I’ve heard it said that if we can’t trust God with our pain, we will hate Him for it.
I found myself standing on the edge of that truth three years ago. We were weary from a difficult season of transition. The Lord had called us away from a place where three generations of our family had been. Obedience is messy and complicated. Yet somehow, obedience serves as a beautiful and humbling barometer of our willingness to lay our own will down for His. When life's journey led us into the unknown, it caused exhaustion that sleep couldn't resolve. We came to CCA walking out of a season that left us feeling emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. I remember stepping onto the campus for the first time and sensing the Lord’s peace here. CCA became a place of respite for our souls. As clearly as we had heard the Lord say "leave" in the previous season, we heard Him say "stay" in this new one.
The peace the Lord gave us became our quiet and resolute confidence that He had something precious for our children and our family here. 
We had no idea how much this place would come to mean to us. CCA has blessed us tremendously. Our children have grown academically from the teachers who sacrifice. The CASP leadership team has walked along-side one of our daughters, teaching her skills that she will carry with her long after she graduates. The gifted fine arts teachers foster creativity and offer endless encouragement to my children. The Moms In Prayer group has been one of the sweetest and most unexpected blessings of our CCA experience. (As a shameless plug, I encourage each of you moms to join us. It has quickly become one of my greatest joys, and I know it will bless you too!)
Recently, I had the pleasure at one of our Moms In Prayer meetings to hear a long-time CCA mom share the story of how CCA began and has grown to what it is today. The heritage is rich here. Its inception is an incredible story of great sacrifice and conviction. When I heard it, the Lord instantly reminded me of a scripture in Job 14. "There is hope for the tree: if it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail." The roots at CCA are so deep; they are buried deep under the foundation built on God's word. As a newer CCA family, it is exciting to see that new life is springing up from these mature roots.
My prayer has been that we see the Lord move on this campus, not for the sake of religion, but to cultivate in our children's hearts an overwhelming desire to be in an intimate relationship with the Lord. I'm praying CCA continues to be a lighthouse in the darkness and a place of respite for the weary. He is doing a new thing, reviving prayers and visions for CCA that are buried deep under the surface. What a privilege that the Lord brought each of our families here for such a time as this!
