Brandon Lyles, class of 2000, is grateful for the launching pad that Maranatha was for his life. His time at Maranatha taught him to "throw caution to the wind" when it came to giving room for God to move and to not be so stuck to his own plans and expectations for what should be and what should happen next.

Much of this stemmed from Deb Larson, Brandon's Bible teacher at the time, giving room for students to experience God. Brandon believes that Maranatha does an excellent job towing that line between academics and spiritual focus. Both are seen as important, and both are given proper emphasis.

Following high school at Maranatha, Brandon attended music college and eventually helped launch GoMission Music, a ministry that focuses on training musicians and artists to use their gifts for ministry purposes. Brandon is grateful for the way Maranatha fostered his love of faith and music in equal measure, which has allowed him to pursue ministry through music as his life's work.

Hearing Brandon's story reminds us of how important it is that we, as educators at MCA, create space for God to move and work in students' lives. It's through this balance of academic rigor and spiritual focus that Maranatha students are truly prepared to launch into their futures.

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