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What is the relationship between presence and courage? The theme for the upcoming Converge conference recalls something I recently read in Shirley Mullen’s book, Claiming the Courageous Middle. During her tenure as the president of Houghton College, she noted that at times her attempt at courageous leadership was construed as sheer cowardice. She writes: I found it fascinating to receive…

A few years ago, I had a conversation with a student at my university that remains emblematic of one of my worries about Christian education. No doubt aware of my interest in how faith shapes teaching, this student told me about how one of her classes had begun and the impression it made on her. That semester, she explained, one…

When Austin, an energetic 2nd grader, came to the All Belong office for an evaluation last year, his mom had many questions. School was not going well for her son. Austin struggled to read, had formed few friendships with his classmates, and, when frustrated, was quick to lash out. His mother agreed to an evaluation because getting him to school…

It’s an invitation into a bigger story. It’s good to have friends. Converge is an invitation: an invitation to practice being Faithfully Present and Courageously Good with a body of believers on the same mission. It’s an invitation to collectively celebrate the good work God is up to in the lives of those in our school communities. It’s an invitation…

Allow me to first introduce myself and share a small part of my personal story because it––and its resulting connection to the good folks of Converge––is an unusual one. I am a full-time kindergarten teacher who accidentally became an author of two books, one of which became an unexpected bestseller. You read that correctly. I did not plan to become…

In life, someone’s last wishes often uphold profound significance. By respecting one’s last wishes, we ensure that one’s life is honored and that one’s deeply held values and priorities in one’s last wishes can be preserved as a lasting legacy in the life to come. If we honor our loved ones’ last wishes in life, how much more should we…

“It would be easier for my family and my school if I wasn’t around anymore.” “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in six months.” “I’m having health problems that doctors can’t explain.” “I feel like I’m on an island.” In the past three years, these are statements from Christian school leaders that have haunted me. The weight of Christian…

How often, if we’re honest, have we re-gifted something given to us? The truth is that many of us have done it at some point. But what motivation lies beneath this act? Is it merely a desire to rid ourselves of an unwanted item, or is there a deeper motivation—a desire to bless someone else with something we ourselves found…

“You have cancer.” These are words we both have heard, forcing us to embark on a journey we never wanted to take. Through all the twists and turns, peaks, and valleys, one thing has remained the same: God has always been faithfully present, ushering us through unexpected doors where we have been forced to be courageously good.   Being diagnosed with…

Our cultural moment is defined by isolation, fragmentation, and disconnection—evidenced by disconnected relationships, disconnected families, disconnected learning, disconnected purpose, and disconnected lives at every level. There seems to be dis-integration everywhere we look, and the despair of our age is that as individuals and as communities, we feel isolated and alone. But that is not how we were created, that’s…