Pipes and Reservoirs

Originally posted by Tim Challies on his blog:  Challies.com
Click here to view the blog.

Tim writes: Yesterday I began reading Michael Emlet’s CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet. Just eight pages in I had to stop and reflect on this quote. Though targeted primarily at those who are in vocational ministry, I immediately saw its application even to my task as a father. - or (Nancy adds) as a Christian School teacher.

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A temptation in ministry is to think that just because we prepared a Bible study, a sermon, or a discipleship appointment (or wrote a book like this!), we are deeply engaging with the God of the universe. But that’s not necessarily true. It’s easy in ministry to live more as a ‘pipe’ than a ‘reservoir.’ That is, it’s easy to live merely as a conduit to others of the transforming truths of God’s Word, rather than as a changed and transformed reservoir who overflows with lived-out gospel truth. You wouldn’t imagine cooking meal after meal for your family without sitting down to enjoy that nourishment, would you? To paraphrase James 1:22, let’s not merely be hearers or speakers or counselors of the Word, but doers, first and foremost.

Service - with a Smile!

A list of "100 Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do" was recently published in the New York Times.   On his blog, The Christian School Journal, Dr. Barrett Mosbacker writes:

I found the following list of “rules” fascinating for several reasons: 

• It gives me a glimpse into the restaurant customer service world
• I found many (not all) of the rules outlined to be consistent with biblical principles of courtesy, and 
• It got me to thinking, “what would my list look like if I wrote one for Christian  teachers and administrators serving students and parents?” 

He "wonders" - If there are 100 (rules) for restaurant service staff, surely there are 100 (rules) for serving our parents.  After all, they are paying customers of the educational services we provide.

• Click HERE to read Dr. Mosbacker's complete post, including the list of "100 Dont's"
• Click HERE to participate in Dr. Mosbacker's discussion "100 Things Christian School Employees Should Never Do."  This is a Facebook discussion.  If you are unable to participate in the Facebook discussion, feel free to leave your comments on Dr. Mosbacker's blog (see link above).

A Challenge to "Love One Another Deeply - From the Heart"

This week, Mr. Glenn Clement challenged the Bridgeton Christian School (NJ) faculty, staff, students and families to "love one another deeply from the heart." With his permission, we share that challenge with all of our MACSA schools!

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...and love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37

As Christians, we face challenges every day. One of the greatest is to love one another deeply from the heart - but that is my challenge this year to myself, our faculty and staff and our students. Throughout the coming months we will be studying the principles of servanthood. Part of our mission here at BCS is to prepare our students to be servants of Christ. Please encourage your children to practice the following principles of servanthood:
Love
Submission
Generosity
Trust
Encouragement
Obedience

We want to serve others without thought of ourselves or gain. We want a spirit of cheerful obedience to authority. We want to be sensitive to the needs of others and to show compassion. We want to face suffering and disappointment with a sincere faith and positive attitude. We want to look for opportunities to do good and help each other. We want a genuine excitement about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His teachings.

This is a challenging time to be alive and to possess an authentic faith that hopes in Christ's promises. The Holy Spirit will give to us all that we need and more. As we have heard before from the beginning, Jesus's command is that we walk in love. Let's walk together down that pilgrim road this year and devote our lives and all that we have to Jesus for all that he has done for us. As Saint John recorded in the third chapter of his first epistle, "let us love not in word or speech but in truth and deed."

Sincerely,
Glenn Clement
Administrator