Over the summer, God is already working in our hearts to behold the glory of Christ. I will be talking about this vast and exciting theme throughout the year, but beholding the glory of Christ simply means understanding and experiencing the fullness of God’s truth, goodness, beauty, power, wisdom, as it is revealed in Christ in His Word, but also as it is revealed in the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life now. Beholding the glory of Christ is not a euphemism for human experience. It is literally falling in love with who Christ is for us. The first sign is the spiritual readiness of our teachers, both old and new. Over the summer, as I prayed about the spiritual condition of our school and the spiritual condition of this country, I became deeply convicted that our Veritas community need to become more firmly rooted in Christ, both in our personal relationship with Christ, as well as discovering and enjoying the lordship of Christ in all areas of life. As I, along with other leaders, shared this conviction at the Faculty Training, we realized how much it was speaking to the hearts of all our teachers. We sensed humbled and broken spirits, a sense of openness toward God, and a sense of hunger to know Christ more. Honestly, I have never sensed a greater level of unity, humility, and hunger in our Veritas faculty. A second sign is the spiritual readiness of our students. Particularly with the secondary students, I sensed a strong spiritual war waging in the hearts of the students and their families. Several students were faced with a possibility of not returning. There was much prayer by all in making the final decision. In the end, all the students decided to return, and most importantly, students themselves desired to return, because they understood the value of a Christ-centered classical education. I don’t have the space here to share all the amazing little ways in which students grew over the summer. On the alumni side, we had 5 graduates of Veritas willingly, on their own, join our Secondary Spirit Retreat last week, humbly serving, sharing, and encouraging the younger students to strive to know Christ.
A third is the opening of Veritas Korea campus. What’s so exciting about this is not just that a classical Christian school opened in a country that is spiritually and educationally so desolate. It is exciting because it is a result of us (Veritas Classical Academy and Oaks Christian Academy) seeking the glory of Christ in our times. In a short period of time, God is working in the hearts of all these parents, teachers, and students to seek the glory of Christ. For example, our FT humanities teacher in Korea, a graduate of Cambridge university in UK, gave up her lucrative lawyer job to pursue her childhood dream of teaching. Another example. One of the students in this Veritas program in Korea, does not have the intent to come to the US for university (all the other 5 students do), but she and her mother fasted and prayed for 1 week, and decided that it does not matter whether she stays in Korea or come to the US for university. The only thing that matters is getting a Christ-centered classical education. Another student takes public bus to commute to this school 40 minutes one direction every day. I spoke with each of the 6 starting students, and they all had a deep hunger for a Christ-centered classical education. The theme Bible verse says that as we behold the glory of Christ, we are transformed from one degree to another into the image of Christ. That is happening already. But I want to encourage all of us to do this together and experience heavenly joy on earth throughout this year and beyond!
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