“You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven.” Matthew 6:14-16
A year ago, at the school where I now serve as the
Athletic Director in Bozeman, just a few days before school was to begin, an
arsonist set a fire the destroyed the school gym and some of the surrounding
classrooms. Throughout the last year we
were graciously reminded that the school is not a building, but the families
God has brought together. What man meant for evil, God truly used for good and the
body of Christ that makes up Heritage Christian was given a platform to give
glory to God through the trial. The
lyrics to the song “We Won’t Be Shaken” by Building 429 paint a picture of what
we can say in all circumstances when our foundation is on the solid rock of
Jesus Christ alone.
“Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain
We won’t be shaken
No we won’t be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings
Together we’ll rise and sing
That we won’t be shaken
No we won’t be shaken
We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
We won’t be shaken.”
The new gym and surrounding facility was finished just
in time to kick off this school year and a couple days after school began we
had a glow in the dark pep rally. It gave us an opportunity to unveil the new
gym to students and introduce the fall sports teams. Our theme was “glow in the dark because you
are the light of the world.” The world
around us might not always be physically dark, but we are surrounded by those
living in spiritual darkness, and it is our job to be the light of Jesus in
those dark places, speaking boldly of the eternal hope we have in Him. What a
blessing it is to be a part of a community that desires to make Him known
everywhere they go.
This fall, in addition to organizing and overseeing
everything in relation to athletics and teaching a couple PE classes at school, I also had the privilege of being an assistant coach for the 7th-8th grade girls’ volleyball team. The team went
9-1 in the regular season and earned the number one seed at the end of season
tournament. I also had the privilege of
accompanying our varsity teams to the fall MCAA State Tournament in Kalispell. Our varsity boys soccer team finished third,
matching the best finish in school history and the varsity girls volleyball
team also qualified for state this season, a school first. It is such a joy to be around families and
student-athletes who have a desire to honor the Lord and use sports as a
platform to share the Gospel with those who are watching. Basketball season is now getting underway.
Whewww!
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| 7-8 Volleyball |
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| Soccer Game Day! :) |
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| State Team Send Off Pep Rally |
At Kirkwood Baptist Church, there have been new faces
most Sundays along with some children visiting in Life Groups and Children’s
Church. We had our annual church hayride
this past weekend where around 50 people attended and we have Trunk or Treat
coming up Halloween night at the church. We are getting ready for winter
events, including a Christmas Bible Study in a local apartment complex,
participating in Operation Christmas Child and also a partnership with Love
INC, a ministry that helps meet needs in His name throughout the community. We are also kicking off a college/young adult
age home group Sunday evenings so please pray that God would use each of those
for His glory.
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| Hayride |
Every day I am so humbly reminded that God’s plans are
so much better than anything we could ever imagine. He uses everything to prepare us for what He
will call us to do next and I am so thankful for the doors He has opened here in Bozeman.
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| October in Bozeman! |
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| My uncle Bill came up for a visit over my birthday weekend in October |
Please pray for:
- -Upcoming ministry opportunities at
Kirkwood – that His name would be lifted high and people in the community would
see their need for a Savior. Also, that
Pastor James, our Youth Pastor Andrew, and myself would continue to be united in
the work and prayerfully seek Him as we plan.
- -For Heritage Christian School – staff,
families and students to be a light for Christ here in Bozeman and be
intentional in using the platforms God has given us to share the eternal hope
we have in Him.
- -Personally, for the ability to juggle the
many responsibilities I have here, for the ability to continue to develop relationships in this community, and most importantly that I would continue to pursue Jesus every
day.
