Lessons from the Inbox June 8, 2015

In my inbox each morning, I receive the Bible verse of the day from BibleGateway.com.  It is a great way to start the day and to view different pieces of scripture.  Today’s verse of the day comes from Habakkuk 3 and it is verse 19:  “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,  he enables me to tread on the heights…”  This verse comes at the end of Habakkuk’s prayer, the end of this book of the Bible.  It reminds me of the time I used to spend teaching a unit from Habakkuk called “Every Bit of Who We Are.”  In fact, our grade 8 students at Providence also complete this same unit.  In this book of the Bible, Habakkuk is fed up with the injustice around him and pleads for the Lord to do something about it.  God assures him that He will do something about it and that He will use the Babylonians to teach the lesson.  That does not sit well with Habakkuk and he listens to the indictment the Lord brings upon his people.  In closing Habakkuk acknowledges that the Lord is Lord of all things, knowing that in full time God will be the one to make things right.  He says in 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  As we too look around at the injustice in our world and we struggle to understand it, I can echo what I hear from Habakkuk. Let us keep our eyes focused on God’s sovereignty as we see evidence worldwide of injustice.  Let us rejoice and be joyful in our Lord and Saviour.

~ Mr. Bouwers

The Rain June 1, 2015

Oh what a blessing it was to see the rain over the weekend.  There is something special about the spring rains, albeit a cold rain yesterday.  This rain brought much-needed nourishment to parched soil, life to burgeoning seeds, relief to already blooming plants and cleansing from the dust and pollen that has coated everything outside.  The word that comes to mind is refreshment and with that refreshment a renewed life.  We will be switching seasons this month from spring to summer and in these seasons, we pray for the crops, the seeds, and the refreshing rains to help sustain life. In our classrooms, hallways and on the playgrounds we celebrate the moments in the students’ lives of nourishment, life, flourishing, and cleansing.  Like the plants, we are all in need of the Living Water.  I pray that this month may lead to a downpour of living water for our students and that they may experience each of these things throughout the rest of this school year and beyond. ~Mr. Bouwers

Staff Devotions May 25, 2015

I was reading through Colossians again this morning and the first part of Colossians talks about Jesus as our Lord.  In chapter one, Paul explains in some length that he is praying for those Christians to both encourage and instruct them. At the beginning of each week, as a staff, we gather for staff devotions.  We openly share scripture, thoughts, and concerns together and we place each week in the loving hands of our Heavenly Father.  In our collective prayer we include specific families and students to lay their name before the throne of almighty God.  We pray for each other as a community of faith should.  As we read in Colossians 1, it is my hope that I would continually pray to ask God to fill each of our students with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And pray this in order that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and aim to please Him in every way because He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of light.  Let us continue to pray for each other, the children in our care, and the spread of the gospel everywhere.  ~ Mr. Bouwers

Lessons from the Dandelion May 19, 2015

I read a devotion recently that talked about the good qualities of the dandelion.  I read it right around Mother’s Day and it talked about how many vases would be filled with bouquets of these gifts of yellow and green.  Young children, not as discriminate in regards to flowers, take handfuls and handfuls to their teachers and their moms.  The article went on to site a child asking her mom why their lawn did not have the pretty yellow flowers like the neighbour’s lawn. I can see that these are cute and important reasons to hold the dandelion in high esteem but there are other reasons to like the dandelion.  It is, apparently, very healthy for you when it is used properly with almost every part being beneficial for something (or so says the University of Maryland http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion). Despite all of this positive press, I still do not find myself swooning over the dandelion.  That being said I am amazed by them and I think there is even a distinct lesson we can learn from this plant, or pesky weed as some call it.  Dandelions are examples for us in resilience.  If you spend a Saturday plucking these pesky plants from your lawn you can almost guarantee that some will pop up on Sunday.  Dandelions persevere.  Secondly, dandelions spread.  As followers of Christ, we can take their examples of sowing seeds near and far to transform the landscape.  We too are called in all that we do to spread the good news to transform the landscape of our world, of our communities and of our neighbourhoods.  May you persevere this week in sowing the seeds of the Kingdom!  ~ Mr. Bouwers

Springfest! May 11, 2015

 It is so exciting!  I am looking forward to this community event in the heart of Dundas.  Each year, I am amazed at how our school community comes together to host the town of Dundas. Having been there for the past number of years it is good to see some familiar faces and faces of people that I do not know well as they come in from the city of Dundas.  That is the part that is so inspiring to me.  I absolutely love the fact that we are involved with our local town.  It motivates me to encourage our teachers, our classes, and our students to engage the towns surrounding us.  It is one thing to host an event but it would be another thing entirely to incorporate our community engagement into the learning that happens through Providence Christian School.  So come on out this weekend to Springfest and be inspired! ~Mr. Bouwers

Spring Membership Meeting May 4th, 2015

Come on out to the membership meeting tonight.  We will be taking a look at some of the amazing things that are happening at the school and we will be looking forward to next year as well.   We are very thankful for God’s continued faithfulness to the school as evidenced by the community interaction and support.  Membership meetings are a way to share the story of our school.  I am looking forward to the section led by the Community Relations Committee (Promotion Committee).  I had a sneak peek of what they will be presenting and I am excited about how they will share the story.  I will also get the opportunity to share our story with you as well.  The Board of Directors will also be sharing the vision for Christian education at Providence Christian School.  It is an exciting time to be a member of Providence Christian School.  We look forward to sharing the story tonight.  See you there!  ~ Mr. Bouwers

Busy Calendar April 27, 2015

I heard a phrase the other day, the calendar is getting busy.  It may have given me pause to slowly turn my head and peer at our calendar on the wall.  As long as I looked at it, it didn’t move.  It stayed in one spot. Not a shimmy or even a little shake.  It was far from busy.  All joking aside, I know the sentiment behind the statement.  One thing I did notice about the calendar was that it was full.  The calendars may not be busy but we are a busy people. I am sure we are not the only family that is busy with numerous commitments.  I acknowledge that the school calendar has gotten busier this year with a few extra evening or weekend activities.   I take it as a sign of an active learning community and an engaged membership.  As busy as it can get at times, I am thankful for this blessed busyness. We continue with these activities this Wednesday as we have a Spring Arts Festival.  This will be an opportunity for our band, choir and specialty music offerings to have an authentic audience for all of their hard work.  Come on out to this celebration on Wednesday.  Not only will you be treated to the musical offerings of our students but much of their work will be displayed in a “gallery” along the outer walls of the gymnasium.


     The frenetic pace is sometimes interrupted with jarring moments that also ground you.   There were two such events in my life recently.  The devastation in Nepal from the earthquake that took thousands of lives and has left even more than that temporarily displaced.  Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy and they remain in our prayers.  I also received word that a former student of mine was in a car crash that left him in critical condition.   It, once again, brought me to that place of prayer and petition.  In the busyness of community we both celebrate and come together as a body of Christ to lift others up in prayer.  May this week be filled with moments that bring us to our knees in prayer bringing us closer as a community and closer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
~ Mr. Bouwers

Christian Education Week April 20, 2015

We are excited once again to celebrate Christian Education Week at Providence Christian School.  When Christian education was established here in Ontario, back in 1943, the founding members were dedicated to ensuring that what their children were learning was consistent with their beliefs at home and at church.  We still look to partner with Christian families in the education of their children.  We consider it an absolute privilege to share God’s story with so many.  At Providence Christian School we confess that the Lord is Lord of all things and that makes a difference for education.  Christian education is something to be celebrated, it is an intergenerational endeavour.   I want the best for my children growing up.  I whole heartedly believe that Christian education at PCS gives them a firm foundation to develop a personal relationship with God and to step out into God’s big world and live for Him.  I want my children to  think deep into their faith and to be provided opportunities to live out their faith through their learning.  I think about our theme this year, “Shine your light” and I think how fitting it is to come together as a lighthouse and shine our lights out into the community.  How fitting it is that we can bring hope and a measure of healing to a broken world.  Thank you for joining us on the journey. 

~ Mr. Bouwers

Sharing In The Story April 13, 2015

On the weekend we had an opportunity to Share the Story.   We held a Spring Gala at the school and it was truly an amazing evening.  It was a breath taking setting to share the story of our school and see how it is connected to so many different stories, and, ultimately how it is connected to God’s story.  We had a delightful and delicious meal as we enjoyed some melodic morsels playing gently in the background.  During the event we were captivated again by what the Lord is doing at Providence Christian School. We explored together the wonderful truth that the Lord is Lord of all things and that he does not change like shifting shadows.   We tried to relate that to the context in which we live knowing the world we live in is constantly and sometimes rapidly changing.  As we live in this story together there is a reciprocal rootedness that we experience.  We are rooted in our faith but also in community.   We draw life and nourishment from each other through the grace of God.  Community is a vital connectedness that roots us in wisdom and provides the right context for the decisions we make moving into the future.  As we look forward to our next steps we do so with discernment, with a passion for partnering in God’s kingdom work, and a desire to develop the gifts that God has placed in His children.  This is our community; we have that opportunity for connectedness and for living in the story together.  Thank you for partnering with us in Christian education. 

 

I would like to thank all the families for making the Spring Gala a success.  I am so very thankful for such an amazing and dedicated community.  I would also like to thank the Gala Planning committee, the Fundraising committee, and Providence Catering, in a word; WOW. I would like to personally thank Scott and Liz Heidbuurt for being the emcees and a big thank you to all who attended the event as well. 

Understanding the Cries of their Hearts April 7, 2015

Growing up is tough business.  Adolescence is a time of change and that can be confusing, stressful, as well as exciting for some of our children.  I took some time to reread a Youth Unlimited newsletter that talked about this issue in particular and identified four cries of today’s youth culture.  For the emerging adolescent this time of change affects them to their very core.  It affects them intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, and morally.  They seek acceptance from their peers, test limits, ride a roller coaster of emotions, and experience gradual, but many, physical changes.  This helps us frame what is going on in their lives.  Paul Robertson, a youth specialist, outlines the four cries of their hearts: the cry of the changing family, of media influence, of seeking truth, and of hopelessness.  In a world with so much change it is so very important to provide anchors for our children.  We cannot dismiss their cries but our lives should speak into those spaces.  Our role at Providence intertwines with the role of the parents as we try to bring a measure of stability that helps students cope with the change and brokenness in families, to question the influence of media, to provide a voice of hope as well as seeking and living truth together.  Studies show that kids can be greatly helped if they are able to draw on five great sources of strength: parents who try to understand themselves, parents who try to understand their kids, a close and caring family, the development of moral beliefs based on truth and a personal, liberating faith.  We pray for our families as a staff each week and we will continue to pray that God will provide you wisdom and inspiration in how to bring about these anchor points for your children.
                ~ Mr. Bouwers