April 28th, 2014 Living Legacies

Last week we held our annual Grandparents’ and Grand-friends day.  We were tremendously blessed by the attendance of our seasoned visitors.  As I was standing in front of the grandparents and scanning the crowd I was struck by the representation of our heritage of faith.  I have said it before but the multigenerational nature of the event expresses an established foundation of faith and an visual support for Christian education.  The students were abuzz with excitement and the grandparents did not fail to disappoint as their presence brought great joy.  We were extremely blessed that day to host the grandparents and we hope and pray that they were blessed as well.  Grandparents can be important figures in the lives of our students.  I am reminded of a quote from Jimmy Carter, “We all know grandparents whose values transcend passing fads and pressures, and who possess the wisdom of distilled pain and joy. Because they are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.”

A recent study has called for our youth to connect with authentic faith and grandparents should be invited into that space.  Our students are bombarded by individualism but they were created for  and long for community.  Let them hear words of wisdom and encouragement from those who have gone before them.  They want to connect their faith to their grandparents’ life stories.  Thank you grandparents for being….,well for being grandparents.

April 22nd, 2014 Christian Education Week

Welcome to our Christian Education celebration week.  This week we have the distinct privilege of celebrating the fact that we are able to freely educate in the name of Jesus.  There will be a number of activities this week that will help raise funds for EduDeo.  EduDeo is a Canadian Christian organization serving children in developing countries with quality education rooted in a Biblical worldview to transform lives.  This same basis drives the mission and vision of our school as well.  We provide a quality education rooted in a biblical worldview and it is up to our community to own and promote this vision.   We are tasked, as a community, to carry forward the transforming work of the Spirit by bringing the gospel to light in all areas.  This is not only the subject areas we teach but also into the homes, the churches and the broader community.  Let us take hold of the transformative vision so the lives of our students can be made new and they can live as a faithful presence in our society. ~Mr. Bouwers 

April 14th, 2014 A Faithful Presence in the World

 It seems to me that the weather has been a continual focus of mine as the days and weeks march into spring.  This weekend we’ve seen the sun warm the earth and bring about a few more signs of spring.  Then we look to the forecast and see that light snow is expected on Tuesday.  This confused identity of spring can be exhausting, a hint of spring and a small dose of winter and a glimpse of summer in between.  It makes it difficult to plan ahead.  The season is unpredictable and can lay ruin to our plans,  it way lays impending arrangements.  Early in the first chapter of James, the author speaks of the double minded man and how he too is unpredictable and unstable in his ways.  The instability in the weather reminds me of this inconsistency that can creep into our lives and our faith.  Later on in the first chapter we are given an anchor point, the unwavering nature of our gracious God.  We are called to reflect and embody the evidence of God’s new creation.  I pray that our staff, our community and our students will be able to provide a steady witness as a faithful presence in the world.  I pray we may be first fruits of His new creation and that we may bring moments of life, hope and the resurrection to those around us.

~ Mr. Bouwers 

April 7th, 2014 April Showers

Sprinkled in the forecast for the coming week or two are weather reports of rain.  This coincides with the coming of spring weather and the common idiom, “April showers bring May flowers.”  There is a latent hope built into this phrase.  The April showers and some of the dreary, gray days of spring can be endured and seen as fruitful in light of the promise of May flowers.  Easter brings about the season of Lent, a season of reflection and contemplation.  Through the Lenten season we look ahead to the promise of fulfillment embodied in the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ.  With spring, life begins anew and so it is with Easter.  The word that continually comes to mind throughout the season is hope. The parallels between the Easter story and the seasonal unfolding of spring are inspiringly numerous.  This great hope is not a distant hope.  This hope breaks into our tainted existence and tasks us, as followers of Christ, to also bring the light of the world to bear upon the world, our communities, and our families.  We are called to bring renewal and rebirth to places that are tarnished and out of sorts.  I pray that we will continually seek to incorporate our preparation of the students for a life of Christian service with opportunities in the community to use and develop their God- given gifts.  I think these are markers of quality, Christian education.   ~ Mr. Bouwers