A Time Such As This
A Time Such As This
Posted by Dr. Stanton on May 6, 2019
In one hundred days as Headmaster of Oakdale Academy, I have learned a great deal. I have learned there are people who minister direct and unseen ways for the Gospel of Christ. These people are teachers, staff, parents, students, and friends of our school. They give of their time, talents, and treasures to ensure our students receive instruction in Character, Truth, and Wisdom daily.
I have witnessed this ministering spirit in very large ways: countless hours and volunteers in every aspect of our school’s life; hospitality to families who experience suffering and loss; teachers who come early, stay late, and pour their hearts in to their students; students who selflessly support each other through prayer and encouragement; and through parents who send notes and emails reminding us they are lifting up our school in prayer.
I have witnessed a school that stands out from the rest at Oakdale Academy. We don’t rest on our laurels – we push through and try to improve ourselves every day, while holding to our core knowledge and trust in the Truth of Christ.
I have witnessed a caring and loving community and it is refreshing to my heart and I am truly thankful.
Now, as I move past day 100 and begin to prayerfully consider what God is doing and wants to do with this school, I am reminded of Solomon’s words from Ecclesiastes 3:7 and 8:
“…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
I feel we are being very directly led to a few things that will test us and our resolve.
I feel we are called to hear the words spoken so long ago to Esther that perhaps we are here “for a time such as this.” I believe we are and with that belief, there are some changes coming to Oakdale.
Our time to be silent is over. Our culture is falling apart around us. Now is a time for shouting from the rooftops. We stand in the gap. Our school is genuinely different and, I argue, so much more positioned to affect our world for Jesus. We can’t shy away from it – we must embrace it and live it.
Now is a time for war. Whether we want to realize it or not, we are at war. Daily, the forces of our enemy, the devil, are waging against us. At Oakdale, we are not going to simply take the battle from the defensive – we are going on offense. We call out our enemy and name him – he is the prince of darkness, he is the king of lies, and he is Satan. He has no dominion or control at our school. We proudly proclaim Jesus as our Lord and the Savior of mankind.
How do we do this? How are we to speak out and go on the offensive? Let me offer some suggestions:
- We loudly proclaim Jesus in all we do – at school, at home, at church, and in our community.
- We become the ‘shining city on the hill’. We will not hide our light under a bushel basket.
- We pursue Truth and strive for knowledge so we can then defend Truth.
- We use classical Christian education to prepare our students – and us – to continue to learn all we can about God’s creation and His Will for each of our lives.
- We do all things to fulfill our Mission: “to instill Character, Truth, and Wisdom in our students in order to prepare them for a lifetime of service to God, family, community, and country through classical Christian education.”
Ultimately, we do all of these things together. We won’t succeed in isolation – we are called to community; we are called to work for our Lord together.
Remember that in a war, there is strength in numbers; and together
We Are Classical | We Are Christian | We Are Oakdale
Come join us on the front lines!
Dr. Stanton
Headmaster
