He Came!

I have now officially become a man of the 21^st century. I attended a fashion show. Don’t get too excited though – I still refuse to wear pink or carry a “man” purse.

How in the world did I end up at a fashion show? It was Adelynn’s fault, to be honest! See, our youngest daughter has spent quite a bit of time at DeVos Children’s Hospital over the past nine months, so when the hospital held its annual fashion show benefit, they asked if Adelynn and six other patients would model kid’s clothing during part of the program. Well, that sounded kind of exciting to us, but since neither Stacy nor I had actually ever been to a fashion show, we had no idea what we were getting into! Needless to say, we felt a little out of place. Affluent benefactors strutting around, drink in one hand, appetizer in the other – not exactly our cup of tea! And speaking of appetizers, for the most part I had absolutely no idea what I was eating. I did recognize the pizza, and the mushrooms looked vaguely familiar. I have traveled far to experience different cultures. Who would think that I could feel so out of place in Grand Rapids!

I wonder if Jesus felt out of place as he became a man and entered our world. I wonder if the food tasted funny or the clothes looked ridiculous. I wonder if he silently laughed at our many strange customs. Perhaps not, for he knew (and knows) his creation intimately. He was not surprised by what he experienced. In fact, he came knowing full well what he was doing. Yet he came. HE CAME!! How we often take his coming for granted! We speak and sing of his birth but often fail to see the wonder in God becoming man and coming to our world. This Christmas, remember the energizing splendor of those two words: He came! He came for you, for me, for all people. He came to save! He came to die! He came to live again! HE CAME!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Providence Christian High School. During this Christmas season, may you feel the presence of the One who left his throne of glory and came to earth for us.

A Learning Community - Our Mission, Part 2

Providence Christian High School exists to provide a Christ-centered learning community....

In the last issue of the Storm Bulletin, I took a feeble stab at what it means to be a Christ-centered school. The more I think about it, the more I realize how difficult it is to maintain "Christ-centeredness" over any period of time. With that in mind, I welcome your input as we try to live out our Christian faith at PCHS!

This week I'd like to consider for a few moments what a learning community is. The two words work well together, but are worthy of being discussed separately.

Learning: Learning has sometimes been defined this way: The act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill. I've been in a lot different schools in many different countries over the years. On more than one occasion I have spent time in classrooms built for 15 but holding 40, often with no desks or chairs, and one under-trained teacher standing up front telling the students to "repeat after me." Not exactly a place conducive to learning, yet even there, some knowledge and skills were gained, given enough time and effort. But that is not the way that we want to define learning at PCHS. We are looking instead to create an environment where significant knowledge and critical thinking skills can be gained, to a degree that allows our students to not only succeed academically, but more importantly to grow spiritually, so that they can impact the world for Christ.

Community: Nowhere is the concept of community more important than in a school. A school is a cooperative venture involving parents, students, staff, and community members. If any one of these critical links breaks or is weakened, the entire chain is weakened. Obviously, then, we must work together to be successful. But community means more than working together. It also means caring for each other, loving each other, and supporting each other, through good times and bad. It means constructively and lovingly pointing out that which needs correction. One of my favorite quotes goes like this: Criticism is pointing out flaws. Correction is pointing out potential. Community is all about helping others reach their potential by using the unique talents that God has given each one of us. As Paul writes in I Cor. 12:12, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." And so it must be with our school, if we are truly to be a Christ-centered learning community.