Living in a Cornfield? My wife and I often used that statement to encourage the other spouse to stop talking about adult things in front of the kids. Our point was to remind each other that we were surrounded by little ears. Usually, we would follow this up shortly after with a walk when our children […]
One of Margo’s latest hashtags is #VeritasUnited. I got to thinking about that. This is definitely our goal and something our enemy works non-stop to prevent. He would love to destroy the best parts of Veritas — our caring, supportive community. He sneaks around in our minds, sowing seeds of division, since he knows that […]
Over the weekend, we have had a drill of our emergency response system with a possible COVID contact on campus. At 7:41 AM Sunday morning, I got the email I was both expecting and dreading — “I am your teacher and I have a fever of 105.” Immediately, my brain was scrambling through all of the […]
Have you been stunned by any of the recent defections from the faith? I was stunned to learn that Joshua Harris of I Kissed Dating Goodbye fame and nationally known pastor and speaker had renounced Christianity. I also learned recently of a similar falling away by Jon Steingard, the frontman for the Christian rock band Hawk […]
We often think of parents discipling their children. But have you thought that discipling our children begins with discipling ourselves? In Deuteronomy 6 God starts with the parents: “These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Teach them diligently to your children…” Deut. 6:6-7 It starts with each one of […]
One friend of mine was always ready with a comment when things would not go as planned — “If you want to make God laugh, make plans!” I often did not appreciate her snarky sense of humor, especially when major adjustments had to be made in very important plans. But, I began to see the wisdom […]
As we continue through this pandemic environment, I sometimes wonder what the long-term effects this will have on all of us. The other day I had a meeting of adults, everyone wearing masks, and I went around and squeezed out a little hand sanitizer for everyone. They all dutifully rubbed it on their hands thoroughly. […]
Please see our VAT Biosecurity Proposal for information about our plan going into the 2020-2021 academic school year in light of COVID-19.
Often we work hard at many things. We also fight mightily against earthly and spiritual forces, and even fight our own internal battles between the flesh and the Spirit. Unfortunately, while working hard and fighting battles, we often box aimlessly beating the air. (1 Corinthians 9:26) One place that God tells us to strive diligently is for “the […]
2020 has proven to be a challenging year and we have not yet hit the halfway point. Not only have we had COVID-19 and nationwide unrest, now our families and others in our area have been on high alert due to the Big Horn Fire! I have tried to sit down and wonder what this […]
I’m an old guy. That might come as a shock, but I have been around the corner and back. I grew up in the Sixties and Seventies. I attended integrated schools before that was a thing. It was just a fact of our neighborhoods and our Junior and Senior High. My Mom and stepdad were […]
A Time to Mourn — As the country is still reeling from a pandemic, streets are aflame and our state and others are in a state of emergency due to the brutal killing of a helpless American at the hands of police officers. This killing of a black man has been roundly condemned by everyone […]
When I was a pastor doing counseling, I often said — The good thing about human beings is that we are creatures of habit. The bad thing about human beings is that we are creatures of habit. After a parishioner would give me a polite laugh, one usually said, “Wait! What?” I would go on […]
A Word to the Wise, Building an Ally Within — When people think of parenting, they often focus on two main things — nurturing a child’s self esteem and making sure that they confront the will when necessary, especially with consistent consequences. Much can be said about both these issues, but often another of great […]
In recent weeks I have had opportunities to chat with various people and some have testified of their own fears or have noted that they have mature Christian friends who are being overwhelmed emotionally by this crisis. Others are going through inner turmoil, anxiety and depression due to the isolation or due to an increased […]
Take a moment to watch this video address from Head of School Christopher Barnes.
Questions Set Expectations: Have you ever wondered why there is such a big difference between the educational performance of various ethnic groups? The outcomes of various students seem to defy concrete measurements of things like IQ. Even for children with similar IQ scores, students in particular ethnic groups still outperform their peers of other groups. […]
Encouragement Is the Oxygen that Vitalizes Everything We Do: Parents, thank you so much for your show of support to all of us on staff through your Christmas cards, treats and gifts!! You can’t believe how much we appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. These signs of encouragement lift our spirits and the burdens of the semester-ending […]
The Limitations of the Golden Rule… Jesus taught in Matthew 7:12 — “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” This is so basic that it resonates with almost any audience — adults and children alike, the very wealthy and […]
Raising Children in an Insane World: Do you ever wonder how things in our culture/country have drifted so far from our Judeo-Christian heritage? Do you ever struggle to know how best to prepare your children for the moral anarchy that is all around us? What is going on out there? For many of us, we have […]
Most of the time we think that a tattletale is a bad thing. We tell our children not to tattle. We tell them that nobody likes a tattletale. (As if having people like us is an appropriate motivation.) And we even have little punishments for a tattletale. But, have you ever thought that there is […]
When I was a baby Christian, I was deeply impressed by the book of Acts. Peter, John, James and Paul were like these super heroes to me. They faced off their enemies without even flinching, even challenging nose to nose the Jewish Supreme Court that had ordered the execution of their beloved Lord and Savior, […]
Perhaps you missed the Brush and Nib case, or you heard about it and didn’t see how it related to you. But look again. Two Christian young ladies in their mid-twenties took on the city of Phoenix and its discriminatory “anti-discrimination laws” and won at the AZ Supreme Court! I will touch on some of the very […]
Jesus Plays Volleyball: Seriously, I did not know this. But I wandered into the gym and saw the girls practicing volleyball displaying this truth — “Even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to SERVE!” Who knew? Days Seldom Go as Planned, but Sometimes They Go Better! We often are so absorbed with our […]
We were studying Colossians 3:1-3 today in Sunday school: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Suddenly, […]
Your Values Are Showing! My daughter Abby was so embarrassed. She had a long-time friend come over to assist her with the latest foster parenting challenge. Two sisters for whom they had cared in the Summer of ’18 had returned to their home after a year’s absence. Her friend was helping watch the girls in the […]
“Ask me the third week of school.” …was my stock answer when asked, “How’s it going?” at the start of the school year. I figured that by the time we got through Pre-Service Campus Teacher Training and Paideia, our family and satellite classroom teacher training, and the fits and starts of getting things up and running, […]
“Everybody starts with an A!” I announced to the class. I was thinking also, “And everyone is my teacher’s pet, as well.” That is how most of us start with each new class. Teachers normally want every child to succeed, every child to be his or her favorite, each class to be the favorite class of […]
The Virtue of Guiding Philosophies and Principles Every year I have the unwanted task of reading through and editing our policies and protocols in our various handbooks/manuals. I must confess that I don’t always reread the “permanent part” of our manuals, the unchanging philosophies and principles. After all, I won’t be changing them, so why […]
Blessings from Rigorous Training! There were many blessings across the board during this year’s Paideia. Encouragement overflowed from Ellen Schuknecht’s ministry among us, parent to parent training was chock-filled with practical suggestions and inspiration for the home days, and the time to connect with one’s teacher informed expectations and surely laid a groundwork for future healthy […]
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