. Take a glimpse at any popular reality television show and chances are that you will see a despicable view of reality. Actually, the word “reality” most assuredly does not apply to what usually is shown. There’s little if anything “real” about it. Yet our students are constantly convinced that these things are cool, meaningful, and worth pursuing. Then, when these things are gained, disappointment, sorrow, and scars follow. Two questions instantly come to my mind. Who will stand and speak truth into our students’ lives? There needs to be a passionate plea for these young people to pursue what is real and valuable and fulfilling, what is truth. Secondly, who will go beyond words and live an example of being real? There needs to be adults who are actively presenting an example of realness and effectiveness for God to our young people. Sadly many people who are in positions of influence for these students have been fraudulent.  Your student needs a real example of what truth can do in his home, in his community, in his church, and in his life.

In her research of over 3,300 American teenagers, Princeton Theological Seminary professor Kenda Creasy Dean found that 75% of American teenagers claim to be Christians. The study, called the “National Study of Youth and Religion”, revealed that churches and parents are passing along what Dean calls an “imposter” faith. After reading CNN’s John Blake’s take on the study (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/27/author-more-teens-becoming-fake-christians/), my first thought was “Wow, there is simply no way 75% of American teenagers are real Christians!” If my statement is correct, it follows that many American teenagers are fake…that many of our teenagers are fake.

Isaiah chapter 29 tells of a time when God is utterly disappointed with his people, Jerusalem specifically. He explains that He will take away His protection, His wisdom, and His peace from her. Verse 13 reveals the heart of the problem, reveals the heart is the problem. “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” This verse speaks specifically to our problem. This verse describes how a society can be full of fake Christians. We have mastered the art of praising God with our mouth and making vain promises of a commitment to Him with our lips, but our heart is far from Him! In the article, Dean points to the fact that pastors and parents have set a poor example for the gospel. I challenged our students to consider if their faith is real, if their heart is far from Christ, and if they are willing to be real. I ask the same of you!

These three ideas are a great starting place for the person who wants to be real. 1. Figure out who you are! Has Christ redeemed you? Have you accepted the work of the cross as the payment for your sin and accepted Jesus as savior? If so, you are His child and it is time to live like it. Stop comparing yourself to others. You’ll always find “Christians” whose behavior makes you look like a saint. Instead, determine to be a real Christ follower who lives what he speaks. 2. Declare that you are a real Christian! It seems we are often afraid to publicly make this statement. Perhaps it is fear of others or fear of being held to the standard of what the statement means. Either way, scripture calls for us to publicly confess that we belong to Christ. 3. Surround yourself with others who are real! The final point of these three can prove to be quite difficult. Sadly, there aren’t many Christians living among us who are real. Yet, there are some who live out what they say they believe, who stand on God’s Word and act accordingly. Search out these people and get connected. It may be that you only find one. At first, it may seem you can find no one with whom you can connect. Don’t be discouraged! As you stand forth as a real Christian, others with the same desire will see your example and connect with you.

We need real Christians! ACS needs parents who are real, teachers who are real, and students who are real. Real Christians will set this world on fire for God!

The ACS faculty meet corporately each day at 7:25 to begin the day in God’s Word and prayer together. This time proves to be vital for our faculty both in bearing one another’s burdens and in growing together in God’s Word. After our first three meetings this week, it was shocking to consider the amount of discouraging news that our ACS family has been experiencing. We’ve heard of our ACS friends and family being in severe car accidents, a dad injured in a hunting accident, a grandfather lost in a house fire, several folks heading for serious surgery, and scores of others dealing with illnesses and diseases. On top of that, I’ve counseled students this week who are battling depression, or are facing life changing family issues, or feel hopeless in general. When bad news seems to be around every corner, discouragement is sure to follow.

Discouragement is a hard thing for Christians. Some teach that if a Christian is living the way he is supposed to live he will be able to avoid discouragement completely. Yet a quick study of the topic in scripture surely dispels that notion. There are legitimate times and reasons for a Christian to be discouraged. This past Sunday, I shared with my congregation from 1 Samuel 30 about one of the most discouraging times of David’s life. He returns from battle to find that the enemy has ravaged Israel’s camp and has taken the wives and children captive. Especially during this point in history, the horrific things done to captives would be unthinkable. David and his men wept until they literally couldn’t cry anymore. David was truly discouraged and for good reason. On top of grieving the loss of his family, David’s men begin to scheme about possibly killing him in response to losing their own families. Could it get any worse?

1 Samuel 30:6 is one of the most interesting verses in scripture! Amidst all of the sorrow and discouragement, God’s Word tells us that David “encouraged himself in the Lord.” How could a man who has lost his wife and children and whose friends are plotting to kill him encourage himself? During our times of despair, we often look for someone to do something or say something to help us. In fact, we often pray that God would do something to change the problem or at least send help. Here, in 1 Samuel 30, David encourages himself. How is that possible?

A quick look at the 27th Psalm will reveal how it was possible for David to encourage himself in the Lord amidst so much tragedy. In Psalm 27, David declares that God is his light, his strength, his courage, and his hope. To close the chapter, David reveals how low he had been through various times in his life. Perhaps he wrote verse 13 in direct correlation with 1 Samuel 30. “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The psalmist says he would have fainted if he had not believed. It’s not simply that he saw God’s goodness; it’s that he “believed” to see it.

When your life is upside down and fear or disappointment overwhelms you, are you willing to believe to see God’s goodness through the storm? Are you running to Jesus for light, strength, courage and hope? The news we’ve been hearing from many of our ACS families has been truly discouraging. Yet, the choice is ours! God is either working and moving through these things or we have no hope. One thing I assure you: He is working and He is moving! Do you see it? Maybe not. Better question-Do you believe it?

When Open Door Baptist Church (Churchville, NY) invited Emily and me to their 2013 Missions Conference and asked me to preach, God began impressing upon my heart the topic of the cross of Christ. I started taking a closer look at the cross through the lens of scripture. Both testaments in God’s Word have much to say regarding the topic. Perhaps the most powerful of all the scriptures is Isaiah 53. The beautiful passage so specifically foretells of the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. Intimately, the chapter connects the cross with us. It was “our” sin, “our” iniquity, “our” transgressions, “our” peace, “our” healing. It was truly “our” cross. Yet, Jesus willingly took it in order to complete a work we could never complete.  Praise His holy name!

A couple of weeks ago, as I prepared to head to New York, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to take a break from our chapel series “Who are you?” and to share the message which I had prepared for the missions conference with our students in chapel. God used His Word in a mighty way at both our middle and high school chapels that week (you can read a specific testimony: https://pastordavidposton.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/how-big-is-our-god/ ) Again, God moved as I preached the sermon in New York. I considered briefly summarizing the sermon here on the blog for you, but decided that it would be nearly impossible for me to keep the summary concise. Fortunately, Open Door records their services and posts them online. If you have the time, you may view the video or listen to the audio  http://opendoorchili.org/sermons/SermonsV13.php?link=101313m2&title=Three%20Views%20of%20the%20Cross)

Mrs. Shannon Bailey, our new media communications instructor at ACS, has been gracious enough to allow me to work with some of her students in preparing media for use in chapel. Our goal is to eventually record the chapel services so that our parents and friends can have access to them online. In the meantime, please know that you are always welcome to attend chapel. Please simply check in with the front office to receive a visitor’s pass before heading to the drama center.  Feel free to notify me that you are planning to come and I will make sure you have a seat reserved among the teachers.

Every human seems bound to face tragedy, sorrow, and disappointment at some point in her life. Life is full of ups and downs. The closest friends and family members can prove to be unreliable. Jobs, relationships, and other opportunities that first appear to be sure things can prove to be major letdowns. Yet through it all, God’s love persists! It is undoubtedly the most consistent thing a person can ever experience. Even when storms blow through or discouragement overwhelms, His love is ever present. It’s merely a matter of whether we recognize it or not, whether we have the maturity or discernment to see it.

Thursday and Friday at ACS presented a beautiful display of this truth.

I’m sure most of you are well aware that ACS senior Johnny Morgan went to be with the Lord just a few weeks ago. Though the Morgan family and the ACS family (among many others) were deeply saddened about the situation, it was obvious that God did a great work through it all. He provided peace to Johnny’s family and friends. He allowed hundreds to see and hear the testimony of faith that both Johnny possessed and which his family displayed through the struggle. God’s Spirit moved across the ACS campus in a mighty way that week with several students accepting Christ as their Savior. Now, fast forward to this week and you’d see that God proved His love in a very intimate way to the Morgan family.

After preaching in middle school chapel about the power of the cross, I could sense that God was stirring in several students’ hearts. I noticed a crowd of 8th grade girls praying together after the chapel service but didn’t hear of any specifics throughout the day. But Friday morning I received a text message that an 8th grade girl had asked Jesus to save her soul after the Thursday chapel. When I arrived to ACS, I immediately sought her out to ask what had happened. The student detailed to me how that she first met with the large group of girls to pray then asked one of the girls to pray with her individually after the group had finished praying. This young lady acknowledged that she had prayed a prayer when she was young but had never made the decision in her heart (that is until Thursday morning!)

On Thursday morning at ACS, just a few weeks after her brother had died, Amanda Morgan trusted Jesus as her personal savior! Amanda had the courage to come share her testimony Friday morning in high school chapel. Our high school students erupted in excitement when she shared how Jesus had captured her heart the day before. Obviously, the sorrow and struggle of losing a dear child and brother will remain with the Morgans, but how sweet it is to know that even in the midst of pain and sorrow our God continues to prove His love to us! Through the power of Christ’s cross, Amanda will now join Johnny in Heaven one day to worship their Savior. How big is our God!? He can use tragedy in a beautiful way to shine His light, bring His glory, and prove His love.

Several years ago I was introduced to the idea of the tyranny of the urgent. The idea has fostered books, conferences, and a host of psychology classes. The tyranny of the urgent. Simply put, what is deemed urgent usually takes precedent over what is truly important. In her recent blog post, Rachel Macy Stafford beautifully described her struggle to be patient with her carefree daughter. Before I finished reading the first few paragraphs, there was little doubt that my struggle with impatience could manifest itself in a similar way with my children.What a tragedy that things which carry very little importance can trump others which are far more valuable! We live in a world where most things are rushed. Before we realize it, the important things have been neglected in our attempt to satisfy the urgent things. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Sadly, as I sit and reflect today, this thought seems to slap me in the face.

I accompanied the ACS Bible Quiz team to a tournament in Indiana this past Thursday. As soon as the tournament ended Saturday evening, I rushed toward Rochester, NY where Emily’s oldest sister would be married Sunday. Sunday morning started with us rushing to a park where the wedding pictures were to be taken before the ceremony. Pictures taken, we grabbed a piece of pizza from a local diner before rushing to the church. Next, following the ceremony, it was back to the park for the reception. After shaking what felt like 1,000 hands, hugging 100 necks, and repeating my feelings on being a new dad, it was back to the parent-in-law’s house to get a few hours of sleep before Monday’s 6 AM flight. You getting the picture? Hurry Hurry Hurry!

Since Emily had planned to spend a couple of week in NY with her family, I’d be flying to Georgia alone.

Things got a bit interesting Monday morning.

When I’m forced to trust my cell phone’s alarm to wake me after only getting a few hours of sleep, I strategically place the phone across the room so that I must get out of bed to cut it off. What might seem like a silly habit serves to keep me from missing important (or should I say “urgent”) things such as flights. I placed the phone on a window sill a good ways from our bed. One problem: When the alarm sounded at 3:30, Emily got up and turned it off. She recounts this story by adding that I supposedly sat up and acknowledged she was turning it off. I have no memory of that. My first memory from that morning is waking up 2 hours later, which was 40 minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave. A quick call to Southwest revealed a wonderful policy in which Southwest will put you on the next available flight at no additional charge provided you arrive to the airport within 2 hours of your original flight.

Here we go. Hurry Hurry Hurry! I start gathering my belongings and loading the car. Emily feeds Micah. We’re off to the Buffalo airport. Without detailing every moment, suffice it to say I was frazzled.  Once we arrived to the airport, Southwest informed me they could get me on a flight leaving in 40 minutes but I would have to hurry to get through security. I rushed back outside to the departure unloading area where Emily was waiting in the car to tell her goodbye. When she slowly (well slowly by my standards) moped out of the car to tell me goodbye, I fussed at her to hurry: “I cannot miss another flight!!!” I quickly hugged and kissed her goodbye and ran through the airport. Once through security, it hit me that I would be spending the next two weeks without her and our baby. Obviously I had known that all along, but in the moment something much more urgent was happening. Immediately, I regretted that I didn’t take just a few more moments in telling her goodbye. I arrived to my gate just in time to hear the announcement: “Flight 442 with nonstop service to Baltimore has been delayed. Currently, we expect to be delayed about 40 minutes.” I called Emily and apologized. It was obvious she was disappointed that our goodbye was stale, frustrated, and rushed. I had hurried to a flight that was already delayed.

After another delay in Baltimore, I finally arrived in Atlanta and ultimately at home in Commerce by Monday evening. I thought: “Phew, I’m glad to be back to the normal routine. Though normal for me this year does mean rushed, it’s much better than the past 5 days.”

I woke up this morning quite excited to get back in my routine. Before that routine even began, a voice mail from my mother alerted me that my grandmother had passed away early this morning. “Granny Moon” had lived 90+ years and was quite ready to trade in her frail body for a glimpse of Jesus this morning. We’re not sad that she left but rather pondering how much she will be missed. In fact, I’m searching for the right words to say as I’ve been asked to preach at her funeral Thursday.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

Hectic might prove to be an appropriate adjective for these couple of weeks. And frankly, I have no promise that it will ever return to “normal.” There’s likely many of you who feel you misplaced “normal” and “peaceful” years ago and haven’t found them since. When God’s Word said “Be still and know that I am God,” it surely must have been spoken with us in mind. Perhaps the statement is a command to stop what you are doing, to step outside what is hectic, and to meditate on the sovereignty of God. Perhaps the statement is simply a reminder that Jehovah is God and that such a reminder brings stillness and peace. This platform has allowed you to peak into my life. Yet I have no idea what issues of life you are facing. What I do know…the truth to which I cling… is that Jesus is Lord and God is still in control. It would do us all a lot of good to pause and declare that He is God and to rest in knowing He is in control!

When God placed a call to my heart about being a campus pastor at ACS and the administration not only agreed with the need but also worked to make it happen, one of the first desires God gave me was to get our parents more involved with the spiritual aspect of our school. From meeting to pray to attending chapel, I hoped to give parents plenty of opportunities to take ownership in this ministry. That desire has led me to form this blog as an avenue of communication between what God is doing at ACS and our ACS homes. To be honest-when it comes to blogging, I look like a calf staring at a new gate (you city folk might need Google to find the meaning of that.) If you are a proficient blogger or know a good blog when you see one, please be patient with what I am sure will be a work in progress.

I do encourage you to make it a routine to check this blog. The plan is to post once a week. The posts will update you on what God is doing here on campus, share brief thoughts from what your students are hearing in chapel, and present opportunities for you to take action! Also, if you know some of our family who might not have heard about the blog, please encourage them to check it out.

Finally, I beg you to lift me up in prayer. Between preaching our chapels and counseling our students, I have found quickly that I need God to sustain me in a whole new way. We have several students who are facing incredible storms in their lives and need encouragement, love, and direction. God is able to use this position to bring much of that into their lives! Please help me pray that my heart will be right, my words will be clear, and my savior will be glorified in all that I do! I’m aware that the request is selfish, but I do appreciate and need your support.