Insights
Excellent Joy
If people were honest, they would tell you that as a kid they never wanted the Cracker Jack popcorn for its nutritional content. It was the hidden prize. The same goes for the overpriced sugary cereal. It is the unknown prize that excites you and makes you want to eat so many bowls of cereal you make your stomach sick. ( I may have had this childhood experience, but I will not share the details.) Joy can be like the hidden prize. It can be hidden by the day to day grind. Joy can be the hidden prize that you see only at the end of the day.
The secret is to make the daily grind and the things you do everyday to be joy. Adam Grant in his book, Hidden Potential, says, “..the best way to unlock hidden potential isn’t to suffer through the daily grind. It's to transform the daily grind into a source of daily joy.” I find the practice of gratitude and thanksgiving sets my heart to look for the bits of joy throughout the day. Looking for the hidden joy and praising God as I go, sets my heart to anticipation of good things.
Jesus in John 15 shares where hidden joy can be found. Jesus states a purpose for his teaching and commands, and it is that His joy may be our joy and His desire for our joy to be complete or mature.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. ” (The Message)
Jesus entwines the concept of love, joy and obedience to Him. Verse 17 states a directive, “Love one another”. Finding the hidden joy in loving others and being obedient to the work the Lord has called us to can be a daunting task. Sometimes doing life together in a community we often forget to find joy in living life together, but Jesus pulls the thread and says, “”Love each other as I have loved you.” As we look for the hidden joy in our day to day, let’s remember to love others and look for the hidden joy.
Leah Rabb
Elementary Principal
Logos Preparatory Academy
Unexpected Opportunities
How inconvenient! Just one week back in school, and record-breaking cold temperatures forced schools to close, meetings to be rescheduled, and precautions to be taken to protect people, pets, plants, and pipes. The milk we so carefully poured into the January 2025 glass spilled, but in the mess, we found a moment of winter wonder. Tuesday and Wednesday may have created unexpected inconveniences, but these days of freezing temperatures and falling snow also provided families with precious moments for memory-building. Memories were made that will last a lifetime; treasures that are an important part of your children’s story.
My grown children hold a similar story in their vault of childhood memories. On Christmas Eve 2004, an inch of snow fell in Houston. Inconveniently, the snowfall began during the Christmas Eve service and was visible through the windows of the sanctuary. All focus on “Silent Night” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was lost as my girls’ full attention shifted to getting outside. They were four and eight years old at the time. Twenty-one years later, they both fondly recalled that magical snow on Christmas Eve when the weather forecast once again called for snow in Houston. That snowy day became a core memory for them.
The moments of joy you spent with family this week created core memories for your children as well. These lifetime memories are strong connectors to family and reminders of God’s goodness.
The greatest gift we can give our children is knowledge of the Lord. Being interruptible and open to inconvenience allows us to seize moments of unexpected opportunity to share joy and build connections with our kids. It is through these connections that we gain the ability to best bring awareness to God’s excellent story.
I pray that each of you was wonderfully distracted, joyfully interrupted, and fully able to enjoy your time in the snow. May the Lord help us to be available to create memories with our families daily, whether in the midst of winter wonder or during the more mundane and expected aspects of our lives.
Welcome back to the second start of Spring 2025!
Tammy McIlvoy
Head of School
Logos Preparatory Academy
Wishing You Excellence This Season
Christmas is a season of well-wishes, often expressed in blessings like, “Wishing you health and happiness this Christmas.” In 1938, Harvard researchers began a groundbreaking study to explore what factors most contribute to health and happiness. This study, which continues today, has followed over 700 men throughout their lives and now extends to their descendants. The findings are fascinating. While some predictors of health and happiness, such as genetics, are beyond our control, many are within reach. Avoiding smoking and excessive drinking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, pursuing education, and cultivating adaptability all contribute to a fulfilling life. But the greatest predictor of health and happiness is stable, long-term relationships.
At Logos Prep, we’ve been exploring the concept of excellence. True excellence stems from the character of God, who is the ultimate standard of excellence and the God of relationships. While excellence often brings to mind achievement and success, it is deeply rooted in service, sacrifice, humility, and meaningful relationships. This is beautifully illustrated in the Christmas story, which centers on God’s desire for a relationship with us. Sin once separated us from God, but in His love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, born as a baby who would grow to give His life on the cross for our sins. Through this act, God made a way for reconciliation and eternal relationship with Him.
As Logos Prep parents, we recognize that your relationship with your children is vitally important and something you strive to nurture with excellence. Yet, during the holiday season, it’s easy to measure our relational success by worldly standards: Are we buying the perfect gifts, decorating extravagantly, cooking favorite meals, and planning memorable activities? While these efforts are well-meaning, they can sometimes distract us from creating the heart connections that truly matter. We can become so consumed with doing what we think makes us excellent parents, spouses, or friends that we miss opportunities to simply be present and connect meaningfully.
Jesus offers us a higher standard of excellence. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, He points us to a “more excellent way”—the way of love, as described in the next chapter, often called the “love chapter.” Living in love and building relationships grounded in genuine care is the most excellent pursuit. As we enter this Christmas season, let’s set aside the busyness and embrace the love that defines the season. Remember, the people around us are the only treasures we touch each day that will reach eternity.
May you experience deep, meaningful connections this Christmas season.
To learn more about the Harvard study, visit The Harvard Study of Adult Development.
Tammy McIlvoy
Head of School
Logos Preparatory Academy
