A Word with Mr. Woernle

February 2022

Isn’t it easy to let goals or visions for the future of our families overwhelm us? Sometimes it creates anxiety just to think about it. We ponder on whether or not we can complete the goal or if our family will be where we envision it in ten years. The unknown is very scary because we cannot control all the factors that influence it. We can only control ourselves and what we do to further our goals or visions.

This lesson hit home when I served in the military. Whenever we planned missions in combat, we always would say that the enemy gets a vote, and we need to be ready to adapt. However, that did not deter us from taking the next step. We knew that it was not an option to do nothing but rather we moved forward with the knowledge we had at the time.

We do not know where our culture will be in ten years, but this should not frustrate our taking the next steps in training and preparing our children. This is why it is so important not to skip on the maintenance of our children’s hearts. What happens if you skip on oil changes or timing belt replacements for your car? I can think of two words, “engine failure.” I know this is not what we want for our children.

I remember attending a men’s group last year and the question that our leader would always ask was, “What kind of legacy are you leaving.” Our children are that legacy. They are the ones that will pass down the truths they have learned to future generations even after we are gone. So, we must ask ourselves if we are being faithful in the next steps. We cannot allow the unknown to thwart the foundation we are laying in their lives. We must prepare them with the tools that will enable them to thrive in any culture. This is taking the next steps. The best investment we can make is giving our children the education we wish we had. N. D. Wilson once said, “The world is rated R, and no one is checking IDs. Do not try to make it G by imagining the shadows away. Do not try to hide your children from the world forever, but do not try to pretend there is no danger. Train them. Give them sharp eyes and bellies full of laughter. Make them dangerous. Make them yeast, and when they’ve grown, they will pollute the shadows.”

August/September 2021

Welcome back Liberty families!

It was wonderful to see everyone Monday and Tuesday. Observing the joy and happiness on the faces of both the students and their parents is what I treasure every year during the first days of school. The students are excited about renewing old relationships as well as making new ones. Days like these remind me of how the Lord has intricately designed us as humans to desire community and how powerful a community can be to strengthen and encourage our souls.

On Monday the faculty and staff began the day by praying for the students and celebrating the privilege we have to use the gifts God has given us to spark a loving for learning and for school in your children. I think James Smith said this best stating, “What if education wasn't first and foremost about what we know, but about what we love?

We all strive for the students who attend Liberty to love the educational process and to uncover the tremendous truths of their Creator which can be found all around us. We understand that all of you as parents have made an intentional commitment and sacrifice in sending your children to Liberty and we want your child to thrive.

For us, at Liberty, we see a difference between the experience we offer and other schools, as Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain describe it, that "The foundational distinction between classical education and modern education is that the ancients believed that education was fundamentally about shaping loves." As your child grows in their educational journey, we want to see them take steps to continue to learn and love doing so even after they have graduated from our program. This is what will make them true leaders that will take up the mantle and lead our nation into the next decades and beyond. I am very thankful to be a part of the Liberty community and for the opportunity to serve all of you. May God bless us with another great school year!