August 1
TELL A GOOD STORY | The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. (Lamentations 3:22) This passage in Isaiah 63 is such a great reminder for me as a Christ follower, a Mom, a friend, a Christian educator. I don’t have to come up with things to impress people or think of high and lofty marketing strategies to get the point across for my goals and interests. The gospel simply tells me to “tell a good story.” Use my words, my actions, my heartaches, and my triumphs to point to Jesus. Tell a great story. Tell the best story. #Gospel
God is working. He is faithful.
August 3
MIDDLE SCHOOL | This big guy is headed into Middle School. Today was Meet the teacher @NCCSEagles. We met his 5th grade teachers today, saw his locker, and loved watching him catch up with his buddies…most of whom he sees everyday at football! This has been a huge summer of growth for Eli in many ways. Physically he has gotten taller and a lot stronger. Mentally he is learning how to take responsibility for things and to think of others. Spiritually we’ve enjoyed deep conversations about the things of the Lord.
Meet the Teacher is always significant. The date moves around on the calendar…but 9 years ago on Meet the Teacher day is the day we got an email with the picture of a precious Ethiopian baby boy that God had paired us with. Due to all kinds of bureaucracy on all sides, we didn’t bring him home until almost 9 months later. This day is always yet another marker for me of God’s faithfulness in and through the life of our precious son.
Let’s go Eli! God’s got HUGE plans for you precious one! #7000days
August 7
MIDDLE SCHOOL | Our Eli reported a GREAT first day in fifth grade. Such a joy to watch our boy learn and grow and step into what God has for him in this season. #7000days
August 8
LET’S GO! | Happy First Day of School to all of our Upper Schoolers @NCCSEagles! Our faculty and staff have prayed over every name that will walk these halls, learn in these classrooms, and build relationships that will point to Christ. Students and families, you are welcome here. Our heart’s desire is to invest in the hearts and minds of our students in a way that causes them to be in awe and wonder of the things of the Lord and to pursue Him all the days of their lives.
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 NIV
#GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #40YearsOfFamily #40YearsOfNCCS
August 8
UPPER SCHOOL | Today was Emma’s first day of high school and she totally rocked it! She’s been looking forward to this day for many years. I’m thrilled to have her in Upper School with me! Such a gift to have both of our kids at @nccseagles being invested in by so many godly men and women.
Eli started yesterday and LOVES middle school so far and Emma and I joined him today. Both kids started at the school in K3 and have been loved, nurtured, and challenged all along the way. Today was the kickoff of my 19th school year (15 as US Principal). Believing the Lord has incredible things in store to grow us all! And we couldn’t keep it all together without our captain @clintstrange32 there to cheer us in at every turn!
#GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #40YearsOfNCCS #40YearsOfFamily
August 10
UPPER SCHOOL RETREAT | This is Day 3 of the school year for Upper School @NCCSEagles. What is your school like? Thank you Lord for the gift of community!
Building Relationships | Growing in Christ
#GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #40YearsOfNCCS #40YearsOfFamily
August 14
VOLLEYBALL | So proud of Emma and her @NCCSEagles JV Volleyball teammates for a great showing on the road tonight. They lost to North Cobb, but rallied and beat Wheeler handily in two straight. The girls are learning to work together and gel as a team. We love cheering for these girls and their awesome coaches! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #40YearsOfNCCS #40YearsOfFamily #GoLadyEagles
August 15
CIRCLE OF PRAYER | Such a treasure to gather with our @NCCSEagles School Family and many friends from the community for our Annual NCCS Circle of Prayer. What a joy to boldly gather on the football field to declare that the Lord is our strength…individually and collectively.
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NIV
#GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #40YearsOfNCCS #40YearsOfFamily #7000days
August 23
8.23.03 20 YEARS | Today we celebrate 20 years of God’s faithfulness to us in and through our marriage. Also, as my brother likes to call it… “the anniversary of the hottest day on the earth”…only appropriate that the temps here in Acworth are soaring again today! I am so grateful for God’s gift to me in Clint Strange.
He is a godly man, a man that many respect, a selfless and thoughtful man, loads of fun to be around, the most patient person you could imagine, and a joy to all who know him. Clint carries a lot, but he does it all with wisdom and grace. The first twenty years have been full of exciting adventures and we believe that the best is still, yet to come.
Thank you Lord for the gift of my husband! Happy Anniversary babe!
August 25
GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS | Awesome reminder from God’s word this morning. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. Who do you know that needs to be reminded of this truth today? Screenshot these verses and share them with a friend.
God is a faithful.
He is working.
August 29
ENCOURAGEMENT | Tonight was such a gift of grace in so many ways. A few weeks ago, @sarahjefferson_ texted to say she was gathering up some ladies to go to an event hosted by Sissy Goff and David Thomas of the @raisingboysandgirls podcast and wanted to know if I’d like to go. Since I was listening to the podcast when she texted me, of course I said sure!
I put it on the calendar and just remembered it was a few weeks away. Then..it popped up on my calendar at just the right time. It was the perfect oasis of kids practices ending when @clintstrange32 could easily pick them up and no ballgames to navigate. Sarah, @slauenford, @mollytrost14, and I met at school and headed out for girls night.
Dinner at @willysmexicana included sharing stories of kids and families and all the things. Then we headed across the street to @smyrnafirstumc for the event. David and Sissy were such an encouragement as they taught us to consider how we are helping our kids understand who God is simply by the way we relate to them…particularly in the midst of stressful situations. So many helpful strategies!
As an added bonus, Jay and Katherine Wolf from @hopeheals were special guests who shared their stories of God’s faithfulness in their own journey as well as their adventures in parenting.
Afterwards, we navigated the torrential downpour and straight up flooding to make our way home through Marietta. I learned so many helpful things tonight, but my heart was mainly encouraged by sitting at a table with other moms who simply want to love and serve our families well. We laughed a lot tonight! God gives us friends in different seasons of life to help us keep our eyes on the prize. We can remind ourselves and one another of what we know to be true about God because of the grace found in fellowship with other believers.
Still dripping wet…but, what a night!
