Walking through the Door

Well, this is a big day; today we closed on a house. We were looking, yet taking our time and God dropped a nice house right in front of us. Now we have a lot of work to do to get ready to move in. Over the next couple of weeks we will be removing carpet, fixing the hardwood floors, painting, and whatever else comes along. Yippee! It is amazing how good God has been through the process. The house is only about 3 miles from the school, so it does not take long to get to work. It is only about 4, maybe 5 miles from Bec's workplace.

I must give all thanks to God for His continuing goodness, care, and provision. His plan is perfect and the means that He uses to accomplish that means is always for our good and His glory. May we now glorify Him as we transition to a new home. Even now we sense that central PA is becoming more like home. The task is to make home feel like home.

Merry Christmas

Buenos días, aloha, good morning, and howdy to all. Merry Christmas on this fine and beautiful day. It is absolutely remarkable how good God has been to me and to my family. Have a blessed day; I trust that God will richly display His love and care to you throughout this Christmas day. Take time today to reflect on the God of heaven and on His Son that loved us and gave His life for us.

Walking as Forgiven

In baseball, a batter can get a hit three out of ten times and be considered successful. A football quarterback can complete six of ten passes and be considered accomplished. It was cause for rejoicing when Shaq made five of ten free throws. Yet at times, we beat ourselves up because we failed when we fall short of perfection. One of the verses that I love to meditate upon is I John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I often think of the beginning of the verse, “If we confess our sins….” God did not say that “if we sin…” The implication is that we will sin; the conditional thought is whether or not we will confess it. That does not give us excuse to sin (see Paul’s comments in Romans 6). God knows us well and He knows that we will not be perfect; what He wants is a heart that realizes sin and its effect and is willing to acknowledge the result of sin and ask Him for forgiveness. We should strive for perfect obedience; sin should cause us to humbly go to God and ask forgiveness.

Another thought that comes to mind when thinking of I John 1:9 is this: How do I think of others when they sin? If I want God to accept me even in my imperfection, then I should be willing to accept others even with their shortcomings. Ephesians 4:32 says that I be forgiving, even as God is forgiving to me. As God has been kind, gracious, and forgiving to me, so should I be toward others. If I am to rightly reflect my God to those around me, I must do so at all times, in all places, toward all people. God’s love is given without discrimination, showing a pattern for my life. I should be indiscriminate in my love to those around me, even when they fail my expectations. If Christ could offer forgiveness to others even as He was hanging on the cross, there should be no reason that I cannot forgive someone else.

As I go through the coming days, months, and years, may I rightly reflect Jesus Christ by accepting others even with their faults and offering unconditional forgiveness. After all, what good is love without forgiveness; on one would be worthy of the love. Nothing anyone would do to me will measure up to what I have done to God through my sin. If I am to be involved in intercessory prayer, I must love and forgive others as my God has loved and forgiven me.

Enjoy, and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Walking --- While Sitting

Here I sit, eating cinnamon rolls and drinking coffee. Life sure is tough. Actually, Justin now works at 8:00, so I enjoy the time at the bakery sampling the wares. Justin is driving now; only in the learner permit stage, but driving none the less. Learning in the city is sure different than learning in Michigan's UP. There are a few more people and cars to avoid here.

The EBCA Christmas concert was last night and the kids were fantastic. There were some fun songs and some serious songs; some secular and some sacred. The choirs sang and the handbells and bands played. It was an absolutely fantastic concert. Perhaps I may post a piece of video or some pictures sometime.

The weather has been quite crazy recently. It is mid-December and it feels like Oct/Nov. It has been mostly in the mid to upper 40's recently. Cool, but very pleasant. Not quite Rio Grande Valley weather, but I can live with this.

The biggest news in our lives recently is the purchase of a house -- at least I think we are buying a house. If there are no complications, we expect to close by the end of the month and then move around Feb 1. There is still a chance for complication, but God has been working out detail after detail accomplishing what we would be unable to so on our own. Those who refuse to acknowledge God and/or His sovereignty must get headaches trying to understand all of the "coincidences." He continues to demonstrate the wonderful truths of Jeremiah 33:3.

Basketball season is underway, doing a wonderful job of adding to already busy schedules. Actually, it doesn't bother me since it has been such a big part of my life over the years. It is odd to sit and watch, but that is what I do these days. Justin and Bri enjoy it and that thrills me.

I was reading the other day about intercessory prayer and was struck again at how a God that knows everything and can do anything wants us to tell Him what He already knows and ask Him to do what He may already desire to do. It isn't about getting Him to perform a task; it is all about getting us involved to the task. We need to see others and their needs and be constantly in a spirit of prayer, going to God who can meet needs. Intercessory prayer is not about sympathy; it is all about the work of redemption and a God who loves us far beyond what we can understand. A quick study of the scriptures looking at the topic of intercession reveals the very heart of God, who Himself interceded on our behalf in sending His Son to die in our place. My desire this coming year is to be more involved in the work of intercessory prayer. As God cares for me, so I want to care for others.

Well, time to go. Have a great day.

Walking Week by Week

Well, I started this last week, but obviously it was not posted last week. Here goes the update to life...

November has been a great month. The middle of the month includes what may be one of my favorite weeks of the year. First, most of the juniors & seniors attended a Student Leadership Conference at High Point Camp. I always learn something at the conference, and I have been to 16 of them now. The speakers this year were Trevor Gearhart and Dr. Marty Von. They did a tremendous job of taking Biblical principles of service and ministry and applying them to regular life. Often we are told that leadership is about getting things done, yet Christ, the greatest of all leaders, looked for opportunities to serve others. he is our example of true leadership. The students and I had a wonderful week; now comes the fun part -- applying the principles learned.

When we return from Leadership, many of the HS students leave to participate in the KCEA All-State Choir. (KCEA = Keystone Christian Education Association) The choir is made of 150+ young people who put on a full concert in the capitol rotunda. The acoustics are amazing in that setting. 

Then came this week; we resumed casually looking for a house to purchase. We knew where we wanted to locate and how much we wanted to pay. The key was to get the place, the price, and the property to all meet at the right location. We looked at some properties online and then scheduled a visit to a house that we liked. Before we even got to see it, we saw that there was going to be an open house there, so we went to see it and then went again the next day for our scheduled visit. It was priced about where we wanted and we were pleased with the possibilities. Two days later we were on the way to the realtor's to make an offer when he called to say that on offer had already been made. God closed that door. However, two doors down was another (practically identical) house for sale. It needed more preparation work, but the price was a bit lower. We visited, made an offer, and the sellers accepted almost immediately. They did not want to keep an empty house through the winter. So now comes all of the preparation work. We need to paint and carpet, but the price difference allows that. God is so remarkably good.

So, November has been a very busy month, and yet through it all God has continuously been faithful as He provides all of our needs. We see in the scriptures that He is in control and directs in the affairs of man. Now, here we are at the end of the month and I look back and see that through every day God was overseeing and directing to meet our needs and to allow us the privilege of living a life that can be enjoyed as we see Him work.What more can one ask for than to have God Himself as the one who serves as our provider. He meets needs and goes far beyond that to provide the enjoyable blessing of life. Truly, He is a great and wonderful God.

Happenings Along the Walk

Well, the World Series has begun. Of course, Texas is going to win, but I guess I will allow the Series to continue so that we can watch.

Not only is the Series underway, but the Keystone Christian Education Association (KCEA) volleyball tournament is next week. The Emmanuel girls will be attending with the intent of collecting the school's first volleyball championship. I am as sure of their victory as I am of the Ranger's victory, but again, I will allow the games to be played. This year's team is not as powerful as last year's, but it has just as much potential when the team works together. We have been up and down this year; however, when we play well we play really well. I guess we shall see how things turn out. After all, tournaments are all about match ups.

School has been moving along smoothly. The staff is experienced; they know their responsibilities and a fine job of getting them done. The student body is full of angels that never err and never settle for mediocrity. Every school should wish they had students like we have here. (At least the statement about the teachers was correct.) Honestly, we do have a great student body. The staff and students make the school run what it is. 

The annual benefit auction raised almost 2x what is has done is previous years. That was a tremendous blessing. We have seen God bless in so many ways so very many times. It is incredible to see how He continually meets the needs of the school and of my family. Our God is our great provider. I look forward to seeing what He does in the coming days and how He will accomplish it.

Christian Education Defined (pt.6)

Methods

I believe that the primary form of instruction is the lecture style. Ezra, after the exile, and Paul in the New Testament gave forth their thoughts and the truths God had given them in lecture manner. Though discussion of the material did take place, the primary means of delivery was a  simple presentation of the material. Other methods should be used, but the lecture method should not be abandoned.

Where the teacher is concerned, according to Ezra 7:10, he must “prepare his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” To be a good teacher, a person must first of all be right with God to be as effective as possible. Next, he must use the Bible and the principles found in it. The teacher needs to spend time in the Bible and have an understanding of God's Word. Finally, the instructor must use the Bible to teach the laws of God in the classroom.

Just as the Christian educator’s philosophy is to be grounded in the Biblical principles, so are his methods. I believe that just as the Bible has the answer for daily living, so it also has the answers for the classroom.

Christian education, in nature, not simply in name, does many things different compared to the secular schools. Of course, the spiritual training and holy living are emphasized. Not all students will be geniuses, not all will attend college, but the groundwork can be put into place for discipleship to God. Oh, there will be students who reject the spiritual emphasis, but if it is given from a loving heart and a godly example they will be few. (Proverbs 22:6) Academics should be stressed over the extra-curricular activities. A well-run sports program may be a benefit, but a sports program is not necessary. I believe that what is necessary is for the sports program to be guided by a godly person who has specific goals in mind, such as the spiritual maturation of participants, not a state championship. Competition does not develop character; it simply exposes it. (I Corinthians 9:24-27; I Timothy 4:8)

Field trips and similar outings are a great way to show the practical uses of principles taught in the classroom. They should not be over-used, reducing their effectiveness, but rather they should be carefully governed; they should come at strategic times. If budget will not allow trips, bring the field to the classroom through internet, video, guest lecturers, and experiments: they will reinforce what has already been taught. Christ often used such ideas as “consider the lilies”( Matthew 6:28).