The Foundation of the ANW School Theme and Verse for 2025-26

by Principal Brandy Vizmanos-Garcia

God is near.

God has revealed Himself to every human heart that has ever walked the earth. As Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” As part of God’s creation, we possess the knowledge of Him, but the problem is that we suppress the truth and refuse to glorify Him as God. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, our sin has pushed God away. Our sinful nature prevents us from pursuing His plan for our redemption.

God is near.

God is present and has freely given Himself to us. All we must do is choose to receive Him. It sounds so easy—and it is. Yet, we often listen to the lies of the enemy. The enemy whispers that we are not enough, that God does not love or want us. He tempts us away from our Creator and leads us to believe that what the world offers is all we need. The enemy blinds us to the point that we deny the Maker who created us in His image. These lies make us believe that Truth is out of reach.

God is near.

The truth is, we can find God simply by looking at His creation. The fingerprints of our Maker are everywhere, visible when we open our hearts to the Lord and accept the freedom that comes with repentance and accepting Jesus as the one who washes away our sins. Yet, we often resist Him, so God allows struggles, difficulties, and tragedies. At first, we may see these trials as signs of God’s abandonment, but in reality, they are expressions of His grace. Without these tribulations, we might never recognize our need for God or seek Him out. Without Him, we miss out on the eternity that offers more than we can ever imagine—everlasting life with our Savior.

God is near.

Paul reveals God’s grace, clarity, correction, revelations, and many other insights in his message at Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-34). Still, it is the assurance found in Acts 17:27 that has led me to choose this as the Academy Northwest 2025/26 theme verse: “that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” When we seek God—even in our lowest moments, when our hope is fading—God is near. He is not far away, and He is not hiding. He is near, as He has always been. Even when we deny Him, He has never been out of reach.

God is near.

I challenge anyone who has not asked Jesus to be their Savior to call out to Him and pray for a softened heart, that they would be compelled to repentance. Surrender to your Savior and allow yourself to say, “I want to know You.” And if you have already accepted Jesus, ensure that you are living a life that shines His light brightly and draws others to Him.

Foundational insight provided by Jim Jacobson’s July 20, 2025, message on Acts 17:16-34, Robert Furrow’s February 18, 2024, message on Acts 17:16-34, and David Guzik’s December 20, 2022, message on Romans 1:18-32.