Walking in Gratitude

Thanksgiving Day is upon us and once again we are reminded of the need to express our gratitude for all that God has given/done.

• Faith

I am so grateful for the salvation that is available through faith in Jesus Christ. God has So richly blessed me and my family. It is overwhelming as one tries to recount all of the blessing that God has showered upon him.

• Family

I am continually astounded at the wonderful families that God has given me. First, the immediate family. God has blessed us in so many great way.

• I have been given a good wife. Solomon wrote that "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing," I have indeed been blessed. I could not ask for more than I have; Bec is fantastic. 
• I have been given three wonderful kids.
• Justin is a sophomore in college, studying IT. He is involved in a variety of opportunities, including a handbell choir, audio-visual work, and barista.
• Brianna is a junior in HS that stays busy with her volleyball, studies, and work. 
• Josie, she just stays busy.

My extended family is also great. My parents, my in-laws -- they are all wonderful. God has richly blessed me with great family.

• Function

I thoroughly enjoy the role that God has put me in. There are a great many challenges to be faced, as the need to grow a small school is very weighty. Even as I try to build enrollment, I must acknowledge the great staff and students that are currently a part of HCA. It is a great group of folks to work with and to serve.

• Finances

When Josie was born, Bec quit work. Soon thereafter, Justin went to college. Those two events together should have been more than problematic, but God has provided. Justin is still in school and our bills are all current. The only explanation is the blessing of God and His ability to stretch our dollars.

I know that this is sketchy list; it could be added to in content and in topic, but this is what I have for know. Have a great Thanksgiving Day. May God richly bless in your every endeavor.

Walking Off the Beaten Path

What a busy couple of months. School started again in late August. Volleyball got underway. Josie got into everything.

The weather turned recently. My, is it cold outside. It is good time to stay indoors. Well, here are some highlights and comments from the last few weeks.

September
Keystone Christian Education Association held its annual Christian Educators Conference at Willow Valley. Bec did not attend this year, as Josie is not exactly easy to corral. The conference was fantastic. The speakers and topics were right on point. Again, Brie work AV, assisting with setting recorders, projectors, and microphones.

Volleyball season began the same day school did and really got going seriously in Sept. The girls lost a couple of tough matches, but continued to improve as they won most of their Sept. matches.

October
The annual Fall Festival was held the first weekend in October. It was an enjoyable weekend, but more importantly, God greatly blessed -- the event surpassed our goals.

The KCEA Fall Sports Tournaments were held at Lebanon, PA. The girls played their best matches of the year at the biggest event of the year. They defeated Mt. Carmel Christian 3-2 in a hard-fought 5 set match on Friday and then swept Red Lion 3-0 to win the title on Saturday. Brie made the All-Tournament team and could very well have been the MVP of the tournament if one were awarded. She had a tremendous weekend.

Josie is not really speaking yet, but she does say "volleyball." I am not sure how or where she picked that up...well, maybe I have a clue.

November
HCA held its annual Veterans Day Chapel on Nov. 11. We had 36 vets join us, along with their spouses and friends. This is one of the special days of the year at HCA.

Scroll down the page to find news updates and a picture from the Veterans Day event. http://www.pennlive.com/west-shore/index.ssf/2014/11/st_joseph_fifth_graders_visit.html

Justin has been busy doing AV work for BJU's production of Taming of the Shrew. That, in addition to his regular life, has kept him incredibly busy, Part of college is learning to budget and manage your time as you strive to get everything done.

Bec spend most of her time at home, but she has still found ways to help around the ministry. She has helped paint the entrance to the school, to organize the kitchens, and to make Powerpoint slides for HCA announcements each week.

I have been teaching an adult Sunday School class on the book of James. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to teach the class. It has been good to glean from the study and see some of the principles in the book. There is so much in James that we need to read, comprehend, and apply.