Message from Jennifer Pellish, High School Teacher

Worship and the Expression of Guilt (from Today in the Word)

Leviticus 5:1 “If you are called to testify about something you have seen or that you know about, it is sinful to refuse to testify, and you will be punished for your sin.

Although federal prosecutors had taped conversations that clearly implicated Rod Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois, in federal crimes, he continued to publicly deny his guilt: "I don’t believe there’s any cloud that hangs over me. I think there’s nothing but sunshine hanging over me."

Sin has a track record of self-deception. We can be made to feel guilty when we’ve done nothing wrong or believe ourselves innocent when we’re guilty. Feelings are no fail-safe guide for exposing sin; the Bible is our only reliable authority when it comes to probing our inner motivations and arbitrating our actions.

Leviticus offers a thorough look at what is and isn’t sin. In our passage today, we see that sin isn’t only a descriptor for the evil things we’ve done intentionally. Sin can also include unintentional acts. Guilt or innocence is not weighed on the scales of motivation. To mean to do right while inadvertently doing wrong is still sin. Sin is the transgression, or betrayal, of God’s holy standards, whether we’re conscious of those standards or not.

We betray God’s law not only by doing bad things (sins of commission) but also by neglecting to do good things (sins of omission). In Leviticus 5, we see someone who refused to publicly testify about a situation which he witnessed. He was guilty because of what he failed to do.

Because sin wields such power of self-deception, it is our inclination to justify ourselves before God. We make excuses for why our sin isn’t really that bad. But all of our well-reasoned arguments don’t exonerate us. The good news is that God is always providing a means for atonement. It’s His gracious desire to forgive and reconcile people to Himself.

Apply the Word

We need the light of Scripture to shine in our hearts even as we ask, "Search me, God, and know my heart; . . . See if there is any offensive way in me" (Psalm 139:23–24). Make this your prayer every evening when you lie down or every morning when you wake up. Accept any conviction from the Holy Spirit, and then accept His forgiveness when you confess.

Message from Kristin Ornoski, Development Office

Go All The Way Through

~Joyce Meyers~

God wants us to be diligent and go all the way through with Him, not just go until the way becomes difficult, and then stop there.  One of our greatest challenges is to face our mountains rather than trying to go around them.

Sometimes we go around and around the same mountain, and we end up like the Israelites in the wilderness who wandered around for forty years (Deuteronomy 2:1-3).  We must learn to face our mountains and determine to go all the way through with God.  That is the only path to victory.

I encourage you to go all the way through with God no matter how difficult it may seem.  Let God have His way in your life.  Pray for God’s will and not your own will.  God’s way is for you to set your face like a flint, dig in both heels, and go all the way through.

Determine to enjoy the journey.  Enjoying life is an attitude of the heart, a decision to enjoy everything because everything -even little, seemingly insignificant things- has a part in God’s plan for our lives.

As we believe that it is God’s will for us to experience continual joy, we will discover a power that lifts us above life’s circumstances.

Thank you Joyce for that reminder!

Have a Blessed and Fantastic Cinco de Mayo weekend.  

Message from Judy Nunez, Admin. Assistant Elementary Campus

Cutting A Trail… Proverbs 4:1-7

            Taken from Our Daily Bread

The Native Americans of Michigan were the state’s first highway route engineers.  With few exceptions, Michigan’s major highways follow the trails they cut through the wilderness hundreds of years before the white man came.  A trail was 12-18 inches wide, and for safety the people followed single file.  Then pack horses followed these trails, widening them.  Later came wagons, and the trails became dirt roads and then highways.

            In a similar way, Solomon followed the trail of his father and in turn paved the way for his sons and grandsons.  He did this by encouraging his sons to heed his instructions just as he had followed the sound teaching of his father (Prov. 4:4-5).  So this father, giving his sons good practical and spiritual counsel, was passing on what he had learned from the boy’s grandfather, David, who was called a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).  The younger generation of believers often learns best about God from the family.

            Our physical and spiritual children watch the path we’re taking.  As God’s men and women, let’s make certain we cut a righteous, wise, and clear trail.  Then if ongoing generations choose to follow, the trail can become a highway---an ongoing legacy to God’s glory. ---Dave Egner

Lord, as I walk my path of life,

Help my feet step straight and true;

That those who follow after me,

Will be tracking straight with You. ---Egner

 

Thank you to all the teachers at Phoenix Christian who are blazing a trail for those students who would follow.

Message from Margarita Llanes, Spanish Teacher

It seems like in the last couple of weeks I had found myself praying extra hard for the problem of how to handle a teen’s occasional sarcasm- or, as what I call, “back talk.” It was during one morning reading Becky Freeman, that the Lord gave me the following sweet poem from her friend Faye Yates. I hope the words will remind you today that we are created to be loved and to love. Not to love only the smart, fast and beautiful. Simply put we need to love others at home or at school just because they belong to God’s family. Enjoy!!

 
Just Because You’re You

 They say some babies born will only be
 A heavy burden to a family
 Because they’ll never act the proper way,
 So find a place for them to stay…
 But a mother looks through tear filled eyes
 And begins to sing this lullaby…
  “I don’t love you, for what you can, or cannot do
     I love you, just because you’re you
  Though many others may question your worth
  I’ll treasure you, more than all the earth.”
And when we see our soul so scared with sin
We are surprised to find God takes us in
For all we have to give Him is our shame
And though we fail the Lord, we hear Him say,
  “Though I look at you through tear filled eyes,
       I still sing to you this lullaby,
  “I don’t love you, for what you can or cannot do
      I love you, just because you’re you,  Though sometimes, you may question your own worth,
    I’ll love you, more than all the earth.”

Message from Lois Leader, High School Teacher

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."

Psalms 24:1

In honor of Earth Day on this past Sunday (April 22), I dedicate my blog entry to God’s creation.

One of the most profound duties God gives us is stewardship over His creation. Scripture tells us how much He loves this work of His hands. After every act of creation He blessed it and declared that it was good. Reading the first chapter of Genesis it is obvious that God takes delight in every aspect of the world He created. Yet He trusted us to be caretakers of His great work of art.

The creation teaches us about the attributes of God:

Psalms 104:24. How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small.

It shows His infinite compassion:

Matt 6:26. Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. And are you not worth much more than they?

God has established a relationship with us and with our environment:

Genesis 9:8-9. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living Creature on the earth."

God pays attention to the way we fulfill our role as stewards:

Jer. 2:7. I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and you made my inheritance detestable.

Luke 16:2,10,13. And He called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous in much. You cannot serve both God and mammon.

Although Earth Day was not established as a Christian observance, I think it is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the trust that God put in us when He gave us dominion over His creation. How we fulfill that trust is an indicator of the respect we hold for the Creator.

Message from Monique Lara, Preschool Teacher

Proverbs 1:33

But all who listen to me will live in peace,
Untroubled by fear of harm.”

I read this poem to my sister on Sunday, she was finding her self lost and stuck in her own misery. I pray for her everyday, for the Lord to give her strength even if she does not choose to seek him. When I brought this to her attention the expression on her face seemed somewhat confused yet she felt as if relief has took the stress away. I told her to hear Him, sit and pray as hard as you can and open your door to Him. The Lord is always here to take away the pain and sorrow you are in, you just got to believe and let him in. His wonders can do much more then you can imagine. She understood why I put much faith in Him; He has helped me in everything I have been through. I am far from perfect but I do believe the Good Lord is with us through anything and I feel if I can pay it forward through prayer or words of The Lord, I’ve done my part because I am and we all are Gods children. He is part of my family and family is very important to me.

Message from Janice Koivisto, Junior High Teacher

At 8th Grade Camp last week, I was blessed to lead Chapel services each evening for our 41 junior high students…. One evening I challenged them to learn more of who God is by learning some of His Old Testament names… He reveals His character and his attributes through His interactions and His relationships with us…. A few of the names of God that rang clearly in the hearts and lives of the kids were…..
Yahweh- I Am
El Shaddai- The Covenant God, The Promise Keeper
Jehovah Jireh- The God Who Provides
Jehovah Tsidqenu- The Righteous One Jehovah Shalom- The God of Peace
Jehovah Repheka- The God Who Heals
Jehovah Nissi- God is My Banner
Jehovah Shamah- The God Who is Already There
Jehovah Tsebaoath- The God of the Armies of Heaven
Jehovah Elohim- The Three In One
Jehovah Elyon- The Lord Over All

Call upon Him by His names!

He WANTS us to know Him and call on Him! Blessings! Janice Koivisto

Message from Gretchen Janes, Development Office

As the days fly by, I am realizing that I must be intentional in just about everything I do. This devotional helps me to sort through stuff and establish priorities. Heaven knows there's a lot of stuff going right now! I pray that your motives are pure and your priorities are aligned with God's and that this helps you to sort through your stuff!

What's Your Motive?
by Charles R. Swindoll
Read Philippians 1:17; James 4:3
During my days in seminary, I formed a habit that helped me immensely throughout life. I had my artistic sister, Luci, print a simple, three-word question on a small rectangular card I placed on the wall above the desk where I spent so much of my time.

Just black letters on a white card, with a bold question mark at the end:

WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVE?

I no longer have the card, but the question is now indelibly etched on my mind. I ask it almost every day of my life. It has proven to be an essential checkpoint I now apply on a regular basis:

Why are you planning this?
What's the reason behind your doing that?
Why did you say yes (or no)?
What is the motive for writing that letter?
Why are you excited over this opportunity?
What causes you to bring up that subject?
Why did you mention his or her name?
What's your motive, Swindoll?

Searching, probing, penetrating questions.
Because the path of servanthood is so perilous, we need to cultivate a sensitive walk with God marked by obedience.


Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1981), 157--58. Copyright © 1981 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Message from Dave Huss, High School Teacher

In this election year, the leadership of our state and nation are on the forefront of our hearts and minds. Years ago, when I served in the US Army during the Vietnam era, we were trained in 7 Principles of Military Leadership which, we were told, applied particularly to combat situations when serving in a war zone. These principles were:
1. Set the example
2. Know your mission
3. Take responsibility
4. Delegate authority
5. Keep superiors informed
6. Train subordinates
7. Ensure the task is accomplished
In the intervening years after discharge from the Army, in business, in church, and particularly in family life, I have come to realize that these principles are applicable to far more than military combat situations.
1. Paul, while encouraging the leaders of the Church in Corinth said 'Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Jesus Christ' (1Cor. 11:1) Paul knew that, by the Holy Spirit, he was empowered to, and must, Set the Example to fellow believers.
2. The prophet Micah, by the Spirit, gave the all encompassing statement by which we Know our Mission ' He has shown thee, oh man. what is good. And what does the Lord require of thee? But to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.' (Micah 6:8)
3.Taking Responsibility is demonstrated by scores of biblical characters. James, to pick just one, said 'Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says..' (James 1:22-25)
4. Perhaps the clearest teaching on Delegating Authority in scripture is provided by Jethro as he watched his son-in-law, Moses, act as sole judge for most of a million Jews as they wandered in the wilderness enroute to the Promised land. He said ' What is this that you are doing?.... what you are doing is not good....you will only wear yourself out...you cannot handle it alone...... select capable men from all the people.... That will make your load lighter.... you will be able to stand the strain....and the people will go home satisfied...' (Exodus 18:13-23)
5. God is the 'Superior' of every believer, and of course, we don't have to 'inform' Him of anything. He does direct us, however, to continually keep in contact about 'everything'. 'In everything, by prayer and supplication, make your requests known unto God.' Phil 4:6
6. Training Subordinates is part of leadership. Training,(as opposed to teaching) children is a large part of our mission as parents. ' Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' (Prov. 22:6)
7. Ensure the Task is accomplished. Finish the race. Be faithful to the end, no matter what the Lord has given you to do. Paul said, probably just before he was executed '....the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.' 2Tim. 4:6-8

I never learned who formulated these 7 principles of leadership, but I expect, who ever it was, knew the Word of God and certainly understood the importance of appliying the Word to our own lives.

Message from Gena Horn, Technology & Facilities

Our Daily Bread

In August 2009, Blair and Ronna Martin lost their energetic 9-year-old son Matti when he was dragged to his death by a family cow. I had a chance to meet this Kenai, Alaska, family and share in their grief. And I know how tough this tragedy has been for them.

I also know that they are seeking God’s care and comfort for their pain. An observation made by Matti’s mom is valuable for anyone walking through one of life’s valleys. During one of her down times, Ronna was reading 2 Corinthians 1:9, which says that “we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” She felt as if Jesus were telling her, “Ronna, I know the journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.”

When the journey gets too tough to navigate, 2 Corinthians 1:9 is a reminder to us that we don’t travel alone. We have the help of the One who showed us His power in the resurrection, and who will demonstrate His power again when He raises believing loved ones of all generations to eternal life. “My strength and my hope have to be in Christ alone,” Ronna said. That’s a truth we all need as we travel the journey God has for us.

When life’s journey gets so difficult
That it feels too much to bear,
Just remember, we don’t walk alone—
Our almighty God is there. —Sper

The storms of life remind us to take shelter
in the loving arms of our Savior.

Message from Mary Hendricks, Elementary Teacher

I chose the following story to inspire and encourage the faculty and staff of PCUS, in whatever season of your career you may be serving the Lord. May He shower His blessings on us as we share His love with our students and our school families.

Forever Young
by Vicki Caruana, from Kisses of Sunshine
When our youngest child was beginning kindergarten, I didn't know much about the teachers at his school. The word was that Mrs. Sexton was the best kindergarten teacher. She was full of enthusiasm, yet maintained discipline. She loved teaching and she loved kids. I decided Mrs. Sexton was the best choice for Charles. I turned in a brief but expectant letter to the principal in hopes that he would place my son with the best.

He did.

But she turned out to be older - much older - than I expected. By the time she taught my son, Molly Sexton had taught for thirty-two years. When I found this nugget of insider information, I contemplated whether it was worth upsetting the apple cart (so to speak) and request a different teacher. How could someone still have enthusiasm after all those years? Charles was already reluctant to go to school. I didn't want him discouraged by a seasoned teacher - one seasoned with vim and vinegar instead of sweetness and spice. Finally, though, I chose not to make waves and left the assignment as it was. And boy, was I glad I did.

I knew Mrs. Sexton was a pro from the first day I stepped into her classroom. Her room was one of the most inviting classrooms I had ever been in. Not too busy with over-decoration. Not sterile like many high school classrooms. It was just right. She welcomed each and every child as if their class was her very first class. For my son, it was love at first sight. I knew it would be a good year when he slipped his hand out of mine and followed Mrs. Sexton to the activity center without looking back. I stood there, mesmerized by her confidence and her grace. I wanted to linger, but knew it was better for Charles if I didn't.

I once asked Molly Sexton what kept her going. "Loving these little ones as my own makes all the difference," she said. "And remembering how much their parents love them helps when they're driving me crazy!"
Nine hundred students and their parents later, Molly reminisced about her own growth as a teacher. "I still don't know it all," she explained. "I still have a lot to learn and I pray that I learn what I need when I need it."
All of those years of teaching helped her to quickly see the light inside each child put in her care. It was as if she cherished the time she had with them. But even with all that experience, she treated each child as an individual and drew out of them the best they had to offer. They wanted to please her. They wanted to linger. Leaving a teacher you love, even to advance to the next grade, seems both unnecessary and even painful to some children. Charles wanted Mrs. Sexton to be his teacher forever and for always. That is the greatest compliment a teacher can receive.

In the minds of our students, we are still the same as when they sat in our classes. We are, therefore, forever young. Look at yourself through their eyes, aged as they may be now, and recapture for yourself the enthusiasm and dedication you had long ago. Decide to grow into a seasoned teacher - seasoned with all the ingredients of a teacher they will never forget. And when you are faced with the prospect of working with a veteran teacher, honor him or her with the respect they have earned.

“A wise teacher's words spur students to action and emphasize important truths. The collected sayings of the wise are like guidance from a shepherd.” ECCLESIASTES 12:11 NLT

Jay Hendricks, High School Teacher

176 years ago today, on April 11, 1836, George Mueller opened his first orphanage in Bristol England. Mueller grew up as a thief and troublemaker and even did time in jail. In 1825 he began a relationship with Christ, which led to his plan to help homeless children make better lives for themselves. George Mueller took in more than 10,000 orphans and made it a practice to never ask for money. The most amazing legacy, however, was that he recorded over 50,000 answers to prayer in his lifetime. Mueller prayed for and trusted God for his needs and the physical and spiritual needs of the children in his care, and God provided again and again.

Matthew 6:26-34

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Over 50,000 answers to prayer, why should we expect less? God answered prayer in 1836 for George Mueller in Bristol England; God answers prayer today in Phoenix Arizona.

Message from Colleen Helman, High School Teacher

Will I Let God’s Truth Make a Difference in Me Today?

As I sit down to write, I am aware that I am full of inconsistencies in my daily life and walk with the Lord. I know that He is changing me, but it doesn’t seem to go as quickly as I would like.

What encourages me is that the Words of our Lord are always the Words of Truth. And so, this is a reflection of the reminders that God has sent my way recently, along with conviction of my lack of action, and the hope of His renewal and transformation of who I am in Him.

Here is God’s Truth:

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:15-17 MSG

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

James 3:3-5 MSG

And my favorite:

And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24 MSG

Have a blessed day!

Message from Brandon Harris, Development & Varsity Football Coach

2 Samuel 9:1-13

1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “At your service!”
3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”
And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table[a] like one of the king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

I love these obscure stories in the Bible that basically encapsulize a person's entire life in a single chapter. This person is Mephibosheth who was the son of Johnathan whom David loved. He showed kindness to Mephibosheth after his father's death. What I like about this story is it is clear to me that there is emphasis placed on the deficiencies of this person. He was crippled, but the fact he was crippled is a metaphor for our deficiencies today. Crippled can also mean he wasn't "high class," he didn't come from the right schools or the right side of the tracks, didn't wear the finest of clothes or have the best things, he didn't have the connections or resources, didn't talk with proper English and wasn't "perfect" like all of us, but David went to Lo Debar, which means some interesting things (hiding place, no pasture, no word) ouch!!! When we are struggling--when we are down--when we are having a hard time or a rough day-- do we hide? We turn our cell phone's on silent, don't respond to email and just don't want to talk about it? This isn't a new phenomenon. It was happening before Mephibosheth. When Adam ate from the tree and God searched the garden calling out for him what did Adam do? He turned his Iphone off and hid!!

So Mephibosheth was "crippled" in a place of hiding, shame, no pasture (nothing fruitful there at all) and no Word (Bible). Basically in a place that was an afterthought. But David asked for Johnathan's remnant, sought him out and actually sent men out and got him. I can see David's men saying come on out and Mephibosheth saying "he didn't feel like it" or "didn't want to get up." How many blessings have we missed because we wouldn't just get up? But David didn't take no for an answer and sent his men for him and brought him back; restored everything to him and more and here is the real cool part…underneath that table cloth Mephibosheth was still crippled. But as you look across the table at him, he looks the same as anyone else--that table cloth hides his imperfections!!! So the question is, who is your Mephibosheth? Who do you know is hiding, ashamed and don't think God has love for them? Do you need to send for them? Actually go pick them up and bring them to church or to pray with them? Are you struggling with some Mephibosheth challenges of your own? Well Jesus is our David and he is reaching out to get us out of that hiding place where we are alone and exactly where the enemy wants us to be, isolated and without the word (Lo debar) so he can work on our minds telling us how imperfect we are and no one cares…but remember Jesus does care and is sending for us so we can take our seat with him at His table no matter what we look like under the table cloth.

Message from Harold Harmon, High School Teacher

I have always had a difficult time wrapping my finite mind around the Biblical truths regarding God’s design and plan for our lives when I have seen first-hand so much poverty and sickness in this world. I have seen malnourished children begging in the streets of Ecuador and Morelia and Jalapa and the list goes on. And these are not the poorest of the poor. Sandy and I have picked up the pieces of 60+ children who have come from abusive and neglectful homes – children we introduce to Jesus and have to explain why God allowed them to be born to parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics and who didn’t care for them. And then, the puzzling question is: Why was I born into a loving family and was given the best of everything? Why do I live in a beautiful home and have bounty, when our good friends in Rocky Point live in shanties and rarely have enough to eat?

I know in my mind that the answer lies in the profound affect that sin has had on this planet. And all I can do is thank God for the blessings that He continues to give to my family and do what I can to ease the misery of those who lie in my sphere of influence. Even though our efforts are but a drop in the ocean, we will continue to take food and clothing to Mexico and we will continue to provide foster children with a loving home who, otherwise, would be living in a shelter. Jeff will continue to bless less- fortunate children from MC Cash as well as an array of others that are blessed by the service projects and blood drives. Howard, Jan and Jim will continue to bless the refugees from Uganda. And the teachers and staff at PC will continue to make a difference in the lives of thousands who are blessed by their efforts.

God blesses us so we can, in turn, be a blessing to others. Jesus’ ministry was to the poor, the lame, and the sick of this world. If we see the world through our Father’s eyes, we will be a channel of God’s love to those around us. It is far better to give than to receive.

Message from Alicia Galindo, Human Resources Manager

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice”. Philippians 4:4

This is a small but powerful verse from Philippians. Even though at times, we may choose not to “rejoice”, this is actually a commandment from our Lord to rejoice regardless of our circumstance. Not always easy but again, this is directly from the Lord. Are you rejoicing today despite what you are going through?

Have a blessed day!

(Taken from Word for the Day from Tom Nannarone)

Message from Laura Furedy, Preschool Director

Communion on the Moon: July 20, 1969
(An article by Eric Metaxas)

Forty-two years ago two human beings changed history by walking on the surface of the moon. But what happened before Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong exited the Lunar Module is perhaps even more amazing, if only because so few people know about it. "I'm talking about the fact that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the surface of the moon. Some months after his return, he wrote about it in Guideposts magazine. And a few years ago I had the privilege of meeting him myself. I asked him about it and he confirmed the story to me, and I wrote about it in my book, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about God (But Were Afraid to Ask)."

The background to the story is that Aldrin was an elder at his Presbyterian Church in Texas during this period in his life, and knowing that he would
soon be doing something unprecedented in human history, he felt he should mark the occasion somehow, and he asked his minister to help him. And so the
minister consecrated a communion wafer and a small vial of communion wine.

And Buzz Aldrin took them with him out of the Earth's orbit and on to the surface of the moon.
He and Armstrong had only been on the lunar surface for a few minutes when Aldrin made the following public statement: "This is the LM pilot. I'd like
to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of
the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way." He then ended radio communication and there, on the silent surface of the moon, 250,000
miles from home, he read a verse from the Gospel of John, and he took communion. Here is his own account of what happened:

"In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had
given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the scripture, 'I am the
vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.'

"I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute [they] had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a
legal battle with Madelyn Murray O'Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at
Christmas.
I agreed reluctantly.

"I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility.
It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."

And of course, it's interesting to think that some of the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ, who made the Earth and the moon
- and Who, in the immortal words of Dante, is Himself the "Love that moves the Sun and other stars."

Message from Irma Flores, Elementary Teacher

In my reading of Romans 6 I was reminded of the newness of life that we have in Christ Jesus.

Verse 6: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

It’s Spring time and I can’t help notice all the new things in nature that I see. Another verse I memorized as a new Christian was 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed way, behold, all things are become new.” God makes me new spiritually and I will never grow old. Even though my outward appearance may, my inward spirit will be renewed daily.

Praise God that Jesus has made me a new creature and all the old things have passed away. Jesus is life.

John 10: 10: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Message from Angie Dickerson, Admin. Assistant to Principal

Planting for the Lord

Looking at our website verse: Proverbs 22:6 - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." It struck me that the PC teachers and staff are "soldiers" involved in the battleground for these young people's souls - assisting their families in the "training" of the way they should go. This is an extremely important mission and one that God has definitely hand picked each one of us for.

It is a daunting and tiring task to work with children day in and day out, and we don't always see any results. However, as Proverbs 22 says - "when he is OLD he will not depart from it". The word OLD caught my eye. We may never see all of the seeds planted here bloom, it may be years before some of these students blossom into the men or women that God created them to be. But, we are being faithful to plant the seeds as the great Gardner has instructed us. Remember we are working toward eternal treasures for ourselves, our families and our students.

Matthew 6:19
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Message from Keith deLaet, High School Teacher

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

In some respects this is a fantastic time of the year. Spring is here, we have just had a nice break, and the time remember and celebrate Jesus’ victory over death is only days away. That always provides a great opportunity to look at life, God’s calling, and how we are doing in our walk with the risen Christ.

Right in there, however, is income tax season. I know a great many people enjoy the challenge of the annual return and I am also aware of the fact that many earn their salary based on their knowledge and application of the IRS tax code. I’m thankful for those people because for me, it might as well be written in a different language. I just don’t follow it and it causes me frustration and fatigue.

In regard to taxes, Jesus message is simple. Give to Caesar, in our case the government, what belongs to them but also remember to give to God what belongs to God. There is no griping about the misuse of tax money or a long discourse on the responsibility of government. The only thing present is the admonition to be a good citizen, fulfill your responsibility. As you do this, Jesus reminds us to also make sure we are also good citizens of the eternal kingdom. Don’t forget to give to God the things that belong to God.

For me this is a wonderful reminder, using the tax season as a lesson in faith. It can be easy to itemize our deductions and see just what we have done with our money. Jesus calls us to step beyond that and to evaluate our entire relationship with God. Give to God that which belongs to God, He says. When we really think about it, it creates a compelling list and begs the question: “Do I really give?”

Message from Margaret Crotts, Elementary Teacher

Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant
or harvest or store food in barns, but your
heavenly Father feeds them.
Matthew 6:26

Consider the earth! Our globe’s weight has been
estimated at six sextillion tons (a six with twenty-
one zeroes). Yet it is precisely tilted at twenty-three
degrees; any more or any less and our seasons would be lost in a melted polar flood. Though our globe revolves at the rate of one-thousand miles per hour or twenty-five thousand miles per day or nine million miles per year, none of us tumbles into orbit…

As you stand….observing God’s workshop, let me
pose a few questions. If he is able to place the
stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a
curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God
is able to guide your life? If your God is mighty enough
to ignite the sun, could it be that he is mighty enough
to light your path? If he cares enough about the planet
Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is
there an outside chance that he cares enough about you
to meet your needs?

Max Lucado
Grace for the Moment

Message from Marc Cram, High School Teacher

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
I take refuge in You.

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For I am Your servant.

God led me to this Psalm this week for my wife (fyi it is so fun to say I have a wife now :) and I found that it also applies to PC. This part of the Psalms, verse 5, starts with remembering the days of old and what the Lord has done for us. I remember only a few years back we were teaming with students and at full capacity. PC has had many great years in the past and have been blessed with so many students. Now we look at our school which was cut in half pretty much for enrollment and it has been hard and stressful through these last few years. But as the Psalms tell us, “For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to you I lift up my soul.” We know we need to trust in God and we know that He will lead us as He wants us. We have seen great things from our small body of students, great leaps in faith and a community that seeks the Lord. I see this Psalm as an encouragement to keep in going, to battle through the hard times, to trust our Guide and Leader, to take the hits and get back up again. I KNOW GOD WILL LEAD US AND WE WILL BE ALL RIGHT!!! (I was getting a little fired up there…) We have a great Leader and a community of love that follows Him, with those two things all is possible. I look forward to the years to come for this school and to see where God is guiding us. It is exciting and scary all at the same time, but I trust in God and know He has a great and wonderful plan.

Message from Bruce Consier, Athletic Director

THE BUZZARD, THE BAT AND THE BUMBLEBEE" from D. Silver

BUZZARD - If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

BAT - The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

BUMBLEBEE - A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

TEACHER/COACHES
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

Read about the persons of great faith in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11 ends with this:
“God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

Message from Jim Callahan, High School Teacher

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – if indeed you have tasked that the lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:1-3 ESV


We all start the Christ life as babies in Christ. There is nothing bad or shameful about this. It is a spiritual reality that we all experience. We also are to remain as babies or children throughout our Christian lives in regard to humility (Matt. 18:1-4) and evil (1Cor 14:20). However, it is not the will of God that we remain as babies in every sense forever; we are to “grow up into salvation” (1Pt 2:2). Paul tells the Corinthian Christians “Brothers, do not be Children in your thinking (1Cor 14:20). How does Peter direct us to grow in this passage? The answer here is by the elimination of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander in our lives. What is very interesting here is that Peter does not say that when you grow up you will be able to eliminate these things, but rather that the elimination of these things is a prerequisite to growth through the proper use of “pure spiritual milk.” May God by His grace enable us to eliminate these things in our lives.

Message from Yvonne Calderon, Junior High Teacher

Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.


Monday: a razor blade in my tire
Wednesday: I locked my keys in my car when the manual and the dealer tell me that it is IMPOSSIBLE
Thursday: After leaving school early to take Julia to the doctor, my CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SOON came on 2 miles from the dealership.
Friday: Art was diagnosed with glaucoma

If I looked at those situations just as I wrote those, my week would look fairly icky!

Here is the part where Psalm 91:4 became REAL!!!

Monday: The razor blade in my tire was about 1 mile away from school and Jose and Carroll changed my tire. When I called the tire store we patronize, the gentleman told me that they only had one tire to fit my car in the entire city. The tire was out in Goodyear. Would it be ok if I drove out there? God was watching over me because the ONLY store was 1.5 miles from my home.

Wednesday: Locking my keys in my trunk allowed me to remain on campus for another 30 minutes. I am not sure exactly how God was protecting Julia, Sihao and I. I am confident that His protective wing was over me.

Thursday: The CHECK ENGINE SOON light coming on 2 miles from the dealer was amazing. The bolts on my engine were cracking and set off the sensor. What a blessing that they were covered under warranty.

Friday: Art received the diagnosis we were warned may happen after the brain bleed. “You have glaucoma” However, this came with the encouraging words, “We caught this very early!”

I marvel at how the Lord went before me every minute of every day. I am not sure I would have noticed if it had not been for my bible study. It is interesting when we are reminded to see God’s goodness; it is right before our eyes. In lieu of feeling overwhelmed, I felt blessed.

Dear Lord, may we find the blessings you send our way!

Message from Karen Boyce, Business Office Manager

Its almost spring break!

"Are you tired? Worn out? … Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

I was camp counselor at a Jr/Sr High youth retreat a couple of weekends ago. The theme of the camp was “rest” focusing on Matthew 11:28. Honestly, teenagers and rest are an oxymoron in my mind. But, I was able to observe the teenagers “unplug” from their worlds, pause from their difficult situations, and seek oneness with God.

For me, I would prefer to replace the word “rest” with “sleep”, but I have subtle reminders that sleep was not God’s intention. Rather, God’s intention is for me to surrender, seek sanctification and He will lighten my burdens. Rest is divine diversion from the hectic human world we live in.

Each of us has our own cross to carry. My heaviest cross was losing my mom two years ago yesterday. But, through this journey, I have learned about the cost and yet the necessary craving for sanctification.

My response to the command “Come to Me” allows me to measure my commitment to God. Oswald Chambers says it best, “Sanctification … will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him. And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also bring profound joy to Him.”

With Spring Break next week, I will pray for your rest. Hopefully you will get some sleep too, but more importantly, that whatever cross you carry, my prayer is that you will find time to get away with God and that He will lighten your burdens. Your “resting” will bring our God great joy!

Have a great week!

Message from Sonya Berges, JH/SH Teacher

This school year my personal life has been a year of ups and downs; extreme situations and conflict. Situations in my extended family have challenged us in many ways. There are a couple of things that God is working with me on but the one key element has been prayer.

Prayer without ceasing has never been a virtue of mine. I’m impatient; I want to see action, solve a problem and move on. If you have a plan or idea, get started on executing it. God doesn’t always work that way – or maybe He just doesn’t show it to me as quickly as I’d like. Through the situations in our family, I’ve experienced first-hand the significant difference that consistent, regular prayer makes in a situation. When I don’t pray regularly, I find myself trying to take over and control people and circumstances. When I pray regularly, the situations may not change but I do. The circumstances may remain uncertain but my heart and life is securely held by Christ; nothing gets into my life that he hasn’t allowed.

Ephesians 3:14-21 has been a passage I’ve turned to, repeated and taken a stand on.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Message from Roger Bemis, Band Teacher

Recently, I saw the movie "Act of Valor" opening weekend (Feb 24). I encourage you to go see it. If for no other reason, than to support our military and to send Hollywood a message; that we don't like most of the crap they put out. It stars real Navy SEALS acting out a fictional story based on several true life events woven together to make the movie.


1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:15-17 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)

1 John 3:15-17
New International Version (NIV)
15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

For me, there was lot's of "eye candy"; Blackhawks, .50cal machine guns, gatling guns, fast river boats, HALO jumps, submarines and more.

For a good review from a Christian perspective: http://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movie/act-of-valor.html

Message from Phil Adams, Superintendent

Acts 26:24-26
English Standard Version
And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

As with Paul in the first century, so it is with us. Christians are often accused of being nuts. Paul knew and spoke the truth. He was not intimidated by power or insults. Just the opposite – he spoke truth to power. The truth of God’s Word is not limited to the facts contained in it but extends to the effects it should have on all of us. The fruit of the Spirit is as factual as the theology we see. Sometimes scripture is attacked for its mere existence, more often it is attacked for what it demands of us in our everyday lives interacting with our fellow man.
I also find Paul’s last statement interesting. We can’t live out our Christian faith as if no one is watching. People are watching. Students, parents, colleagues, and family. We do not live in corners even if we wanted to.

Message from Jim Wolfe, High School Teacher

In preparing for this devotional I happened to remember when I was a teen the times sitting out on the large porch of my aunts country home when we visited in the summer. Most of the time there would be several of us kids out playing and the adults solving all the problems of the world on that porch. Sometimes when I was alone, just sitting there by myself, I could hear and see the glory of God’s nature in the fields and woods around their house. As I think of today’s times, it seems that everyone is so "busy" these days. Long gone are the days when we sat on the porch during the setting sun, listening to the sounds of nature, and solving all the problems of the world.

Some people might thing we are better off now than we were then. I don't know. We seem to have lost the ability to appreciate nature, which is sometimes tough to do in the city.

The following is a poem I came across on the internet that sort of follows this theme. Appreciate what God has given us while we can! It is titled “The Music of Nature”

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.

The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.

The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

'Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music my friends
Before the song is over.

Message from Jan Wolfe, Art Teacher

Psalm 15 ESV
15 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your vent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

As we enter another round of elections, I am always amazed at the politicians, who want to run for a high office, and then have their past ‘sins’ come to light. In the light, the would be politicians, try to explain their ‘sins’ away, try to cover them up, blame someone else, and get even deeper into the lies of their lives. Eventually these would be politicians end up fading away.
As I read Psalm 15, it occurred to me that if politicians wanted to live a life that would be transparent under scrutiny, just following this Psalm would make it easy. We need to pray for those running for offices at all levels. Pray that those who are eligible to live on God’s “Holy Hill” are the ones elected to live on the political ‘hill’.

Message from Carol Stines, International Director

I have been so blessed by many hymns and Christian choruses. In fact, I have even chosen some songs for my funeral already and, on my tombstone I want this section from a song …
Why should I gain from His Reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

We often sing songs and do not really think about what we are saying or promising or confessing or believing. I urge us to really think about the meaning and internalize it. Sometimes at home I’ll sing a song many times. It often takes about the 3rd time through before I really start to comprehend all that I’m singing and see how to make it personal.

How about the song:
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows
The more that I love him, more love He bestows
Each day is like Heaven, my heart overflows
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

How about:
I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sins upon that cross

Recently this has meant a lot:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know who holds the future
And, life is worth the living just because He lives.

I’ll end with this one:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His mercy and grace

Message from Dan Stauffer, JH/SH Math Teacher

"What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?" 1 Corinthian 4:7

I like verses like this that set me straight on who I am. How prone I can be to boasting in the "great" things I have accomplished! This attitude can make me frustrated or impatient with others, because the focus is on me, and naturally I'm not too sure about you and the way you do things. When I boast in myself, I say through my words and actions that I'm relying on my own strength rather than on who Jesus is and what he has done for me. I need to remind myself that the one whom I always should be exalting is God.

There is, indeed, a good kind of boasting. It is boasting in God. In fact, we can never exaggerate the greatness of God, because he is infinitely greater than all we could ever imagine or describe. When we boast in the Lord, we say through our words and actions that we're relying on Jesus and on what he has done for us rather than on our own strength. We take the focus off ourselves, and we see every good thing in our lives as a gift from him. We realize we have done nothing to earn or deserve the favor of God, but he has chosen to love us (in spite of who we are). Jesus loves us, this we know. What a wonderful God we serve!

Message from Jamie Ross, Kindergarten Teacher

The Kitchen Sink

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Thessalonians 5:18
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Four and a half years ago, my husband and I were enjoying an Easter sunrise service at the Grand Canyon. When we arrived home, later that afternoon, we walked into a house flood. Three and a half inches of standing water flooded the entire 800 square feet of our home. A pipe had broken. Our house was built in the early fifties. Our home owners insurance would pay for another flood, storage for 3 months and new flooring throughout our home. They wouldn’t pay for bringing our home up to code compliance with new wiring & plumbing. My husband touched one of the pipes in the exposed wall and it fell apart in his hands. So, as you can probably relate, we were on the pay as you go plan.

First we piped and wired up to code compliance. Then we purchased beautiful flooring from Habitat for Humanity & Construction Lots. Two years later, we had a lovely completed bathroom. Our kitchen had a lovely floor, a card table, oven and refrigerator. Our dishes were stored in crates on the floor. We washed our dishes in the bathroom sink and for really big jobs, we used the bathtub.

The kitchen had always been a place of comfort, counseling and fellowship. I asked God; many times to instantaneously provide us with kitchen cabinets and a sink. Nothing happened. My favorite holiday: Thanksgiving would roll around year after year & I would rinse the family turkey in the bathtub.

I was having a pity party & no one came. I realized that I have so much to be thankful for. There are people who walk many miles to get water that isn’t even sanitary.

Christmas 2011 rolled around & I have a beautiful kitchen. My dishes are off of the floor and stored inside beautiful cabinets. I have a lovely, old fashioned washtub sink. I can rinse the family turkey in it. It’s not only big enough for that, I can give my 5 month old grand son, Ryan a bath in it. I could even give my almost 4 year old grand daughter, Hailey a bath in it, although I know that she would not be okay with that.

I even have a dishwasher. I’ve never in my entire life had a dishwasher. I stand amazed in my beautiful kitchen, watching this dishwasher doing my work for me.

What a blessing!!!!!!!!!!! God is so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every thing in His time, for whatever reason. I’ve learned patience, trust & thankfulness!

Message from Michele Reyman, Cafeteria Manager

Growing believers

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it,but GOD made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6

God gives each of us gifts and talents. Some of us are seed planters, making an initial contact with a person, perhaps giving them their first contact with a Christian. Another person is the one who waters. This person has a longer contact with the unbeliever, gently watering the seed that was planted, waiting for the water to settle, then watering again. Each of us must do our job and we must work as a team for a seed to be planted. However, it is not any of our responsibility to make the seed grow- only God can do that. If we each do our jobs, He will do the rest.

( One minute Devotions For Women by Carolyn Larsen )

Message from Janet Preston, Bookkeeper

God’s Plan, Not Ours

Everybody was wrong about the Ark of the Covenant (an item in the tabernacle that represented the throne of God). After losing a battle to the Philistines, Israel sent messengers to Shiloh to ask that the ark be hauled to Ebenezer, the site of their army camp.

When the ark arrived, the Israelites celebrated so loudly the enemy heard them all the way over in Aphek. The ark’s arrival caused the Philistines to fear and the Israelites to have courage.

They were both wrong. The Israelites took the ark into battle and were again clobbered by the Philistines, who captured the ark. Another mistake. The Philistines got sick and their false gods were destroyed.
We can understand the Philistines’ error—they were idol-worshipers. But the Israelites should have known better. They failed to consult God about using the ark. While they knew that the ark was earlier carried in battle (Josh. 6), they didn’t consider that God’s plan, not the ark’s involvement, allowed Israel to defeat Jericho.

No matter our resources, we will fail unless we use them according to God’s plan. Let’s study the Word, pray for God’s direction, and trust His leading (Ps. 91:2) before we step out in any venture of faith.

From Our Daily Bread 2/2/12

Message from Jennifer Pellish, High School Teacher

Taken from TODAY IN THE WORD

Colossians 1:15-17 reads, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend penned the popular modern hymn, “In Christ Alone.” In its second verse, this hymn reflects on the wonder of the Incarnation: “In Christ alone / Who took on flesh / Fullness of God in helpless babe! / This gift of love and righteousness / Scorned by the ones He came to save. / Till on that cross as Jesus died / The wrath of God was satisfied / For ev’ry sin on Him was laid / Here in the death of Christ I live.”

Paul, too, exalted the full deity and humanity of Christ. Colossians 1:15–20 is often considered the climax of this epistle because of its doctrinal and poetic qualities. Paul might be quoting an existing hymn, but it’s also possible he composed the hymn or poem himself. In any case, he asserted that Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (v. 15). This means that although God is a spirit and cannot be seen, Christ became human and made it literally possible to see God. This is also a way of saying that Christ is fully God. Hebrews 1:3 similarly affirms, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”

Christ is also “the firstborn over all creation.” “Firstborn” is a positional metaphor—that is, it doesn’t mean the Son of God began His life at a certain point in time (He’s eternal!), but rather indicates His position as ruler over the created world. This interpretation is confirmed and expanded in the next verse, where we learn that “in him all things were created” (v. 16). Christ’s relation to creation is not only one of authority, but also one of authorship. He spoke it into being and continually sustains it (cf. John 1:14). His preeminence covers the entire created realm, including supernatural beings, a truth that will be applied specifically in chapter two against the false teachings spread in Colossae (2:18–19). In summary, Paul wrote: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (v. 17). Or as one commentator put it, “Things make sense only when Christ is kept at the center.”

Today’s passage takes us back to Genesis 1 with fresh eyes. Since Christ is the creator and ruler over all creation, then He is the One to whom we as stewards of creation must give account (Gen. 1:28–30). He made it all, and He will make it all new (Rev. 21:5). It can be invigorating and convicting to realize that He is the One holding everything together, that He stands at the beginning and end of history as its Alpha and Omega, and that in Him we actually see God.

Message from Kristin Ornoski, Development Office

Be Still

“Be still,” I hear Him softly say.
“Be still, lay all aside.”
He who made the universe stoops down,
and gathers up my cares.

“Be still,” He chides again.
His work begins within my weary soul.
“Be patient. In quiet stay.
Listen to me.”

Though pressed on every side,
I clear my heart and mind.
In timid voice and heart,
I lift to Him my praise.

How quiet, His presence.
How healing, His words.
In hushed awe, I listen.
I savor each one.

My will, He bends.
My heart, He sweeps clean.
My strength, He renews.
My soul, He fills to overflowing.

He teaches through His word.
I heed what He tells me.
I stand and give Him praise.
Together we go forth to serve.

Anita Corrine Donihue

Message from Judy Nunez, Administrative Assistant

When recently thinking about God’s provision for us as individuals and as a school the following devotion from Our Daily Bread brought a reminder of how we can always trust Him…

What we see of God’s provisions teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His purposes.

Surprised By God
Ruth 2:17-23

If Naomi had dreamed about returning to her former home prosperous and successful, entering Bethlehem would have been a nightmare. While living in a foreign land, she had lost her husband and two sons and returned with only her daughter-in-law Ruth and a heart full of sorrow. “Do not call me Naomi {pleasant}; call me Mara {bitter},” she told her former neighbors, “for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
But this wasn’t the end of the story. When the discouraged Naomi saw God’s hand in Ruth’s life, she said, “The Lord…has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!”(2:20). What appeared to be a dead-end had become a doorway for these two women who had lost so much.

The Old Testament book of Ruth is a wonderful story. The brief narrative is infused with an amazing sweetness and grace as “the Lord” is mentioned time after time.
Through Naomi and Ruth, we are reminded that God works in surprising ways to make His love known and to accomplish His purposes –even during difficult times.
God’s surprises continue so we can take heart. He has not stopped showing His kindness to you and me. ---David McCasland

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best –
Lovingly, it’s part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest. ---Berg

Message from Karla Mungillo, Third Grade Teacher

The Eagle

The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years but to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision.

In its 40's its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food, its long sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old aged feathers. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years!

Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. we sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits, and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present. When it rains, most birds head for shelter; the eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the clouds………No wonder God wants us to spread our wings and soar with eagles!

Isaiah 43:18 - Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastelands.

Message from Margarita Llanes, Spanish Teacher

May the words of Tom McGrath encourage your hearts today as it did mine.

“Obey your thirst”
I was reading the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. It dawned on me that as Jesus asked the woman for something to drink, the story was all about the woman’s thirst. Through the travails of five husbands she had obviously been thirsting for something more than she had found. Jesus told her of a better way to quench her thirst, a way that was eternally satisfying.
I take great comfort in seeing that Jesus is more interested in my thirst that in my sins. Life can encourage me to ignore my thirst- to keep on pushing harder at the many duties involved in being a parent, spouse, worker, neighbor, parishioner, and so forth. Ignoring my thirst is what often leads me to errant ways. I get resentful and angry, confused and empty. Meanwhile, Jesus sits at the well inviting me to pay attention to both my physical needs and my deeper longing for God. He is always ready to give me a long, cool drink of living water.

When the poor and needy seek water, and
There is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel
Will not forsake them. Isaiah 41:17

Message from Lois Leader, High School Teacher

We often encounter statistics about the percentage of children raised in Christian homes who fall away from the faith in adulthood. Preparing for this Blog, I did an Internet search on the topic and found a consensus that the number is around 85%. That is disturbing, to say the least! On closer examination, however, I found that these statistics were based on reports of individuals in their late teens to early 20s. I was unable to find any data on the percentage of children raised in Christian homes who return to the faith in later adulthood. I have a hunch that percentage will be reassuringly high.

The adolescent years are a time of significant brain development, especially in the frontal lobe areas responsible for self-control, judgment, emotions, and organization. These areas can remain in turmoil through the early 20s. I am not trying to make a case that teenagers should be excused for their poor decision-making, but to say that we who deal with them on a daily basis should persevere in planting the seeds of spiritual growth.

If we read the well-known verse “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) carefully, we note the phrase when he is old. We can view our teenagers through the prism of Philippians 1:6 “being confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Message from Monique Lara, Preschool Teacher

Last week I was getting my bible time ready for the week when I came across the story about “a tiny mustard seed”, so I knew my kids would enjoy hearing and learning about it.

Jesus said to his people “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13 31-32)
It also goes on to explain that Gods kingdom can start small, and his love may only be in one person’s heart, but when his love is shared Gods kingdom grows and grows. Then more people wanted to follow God.

How amazing that the story represents us today, as educators, teachers, and most of all Gods people. We can start off teaching the word of the Lord about how righteous his love can be in their lives, and out of nowhere they do not want to disappoint him or make him sad, they want to keep him smiling. From a tiny child understanding what the story represents it blows me away. So with that keep teaching about his love and sooner then you know it there’s many more for God to love. I love my job!

Message from Jim Koan, Superintendent

Matthew 21:21-22
New International Version (NIV)
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
(From E.M. Bounds “On Prayer”)

In this passage we have faith and prayer, their possibilities, and powers joined. A fig tree had been blasted to the roots by the word of the Lord Jesus. The power and quickness of the result surprised the disciples. Jesus says to them that it need be no surprise to them for such a difficult work to be done. “If ye have faith” its possibilities to affect will not be confined to the little fig tree, but the gigantic, rock-ribbed, rock-founded mountains can be uprooted and moved into the sea. Prayer is leverage of this great power of faith.

Friends, I think God is calling us to ‘curse fig trees’ and ‘move mountains’. We each have our own fig trees in our lives, and both individually and corporately we have some mountains that need to be moved. I urge you this day to get on to the business God called you to, that is, to “say unto this mountain ‘Be thou removed’” because God intends to and is able to answer that prayer and move mountains.

Christ’s progression was to provide for the disciples a small example of His divine ability first (the tree) and lead them to the mountain moving faith He intended them to embrace.

He has those same intents for us, so let’s get on to the work of moving mountains right here at PC.

Message from Darren Johnson, Development Director

"Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor." Proverbs 18:12

You can never be too small for God to use, but you can be too big. The way up is down. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble." James 4:6

Peter had learned quite a lesson on humility. His words are wise: "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you." 1 Peter 5:6

God will use humble-hearted men and women. "Fear of the LORD teaches a person to be wise; humility precedes honor." Proverbs 15:33

Message from Gretchen Janes, Development Office

I thought I was creative, until I met my husband. Creativity comes so easily for him. When I scrapbook…let me clarify…when I used to scrapbook…it would take me a good amount of time to get something on the page. I just don't "see" readily what possibilities could lie on a blank piece of paper. It takes me awhile to get those creative juices flowing.

In my state of the aging process, I am finally learning to put a different spin on circumstances that arise in my path. What a difference that can make!

The devotional below is not my own words and is a bit lengthy but is worthy of reading if you find yourself stuck in a rut.

When God Hurts Your Feelings

Asking why is perfectly normal. Asking why isn’t
unspiritual. However, if asking this question pushes
us farther from God rather than drawing us closer
to Him, it is the wrong question. Too often, we tend
to question God:

• Why did this happen?
• Why didn’t You stop this, God?
• Why weren’t my prayers answered?
• Why am I alone?
• Why did this happen today of all days?!

In most situations, nothing positive can come
from whatever answer there might be to a why
question. Even if God gave us His reason why,
we would judge Him. And His reasons, from our
limited perspective, would always fall short.
That’s because our flat human perceptions
simply can’t process God’s multidimensional,
eternal reason.

Isaiah 55:8-9: “‘For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’”
declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways and my thought than your thoughts.’”

If asking the why question doesn’t offer hope, what will?
The what question. In other words: Now that this is my
reality, what am I supposed to do with it? So, when God
hurts your feelings, don’t ask why … ask what? For example,
ask God the following questions:

• What do You want me to do with what has happened?
• What can I learn from this?
• What part of this is for my protection?
• What other opportunities could God be providing?
• What maturity could God be building into me?

For more information, read Chapters 12 – 13 in
Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa
TerKeurst. Visit: www.LysaTerKeurst.com.

Message from Dave Huss, High School Teacher

ARE YOU ADOPTED?

Jesus said, ‘Except you…..become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ Matt. 18:3 . Paul adds ‘…ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry ‘Abba’ Father.’ Rom. 8:15.

When our oldest of then 5 adopted children, Danny, was 6 yrs old, we lived in rural North Dakota with three other houses in our mile square section. Our neighbor to the east had one 4 yr old boy who happened to be adopted also. An eighth of a mile to the west on the gravel road was a family with 3 small children, one of whom was also adopted.

One Sunday afternoon, we had invited one of Danny’s Sunday school classmates to spend the day with us. As they were playing downstairs in the basement ( it was winter), I overheard the following conversation:

Classmate to Danny: ‘Do you know that you’re adopted?’

Danny: ‘Yes, I know. Are you adopted?’

Classmate: ‘No.’

Danny: ‘Why not?’

As I reflect on this little conversation, it seems to me to be a microcosm of the great commission the LORD gave us prior to ascending to heaven. The good news is adoption into the family of God is available. Should we not in child-like obedience to Him be continually asking ‘Are you adopted?’ and ‘Why not?’ There’s plenty of room in the family- the old chorus goes. May the Spirit give us the grace help someone, perhaps even in our own classroom, to enter the ‘Family of God’.

Message from Gena Horn, Operations/Technology

To Soar As Eagles

THey say that eagles in flight take no concern for obstacles below. How wonderful it would be to gorget all eartly contraints and challenges and soar high above--carried effortlessly by air currents and refrehing breezes.

There are mornings when you will wake up tired. You will feel how truly eartbound yoiu are and come to the concludsion that your fravity-defying goals are too lofty to hope for.

Take heart troday that GOd never grows tired or weary. He promises to renvew your strength when you wait upon him. And like the powerful, majestic eagle, he will lift you high above the ostacles of earty--and you will soar.

"They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 NIV

Excerpt from Moments of Peace for the Morning

Message from Jay Hendricks, High School Teacher

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (Isaiah 40:1)

My grandmother’s favorite devotional was Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman. She read it cover to cover many times, and I’m sure she knew parts of it from memory. The entry for January 11 begins with this verse from Isaiah and goes on to say,

“Store up comfort. This was the prophet's mission. The world is full of comfortless hearts, and ere thou art sufficient for this lofty ministry, thou must be trained. And thy training is costly in the extreme; for, to render it perfect, thou too must pass through the same afflictions as are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood. Thus thy own life becomes the hospital ward where thou art taught the Divine art of comfort.”

We experience difficulties so that we may better understand the difficulties others face. God comforts us so that we in turn may comfort others. Our problems are not pointless, which is important for me to remember as I sit here with my pinched nerve wondering, “why me?”

The devotional ends with this quote and a poem…

“God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.”

They tell me I must bruise
The rose's leaf,
Ere I can keep and use
Its fragrance brief.

They tell me I must break
The skylark's heart,
Ere her cage song will make
The silence start.

They tell me love must bleed,
And friendship weep,
Ere in my deepest need
I touch that deep.

Must it be always so
With precious things?
Must they be bruised and go
With beaten wings?

Ah, yes! by crushing days,
By caging nights, by scar
Of thorn and stony ways,
These blessings are!

Message from Mary Hendricks, Fourth Grade Teacher

We are beginning a new year and each one of us has given some thoughts and prayers to specific areas of our hearts and lives we want to surrender completely to Jesus in 2012.

We are a community of believers who strive to serve our Lord daily, through our ministry here at PCUS. We sometimes may take for granted that we are giving completely, or giving the best we have to give. Perhaps, Joyce Meyers might offer some new insight on “giving freely to others.”

“Give Something Away” by Joyce Meyer from Start Your Day Right Devotions

Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.
PSALM 85:12-13

“God is the ultimate Giver. He expects nothing less than for us to follow His example. I challenge you to give away something every day of your life. You may think you won't have anything left if you do that, but if you give as the Lord leads you to do, soon you will receive so much that you will have to figure out where to put it all.

God gives you bread to eat and seed to sow (2 Corinthians 9: 10). Some things that God sends your way are given as seed for you to sow into the lives of others. Ask God to show you what He wants you to give away.”

I can’t begin to imagine the blessings we would receive as a community if each of us gave something to others daily, freely and lovingly.

Sarah Hornsby from Love Is, “Love is Bestowing”

How great is the love the Father has lavished (bestowed KJV) on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1
Love is lavish in giving, bestowing on often unworthy objects the best it has. Love counts the cost but is generous and joyous in giving. Love does not create dependency but enables the beloved to trust increasingly in God’s provision.

Lord of love, You have given me so much. Show me how to share.