Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,

I hope this edition of Parent News finds you well and walking closely with the Lord of Glory!

I write today from Washington D.C., where I am attending an ACSI Public Policy and Legislative Summit.

The Association of Christian Schools is one of our accreditation organizations, and I serve on the ACSI Florida Advocacy Committee where I assist with tracking bills and advocating for issues important to Christian education at the state and national level.

While in Washington we have heard from various Senators and other government officials, as well as Christian educators from Australia.

It has been a memorable time of learning more about the challenges Christian Education faces both in the United States and worldwide, an understanding that will undoubtedly help me serve CCS and the Tallahassee community better.

Spending time in the city which represents the pinnacle of human power in our country has been very interesting and encouraging, as I’ve seen the efforts of Christian legislators and state and national leaders of ACSI working hard to further the Kingdom of God in the political sphere.

Over and over again over the last few days I have been reminded of a scripture passage found in John 17. In verses 18-21 Jesus says,

”As You (God the Father) have sent me unto the world, I also have sent them (His disciples) into the world. I sanctify (consecrate, set apart) Myself for them, so that they may also be sanctified by the truth.”

Jesus goes on,

”I pray not only for them, but also for all who will believe in Me through their word (Christians throughout all generations, including us).

May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe You sent me.

I have given them the glory You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.”

This passage is packed with amazing truths, but in this short commentary I’ll be pointing out just two:.

We are “in” Him i.e. we are to be so identified with Him that it's tough to tell us apart. And beyond this, there is a sense in which we are glorified as Jesus was/is. This is a heart-stopping truth that demands much meditation and prayer. You and I, as Christians who have given our lives over to our Master Jesus, have been so utterly saved that when people see us, they should see Jesus living His life through us. Of course, this is only possible through an ongoing filling of the Holy Spirit, and is not something we can conjure up on our own..

There is a direct correlation between our sanctification by the truth of God’s word and the filling of the Spirit previously mentioned, and the unity that should characterize our life and work With Jesus in His Kingdom furthering.

Fundamentally, the requirement for true success in Kingdom work, whether it’s on Capitol Hill, in a Christian school classroom or in our living rooms with our children and spouses, is to be filled to overflowing with the word and Spirit of God.

There is no other plan, there is no other prescription. And this is worked out through our ongoing surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.

As I close, please remember that Jesus has commanded us to pray for our senators, representatives, and other government officials, whether Christian or not, and whether Republican or Democrat.

Finally, let’s remember to pray for those Christians who are called to labor in difficult workplaces, the sort of places that Community Christian School is preparing young people to enter.

Pray that God would work in and through them, so that they might serve through the truth of the word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

And let’s ask the Father to bring a Word-centered and Holy Spirit-led revival to our nation in this generation.

Now may God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from them, receive all of the glory as we continue to move step by step toward becoming a truly extraordinary school, for the greater glory of God.

For CCS and the Kingdom,

Tom