Morning Glory Christian Academy – Walking the Talk: A Heartfelt Message from Lori

     As incredible as it seems 2017 came and went, a year full of storms and sunshine, victories and losses. A year of turning loose and a year of holding close, a year of good byes and a year of new friends.  Each November I watch with my heart in my throat as another group of young people, my kids, children I have taught, guided, and loved as they grow from toddlers to young men and women ready to take on the world, walk out from the Morning Glory halls into the world that awaits. Then, instead of going on vacation, or taking a cruise, or flying off to visit family and friends, I go on a personal journey. A journey where I go over my journals of all of the events of the year gone by. I analyze every victory and scrutinize every failure.  On this journey I spend time meditating in the scripture, I allow the Holy Spirit to minister to my soul through praise and worship, and this year I found a treasure of sermons and lessons on YouTube.  This is my time to be still and quiet and allow God to talk to my heart.  A time to stand in front of the mirror and allow Him to reveal my rough corners: the things in my life and heart that need to be changed and renewed.  My family understands and respects this time.  They allow me to take time to be quiet and be alone. This year I spent extra time asking God for wisdom because it seemed like the storms and trials in 2017 never ceased and never let up. 

       God seemed to speak to me in many different ways.  He spoke to me through the words of a pastor as I streamed a Sunday Service.  He reminded me that He calls us to walk by faith and not by fear.  He spoke to me through the words of a song reminding me that He is there even when it hurts.  He spoke to me through the words of a child, through a message on Facebook and finally He spoke directly into my heart.

     You see, Morning Glory is all about Jesus.  It is not just a Bible class that we teach once a week.  It is not a memory verse that we recite like the times tables. Yes, we do teach Bible at Morning Glory. In fact over 650 Bibles classes are taught in ten months. But Bible class is not the center of what we do. At Morning Glory we believe that our Christianity is an integral part of everything we do and who we are. Church is not something we do once a week on Sunday morning.  Church is who we are.  We are the living, breathing body of Christ.  So we are the body of Christ in our science classes, our children learn to read using books that teach Christian values and tell stories about Jesus, we talk about the love of Christ when we are in Social studies and learn about all the different peoples of the world. We learn about responsibility and order in Math class.  When a child acts out they learn about, confession, repentance, forgiveness and accountability. We teach our children that even though God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, He also cleanses us of all unrighteousness.  So we talk about Christianity, God and salvation a lot.  We teach lessons about God, about Jesus, we sing songs about Jesus, we memorize scriptures about Jesus.
But this year it was as if God was speaking to my heart, telling me, “Lori you talk about me all the time, you sing about me, you memorize my word, you speak my word and teach your children to read my word.  But you know, you don’t really take a lot of time to talk to me with the students.  You talk to me when we are alone, you listen to me when we are alone, but are you teaching your students to talk to me and to listen to my quiet voice?   You talk ABOUT me, but you don’t talk TO me.”  We pray before each Bible class and we encourage each teacher to pray in the classroom but it was as if God was saying we needed to do more.

     So when God talks, I have learned to listen. For 2018 we have started a new routine. The children arrive at school and go directly to common designated areas. They do not go to their classrooms, not even to drop off the backpacks.  In each designated area we have a speaker playing praise music while the children arrive and line up.  At 7:35 am a teacher leads the children in a worship song, then another teacher reads a passage of scripture from the Bible. Another teacher begins the day leading the children in prayer. Then each class follows their teacher to the respective classrooms and our day begins.  At first my teachers doubted, thinking it would be chaos, after all there are over 650 students divided into three different areas.  But I insisted and persisted,

       I also decided that I would begin each morning for the two weeks before students came back to school with devotions and prayer with the teachers.  We had a wonderful time, sharing from the word of God and my heart danced when the teachers requested that the devotions just for them continue.  We have set aside one morning each month when we all will come to school at 6:30 a.m. to have time to share and learn from the Word before the children arrive.  A central part of our devotions will be a time spent in prayer.

This last week the children came back to school.  Generally the first week of school is complete chaos. First day Secondary and Diversified students returned. The students quickly fell into their lines under the direction of their teachers.  The Scripture was read, a teacher led the students in prayer, and they went off to their classes.  I waited all morning for the chaos and it never came.  The next day primary school returned with the same routine and calm reigned all morning. On the third day, pre-primary came to school. As is the custom, I sat at the entrance to run interference with moms.  We have learned that if mom comes to the classroom the child never stops crying but if we take the child to class crying, he/she will stop in minutes as they decide to be part of the group.  It always tickles my fancy to watch the moms tear up as their babies walk off to class. Long story short, I waited each day for chaos to erupt and yet the first week of school went off calmer than ever.

     I have experienced great joy observing the teachers through my office window as they search the scriptures finding just the “right” text to read the next morning.  At recess there will be a group of five or six teachers pouring over the office Bible reading and discussing what they feel God has put on their heart.
So as we walk into this new year that God has placed before us, I encourage you to walk by faith not fear. The lives that we live MUST be congruent and in harmony with what we teach.  Christian principles and Christian living are not the result of a Bible lesson or even a great sermon.  Our children learn from our walk, from our example, and from our heart.  We can have all the “right” curriculum, all the great lessons, all the latest in ministry, but if our heart is not right with God, if we don’t walk what we talk it is all resounding metal and clanging cymbals.  I encourage you to take a journey to that quiet place and let God speak to your heart.  He is there just waiting for you to listen.
I ask you will all sincerity with my heart in my hand to be an ongoing part of our Story and our walk.  We need your prayers. We, like the apostle Paul, can say with all honesty;“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Cor. 4:8-9 We need your monthly support. Educating 650 plus students and paying 46 full time employees is not cheap. We can not do this alone, we need the Body of Christ to come alongside us encourage us, and share in our story and Walk It with us.  You may Walk with us in economic help, prayers, bringing a short-term group, volunteering, or sending encouraging letters, notes, and even care packages for our missionaries and local teachers.  But join us: Make 2018 the year in which our Walk matches and even surpasses our talk.