FREE AUGUST 2021
Dara Evans
Truth and beauty in education
Pick your poison: Public, private, or homeschool?
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mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 3
contents AUGUST 2021 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 2 PUBLISHER
PHOTOS BY STEGALL IMAGERY
MS Christian Living, Inc.
Dara Evans of St. Augustine School spoke with MCL Editor Katie Eubanks about her journey in education and how her most recent role has grown her faith. See page 16.
EDITOR
Katie Eubanks katie@mschristianliving.com MANAGING EDITOR
Suzanne Durfey ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN
Sandra Goff SALES
Suzanne Durfey, Ginger Gober, Dorothy Bachus CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
columns 8 As I See It Public vs. private vs. homeschooling
10 Modern Motherhood A ‘Dawgs in 3’ mentality
12 Mission Mississippi Moments Is there a godly way to ‘admonish’ one another?
14 This Is My Story Understanding a life for Christ
26 Food for Thought 3 easy back-to-school recipes
27 Lagniappe St. Catherine’s Village receives CARF accreditation Jackson Academy’s new head of school, Palmer Kennedy (pictured with his wife, Karen), wants to help students be their best selves. See page 22.
28 A Cup of Encouragement The ABCs of a biblical education
29 What’s Going On
cover story
Abstinence Recognition Rally
16 Dara Evans
in every issue
Truth and beauty at St. Augustine School
6 Editor’s Letter 30 Quips & Quotes 30 Advertiser Index
feature 22 Palmer Kennedy Fulfilling a calling at Jackson Academy
The testimony of Daniel Awabdy
Coming next month John Damon, CEO of Canopy Children’s Solutions
CONNECT WITH US: facebook.com/MSChristianLiving 4 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
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Libbo Crosswhite, Dan Hall, Laura Lee Leathers, Anna Claire O’Cain, Marcia Reed, Victoria Rogers, Rebecca Turner COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Stegall Imagery DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS
Michelle and Randy Fortenberry, Rachel and Nettie Schulte, Jerri and Sammy Strickland, Rachel and Bob Whatley
Mississippi Christian Living P.O. Box 1819 Madison, MS 39130
601.790.9076 mschristianliving.com Mississippi Christian Living is committed to encouraging individuals in their daily lives by presenting the faith stories of others and by providing information that will point every person, at every stage of life, to a deeper, authentic, personal, and life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Views expressed in Mississippi Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by the Mississippi Christian Living staff to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2021 by MS Christian Living, Inc. Mississippi Christian Living is published monthly and is available for free at hightraffic locations throughout the tri-county area. Subscriptions are $29 a year. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Mississippi Christian Living, P.O. Box 1819, Madison, MS 39130.
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EDITOR’S LETTER
How 1 teacher changed my life
I
don’t know when I realized that Teddie Faye Raines was my favorite teacher. The fact is, I didn’t have time to
From left: Me, my mentor and favorite teacher Teddie Faye Raines, and my friend Tonja in Jasper, Arkansas.
6 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
think about it. As a 17-year-old, I was too busy watching her dance on her desk (which I guess she did that one time she cleared it off); listening to her sing about prepositions; and trying to write anything but love poems. As the creative writing teacher at the public high school in Russellville, Arkansas, Raines wouldn’t let us write love poems because teenage love poems are the worst. I can confirm this because I wrote many myself before entering her class. Raines did just about anything to get our attention. In addition to the desk dancing and the grammar songs, she’d read us funny stories to spark our imaginations. I probably laughed more in her class than in any other, before or since. One day she discovered a bag of old, hardened jumbo marshmallows in a desk drawer, and we all proceeded to throw them at each other. Another time, we had a Febreze fight. She gave everyone a nickname. To this day, Raines still calls me “Ooo,” a shortened form of “Ooobanks,” which a classmate had used in a story. To help us write descriptions using senses other than sight, she blindfolded us, made us all hold on to a long stick, and led us throughout the school, including into classrooms where teachers were lecturing. I have no idea whether she warned them beforehand. But she wasn’t always silly. The first time I saw Raines was not at school but at church, in the early 2000s. I watched her tell someone, “We just invaded Iraq,” in a tone that dared the person not to react. This is the dichotomy: One minute she’s making a pun or quoting “Napoleon Dynamite,” and the next minute she’s urging you to share Jesus with anything that moves, because the signs of Christ’s return are only increasing. In her classroom hung a poster — neon green, I believe — on which she’d written in fat, black Sharpie: “Fact does not require your assent to be true.” I soon found out that that referred to the gospel. She often straddled the line between what she was and was not allowed to say as a public school teacher. She told me that sometimes she’d set a gospel tract on her desk and tell a
student, “I can’t give you this. But I can’t stop you from taking it.” They almost always took it. Raines’ field trips were the best you could ask for as a high-schooler. In the fall she took us to Lost Valley, a woodsy hike near the Buffalo National River, and in the spring she let us run wild in Eureka Springs, an eccentric tourist town not far from the Missouri border. We completed a gamut of writing assignments after each trip. At the end of the Lost Valley hike sits Eden Falls Cave, where each year Raines commanded at least two classrooms’ worth of high-schoolers to turn off their flashlights and stay silent for a full minute. Sounds weird, but there’s a waterfall inside the cave (or a trickle, depending on rain), and she wanted us to appreciate the sound. In fall 2004, as I listened to that water drip in the blackness, I felt the presence of God more strongly than I ever had. The irony is, I didn’t know Him yet. He used Raines not only to teach me about writing, but to lead me to Christ, which she did six years after I entered her classroom for the first time. In the meantime, Raines made me editor of Russellville High School’s literary magazine. My first time putting a publication together was under her guidance. Raines is not the only great educator out there, or the only one who loves the Lord. She’s just my favorite. You probably have a favorite too, whether from a public, private or parochial school, or even the “parental” institution of homeschooling. If you can, make a point to reach out and thank them. Take it from someone who wouldn’t be saved, sane, or running this magazine if it weren’t for an excellent teacher — they deserve it. Y
‘Must-reads’ this month: ● Our cover story on Dara Evans, lowerschool principal at a classical, collaborative Christian school in Ridgeland, page 16 ● A testimony from Hartfield Academy student Victoria Rogers, page 14
● Dan Hall’s column about public vs. private vs. homeschooling, page 8
Katie Eubanks katie@mschristianliving.com
Goodwill Industries of Mississippi Salutes Metro Jackson’s Outstanding Volunteers
Goodwill Industries of Mississippi cordially invites you to attend an exclusive dinner honoring this year’s outstanding volunteers. Thursday, August 19, 2021 The Country Club of Jackson Jackson, Mississippi
2021
David L. Allen
Alfred G. Nicols
Frances Braswell
Linda Thompson Robertson
Roy D. Campbell, III
Marilyn Hemphill Tinnin
David W. Clark and Victoria Baugher Clark
Tom Troxler
Pamela Houchins
Sydney Kathryn Ellis Youth Honoree
•
Reception: 6:30 pm
•
Dinner: 7:15 pm
•
Presentation of Honorees: 8:00 pm
For reservations or more information, please call 601-953-2569.
Jennifer Boydston Johnson
Mary Bratton Guest Youth Honoree
Mary Largent Purvis
Annelise Self Youth Honoree
Isabelle Sandridge Youth Honoree
This year’s slate of honorees is a testament to the generosity of which the human spirit is capable. They have given freely of their time and talents so that those less fortunate among us may find their true potential. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us as we honor metro Jackson’s outstanding volunteers on August 19, 2021.
David Hollingsworth Family
Randy and Paula James
mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 7
AS I SEE IT
by DAN HALL
Choose your poison, know your antidote Navigating the public vs. private vs. homeschool education debate “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.” – Psalm 127:3
As a pastor, I’ve been asked numerous times, “Should Christians put their children in public school?” It’s an honest and legitimate question. But it wasn’t one I had ever wrestled with. I was raised in a great home and dynamic church, had a fantastic public school experience, began at a secular college and completed at a Christian one (sic ’em, Bears! 2021 College Basketball National Champions!). I came here in 1986 as a new pastor, got married, then became a father of six children. Our church grew with young families who faithfully and regularly fulfilled God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply.” So, fairly quickly, I found myself wrestling with the question. This was complicated by the fact that I had a very large community of homeschoolers in our fellowship. We also had an equal number of private and public school attendees. Full disclosure: Our children were in all three settings. Both as a pastor and as a parent, I discovered that whichever one you choose, you need to know not just the reason for your decision, but the challenges that decision will entail. In other words, choose your poison, know your antidote. For instance, homeschooling provides great control of both content and context. But it also
requires focused parental intentionality to ensure the child is intellectually and socially educated. I’ve seen the beautiful outcome of success as well as the painful disaster that results from neglecting this focus. Private school allows a merger of strong cultural and social development with a managed curriculum, affirming a Christian worldview. But it can also lead to a pharisaical and detached view of a culture we are called to reach. Public school is steeped with challenges to developing faith, but is a great proving ground for one’s faith and awareness of God’s grace in the world. Many godly young people have emerged passionate to impact their culture. So what’s my point? If you know what challenges you will encounter, you know what measures to take to mitigate, eradicate or navigate the negative impact of those challenges.
Choose your poison, know your antidote There’s one primary antidote to each: intentional parental engagement. Let me suggest three things I have seen successful parents do:
◼ Align your reason with purpose, not
convenience. Where we place our children should be motivated by a clear set of values. I’ve seen many parents sacrifice in each setting, and when I asked why, they listed conviction, a stated purpose, and most often, scripture as the reason for their decision.
◼ Assess the strengths and weaknesses of
your child, the school choice, and yourselves. As we prayerfully consider our decision, the Spirit will give insight on the best way for our child to become all God has created them to be. Be intentional to seek wisdom so that you will have a clear strategy to affirm strengths and fortify weaknesses.
◼ Never, ever relinquish your parental
privilege, responsibility and joy. For the believer, the role of school and even the church is not to replace the parent or the home. Rather, these entities provide support and context for the values and vision assigned to us parents. We stay in the driver’s seat both for the child’s personal development and their divine purpose.
I am privileged that four of my children are educators. As my daughter Lydia told me today, “I can’t do my job successfully at school if parents don’t do their jobs at home.” Stand tall, mom and dad! The Lord will give us wisdom and strength as we follow Him! Y
Dan Hall is an executive and strategic coach to leaders and executive teams. He also works with organizations on team building, conflict resolution and communication skills. He and his wife, Hazel, have six children and four grandchildren. You can reach him at Dan@OnCourseSolutions.com.
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8 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
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MODERN MOTHERHOOD
by LIBBO CROSSWHITE
A ‘Dawgs in 3’ mentality
I
t’s a tale as old as time: Summer seems to go as quickly as it rolls in.
The word “August” sparks all types of emotions in me as a mom and educator. Summertime means I’m one year older, the pace is slower, and there’s time for reflection and a sense of presence in the pause. If I’m honest, this has been one of the most sanctifying summers of my life. Making time to see a counselor has been an incredible gift for me. I continually remind myself of Psalm 18:19, which I mentioned last month. Seeing a counselor has anchored me back in the truth of my identity in Christ. It’s allowed me to make space, to remind myself that God both delights in and rescues me. It’s been a reset for me, and I pray that someone reading this will find hope and encouragement in what I’m learning on my journey.
Make space
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I am learning that so much of my anxiety is anchored in the fallacy that each waking moment must be filled with achievement, accumulation of titles and things, and access to the next best activity. We got a reset in many areas last year, but many of our default settings remain: We’ve conditioned ourselves to believe the lie that busy = significant, and it’s causing us to feel more and more pressure to fill each moment with activities, lessons, and all the things — none of which are bad, but can deplete us and our children of time and space to just be. Author Grace Valentine puts it this way, and it’s been an important daily reminder as I work toward just being: “Let go of thinking you are a human doing. You’re a human being for a reason. Life isn’t only about what you do, and your purpose isn’t dependent on your productivity. Be with Jesus. Be with His joy. Be with His peace. Be in His Word.”
A ‘Dawgs in 3’ mentality You really thought I would go the whole article without mentioning the Dawgs? Listen, regardless of how you feel about Mississippi State winning their first national championship, what we experienced in late June was nothing short of joy for many of us, as I wrote about last month.
No, I’m not equating a national championship with what I believe to be the best gift I’ve ever been given, Christ’s gracious gift of salvation for those who believe. All I am saying is that driving from Mississippi to Nebraska gave me a newfound appreciation for the Israelites looking for the promised land in the Old Testament. And when that 12-hour drive turned into 16 hours because of my own
inability to navigate, I finally understood the book of Numbers. The truth is, as I drove to Omaha that Monday of the championship series and listened on the radio as MSU was losing game 1, part of me thought, “You’re driving this far to potentially get heartbroken again.” Luckily for me, I was with my dear friend Frances, who kept reminding me to keep the faith and remember that the Dawgs have never given us anything easy — and that it was the journey that mattered more than the outcome. Win or lose, we were grateful to be there. Truth be told, though, we really wanted to win. “Dawgs in three” was the phrase we kept repeating with every wrong turn and every obstacle — it’s what just about every State fan used as a greeting as we walked the streets of Omaha that Tuesday before game two. Monday was a loss, but there could be victory right behind it — we believed it. You could feel it in the air, a word that is hard to find in many
“‘Dawgs in three’ was the phrase we kept repeating … it’s what just about every State fan used as a greeting as we walked the streets of Omaha … Monday was a loss, but there could be victory right behind it … You could feel it in the air, a word that is hard to find in many earthly places lately: Hope.
side of heaven, there will be wins AND losses — probably more of the latter. But the end result? Victory. Side note: As Clay and I pray through what God has in store for our family (read that for what it is: me having baby fever, and Clay reminding me that fevers are meant to eventually pass, but knowing God is ultimately in control of that too), I’m thankful that my middle name is Tanner and my father-in-law’s first name is Allen. Y
”
earthly places lately: Hope. “Dawgs in three” meant there was hope, and that’s what we’re given when we pursue a relationship with Jesus. That’s life as a Christian, right? On this
Libbo Haskins Crosswhite and her husband, Clay, live in Madison and attend Pinelake. They have one daughter, Mary Thomas, who is 7 years old, and a son, Russell, who is 5 years old. She is the high school guidance counselor at Madison-Ridgeland Academy and can be emailed at lcrosswhite@mrapats.org.
mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 11
MISSION MISSISSIPPI MOMENTS
by MARCIA REED
Is there a godly way to ‘admonish’ one another?
O
ne night when I was a child, my sister and I were arguing about something after we went to bed. I have
much the judgment but the attitude we have while doing the judging? In pointing out behavior we think to be wrong, is our goal to show our behavior to be right? no idea what we were arguing about, but I remember what my Matthew 7 says that before we try to take the speck out of our mother did: She came to our room and, with an angry voice, told us to brother’s eye, we should remove the plank from our eye. Every get our Bibles out and look up Matthew 7:1-2. We were told to think relationship will have conflict. Disappointment, unmet expectations and about how it applied to our situation, apologize to each other, and GO different opinions often lead to hurt feelings and actions that range TO SLEEP. I don’t remember my mom getting angry often. That night from withdrawal to angry confrontations. Before you decide how to we’d apparently pushed every button. handle a conflict, test your reasoning (the log in your own eye) to see if Those verses made a long-lasting impression on me. I was supposed the conversation will be redemptive and to be careful how I judged others because I restorative or more about your own pride in would be judged the same way! Whatever being proved correct. Will the conversation measure I used to judge the way others In pointing out behavior we bring about understanding and reconciliation looked or acted would be used to judge me. think to be wrong, is our goal to for both of you? It’s a sobering thought, even to a child! show our behavior to be right? There is biblical instruction for settling As an adult, I’ve been reminded of those conflicts. We should do so quickly, not verses and others that talk about how we as allowing things to drag on and create more Christians are supposed to respond to people misunderstanding and ill will as time passes. In fact, it’s so imperative to around us. The book of James is full of instruction about how we’re to act quickly that Matthew 5:23-24 says if we know that someone has live in harmony with others by not speaking against them, not something against us, we should leave our gift at the altar to go be grumbling about each other, not showing favoritism, and not reconciled to them, then come and offer our gift. considering ourselves more important that anyone else. A few years ago, I worked in a small office with around eight other So how should Christians handle conflict? Is it possible to admonish people. A couple of situations arose, and I felt I was being targeted, as the another person without judging them? Isn’t there some standard by only white employee, with gossip, and my actions were misunderstood which we can say a behavior or attitude is wrong? Perhaps it’s not so by a few co-workers. One person in particular was stoking the fire. It was causing tension that everyone in the office noticed. Though all of us were members of churches and claimed to be Christians, none of us seemed willing to address the problem. I comforted myself with the reasoning that my black brothers and sisters have had to deal with suspicion, misunderstanding and exclusion their whole lives. I was just getting a taste of what they lived through. But the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me leave it there. He has a way of pointing out what we need to do, and often it’s our pride that needs to be broken before change can happen. With some fear and trembling, I set a time to talk with my co-worker, and found both of us had been under conviction for our part in the problem. Some of the misunderstanding was cultural expectations, and some was miscommunication. We learned a better way to communicate that left less room for misunderstanding. We didn’t become best friends, but tensions eased, and when either of us felt there was possible miscommunication, we were much quicker to talk it out. A Podcast for Deeper Christianity Addressing conflict does leave you vulnerable for a time, but the reward of a reconciled relationship is worth the risk. Mission Mississippi has taught, for years, the importance of conversations with people of another race. Communication is the way to establish relationships that can build trust and open doors for deeper understanding and fellowship. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men.” – Romans 12:18 Y
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Turn Your Beautiful God-Given Brains on Everybody!
@uncensoredunprofessor uncensoredunprofessor.com
12 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
Marcia Reed lives in west Jackson with her husband of 44 years, Phil Reed. She is recently retired from BankPlus, and they are members at New Horizon Church International.
mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 13
THIS IS MY STORY
by VICTORIA ROGERS
Understanding a life for Christ
M
y name is Victoria Rogers. I am 16 years old and have just finished my sophomore year of high school. Because I was born into a Christian family, Christianity has always played a major role in my schooling, homelife and community. I have been enrolled at a Christian school since kindergarten, and my family attends church weekly. I’ve always felt encouraged and supported by my family members who have expressed to me the love of Jesus.
Relationship with Christ From a young age, I believed in the existence and identity of Christ as God, but for years I didn’t understand the true extent of having a relationship with Him. This realization came to me in middle school when one of my teachers presented me with the “Michael Jordan” analogy: Imagine you are a huge fan of Michael Jordan. You know everything about him: his height, his weight, who his family members are, how he dresses, etc. One day, you see him in person and greet him and talk to him as if he’s an old friend, but he has no idea who you are. He’ll just talk to you as if you’re another crazy fan. In the same way, we can know everything about God but not have a relationship with Him. A relationship with God means having daily conversations with Him as well as reading His Word with the intention of growing closer to God. We can say we know who God is, but if we don’t actually have a relationship with Him, we won’t understand who He truly is. After being given this analogy, I decided to
put in the effort to form a relationship with God. Choosing to grow my relationship with Christ was the most important decision I have ever made. I began by waking up each morning to read my Bible and by talking to God throughout my day. At first, it was difficult to get into a routine. I had to resist my desires to sleep later or get on my phone instead of reading, but as my understanding of God grew, I desired Him more and more.
Confidence in Christ One struggle I faced as a new Christian was placing my identity in Christ instead of myself. I still had worldly desires, and I learned quickly that I could not resist those desires without God. Understanding our need for God to help us overcome the devil is crucial to building up our faith. Place yourself in the following scenario: You live in a giant, impenetrable fortress. The enemy arrives to attack the fortress, but because the building is impossible to defeat, the attacker leaves. Now imagine that instead of trusting in the fortress to protect you, you step outside the fortress and, in your own strength, attempt to defeat the enemy. That would be sheer foolishness, and the enemy would completely destroy you. In the same way, God is our fortress, and we are protected when we stay inside the fortress. When we step out of God’s strength and try to face battles without Him, we face definite failure. Putting our trust in God is important because there is no victory without Him. How can we apply this to real-life situations? By allowing the will of God to overcome our own. When we experience a feeling or desire for something that goes against God’s will, it is
important to ask God to take that feeling away. For example, before making an ill comment or lashing out at another person, we should ask the Holy Spirit for patience and love. When we feel the urge to gossip, we should seek God to give us self-control. Eventually, we no longer have these kinds of longings because our devotion to doing God’s will becomes greater than our desire to serve ourselves. Letting go of our worldly longings and seeking God above all else is a huge step in the walk of faith. By giving into a life for Christ, I’ve had many wonderful opportunities to serve Him, and I’ve met amazing people who I may never have connected with otherwise. Today, I have no doubts about the future and no regrets about the past. Even though I have no idea where God is taking me in my walk with Him, I know that His plan is more beautiful than I could ever imagine. As a believer, I can have complete confidence in God because of His love and perfection that exceed my understanding. Y
Victoria Rogers is an 11th-grade student at Hartfield Academy in Flowood. She lives with her parents and younger sister, and they attend Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon. Victoria enjoys going out with friends and spending time in God’s Word. She plays the piano, likes to read and write, and is part of several school clubs, including mock trial and yearbook.
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If you aren’t sure whether you have a relationship with God or where you’ll go when you die, please don’t put this magazine down until you’ve read the following:
✝ THE PROBLEM
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death… – Romans 6:23a The natural result and consequence of our sin is eternal death, or hell (Revelation 20:15), separated from God. This is because God is completely perfect and holy (Matthew 5:48), and His justice demands that sin be punished (Proverbs 11:21).
✝ THE SOLUTION
…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 6:23b But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 Jesus Christ died in our place on the cross and took on the punishment for all our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). Then God raised Him from the dead (John 20)!
✝ HOW TO RECEIVE SALVATION
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9
✝ IS IT FOR ANYONE?
Trust in what Jesus has done for you — His death for your sins and His resurrection — and trust Him as Lord.
✝ THE RESULTS
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Romans 10:13
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39
✝ WHAT TO DO NEXT
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17 If you decided to trust in Jesus, grow in your faith by reading more of God’s Word in the Bible. We recommend the gospel of John (it comes just after Luke) as a good starting point — or Romans! Finding a church close to you that teaches faith in Christ is another important step. It’s crucial to spend time with other believers so we can encourage each other in our faith. If you have questions about anything on this page, please contact us at 601.896.1432, or send us a message on Facebook @MSChristianLiving, Instagram @mschristianmag or Twitter @MSChristLiving. mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 15
by KATIE EUBANKS
PHOTO BY STEGALL IMAGERY
COVER STORY
16 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
Dara Evans
Truth and beauty in education
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” – Psalm 27:4, KJV.
T
A love of learning Growing up in Brookhaven, Dara loved school. She got excited about school supplies. She “played school” even when she wasn’t there. She also was the second of four daughters, so “I’m very comfortable in a support role,” she says, laughing. Dara came to know Jesus at a young age, and came to love grammar at Alexander Junior High in Brookhaven. “My ninth-grade English teacher, Sharon Dykes, was funny, smart, and she loved teaching. She loved books. She made me a grammar nerd. … I like the rules,” Dara says, laughing again. One “benchmark” moment came in high
Dara married Mark, who was then the Madison County Schools campus life director for Jackson Youth for Christ, in 2004.
school, when she was trying to decide on colleges. “I had a couple of different options. And the Lord led me to community college before I went to Mississippi College, which I had never had a desire to do. And then that was the only option that was going to work for me. I loved it. It was a wonderful two years of college.” After two years at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, she finished her bachelor’s in elementary education and taught fifth grade, then eighth grade, at Madison County Schools.
PHOTOS BY STEGALL IMAGERY
Couldn’t education be about truth and beauty as well — not just facts and figures? One school that aims for this is St. Augustine, a collaborative, classical Christian school located on Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland. The school is entering its eighth full year, with about 300 students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Lower-school principal Dara (pronounced DARE-uh) Evans sent her kids to St. Augustine five years ago and joined the faculty last year as a first-grade teacher. For Dara, St. Augustine is a great place to work. It’s also the latest opportunity God’s given her to be a servant leader.
SUBMITTED
he scripture above points to a believer’s intimate relationship with God and the eternal life we’ll experience at the end of the age. But couldn’t it also apply to a godly education?
mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 17
Dara with fellow first-grade teacher Ansleigh Thornhill (right), dressed up as 100-year-olds for St. Augustine’s 100th day of school this past year.
Dara reads to St Augustine students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dara with her son Callen (looking at camera), digging for prizes at a block party for Canvas Church in Victoria, British Columbia, during a mission trip to Canada.
She met her husband, Mark, on a blind date. His boss at Jackson Youth for Christ, Gary Maze, was also on staff at Horizon Community Church, where Dara was the youth director. Gary and his wife invited Dara and Mark over, and the rest is history. After marrying Mark, Dara stayed home for a few years to start their family, and then returned to Madison County Schools as a literacy specialist, eventually landing at Rosa Scott High School, the ninth-grade campus of Madison Central. She and Mark’s kids also attended Madison County Schools initially, and got to learn from some great educators. 18 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
Dara praying in Haiti during a mission trip.
“Most of the teachers I’ve worked with got into education because they loved education, they loved children,” she notes. “At least in Madison County, those teachers are not teachers just to have a job.” But Dara and Mark started noticing a trend: “(When my daughter) was in second grade, and my middle son was in kindergarten … we were spending a lot of time at school. The cycle of it all revolves around school,” Dara says. “As a parent, I started to see I had less and less control over what happened with my kids those seven hours a day.” Then a fellow parent told Dara, “We went to
the neatest little informational meeting last night (about St. Augustine School).’” Dara and Mark decided to check it out. “At the meeting, we were sold,” she says. They moved the kids to St. Augustine.
Excellence, wisdom and joy It didn’t hurt that Dara and Mark knew and believed in Dave Herndon, headmaster at St. Augustine. He and Dara were in the same cohort when they got their master’s in educational leadership. Mark had completed a youth internship at Dave’s former church in Oklahoma.
From left, Callen, Jordan and John Mason Evans.
In both parenting and educating her kids, Dara says, “There are lots of opportunities for mess-ups, and we really see His faithfulness as He has provided grace for us every step of the way.” From left: Mark, Dara, Callen in front, Jordan, and John Mason.
Then there was the St. Augustine mission statement: “St. Augustine School exists to cultivate excellence, wisdom, and joy by assisting parents in the education of their children, so that they may grow into a thorough understanding of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty.” “That, to me, as kind of an idealist … I love the mission and I love that we are constantly working toward that,” Dara says. “And we’re able to do that. They’ve created a structure where we can.” That structure includes less classroom time than a traditional school. K4 through fifthgraders are on campus two days a week, for a total of eight to 12 hours a week. The rest of the week, their parents — known as “coteachers” in the St. Augustine lingo — take as much time as needed to teach them at home. Older students are on campus an additional half-day and complete more online instruction, for a total of up to 18 hours of class per week in high school. Parents are still actively involved, but more responsibility is put on the student. As a parent, “I love that we can structure our days a little differently,” Dara says. In other words, the schedule gives families more flexibility to attend church, eat meals together, and be involved in the community, instead of enduring the never-ending cycle of school, homework, dinner, sleep, repeat. In addition to being a collaborative school, St. Augustine is also classical. What does that mean? “Public education is all about training you for the workforce. Classical education is about
teaching kids to learn, from a liberal arts foundation,” she says. “Part of it is to unify education. And (at St. Augustine) it’s unified in the knowledge of Christ. … Part of it is teaching children to think and learn for their whole life, so they could be part of any kind of workforce. Teaching them to think and to love thinking, which could translate into any kind of career.” She lists three phases of education at St. Augustine: 1) Grammar (elementary) — basics, rudiments and memorization. 2) Logic (middle school), in which “you start taking those elements and put logical thoughts to them, the why of it,” she says. 3) Rhetoric (high school), “which focuses on eloquence and articulation — taking these fundamentals you’ve learned, and the why, and putting it in words and learning how to communicate through writing and speaking.” All of that sounds well and good — but what does St. Augustine teach that others don’t? Latin, for one. Other schools might offer it as an elective, but at St. Augustine, Latin is taught “early and thoroughly.” In an essay on the St. Augustine website, provost Ann Lowrey Forster says the study of Latin “provides intellectual discipline, training in a child the ability to analyze language, an ability that will be applied in school and work for the rest of his or her life.” St. Augustine is also all about “exposing children to beautiful things that have stood the test of time,” Dara says, such as the literal
“classics” of Greek and Roman literature. And the school places more emphasis on the arts than traditional schools. The Christ-centered aspect of St. Augustine is
Christian Home Educators Connection Find support for your K-12 homeschooling efforts, and fellowship and network with other Christian homeschool families in central Mississippi. • • • • • • • • • •
Extracurricular activities Social opportunities Elementary field trips Academic competitions Graduation ceremony Yearbook Senior year activities High school clubs Formal dances Elementary co-ops
Contact CHEC at info@checonnection.com mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 19
PHOTOS BY STEGALL IMAGERY
‘This was what I loved to do’
a bit simpler: “Because the only proper view of the world is one that acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord, St. Augustine makes this the foundation of all its teaching,” the website states. Ironically, Dara says, having her kids — who are now 13, 11 and 9 — surrounded by a community of very similar students from very similar Christian families took some getting used to. Mark is the discipleship and missions pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, and they want their kids to live on mission wherever they are. Sometimes it’s hard to do that in a Christian bubble. “But we’re (educating them at St. Augustine) so we can launch them into all the world.”
While her kids attended St. Augustine, Dara was enjoying “co-teaching” them at home and working part time in her literacy job at Rosa Scott. But just about every year, she and Dave Herndon would have what she calls a “spring check-in,” she says, in which he’d ask her where she saw herself in the next few years. He wanted to hire her at St. Augustine. “It just never seemed right. My commitment was to educate my children. I had been a teacher in the classroom, and it just takes so much out of you,” she says. But in fall 2019, her job situation shifted a bit at Madison County, and she started asking her friends who worked at St. Augustine what their days were like. “Through all that … and just my time with the Lord, I just realized that, at some point before motherhood, this was what I loved to do. I loved curriculum, I loved the rapport between teachers and students. I wanted to go back (to the classroom).” So for the 2020-21 school year, she taught first grade at St. Augustine and was the testing coordinator and after-care director. “It was all the wonderful things I remembered about teaching, and none of the bad things,” Dara says. “I was in my 40s and a step ahead of some of these parents in their 20s and 30s, and I was able to help them. … I put my whole heart into what I was doing, which was easy because I loved it.” But she also had a desire to step into a more administrative position. At Madison County Schools, “I got to speak into some of the things that were going on,” she says. “That’s the whole reason I got the master’s in educational leadership.” As St. Augustine grew and the need arose for principals — one for the lower school and one for the upper — “it sounded like an
opportunity for servant leadership,” Dara says. She admits she thought she’d be teaching longer, but she’s excited to begin the school year in her new role as lower-school principal. “It sounds really fun to me, and a good fit for the experiences I’ve had the past few years.”
Relieving pressure, growing faith Today’s educational landscape can often feel like a minefield for parents, teachers and students. Teachers feel pressure “from all sides,” Dara says, including administration, parents and students. “I think it’s unrealistic, some of the expectations we put on teachers,” she says. “You get into the job, and all the reasons that you got into education, it’s hard to remember them in the day to day, when you’re dealing with discipline issues and school protocols and administrative pressures. “In addition to just addressing all the social issues. The world is changing. For those of us who are believers to still hold to our faith and then also to love students is increasingly difficult.” One way St. Augustine relieves that pressure is simply by being committed to Christ, she says. “We don’t have the pressure of, ‘Can we hold to our faith and teach what we’re supposed to teach?’ They are one and the same.” School leadership also tries to keep their expectations for teachers “in check,” meaning that standards are high, but “(we) make allowances for teacher differences and student differences, and allow leeway for the Holy Spirit to lead teachers in how they should deal with their students,” Dara says. “Just recognizing that this is their calling and their ministry also.” Students, of course, don’t have it easy in 2021 either: “There’s a cultural pressure in school that is hard. And the pressure we put on (students) to
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“Public education is all
about training you for the workforce. Classical education is about teaching kids to learn, from a liberal arts foundation. Part of it is to unify education. And (at St. Augustine) it’s unified in the knowledge of Christ.
”
be excellent,” Dara says. “(There’s a pressure) to be able to take on an adult-type schedule in a world where parents are busy with their own thing … not to seem too studious, and to fit in (with friends) … but still get the grades your parents expect.” Having parents more in the mix at St. Augustine as co-teachers, especially in the younger years, helps a lot, she says. “You’ve got your primary influences (parents and teachers) working together.” The cellphone locker at St. Augustine also helps. Students put their phones away upon arrival and don’t get them out until the end of the day. (The very image of a teenager lasting multiple hours without a smartphone ought to be enough to strengthen anyone’s faith.) While St. Augustine does expect more of parents as co-teachers, they also have more time and freedom to meet those expectations. When the Evans kids were at Madison County Schools, “we only had a second grader and a kindergartener, and the school schedule
was dictating our life,” Dara says. “That time was being taken away at a very early age. And we knew it was not going to get better. They were not going to get less involved (in school).” That’s part of why the collaborative model appealed to her and Mark so much: They could have more time away from school, but without the burden of totally homeschooling the kids. They could breathe, but they still had a school community. The St. Augustine community has also grown Dara’s faith, both as an educator and as a parent. “In this school, it feels like these parents have entrusted you with a huge part of discipling their kids,” she says. At home, as a co-teacher for her kids, “you see lots of good and bad about your children, and about yourself,” she says, laughing. “There are lots of opportunities for mess-ups, and we really see His faithfulness as He has provided grace for us every step of the way, and then as we also have been able to offer that to our children.” She also appreciates the close partnership with her kids’ teachers, who are there for more than just academic instruction: “They’re not comparing my kids to every kid in the county. They’re holding my kids up to God’s Word,” she says. No school is perfect, of course. “The Bible does not command a specific method or model of education,” Forster’s essay says. “(We) do not believe there is one right way for Christians to educate their children, nor is there one right school to attend in central Mississippi.” Any type of education will have its own foibles and flaws. Teaching is hard in any setting. So is parenting. So is being a student. What about being an administrator? Dara admits that, normally, “I don’t tell adults what to do.” But as a principal, “there
will be some of that. Dave Herndon has said, ‘There will be times you’ll have to be the bad guy,’ and I’m preparing myself for that.” Mostly, though, she sees her role as “support(ing) parents, faculty, and student relationships, facilitating those relationships” — and she believes that’s exactly where God has led her. “When I look back over the course of my life in education — I think I could cry about this if I thought about it … I’m not an extremely planned-out person, or ‘Here’s where I plan to be in 10 years’ … (but) His hand has guided me, every little step.” Y
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FEATURE STORY
by KATIE EUBANKS
Fulfilling his calling Palmer Kennedy becomes head of school at Jackson Academy
22 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
IN 1738, future Methodism leader John Wesley reluctantly attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London, heard a reading from Martin Luther’s preface to the book of Romans, and felt assurance of his salvation. Wesley wrote in his journal that, “while (the reader) was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” United Methodists today commemorate this date (May 24 or the closest Sunday) each year as Aldersgate Day. Nearly 250 years after Wesley, Alabama native Palmer Kennedy had what he calls his own “Aldersgate experience”: “It actually happened at a football game,” he says. “For some reason, I just asked the coach if I could lead us in prayer. And at that point I went, ‘What have I done?’ “Between church, and between teachers, and between situations … I became known as ‘that (Christian) guy.’ And when you become that guy, you do have to own up to your faith.” Palmer’s school, St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, played a role in his “Aldersgate” moment and many others, he says. “I had a couple of teachers (and coaches) who showed that they cared enough to expect the best from me,” he says. “Really, they just reinforced what my parents taught me. I’d like to think that that next step of (my parents’ faith) becoming my faith would’ve happened without the family faith, but I can’t say that.” Later, Palmer’s walk with Christ has looked like a recommitment at major milestones: Marriage, children, and every education job he gets, like the one he just accepted as head of school at Jackson Academy (JA). But for someone who would work as a teacher and/or administrator for more than three decades and counting, Palmer initially had “zero intention of becoming an educator,” he recalls. ‘I’m not going to be a teacher’ At the University of South Alabama, Palmer double majored in economics and history, and fell in love with the latter. During a semester abroad at the London School of Economics, one of his professors said, “I appreciate that you’re thinking about law school, or getting a Ph.D. in history … but I envision you being a teacher.” “In the beginning, I rejected that,” Palmer says. After getting his master’s in history, he decided to teach at St. Paul’s for one year, and
Palmer meets with recent Jackson Academy graduates.
then start his law degree or doctorate. “And then I fell in love with (teaching).” He decided to teach for two years instead of one. “But I’m still not going to be a teacher,” he thought — and continued thinking that in year five. Finally, “Sometime between then and now, I became a teacher.” When he first started at St. Paul’s, he taught six classes, coached three sports, and maintained the facilities in the summers. “That’s what some people do, to do what you think you’re supposed to be doing, and to provide,” he says. “Things have changed in 36 years, but not a lot has changed. There are people at JA and other schools that do that, and they aren’t always appreciated. “COVID made people realize how challenging teaching can be.” From St. Paul’s — at one point the largest Episcopal school in the country — to St. Luke’s Episcopal School (also in Mobile), to Advent Episcopal School in Birmingham, Palmer carried his own educational philosophy, which he sums up in one word: Love. “A lot of people think as a kid grows up, less love is needed. That is very incorrect. The older somebody gets, the more they remember. They need to know you care about them in ways younger ones just assume you do.” Older kids also need space. Fortunately for Palmer’s son and daughter, by the time they reached high school at St. Paul’s, their dad was no longer working there. “I wasn’t all up in their friends’ business,” he says — but still made sure to keep tabs on his kids. “I’m a dad. Any shortcut to their business,
yeah, I’m going to take it.” While teaching and moving into administrative positions in Alabama, Palmer “watched JA from afar,” he says, visiting six or seven times over the years “to peek behind the curtain (and) steal ideas.” He’d already developed relationships at JA when he learned a year ago that they were looking for a head of school. “I think it was in November we decided to ‘get married,’ if you will, because that’s basically what you do,” he says. He officially became head of school on June 1, 2021.
Making the ‘marriage’ work Palmer says his job at JA is “to build teams, coach teams, and help everybody else help other people. That’s going to be the biggest challenge at a school this size, is to help everybody see their roles,” he says. JA has nearly 1,200 students in pre-K3 through 12th grades. “The trick of a large church (or school) is to make yourself feel smaller than you are. You want to help people sincerely feel they’re an integral part of what we do.” His hiring philosophy? “Hire the heart,” he says. “The goal is to support an incredible team of adults here who understand we can learn as much from our kids as they learn from us. And we can learn as much from each other as we try to teach our kids. Lifelong learning is as important for a pre-K 3-year-old as it is for the teacher who’s been there 40 years.” He says one of the things every headmaster should do is honor the past, along with making sure the school is providing the best education mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 23
Palmer with JA Director of Admission Kayla Mosal.
Palmer’s daughter, Laura, spearfishing in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, aka Gulf of California.
Patrick Kennedy supporting his grandpa’s school. 24 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
“I’m the most blessed man I know. And the family is a real part of it,” says Palmer (far left), pictured here with his wife, Karen (far right), and their kids, Palmer and Laura.
Laura Kennedy Brown with her husband, Sam.
Palmer with Jackson Academy Arts Guild representative Mary Alive Browning.
Palmer’s son, also named Palmer, with his wife, Hayley, and Patrick.
“She’s the better part of me,” Palmer says of his wife, Karen, pictured with him at Disney World.
possible and preparing for whatever lies ahead. “I have the reputation of being a change agent. But I only want to change things when I know what doesn’t need to change,” he says. For instance, the JA mission statement: “Within our nurturing and spiritual community, Jackson Academy inspires and equips each student to lead a life of purpose and significance.” That mission goes right along with Palmer’s own, he says. “I felt like (being an educator) was the best opportunity I had to do what I felt the Lord called me to do — help people be their best self, and hopefully find Him.” He emphasizes teaching students to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them. “My favorite scripture, which people around me probably get tired of me saying, is ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’ (Luke 12:48). That was engrained in me early on.” Similarly, “teachers will be judged (more strictly than others),” he notes. “To have this responsibility is daunting, but … there is so much this school is able to do.” Y
What COVID has taught educators
Challenges in education today
“I think in schools, in churches, in places where people gather, we were on a trajectory of, ‘How do we use technology to help people in better ways than bringing them together?’ “We still want to work on the advancement of technology — but until you lose something (like meeting in person for school or church), you don’t know how special it is.”
“You see culture creeping into your school, but when you have a school like this (JA), you see hope,” Palmer says. “There are things kids used to have to go find that they have to run from now. It gets harder to be a parent every year. … You cannot spend enough time trying to know what’s going on in your kid’s life. You cannot listen to your kid enough.” Research from the National Association of Independent Schools shows that parents are “looking at schools to come alongside them in character development (of their kids),” Palmer says. “At a school like JA, we don’t talk about it a lot because we do it — that partnership with parents. “It helps when parents know they’re not alone. (They know,) ‘I’m not crazy.’” Oftentimes, he says, “we find out just how well we did (when a student starts) freshman year of college, or 20 years later. That verse about training up a child (Proverbs 22:6), theologians can debate about whether that’s a promise or just a probability, but it’s more relevant than ever.”
About the Kennedys Palmer’s wife, Karen, “is an accountant by trade and degree,” Palmer says, who’s worked in student services at schools for 20 years, “mostly helping keep up with test data. She’ll be around JA more after we get settled, because she’s the better part of me.” Palmer and Karen’s daughter, Laura, is a graphic designer who owns a ceramics business in Empire, Michigan (her husband, Sam, is a writer); their son, Palmer, is a school chaplain in Charleston, South Carolina (his wife, Hayley, is a speechlanguage pathologist); and they have one grandson, Patrick.
JACKSON ACADEMY Inspiring K3-12th grade students to reach their greatest potential. JACKSONACADEMY.ORG
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mschristianliving.com ❘ AUGUST 2021 25
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
by REBECCA TURNER
3 easy back-to-school recipes
W
hether the kids will be distance learning or attending school in person this year, balanced meals
will set your student up for success. Studies show that students who eat breakfast the morning of a standardized test have significantly higher spelling, reading and math scores than those who miss it. A morning meal is crucial for younger students, whose brains use up about half of the body’s energy. Back to school also means back to fast-paced schedules, and dinner
plans staying up in the air. Even though today’s busy lifestyle can make eating together a challenge, it’s worth the effort, even if it’s only once or twice a week. Research proves there are nutritional, health, social, and mental benefits to eating with others. Choose the meal that gives you the most time to talk, connect, and nourish your body and family bond. Make back-to-school meals less stressful with these easy recipes for breakfast on the go and quick weeknight dinners. Y
MAKE-AHEAD BREAKFAST BURRITOS
SHEET-PAN NACHOS
2 2 5 1 2 1 1 10 2%
You can use leftover pork roast, roast beef, pulled pork, or meat from a rotisserie chicken. Or go meatfree and add fajita vegetables.
pounds lean ground meat (turkey or beef) packets low-sodium taco seasoning eggs cup egg whites cups chopped spinach cup sliced mushrooms cup diced tomatoes whole-wheat wraps shredded cheese
Prepare meat according to taco seasoning directions. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites and pour into a heated skillet. Add spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes to eggs and scramble. Combine seasoned meat with egg and vegetable scramble. Fill tortillas with mixture and top with cheese. Fold tortillas into a burrito. Wrap in wax paper. Place all 10 burritos into a freezer-safe gallon zip-top bag and freeze. When you are ready to eat, place frozen burrito (still wrapped in wax paper) into microwave for about 90 seconds, turning throughout. (Serves 10) *You can switch the vegetables to your preference, and/or substitute black beans for meat.
26 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
2 ½ ½ ½ 2
cups pulled pork (or desired meat) teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon smoked paprika teaspoon garlic powder cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup onions, diced Sturdy corn tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 400. Season meat with cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and pepper, and heat in a microwave or stovetop until warm. Spread tortilla chips evenly over a small to medium-sized baking sheet. Add a thin layer of cheese, then a layer of meat, and sprinkle the onions and black beans around the chips. Finish building the nachos with a layer of cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese completely melts (but not to bubbling!). Remove from oven and add toppings such as diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, guacamole, sour cream, olives, cilantro, etc.
SLOW COOKER PORK CHOPS 4 1 ¼ 1 1
bone-in pork chops can condensed cream of mushroom soup cup ketchup tablespoon Worcestershire sauce teaspoon salt
Whisk together the soup, ketchup, sauce and salt in a bowl. Assemble pork chops in slow cooker and pour seasoning mixture over top, covering all the chops well. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or high 46 hours, or until meat starts to fall off the bone. These pork chops create a gravy-like sauce, making them perfect to serve over rice, roasted potatoes, or egg noodles. They also pair well with roasted vegetables.
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LAGNIAPPE
submitted by ST. CATHERINE’S VILLAGE
St. Catherine’s Village receives CARF accreditation as continuing care retirement community ◆
S
t. Catherine’s Village has once again been issued accreditation from CARF International, an
independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. This outstanding achievement is an indication of the Life Plan Community’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the people it serves. The five-year accreditation acknowledges that St. Catherine’s Village has conformed to a set of internationally recognized standards set forth by CARF. According to survey results, residents, families and staff have expressed high levels of satisfaction with the Life Plan Community, describing a family-like atmosphere. CARF identified the following strengths for St. Catherine’s Village: St. Catherine’s Village is in a beautiful pastoral setting in central Mississippi. The 160-acre campus is a mixture of both formal and informal outdoor spaces. There are multiple ponds that are used frequently by residents, staff, and occasionally family members, for fishing and other outdoor recreation. Walking paths are available and accessible for all. Views of the lakes from resident spaces are maximized as much as possible.
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Residents are highly involved in the life of the community and are supportive of each other. New residents
Activities are provided to residents throughout the continuum by a creative and dedicated staff. Staff has made exceptional efforts to keep residents engaged and connected to family and friends. Residents and staff are looking forward to getting together again to play bridge, bingo and croquet, as well as to attend club meetings, dine together, and fish in the ponds.
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are welcomed through a variety of activities and offerings of food, practical advice, and companionship by existing residents. The Village News, provided by staff on a regular basis, and the Villager, a resident publication, communicate activities and information in a timely manner. Healthy and delicious meals are served in a variety of dining venues. There is ample space for residents to gather in both small and large groups. Resident feedback is routinely reviewed and acted on by the food committee. Catering services are provided for private gatherings, and residents report a high level of satisfaction in these offerings.
Residents appreciate the safety and security provided at all levels of care. The gated entrance is manned 24 hours a day. In interviews with residents, many expressed never feeling the need to lock their doors. The daily check-in for residents living in the garden homes and apartments adds another layer of security for residents and their families.
Madison’s preeminent all-inclusive Life Plan Community, St. Catherine’s Village is the first retirement community in Mississippi to earn accreditation by CARF-CCAC. Living options include independent living in apartments and garden homes, assisted living in Marian Hall, memory care in Campbell Cove, and skilled nursing in Siena Center, Tuscany and Hughes Center. For more information, visit StCatherinesVillage.com or call 601.856.0123 to schedule a tour. Y
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A CUP OF ENCOURAGEMENT
by LAURA LEE LEATHERS
The ABCs of a biblical education
I
have a confession: I never attended preschool or kindergarten. In fact,
spoke with boldness, and lives were changed for God’s kingdom. Look at the prayer for boldness in verses 23-31. Wherever our secular education may take us in the marketplace, people need to see we’ve been with Jesus. We need to be bold in our testimony and maintain a biblical worldview.
kindergarten wasn’t even a grade. Wheeler Grade School, located a mile from my country home in Hollis Township, Peoria County, Illinois, was built in the late 1890s. It was a white two-story building with a Complete, competent large bell outside. The playground and equipped consisted of a giant silver slide, As you study the New Testament, monkey bars, a large merry-goyou’ll learn it’s God who supplies all we round, and even an underground need “according to His riches in glory by bomb shelter. Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). It’s a promise! Lara Randolph, my first-grade Above: Columnist Laura Leathers’ dad, top right corner with dark Furthermore, we are complete in teacher, was responsible for teaching, hair, in first grade. Below: Laura in first grade (left) and her senior Christ (Col. 2:9-10). Notice the first 10 disciplining and caring for the first year of high school. verses of Colossians 2. There is no other four grades in one large classroom. philosophy but that of Christ. In Him Then when I was in second grade, we have “all the treasures of wisdom everyone moved to the brand-new and knowledge” (v. 3). Wheeler Grade School. Classes continued to The word “competent” means adequate, be small, and most of the time I was the only or sufficient. “All scripture is breathed out girl with three or four boys. by God and profitable for teaching, for My education included reading, writing, reproof, for correction, and for training in arithmetic, science, penmanship, geography, righteousness, that the man of God may be history, plays, and physical education. In fifth competent, equipped for every good work” (2 grade, reading lab was added. Kevin, a Tim. 3:16-17, italics added). classmate, and I would go to reading lab, do Our education begins with the Word of our required work, pull out our Bibles and God with a two-fold process: salvation read together. He taught and challenged me and sanctification. to study the Word. Those moments The Bible has the power to transform our influenced me significantly! God wrote the Ten hearts and renew our minds. The Bible should Several years later, I made the decision to Commandments for Moses, guide us in every aspect of our lives. Our belief trust Jesus. My desire to study the Bible gave instructions regarding system is to be grounded in scripture. increased. When I was in high school, I enrolled the tabernacle’s measurements, Furthermore, we know that what we believe in the Moody Bible Institute discipleship affects our character and our choices. correspondence courses, another life-changer. designed the ark that Noah built, Reading, writing and arithmetic are the God’s Word ALWAYS teaches us. Look at 2 and gave the music and words foundation of an education. Read the Word, Peter 1:3 — “as His divine power has given to us for David to sing. write the Word, observe the science, and study all things that pertain to life and godliness, the book of Numbers. through the knowledge of Him who called us God wrote the Ten Commandments for Moses, by glory and virtue.” the “shema,” which was to be taught to the gave instructions regarding the tabernacle’s Here are a few thoughts that I’ve learned children diligently. measurements, designed the ark that Noah built, regarding a biblical education. There were three aspects of a child’s and gave the music and words for David to sing. education: teach, talk, and walk the These were ordinary, common men, called Acknowledge the fear of the Lord commandments of God, all day, every and equipped by God to do His kingdom work. A biblical education begins with the fear of day. There were no textbooks, only scripture. What is He calling you to do? Do you have a the Lord. “Fear” means reverential awe and biblical education? Y acknowledgment that God is sovereign. In Being with Jesus builds boldness Proverbs 1:7, we are told this is the beginning In this new season of her life, Laura Lee Remember Peter and John? In the opinion of of knowledge. hopes to focus on her three passions: the Sadducees, “they were uneducated, common Study Deuteronomy 6:1-25. Again, the first freelance writing, sharing and serving men” (Acts 4:13), yet their teaching was thing to do was to “fear the LORD your God,” through hospitality, and cultivating Lady astonishing. Why? “They had been with Jesus.” then keep His statutes and commandments. Laura’s Garden, a cut-flower farm. You can Because they’d been with Jesus, these men Next, the passage moves into what is known as contact her at LauraLeeLeathers.com.
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28 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
WHAT’S GOING ON
by ANNA CLAIRE O’CAIN
A LAWYER’S TRUE THRILLER ABOUT “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told!”
No other set of books, except the Bible, will prepare the reader for an abundant life NOW and for a glorious ETERNITY better than Hallelujah, Love & War and The Sound of Glorious Marriage Music. These books can be reviewed and purchased at amazon.com. Select Books and type in “by Joe Ragland.”
Abstinence Recognition Rally
C
ommunities Working to Unite Youth (CWUY) is hosting their 15th annual Mississippi Statewide Embrace Freedom event on Thursday, September 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. This one-night event, also known as the Abstinence Recognition Rally, will take place at True Vine Baptist Church in Brandon. The event will also be livestreamed via Facebook on the CWUY4me Facebook page. With “freedom to wait without worry” as its theme, the goal of the Abstinence Recognition Rally is to promote abstinence among youth using a biblical approach. The guest speaker for the rally will be Albert Tate, pastor of Fellowship Church in Monrovia, California, and a native of Rankin County. WLBT multimedia journalist Pastor Albert Tate, originally from Ashley Garner will emcee Rankin County, will be the guest the event. speaker at the rally, and WLBT The Abstinence journalist Ashley Garner will serve Recognition Rally is part of a as the program guide. monthlong initiative that has been proclaimed for the month of September in our state as Embrace Freedom Month. To register for this event, or for more information about Embrace Freedom Month, call CWUY program chair Tommye Jo Morris at 601-936-3513 or visit cwuy4u.org. Y
ATTY JOE RAGLAND, J.D., LL.M., LL.D. Personal Injury Trial Attorney/Workplace Injuries Tel. 601-969-5050 • Info: www.raglandministries.org Click CONTACT to subscribe to Ragland Newsletters
Join us for a special evening of appetizers, mobile auction and a documentary premier to celebrate our 10th Anniversary! Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm First Baptist Madison 2100 Main St. Madison, MS 39110 Please dress in Business Casual Attire
Tickets on sale August 5th butgodministries.com/10th-anniversary PRESENTING SPONSORS
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Belhaven University...................................................2
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ~ MATTHEW 22:37, ESV
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. ~ PROVERBS 2:6-8, ESV
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. ~ 1 CORINTHIANS 2:16, ESV
I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery — Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
But God Ministries...................................................29
C Spire..................................................................................3 Christian Home Educators Connection .................................................................19
Covenant Caregivers................................................8
~ COLOSSIANS 2:2-3, CSB
Freshway Produce..................................................20
… that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
Gateway Rescue Mission......................................11
Goodwill Industries of Mississippi...................7
H.E.A.L. Mississippi ...................................................13
~ EPHESIANS 3:17B-19A
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. ~ 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5, ESV
Jackson Academy...................................................25
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. ~ 2 TIMOTHY 2:7, ESV
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Joe Ragland .................................................................29
Mascagni Wealth Management ...................32
~ PROVERBS 1:7, ESV
Miskelly Furniture ........................................................5
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Pine Grove Treatment Center............................9
Pro-Life Mississippi.................................................10
~ROMANS 12:2, ESV
~ JAMES 1:5, ESV
Sitters, LLC .....................................................................14
For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ~ GALATIANS 1:11-12, ESV
~ PROVERBS 8:11, ESV
Insurance Company ............................................13
Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ~ ECCLESIASTES 7:19, ESV
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ~ 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-15, ESV
30 AUGUST 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living
Southern Farm Bureau Life
St. Catherine’s Village............................................27
St. Dominic’s..................................................................31
Stegall Imagery...........................................................13
Sunnybrook Estates ...............................................21
The Uncensored Unprofessor.........................12
YEARS
HOPE & HEALING 1946
2021
For decades, the Springfield Dominican Sisters have answered God’s call to care for the Jackson community. Since arriving in 1946 to operate the then-named Jackson Infirmary, the Sisters have welcomed thousands of men and women to share in their ministry of compassionate care to Mississippi families. St. Dominic’s has served as an enduring sign of strength—of hope and healing—as our community and healthcare have grown and changed. Embracing new services, technology and access while remaining grounded in our attention to the poor and vulnerable, we extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to each person in need. Even in these most recent trying and tragic pandemic months, we have encountered new blessings and inspiration for our purpose. Faith sustains St. Dominic’s strength and service to all. We are humbled to answer God’s call today and grateful for the trust you place in us each day. While 75 years is a significant milestone, to us, it’s just the beginning.
St. Dominic’s is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which also includes St. Francis Medical Center - Monroe, Our Lady of the Lake - Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes - Lafayette and Our Lady of the Angels - Bogalusa.
MASCAGNI WEALTH MANAGEMENT, INC. IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER REGISTERED WITH THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.