Upper School Chapel is a delightful part of the morning at Trinity School. We’ve had two great Senior Chapel talks and are looking forward to many more in the coming weeks. I love hearing the students share their thoughts and experiences. When the Seniors aren’t speaking this trimester, we are Charging Forward in Faith by studying the attributes of God explored in the book The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith. So far we have discussed that God is good (all the time!), God is trustworthy, and God is generous. We are also exploring Soul Training exercises that help us to replace the untrue stories we tell ourselves with the truth of what God says. So far we have talked about sleep, silence and finding joy in God’s creation. 

• Sleep. Sleep may not be the first thing we think of when talking about spiritual disciplines, but we all know that we cannot be our best selves when we are over tired. It is often hard to show up as the people Jesus calls us to be - loving, kind, patient, full of the fruit of the Spirit. It is even harder to do so when we’re already grumpy and not feeling well from getting too little sleep. When we surrender our worries and cares to God and allow ourselves to rest, we acknowledge that God is in control even and especially when we reach the end of our human capabilities. 

• Silence. We live in a noisy world, and our students have constant sources of noise and distraction at their fingertips in the form of text alerts, notifications, video games, earbuds for music, endless streaming options, etc. It’s rare to find silence. Taking time to be still and quiet is difficult for all of us. However, it is essential for connecting with God and hearing his voice in our lives. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.

• Joy in God’s creation. The simple fact that the sun comes up every day and sets every evening is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. The beauty we observe in a West Texas sky or a flower in the garden or an interesting bug on the porch reminds us of the tremendous care God took in creating the world, and how deeply God must care for each of us and every detail of our lives. I encouraged our students to make sure they put their feet in the grass or look up at the stars as often as possible and remember the good and beautiful things in their lives, gifts of God.