One of my favorite thought leaders, Sarah Cumming, the Head of Promise Academy, joined me recently to chat about how communities benefit when joy and justice team up.

Joy and Justice Together

Did it ever cross your mind that joy and justice could be byproducts of each other? Sure, everyone knows that joy happens when there is justice. But did you ever think joy could be the creative force behind righting injustice? Not me. At least not until Sarah prodded me to think deeper about how God’s Spirit permeates our lives with both joy and justice. Wow! I’d been praying for years about the pernicious self-segregating in our east Texas communities. It never once occurred to me that joy could be the solution to the generationally ingrained issue of injustice.

Joy-full, Healthy Communities

Sarah describes the best kind of communities, when joy enhances respect and justice, in an episode of Fireside Talk Radio, called Joy in Education, Justice for All.

“In a (healthy) community you come to things as equals. There’s not a skewed power dynamic. Joy says its good for us to be together and, as equals, to learn together,” says Sarah. She also shared insight about how students, donors, volunteers, teachers, parents, all benefit from a discipleship mindset.

Falling in Love

Just for fun, I got her to share her love story about how she and her hubby met and fell in love, in Joy in Education, For the Love of Community. Since I’ve known and respected Alan from his youth, their story feels like a Hallmark movie where I scored a minor cameo late in the show. If you’re wondering how Sarah and Alan developed a passion for the way education can be a spring board to joy and justice, you will want to tune in. Her ideas are a multifaceted blessing, especially in her own voice.

For the Joy of a City

Next question, have you ever thought that a school could be designed for “the joy of a city”? Promise Academy, is the dream of bringing Christian education to a part of Smith County that’s underserved, “for the joy of the city.”

“Christ-centered education of the highest academic standards should be accessible to all students, families and neighborhoods in Tyler regardless of geography, economics and social restrictions, and that the city will know God’s joy, unity and biblical justice through this pursuit. This holistic education — committed to the truth, discipline and values of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — will affirm the promise of each student: that all persons are made in the image of God, created for God’s glory and endowed by him with the potential to acquire wisdom and knowledge. As such, Promise Academyjoins families to nurture kingdom-minded citizens who work for justice, economic opportunity, ethnic harmony, hope for the family and joy in their communities,” according to their website.

Will you join me in prayer?

Dear Father in heaven, You are the One who establishes justice. Joy and justice are such a part of Your nature, that our human nature yearns for them, too. Make our hearts aware of injustice. Give us courage to speak boldly and compassionately for justice’s sake. Give us persistence and perseverance, O Lord. And most of all, give us Your joy! In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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Cathy Krafve, Texas Columnist, Speaker, Radio Host, and “almost” Author focusing on fellowship in Marriage, Family, and Community, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.