My Other Family

     When you work in a school, and a k-12 school at that, and raise your children in a community such as this (www.cpalions.org), you form connections with other people's children that sometimes defy explanation. When I retired two years ago, I was blessed to have had the privilege of working as the college advisor with every single one of Christ Presbyterian Academy's 1000+ graduates. While I may have forgotten the parents' names or the particular college or path that each student chose upon graduation, just give me a minute or two and I can usually tell you something about each one of my students that made an impression upon me. It is not that I have a prodigious memory, but rather I believe it can be attributed to the fact that CPA is a Christ-centered community that seeks not just to educate the mind, but to grapple with the soul of every student, and to offer each an encounter with the Living God. And it is this type of relationship that leaves an indelible imprint upon the soul, one that does not fade or diminish with time.
    It certainly proved to be the case for me. More times than not, daily I had a front-row seat at the display of God's marvelous power at work over and over in individual lives.  I also frequently felt the touch of His hand through my students and was the beneficiary of God's wisdom and His grace from many of them. To be sure, they, like me, were cracked and broken jars of clay, yet they were those through whom the light of glory would more often that not shine.
    I have been gone from that place for two years now, but CPA is far from gone from my heart. I stay in touch with many of my former students and celebrate their lives at every opportunity. I also continue to pray for this school which opened its doors twenty-six years ago to a total of 111 students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade -- with a little more than a handful of faculty along with a group of committed parents --  all of whom were willing to step out in faith. Despite the downturn in the economy, CPA is in the process of building a new high school facility (its third major building expansion) and preparing to stretch out its tent pegs to accommodate more families and new students. Yet, despite its growth, the founding vision of CPA remains the same. Timeless. Enduring. Relevant. Important. A constant in a society that is experiencing staggering change. Like a tree whose roots are planted deeply in good soil, this school offers stability, shelter, and the opportunity for minds to be educated and for lives and hearts to be changed...all to the Glory of God.
  


Christ Presbyterian Academy intro from CPA Communications on Vimeo.