by Jon Eckert, Ed.D.

As a boy, I always wondered what it would be like to be one of the wise men. There is adventure in this story—meeting an evil king who wants to kill Jesus, meeting the savior of the world as a child, and then sneaking home a different way.
However, if we distill the story to its essence, the wise men saw a star, they followed it, they "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy," then they fell down and worshipped. This is really our journey as Christians. We follow Christ because of his love for us, we rejoice exceedingly in His goodness, we experience joy, and we fall down and worship. Joy is more than happiness. It is the transcendent effervescence of our souls. Joy is our sense of the Trinity echoing throughout creation.

"Joy tends to involve some transcendence of self. It's when the skin barrier between you and some other person or entity fades away and you feel fused together. Joy is present when mother and baby are gazing adoringly into each other's eyes... We are seized by joy." 1 Can you imagine the joy the wise men would have seen between Mary and Jesus as a young boy?

In my time at Baylor, joy has seized me in many moments. Sometimes, I get a sunrise glimpse of Pat Neff still alight while walking under the spreading branches of the live oaks bordering Fountain Mall. Sometimes it is in God's fingerprints all over campus—the scriptures in the sidewalks, the prayers before basketball games, but mostly, through His people. I am seized by joy when I forget myself and am drawn into a deep conversation with a colleague, school leader, or student. We might be discussing an existential question, naming what we see God doing in our lives or on campus, or sharing a meal in our home. These are glimpses of eternity.

We experience joy because of the overflow of the goodness of the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christ came to Earth out of God's abundant love for us to bring us forgiveness, mercy, love, and joy! As we pursue academic excellence, grounded in His truth, we continue in a rich Christian tradition of scholarship. As Augustine wrote, "All truth is God's truth." When our relationships are grounded in our pursuit of God's Truth, embrace His grace, and abide in His love, we are seized by joy as our souls recognize the overflow of God's love made manifest in relationships.

As children and adults this advent season, if we can unleash our imaginations about what Christ has done for us, our souls will be seized by joy and that joy will effervesce to others. We serve an incarnate Savior whom we serve by pursuing Truth through our work at Baylor and know that we will spend eternity with the wise men and our risen King!
​
1 Brooks, D. (2019). The second mountain: The quest for a moral life. Random House. Pp. xxiv.

by Dr. Mark Beadle , Guest Contributor
​
Schools are often attacked and maligned for not doing the right thing.  During this 2020 pandemic, the public has often seen things schools could have done better.  Certainly, we have all adjusted and schools have been schooled like many of our institutions and businesses-churches, libraries, hotels, airlines, …

But there is a group of schools that have done many things right.  I wanted to write about these Christian schools and will start with a quote and a story:
 
“We prayed all along, but since March we have chosen to open a new school in every way.  We have started over!”  Southside Christian School is in Simpsonville, South Carolina and has grown by 100 students this year. Their Sup ’t, Dr. Sam Barfell, calls it a surge.  They have 1160 students, 45 of which are enrolled in virtual classes that are offered as live video versions of a face to face class.  They have waiting lists at most grade levels.  They invested $630,000 to achieve these results but that seems to have already paid off! They are doing things right!

On April 15, 2020, Bill McGee of Legacy Christian Academy wrote: “DON’T WASTE THIS PANDEMIC.”   He modeled a mindset that allowed Godly change and growth.  No school could afford to stay the same or just plan to return to normal. ACSI, CSI and other leaders offered resources to help with this change so that a school did not have to do this alone.  Some schools embraced the crisis as an opportunity.    The Wall Street Journal reports that some private schools grew and some lost enrollment.

 What were three right things that schools did? 

Communicate- successful schools developed internal and external communications to let parents know what plans were being made and how safety was going to be ensured.  They overcommunicated. They attracted new students with a new message.  They re-assured current parents. 

Bill McGee (noted above) said- “The three things Legacy Christian Academy did right in response to the pandemic were 1) communicate, 2) communicate, and 3) communicate. We greatly increased the frequency and transparency of our communications with our parents, faculty, and staff. We expanded our communication strategies to include video messages and live town hall meetings, during which parents could submit questions on-demand and receive immediate answers. We also invested many hours in developing brochures, charts, decision trees, web pages, and other graphics that have helped our families understand and navigate expectations and protocols.”
This was undoubtably hard and required time and effort but Andy Stanley says: "People crave certainty, but as a leader, certainty is beyond your control. The next best thing is clarity."

Planned to change- Change is always hard and most of us did not have any choice this time around.   But by pulling together parents, faculty, and school leaders, schools could plan the change that they wanted.  It has been interesting to see the huge variety of options (p.5) that has resulted.  If a school listens to their “customer” they certainly have a better chance of succeeding than “just” diligently working to get things back to the way they were.   Successful schools were open to change and worked the plan to get there.

“We have been on a roller coaster all summer regarding plans to start school in the fall. Each time the plans have changed, our staff has not flinched. They reorganize, re-evaluate their programs, and move ahead without complaint. Our prayer life together has improved and provided much solace.” --San Francisco Bay Area School Leader

Added online options- Schools had to have a solution when a face to face option did not work for a family or the school.   Many schools trained their teachers in delivering online content.  “Getting Smart” suggested it was time to think about partnering with an online provider and many schools did.  Sevenstar (an online partner for face to face schools) experienced record enrollments from Christian schools and even more partnerships with leading schools.  

Here is a quote from a school with 309 new online enrollments: “We have honored our families in these uncertain times by offering a solid Biblically integrated program of online courses. Our students are learning right where they are and getting the benefit of a high-quality education.”

The bottom line- The biggest thing private schools did right was re-open! The public schools are still figuring it out and people are noticing a difference.  After deciding to re-open, they communicated, planned and added online options.

​Dr. R. Mark Beadle is CEO Emeritus of Sevenstar.  He loves seeing Christian schools change so they succeed, and students are helped.

by Matt Thomas, Ed.D.

Author and poet David Whyte tells the story of a man who married when he was young. In the early years of his marriage, the man regularly seemed frustrated, out of sorts, and even irritated at his new spouse. When asked about his sour attitude, the young man answered, “The woman I have pledged to spend the rest of my life with wants to talk about the same thing every day, every night, and every weekend.” The topic? The quality of their relationship. 
 
Finally, the young man gathered the courage to ask his new wife, “Why must we continue to have the same conversation over and over, day after day? Could we not just have one conversation and then be done for the year?”
 
Apparently not. Because at age 42, the couple was still having the same conversation. Only this time, after all these years, the man now realized, “the ongoing conversation the couple had been having was not actually about the relationship, it was the relationship.” 
 
The lesson, Whyte says, is simple: the conversation is the relationship, and if the conversation stops, the relationship dies. 
 
This story could not be more appropriate for Christian leaders. Too often, leaders find themselves being annoyed by that which is central to their calling. Rather than pursuing those we are to serve, we pursue solitude; but where solitary leadership exists, isolation is bred. 
 
Solomon addresses the fallout that occurs when solitary leadership is an accepted norm. 
 
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. Proverbs 18:1.
 
It can be an easy move to hide behind a desk and work on projects from mission control or to create distance by refraining from taking relationships deeper. It’s easy to succumb to the growing complexities related to school and classroom leadership and look for ways to separate yourself from the organisms within the organization. But, compassionate leadership compels us to step out, to seek others, to converse. 
 
Compassionate leaders find ways to foster the conversation. Here are three tips that may increase the relational standing and well-being of those within your school or classroom.
 
1. Assess how compassionate you really are.
Being able to demonstrate compassion begins with an assessment of yourself. Here are a few questions to ask yourself,

• What are my real goals for today? 
• How do those goals encourage conversations with others?
• How often do I find myself practicing politeness toward others in conversations rather than being deeply intentional with each interaction?
• When was the last time I asked someone what they were really thinking about a key issue in my school or classroom?
• How often do I avoid someone because the conversation is repetitive?

 
Depending on your answer, there may need to be several adjustments made internally before compassion will ever be a description of your leadership. It’s important to take the pulse of relationships by honestly asking yourself these questions, but a more productive outcome may result when you check in with others to learn how compassionate you’ve been.
 
I’ve always admired C.S. Lewis’s ability to see himself as he is. In Surprised by Joy, he transparently shares an observation to which we can relate. He characterized his inward man as “a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, and a harem of hatreds.” Lewis knew that he was not always operating from a disposition of love and holiness, just as we might not always operate from a base camp of compassion.    
 
2. Cancel the culture of “niceness.”  
Being nice is nice, but being nice often replaces genuine interactions with a surface level conversation. Leaders fail to show people that the relationship matters when they keep the conversation at a superficial level. Effective conversations call leaders to praise what is worthy of praise and to confront what needs to be confronted. Whether it be an attitude, a performance, or a behavior, genuine interactions strengthen the relationship so these areas can be addressed appropriately and healthily. 
 
How can leaders do this well? Try answering the following questions.

• Why am I here? The right answer is not to lead, but to relate. When leaders relate in ways that exceed being nice, others recognize it and respond in meaningful ways. 
• What is the ideal relationship look like with this person?
• What is the most important thing we should be talking about?

 
The most valuable currency a leader has is the relationship they share with each individual in the school. Therefore, invest wisely. 
 
3. Always converse with compassion. 
More than one person has told me that when I discuss a matter for which I care deeply, I can come across with great “passion.” My wife gave me the same helpful feedback early in our marriage. She said, “I know you’re not upset, your just passionate.” She’s right! 
 
Because we are human, we naturally talk emotionally first and rationally second. Leaders can become so focused on a plan to share, a lesson to give, or communicating a point that strong emotions are displayed without our awareness. And, because my intent is always to be compelling, I may forget that the recipient of my emotive outburst does not share that same understanding. Whether intentional or not, everything we say leaves an emotional wake. I’ve personally seen this in my conversations with my colleagues and at other times with my children. What I’ve learned and am oft reminded of is there is never an excuse to convey such emotion and in turn, justify it as passion. Rather as Christ-followers, we must converse with compassion because we believe that our lives succeed or fail one conversation at a time. 
 
Here are some practices that have served me well,

• Remembering there is no trivial comment or conversation. Not only does every word matter but more importantly, the tone in which it is delivered.
• Committing to talk with people rather than at them.
• Giving space and time for meaningful conversations to slow down to hear to myself speak. I know the more emotion involved, the greater the need to balance with silence. 
• Sharing with others what I hope to receive from them…compassion.

 
May we strive to be leaders who others naturally endear themselves to because of the honest, open, and meaningful conversations we refuse to let die.
 
Don’t stop the conversation.

by Jon Eckert, Ed.D.

​According to a Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, 71% of Americans “have trust and confidence in the men and women who are teaching children in the public schools.”  I would assume that number is even higher for parents whose children are enrolled in private schools, and I would certainly assume that for homeschoolers.
 
Grateful for Trust
 
I am thankful as a teacher, that there remains a public trust in this country for those who work with our children.  After all, Thomas Jefferson viewed education as essential to our democracy – we need to be able to trust those responsible for developing that citizenry.  
 
As a professor, I am grateful for the trust the public places in the teachers whom I have prepared.  
 
However, I am most grateful as a parent that my three children have teachers that I trust.
 
When Trust is Lacking
 
When trust is eroded, we begin to see the way systems, organizations, and nations decay.  Many of the challenges we face in education are due in large part to a lack of trust.  Whether or not they are warranted, many of the policies in place in schools are there due to a lack of trust.  When principals do not trust teachers to do what is best for students, they micromanage.  When parents do not trust their children’s teachers, they hover.  When students do not trust their teachers, they do not learn.  Everything is predicated on trust; without it, very little positive will come from schools.
 
When Trust is Present
 
When trust in a school is present, powerful learning can happen.  Great teachers, who have earned our trust, flourish when they are in a safe environment in which they can take risks and push their students to do the same.  When teachers create these trusting environments, our children flourish. 
 
Ultimately, we and our children must place our trust in the Lord as Proverbs 3: 5-6 suggests, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”  Our trust in the Lord will hopefully allow us to wisely entrust our children with their teachers each day.
 
Bushaw, W.J. & Lopez, S.J. (2012). The 44th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the public’s attitudes toward the public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 94 (1), 8-25.

By Matt Thomas
Executive Director, Baylor's Center for Christian Education
​
You’ve likely heard the adage, “know thyself.” You can find this phrase promoted in everything from self-help books to serious philosophy classes on university campuses across the country. While this phrase and philosophical concept dates back to at least the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and maybe even earlier, the phrase has serious problems when held under the scrutiny of Scripture and professional leadership literature. 
 
It may seem obvious that knowing thyself doesn’t align with what the Bible says about what our minds should be consumed with knowing, but the reality is that too often, we functionally live with a disconnect between precept and practice when our theological, theoretical, and daily choices evidence that knowing ourselves may be what the Christian life is all about. To be fair, the Bible encourages us to be familiar with our weaknesses and areas that are prone to wander. However, when Paul the Apostle addresses these areas within his own life, he is quick to shift his mind away from his weaknesses to the power of the gospel and the identity he finds in Christ. 
 
And even in the world of leadership, there is evidence that this adage doesn’t align with leading well. Leadership research tells us that impact is diminished when one leads without an accurate knowledge of those they are leading. Considering this and insights from Scripture, we know that one of the most effective ways to lead well is to lead with compassion. But leading with compassion is impossible if leaders are consumed with only knowing their own strengths and skills and are concerned mainly about their own well-being and development – know thyself. (Measure your compassionate leadership HERE or learn why compassionate leadership is scarce HERE.)
 
In their book, The Way of the Shepherd, Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak share an inspirational parable as told by the most respected CEO in America. In this parable, the fictional CEO shares how he learned the secret of leading others well when he was an MBA student who was being mentored by his professor through the ancient practices of shepherding. In the first chapter, the mentor stresses one critical lesson that all others stand upon: know the condition of your flock. He sets up this lesson by reminding the young student that managers cannot manage what they do not know. As the mentor continued, he encouraged the student to get to know not only the work the people are responsible for but the people responsible for the work. Like this student, what seemed like a natural inclination for a leader remains a mystery for many.
 
Christian leadership possesses a quality that distinctively emphasizes the heart and actions of the leader. What we are learning at the Center for Christian Education is that leading with compassion requires actions that position the leader to engage and serve others, not the reverse. The following strategic practices will help you lead with compassion.
 
First, pray for opportunities to show compassion to those you are leading. 
It’s not always easy to think of creative ways to show compassion to those we are leading. Most leaders are focused on an issue, trying to find solutions to real critical problems, or even thinking about the next COVID protocol that needs to be implemented. With all this on your mind, it is only natural to isolate ourselves away from thinking about common ways to lead with compassion, but this may be more dangerous than we realize. Finding ways to compassionately lead begins with an internal disposition toward prayer by the leader. To help with this, one practice that a friend shared with me was pausing to pray that an opportunity would present itself to lead with compassion each time they sent an email to a staff member. Imagine how many opportunities you would be praying for on a typical day.
 
Second, show compassion to those you lead by increasing your awareness of their well-being. 
Everyone wants to be noticed, except for maybe Eeyore. Being known, being valued, being loved, and respected is a universal longing of all humans…your team is no different. And one of the most important things you can do as a leader of people who want to be known, valued, loved, and respected is to increase your awareness of how they are actually doing. How are they feeling? How are they dealing with the added pressures of this challenging season? How are their families doing? 
 
Unfortunately, I think most leaders understand how their staff is doing collectively but have no idea how to break that down to the individual level. 
 
Third, show compassion to those you lead by giving time for individuals to speak to you.
One of the most pronounced ways a leader “forgets himself” is by listening to those around him. This can be a difficult shift for some leaders because moving from the desire to be understood to being understanding requires “self-forgetfulness,” as Tim Keller would say. But this shift is so critical that some psychologists believe that being understood is even better than being loved. In his book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge tells the story of the Natal tribe in South Africa whose common greeting between two tribesmen always begins with, “Sawubona.” The literal translation is, “I see you.” The reply is, “Ngikhona” which simply means, “I am here.” Senge tells the reader that the order of the greeting is of utmost importance because acknowledging the presence of another brings them into existence. 
 
Although acknowledging another person does not bring them into existence, there is biblical precedent for respecting the Imago Dei in others when we acknowledge their need and presence. Leader, how different would your organizational culture be if each person knew that you saw them? 
 
Fourth, show compassion to those you lead by actively listening and responding appropriately.
For compassionate leadership to characterize your leadership, you must have a genuine affection for the people you are leading and the best way to model this is to increase your desire to know about who he is or where she wants to go or what obstacle seems insurmountable to them. A powerful way to show compassion, in this case, is to be willing to occasionally set aside your issues and schedule and simply be with the other person. Why? Because being with the other person ensures that you will not only hear every word spoken but that you will not miss their message altogether. This is the only response that shows true compassion.
 
Here’s the rub: the biggest obstacle to leading with compassion is you. As I wrote this, I recalled times when Iwas the obstacle preventing me from leading with compassion. That reality taught me that what I think of myself influences the way I regard others. Sadly, this truth is the polar opposite of what a Christian leader’s behavior should look like. Biblically aligned leadership resembles a servant embracing all people and committing to regard them highly, based on what we can do for them, not what they can do for us.
 
So, whether you’re leading a school, a board room, a classroom, or even a lunchroom…effort made to compassionately know those whom God has entrusted to your care will never be a waste. 
 
Here’s the pivotal question I’m wrestling with as I think through this idea, just how compassionate is Christian school leadership today? I hope to explore this topic across the semester through the CCE’s newsletter and blog. I trust it will serve you and your leadership well.
 
Lord, I pray for each school to be filled with educational leaders who compassionately lead everyone you have placed within their care.
​

When I pastored in Ohio, I was always looking for reasons to visit California, especially in the dead of winter. To be honest, if I was invited to preach in California during December or January, I didn’t even pray about it, I just took it to be God’s will [not really but close!]. In thinking about California from Ohio I loved the thought of what would be there - sunny skies, warm temperatures, golden beaches, friends, family, Seaport Village in San Diego, Santa Monica Pier, and the In & Out Burger by LAX. But I also loved the thought of what wouldn’t be in California - weather in the 10’s and 20’s, grey skies, long dark frigid nights, ice on windshields, and slush on the roads. I loved the prospect of California, not only for what would be present but also for what would be absent. 

I think you get the point, and I think it works the same way for Heaven. Heaven will be heaven partly because of what will be there, and partly because of what will not be there. Heaven will be heaven because of what will be added to our lives, but also because of what will be subtracted from our lives. As Adrian Rogers put it: “Heaven is the absence of all that is bad, and the presence of all that is good. It is all the loving heart of God can conceive, and all the omnipotent hand of God can provide.”

In the book of Revelation, we see this clearly outlined in a series of statements couched in the language of “no more.” According to John the Apostle, there will be no more sea, no more crying, no more death, no more pain, no more temple, no more sun, and no more curse (Rev 21:1, 4, 22-23, and Rev 22:3, 5). Imagine life without the barrier of the “severing sea,” which means a world where there is no separation; imagine life without tears and broken hearts, minds, and bodies; imagine life without expiration and the shadow of death; imagine life where you walk beneath the glow of God’s direct, manifest and glorious presence; imagine life where all the effects of Adam and Eve’s disobedience have been erased; imagine life where you have the presence of all that is good, and the absence of all that is bad.

Given that coming reality, we would do well to remind ourselves that the suffering of this present moment cannot be compared to the glory that is coming our way in the eternal kingdom (Rom. 8:18-25). Suffering will be followed by glory (1 Peter 4:12-13). Whatever problems we have, whatever tears we shed, whatever brokenness we experience, it all has an expiration date attached to it. It is all going to be erased. Someday sin, sorrow, and Satan will be behind us. Someday we will take our last insult, shed our last tear, attend our last funeral, offer our last sigh, and confess our last sin. 

As children, and even as adults, we have often closed our eyes in a painful situation. We hope that when we open our eyes, the problem will have gone, or the circumstances changed. But every time we do that, we open our eyes in disappointment. Thank God, however, that there is coming a day when we will open our eyes to a world where all our protagonists, problems, and pains will be gone. 
In our present circumstances, may we persevere in the hope that someday God will remove the bad and supersize the good. ​

Philip De Courcy is the senior pastor of Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills, CA, and speaker on the daily broadcast, Know The Truth. KTT.org

This July we will work with teachers from all over the country to redesign the way we engage and assess students. We are so excited to do this work over the course of July!

The Academies will be divided by Lower, Middle, and Upper School cohorts addressing student engagement, assessment, and feedback. Join with teachers from your grade level and discipline on Zoom and use our tools to improve content delivery, student content creation, and performance tasks with rubrics for feedback.

You will enter August ready to launch an amazing year for students whether that year is on campus, distanced, or a hybrid. You will have access to all of the tools your cohort creates in addition to what Baylor will provide.

Lower School VLA
July 8, 15, 22, 29
10:00 am CST
Register
Middle School VLA
July 8, 15, 22, 29
11:30 am CST
Register
Upper School VLA
July 8, 15, 22, 29
1:00 pm CST
Register

Great lessons from amazing educations.
Link to Facebook Live release of findings
Link to the report

A number of organizations and experts are supplying guidance for re-opening school campuses safely. Below are some resources that might be helpful. We will continue to add.

Education Next Blueprint for Back to School
Kennesaw State Open Letter to Independent Schools
Re-opening checklist
Johns Hopkins Re-opening Guidance
CDC Flowchart on re-opening
​Return to School Roadmap
Cult of Pedagogy Tips