n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 6
of the New Church Secondary
Schools, from when I was a student,
and through the last 20 years of
having our own children here, my
experience of the Academy is that all
the educators – every teacher, staff
person and administrator – are using
their wisdom, their spiritual gifts and
their acquired skills to cultivate your
adult, fully human, understanding and
feeling of the flow of the Lord’s love.
So whenever you feel the fear of
failing, or anger at a passion thwarted,
or sadness at the way something
went, or confidence in your skills, or
accomplishment at finishing a project,
or joy in success and victory, you
are learning that all these emotional
experiences create in you a sense of
the connection between the Lord’s
love for you and your physical world.
That connection is the experience this
Academy strives to create. That is a high bar; and a goal that few schools have
set for themselves.
Remember the time your friend passed that important test? And as
you two walked out of the classroom you were excited – happy – about that
success? You laughed together, your step was light, maybe bouncy. But you
also remember the time your friend was sad and down, and you stayed with
them in their grief, feeling it with them, with a slower walk, a quieter voice.
The lesson you can learn from the experiences of all your emotions
is that your physical life is actually connected to the way you think about
those circumstances, and those thoughts are connected to your experience
of emotions. And when your body, your thoughts and your feelings are all
working together, you will open your heart and mind to the Divine Goodness
and Truth flowing from the Lord.
The experience of the Lord’s love is of blessing – of joy. The teachers and
staff and administrators all want you to feel the joy of accomplishment. And
so there is a lot of encouragement to achieve a better grade. I presume that
every one of you, at some point in high school, went to a teacher for extra help.
Remember the time you were confused, or frustrated, maybe telling yourself
that you are not good enough, or stupid? And so you went to your teachers and
You are learning that
all these emotional
experiences create
in you a sense of the
connection between the
Lord’s love for you and
your physical world.
That connection is the
experience this Academy
strives to create. That is
a high bar; and a goal
that few schools have
set for themselves.
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