Have you "liked us" yet???

Did you know Hickory Valley Christian School is on Facebook?  There is a lot of good information, photos, and videos of the great things happening this school year!  We would love for those currently involved in the school, alumni, and future families to take a look at our Facebook page!  Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hickory-Valley-Christian-School-Official-Fan-Page/113606058657458

The link is a little long, but certainly worth a look!

I pray you will have a great Thanksgiving!

David vs. Solomon

It has been a while since I last posted a blog.  Occasionally, I take a break to rejuvenate and to look for things to post a blog about.  Have you ever looked at the lives of the above father and son--- especially the end of their lives?  Recently, I did and, wow, what a difference!  Solomon was given unlimited wisdom and perspective and riches in his lifetime.  His father, David, grew the kingdom of Israel to great boundaries.  David committed adultery, murder, and ran away from his son and became an extremely passive dad.  However, David repented and changed and was God-focused at the end of his life- "Now the days of David drew near that he should die and he charged his son Solomon saying, "...be strong; therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep His statues, His judgements, His testimonies..." I Kings 2:3. 

Compare this to Solomon in I Kings 11- "For it was so that when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord, as was the heart of his father David..." (v.4)

When I look at this I see a couple of things:
(1) It is not as important how we start as it is how we finish our lives.  What kind of legacy for Christ will we leave?
(2) Both made mistakes in their lives and yet God called David a man after His own heart and He was displeased with Solomon. How we learn (or if) can make all the difference in whether God is pleased or displeased with us when we go to stand before Him.

Be blessed this week!  I hope to write more soon and give you an update on the covered walkway HVCS is building... this is from the generous donations from our Holy Smoke BBQ and Golf Tournament.  Thank you to all who gave!

Are you short-sighted or visionary?

Tonight we had our last small group study from the book Sun Stand Still by pastor Steven Furtick.  This session dealt with how we often receive a calling from God and if we choose to walk in this calling we will face those who want us to just keep things the way they are and not rock the boat.  I hope that I will be obedient to God's calling on my life as He calls me to various things and sometimes the one who wants to keep things the way they are is me...kind of ironic!

Here are some areas God might be calling you to a new, higher level of living (and me too):
- Marriage- serving and loving your spouse as Christ loved the church sacrificially
- Family- leading your children toward a greater vision of what Christ can do in their lives and raising them to be ready for that calling
- Finances- being generous with what we have been given
- Prayer- praying with fervency and audacity
- Sharing our faith- making this a regular thing in our lives and not waiting for the perfect moment

With HVCS I believe God has given me the vision of working towards a school where we lead children and families closer to Christ with intentionality.  I believe the He wants for us to honor Him as we grow to our maximum number of 200 students.  I believe He wants us make it to where tuition will meet our operational costs so that fundraising will be for capital expenditures and projects.

This takes time, perseverance, and for our faculty, staff, and school families to be committed to a cause bigger than themselves and for them to believe that the school is a part of what God is doing in Chattanooga.  Will you partner with us in praying for our school that He will use it for His glory?

Carving only done here!

Recently I have wondered what it would be like if God took the microwave, fast food approach to character--- we ask, He changes, we walk with a new character.  I used to wish for this often.  In the past year or so, I have changed my mind and prefer the actual way God changes us--- He carves our character rather than changing it in an instant.

Carving requires a humble spirit and a genuine desire to change and sometimes for these to come about difficult people and/or circumstances come and come and come until we begin listening.  Oftentimes I joke about being 40- young to some, old to others, but I see God working in me in a way He has not before- probably because of me getting in the way. 

Now I look forward to the time He has allotted for me and to what He will do in and through me.  However, sometimes what He shows me is difficult for me to accept.  He transforms us and refines us similar to a silversmith who places unrefined silver in a crucible.  He turns up the heat and as the silver melts, impurities rise to the top.  The silversmith scrapes off the impurities, looks at the silver to see his reflection.  If he can't see it clearly, he turns up the heat slowly and incrementally until he at last sees his reflection clearly.  I believe Jesus works the same with us.

Look at difficulties as opportunities for Jesus to bring about maturity in you and to make you further into the image of Christ as Romans 8 puts it.

The Real You

Today is Saturday.  Tomorrow I will go to church at Christway.  Later my wife might go shopping somewhere and then I will go back to school on Monday for a wonderful chapel service and a day spent with the children of HVCS!  In the midst of all the activity, I will meet people whether friends, acquaintances, or strangers.  With each person I meet, I will see one of 3 levels of that person.  The 3 levels are described in the book that I have been reading mentioned in prior blogs.  The 3 levels are compared to the areas of the temple described in the Old Testament:
- Outer courts
- Holy Place
- Holy of Holies

In each person, the outer courts represents the public you.  It is the me that everyone sees.  This one is the one that when asked "How are you?" says, "I'm great!".  Everyone has access to this person.

The holy place represents the level of which only friends and family see.  Not many are allowed in this place and there is a greater level of intimacy.  I decide who I allow in to this area and who I will not.  Someone might hold power or authority over you, but they have not control over if they are a part of this inner circle who you allow to get to know a more real version of you.

The most holy place represents a deeper intimacy that we keep away from everyone else.  It is the you that only you know but even you do not know this person completely.  Here lies the me that only God sees clearly--- some I am conscious of and some is subconscious.  Here lies the you that is the real you where childhood influences, parents, and many others have shaped you for good or bad.  Here is the you that God wholeheartedly accepts and loves and longs to embrace. 

Jesus said in Revelation 3 to a particular church an invitation for us to open our "holy of holies" to Him and let Him come in- "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." 

I challenge you and me to allow Jesus to peel back the levels of our lives so that He can make us transformed into His image.

Temptation

In many ways we are so different from the Animal kingdom.  This is one area- the ability to be tempted and to be able to yield or resist temptation.  Animals act on instinct and we have the ability to not respond based on instinct.   Look at some forms of hunting- a fish is caught by a lure with a worm real or not).  Numerous years ago I went barracuda fishing (which was an awesome experience).  We would throw out our line with a piece of fish attached to a hook and let the shiny side skim along the surface of the water.  Soon a barracuda would bite and fight until we reeled it in.  Isn't it funny that fish never learn how to avoid it?  They are basically made up of eyes, a stomach, and a mouth, and have an appetite and act on instinct. 

We can make a choice to avoid the devil's lures.  We are more than just our desires and instincts.  One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  Being filled with the Spirit is living a life of self-control--- not doing what I might impulsively want to do.  I am (still-- quite slowly) reading "The Me I Want to Be".  The author makes a good point: "In fact, temptation will come to us in the area where we most need to grow."  Patience- We will run into those who will help us develop in that area.  Envy- We will have people in our lives that will teach us more about being content with who and where we are in life.  When we resist temptation and live in the Spirit, it makes us more like Jesus.

The author gives strategies as to how not to get hooked by temptation:
(1)  Ask for help- from God and others.
(2) Ask, where will this lead- If I yield to _______, what are the consequences short and long term and to myself, others and my relationship with God.
(3) Remind myself of my deepest values- Resisting alone will wear us out.  Keeping our eye on who God wants us to be and surrender will help in the long-term.
(4) Monitor your soul-satisfaction- When I am not satisfied in soul with life, temptation seems stronger.  It is important to be thankful and rejoice.  When I am hungry, anything on the menu looks good.
(5) Don't stay down!- The devil is not only one who lures, he also accuses.  When we yield to temptation, as we all do many times, we need to get back up and live for Jesus!

I am so happy God loves us!  What a blessing.  I am just now learning how deep it is and I am sure I have no clue and that I am only barely scratching the surface.

Will vs. Surrender

3 verses struck me over the past week-
(1) Matthew 10:39- Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake (Jesus) will find it.
(2) John 12:24- ...unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
(3) Matthew 16:24- Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.

I am still reading "The me God wants me to be", and I worked my way through a difficult chapter on surrender.  He compared surrender to us driving in a car--- of me in the driver's seat and Jesus in the passenger seat or Him in the driver's seat. The first is me in control (which is easy) or letting Him drive (hard to do), including in the areas of my money, family, how I use my time, etc.

Surrendering is giving up my right to be in charge- it is a choice and is the "glad and voluntary acknowledgement that there is a God and it is not me.", John Ortberg says. Obedience comes in 2 forms and both are good- willingness and surrender.  Surrender is letting go, giving up my right to something.  Willing is me trying harder. Meditate on the difference this week. Sometimes, usually as a short-term solution, I will myself to do something that is uncomfortable or needs to be done but that I don't want to do.  Surrender is me handing over the keys- declaring Jesus is in charge- this is the long-term solution to us living in the Spirit.

Inside and Out

I finally cleaned my truck today!  Andrea and the children left for a trip so I have been a bit bored :)  It has been a while since I cleaned it inside and out by hand, but it looks a lot better.  As I cleaned it for the first time in... well, quite a while, I thought of Matthew 23:25-26. Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to the Pharisees and scribes of His day.  In these verses He criticized them for cleaning the outside of the cup but not the inside. 

Try this next time when you clean your dishes from dinner... just clean the outside!
- Will you want to drink out of it or eat out of it?
- Which is really more important to clean- the inside or outside?

I found that with cleaning the truck, it was easier to clean the outside of it- a little soap and water and a rag and that's it!  The inside took cleaning the windows, getting the trash out, vacuuming, dusting, etc.  The inside is certainly harder to get clean!  Look at this Scripture- Mark 7:17-23- Jesus here speaks to the same issue that the outside is not as important as what is on the inside.  He talks about how out of the heart comes what we speak and how we act--- good or bad.

The inside is what counts.  Let's work on that!  Next week, I will go further into this in discussing training we need to grow in our walk. 

Sustainable Spiritual Growth and Other Thoughts

I have been thinking a lot about the difference between a relationship with God based on rules and one based on love for Him.  It seems to me that relationship based on rules just leads me to frustration and really not much of a relationship at all, but one based on love spurs me on to seek Him and know Him more.  Funny thing about this is that the 2 just might go together.  Jesus said, "He who loves Me will do what I say (follow My commands)."  Love moves us to obey, but then again all of us have a sinful nature that we must reign in... this takes discipline because sometimes I, and I am sure you too, don't want to obey.

The children at HVCS are trained to love God and are taught how to walk in Him- to obey His commands.  One thing that I want to do at HVCS is help our children determine how each one individually can find a relationship with God.  This will be different with each person.  In the book I mentioned in the last blog, it discusses different temperaments, learning styles, and pathways of spiritual growth.  I believe I have found mine.  I tend to be introverted (I recharge by solitude), a naturalist (I find God in nature, like on a hike in the mountains), contemplative (meditate on what I have read), and intellectual (I love God by learning).  I am a visual and somewhat tactile learner too. 

My point is that how I grow in my relationship with God is tied to how He designed and wired me.  Find what your more natural bent is and seek Him in ways that He wired you--- I believe this is how to encourage sustained spiritual growth in your walk with Jesus. 

How is your spiritual life going?

I am reading a book called The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg.  I purchased the book at a church in Nashville- Crosspoint Community Church.  It is similar to Elevation Church in Charlotte--- both are great experiences!  The question in the title is something I ask myself often, but how do you determine the "well-being of your soul"?  This book gave 2 questions that might provide a bit of insight that I am finding helpful:

Ask yourself these 2 questions:
(1) Am I more easily discouraged these days?
(2) Am I more easily irritated these days?

I believe, as this book points about, that at the core of a flourishing soul are the love and peace of God.  The flourishing soul is equal to walking in the Spirit.  When I walk in the Spirit, I tend to be more loving and less discouraged and irritable.  How about you?  I also know that when I am more self-centered, I get irritated and discouraged and I show a languishing spirit not a flourishing one. Something to think about this week.

At Hickory Valley Christian School, our focus is to glorify God in everything we do as Paul says in I Corinthians 10:31.  We want to teach our children to walk in the Spirit along with providing academic excellence in a nurturing environment.  If you have children at our school, I am sure you see and feel this kind of environment.  Thank you so much for allowing us the privilege of serving you and your children!

Have blessed week!

I love the attitude of our basketball team.  As I have watched them over the last 2 games, I have noticed some characteristics that I believe we can all use more of.
(1) Perseverance- The last 2 games  have been tough for them.  The other teams have more experience and are taller or faster... they don't give up.  The 1st game they scored 4 points, the 2nd game they scored 19.
(2) Maintaining a good attitude in difficulty- Even though the other team scores over and over, they are positive and treat the other team with respect.
(3) Persistent prayer- They are unashamed to pray before and after the game together on the gym floor.

These are qualities mentioned in the Bible.  Look at the apostle Paul- beaten, stoned, made fun of, and many other things, yet persevered, maintained good works, and prayed often in tears and in joy.

Just some thoughts for you for the next week :)  May the Lord bless you this week!

Happy New Year from HVCS!

Welcome to my blog! This is designed for current and prospective families of HVCS.  The blogs I share sometimes will be about school and education, sometimes about something I read from the Bible recently, and sometimes something going on with me and my family.  I hope you enjoy and will visit often!  I will have posts most weeks.

2011 is upon us and I am very excited about what this year will bring us as a school family at Hickory Valley Christian School. I hope soon you will see some changes in our facilities that will get you as excited about the 2011-2012 school year at HVCS as I am!  This month (January) we will have parent coffees for current families and I will share some of the new things planned :).  I feel you will be really pleased!  Save these dates for our parent coffees:
- Upcoming 4-5th graders- 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 11th
- Upcoming 1st-3rd graders- 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 18th
- Upcoming K4-K5- 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 25th

As we prepare for re-enrollment, here are a couple of resources for your review that validate who we are--- a Christ-centered school with small class sizes and is by design only going to grow to just over 200 students.

- Small class size- http://privateschool.about.com/od/choosingaschool/qt/sizematters.htm, http://www.edpriorities.org/Info/SmallerClass/Smaller_FS.Benefit.html - The bottom line in these articles is that small class sizes, especially in the younger grades equals greater achievement up through high school!

For His Glory,
Jack Exum