A Ministry of Injustice

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days during their early adult life. Darkness would make them more appreciative of sight; silence would teach them the joys of sound. - Helen Keller

In recent weeks in the country of Morocco, Christians have come under attack for sharing their faith openly. Even in a country where witnessing for Christ blatantly has for many years been a cause for expulsion, and where sharing your faith at all is risky business, the news is startling. In one particular situation, orphanage workers were expelled from the country with only 24 hours notice, leaving their adopted children behind in the care of who knows who, even though the orphan ministry had been operating in the country in much the same way for over 50 years. Their crime? They raised the orphans (who, by the way, are the outcasts of society which no one else will care for) in Christian homes, with full approval from the government. Why the change? A new Minister of Justice has taken it upon himself to strictly interpret the law, with an apparent lack of concern for human rights. In this case, it is the children who will suffer the most.

Meanwhile, here in the US, we take for granted so much of what we have. We have the right not only to share our faith openly, but to operate Christian schools. The school I was a part of in Morocco could not be Christian! We have the opportunity here to speak truth into the lives of our students, to share the love and the light of Christ with them. Students, staff, and parents alike too often take it for granted! If students attended my school in Morocco they would begin to long for a Christian environment! We are blessed, to be sure, but if we are not careful, our freedoms will continue to erode, until one day we wake up to a new "Minister of Justice" who will impose injustice on those who wear the name Christian. May we not only enjoy our freedom, but also protect it!

High School Sports and Life

Life is full of firsts. Your first birthday, your first tooth, your first steps, your first day of school, your first trip to Disneyworld, your first time behind the wheel without mom or dad in the car, your first kiss, your first job, your first car, your first child. Recently the Providence girls’ basketball team gave us some new firsts: our first district title in basketball, our first regional victory, and our first win over Western Michigan Christian. Not bad for five days of work!

I am writing this on Thursday afternoon, five hours before our girls will take the court in our first ever regional final game. I do not plan on doing any rewriting tomorrow based on whether we win or lose tonight, for I can honestly say that I am just as proud of these girls today as I will ever be, no matter how much further they go in the tournament. For, in one of the greatest exhibitions of toughness and determination that I have ever seen, our girls showed in their win over WMC exactly what high school sports should be all about. They laughed and cried, but always together as a team. They fought through plenty of adversity, enough to make many teams quit before ever starting. They persevered through overtime after their opponent tied the score at the buzzer in potentially demoralizing fashion. And in the end they celebrated their victory with hugs and smiles, probably not fully understanding that one day they would look back on this season and smile again.

I love high school sports and you should too, even if you don’t really enjoy sports in general. For high school sports are more like life than perhaps anything else we do here, and the more kids participate, as players and as fans, the better prepared they will be for the life that lays ahead of them.. Go Storm!