FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
W
HEN I WA S CHOSEN TO L E A D TC A for the 2002-03 school year, I
prayerfully considered what I wanted to communicate to the faculty and staff during my first in-service as headmaster. Beginning my 20th and final year as head of school, I chose to charge this year’s faculty and staff with the same message from 2002. It was a great reminder for all of us of the school’s mission and the ministry we have in the lives of our students, parents, community and one another. Asking our faculty and staff, “Why are you at TCA?” reveals our true purpose and calling from God. Author and social critic Os Guinness defines “calling” as “the truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively, that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to His summons and service,” and that “our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him. First and foremost, we are called to Someone (God), not to something (such as motherhood, fatherhood, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as TCA). Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for Him.” Teaching at TCA is “a calling” not “the calling.” Teaching is our personal answer to God’s address, our response to God’s summons. Teaching matters only because the primary calling of delighting in Him matters most! For TCA to be what God wants it to be, we all must first choose to be used by Him for His glory. We have the awesome task of providing an atmosphere of love and grace, knowledge and wisdom, safety and security for all who enter our classrooms. Our classrooms should be free from ridicule, coldness, sarcasm and impatience. A young person’s culture today is filled with cutdowns, disrespect, selfishness, rudeness, hurt feelings and mixed messages. Authority is undermined in social media, music and on TV. The classroom, hallway and playing field should be a haven of encouragement, love and respect. Our lessons should be inspiring and life-changing at best, interesting and challenging at least. Planning is important, thinking through not only what to teach but also how to teach understanding our students have varied learning styles. Yes, this can be difficult and time consuming, but an effective teacher does it. Howard Hendricks, former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary writes, “One of the greatest fears I have for my students after graduation is not that they will fail, but that they will succeed at doing the wrong things—that they’ll reach the end of the line and discover that this isn’t the destination they wanted, and it can’t fulfill them.” I reminded us that we will teach more about Christ by how we act than by what we say. Children are constantly looking at us and their parents, inevitably shaping their image of God. The joy of learning, the joy of the Lord, the joy of fellowship should all be present here. Mother Teresa defined joy as “a net of love by which you can catch souls.” In reading some of former Middle School head Steve Larson’s writings, he says that joyful service means your joy is sincere, not put on; it combines merriment with mercy; and a merry saint is familiar with sorrow while poised for laughter. We want TCA to be known for its joy! Through my entire 36 years at TCA, I think I delight most in watching and hearing stories of lives changed because of our faculty’s, staff’s and parents’ hard work, devotion and faithfulness—of students gaining the knowledge, skills and wisdom that draw them to love Jesus more and influence and serve others as a result. What a blessing and privilege it has been to work with some of the most gifted, committed and passionate educators, coaches and support staff who fulfill our mission of developing students for His glory and purpose! Seeing the influence our current students, families, teachers, coaches, staff and alumni have in their world spurs us on to continue the work God prepared in advance for us to do. He has protected and provided for Trinity Christian Academy for over 50 years, and I am confident I will continue to be in awe of what He will do in the future. Soli Deo gloria!
“Children are constantly looking at us and their parents, inevitably shaping their image of God. The joy of learning, the joy of the Lord, the joy of fellowship should all be present here.”
D AV E D E L P H , H E A D O F S C H O O L
4 TRINITY TODAY
PHOTO BY JEFF McWHORTER ’ 05
