I retired from swimming in 2016. Swimming has always been a big part of my life. It was the sport that engulfed my life for 20 years. I was blessed to have such a lengthy career with Team USA and competed all over the world in such places like Germany, Australia, Russia, and South Korea to name a few. I swam against the best swimmers in the world, names like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, arguably some of the greatest Olympians of all time and to be honest, that created a little timidity in my own heart at times.

Obedience to God is a vital aspect of a believer’s walk with Him. It is a demonstration of our love, faith, and trust in His wisdom and sovereignty.   In my journey of “attempting”  to be obedient to God I have failed so many times, yet He has still loved me, sought me, and taught me many things. 

Today would have been my dad’s birthday. He passed away in July of 2023, but I think of him daily—his wisdom, his humor, and the lessons he taught me, both in words and in the way he lived. He was the minister of our church, but more importantly, he was the same man at home as he was in the pulpit. He taught me to love Jesus, to be a man of God, and to understand that faith isn’t just about the next life—it’s about how we live this one.

I think most of us have at least that one relationship, chalked full of unconditional love. The other day I got to spend every minute of the day with “my person!” It was such a blessing.  Sometimes in life there are disappointments, misunderstandings, days that don’t go as planned, but having that encouraging person in life is a tremendous lift.

John 15:13 – "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

 Valentine’s Day is often associated with love—roses, chocolates, and heartfelt expressions of affection. While these tokens of love are wonderful, they pale in comparison to the love demonstrated by Jesus Christ. His love is not based on fleeting emotions or temporary gestures but is sacrificial, eternal, and unconditional.

A Message from the VCA Board of Directors

The Lord’s Prayer is something many of us have recited countless times. But how often do we pause to truly reflect on the meaning behind the words Jesus taught us? This past week, the Bible App shared Matthew 6:11 as its daily scripture, highlighting the line, “Give us this day our daily bread.” My Bible notes suggest this could be interpreted as “give us today the food for the day.” I don’t know about you, but there are times when I wish God would just provide a whole month’s worth of food and leave the rest to me. However, God, in His perfect wisdom, desires us to trust Him, to have faith that He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it.

What is Faith? I’m sure you’ve been asked that question a few times in your life…or maybe you’ve asked yourself that question. It’s such a powerful five-letter word. A word God tells us if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. Let me repeat that…MOVE MOUNTAINS. I can’t even fathom that at times. Can you?

Hitting the 80-year old mark, I have to confess that I have been thinking a lot lately about LEGACY. I have 3 major prayer objectives that are a part of my daily prayer life--1) To be a godly man 2) To mature in wisdom 3) To leave behind a godly legacy. Every Christian needs to be aware of the legacy they are in the process of leaving behind. Your legacy is about sharing the good news of God's grace in your life. It's about contributing to the building up of the kingdom of God through family, church, and relationships. Psalm 78:3-4 tells us, "What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us, we will not hide from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders He has done." …

Worship. I love to worship. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t have worship music blaring on the car radio, on my phone, or on our JBL speaker at home. When I am struggling, feeling overwhelmed, or just wanting to center my heart…I worship.

We are designed for worship, it is how we are made. We have hearts that are attracted to God. As redeemed people we should overflow with thankfulness for what God has done in our lives. In worship we are reminded of how awesome our God really is. We discover him as our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord…

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; it is the honor of kings to search a matter out." - Proverbs 25:2

When I began teaching at VCA six years ago, the one thing I was most intimidated by was the idea of praying in front of the class. I had been trained to guide young minds academically, but that training had not prepared me for the gravity of leading those minds before the throne of grace. Then again, I knew I could not allow fear to control my own understanding of prayer…

My husband has one rule when it comes to Christmas: “No tree before the turkey.” Every year, our girls and I try to convince him to bend that rule, but he always holds firm. Finally, this year, it happened—we got to put up our tree in early November. The Jett girls rejoiced!

Why is it that we’re so eager to get the holiday season started? 

Finding Joy During the Holidays…

 The past ten years have been difficult to navigate after losing my grandfather and my husband’s grandmother within days of each other and in more recent years, a grandmother just after the holidays. These people were pivotal in raising me and laid the foundation for the person I would become, and the person I aspire to be one day. But in the past decade, Christmas has been less of a “magical time” for me, and more of a grieving season. As a family though, we joked that of course grandpa would pass away a few days before Christmas because he would have wanted to celebrate Christmas in Heaven with Christ.

I was recently listening to a podcast where the speaker shared a poignant story about a time when she was feeling overwhelmed. A friend sent her a bouquet of flowers with a simple card that read, "Give it to God." Four words, so simple, yet so profound—reminding us that no matter what challenges we face, we can always surrender them to God.

The holidays are upon us! What are you thankful for?

Abundant blessing.  I have been abundantly blessed in my life many times.  We all have.  I’m sure each of us can think of a time when the prayer was big, but God was bigger.  The need seemed unreachable, but God allowed it to be reached.  The check showed up in the mailbox or the extra bonus on our paycheck.  The bags of groceries on the porch, the encouraging note on our desk.  We’ve been blessed….abundantly. 

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times,

having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." ~2 Corinthians 9:8

What is talent?  

 Is it something of natural ability and skill, something that one can work on to master? Have you ever asked yourself if you can use all of your talents to glorify God or is there a protocol for what can be used to glorify His name?

 Today in class, I asked the 6th graders if they thought that being good with money management was a talent and their hands were divided.  We then read and acted out "The Parable of the Talents" from Matthew 25:14-30.  We giggled at the acting and even voted on which servant we would most likely agree with.  Our discussion continued with knowing that God loans us many things: time, money, resources and talents.  It is our responsibility to recognize and use these talents to glorify God.  

 So, I ask again-what are your talents?  Are you a good listener? Do you have the knack of organization? Does baking come easy to you? Are you good with handling money?  Are you living your life according to all the talents God has given you?

 The best way to know if you are using your talent God gave you is if it is planted in a place where it can thrive and begins to bear fruit.  Then it is our job to return that fruit back to the owner, Jesus Christ.

"Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us"

Ephesians 3:20

Mark your calendars for Friday November 15th as VCA is hosting its first annual Day of Abundant Blessing!  We are holding one concentrated day of giving as our main school-wide fundraiser for the 2024-2025 school year.  Our goal is to raise $50,000 or more!  

As part of I Peter focus this year, last week our sixth through twelfth grade Life Groups were introduced to the "power of four" and challenged to partake in the "4 Day Challenge."

The power of four is based on a survey conducted by the ministry "Back to the Bible." They surveyed 400,000 people. Their findings were quite astonishing. The life changes were minimal for those who read the Bible three times or less a week.

I love Fall.  The crispness in the air, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, bonfires, chili with cinnamon rolls (yes, I am a southern Missouri girl).  It all just makes me happy.  

Fall is a wonderful time to observe nature. As I watch the leaves fall to the ground, I am reminded that they display an important lesson for all of us to follow.  Just as the trees don’t stubbornly hold on to their dead leaves, so we shouldn’t hold on to any unnecessary weight in our lives. When we long to enter a new season, the old can easily inhibit the new if we allow it. God’s Word reminds us to:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31,32

MEET THE BOARD OF VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY!

  The VCA Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome three exceptional new members to our team!  Here’s a brief introduction to each of them: