November 24th, 2014 Looking through the window

Looking through the window

It is that time of year again when the progress reports head home.  It can be an anxious time for the students, the parents and the teachers.  In the past I have taken the time to emphasize the simple fact that the progress report is a moment in time, a view out the window so to speak.  It is a brief overview of the child’s academic progress.  It is vitally important to keep this in the forefront of our minds as the progress reports go home today.  There is no way to encapsulate every aspect of the child in a report card.  Just as a quick look out the window, the report card does not, and cannot give the full view.  Our children’s identity is not anchored in their marks, their specified work habits, or the teacher’s remarks. It is just a brief glimpse of the child at this specific time; we would do the children a disservice if we reduced their value to that of the marks on the page. Their real value comes from the fact that they are created in the image of God.  When we see each student through this filter, it helps put the all the other aspects into the proper context.  May you see the image of our Creator in the lives of each child as we endeavour to get a clear picture of who they are and how we can develop their gifts to serve God.

 

At the upcoming Bazaar the Promotion Committee will be running a “Speakers Corners” to gather responses from the community regarding Providence Christian School.  There will be a number of questions to respond to.  Some sample questions could include: “Why did you choose PCS?”; “What do you love most about PCS?” and “What are you excited about for the future of PCS?”.  Stop by and give us your thoughts. It will be great! 

 

We are looking forward to our annual Bazaar on the weekend!  It will be great so see many of you there this weekend as we come together for this community event.  It is a fantastic day with fun things to do and many different rooms to visit.  If you can’t make it during the day, then come out for dinner and dessert from 5:00-6:15 pm.  This will be followed by the live auction that starts at 6:30 pm.  It is a phenomenal community event that helps support the enhancement of Christian Education at Providence Christian School.    

November 10, 2014 Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

Today we had a chapel that tried to unpack this beatitude in Matthew 5:4.  There has been recent loss in the community which made the gathering more relevant but also more raw.  The promise of comfort is found in these words from Mathew, a promise that may take time to work its way into our lives.  In looking at this beatitude we broke it into chunks.  In examining the first word, blessed, we come to know that to be blessed by God means to experience His favour and His matchless grace.  We are in a constant experience of God’s grace to us.  We then talked about how we are conditioned to this through our mourning.  Time was spent talking about what we mourn and what that looks like in our lives.  We mourn and grieve when we lose something or someone who is important to us.  We suffer loss, like the loss of a loved one, and we mourn that fact.  We also mourn the brokenness in our world around us.   We mourn the effects of poverty, disease, crime, famine and evil deeds.  We long for the restoration of this world.  We grieve these reminders of our separation from God, the separation that includes our own sinfulness.  We mourn our own sin and cry out for healing and for the Holy Spirit to make us a new creation.  So what does this mean for our students and shining their light? Our students can shine their lights by comforting those who mourn due to loss.  They can extend a listening ear, pray for those who are mourning, or provide a hug if needed.  We can come alongside and mourn with them and walk this journey side by side.  When the brokenness of our world breaks our hearts then we can find ways to be agents of healing and hope.  We can actively work towards restoring broken situations.  And when we mourn our sin we ask for forgiveness, search God’s word for his commands and keep in step with the Spirit as we allow God to work in us and through us as faithful servants. 

 

November 3, 2014 In Joy and Sorrow - Blessed be the name of the Lord

I find myself, with recent world news as well as tragic news from our surrounding communities, in a posture of prayer.  I feel the need to bring to our Father in heaven every request and petition and also to groan at the brokenness of our world and long for things to be put to rights.  I try not to speak definitively in these crisis situations because if I use platitudes they may seem trite and taking a reductionist view can be unthoughtful and harmful at the same time.  In the same sense, we journey together as a community through the highs and lows of living in this world and walking in faith together.  What I do know is that God is good, all the time.  One of my favourite choruses we sing in church is “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The words of the song are a testimony to continuing with the refrain “Blessed be the name of the Lord” in each and every circumstance, the good and the bad.  When the darkness closes in, still I will say, blessed be the name of the Lord. We are a safe place where we can journey with our families and students through each and every circumstance.  Our teachers and staff are caring adults who comfort our students.  In the tragedy that befalls our country, our neighbours and our world, may we keep on our lips two refrains: Blessed be the Name of the Lord and Come quickly Lord Jesus, Come.  ~ Mr. Bouwers