A word from … Jeremy Wall

Editor’s note: Jeremy Wall is the Director of Student Experiences at FRCS.

Epic and Awesome

This past week has been a beautiful reminder of the power of simply being together. On Wednesday, our entire K–12 community gathered to share food, stories, and laughter. Then Thanksgiving Day invited many of us into that same rhythm with our families. Earlier this week, Mr. Gehr and I talked about our Thanksgathering and Thanksgiving celebrations and the hopes we have for our community during these moments. We both laughed at the irony: we work so hard to slow down, breathe, and reflect, and then the Friday after hits, the shopping begins, the noise ramps up, and the cultural rush threatens to erase what we just paused to notice. And yet, this weekend actually marks the beginning of Advent, a season meant to keep us slowing down and savoring what Jesus has done. That’s part of my encouragement and challenge for our community: don’t forget the rhythm you stepped into this week. Keep returning again and again to the goodness of God, intentionally reflecting on what is truly good.

These practices of gathering, pausing, remembering, and noticing goodness are part of what make FRCS such a unique and God-centered community. Earlier this fall during a J-High chapel, we leaned into this intentionally through a simple prompt: “Write down everything you find that is good.” Students were then sent outside where Ms. Funk and I had placed various items from the school year so far, photos of moments, Genesis Center creations, student artwork, sports items, and more. However, once prompted students still found far more than what we had placed around them. It was a reminder that humans naturally notice the negative first; it takes intentionality, discipline, and spiritual vision to see the good. That’s why we pray that students would have the eyes of Christ, as Paul writes in Ephesians 1:18. It also connects to the Hebrew idea Hakarat Hatov, “recognizing the good.” The belief that God’s goodness surrounds us constantly, but we must choose to notice it. And the deeper truth is this: the things that are good are actually awesome because we serve an awesome God. When we talk about things being epic and awesome, we’re talking about the majestic, excellent, unforgettable goodness of God woven through our daily lives.

This is why we do what we do at Front Range Christian School. Our student experiences and community gatherings are designed to create time and space for epic moments and awesome reflections, moments students will remember, moments that help them recognize God’s goodness, moments that shape them into Christ-like humans. As we move deeper into the holiday season, I challenge you to make space for gratitude and choose to look for the epic and awesome things God is placing around you. Look back and remember the prayers God has answered. Too often, we keep praying for the next thing and forget the prayers that have already been answered. Ask yourself and your family: What answered prayers are we currently living in? This is how we truly experience Jesus and the plans He has for us. Notice the small joys in your routines. Practice Hakarat Hatov. Be present with the people around you. This is an epic and awesome season we are entering and a season truly filled with the goodness of God and the beauty of Christmas. And when we choose to see God’s epic and awesome work, it grounds us, strengthens us, and reminds us that God is good, God is near, and God is actively working in every season of our lives and the very reason His story remains still the most epic and awesome story ever written.