through Him

…all things have been created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16

As we wrote in our hero’s notebooks this week on the stumps about this verse from Colossians, I was struck how Paul was establishing the foundational nature of Christ.  As we looked out over the back thirty acres, I thought this was created through Him and for Him.  Paul went on the letter to say, “all things hold together in Him.”  This undergirding has come back to me a couple times this week.

The first two weeks of our Field Study quest have been rich with discoveries: the texture of soil, the layers, the gaggle of turkeys, the little snake, the fox den, the tracks and the scat,(the ooodles of scat). Listening to the ELS debrief their discoveries during Closing while I organized the back room, I heard theories developing about habitats. I heard ecosystems imagined.  I heard questions for further research.  

But as I came out of the back room to oversee dismissal, Clara, a hero from the Elementary Studio, met me and asked if I had heard what was discovered.

Ella had been exploring in the woods when she called out to Emmry, her older research partner.  “I found a parking lot!”

As Emmry went up to see, she said, “No I think this is the foundation for a house.  Maybe it’s the farmhouse we’ve been wondering about.”

The ES had gone on to look at the aerial photographs we obtained of the land from the Property Description and Mapping Office in City Hall.  And in their research, they found the farmhouse from 1968.  All that’s left now is the cement foundation.  But as they considered, the remains their imaginations were charged with how the land that their school is on has changed over the years and over the course of history.  

Often, we look to our foundations as a school to remember who we are as well as to tell the story of who we are.  Our mission is to help others find a calling and change the world.  Our values are being Christ-centered, Learner-driven, Curiosity-based and Courage-filled.  With this foundation established we invite others to join us. 

Looking to bless the Grand Rapids community with a chance to join in on our curiosity-based learning, we offered a taste of the same innovative learning we provide throughout the school year. Participants directed their own learning, practiced curiosity and demonstrated courage in the face of failure and challenge in the Escape Room. In a lovely bonus, we raised four hundred and twenty more dollars for our Tuition Assistance Fund to make it possible for heroes and families to attend Journey Academy.

We are fueled by new discoveries each day as the heroes learn more and more about the place where they have been planted.  While we discover, we also remember that each of these discoveries have been made possible through Him.  And they are for Him.  We give thanks for the opportunity to learn this each day.

//Dr. T//

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