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When I was an early childhood administrator, I kept a running log of “Funny Things Kids Say” to share at the end-of-the-year graduation ceremony. These “funny things” included statements like, “I don’t eat chicken. That’s why mommy gives me dino-nuggets.” and “I don’t have any pets. I have a baby sister, but I’d rather have a puppy.”

Kids are funny, right? Unfortunately, just like all of us fallen humans, they’re also sinners in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. For example, I once had a child threaten, “I will beat you with a belt. I wish to lash you until you cry!” because he had to wait his turn to use a fun classroom center. I had another student repeatedly and loudly call me a name (that I will not repeat here) because I did not allow him to throw objects at his classmates.
As Christian educators, we are called to shepherd the hearts of all children and integrate faith learning into daily teaching. Yes, we laugh at the funny things kids say, and we are hurt by the harsh statements, knowing that “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). But I have to share something . . . I cannot remember the names or faces of those children who made me laugh with the above statements. I do, however, remember the names and faces of those who demonstrated their hearts were full of violence and hatred. I still think about and pray for these children often, hopeful that they have replaced the ugliness in their hearts with the goodness and love of Christ.

You see, that’s what it’s all about. Yes, we are here to teach reading skills, historical facts, the scientific method, mathematical equations, and other academic standards. But let’s face it—students can learn these things in public schools, homeschool, or even with a quick Google search or by asking ChatGPT. The teachers at CCAC know we are here for more than just imparting knowledge to students. We are here to help them fill their hearts to the point of overflowing with joy, goodness, and love.

How do we do this? It’s not easy.

First, all lessons are taught through a biblical worldview lens. In other words, the Bible and its truths are integrated into everything we teach. Therefore, science is taught through the lens of a Creationist viewpoint. Reading and writing are taught as means of communicating what God has done for us. Even our wonderful math teacher teaches the students about the order created by God, upholding the mathematical concepts taught through our curriculum.

Second, and probably more importantly, we “teach Christianly.” To put it another way, we love our students because God loves them, we love God, and everyone is created in His image. Does this mean we’re perfect? No. We are human. We get tired. Sometimes we’re teaching in loud classrooms, on long, hot days, with short-tempered kids and no coffee. But frustration is not the tone of our school. Moments of weakness are not our pattern—they are the exception. When they happen, we repent, reset, and restore. Why? Because our calling is to reflect the grace and truth of Christ, even when it’s hard. Repentance, forgiveness, and restoration are in His plan for us, and we want to demonstrate these concepts for our students as well.

Ultimately, what we want for our beloved students is not just academic learning, but right hearts. We want them to develop hearts full of love, joy, compassion, kindness, empathy, grace, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks,” and if we want our students’ words to reflect kindness, grace, and truth, then we must help them fill their hearts with these things. We do this not only through what we teach, but HOW we teach.

My guiding prayer is, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). This prayer reflects the daily, holy work we do here at Christ Classical Academy of Charlotte: we teach, we love, we laugh, we shepherd hearts, we succeed, we fail, and we model grace, repentance, and forgiveness so that, by God’s grace, what overflows from our hearts (and eventually from theirs) will be beautiful and pleasing to Him. We’re grateful for your partnership as we pour truth into our students’ hearts, prayerful that what is good and pleasing to the Lord will one day gush forth from their mouths with joy and with love.
 

It’s summertime as I write this blog post, which means when I’m not working, I’m enjoying long pool days, reading mystery novels, and binge-watching Netflix. My show of the week is an FBI series where heroes save the world from terrorists and cyber attacks every episode. There are three women on the team. They all wear spiked heels to work every day. They chase criminals down long, dark, gravel alleyways and win fistfights with assassins twice their size . . . all while wearing 3-inch heels.
And herein lies my problem with this show: the shoes.
My sons played football.  They were required to wear cleats to play, or even to practice. Furthermore, the football team members could not just wear any old cleats; they had to be football cleats, which somehow differ from soccer cleats, which differ from golf cleats, which differ from baseball cleats . . . you get the picture. The shoes matter.
My daughter used to be a dancer. She had to wear clogging/tap shoes or ballet flats to dance lessons and recitals. Nikes or Birkenstocks would not have been the appropriate footwear for these events. The shoes matter.
My husband, a police sergeant, wears boots to work. Hey Dudes or Crocs would not cut it in his line of work.  The shoes matter.
Why, oh why, then, does Hollywood believe female FBI agents’ attire should culminate in 3-inch spiked heels?
Then again, maybe I’m focusing too much on the shoes.
Isaiah 52:7 says,
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
So maybe it’s more important to focus on the feet inside the shoes. More specifically, maybe it’s all about the people attached to those feet. Even more to the point, it’s about the message brought by those feet-having, shoe-wearing people.
And what is that message? Let’s break it down:
They bring good news—not gossip, not gloom, but good news of shared burdens and hope for the future.

They proclaim peace and good tidings to a world that is often divided and to people who are often full of anxiety and despair.

They proclaim salvation—a reminder that our greatest need, the need for forgiveness and reconciliation, has been met in Christ.

They say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”—a bold declaration that no matter what things look like, God, the God of the Israelites, the Father of Jesus the Messiah, is still on the throne.

Historically, “Zion” refers to the Hebrews in Jerusalem, the people with whom God chose to dwell. But spiritually, Zion is a symbol of God’s people—those who belong to Him and proclaim Him as Lord. Therefore, in a way, all Christian believers are messengers. We are called to bring good news, proclaim peace, and remind the people around us that God still reigns. In the midst of protests, warfare, and even terror attacks like those in my new binge-worthy show, God is still in control.
It’s a blessed calling to be able to share this hope with young people. The Bible says,
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” –Romans 10:14, NIV
It is our job to “preach” this Good News to our students. In the end, the most beautiful feet may not be the ones in heels. Instead, they’re the ones walking faithfully, carrying the hope of Christ to a fallen world.
This is the message we bring to our students at CCAC. The biblical metanarrative explains that God created us, we sinned and need forgiveness, God made a plan for redemption through Christ, and He has prepared a place for us to live reconciled to Him. All curricula are taught through this biblical worldview lens. Our goal is to ensure our students are prepared for life beyond our walls, not only academically but spiritually as well. We teach that each of our diverse students is an image-bearer of God and has access to His plan for redemption. All it takes is faith in Christ.
Are your feet walking in this faith today? Are your children’s feet among the beautiful feet of those bringing the good news to a fallen world? Christ Classical Academy is committed to this calling. Our school may not be the right place for everyone, but if you’re committed to education with a bent toward a biblical worldview, take a closer look at CCAC. Whether your children’s feet are in cleats, boots, ballet flats, or Nikes, we want them walking in truth.
At Christ Classical Academy of Charlotte, we’re training the next generation to wear the shoes of the Gospel, ready to go wherever God sends them, proclaiming that the God of Zion, the one whose beautiful feet wore sandals that we are not even worthy to untie (Mark 1:7) is still on the throne.
So maybe it doesn’t really matter if you wear boots, cleats, or even 3-inch heels. What matters is the message you carry wherever your feet take you. Whether CCAC students are at the gym in tennis shoes, binge-watching Netflix in house slippers, at the beach in flip-flops, or wearing sandals in the Starbucks check-out line, our students will know the good news and, with the Holy Spirit's help and direction, be able to proclaim it to those around them.

I’m writing this from the passenger seat of our car somewhere along the long, slow road to Charleston, SC. What is normally a three-hour trip has already stretched to over two, and we’re barely halfway there.
In the car with me are my husband, our 15-year-old son Luke, his friend Karden, and our potty-training 2-year-old grandson Eli (our oldest son's child—not Luke’s). We’ve stopped for coffee (my husband’s request), for McDonald’s (the teenagers’ request), and for a toddler-demanded bathroom break. At this rate, we’ll arrive in Charleston sometime tomorrow.
Usually, I’m efficient (some might say impatient) when it comes to road trips. I approach travel as a task necessary to reach another place. That old adage, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” sounds nice until you’re buckled into a car behind slow-moving traffic.
But today feels different.
Maybe it’s the peaceful hum of the road or the curious questions from our little guy in the backseat. Maybe it’s just God softening my heart to see the beauty of the moment. 

My mind ponders Psalm 25:4–5:
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

What a fitting prayer for a journey, both the literal one and the figurative one we’re all navigating as families, students, and educators at CCAC. Life doesn’t always move at our preferred pace, and sometimes the distractions and disruptions are part of the lesson. But when we invite the Lord to guide us and teach us, even the longest roads become places of learning, patience, and unexpected joy.
So today, I’ll savor the giggles from the backseat. I’ll enjoy the quiet background music. I’ll even tolerate the mixed aroma of coffee and McDonald’s and the sight of red tail-lights ahead. I invite you all on this journey with me: to meditate on God’s truth and to trust Him as your Savior. Place your hope in Him and allow Him to teach you and guide you along His paths.
Whether you’re navigating family issues, school decisions, or simply life’s busy pace, may we each pause to recognize that God is guiding us, not just to a destination, but through every unplanned stop along the way. After all, we might not have planned for all the stops and interruptions, but God’s plan is perfect. Maybe, just maybe, the long, slow road is exactly where we’re meant to meet Him today.