Message from David Burchi, Band Teacher

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the LORD a new song;

    sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;

    proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

    he is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

    but the LORD made the heavens.

6 Splendor and majesty are before him;

    strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,

    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

    bring an offering and come into his courts.

9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;

    tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”

    The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

    he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,

    he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

This Psalm really speaks to me. These beautiful words describe our responsibilities to worship and praise His name in all that we do. Taking the first verse ("Sing to the Lord a new song") into account, I feel that we need to find something new everyday to rejoice in Him. Through our trials and triumphs we will always find glory and honor in our Lord and Savior.

Message from Faith Daniels, MS Drama Teacher

Comfort in Affliction

"They will see My Face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
Hosea 5:15

O My People, has not My hand fashioned for you many signs and wonders? Have I not ministered to you in miraculous ways? How is it you say therefore in your hearts, "I will turn again to human strength"? How often have I spoken to you, and never failed to keep My word? Will you not, then, trust Me now in this new emergency, even as you have trusted Me in the past?

Your need is greater this time, and so I have made the testing more acute. I strengthen you in the furnace of affliction, and purify your soul in the fires of pain.

Lean hard upon me, for I bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems not to be a wind of destruction.

Hold fast to My hand, and rest in My love, for of this you may be very certain. My love is unaltered; yes, I have you in My own intensive care. My concern for you is deeper now than when things are normal.

Draw upon the resources of My grace, and so shall you be equipped to communicate peace and confidence to your dear ones. Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit. Your father's heart is cheered when you endure the test and do not question His mercy.

Be like a beacon light. His own glorious radiance shall shine through you, and Christ Himself will be revealed.

Excerpt from
Come Away
My Beloved
Frances J. Roberts

Message from Ryan Stephens, Middle & High School Teacher

It’s interesting, in 1 Samuel 8:1-22 we read that God is saddened when the elders of Israel request a king. Yet in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God had already given permission and laws concerning how a future king was to conduct his rule. Furthermore, in Genesis 17:6 God had already promised Abraham that “kings would come from him.”

The obvious question is, why is God upset at the request for a king in 1 Samuel when all along God has been paving the way for a king?

The answer is that in 1 Samuel God is not angry that they asked for a king. Rather, he is angry about the kind of king they are asking for. In 1 Samuel 8:20 we read that the main reason Israel wanted a king was so that they could have a “leader in battle” who would fight for them. Now is becomes clear why God is hurt by their request. All through Scripture one of the common themes is that God wants his people to know that when they are faithful He will fight for them. God wants to be our warrior, our savior, our redeemer. God wants his people to look to him in times of trouble, not to their own strength. Over and over again from Gen-Judges God showed his people, against the worst of odds, what happens when his people trust him to lead. Abraham rescuing Lot, the Exodus, Joshua in Canaan, and the Judges.

Going back to Samuel then, we can see that the problem was not with having a king, the problem was with asking for a king who would take God’s position rather than for a king who would understand that his role is as servant to the Great King.

As a reminder for us today, may we look to God as our warrior, our savior, our strength. May our leaders trust God to lead, and submit to Him as servant under His rule. And may we find security and contentment in our God who promises to fight for His people even when the odds seem insurmountable

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Message from Lauren Scharnweber, Elementary Teacher

“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:18-20)

I am currently rereading Francis Chan’s book “Crazy Love” (if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it!). It has made me start thinking a lot more about heaven. Too often I find myself getting caught up in today. I tend to stay very busy and have lots of checklists. Although most of these commitments are “good”, they distract me from setting my mind “on things that are above”. Chan writes, “A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top… Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation.” (pp. 67 & 75) My challenge to you today is to stop getting distracted by earthly things and remember that your citizenship is in heaven! “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2) Everything you do, every time you’re stressed or anxious, ask yourself “How does this affect me in light of eternity?” If we really did this, I think it would truly transform how we live our lives!

C. S. Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this”.