Message from Karla Mungillo, Fifth Grade Teacher

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.

“Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God.  And I will follow.

Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God.  And I will fight.

Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God.  And I will listen.”

And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.  And God heard the man, so God answered.  He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.  He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.  He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.

And God waited for the man to respond.

And he waited……

And waited…..

And waited.

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives; seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.  Finally he looked to God and asked, ”Have you lost your power?”

And God looked at him and said, “have you lost your hearing?”

How far do you want God to go in getting your attention?  If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope he chooses? God will whisper.  He will shout.  He will touch and tug.  He will take away burdens, he’ll even take away our blessings.  If there are  a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one.  But he will leave the final one for us.  The choice is ours. 

John 14:27--Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  John 10:11--I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep……I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me….I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold.  I must bring them also.  They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

Message from David Callahan, High School Teacher

Work in Line with the Gospel

There is only one way to deal with the sin that remains and the death we deserve, and it isn’t found at the top of any corporate ladder, or in the size of a 401K, or in the number of people reporting to you, or even in how happy you are in your job. Only God can address the needs nested deep in our weaknesses, insecurities, fears, and failures. Success could never address what we all really need most. Only the gospel will save us — even those who believe success in this life might save them.

We all try to earn love. For many of us, it started in preschool trying to please Mom and Dad with another picture for the fridge. Then it was cultivated in the competition of middle-school classrooms, and confirmed in the grades and awards of high school. In college, for the first time, we were identified by our major — our future job. And then four years later, after our first paycheck, we’re already fighting society’s desire to define us by where we work, who works for us, and how much we make. It all looks like work, but it’s really worship. It wears the responsible nametag of provision, but it’s really the frantic, promiscuous search for redemption.

Again, Keller writes:
God is not on a leash, he cannot be bought or appeased. The gods of religion can be controlled. If we offer them hard work and devotion, then they are beholden to us. However, God cannot be approached like that. Whatever he gives us is a gift of grace. (85)
God will never be won through work. He loves to save, but he will not rescue those who believe they’ve earned it. Grace is the only currency he trades in. Everything else we might offer him is as Monopoly money in his hands. He refuses to love and affirm you like a cosmic CEO, because he’s not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25).

To be clear, success is not a curse. It becomes a curse when it quietly becomes your savior. God prospers the work of our hands in all kinds of ways for his glory. But it is not his method of making you his, and it’s certainly not meant to make much of you. Success is a servant of sovereign Grace, the only means by which anyone is saved.

The Lethal Drug in Your Dream Job

October 16, 2014 

• by Marshall Segal

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-lethal-drug-in-your-dream-job

The Lethal Drug in Your Dream Job | Desiring God Why do you want the job you do? Success is a subtle, but deadly god in America. But unlike the typical career path in our country, our God only trades in the currency of grace. We’ve been accepted and loved long before we clock in on Monday. Read more...

Message from Yvonne Calderon, Elementary Principal

The world says, "You can't do it."

Jesus says, "You can do everything in me."

The world says, "I don't know you or even care about you."

Jesus says, "I love you more than you ever know."

The world says, "I will love you if you give me something I want."

Jesus says, "I will love you with nothing in return."

The world says, "I love you for now."

Jesus says, "I love you until the eternity."

The world says, "You are not rich, not good looking... You are nothing."

Jesus says, "You mean everything to Me."

The world says, “Wow, I am too busy to go to church.

Jesus says, “Come to me”

The world says, “Who has time to read their bible”

The bible says, “ Seek ye first the kingdom of God”

The world says, “Sleep in – who needs devotional time.”

The bible says, “Jesus arose early and went to pray”

I have learned to tune out the world and tune into to the Bible!

We need to set a good example for our students.

We need to be in church on Sunday.

We need to attend a Bible study (more than Wednesday at school).

The world says, “My teacher doesn’t care”

PC teachers say, “I love you so much, you are in my daily prayers!”

Message from Rebecca Buys, Middle School Teacher

Don’t pray for patience.

I know what you are thinking, “WHAT? You teach middle school, shouldn’t that be a constant prayer in your life?” No, don’t pray for patience because “ask and ye shall receive.”  ;) Do you know what strings are attached to a prayer for patience? Lots of situations that are supposed to teach you patience.

I think most of us can agree, that the process of learning patience is not easy! I don’t want to have to experience frustrating circumstances (or maybe students) that make my day more difficult, but along the way are supposed to help me learn patience. I just want to have it.  Of course, this isn’t the way it works because Jesus is the greatest teacher, and teachers know that students need practice! So, we are given situations that are going to help us to practice patience.

I recently read a friend’s blog in which she said that she had come up with a new prayer, instead of just praying for patience, pray for perspective.

“Lord, please give me better perspective.

Perspective that will help me to see the world through Your eyes.”

Perspective tells me what is important. Perspective tells me to be grateful for what I have, and who, and what is right in front of me.

Perspective tells me that even when I don’t feel like a patient person, I can be at peace with the knowledge that my day and all of its happenings are in God’s hands. Perspective, most importantly, tells me that my life is not about me.

Praying for perspective is allowing me to be more understanding and more gracious, because I see how my Savior is the greatest example of those things and I need his Spirit to work in me to mold me to be more like him.

So as I experience those daily grind circumstances that are teaching me patience, but are also driving me crazy, I need to pray for perspective. Perspective that keeps my eyes and my heart focused not on myself, but on Christ and on those He has entrusted into my care. 

So I pray for perspective that reminds me of God's clear will for my life: to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.