Andy Sears

Three weeks ago I was in Krasang, Thailand standing in front of twenty-two hundred students. Our team of Westsiders was invited to teach English at the local public high school. Each school day begins with an assembly. All of the students stand in perfectly straight lines wearing uniforms in the front yard of the school. On this day they asked me to come to the stage to introduce our team and express our purpose to the nearly all Buddhist student body. I must admit that I was afraid and it took courage for me to speak to a large Thai audience with no time for preparation.

During the assembly a twelve-year-old boy from Grace Ministries named James was standing in the front row. He is a beautiful child with ears that could make him take flight at any moment. Before coming to Grace Ministries he lived in poverty and had few opportunities. What impressed me most about James that day was his courage. Each day the school community begins with a Buddhist prayer, as would be expected of a primarily Buddhist country. Students give respect to the spirits of the school by clasping their hands together in front of their faces in a gesture they call a “wai.”

As I watched the sea of students paying respect to the spirits, I saw this twelve-year-old Christian young man with his hands clearly at his side in respectful opposition to the beliefs of the majority. I was later told that in similar assemblies the student body kneels and bows in prayer while the Grace Ministries students remain standing.

How often are we challenged in our faith and daily lives to hold to a commitment with such conviction and courage as these young people? Matthew 5:10 states, “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”

Courage is about more than standing strong in the minority. It is also about pursuing Christ with everything in you and making the risky choices to do so. The pursuit of Christ can be painful and challenging, yet full of growth, joy and meaning.

Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Our courage as disciples does not come from our own skill or effort but from our association with Christ. It is through our unashamed pursuit of Him that we can have the courage of a twelve-year-old boy or a group of high schoolers from Lake Oswego Oregon.

I saw glimpses of this kind of courage over the past month as I spent time living in community with twenty-one students and six adults from Westside. Our trip was incredibly stretching for all of us. For three weeks every aspect of life was different. The experience was a complete assault on the senses, requiring courage just to function. The food, language, temperature, religion, economy, skin color, transportation, toilet, bathing, architecture, and community are all very different. It was beautiful to see our students adapt and respond to these challenges.
I saw in our students the courage to seek God openly, the courage to desire a more disciplined life, the courage to suffer with those who suffer, the courage to pursue purpose each day, the courage to risk vulnerability and honesty, and the courage to translate what they believe into how they really live.

C.S Lewis describes courage as “not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” Coming home from this testing and tremendous experience I am profoundly encouraged by the next generation of leaders, both American and Thai.

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It is the night of our spring awards event. As I slip into the choir room, Roger Allcroft (head varsity golf coach) is speaking praises to this year’s state championship golf team. He played a picture montage, gave out awards, and recounted numerous stories from the season. At different points during the presentation he is emotionally moved. Roger’s eyes well up with tears of pride. He is fulfilling his mission to equip the next generation. As a result of a passion for golf the athletes see more clearly the nature of Christ’s character. Although the team had accomplished the ultimate achievement in high school sports, it was when Roger spoke about moments when the players had demonstrated Christ-like character, integrity, courage, humility, and compassion, that he displayed pride and emotion. The extraordinary nature of Christ is so attractive.

The author of Hebrews 12 uses an athletic illustration to bring us to the bottom line. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.

Roger is one of those veterans cheering on the next generation. His life speaks, “Young people fix your eye’s on the goal, keep your eyes on Jesus. When your vision is foggy and your steps are uncertain, keep your eyes fixed on Christ.”

As the year comes to an end I find myself with a slightly foggy view on life. It is a challenge for me to keep Christ in view while attempting to keep up with a break neck pace of events, mounting tasks, and challenging relationships. It seems so important to get it all done, to be successful, to “win the state championship.” Then I remember that God’s kingdom has a completely different set of values. Thank you for reminding me Roger.

At the end of the golf awards ceremony something very extraordinary happened. There was very little gloating about a championship. As Roger completed his portion of the evening, the team got out of their seats to present their gifts to the coach, as they typically would. Then on their own initiative each player took a moment to communicate the value and admiration they felt for Roger and Eric Grimberg (their senior leader and individual state champion). These were deep, spiritual, and heartfelt statements. I found it extraordinary for young men to speak this way. It was refreshing and inspiring. As I listened to each member of the team I thought, “They get it!”

I believe this occurred because Roger and Eric live in a way that reflects the nature of Christ. Even though they both have experienced amazing success this year, humility is the word that most clearly describes these two men. Humility is so attractive and that is what has allowed Roger and Eric to speak into the lives of these young men. As we depart outside the walls of Westside this summer, let’s return with stories of Christ viewings. Let’s be near to where He is.

“So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.” Hebrews 13:13-15

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Two weeks ago thirty friends of the school converged on the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver for a weekend of strategic planning. The majority of our board and a sampling of teachers and parents gathered together with a very specific mission. The first goal was to confirm the validity and potential impact of our vision and the second was to prepare a detailed plan to realize that vision. We have specifically been praying for the past year that the Holy Spirit would lead us to a vision that was in line with our historic mission, yet still fresh and relevant to the needs of the current generation of young people.

As we discussed the vision on Friday night there was a sense of God’s leading and a unity among the group. There is much more to come in the near future regarding the outcome of this strategic planning retreat.

One of the natural next steps is to begin to communicate our mission with this vision and plan in mind. I believe we have an important story to tell. I have heard it said that you should have an elevator talk, a ten minute talk, and a more extensive presentation when representing a movement or organization. So, here we go. Here’s my four minute elevator talk that I would share with a potential parent or friend of the school. Step inside and let’s take a ride to the 100th floor. You get to start us off be saying, “So, tell me about Westside.” And I respond with:

We are a school community of nearly three hundred students, almost forty staff, and our average classroom has less than twenty students. I’ll start by bragging a bit. This year we learned that our seniors scored an 1127 on the SAT compared to a 1052 and 1021 for the state and national average. Nearly all of our graduates go on to further education, some being accepted for admission to elite institutions such as the Georgetown, Princeton, and Westpoint. We offer Advance Placement tests in a number of classes, and 80% of the students taking these exams earn college credit.

Most of our sports teams and extracurricular groups are in the top 10% in the 3A division for their GPA, some teams have even been at the very top. Last year our golf team won the state championship. This year our girl’s basketball team finished sixth place in the state. Our boys and girls cross country team finished 2nd and 3rd this season at the state meet. In recent years our choir has won two state championships. Last year they sang by invitation at Carnegie Hall. Each year we put on two major theatrical productions with nearly a third of our student body involved.

Our Business/Marketing club (DECA) has experienced success with locally and nationally honored student projects. Over one third of our student body participates in local or international missions during their time as a student. Every student participates in some kind of community service while attending Westside.

We are proud of these successes, but we are also thankful that the story does not end there. We will have students that will graduate from our school and become doctors, attorneys, parents, teachers, executives, pastors, and engineers. The question we feel we must ask is, “For what purpose do they serve in these capacities?”

We believe that our vision as a school is quite unique. Our mission is to equip servant leaders in God’s kingdom for the next generation by educating and developing the whole person for the glory of God.

So, there are really three primary purposes that drive our school.

1. Equipping leaders who think, feel, and live like Jesus
2. Discovering the nature of God’s Kingdom
3. Inspiring the whole person through our educational process

When we say that we want to educate the whole person we mean that it is not enough to just impact our students to think. It is not enough to make them feel deeply about something, and it is not enough to have them do something or respond with action to learning. But rather reaching the whole person demands that we engage the entire educational triangle, what they know, what they feel, and what they do.

We live in a culture with very different values from God’s Kingdom. One of the most important things that we can do is to continually present opportunities where students can discover what is important in Gods economy.

Life is a gift. Some may see life as purely a gift to be used for themselves. I believe it is a gift from God to be given back to Him for the sake of others. That view completely changes the way followers of Christ approach education (or anything really). In this view students are not consumers seeking a school that will give them the best opportunity to promote themselves; Rather, they are stewards with a responsibility to equip themselves to serve God and others..

Yes we have experienced success in academics, arts, and athletics. We have won championships, sung in famous halls, and been accepted into elite colleges and universities. That is fantastic, but if that’s all there is, we have failed..

I believe that once we make a decision to follow Christ, we join in His mission to reach the world. We believe that our students will change the world. For that reason we take our vision very seriously.

Well, I’m sure we’ve arrived at the one hundredth floor by now. My hope would be that this four minute talk (ok, maybe five minute talk) would generate some questions along the way and inspire further conversation.

Our strategic planning retreat generated a very exciting and comprehensive plan that will be fleshed out even further over the next few months. As we begin to execute the plan it will address the following questions.

In order to more completely live out our mission we must know:

1. What are the best ways to teach?
2. How do we help students discover God’s Kingdom?
3. How do we equip them to lead from a Christ-centered focus?
4. What do we need to do to acquire a facility to fulfill our vision?

Join us in prayer as we continue to discern answers to these questions.

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Recently I discovered the beatitudes in Eugene Petterson’s The Message. This section of scripture begins to describe the nature of God’s Kingdom. I often get drawn into a kingdom that promotes the opposite of these values.

Matthew 5: 3-10
 ”You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
 ”You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
 ”You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
 ”You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
 ”You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
 ”You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
 ”You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
 ”You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

I had the privilege of coaching basketball at Westside for six years and loved every minute. It was so rewarding to use the medium of sports to communicate truths about God’s kingdom. Some of the most powerful opportunities to experience these truths were through a loss or team adversity of some kind. When involved in athletics we can very easily get drawn into believing that winning is supreme. I believe that winning is not the definition of success for a citizen of Christ’s kingdom. That is not to say that it is wrong to win, but I don’t believe that it is our ultimate aim.

John Wooden is considered one of the most successful collegiate coaches of all time. He certainly won some games. In fact his UCLA teams won ten NCAA Division I national titles over the last twelve years of his coaching career. After retiring he was asked if he missed winning championships. His response was that what he missed was the practices. He was more about developing a discipline for the process than focusing on the uncertainty of the result. He described seasons that were precious to him where they did not win a championship because of a series of uncontrollable events. Based on my knowledge of Wooden and his faith, I believe that he operated from a different value system than many coaches. He once said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Wooden was not concerned with winning basketball games as much as he was developing quality people.

Last week our girls basketball team played in the OSAA State Championship Basketball tournament for the first time in our school’s history. I could not be prouder of what they accomplished this season. We did not win a championship, but I do believe that our team, coach, and bookkeeper demonstrated the values of God’s kingdom. On Thursday afternoon we played Nyssa in the first round of the tournament. It was one of the strangest games I have ever seen. Our girls were in control of the game and at one point dominated the entire third quarter only allowing one basket by Nyssa. From the beginning we were in foul trouble which limited the playing time of three of our five starters. It looked like we were going to win the game until we fouled out two of our key players midway through the fourth quarter. Slowly Nyssa began to chip away at the lead. Our girls battled back and things looked hopeful coming into the final few minutes of the game. Then a crucial play stopped the game for over ten minutes. The scoreboard displayed the score as tied with a little over two minutes to go, but two of the three books did not agree with the board. The two books had documented that WCHS should be up by one point with two minutes to go in the game. This is critically important to the strategy at this point in the game. It is moments like this that we get to prove which kingdom we will serve.

After ten minutes the referee made his decision and the score would stand. Officials later confirmed that a mistake had been made by the referee. Our team, coach, and bookkeeper graciously accepted the decision and played their best, yet they came up short in the end. Nyssa went on to win the state championship, and our girls went on to finish 6th.

Our team could not have done better at the tournament. We do not measure success by trophies, championships, or reputation, but by our ability to reflect the values and economy of God’s kingdom. Well done team!

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Last spring I had the opportunity to visit New York City with our choir. Our hotel was right at Grand Central Station and we frequently traveled by subway to get from one place to the next. The New York subway system in the eighty’s and early ninety’s had a reputation of being a very dangerous place, but on this trip I felt perfectly safe as we maneuvered through the subway system.

Something seemingly small happened in the mid to late nineties that dramatically changed New York’s increasing crime rate. Malcom Gladwell describes this phenomenon in his book, The Tipping Point. Gladwell believes that epidemics of ideas, products, and movements develop and grow out of the introduction of the right people, message, and context or environment. In New York City, new leadership believed that the context of an environment of graffiti and broken windows encouraged criminal behavior. Their idea was to begin a campaign to systematically clean up the subway.  To their surprise, the crime rate declined monumentally and almost overnight. The ripple effects of this change have altered the overall perception of New York City. In this case an epidemic of pride in one’s city, which in turn led to a decrease in crime, was set in motion by the removal of graffiti.

As I read through Gladwell’s book over Christmas, seeing example after example of the tipping point factor in action, I could not help but begin thinking about the elements that could begin an epidemic within our own school community. I started by dreaming about what that epidemic might look like.

Imagine if you will a learning community where people are captivated by Christ, motivated to take initiative in learning, and inspired to discover their purpose in God’s economy and kingdom. Learning is a very high value in this community and it is experiential, meaningful, and inspiring. The relationships are life-giving, joyful, supportive, and encourage a high level of excellence. This community is not static and joins Christ in initiating significant movements, working to connect people’s greatest passions with the world’s greatest needs.  The young people that emerge from this community have been exposed to excellence in the arts, athletics, and academics. Students are becoming independently motivated learners because they see how what they are learning is equipping them for their journey beyond this community.

I envision an epidemic of enthusiastic rich learning within a Christ-centered community.

In many ways we already possess what is required to begin a spiritual and learning epidemic within our community. This fall we outlined a vision document that communicates in ideal language what we believe God is calling us to pursue over the next three years. We are now beginning to pursue specific strategies to bring that vision to reality. This four page document simply put speaks to the following elements of our school:

Listen – We seek to be a community that begins all purposes with God’s purpose in mind. We are intentional about listening for that purpose.
Relate – The development of healthy relationships within our community is foundational to learning and pursing a life of influence for Christ.
Inspire – Instructional methods in the classroom and extracurricular experiences are developmental, holistic, learner-focused, and encourage the development of a passion for life-long learning.
Discover –Through unique experiences we are able to challenge students to begin the discovery of Gods values, mission, and passions in their lives. 
Lead- We believe that our students can change the world and we are intentional about developing them as Christ-centered leaders.

Gladwell describe the type of people, message, and context or environment that when combined can initiate an epidemic of ideas, products, and movements. Although his thoughts are not directly from a Christian perspective, elements of his message and case studies confirmed for me that our vision includes these elements (the right types of people, messages, and environment) and could lead to a significant learning and spiritual movement within our school.

Let me give you two examples of how this may already be occurring (there are more).

I believe that when students are inspired to learn and begin to discover something they are passionate about, beautiful things happen. If you visit our science lab each day at four o’clock you will see students engaged in active and self motivated learning. This did not occur until we developed a new science team who established a new learning culture. The science team is very relational and has focused on the science inquiry method, a learner-focused approach, and frequent hands-on lab exercises.  Something has happened within this area of our school.  We have students that are passionate about science like never before. We also have better equipment, because people appreciate what is happening and are eager to give. Our science department has now become one of our greatest strengths; we have more students interested in pursuing science and a greater ability to direct resources toward the program.

Another example started very humbly this fall. Three junior students came to me with a heart of compassion for our school and a desire to do something to encourage spiritual growth. They have a vision to see Westside become a place of passionate devotion to Christ. As we talked about this we thought the best place to begin would be to pray. So, we committed to praying each week on Wednesdays at lunch with a listening heart. It was just the four of us all fall and a very simple effort.

During spiritual emphasis week some amazing healing and spiritual encouragement occured within our school. There has been a steady movement of students seeking God in new ways. We have had some powerful chapels and life altering spiritual conversations with students. We have twice as many applications for the Thailand trip this year. God is bringing some amazing people and opportunities into our community that could have tremendous spiritual influence in the lives of our students.  God is actively transforming us into disciples. I believe that part of this movement within our school comes from the faithful devotion of a few students who have taken the lead to pray.  I believe that increased and sincere prayer has been the tipping point that is beginning a spiritual movement with our school.

I want to be a part of a movement that brings glory to Christ, don’t you? Let’s join together in prayer as we seek to begin a learning and spiritual epidemic at Westside.

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Over the past few months I have been writing about three elements of our theme for this school year – an extraordinary community of purpose. At the beginning of each year we develop a theme derived from our core values, mission, or vision.  This theme is more than a slogan. We use our theme as a reminder of the core beliefs that have given direction to our school for over twenty five years.

The first element of an extraordinary community of purpose is our desire to intentionally give space for and invite in the source and center of our community. We are committed to nurturing our community and focusing on drawing near to Christ as our source and center. The second element is to seek authentic relationship or connections within our community.

A few weeks ago we experienced one of the most powerful series of chapels in the history of our school. Irvin Brown shared about the importance of transparency and the transformation that comes in Christ.  He challenged us that what we do in this life echoes into eternity. He invited our students to forgive themselves and others, and to begin to see how risky and life changing it is to have an intentional loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  At the end of chapel, students came forward for prayer. It was a beautiful sight to see students and staff in tears praying together. The residual impact of that chapel continues. We are responding with a regular time of prayer for students at lunch time. Our recent chapels illustrated both our intention to respond to the Holy Spirit in our lives and to provide an opportunity for us to connect in authentic ways with each other. I believe with all my heart that it is through Christ and in the context of relationship that the most powerful learning and growing can occur.

The third element of an extraordinary community of purpose is challenge – we are challenged to dream big dreams. I believe that this generation of young people has unbelievable potential to impact the world. They are up for a challenge. I also believe that dynamic teams are fueled by the courageous pursuit of a purposeful vision.

In a few hours school will be shutting down early. Our community will be heading to a soccer field to support the vision and courage of our girls soccer team. In the same way our Cross Country team has pursued a vision. This past weekend our guys team finished 2nd and girls 3rd in the state. Like the soccer team this vision for excellence was accomplished after months of courageous preparation. Last weekend our performing arts program completed a fantastic performance of You Can’t Take it With You. They have persevered through the difficulties that come with pursuing a challenging task. We have students who have recently been recognized as National Merit Scholars. Years of disciplined endeavor have brought them to a place of intellectual prominence. There are also students for whom school work does not come easily, yet they courageously pursue learning in the face of discouraging results. We have students who have a vision to change the lives of poor and orphaned children at risk of exploitation in Thailand. Since they’ve returned from their trip this summer, they have told the story of these children. The response is a home being built this month that will save nearly thirty more children from exploitation. Our students are looking for a challenge. They want to start movements. They want to impact the world for Christ. It is right that our community inspire and encourage courageous visions such as the ones mentioned above.

Since school has started, my daughter has included an interesting clause in her prayer at dinner time. We get the typical “thank you for the food,” but she ends each prayer with, “thank you God for monkey bars.” She is passionate about monkey bars.  Everyday we get a report on the progress she has made in this pursuit. At the beginning of the school year she was struggling to get across. We celebrated that triumph at the dinner table, but the next day we heard about the next goal to go down and back, and then skipping a bar was the big accomplishment.  A month into school and she could wave to people between bars. She was pretty disappointed when she was out of commission for a few days, a case of blisters, but she was proud when her blisters became calluses. Next she hopes she will be able to “wrap her legs like licorice” while skipping bars and waving.

There are always new challenges to face if we are growing in Christ. I am humbled and blessed that God invites us to partner in His mission.  It is not easy to pursue a Christ-planted vision, but the challenge is worth it. Our community is fueled by the courageous pursuit of a purposeful vision. 

Thank you God for monkey bars.

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I placed my hand into the water in front of me to check the temperature. “It feels warm, are you ready?” I looked up to see the grimace of pain as Russell removes his socks. “I have an unusual sized foot, so my shoes rarely fit me.” As I looked at his feet I saw a number of large blisters and asked, “Are you sure you want me to do this?” Russell replied with an honest smile, “You will do a great job.” He placed his feet into the soapy water with pain written all over his face. I noticed that every time I dipped the cloth into the water and gently washed his feet I was causing him pain. I apologized, “I am so sorry this is hurting you.” Russell would reply in a very kind voice, “Andy, you are doing a fine job, thank you for washing my feet.”

Two weeks later I found myself serving again with Bridgetown Ministries (invited by WCHS students). We were under the Burnside Bridge again and I saw Russell from a distance. He was sitting alone eating dinner. I took Marta to meet him and the three of us ate soup and talked together. He told us the story of how he came to live on the streets of Portland.

It all began nearly twenty years ago on his wedding night. Some of his friends brought some heroin to his wedding reception and Russell shot up for the first time. He told us this was the worst decision of his life. Since that time he has cleaned himself up nine times, but always relapsed and ended up alone and homeless on the street. He has three children, the oldest in high school. We listened to Russell discuss encounters with God and a desire to be a part of a church.  But it was one of the last statements he made that revealed to me the condition of his soul, and I have been processing how I should respond since.  He said, “After you’ve gotten up and fallen down again so many times, you just decide to stay down.”  This was one hurting and hopeless man. After our talk Marta washed his feet and we gave him a fresh pair of socks.

In some ways I felt hopeless for Russell. Honestly, I wanted to just walk away and shut his story out of my mind. Part of me wishes I had just kept my distance and never heard his story, because by hearing it, I felt the Holy Spirit asking me to have compassion. On the other hand, there was a connection made over those two brief encounters and Marta and I felt honored to be invited into Russell’s painful story. We feel compelled to seek Russell out in the future when we go downtown with Bridgetown Ministries.

I believe that at the core of significant connecting is a compassionate response to others. I heard Brennan Manning say, “How can we say we love someone, if we don’t know what hurts them.” In our school vision document we have stated that “our teachers love their students.” This week I asked our juniors and seniors to write down the name of the teacher who has had the greatest impact on them and why. As I read the responses, it confirmed my suspicions. In most cases they chose teachers who knew their hurts and demonstrated compassion. When we are willing to jump in and join in the chaos of another’s pain and hurt then we are trusted and invited to teach beyond the curriculum.

Our seniors illustrated the power of compassion and empathy to draw people together at senior retreat this year. On Saturday night of senior retreat we typically spend time listening to each other’s stories and praying for each other’s hurts. At the beginning of the evening there was an elephant in the room. Most of the students realized that a clear divide existed in the class between two groupings of students. At one point a student was bold enough to point out the elephant. The discussion was diverted from listening to the hurts and stories of students to a more pragmatic conversation of how to solve the problem.  The discussion seemed to miss the mark and the outcome was somewhat disappointing.

Then a transition took place and students began to share their stories again. One after another students shared their hurts and found support from their peers. Several times hurting students were invited to stand in the middle of the room while their classmates gathered around them, ministering with surgically precise prayers and encouragement. The things that had been barriers between the two groups were now gone.

I believe that in order for us to be an extraordinary community of purpose we must be centered in Christ and connected with each other. Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbor.   

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.
Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.
Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. 
(Selected passages from the Message – Romans 12: 9-19)

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According to Wikipedia an iceberg is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Since the density of pure water ice is ca. 920 kg/m3, and that of sea water ca. 1025 kg/m3, typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion’s shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface.

From what you see on the surface, you’d assume that the part below water is about the same size.  But when you look below the surface you realize that ninety percent of the iceberg is under water and is serving as a ballast – providing stability, depth, and substance to the visible portion.

It is the same way with our lives.  It is the substance of our center, or core, that provides stability and strength to what is visible. For this reason we are committed to nurturing our community and focusing on that which draws us to Christ as our source and center.

What is the ballast in my life that provides meaning, stability and depth to everything I feel, think, and do? Is it a set of rules? Is it me and my own thinking?  Is it other people and their ideas?

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your back on the world’s “sure thing,”
ignore what the world worships.

Doing something for You, bringing something to You –
that’s not what You’re after.
Being religious, acting pious –
that’s not what You’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears so I can listen.

So, I answered, “I’m coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
you’re throwing for me..”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
 became part of my very being. (Psalm 40:4, 6-8 MSG)

Colossians three states, “Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” 

One way we are working at increasing our ballast both personally and corporately is through prayer.  A deep inner life requires an ongoing conversation with the Savior. Our staff is beginning each day in focused prayer for each other, our students, and the school community. Once a week a group of parents meets in the morning to pray for the future of the school. Moms in Touch has been covering our school in prayer for years. 

PTF is sponsoring prayer evenings where parents can walk the halls and pray for their students, teachers, and the school as a whole. Our student-led core groups will focus attention on prayer. Once a month we will spend time during chapel in corporate prayer. In the spring we are exploring the idea of a staff and parent prayer retreat.  The purpose of the retreat is to pray for the school and develop a deeper partnership between teachers and parents. 

Another way we’re seeking to build ballast is by seeking to discern God’s vision for the future of our school. This month we had a community wide meeting on the 11th to gather input on the vision that has been developed so far. We are excited about how God is moving within our school to improve relationships, teaching and learning, and our ability to equip and encourage young adults to live Christ-centered lives of purpose.  Through the clarification of a shared vision we are confirming that we are a community whose center is Christ.

If we are seeking to be an extraordinary community of purpose then we must be clear about what fuels our community.  The Tuesday before students came back, our faculty and staff spent the day discussing what we see as the center of our community. After some great discussion we agreed that a purposeful community is developed from the inside out, and that above all, we desire that Jesus Christ be the source and center of our learning community.

What would a truly Christ-centered community of depth and purpose look like? 

I imagine that the people involved would be whole-heartedly committed to spending time with Jesus. I imagine they would take in scripture regularly, allowing it to penetrate their hearts and change them. I imagine they would be where the action is, following Jesus to dark and dirty places. Like icebergs, I imagine these folks would have a depth of humility, passion, and courage that is far greater than anything visible from the surface. 

May we be such people.  May we be such a community. 

(Iceberg analogy is from Seeds for the Future, Dale, 2005.)

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One of Westside’s three core values is “family,” or community.  Why?  Why would an educational institution place such a high value on community?  Some might argue that this is a distraction from a school’s main purpose of educating students, but I believe it is critical to the educational process.  

When students are in an environment where they feel connected, known, wanted, and challenged, they are more motivated to learn. When teachers are in an environment where they are supported, growing, and have the time and opportunity to connect informally with students, parents, and each other, they are more passionate about teaching. Our purpose in seeking to develop a healthy community is to further our mission to educate the whole person.

In his book Seeds for the Future, Robert Dale identifies three elements which, when developed, encourage healthy community. I have found that these elements have been confirmed by scripture as well as my own experience. These elements are overlapping and are clearly dependent on one another in order to function properly. Over the next few months I intend to take a deeper look at each of these elements of a healthy community.

Element 1 – Centering – The depth of community
A purposeful community of depth must seek Christ as its source of strength. It must be intentional about taking time to care for the soul and discern God’s direction. 

Over the past year I have developed a deep friendship with a man who truly lives a life with Christ at the center. He spends two hours a day in prayer and reading God’s word. He says that he is captivated by Christ. This man is truly humble and sacrificial, which is so attractive and counter cultural. His response to spending time with Jesus is a passion to take on Christ’s mission to love others, glorify God and further His kingdom.  He could not be as effective in loving and caring for others if he did not spend so much time with Jesus – growing in the Spirit and discerning God’s will. 

Element 2 – Connecting – The width of community
Recently, while in flight from Los Angeles to Portland, I spent time journaling and seeking God, asking Him to reveal areas of weakness in my life. This is not a pleasant prayer, but I have found that with an honest confession of brokenness comes the opportunity for growth. It became clear to me that I needed to be more intentional about connecting with people.

My personality does not lend itself quickly to small talk, but I enjoy talking about things I consider meaningful. It is not that small talk is bad; I am just bad at it. When I got home I told Marta that I felt I needed to be more intentional in making connections with people. We both agreed that we want our home to be a safe and comfortable place; we want to open our home and ourselves to others. Marta and I want to befriend and love others as Christ does. This requires face time and a willingness to open up one’s heart to others. God is beginning to answer this prayer. Over the summer we have had a steady stream of connecting with students, parents, and staff from WCHS, and others from within our community. It has been a rich summer of connecting.

In the same way we need to provide intentional opportunities for connecting within the school community. This is required to expand the width of community at Westside.

Element 3 – Challenging – The height of community
The last element of an extraordinary community is to have a purposeful vision and the courage to live it out. This includes the development of a personal vision and sense of purpose within God’s kingdom, but also a community-wide vision.  We have often talked about excellence as one of our core values. We already promote an environment that seeks continuous growth and improvement.  What we need to add is a prayerfully planned, all encompassing vision and a detailed plan to realize it. This vision is just fluff unless we have the courage to follow Christ toward the execution of His vision for our community and for ourselves.

Over the past few months our school leadership and staff have begun the development of a vision that will lead us toward a specific strategic plan over the next three years.  This vision describes conceptually how our community would function and support the educational process, how teaching and learning in the classroom and through extracurricular experiences would progress toward more completely fulfilling our mission, how our community would prepare and challenge our students to become people of influence for Christ, and how our school is uniquely positioned to serve the Christian community.

If you were not able to attend our community meeting on the 22nd please consider joining us on September 11th to give your input into this visioning process. We are excited about what God is doing within our school and need your help to take it to the next step.

As we all know, life is lived in community in one form or another. To be able to navigate and contribute to the growth of a healthy community is a powerful learning objective in itself. We have the opportunity to model healthy Christian community to the next generation, which could inspire our students to develop communities of extraordinary purpose and influence throughout their lives. I look forward to the coming year as we connect, ground our souls in Christ, and challenge each other to seek a life of vision and the courage to live it out.    

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Over the past year I believe that God has directed a team within my school toward a vision that he is calling us to fulfill. Our school has existed for over twenty-five years and has been faithful to its mission.

We say that we exist to equip servant leaders in God’s kingdom for the next generation by educating and developing the whole person for the glory of God. We desire to fulfill our mission in the context of relationship and a family environment, while promoting and striving for excellence, and showing value to others through embracing God’s grace.

I believe the school is at a strategic point where God is calling us to continue to carry out that mission in new ways that could improve our school and better equip our students. In order to properly respond to God’s leading we have hired a consultant to help us. He will walk us through a process of prayerfully formulating and documenting a shared vision for the school. The leadership teams, faculty, staff, parents and students will all have a voice into the visioning process. We have covered this process in prayer for months and we are expecting an amazing result from God. I believe that the outcome of this process will compel people to get involved. We are planning two opportunities for our entire school community to enter into this discussion. We invite you to join us on June 12 and 14 at the school to discuss what the school could look like in three years. Please consider if this would be something you would be willing to attend.

Some may ask why it is important that we formulate a vision for the future. On Friday our consultant told a great personal story that served to illustrate the importance of casting vision, whether personally or corporately.

Larry, our consultant, is the oldest of nine children. His father was a CPA and worked very hard to provide for his family. It was not uncommon that his Dad would come to the table at the beginning of a meal to make an announcement. On this particular evening the family was seated at the table and Larry’s father exclaimed, “I have an announcement!” Larry said that all of the children groaned thinking this meant another child would be added to the dinner table in nine months. Larry’s father continued, “Your mother and I have decided that we are going to take you to Disneyland…” – the table erupted with loud cheers and shouts of celebration – “… in two years.”

“What you must be kidding?” Larry said out loud.

At first it was shocking and disappointing that they could not realize the dream right now, but it didn’t take long for the children to begin dreaming two years out. They began to imagine and anticipate how wonderful the trip would be. They began to plan and save money in order to make the experience everything they were dreaming. They arrived and had their wonder-full week at Disney.  When it was over, Larry thought, “Now what?” It was time for a new vision.

That’s what’s so exciting about the Christian life; there are always new visions that God calls us to fulfill with him.  It is exciting to imagine what God could be doing through our students, staff, and parents three years from now. I invite you to dream with us.

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