A Picture that is Worth a Thousand Words

Are you a picture person? I most definitely am. If I had all the time in the world and allowed myself to use it on any one thing, I would probably spend it looking through pictures. Not only do I love looking at them, I love creating online picture books, scanning in old pictures, posting pictures to Facebook and tagging people who would get the biggest kick out of them. Especially now that we have digital cameras that allow you to take 47 pictures in a row just to get the perfect shot,  I could spend hours on my computer weeding out the ones with closed eyes and blurry features, while narrowing in on the one with the perfect lighting, smiles, and expressions. 

Just recently, my laptop became so full of pictures, that I had absolutely no memory left! I decided that something needed to be done to move them onto a storage device and protect them from possible corruption. Imagine my surprise when I found that just my 2010 folder was almost 30 GB. No wonder my computer had no memory--MY memories were stealing it all!

What an amazing gift we have been given to be able to capture our moments of greatest joy and keep them forever: pictures of my childhood and school years, of my newborn children and of them growing up, birthday parties and holiday gatherings, wedding pictures and family trips. These pictures can easily bring tears of joy with the flood of memories, and tears of sadness for the loved ones  I can only see in pictures now.

It is perhaps my love for pictures that has profoundly impacted my love for art. A couple of weeks ago, I went to South Carolina on a trip to visit the publishing company that produces much of our elementary program's curriculum. While I was there, our group was taken to the Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery which contains the 2nd largest collection of religious art in the world (second only to the Vatican)! I have never considered myself an "art buff", but I found myself shocked by the emotion that each painting stirred in me--particularly the paintings of Jesus with Mary and Jesus at His crucifixion. These artists may not have had digital cameras and photographs for reference, but each had a crystal clear picture in his head about the scene he was depicting.  While we may not know exactly what Jesus looked like, we have artwork such as these that cause us to imagine, reflect on, and remember Christ's birth, life, and ultimately His sacrifice. These "pictures" were worth way more than a thousand words.

Genesis 1:1 tells us "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." What an amazing picture God had in His head for creation and how grateful I am that we can enjoy his masterpiece. I'm struck that I can find such joy and amazement in something that took 6 days to speak into being, 4 years to create like the Sistine Chapel, 10 minutes to create like my 5 year old's latest drawing, or .5 seconds to create like my latest snapshot of my baby girl. Ultimately, each is to be enjoyed and treasured for the memories they give us and the praise we can give our God for such a simple blessing.

What a great picture of God's love for us that He would give us such a powerful gift. That picture is truly worth more than a thousand words of praise!  

Stuck in Saturday

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Principal

Another Holy Week came and went.  How did you celebrate?  Some of you probably went to a Maundy Thursday remembrance and enjoyed time at the Lord's Supper.  Some of you remembered the darkness of our Lord's death at a solemn Good Friday service.  Most of us observed Easter Sunday with a joyous worship and special activities with our family.

What did you do on Saturday?

Saturday of holy week is not one we think about  too often; we spend most of our time thinking about the great pain of Friday and the great joy of Sunday.  Saturday is simply the day in-between,  a day to prepare for Sunday.

Last year at Easter, I was feeling a great deal of pain.  My grandmother had passed away just two weeks prior and my marriage was hanging by a thread.  Easter Sunday was a day I just wanted to get through for the sake of my kids.  I had absolutely no joy and very little hope.

That Easter Sunday my pastor preached a sermon called "Everyday Sunday."  He asked us if we were stuck in Saturday.  Consider what Saturday would have been like for Jesus' loved ones.  It must have been a rough day for the disciples.  Imagine the pain they felt watching the Savior die.  Saturday was their first day without him.  They were waiting and wondering and they were mostly likely fearful.  Our pastor called it "a no courage, no plans, no hope day" (Poit).  I heard Max Lucado, a Christian author, on the radio last week call this particular Saturday "a silent Saturday."   It was the day between the darkness of the crucifixion and the joy of the resurrection.

There are times in our lives when we get stuck in the Saturdays.  We have endured the darkness of the trial and have yet to experience the joy of the victory.  We are in a holding pattern.  We are waiting for God to move, act, respond.  That's where I was last Easter - I was stuck in Saturday, and unfortunately I lived in Saturday for many months.  Thankfully, God uses our Saturdays to strengthen our faith in Him.  Lucado wrote this on his blog:  "Saturdays have their purpose. They let us feel the full force of God’s strength. Had God raised Jesus fifteen minutes after the death of His son, would we have appreciated the act? Were He to solve your problems the second they appear, would you appreciate His strength?" (Lucado).

So how do we move from Saturday to Sunday?  My pastor suggested the following:  

• Remember Jesus' words.  Cling to His promises to you.  You are not abandoned.  He is working - even if you don't feel it or see it.
• Remember the deep sacrifice He made on your behalf.  If you can find no other joy, find joy in the simple fact that God loves you deeply and sacrificially.
• Fellowship with other believers.  Find encouragement in their stories.  Revel in the deep connection and care they offer to you.  
• Continue to worship the Almighty God.  When Job experienced his deep tragedies, he fell to the ground in worship.  Pouring out our hearts in worship does wonders to keep our eyes on the only One who can walk us from the silence of Saturday to the joy of Sunday.

If you are stuck on Saturday, remember these words from the Psalmist:
"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord."  Psalm 27:13-14


Lucado, M. (March 30, 2013).  The Silence of Saturday.  Retreived on 4/17/2014 from http://maxlucado.com/read/blog/the-silence-of-saturday/

Poit, J. (March 31, 2013).  Everyday Sunday.  Sermon Notes.  New Hope Community Church.  

Finish Strong

by Dick Buckingham
Administrator

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  II Timothy 4:7

Nearly everyone agrees that II Timothy was Paul’s last epistle before his martyrdom and entrance into the presence of the Lord.  In all the other letters, he expresses hope and confidence that he will be released and will be able to continue his service to the Lord.  But this letter takes on an entirely different tone.  While still teaching and encouraging his young charge, he has come to grips with the reality that he may indeed be home with the Lord soon.  He had endured years of hardship, imprisonment, and frustration.  This of course came after years of traveling, preaching, and seeing the mighty hand of God at work in the lives of many people throughout Asia Minor and Eastern Europe.

Three things that Paul proclaims to Timothy at this point in his life:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  These were not words of pride that Paul spoke about his accomplishments, but rather further instruction to this young pastor.  Here is the example of the way a life is finished well by the grace of God.

I have fought the good fight.  Here Paul surveys his past and sees there was value in what he had done.  Those who are true believers understand Paul’s allusion to the Christian life that he walked as a “fight.”  It is a battle daily, not only with those whom from the outside seek to challenge and topple a Christ-follower, but the battle within as well.  Our frail human nature naturally wants to take the easy road, the simplest path, the one with the least resistance.  We want our effort to be as little as possible and our results still great.   Our sin nature also wages war against us seeking to trip us at every turn and discourage us with its failures.  Often are we tempted to give up, pack it in, let someone else carry the banner the rest of the way.  But the Apostle knew the value of fighting on.  It was “good.”   The value of that for which he labored and fought was worth it.  Sometimes we grow weary of the fight day after day.  We gaze toward our future and see nothing but more battles, more foes to face, and we falter.  The good thing is that we only have to fight today’s battles, not tomorrow’s or next year’s, just today’s.  Paul put one foot in front of the other each day and fought the good fight.  In reality, the only way to experience defeat is to stop fighting.  How are you doing in today’s battle?

I have finished the race.  This may seem obvious that one will finish the race, but it is not always a given.   Runners pull up lame, some even give up before finishing the race due to no chance of winning.  Nothing inspires us more than to watch someone who had no hope of winning the race see it through to the end.   History is rife with stories of athletes who fight through injury and disappointment only to end the race last.  But they finished.  Paul urges Timothy to make sure he finishes the race.  Finishing the race requires commitment, perseverance, and courage.  These are qualities that one builds over a lifetime of finishes.  The way we finish each day, each week, each month, each year, each job, each task, each responsibility builds within us the characteristics we need to complete our lives well.  It is why each year, about this time, I begin to urge and encourage our students to finish the school year strong.  We all grow a little weary during a school year and the temptation to pull up and coast to the end affects student and teacher alike.  However, there is something of great value in not only finishing, but finishing well.  Are you finishing strong?

I have kept the faith.  Having lived through the 60’s and 70’s, I can’t help read this and not think of the common parting greeting of the youth of those decades, “Keep the faith, baby!”  The faith they and Paul referred to was decidedly not the same.  Paul encourages Timothy by his example to maintain his convictions and commitments to the truths that God has revealed.   Time and time again we see pressure from society to move away from the basic moral stance given to us in the Word and many in the church compromise and give in.  To hold firm would mean we are libel to be out of step with our neighbors and we may face malice as a result.  It takes great courage to stay the course and not be swayed.  We see this happening too often in our society today where the culture begins to object to the clear teaching of scripture and soon many in the church follow.  Few, it seems, are those who stand steadfast.  And yet it is a great virtue to be able to say, like Paul, “I have kept the faith.”  I wonder how many who are reading this today could honestly say that they have not compromised in their commitment to the truth revealed by God.  Can you?

I pray that when I draw near to the end of my life on this earth, I will be able to honestly say these things like Paul, not as a testament of my own accomplishments, but of the grace and mercy of God to me on display for others who may come behind me from which to draw courage.   I challenge you to make this your goal as well.

Who's #1?

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Principal

Do you worship idols?  When we think of the word idol, we often think of a little Buddha or a golden calf or maybe our mind goes to something more lighthearted like the origin of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.  But let's get real for a moment....are there any idols in your life?

I think we can all agree that money and success can easily become idols in one's life.  But even good things, gifts God has given us, can become idols too; our family, achievements, romance can all become more important to us than God is.

Here I am about to get real with you...I've recently been convicted that in my own life peace and joy are idols.  Peace and joy?!  Aren't those God-given gifts?!  Yes, they are, but they had become the driving force in my life - those qualities had become more important to me than God himself!   So when a time of trial hit my life this last year, where peace and joy were not found in my circumstances, I was lost, because God was not #1.  When my peace and joy were absent, it felt like God was absent too.  He certainly wasn't, but because He was not sitting on the throne of my heart, I had to dig through the muck and mire to see that His hand had been there all along.

May I recommend the book Gods at War:Defeating The Idols That Battle For Your Heart by Kyle Idleman to you?  It is an eye opening book that challenges us to evaluate what might be taking the highest priority in our lives.  Idleman says "The problem is that the instant something takes the place of God, the moment it becomes an end in itself rather than something to lay at God's throne, it  becomes an idol."

The author describes our sin life like a tree.  The trunk is the idolatry we hold tightly to and the branches are the sins that manifest from that idolatry.  He states "...anything that becomes the purpose or driving force of your life probably points back to idolatry of some kind."  It's a challenging book - no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, it will force you to evaluate what may be standing in the way of a deeper relationship with our Almighty God.

Because of all of the challenges of the last year, my husband and I decided  to renew our vows last month.  Our first wedding was huge - 250 people - invite everybody - pack the church out.  This time it was simply us, our children, and our moms.  In the quietness of the chapel, we stood before God and reaffirmed our commitment to each other.  This time, we wrote our own vows and kept them a secret from each other.  What surprised us was that we both echoed the same sentiment...we can not do this on our own - we cannot have a successful marriage in our own strength, nor can our marriage be our #1 priority.

I wrote:  "Most importantly, I promise to run after Jesus with all of my being, knowing it's only
through His power that I can be the wife and mother you need me to be."

Brent wrote:  "I promise to live first for the Lord Jesus Christ seeking Him first and then you, loving you and you alone, through the love that He has shown me, by the power and enablement of the Spirit..."

Together, we are slowly getting it.  God must be sitting on the throne of our hearts and lives to find any success or joy or peace.  I love the song "Jesus at the Center" written by Israel Houghton.  It says exactly what  my heart sings now..."Nothing else matters.  Nothing in this world will do.  Jesus you're the center.  Everything revolves around you."  I wanted to share this song with you and found this precious 4 year old singing with her church choir.  As you listen to the song, pray that God would overthrow any idols you hold dear.  Life is so much more complete with Jesus at the center of it all.