The Warrior Round Table

Who we're not ... who we are.

Every day we have a grand opportunity to display who we are.

The most entertaining and satisfying aspect of showing people who we are is witnessing the surprise of many inquirers when they pleasantly discover who we are NOT.

We ARE NOT:

• perfect  
• a church
• a greenhouse
• a shelter from the real world
• denominational
• separatist
• fundamentalist
• legalistic
• shallow
• simplistic
• elitist
• unaffordable
• easy
• a sign-up school
• small
• white flight
• non-public
• super-spiritual

 

Rather, we ARE:

• Christian - anchored in the truth of Scripture as devoted followers of Jesus.
• independent - over 80 churches are represented in our school community.
• collegiate - we labor and serve with the end in mind - college.
• mission-driven - first and foremost, we are a school in the business of providing a great education.
• different - over 34 years, we have matured into more than the stereotypical Christian school.
• accountable - three accreditations (state, regional, national).
• large - the largest private school in Arkansas.
• complex - meeting the needs of 750 families / 1382 students. 
• competitive - the record tells the story in academics, arts and athletics (e.g., over $8,000,000 in college scholarships offered to Class of 2010).
• generous - $500,000 granted in tuition assistance each year. 
• diverse - serving evangelical families from across the spectrum of socio-economic background and color.
• challenging - recipient of ACT College Readiness award (2010, 2011).
• real - our families live in your neighborhood and experience the same challenges and disappointments of life. 
• free to think and question - "seek and you will find."
• selective - why do you think LRCA is the best place for your family?
• an investment - building a Christian framework for thinking and living takes more time and practice than children have at home or church.
• 16,000 hours of formation - the time we invest in each child over 13 years in order to be prepared for the rigors of college as a follower of Christ.

But, don't just take our word for it, we invite you to come and see for yourself.

 

Gary B Arnold

Bestowing Honor

Honor.

How often do we find ourselves using the word, "honor," these days?

Honor guard. Honor roll. Honors class. Cum Laude. Your Honor!

That's a good start but the word is richer than that.

The holiday film, "The King's Speech," surprised Hollywood and the nation with a forgotten story of nobility, duty and - most of all - honor. The film's reception and staying power seem to validate a hunger in our nation's soul for honor.  We cheered for Lionel and Bertie not only for their unlikely alliance and strong-willed friendship but because, at the heart of their relationship, we sensed a deep reservoir of mutual honor.

In an era of short sentences (or less), we are starving for the elegant phrases and pregnant pauses of the screenplay. Flooded by the staccato noise of Facebook and Twitter, we are longing for more time to think and speak ... as if words and meaning deserve a longer lifespan than the next tweet or "like."

Just as much, we long for simple acts of honor. In our rush, we often forget to think about the other person. In its most distilled state, honor is merely thinking about the other person and acting in their interest.

Reflecting Jesus, Paul asked us to count others more significant than ourselves. (Phil 2:3) Peter is more succinct. "Honor everyone." (I Peter 2:17) 

So, given all that, how are we doing at LRCA in the honor department?

A high school teacher recently sent me the following note. For me, it is an honor-sighting worthy of re-telling:

Our Jostens yearbook representative, Natasha Durham, visited our class today and shared a sweet story about one of the reasons she “loves coming to this school.”  Natasha was entering the building just as the first bell rung at 8:05 a.m. She noticed a young lady running toward the building trying not to be tardy to class. The young woman got to the door before Natasha, paused and then patiently held the door open for Natasha. Natasha thanked her for her sacrifice (noting that she realized the girl was trying not to be tardy to class). The girl smiled and ran on to class. Natasha noted that she could not think of another school she visits (and she has about 100 school clients in Arkansas) where a student would have sacrificed getting to class on time in order to hold the door open for her.  

Let me repeat that last sentence: "Natasha noted that she could not think of another school she visits (and she has about 100 school clients in Arkansas) where a student would have sacrificed getting to class on time in order to hold the door open for her."  

How about you? Can you think of another place?

We're honored.

Gary B Arnold