Message: School Year 2025 – Make a difference!
Thesis:
We are placed here by the Lord to make a difference – all of us – to be light in the midst of darkness – to do good – to change lives with the help of the Holy Spirit!
Scripture Texts:
Galatians 6:9:"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Matthew 5:16: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Introduction:
Dear Teachers, School staff, Student leaders, Church staff and Church congregation and visitors: (This message is for all of us!)
I want to begin by telling you a story. Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve remembered a Walt Disney quote I heard watching Disney on Sunday nights, “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” I watched Disney on Sunday nights growing up and the themes always had the heroes! I was the little boy who dreamed about being a Disney superhero – I looked up to heroes like Superman, the Green Lantern, Spiderman, and a host of others. I wanted to make a difference with my life even as a young boy – I just did not know how to do that because I did not know Jesus.
Then my dream evolved in my later teen years to leading me to Jesus! I found Jesus and served him with my whole heart, and he gave me the clarity of what I was called to do become a preacher, teacher, pastor and minister! Why me – I thought I am not good enough to be a Rev – true but Jesus qualified me – Why - to make a difference! Yes, my alter ego changed I caught the vision to be a superhero for the Kingdom of God. I wanted to do something in my life that I knew would have an ever-lasting impact, whether for one person or for many. So, with the nudging of the Lord, I left my carpentry trade to pursue a ministry pastoral position in the ministry. I had no idea where it would lead me!
That?vision brought me back here to Christian Hill Church and School about 18 years ago (It will be 18 years in Nov.). I was excited, along with my wife Kathy, to mark the end of our 11 summers in Amery Wisconsin at New Life and return to a struggling Church and school. I had a vision to see the church heal, the school heal and once again pursue spiritual and academical transformational in the school and church. I wanted to make a greater difference than I was in Amery Wisconsin! Impact more people for the Kingdom of Heaven.
God called me when I was at a Men’s retreat with about 8 of my guys from the halfway home we started in Amery. I looked at my guys worshipping the Lord in that moment – these were hard core guys set free from Meth, drugs and crime. They had facial Tattoos, scars on their bodies from a hard life and there many bad choices showed on their bodies. But, I heard the voice of the Lord say to me “You need to return to CHC – you will see 100’s more changed and transformed!” then a Scripture verse echoed in my spirit and heart: I pulled out my Bible and looked it up: Proverbs 14:4 “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” I read that verse and I knew we had to return to Christian Hills Church and school.
So today I want to encourage all of you with this truth: You may not know the extent of the impact you’re going to have, but you’re about to impact your future, the children of this school’s future, the church’s future and our country’s future. I know you cannot imagine the ways the Lord is going to use you to help change a life this school year. But you are going to make a difference! The same goes for you attending CHC.
I can assume that we’ve each been asked the question, “Why did you want to become a teacher, a pastor, a missionary, an evangelist or you fill in the blank?”
For me the question was, “Why go back to Christian Hills Church and School?”
The first reason I know that God called me back here to make a difference. For my other answer, I think back to the opportunities I was afforded growing up: I had the opportunity to have some amazing teachers in public school. I recall Mrs. Kelsey in 3rd Grade impacting my young life. Mrs. Vollmer in Highschool who spoke into my troubled teen life. I never attended a private Christian school until Bible college. Which explains why I never knew of Jesus or even what he did for me until after high school. But my wife Kathy, my 3 kids and grandkids did and do attend private Christian School – it has impacted their lives spiritually and academically. It does make a difference – I have seen it personally! So, I came back to this area to make a difference through the church and the school. I have seen good changes in many lives!
When I think back to my days teaching in public school, I think about my students and the conversations we had from time to time. Like the following:
‘Wow Mr. McCartney, you made science exciting! Mr. McCartney English seemed filled with excitement – do you always speak that way? “Mr. McCartney” on the day of 911 and the students just finding out about it - “Are we going to war?” “Do you think they will bomb us?” “Are you afraid Mr. McCartney?”
I think about the kids/students who had rough lives but still graduated! I think of the many lives I have spoken into!
I specifically think about the three boys I caught smoking weed at school and they all got expelled from school (Chris, Daniel, Russel) I had to help them finish their senior year teaching them their classes in the police station – 2 graduated and got jobs: Daniel was doing security at a casino, Russel got a job at a Turkey processing factory and one dropped out because mom was going to homeschool him. She never did. He never finished school and worked at a garbage dump last I heard – picking through the garbage pulling out recycling that was Chris’ dream job, he told me it was a good job for him. I am not sure where they are today that was around 18 years ago before leaving Amery and coming here.
I think also about my other special education students and one boy named Jeremiah. He was having a bad day at school getting into trouble in the classrooms and he was sent to my special education classroom. I asked him what was going on and he said, “Mr. McCartney can I go on this one website – I like going on it when I have a bad day?” I said, “Let's go and you show me the website.” So, he did, and it came up being from one of the Children’s speakers we had for VBS about three years earlier at my church nearby in Amery called New Life. He told me about the messages on this Christian children’s website helped to calm him down and give him hope when his life was out of control. I at times picked Jeremiah up at his house for school and he would be yelling at his mother, and she would be yelling back at him calling him choice names. It seemed every day I picked him up at his house and there was a battle raging. During a parent-teacher conference he would say “No one cares about me!” Mom would not show for the meeting and there was no dad in the picture!” You may be wondering why he would be thinking this way? The truth was he had learned no one cares - but I had to show him that there were people who cared about his success and his life. I made it clear “I was one of them!” He graduated from High School. But the last time I saw Jeremiah was in a county jail he was 20 and in for making a dumb mistake – his mom called and asked me to go visit and pray for him. So, I went - I prayed with him and told him Jesus could still use him and change his life – he just had to believe it! He had to see that one dumb mistake does not define your destiny!
I think of Joe who was in my special ed class and teachers would come to tell me and inform me, “Joe slept in the ditch in front of school last night just so you know Mike.” He did this frequently because dad was a truck driver and he would leave him on his own for three weeks or so when he was only in 7th grade. He would leave with no money or groceries in the house and make Joe fend for himself. I had an IEP meeting with his dad, social worker, parole officer and other teachers and dad bragged about how his claim to fame in school was beating up a teacher he did not like. After meeting his dad, I thought you were doing okay Joe! I think about what his insane dad said to me so many times – then one day he caught me off guard after one meeting and said, “Mr. McCartney thanks for loving my unlovable son!” Joe changed, he got his grades up to B’s started behaving in class and graduated years later. I never told you why he had a parole officer – well here is why - because he brought a gun to school to shoot a female teacher who he said, “Picked on him.” His own mom beat him mercilessly - I learned she deserted him as a young boy, so he had issues with female teachers.
For my 5 years of working with special needs kids in public school, substitute teaching for 10 years - I can tell you 40 different stories. I had a prayer group at my church that I would have pray for my students by first name! I prayed that Jesus would use me to make a transformative difference in these kids' lives. For the most part their stories became successes even to the point where the dean of students interviewed me one day – with notebook in hand – “What are you doing to change their lives – I have never seen change like this Mike?” I told him straight forward, I pray for them daily, I treat them with tough love, but also with respect and I tell them about Jesus. It’s not what he wanted to hear but he knew it was working! So, he never stopped me from doing what I was doing!
I can look back and see how a teacher’s position changes a life. I watched kids (other kids) call my wife “Mom” and confide in her, because she was there for them. My wife is an amazing 1st grade teacher and has spoken into many young kids’ lives. Not to mention teaching them to read!
I have listened to other teachers' stories over 40 years of ministry and teaching and leading a school for over 20 years:
Here are some of their stories:
I think about Ja Quan, who was pushed through the system because he was seen as a “behavior problem.” I think about Ivon, who wanted to go to college but was told she couldn’t because English wasn’t her first language. I think about Devin, who worked six nights a week from 5 to 10 on top of going to school because his family was having financial problems.
I think about the change in these young lives because a teacher spoke into their life and prayed for their young lives. I wanted as a teacher and a pastor to make a difference in their lives, and I feel a sense of personal responsibility for these young lives - I wanted to see them be changed by Jesus and transformed by His Spirit. I still desire this every single school year for all the students we work with here at CHC.
This school year will be my 18th in this city since returning to CHC. Kathy and I never imagined we would be here this long in Chicago for the 2nd time! But I can say our school, our teachers, our staff and pastors have impacted lives every year. Chicago is a city with rich history and culture, but it’s often given poor grades for the education of its children – – Chicago public schools do not have a good track record. But our church and staff want this school to stand out for Jesus, and you are the ones that make that happen. Thank you for serving this school and sacrificing for it to make a difference!
For some of you, this might be your first time to Christian Hills, or you might be entering your second year or even 18th year or more here. For others, this might be another chapter in the city and area where you were born and raised. For others you may be new to this community, this school and church.
When I found out I was called back to Christian Hills, “I asked God to help me change 1,000 of lives with His help! I think this happened through the church and even more so through the school! When I was called back here – when I knew in my heart this was where God wanted me, I felt God say, “You need to go to impact more lives!”
When I came back - I had to let go of the stereotypical images of the past: I had to let go of the mindset “That I cannot make a difference and believe that with God I could make a difference, I had to let go of all the criticism and cynicism and believe in an over-the-top God. I had to take in the words and phrases that are everywhere in the Bible of transformation and that God could even bring dead things back to life.”
Ezekiel – Is what our theme is based off this year - the Ezekiel dry bones prophecy is found in Ezekiel chapter 37. Specifically, verses 1-14 it describe the Lord bringing Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones and commanding him to prophesy over them. The key verses outlining the prophecy include Ezekiel 37:4 ("Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD") and Ezekiel 37:5 ("Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live") according to the King James Version of the Bible
Ezekiel 37:1-14: (NIV)
1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ ”
Trust me God is good at bringing things which are considered dead and gone to be resurrected to New Life!
As we celebrate this joyous occasion a new school year, in keeping with the vibrancy and spirit of the Bible, I want to share a few thoughts with you today.
First, “We need to be all in.”
When I moved back here Kathy and I said to the Lord “We are all in Lord!” The Bible phrase which comes to mind is Deuteronomy 10:12: "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul". Jesus emphasized this verse when he said what the two greatest commandments are: Matt 22:36–40: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
These verses emphasize a wholehearted devotion to God, encompassing not just outward actions but also one's inner self.
I also think of Colossians 3:23 which reads, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."
This verse emphasizes the importance of working with diligence and sincerity, as if serving God directly, regardless of who the immediate recipient of the work may be. It encourages a perspective shift from working for human approval to working for the Lord's approval and reward.
To serve God with all your heart means to dedicate your entire being – your emotions, will, and intellect – to Him. It's about wholehearted devotion, not just outward actions, but a deep, sincere love and commitment to God's will. This involves prioritizing God above all else, aligning your desires with His, and finding your purpose and fulfillment in serving Him.
As teachers, we go all in every second of every day with our students. We give everything we have to ensure they’re succeeding and thriving. We know that our students learn skills and content that we pass on to them, but we also know that we learn every day from our students, making us students as well. We’re all in, spending countless hours teaching, participating in classes, supporting our fellow workers or even classmates, and collaborating to fine tune our teaching practices and teach our kids academic and spiritual truths.
Second, “We need to take Risks.”
Risk: unknown author – I found it on the wall of a math class in Clayton, Wisconsin High School:
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing, your true self
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing
They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love
or live
Charmed by their attitudes they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedom
Only a person who risks is free
Faith is about risking something on the outcome of a specific event. Every time we set foot in our classroom or give students an assignment, we risk on them. We believe they will achieve. We believe they will succeed. We believe with God’s help they will beat the statistics and thrive.
Third, “Make a difference.”
Here are some Bible verses that emphasize the importance of making a difference and serving others:
Matthew 5:16: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Galatians 6:9:"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Proverbs 3:27: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."
These verses remind us of the power of kindness, faith, and action in creating positive change in the world. Let your actions reflect love and compassion!
When someone takes a risk, they consider the probability of winning. Students in low-income communities do not have the odds in their favor when it comes to educational access and outcomes. Your students have a better chance of beating the odds when they have teachers who believe in them and care about their life, happiness, and overall success. I charge you to be one of those teachers. Who prays for their students and invest spiritually and academically in their lives.
Conclusion:
I believe all of us are called to invest in young lives! You may not always get the result you would like but do it anyway! It may hurt when that young life you are investing in makes wrong choices and walks away – do it anyway! You do it for the Lord and believe that it’s not in vain! Taht what they learned – The Word of God will produce fruit in their lives.
Before I close, I want to share a quote from a Disney movie,?Lilo and Stitch,?“Ohana?means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” This is a concept I tried to embody in my special ed classroom and in our school, also church and I encourage you to incorporate some form of it as well in your classroom and in our school and church today.
Growing up in Pittsburgh and living 65 years of life and doing 40 years of ministry, I learned God is to be first, then 2nd is our family which is a important thing in your life; without it, you have a hole in your heart. Your classroom is your family. This school should be a family. The church is a family. The teachers, pastors, staff, administration, and students at your school are your family. We must ensure that our classrooms are family for our students as well. We must make sure our students are not left behind or forgotten. We must point these young lives also to family of God – why because this makes a transformative difference in a young life.
I’m putting on my teacher/ pastor hat now and giving you an assignment. I want you to pray for the school and for your students “For changed young lives” Don’t underestimate what can and will happen here, in this new chapter of your lives as amazing teachers, and supporters of the school and church. Take what you’ve learned from life and God’s Word and learn from the Holy Spirit, your education, your opportunities, your dreams, and your students, and share it with these young lives.
Summary of points:
1. Let’s be all in!
2. Let’s take some faith risks on God and others!
3. Let’s make a difference!
Action: Let’s ask the Lord and believe that you too can make a difference!
You are the change agent for Jesus – and this is what we need for the future. It’s time for you to defy the odds, take a risk on yourselves and your students, and go all in on your future, and our eternal future. It’s time to take all that you are and make the change we need with the help of the Holy Spirit. Here’s to the new school year, and to you teachers, school student leaders and staff.
Let’s make this school year the best year yet.
