What God Had in Store

Thirteen months ago I had no intention of serving as a Head of School. In fact, I had come to the conclusion that my family’s involvement in Lima Christian School had come to a close. Little did I know what God had in store.

A Summer of Uncertainty

I will pick up my story at the end of last academic year. I found myself among the many parents who sat in a meeting where we learned of significant turnover in teaching staff. Shortly after, there was a near-complete turnover in school leadership, including at the school board level.

Why Did We Doubt?

We should have known there was a greater plan, but in that moment, and like many parents at the time, I began exploring alternative options for my children. Though it pained me to seek out another option given my kids’ love for their LCS friends and teachers, I confess that I looked at the situation and considered it beyond saving.

To keep a long story short, an offer to volunteer with the school turned into a challenge to go all-in, which eventually landed me in a front-row seat to what God was about to do.

The Reality Check
Upon taking up the position of Head of School, I first met with each of our teachers to hear their concerns and why, in the midst of these challenges, they had courageously chosen to remain. My efforts then turned to finding them colleagues who shared that conviction. Most days were spent on the phone chasing down candidates. I signed up for online sales prospecting tools to identify potential teachers and cold call them about our openings. But the first and most important hire we made was promoting Mrs. Settle to be Vice Principal (now Principal). Mrs. Settle’s years of experience in the classroom and graduate-level education in school administration have become invaluable. It is incredible to see how God had been preparing her for exactly this moment.

So together we pressed on, praying relentlessly, working endlessly, and trusting God for His provision. Of course, I had no idea what the outcome would be, and there were plenty of times when I questioned if this was all worth it. I had left a stable job to take on the responsibility of a school in crisis. I vividly recall a moment during worship last year, as the congregation sang “Crowns Down.” I silently lamented to God the situation and what seemed impossible. As the music swelled and the people cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the lamb upon the throne,” I was overwhelmed by a great sense of peace and confidence. Rushing to mind came the words:

“Testify of my goodness and provision and I will be faithful to my promises. Lima will be open in the fall.”

Even now as I remember, this brings tears to my eyes. As Scripture testifies time and again, in the moments when we feel the most helpless and broken, our Savior is with us and will remind us of His goodness.

Plans for (Almost) Every Contingency

Now I am a fervent planner, and I prepare contingencies for nearly every situation I can conceive. With Mrs. Settle’s invaluable help, we prepared a wide range of contingencies, from the catastrophic to the mildly inconvenient. I even presented one of these plans to parents to understandably mixed reactions in early August. Even then, a few weeks from orientation and the start of school, we were still missing about half of the teachers we needed. It was a true manifestation of:

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

Matthew 9:37

Around that time, I asked two parents to plan a worship night for the week before school started. We still did not know how, but we trusted and believed in God’s promise that LCS would be open. As we took that step of faith, every piece of this confusing puzzle began to fall into place in ways that we could never have orchestrated. Alumni, retired teachers, and complete strangers to Lima Christian emerged seemingly from nowhere to fill critical roles. And in just those few weeks, we saw every single position filled.

The True Source of Trouble

In case there were any doubts about the source of that summer’s troubles, the clear evidence came one week before our orientation was set to begin. I had just gotten off a call with our last hire, excitedly left my office and proclaimed to all present that we were fully staffed. As I celebrated with our team, I received a call from the very first teacher I had hired that summer. He informed me that he was withdrawing from his position.

Five. Minutes.

We were fully staffed for five minutes before this next attack of the Enemy. If we ever needed a clearer indication that God is at work and has a purpose for the students at Lima Christian School, this was it. The Enemy was determined to bring this school down and stop God’s children enrolled here from receiving the preparation and discipleship Christ had in store.

It was a reasonable strategy for an attack. It had nearly been successful earlier that summer. But this time was different. The attack was too brazen. Rather than cast us back into despair, this last flailing attempt to thwart the will of the Creator truly felt insignificant. We had just witnessed God provide nearly half of our staff in a miraculous way that could only be His provision. And the God who did that would easily provide one more teacher.

And He did.

God Is Good

While this is my testimony, it is also the journey of a community. It illustrates how essential it is that we prepare the next generation to do the good work of the Savior, carrying Christ’s love and the freedom of the Gospel to a world desperate for the saving power of Jesus Christ. Equally, it is evidence of the lengths to which the Enemy will go to thwart God’s purpose for these children.

I ask you to join me in glorifying God for what He has done. For even as we face great challenges in life, we can celebrate the goodness of God and thank Him for His goodness.

Even now, my ride to work this morning was waylaid by unanticipated car trouble. As I finish writing this, waiting for a tow truck, I am reminded of God’s goodness. Because even when my car decided to stop in the middle of an intersection and refuse to start again, God had placed one of our staff members and her husband in the car behind me, along with several Good Samaritans who helped me move the car to safety. Even in unwelcome and frustrating crises, God is good. God provides.

But… even if He does not, we will not stop praising. We are blessed that we saw God rescue LCS last summer. We witnessed the power of the One who is worthy of all. And, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace, we will continue to praise Him in every situation.

And you have the opportunity to do just that. We will have another worship celebration to open the new year. Join us at the end of August at Lima Christian School for this year’s worship night to celebrate what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in the lives of His children at LCS.

For Christ’s Glory!