by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
When I was a small child on our dairy, there was a large heifer that was nothing but trouble, and probably not right in the head. Before we sent old #8 to the butcher shop, she managed to aggressively take down every member of my family with extreme pain, except for my dad. Though the fences could hold her in, our daily chores, and sometimes our curiosity placed us accessible to her terror. Dad always made sure he was in earshot when we were around old #8 so we could holler out for the cavalry if necessary. We all knew the danger and usually took appropriate precautions. There is another danger terrorizing American families in the form of regular unmonitored access to the internet. The availability to volumes of pornography and other dangerous content can tear apart marriages and hold children captive. I am not against the internet. It is one of the greatest ways humankind has applied the creativity God placed in us to have dominion over His creation. But it is dangerous. On the dairy, my dad always made sure the dangers of #8 were well understood and that the fences were in good repair. In the same way it is vital that we as parents understand the dangers of giving access to the internet without appropriate fences in place. As my own children are nearing the age of having more internet access, and as the world around us continues to change rapidly, I have renewed my interest and research in placing fences around this danger. I have used the products Covenant Eyes and Open DNS in the past. But over the past months I have been test driving a product from Accountable2You. It is not a filtering software, but a monitoring software. Any questionable browsing activity is recorded and provided in reports based upon my chosen frequency. I can even choose to receive immediate text messages if questionable activity is detected on any devices being monitored. For $9.95 a month, I can place up to 20 devices on the plan. It will monitor app usage on each device and provide fairly detailed records of the usage. It can also be programmed to monitor activity during nighttime hours, providing alerts for after hours usage. It also includes GPS tracking of cell phones. It even alerts me in real time to suspicious words used in text messages. Its extension that can be placed on a Chromebook account appears to be one-of-a-kind. While the service does not provide filtering, it does provide suggestions for additional free filtering options. If my dad really wanted to ensure our safety on the dairy, he never would have let us leave the house. But he knew we needed to learn how to live outside those walls, but not at the sacrifice of our safety. He made sure the fences were in good repair, that he could check up on us, and that he himself was prepared anytime he came close to #8. Filtering serves its purposes, and is utilized in my own home. But it has its limitations. Our children need to learn and practice wisdom, but once again, not at their peril. A clearly understood and utilized monitoring program ensures that our children have fences, and that the injuries caused from crossing those fences are used to maximize learning and gaining wisdom. Some of the wisdom learned as children will remain as helpful fences when they become adults. Just because my dad had the wisdom and strength to overcome #8 in the right situation, he did not remove the fences. He didn’t need to be constantly distracted or attacked by #8. I encourage each of us to apply similar wisdom in protecting and training our children, as well as our marriages. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent *To add this extension to your child’s Crosshill account, please contact the school for settings information. by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal
As a native Oregonian I am accustomed to the unpredictability and certainty of rain. Rain can be most inconvenient: it hits after I’ve just washed my car, am having a decent hair day, and particularly when I am unprepared. At this moment, however, I am appreciating the blessing of rain. After a week of issues with snow and ice, the rain is washing it away, restoring order and normalcy. Rain has the amazing ability to gently enhance or preserve life, or cause damage and devastation at any time or place. The rain was coming, and Noah was preparing. He did not possess the prior technology or wisdom to build an Ark, yet was chosen as God’s project manager because “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” Genesis 6:8 (NIV), and “he walked faithfully with God” Genesis 6:9 (NIV). He knew God’s character, listened, obeyed, trusted, and by faith alone took action. Noah chose to be different and live a righteous life, all while surrounded by wicked and sinful people. He persevered through criticism, and setbacks (I can only imagine how many times he revisited the wisdom of measure twice, cut once). When the rain was released to destroy, God’s covering was upon Noah and his family. A quote from my childhood is a wise reminder for us. “Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.” Are we preparing for rain? Rain often pours down on us in the form of financial, health, professional, spiritual, or relational challenges. Yet, when we follow Noah’s example and faithfully walk with God, we are able to weather any drizzle of discouragement, or disastrous storm. Walking in fellowship with Him through time spent in worship, prayer, and reading the Bible combine to reveal God’s heart. We are all aware that we become like those we spend the most time with. The closer and more frequently we walk with God, the more we will grow in faith, wisdom, peace, our capacity to love. It is inspiring and encouraging to be a part of the Crosshill community of students, staff, and families walking with God. We are a community faithfully moving forward into the plans God has for our school, obediently walking alongside each other in unity and love. By our collective example and guidance, our children are learning to know God’s character, know His voice, His Word, His love, and His specific plans for their lives. They are growing into strong witnesses for Christ in our hallways, in this community and in the world. We are truly blessed! Like Noah, may we all live lives that find favor in the eyes of our Lord. – Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
Over the Christmas Break, I am sure that many families sat down to play some spirited games. Two of my favorite games are Catch Phrase and Guesstures. Both require quick planning and quick thinking. In Catch Phrase you must consider the members on your team and strategically provide clues that they will quickly understand. With Guesstures, the player must do a risk analysis on which words to choose and their corresponding points awarded. They must also choose an order that will provide the most time for the hardest words. These games are all about strategic thinking and using your time wisely. During the month of January, Crosshill will focus on showing respect for others by doing the right thing at the right time. Punctuality is a practical and wise use of time. God first revealed the absolute nature of time when instructing His people to rest on the seventh day after working for six, just as He did during creation (Exodus 20). The Psalmist tells us that our days our numbered, describing the finite nature of time (Psalm 90). The apostle Paul holds us responsible for time, instructing us to gain wisdom and make the best use of our time. Even a recent article written by a Forbes contributor used the following words to describe tardiness: disrespectful, inconsiderate, loss of credibility, thinking you are a “big deal”, unprofitable, disorganized, flaky, megalomaniacal (thinking you are the center of the universe). “Early is on time. On time is late. And late is unacceptable.” I have found this common phrase to be quite helpful in ordering our lives. Choosing to be punctual is not making time a tyrant. Rather it is allowing time to be our servant. Punctuality allows time to serve you, rather than becoming a slave to it. Creating order in our day is not for the purpose of becoming busier, but to develop contentment and wisdom. At Crosshill, students will learn to not keep others waiting. Teachers will emphasize to them to do some work ahead of time and not wait until the last minute. Planning and keeping a daily schedule while remembering deadlines honors the Scriptures God has entrusted to us. Just as God rested on the seventh day, we need to have times of rest in which time is abundant and less urgent. Another one of my favorite games is Rummikub. Its collection of numbers and patterns is stimulating and the ability to play off each other’s tiles keeps things competitive. Each player has a finite amount of time for their turn and must be prepared as their turn can come around unexpectedly. It’s another great exercise in time management. Still some players often take longer than their allotted time their turn allows. This also can happen in everyday life. Fortunately, in November we focused on the character trait of patience... – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
When I was a boy, my brother and I loved to go fishing with our friends. But to go fishing, we needed worms. First, we asked our parents and with a meager donated dollar purchased a dozen worms at the local corner store. But we needed more. So we watered our yard in the evening and went nightcrawler hunting that night. But we wanted more. We heard about a farmer who had a fertile field full of worms. We knocked on his door and struck a deal. He said we could have all we wanted, as long as we shared our fish with him (assuming we caught some). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7. We asked our parents, we sought nightcrawlers, and we knocked on the farmer’s door and he opened his vault to us. Jesus may not have been talking about worms, but he certainly was encouraging this month’s character trait of resourcefulness. We want to encourage our children to take the initiative to solve problems with the resources at hand. I am grateful for my parents provision as a child and appreciate many of the necessary services our country’s taxes provide. But as we seek to “abound in every good work”, we can’t sit back and expect somebody else to do it all for us. Worms weren’t just going to fall from the sky. If we wanted to fish, we needed to be resourceful. And what we had out our disposal was our God-given abilities. When we truly ask, seek, and knock at the feet of Jesus, often our prayers are changed even before our lives are changed. When we surrender and confess that the only source of abundant life is from Him, our outlook on our wants and needs begin to change. As we begin to align our will with His perfect will, it is amazing to experience answered prayers, found treasures, and opened doors. Practicing resourcefulness is not just about taking initiative and working hard, though those are important traits. True resourcefulness is leaning on the ultimate source of salvation through Jesus and abundant life through following Him. As students practice resourcefulness this month, we pray that they learn how to ask, seek, and knock. Not just at Jesus’ feet, but also in His Kingdom. God’s perfect creation was ruined when sin entered the world. But as heirs to the throne, God expects us to redeem His creation. As a boy, nothing was better than a pail full of worms, as it usually turned into a pail full of fish. May our children pick up the pails of resources God has given them to become fishers of men through their daily testimony. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal
The keynote speaker at the ACSI conference this year referenced Proverbs 22:6. This sparked great discussion among teachers and insightful research regarding its misinterpretation, and pivotal role in discipleship. Different versions of the verse aid the confusion. The King James Version “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” has some mistakenly believing that if we place our children in Christian school, take them to church every Sunday, and provide a strong spiritual foundation, they will not stray from God. Others claim the verse as a promise for the prodigals in their lives. The speaker shared that the true revelation of the verse is, “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” AMPC. God has already placed the gifts and abilities He has planned for His purposes into our children. Our divine appointment is learning to understand their “bent”: personality, gifts, temperament, interests, learning style, and strengths. Combining these resources with instruction on character, values, and Christian worldview, our children will thrive in who they were uniquely created to be, and will not depart from it. An article I read on the subject stated, “As parents, we either accelerate or stifle our child's giftedness. They will spend much of their life benefiting from, or recovering from our influence.” Yikes! It may be a blessing to encourage an extrovert evangelist, but his struggle may be in spending solitary time with God in prayer and meditation. An introverted prayer warrior may need to be gently coaxed outside of her comfort zone to actively witness. Perhaps you are blessed with shaping the course of a strong, young leader who continually leads in the wrong direction. As a child, King David’s “bent” was music and fighting. God used those developed gifts throughout David’s life in phenomenal ways (I would love to ask his parents about the challenges they faced discipling a future King). Every gift is accompanied by opportunities for guidance and growth. Through faithful prayer for wisdom and discernment, God will teach us how to see our children as He sees them, equipping us to meet their individual discipleship needs. He will open our eyes to even the most subtle trait or tendency that may be crucial to their future ministries. May we seek to unwrap every gift God has blessed our children with. – Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
I met my wife and fell in love with her the moment she took my order for a Bacon Cheeseburger at the Buckhorn Grill, almost 20 years ago. That evening, she was serving me a homemade dessert a la mode. She knew the way to my heart was through my stomach, and she has been serving me ever since. Our kitchen is often filled with the savory smells of a hot and delicious dinner, or the sweet sight of a baked delight. But sometimes I find myself disappointed. Occasionally, the amazing meal and treat do not find their way to my stomach, but rather to a neighbor to bless or a friend in need. I know I am storing up rewards in heaven for this noble (though forced) sacrifice. Why is my wife so generous? Did she just wake up one day and decide to be generous? I have a feeling that her generosity was developed as a young child in her home. I think she often saw her parents modeling generosity, and that she was often encouraged to participate in personal generosity. While generosity is something to practice throughout the year, the month of December is an excellent opportunity. It is so easy for children (and adults) to be consumed with what they want to receive. For example, just about everyone in my family has a very comprehensive Amazon wish list. Yet through giving, our hearts become formed more into the likeness of Christ and others glimpse His love through us. There are many giving opportunities available for families to participate in through their local church and other organizations. Our school is providing two opportunities to practice generosity: On the Dec. 24th, the Salem homeless population will be served a hot meal downtown. They also will be provided much needed clothes and other items listed below. Families are welcome to come and serve on the 24th at 10:45 am under the Center Street Bridge. There is also an opportunity to provide Christmas gifts for children in foster care. Donated games and gift cards will be given to children utilizing the Marion County Visitation center. Items for Homeless Socks, Hats, Gloves, Hand Sanitizer, Jackets, Soap, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes Games for Children Sorry, Uno, Memory, Candy Land, Apple to Apples, Yahzee, Dice, Headbandz) Gift Cards ($15-$20) Walmart, Target, Fred Meyer Please drop off all purchased items at the school office by December 16th. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
After winning by considerable margins the first three games of the season, the CCS middle school girls basketball team I am coaching faced a more formidable opponent last week. It was obvious during the pregame warmup that our foe had spent considerably more time in the gym than we had. But we were hopeful; we were undefeated after all. By the end of the first quarter though, it was apparent we were not going to have a chance to win the game. The other team was in a different league (literally). The girls kept looking at me to fix the situation. Wasn’t there a certain play or substitution plan that could counter the opponents much more refined skills and abilities? No such luck. I knew at the end of the game that I had an opportunity for important worldview formation in these young girls’ lives. Much of today’s culture encourages the process of making excuses, blaming others, and/or not taking personal responsibility; pretending to live in a world void of cause and effect. So I asked the girls what lessons they had learned from that particular game. I was pleased with the answers discussed: “There may always be a team better than us.” “Now we know what it feels like to lose by a lot, so when we win we should win graciously.” “If we want to play like that team, we need to practice a lot more!” What important lessons! Instead of blaming the refs, or the coaching, or looking for a quick fix to bail them out, they were processing the world around them from a healthy worldview. Success isn’t the result of simply showing up, but results are a function of our own personal choices. God loves us so much, He gave us choice. The choice to love willingly. That ability to choose allowed sin to enter the world through a poor choice by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden known as “The Fall”. We see the effects of this sin in our fallen world both around us and inside of us. Yet God, in His love, provided us eternal reconciliation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. All of those sins are atoned for. In the game of basketball, each action has an effect. Running with the ball results in a travel. Pushing the opponent results in a foul. Paul writes in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” That word “rule” is the same word used to “officiate” the Olympic games. In the game of life, each action has an effect. Being diligent in schoolwork results in learning and success. Trusting in God results in peace and joy. Pursuing healthy friendships results in relationships that provide love and support. Each of these actions require daily decisions. Just as officials help guide the actions on the basketball court, the peace of God can guide our actions in our lives. When we choose to surrender our lives to His forgiveness and Lordship, the effect is a redeemed heart and the presence of God’s peace. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal
Last summer I had the genius idea of tackling a large home improvement project. I determined it was time to paint my living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, stairways, and the front entry. Still under some grand delusion I added all of the trim, moulding, doors, and paneling to the list. I confidently mapped out the project, providing myself with a generous timeline, researched the perfect color, and invested in the proper equipment. The first few days were lovely and productive. The kids were out of town, my husband was at work, and I was blissfully streaming a rotation of worship music, podcasts, and sermons at full blast. However, at the conclusion of day seven I was running out of time, paint and patience. My prayer for Jesus to multiply my trim paint so I could get that last door finished was not part of His agenda. The cat and I were both covered from hair to paw in spatters of “Dorian Gray” and “Bright White” (likely enough to have covered that last door). That week one of my favorite speakers shared “God doesn’t see what’s wrong with us; He sees what’s missing in us”. I laughed and proclaimed that at the moment I was clearly missing patience, because I was continually losing mine with the variety of mishaps and setbacks vexing my perfectly planned project. After allowing that statement to settle in my brain I remembered my recent struggle with the verse, ”Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4 MSG). When God chooses the “gifting” of tests and challenges to reveal what is missing in our lives and that of our children, it will require a great deal of patience (especially if patience is what we’re missing). The more patience we develop, the more we will accomplish. We will be better equipped to partner with the Holy Spirit to learn from the discipleship opportunities in our relationships, finances, health, parenting, careers, with endurance and perseverance. God never wastes an opportunity to grow us, but we can be resistant (the opposite of patience) and miss His promise, provision, and blessing. God is continually working to renovate our hearts and minds, upgrading our faith to the next level. It may get messy at times, but after His perfectly planned project is at its completion, and before the next begins, we would be wise to take a moment to appreciate the loving and skillful work of His hand. Trust the process, the timing, and the means by which God is building Christ-like character into our lives. He is faithful! May we allow God to patch the holes and fill the cracks in our hearts. – Molly Dillon / Keizer Campus Principal by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
I have mixed feelings about this month’s character trait of patience. I am excited about the powerful truths that can transform the lives of families, but am also convicted of how much growth remains in my own life! There are so many valuable truths surrounding patience, I want to highlight each of the five “I will” statements that students will focus on this month as they practice “accepting difficult situations for as long as it takes.” I will… 1. Make the most of my spare time Whether it is a trip to Les Schwab, a child’s doctor's appointment, or commuting to work, many of us have pockets of spare time throughout our weeks. A ten minute pocket of spare time each day totals a full work week and a half of our lives. It is valuable to be deliberate with our spare time and not just let it slip away with what is convenient. I try to keep good non-fiction books and professional podcasts easily accessible throughout my day. 2. Keep trying until I succeed Consider the high school volleyball team. The seniors started four years ago with a record of 1-15. That experience is generally described with the word failure. Yet success is almost always the result of many failures. In this culture of immediate self-gratification, if the players or coaches allowed discouragement to creep in, they may have decreased the intensity of their commitment, or even stopped trying altogether. But with tremendous patience and determination, years of commitment have now resulted in tremendous success as they compete this weekend in the OSAA State Championship Tournament. 3. Not interrupt This is a hard one for me. I love to hear myself talk. But I already know what I know (and I’m really not that interesting). Rather than being consumed by our own thoughts and what we want to say next in a conversation, it is so valuable to focus our listening skills on the speaker. Considering what questions to ask is an excellent practice to limit disrespectful interruptions while also being a good friend. 4. Not complain if I don’t get my way What a difficult challenge! We all want our way. Yet obedient service, whether to God or each other, is not just defined by our actions, but also by our attitudes. Choosing to not obey or to simply complete a request begrudgingly is a lose-lose situation. It breeds selfishness and destroys relationships. It is helpful to first admit that “my way” may not always be the best way, anyway! Then wake up each morning with a desire to serve others selflessly. 5. Change the things I can change and accept the things I can’t This is the heart of our salvation. After surrendering our will to God, we simply allow Him to transform our lives and be used as agents of redemption in this world. Paul writes, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” I am not envious of most of Paul’s situations as they were oftentimes very discouraging. I am glad others are patient with me and my shortcomings and I hope to practice the same, while also working hard to fulfill God’s will for me each day. – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent
The majority of Crosshill teachers will participate in a 2-day professional development event this week alongside others from Christian schools in the Northwest that will grow them as educators. Last year during one of the general sessions, the speaker challenged every person in the room to share their school’s mission statement with the person next to them. As it appeared many in the room struggled with this exercise, I was pleased to see Crosshill teachers easily describe the school’s clear mission of discipleship to others. Through the pillars of relationships and God’s Word, the daily medium of learning is built upon the foundation of guiding students to follow Jesus with their entire lives. I must confess that in that moment, a degree of pride swelled up in me about the solid leadership the teachers had received. I supposed I should have read my Proverb for the day as we know that “pride goes before a fall.” As I sat there with my chest puffed out just a bit more than before, the speaker then gave the room a new challenge. He told all of us to turn to our neighbor and clearly describe our school’s vision. Almost in unison, about 25 pairs of Crosshill eyes turned to me with confused looks on their faces. Apparently the school’s leadership was not as strong in this area. I could not slink down far enough in my chair. Apparently the conference would not only provide growth for teachers, but also for administrators. As followers in Jesus, we should always be in a place of growth. At salvation, we are set apart to God by the justification of our sins through Jesus’ perfect life and death and resurrection. We are made right before God at the cross, and as believers He wants us to experience that rightness each day. While sin will still exist in our lives at times, the practical experience of living in obedience with God results in growth that bears much fruit. As I often tell our students, we don’t want to be the same person we are today a week from now, much less a year from now. This type of growth takes initiative in spending time with God each day, and pursuing additional means of growth. I have much to learn as a husband, a father, and apparently as a school administrator. Through reading books and meeting with other Godly husbands, fathers, and school administrators, the process of growth has been a valuable, though inconsistent component of my life. The school’s mission of discipleship describes what takes place operationally each day of the school year. After much growth, I am excited to describe the school’s vision in terms of our dream of how the world could be changed as a result of that mission. The vision of Crosshill is a world of graduates eager and passionate to fulfill both the First Commission (Genesis 1:26-28) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). A world of graduates engaging in cultures for the redemption of souls and the redemption of entire societies to the glory of God. The interesting thing about growth is that the more your grow, the more you realize you don’t know. I am going to take that to heart at this week’s conference! – Adam Kronberger / Superintendent |
Adam Kronberger
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