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HARMONY: How We Can Orchestrate a Symphony of Life at IRCS this Year Music is not my gift. My musical abilities are so deficient that I would tell you I’m tone deaf, but I’m not sure I’d be right. Ironically, I love music. I once took a personality profile assessment that identified love of music as one of my strengths. Recently, I was mesmerized when I watched a well-known rock star play a sequence of his songs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was a symphony of 107 instruments. The harmony among many different instrumentalists, their varying expertises, and their [...]

YOU’RE INVITED TO CULTURE-SHAPING MOMENTS Two young fish were swimming along when they met an older fish. The older fish smiled and said, “How’s the water, fellas?” The younger fish swam on for a bit, then one turned to the other and asked, “What’s water?” That little story reminds us how culture works, it surrounds us, influences us, and shapes us, often without us noticing it. Culture can be described as: The social glue that holds people together “The way we do things around here” Deeply held beliefs and assumptions The unwritten rules Some of those descriptions sound positive, others [...]

JUMP ANYWAY: Raising Courageous Kids in an Anxious, Fearful World It’s a familiar scene for many parents: you’re waist-deep in a pool, encouraging your hesitant child to jump from the edge into your arms. Fear holds them back, yet they finally leap. The thrill of that first jump is unforgettable…as long as you catch them!  That simple moment reflects a broader truth: our children are growing up in a culture increasingly shaped by fear. The Anxious Generation has topped the New York Times bestseller list for over a year, revealing just how deep this anxiety runs. But fear is not [...]

RECIPROCATING SAWS: 5 Back-and-Forths That Build a Thriving School Community At our house, my wife is the true DIY pro. Her favorite power tool? The reciprocating saw. If you’ve never used one, think of an electric version of a hand saw—just faster and stronger. What makes it powerful is the constant back and forth. That’s where the real cutting happens. The same idea applies to building community. It’s not a one-time action—it’s a constant back-and-forth effort between home and school. At Indian Rocks Christian School (IRCS), one of our core values is Building Community. Like a sawing action, it only works [...]

THE POWER OF BEST-EFFORT EXCELLENCE AT INDIAN ROCKS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Why it matters—and how to live it out   Growing up, I had a typical neighborhood childhood—riding bikes, playing outside, and hanging out with friends. One of the older kids, Kenny, didn’t quite fit in. Socially awkward and a few years older, he often got teased. But a few years later, something changed my view of him entirely. We both ended up working at Burger King—and there, Kenny was a legend. Fast, efficient, detail-oriented, and tireless. He wasn’t just clocking in; he was thriving. Everyone respected him. He gave his [...]

Why a Biblically-Based Education is an Advantage I’m a lefty. In sports, that gave me a natural edge—defenders weren’t used to playing against someone with different angles and movements. My brothers claim I scored a lot of extra points in my basketball career just because opponents took half a game to adjust! Have you ever had an advantage? Some we work hard for, like a degree. Others are simply given to us, like being left-handed. Either way, an advantage helps us accomplish things others can’t. Here’s a secret: a Biblically-based education is a major advantage. It aligns faculty and students [...]

UPWARD AIM: Why it’s important and how to help your student have it Dr. Jordan Peterson has become a polarizing cultural figure. Though not a Christ-follower, he effectively articulates the value of the Christian worldview, often provoking strong reactions. One of his most insightful messages—found in 12 Rules for Life—is about the necessity of aiming: "We cannot navigate without something to aim at, and while in this world, we must always navigate. So, we would be wise to always aim at something." The biblical definition of sin—"to miss the mark"—reinforces our innate need to aim at something, to live our lives [...]

2025: 40 years of faithfulness has prepared us for our future   Would you rather be a mile wide and an inch deep or an inch wide and a mile deep? Dr. Ed Young, one of America’s most respected pastors, often pointed to Isaiah 54:2, saying that to be a mile wide, you must first be a mile deep. This truth sums up Indian Rocks Christian School’s first four decades. The faithfulness of patriarchal and matriarchal members has made us a mile deep and, in turn, led to our growth. Our founding pastor, Charlie Martin, and founding head of the [...]

CHRISTMAS: A Holiday for Outsiders There are three versions of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. As a fanatic of all things Christmas, I appreciate each one—the version featuring Jim Carrey as the Grinch seems to have the most quotable quotes. For example - part of the Grinch’s daily routine is going name by name through the Whoville phone book, declaring his dislike for each person. ‘Hate, hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!’ Why is the Grinch so Grinchy? Because he’s an outsider, and being an outsider hurts. We all want to be included - we want to be insiders. CS [...]

HOW TO MAKE YOUR JOY GIGANTIC What's the biggest thing you've ever seen? When I lived in Houston, I visited NASA's Johnson Space Center and saw the enormous Independence Space Shuttle—an entire shuttle sitting atop a Boeing 757! Yet even that pales compared to the Eagle Nebula. Six trillion miles from top to bottom, this vast collection of gas, stars, and stardust stretches our understanding of size and scope. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Oh Lord, you have made the heavens” (Jeremiah 32:17). Unlike building a house or baking a cake, God needed no materials to create the heavens; they came from [...]