An Open Letter to the BCS Faculty

Dear BCS faculty,

On Tuesday, the nation will celebrate the national Teacher Appreciation Day. As we come to the end of the school year (my first at BCS), I wanted to let you all know how much I love and appreciate you. Being a teacher is hard. It requires such an enormous investment of love and energy, and your efforts aren't always noticed (though God notices) or accompanied by obvious fruit (though I've seen a lot of fruit this year)! But I want you all to rest in the promises and exhortations of God. Even in the seasons when the labor is hard and the harvest seems empty, cling to the words of the Apostle Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:58

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Bethany is a very special place, because of you! You have done an excellent job to make this place shine. And I count myself blessed to work with such a Christ-like and committed group of people. I've only known you for one year, and you already feel like family. And while things are great at Bethany, I pledge that I will do everything in my power to assist you in making next year even better! There are some exciting things in store for Bethany.

I am very excited about the team that God has assembled here, and I am confident that He will richly bless our efforts going forward! 

So let me steal a few lines from the Apostle Paul and make them my own...

1 Corinthians 1:4-6

"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you."

Philippians 1:3-6

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

I love you all, and I am very grateful for the faculty at Bethany Christian School!

In Christ,

Sam 

Happy Easter!

Last Thursday night, my wife and I went to the MaundyThursday evening service at Rio Vista.We had a special time of worship with Ryan. We heard a great message from Pastor Matt. As we celebrated Communion, all of the families were invited up front to be prayed over by the church's pastors and leaders. We then listened to a reading of the Passion narrative and left in total silence. 

 

What a wonderful and much-needed evening to help turn our eyes upon Christ!

 

As Matt began his message, he talked about the honor that our Mickey took in transporting the heavy wooden cross to the stage in preparation for this weekend. Mickey chose to carry it alone, treating it as an opportunity to reflect upon Christ and His love in carrying the Cross for us. And when Laura and I walked to the front to receive prayer, I was met by Jim Stafiej, who received us with a smile and a hug. He prayed over us. It was really beautiful, and it again reminded me of how much I love and appreciate our staff at Bethany! Thank you for loving Christ so well and wanting to love Him even more.

 

As I sat in my seat toward the end of the service, I was not ready to go home. I wanted the evening to continue all night. Husbands were praying over wives. Tears were flowing all around me. Then a woman I've never met came and sat down in front of me. She was wearing a shawl around her neck with a Scripture verse stitched into the fabric facing me. It was my life verse... a verse that I had penned into every yearbook as a teacher at Westminster Academy -- hoping that my students would cling to it. It was the verse that I chose to include in our Bethany yearbook. It was a verse that God has used to help rescue me from so many painful seasons in life.

 

Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing."

 

That verse captures so much of the heart of God to me. He is so very close and near to us. He has promised and is powerful enough to provide rescue for you. This verse shows His ENTHUSIASTIC love for you -- His passionately romantic heart for you. Your Savior SINGS over you! He takes DELIGHT in you! And He is eager to quiet your soul and bring peace into your hurting heart. As I pondered the goodness of God to put that shawl in front of my face in that particular moment, I then looked up to the wooden Cross which had been lit red.

 

That Cross was the cost of Zephaniah 3:17. In an act of sweet tenderness, God flooded my heart with gratitude and worship for the undeserved love expressed on that Cross. That love is too great to comprehend. And as we celebrate this Good Friday, we can be confident that the power of the Cross has made Zephaniah 3:17 a reality for all of us. Amazing!

 

I pray that God gives you all a very peaceful and worship-filled Easter break!

 

Love you all,

 

Sam

Letter to an Incomplete, Insecure Teenager

Click here to read a letter from one of my favorite pastors....

A Remarkable Medical Breakthrough?

I recently read an article in Forbes magazine revealing that the American people spend roughly $2.5 trillion on healthcare each year — almost $8,000 for every man, woman, and child.

How would you respond if someone claimed that they had discovered a brand new treatment that could radically change the face of medicine in America? The person then assured you that this same treatment had already radically changed his own life, and he wanted you to share in it. If you’re like me, every cynical instinct in your brain would launch into hyper-drive. You would assume that this treatment must be a financial scam or a worthless remedy. Suppose you then learned that several major universities, government agencies, and other institutions endeavored to examine its effects on people, and the researchers were stunned by their positive findings!

• Researchers from Florida State University, the University of Colorado, and the University of Texas found that this treatment extended a person’s life expectancy by an average of 7.6 years. Upon further research, you discover that a study conducted by researchers at Duke University produced similar results. Even WebMD affirmed the veracity of these incredible findings.
• The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine reported that this particular treatment is associated with dramatically reduced blood pressure.
• Duke University Medical Center published a study revealing that recipients of this treatment typically had superior immune systems.
• The University of Manitoba found that people who take this treatment are far less likely to commit suicide.
• One article in U.S. News & World Report explained that this treatment “benefits health in ways that science hasn’t fully explained.” The article added that these treatments “appear to lengthen life expectancy, strengthen immunity, improve the body’s response to stress, and boost other measures of physical health.”
• The University of North Carolina discovered that high school seniors taking this treatment were less likely to drink, struggle with addictions, face depression, engage in violence, receive traffic tickets, be combative with parents, skip school, steal, trespass, and suffer from in-school disciplinary actions. They were also more likely to have a positive outlook on life, receive higher grades, exercise, experience happier home lives, participate in extracurricular activities, graduate high school, and find stable relationships with their peers.
• USA Today published an article verifying that this treatment had impressive effects upon the nation’s college students. According to the article, these students “have better emotional and mental health…. In addition, the students [who did not take this treatment] are more than twice as likely to report poor mental health or depression.”

In a society that spends $2.5 trillion on healthcare, how much would our culture be willing to invest to secure such a remarkable treatment? The good news is that this treatment is available to you as a free gift of grace! The truth is that the benefits highlighted in each of the above studies are associated with regular church attendance and a life of faith. While the Christian faith offers and requires far more than a recipe for a healthy and balanced life, it's interesting to find that a life centered around God's Word is baffling many of the same scientists who have claimed that faith ignores science. Indeed, this is further evidence that the Designer of life knows what He is doing.

The Proverbs instruct: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Referenced Articles:

1. Christine Larson, “Health Prayer: Should Religion and Faith Have Roles in Medicine?” U.S. News & World Report, December 22, 2008.
2. Sarah Hofius, “A Spiritually Inclined Student is a Happier Student,” USA Today, October 26, 2004.
3. “Religious 12th Graders Hold More Positive Attitudes About Life,” UNC News, December 2002.
4. “Duke Study: Attending Religious Service May Improve Immune Status,” Duke Medicine News & Communications, November 3, 2004.
5. “Can Prayer Lower High Blood Pressure,” Jet magazine, August 31, 1998.
6. “Research Shows Religion Plays A Major Role In Health, Longevity.” Science Daily, May 17, 1999.
7. “Attend Religious Services, Live Longer,” WebMD, November 25, 2008.

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