CONSIDER YOUR CALLINGACSI CALIFORNIA-HAWAII REGIONCALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

FEBRUARY 10, 2016 MESSAGE NOTES | CLIFFORD E. DAUGHERTY, EdD

Quest Institute for Quality Education and Valley Christian Schools100 Skyway Drive San Jose, CA 95111 | 408-513-2500

 

www.vcs.netwww.thequestinstitute.com

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CONSIDER YOUR CALLING

MESSAGE NOTES | CLIFFORD E. DAUGHERTY, EdD

American Express states on their website, “Credit card fraud is driven primarily by compromise of credit card account data during their normal course of usage.”1 So, every month I check my AMEX statement to verify all charges. One month a charge looked particularly suspicious. My wife, Kris, did not recall the charge, nor could I. So I called the 800 number for the merchant and asked, “What is the name of your company? I don’t recognize this charge.”

A pleasant female voice answered. “We are Cebria®,” she said. “Cebria® improves connections in the brain to help combat memory loss, brain fog, and mental fuzziness. Cebria® can help you think faster and remember more, restore short-term memory, and aid in protecting your memory. How is it working?” she asked.

I did a fast memory scan and replied, “I can’t remember placing the order.” My next question followed quickly: “How can I cancel my order?” Later Kris and I laughed hard as I pushed away tears.

Today my message is titled “Consider Your Calling.” The text is taken from 1 Corinthians 1:26 where Paul the Apostle admonished the Christians in Corinth to “consider your calling….” 2 “Remember” is the word used by the New Living Translation. It is one thing to forget a purchase, but a much more serious matter to forget our calling!

I have three questions and three proposed responses for your consideration:

What is the scope of our calling as Christian educators? I am convinced our calling includes all of the children in our communities, and ultimately the transformation of American Education. When we accept this call, God will build amazing programs in our schools with more excellence than we can imagine, because Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”3 This is “The Quest for Excellence” journey.

Is there a common foundation for engaging our broader communities? Yes! The powerful, self-evident truths our Founding Fathers declared in giving birth to our nation—including that “all

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www.questforexcellencemedia.com

ENDNOTES

1 American Express. “Types of Fraud.” 2016. Web. January 4, 2016.2 1 Corinthians 1:26, NASB.3 John 14:12, NASB.4 1 Samuel 16:14, NASB.5 1 Samuel 28:3–25, NASB.6 1 Samuel 31:4–5, NASB.7 Isaiah 42:16, NIV; Isaiah 58:6–8, NKJV.8 From John 21:17, NKJV.9 Barna Group. “Year in Review: Barna’s Top 10 Findings in 2015.” December 16, 2015. Web. January 11, 2016. 10 Silvoso, Ed. That None Should Perish. Bloomington, MN: Chosen Books, 1995: 155. Print.11 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV.12 Mark 10:13–16, NASB.13 Pearcey, Nancy. Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2015: 31. Print.14 Mark 10:14b, NASB.15 Matthew 28:18–19, NASB.16 Matthew 28:20, NASB.17 From Matthew 28:19, NASB.18 Ephesians 4:11–12, NASB.19 From Philippians 4:19, NKJV.20 From Matthew 6:10, NASB.21 Glassdoor Team. “25 Highest Paying Jobs In Demand.” February 15, 2015. Web. January 3, 2016.22 Associated Press. “Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey named AP player of the year.” ESPN. December 22, 2015. Web. January 4, 2016. 23 Culpepper, Chuck. “Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey is going places in a hurry.” Washington Post. October 29, 2015. Web. January 4, 2016.2⁴ See https://twitter.com/cmccaffrey5.2⁵ See Philippians 4:19, NKJV.2⁶ John 14:13, NKJV.2⁷ Acts 19:10, NASB; Acts 19:20, NKJV.

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men are created equal…”—can bring a rebirth to our American schools. This is none other than the same foundation found in Genesis 1:1. We call these truths “Common Virtues.”

How can we achieve such a herculean calling? It is by building such excellent programs in our schools that educators and parents in our neighborhood schools will be passionately attracted to partner with us so they can offer the same opportunities to their children. We call this the “Excellence Brings Influence” strategy.

LOOKING BEYOND OUR OWN SHEEPFOLDIn the Old Testament we read of a national transformation that took place

during a very dark time in the history of Israel. The Spirit of God had departed from King Saul because of his unfaithfulness to God.4 The nation was in jeopardy of falling to the Philistines. In his desperation Saul consulted the Witch of Endor,5 and a day later he was killed in battle and his army defeated.6 In the midst of this turmoil, David, the shepherd boy, had been anointed by the Holy Spirit to become the next king. God gave him a calling to transform the spiritually dark climate in Israel to a new dawn of God’s greatness. Because he honored God, he brought transformation to the entire nation.

The times of David are in many ways parallel to our own times and the spiritual darkness facing our nation. As God called, anointed, and led King David to transform his nation from darkness to light, God’s Holy Spirit has called and established our Christian school leaders to transform the spiritual darkness in the schools of our nation into a new dawn of Light, Life, and Learning. The retreat of Christians from our public schools during the past fifty years must be reversed by Christian educators reengaging with our neighborhood schools.

Can we be the “David” of our generation? If David had been content with simply caring for his fold of sheep, he would not have slain the giant, would not have become king, and would not have turned his nation from darkness to light. God Himself proclaims in Isaiah:

I will turn the darkness into light before them…. Let the oppressed go free … break every yoke … share your bread with the hungry…. Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.7

Who are “the oppressed” we should “let … go free”? Where are the children who are under a heavy “yoke”? Where are the children in American schools

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whose souls are “hungry” without the Bread of Life? The same Bread of Life God graciously provides to heal the hunger pains of the children in our Christian schools must be made available to all children. The healing of their hearts and minds “shall spring forth speedily” as Christian educators accept Jesus’ command to “Feed my sheep”8 and extend this Bread to all children. God calls us to the entire flock in our community schools and not only the sheep in the folds of our individual schools. Unlike Saul, who was more interested in his own kingdom than God’s, we must look beyond our fold for all of the lost and starving sheep in our neighborhood schools.

Like David, we must honestly face the spiritual darkness in our nation to understand our times and to know what to do as Christian educators. The Barna Group’s 2015 findings indicate we are living in a post-Christian America, where the influence of Christianity, as a force in American politics and culture, is waning.9 The Barna Group also reports a consistent generational decline in seeing Jesus as God, as well as a steady drop in church attendance. The increasing number of religiously unaffiliated people and growing tensions over religious liberty point to a secularizing trend sweeping the nation. How can we as Christian educators transform this kind of culture?

EXCELLENCE MUST TRANSFORM ALL OF THE COMMUNITYExcellence is best defined as the nature, character, and works of God. God

Himself is excellent, and the Quest for Excellence involves becoming like Jesus by His grace and allowing His excellence to flow through us to others for His glory. God the Father is referred to by name as “the Excellent Glory” by the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:17 (NKJV). We are called to excellence as certainly as we are called to serve Him who is “the Excellent Glory.”

Over the past few years, God has expanded my vision from a focus only on leading Valley Christian Schools (VCS) to a much broader vision and calling to serve children in our local neighborhood schools and beyond. Initially, however, strongholds held me back. Ed Silvoso defines a spiritual stronghold as “a mind-set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable, situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.”10 God revealed two personal strongholds I had come to believe:

I was called to serve Valley Christian Schools because all public schools are off limits to Christians.

The Supreme Court had ruled that Bibles and prayer are illegal in public schools, so there was nothing we could do to bring God’s goodness, peace, and joy to children in our public schools.

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to build a new International Space Station Nano Lab platform. Students as young as grades fourth and fifth will be able to develop and program their own experiments to board the ISS.

As Christian school leaders, we have a holy calling! Christian schools on the quest for excellence journey lead their students to Christ through quality education that naturally brings an outpouring of God’s goodness, peace, and joy into the lives of students in their neighborhood schools and beyond, because Excellence Brings Influence!

To learn about the programs and opportunities of the Quest Institute for Quality Education, please contact Werner Vavken or Danny Kim, Quest Institute directors. They will share how your school can put experiments on the International Space Station using the Microsoft/Quest Institute technology and how to develop a Satellite Tracking Station in your school. Programs like these can help you lead a transformation through innovation journey in your own school, your neighborhood schools, and beyond, for the glory of God.

When most Christian educators are asked, “Where are you called to serve?” I think we give answers like, “I’m the principal of Valley Christian Elementary School, with about 450 students.” I hope this message has challenged all of us to consider our calling and respond with an answer more like, “I’m the principal of Valley Christian Elementary School with about 450 students and we serve all of the children in our neighborhood schools and beyond.”

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exemplary schools impacting their neighborhood schools and reaching well beyond their geographical boundaries, to glorify the Father.

Let me get right to the point! To build programs with seemingly “out of this world” excellence, God has promised His “out of this world” resources according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.2⁵ To achieve His purpose to glorify His Father in His Son, Jesus clearly promised, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” 2⁶ What is His purpose in the provision of His resources for developing excellence in our schools? “… that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Allow me to paraphrase: Jesus promised to provide for all of your needs to develop any program of excellence in our schools to give glory to God the Father by bringing respect for Christ Jesus in the marketplace of ideas! When we seek the Lord’s glory, we can dream big and ask with confidence!

As we align our understanding of God’s broader calling to include transformation of our entire community and beyond, we open the door to God’s resources, because He puts His resources where His people embrace His big vision. Let us determine to build such excellent programs in our Christian schools—including Academic Achievement, Artistic Beauty, and Athletic Distinction—that these benefits spill over to the children in our neighborhood schools and beyond. God’s kingdom economy safely relies on God’s “riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The riches of His economy are literally out of this world and can never fail!

CONCLUSION: TAKING TRANSFORMATION TO OUR WORLDActs 19 reports “… All who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both

Jews and Greeks…. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”2⁷ As teachers and leaders of Christian education, we have the same anointing of God’s Spirit and His Word to fulfill our calling to all the children in our neighborhoods and beyond. By the grace of God, Christian educators are called to serve as a transforming influence upon children in our entire communities, including public and private schools, as an overflow of God’s goodness through our excellent Christian school ministries.

The Quest Institute for Quality Education video describes our partnership with Microsoft Corporation https://youtu.be/d7oEjJiLwzI

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The secularization of public schools began after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 and ’63 that school-sponsored Bible reading and prayer violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Public schools quickly abandoned prayer and Bible reading. Like many others, however, I had misunderstood the Supreme Court rulings. While the Court’s decisions banned government-led establishment of these practices in public schools, they in no way abolished the constitutional right of all citizens and students to the free exercise of religious faith, as guaranteed by the free exercise clause of the same First Amendment.

At VCS a group of prayer intercessors meet on Tuesday evenings. One of our consistent prayer requests is for all of America’s school children to hear the truth, to have a choice, and to no longer be sheltered from the truth.

DIVINE IMPERATIVE: “PERMIT THE CHILDREN TO COME TO ME”

Jesus Himself is intensely interested in Christian education for all the children in our communities. Regardless of age, the Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”11 The importance of teaching children is clearly expressed by Jesus blessing the children, a story documented in three of the four New Testament gospels. The Apostle Mark records Jesus’ powerful message:

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.12

At the beginning of this passage, the disciples rebuked adults who were bringing children to Jesus. This is the M.O. of the enemy. The devil claims children are too young to benefit from spending time with Jesus because they can’t understand His profound teachings. The disciples were deluded by this common deception.

THE DEFAULT PRINCIPLEWhen I was a fourth-grade teacher, I discovered I could lead every child

to receive Christ as personal Savior because children have hearts with fertile soil for germinating the seeds of truth. I was puzzled by how readily children prayed to receive Christ. At first the enemy tried to confuse me, as

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he confused the disciples. I thought, “My fourth graders’ response must be shallow and possibly even meaningless since they so readily accept Jesus.” Of course, that false message is a lie from the father of all lies.

Apologist and best-selling author Nancy Pearcey claims that children must be taught not to believe. She confirms children have a default perspective to believe in God. In her most recent book, Finding Truth, she states, “… young children in every culture have a concept of God.”13 She quotes psychologist Paul Bloom at Yale University, who reports that children tend to hold a concept of God even if their parents are atheists.

We see the heart of God in Jesus’ command: “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”1⁴ He is emphatically insisting children naturally possess hearts to receive the truth. When brought to Jesus, children naturally fall into His arms because “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Think of all the children in your neighborhood schools. They have by default the same fertile soil to possess the kingdom of God as the children Jesus took “in His arms” and laid His hands on to bless. Christian school educators are the arms and the hands of Jesus to bless the children in their neighborhood schools and beyond.

A COMMON FOUNDATION FOR TRUTHJust what can we do to reach the children in our neighborhood schools?

After His resurrection, Jesus announced, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….”1⁵ If we as Christian educators are to obey Jesus’ next command, “… teaching them to observe all that I commanded you,”1⁶ we need a common foundation.

When VCS began partnering with our local public schools, we turned to what we call Common Virtues as a shared foundation, one firmly established by our Founding Fathers as the bedrock of our nation. It is not coincidental that the first verse of the Bible declares, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This statement stands as the founding principle for all God’s revelation of His truth in the Bible. And it is not coincidental that our Founding Fathers set forth the same principle when they drafted the Declaration of Independence, stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” The foundational principle God revealed in Genesis 1:1 is insightfully affirmed as the foundational principle on which all American freedoms rest. What a wonderful legacy! What a tribute to God’s grace in helping our Founding Fathers to properly establish the

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co-curricular, to prepare our students for the most in-demand and influential professions if we expect to reshape our culture for the cause of Christ.

ATHLETIC DISTINCTIONMy second book, The Quest Continues, describes how Valor Christian High

School was “developed from its inception” with VCS as a model. We are proud of how quickly God established Valor Christian High School as an example of the Quest for Excellence. Christian McCaffrey, a Valor alumnus and Stanford sophomore running back, illustrates the significance of Athletic Distinction. This season Christian was named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year,22 and he is also transparent about his Christian faith. In an article titled “Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey is going places in a hurry,” The Washington Post told of a mission trip Christian took to Rwanda, and reported, “Amid a budding life hailing from a mind-bogglingly athletic family tree, it fueled Christian’s sense of why he plays football, owing heavily to his Christian faith. ‘I think it’s a sin not to use my abilities to the fullest, and part of that is giving all I have on every single play,’ he said.”23

Ronnie Harris, Stanford’s fifth-year senior cornerback, added, “When I see him in practice, when we meet … he always looks at me and we say, ‘Hey, got to be great.’ Good isn’t acceptable.”

Why isn’t “good” acceptable to Christian McCaffrey? Maybe he knows that when he is “great,” people will listen to what he has to say, because Excellence Brings Influence! If you follow Christian’s tweets, on January 5, 2016,2⁴ you would have seen this image and reference to Romans 8:18. Christian leverages his personal quest for excellence to reveal the glory of our Father through his achievements.

THE QUESTION OF RESOURCESHow can Christian schools afford the Quest for Excellence and such

amazing programs to glorify the Father? The better question is: How can we afford not to develop excellent programs? Excellent programs determine the difference between struggling schools threatened with extinction and

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to the arts because we have the most important message to communicate.

Many of the world’s greatest composers serve as examples of how surrendered lives can be used by God to reflect and continue His creative works. Johann Sebastian Bach said, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” Before Bach began composing, he often initialed his blank manuscripts with the letters “J.J.” for Jesu Juva, translated “Help me, Jesus!” In addition, Bach and his contemporary, George Frideric Handel, often signed their compositions with the letters “S.D.G.” for Soli Deo gloria, or “Glory to God alone.”

At the groundbreaking of the VCS Conservatory of the Arts and Student Life Center, Troy Gunter, the conservatory’s vice president and director, beautifully expressed why Christian educators should heed God’s call to inspire and train great artists:

We are … developing Christian artists capable of using their gifts and talents to positively impact this world for the cause of Christ and to the glory of God. This goes much further than preparing artists for church ministry. We need Christian artists seated in our orchestras, acting on Broadway, composing film scores in L.A., singing and dancing on stages throughout the world. Moreover, our charge goes beyond creating professional artists. We need Christian scientists, athletes, ministers, doctors and nurses, engineers, teachers, and even politicians who possess a profound understanding and appreciation of the arts.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTWhen it comes to Academic Achievement, what programs should Christian

school leaders develop? Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals drive our nation’s innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas, new companies, and new industries. Of the 25 highest paid careers in most demand, only three do not require STEM-related degrees.21 Christian school leaders must develop strong college preparatory applied math, science, and engineering programs, both curricular and

“SDG” at the end of a G. F. Handel manuscript

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United States!All children deserve to learn about the self-evident truths written into our

nation’s founding documents. If “all … are created equal,” as our Founders wrote, then all humans, as created beings, have inherent worth, and each person’s inherent created worth is equivalent to every other person’s. Out of this belief virtues flow such as mutual respect, the dignity of every person, the value of kindness, honesty, integrity, treating others the way you would want them to treat you (the Golden Rule), and much more. These Common Virtues form the building blocks of good schools, good communities, and good relationships of all kinds. Using this common foundation for truth, Christian educators can engage with neighborhood schools to bring a rebirth to our American educational system.

VCS has developed an amazing partnership with our neighborhood schools called the Junior University and Lighthouse Initiative. Junior University involves hundreds of VCS volunteer student mentors who serve their neighborhood school mentees during the school day. Our mentors learn to speak secularly and let the light of Jesus shine through their service as they live their faith. The Lighthouse Initiative provides the same opportunity to

serve neighborhood school children after school with parent permission, mentoring students in a variety of disciplines within the context of shared Christian faith and the gospel of Jesus. This video will show you what is happening with hundreds of VCS student mentors and their mentees in our neighborhood schools.

Based on the needs and interests of our local schools, Valley Christian Junior High and High School students provide band, cheerleading, choir, dance, instrumental music lessons, robotics, sports, swimming, tutoring, and many other curricular and co-curricular activities to hundreds of our neighborhood school students. The need is great. Because of serious funding issues, most neighborhood students would not have the opportunity to experience these programs. With parent permission, our Christian school students also teach Bible stories, prayer, and Christian songs during the after-school Lighthouse Initiative.

What has happened since the launch of the Junior University and Lighthouse Initiative in 2007? I could cite dozens of fruitful results. Here are only two: Hellyer Elementary School improved from academic probation status to become one of the highest academically performing public

https://youtu.be/K382gXHnrXc

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elementary schools in two counties. In addition, more than 600 personalized Bibles were awarded to children who have received Jesus as their personal Savior in our neighborhood schools! That’s more children than attend our Valley Christian Elementary School, with 450 enrolled.

If this partnership can succeed in Silicon Valley, it can work in any community. This is not just a theory or a really good plan—it is a reality, offering a model for how to bring transformation to American education. Since 2007 our Junior University and Lighthouse Initiative has served hundreds of students in our Silicon Valley public schools in perhaps one of the least religious communities in the nation. The same can happen in your neighborhood schools!

EXCELLENCE BRINGS INFLUENCE: GOD’S CALL TO ACTIONHow can we achieve such a herculean calling? The Quest for Excellence and

the Excellence brings Influence strategy provides an answer. Christian schools that accept Jesus’ call to make disciples among all of the children in their neighborhood schools are destined to be among the most excellent schools in their communities. Why? It is because Jesus gives obedient believers access to the nature, character, and works of God in order to achieve His command to “make disciples of all the nations.”1⁷ Remember that our vocational call to Christian education is a holy calling, on par with God’s call of prophets, evangelists, and pastors. The Apostle Paul declares: “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service ….”1⁸

When a Christian school leader prays and obeys Jesus’ calling to serve all of the children in the broader community, God will supply all of the resources needed to build an excellent school “according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.”1⁹ Some might say such prayers are presumptuous or even prideful. But God will move heaven and earth to achieve His will “on earth as it is in heaven.”20 Listen carefully to what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12, NASB).

Is it presumptuous or prideful to think and act as though Christians have access to divine power and the nature of God? To settle the question, hear what the Apostle Peter declared:

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Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature… (2 Peter 1:2–4, NASB).

Access to God’s divine power, including his nature, character, and works, will achieve every desire for goodness and excellence as your Christian school’s mission and ministry is aligned with Jesus’ imperative to “make disciples.”

LET’S DREAM BIG—“EXCEEDINGLY” BIG!Building comprehensive programs of excellence in our Christian schools

will attract notice from neighborhood educators and parents desiring similar programs and opportunities for their children. Our excellence opens the door to partnerships with local neighborhood schools whereby God can bring transformation to our wider community.

What is the most amazing God-sized project you can imagine for your school? God’s Word declares that He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV). The New Century Version puts it this way: “With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” At VCS, whether it is our Conservatory of the Arts; the Applied Math, Science, and Engineering Institute (AMSE); the Human Performance Center; or the Junior University and Lighthouse Initiative—everything God achieves is bigger and more amazing than I could have imagined.

VCS students enjoy a multitude of extraordinary programs—what we call “A to the third power,” or A3, including Academic Achievement, Artistic Beauty, and Athletic Distinction. Take a quick look at how Excellence Brings Influence in each of these varied disciplines.

ARTISTIC BEAUTYWhile excellent math, science, and engineering programs are critically

important to our mission, programs related to Artistic Beauty are in many respects even more crucial. Why should Christian educators invest in performing and fine arts programs? I personally became passionate about restoring the arts for the cause of Christ because I am convinced the arts open the door of the soul to messages. The message can be good or bad, but the arts give entry to the soul. Of all people, we should to be most committed

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