Every school has a mascot. Ours comes with a sermon. Shamgar is proof that God does big things with ordinary people who are willing to use what’s in their hands.
“And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.”Judges 3:31, King James Version
Shamgar lived in the days of the judges, a dark stretch of Israel’s history. The Philistines had the upper hand. Iron weapons were scarce. People avoided the main roads because travel was dangerous (Judges 5:6).
Into that mess steps a man we know almost nothing about. The Bible gives him one sentence. He didn’t have a sword, so he picked up the farm tool he already used every day. He faced impossible odds, and God used him to deliver His people.
That’s the whole story, and it’s enough. Faithfulness doesn’t need a long résumé. It needs courage and a willing heart.
Judges 3:31, with a second mention in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:6). That’s it: one verse of action.
A long wooden pole, often around eight feet, with an iron point for guiding oxen and a small blade on the other end for scraping mud off the plow. A farm tool, not a weapon.
It may name his father, his hometown, or even a family of fighters. Scholars still debate it. We just call him Shamgar.
Plenty of schools have those. We wanted a mascot who teaches something every time a student sees him.
Shamgar wasn’t a king, a priest or a general. He was a farmer in a hard season. God didn’t wait for better circumstances, and neither did he.
No sword, no army, just an ox goad. God loves to use ordinary tools and ordinary kids. At OLA we help students find the gifts already in their hands.
Six hundred against one is bad math. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s doing the right thing anyway, trusting God with the outcome.
OneLearning. OneChurch. One verse, one farmer, one nation delivered. Never underestimate what God can do through one faithful person.
Each quarter, teachers name one student in each track who showed courage: trying something hard, standing up for a friend, or doing right when no one was watching. Winners get their name on the Ox Goad in the hallway.
Our fall fundraiser. Students collect pledges for every lap, and every dollar goes to the scholarship fund. Shamgar runs the last lap with the kindergartners. Sponsor a runner
Plum and gold, the colors of royalty and Kansas wheat. Spirit Weeks twice a year end with “Shamgar Day,” when students bring the ordinary tool God might use through them.
Our motto: “Use what’s in your hand.” Our cheer, according to the fifth graders: “Goad on, OLA!”
Kids who start where they are, use what God gave them, and stand firm. Come see how it happens at OLA.
