Mondays with Mike: Memorial Day
Remembering What We Have Received
Good morning PCA families,
Before Memorial Day moves into cookouts, road trips, yard projects, or the unofficial beginning of summer, it is good for us to pause and remember what this day asks of us.
In this week’s Mondays with Mike, I reflect on Memorial Day, the cost of the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy, and how Christians remember before God—with grief, gratitude, humility, and prayer.
I also connect that remembering to our spring reading of 1776, the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the story our children are inheriting, and the growth we are seeing in students as this school year comes to a close.
▶ You can listen to this week’s episode here.
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Key Takeaways
- Memorial Day asks us to remember.
Before the day becomes the unofficial beginning of summer, Memorial Day calls us to remember men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. - Christians remember before God.
We remember with grief, gratitude, humility, and prayer, knowing that every human life bears God’s image and that sacrifice is never abstract. - Our children are inheriting a story.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, our children are receiving a version of our nation’s history whether we help them understand it or not. The question is: who will help them tell that story truthfully, humbly, and before God? - History should be told with honesty and hope.
Through 1776, we are reminded that history is rarely clean or inevitable. We do not need to make demigods of the founding generation, nor do we need to deconstruct and villainize them. As Christians, we can tell the truth with hope firmly in the Lord. - Late May reveals formation.
This season lets us see fruit that was not visible in September: students growing in confidence, clarity, creativity, perseverance, service, leadership, repentance, and responsibility. - The Academic Showcase gives families a window into growth.
This week’s first PCA Academic Showcase is more than a traditional science fair. It is a presentation-of-learning showcase where families can see student work, faithful formation, and students’ ability to explain what they have learned. - The deeper question is faithfulness.
We are not simply asking whether students will be successful. We are asking whether they will be faithful, love what is good, tell the truth when it is hard, serve courageously, use their gifts for others, and walk humbly with the Lord.
As we come to Memorial Day, I hope we will remember with gratitude, learn with humility, and notice the students in front of us.
We are not simply trying to finish the school year. We are seeking to form young people who can receive what has been entrusted to them, serve others, and carry it forward faithfully before God.
This is good work. It is hopeful work. And I am grateful to be in it with you.
Have a meaningful Memorial Day. Enjoy time with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Grace and peace,
Mike Runey
Head of School
Portsmouth Christian Academy
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