What’s on Your Bookshelf

Suggested Summer Reading
The following books have submitted by MACSA teachers and administrators as suggestions for your Summer Reading List. The "editorial" descriptions are from www.ChristianBook.com and/or www.Amazon.com and are provided to give you an overview of the contents of the book.

The books are not specifically being endorsed or recommended by MACSA.

Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in our Schools - National Writing Project and Carl Nagin (Jossey-Bass)
Timely and persuasive, “Because Writing Matters” offers classroom teachers, administrators, and those who work with pre-service teachers more than encouragement; it provides a ‘so what’ plus the ‘how to’ necessary to make real changes in the ways writing is taught and assessed. One of the book’s greatest strengths is the way relevant information is succinctly presented. —English Journal

Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas With Guiding Questions (Theory and Practice) - Jeffery D. Wilhelm (Scholastic)
What makes a good relationship? How does flight influence behavior for humans and birds? Is it ever permissible to lie? Reframing our units and lessons with questions such as these makes learning more exciting for students. Wilhelm debunks the myth that teaching through inquiry is hard. He shares practical, easy ideas for turning state standards into engaging authentic questions that propel students toward deep understandings. Includes sample lessons, discussion techniques, and questioning schemes for all the content areas. For use with Grades 4 & Up.

Excused Absence: Should Christian Kids Leave Public Schools? - Douglas Wilson (Canon Press)
Should Christians send their kids to public schools as "salt" and "light," or to home and private institutions shaped by a distinctively biblical worldview? Founder of the acclaimed Logos School, Wilson argues that because our children belong to God, we mustn't "render them unto Caesar" but instead surround them with divine truth.

Reclaiming the Culture of Christian Education - Albert Greene (Purposeful Design)
This rich work is a walk through the philosophical and cultural history of education, emphasizing the unique goal of Christian education--to prepare young people for a fulfilling life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Set Apart - Kent Hughes (Crossway Books)
R. Kent Hughes builds a case for godliness in the church—a case that echoes the biblical call to holiness. The church can reach the world only if it keeps itself from being ensnared by the world. Hughes is not simply urging Christians to say no to worldliness—he is calling the church to say yes to Christ and to his call to reach our lost world.

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp (Shepherd Press)
Many parenting books are based on hit-or-miss theories steeped in secular thinking. This one draws from Pastor Tripp's seasoned experience as a father-and from God's Holy Word. Grounded in the Bible's divine plan for parenting, this guide defines your goals as a parent and provides the Scriptural methods for accomplishing them.

The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life - Parker J. Palmer (Jossey-Bass)
This book builds on a simple premise: good teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, in community with their students and their subject. They possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts — the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in the human self — supported by the community that emerges among us when we choose to live authentic lives.

The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditation on Faith – Timothy Stoner (Deliberate)
“The God Who Smokes” is an unwavering answer to the postmodern cry for an authentic, knowable truth that is compassionate and courageous, demonstrated in sacrificial commitment to a life of righteousness and justice.

The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools - Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet (Good Books)
Can an overworked teacher possibly turn an unruly incident with students into an "opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building"? If restorative justice has been able to salvage lives within the world of criminal behavior, why shouldn't its principles be applied in school classrooms and cafeterias? And if our children learn restorative practices early and daily, won't we be building a healthier, more just society? Two educators answer yes, yes, and yes in this new addition to The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series. They urge a focus on consequences rather than punishment. They insist that relationships-far more than rules-are central to building community, and that community fosters caring and belonging. They put up with no hypocrisy: teachers and administrators must live restorative practices, too. So how does it all work? Stutzman and Amstutz offer applications and models. Among them are class meetings for 5th graders; reintegration of 7th- and 8th- graders who were suspended; circle processes, which offer space for all voices to be heard, and also quiet tensions that are building; and community conferencing when trouble shapes up between students and neighbors. "Discipline that restores is a process to make things as right as possible." This Little Book shows how to get there.

Worldly Amusements: Restoring the Lordship of Christ to Our Entertainment Choices - Wayne Wilson (Winepress Publications)
Do we love movies more than God? Have we compromised God's standard by letting Hollywood assault our minds and hearts with sensuality? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8

Student Activities – MACSA Track

Click below for the results of the MACSA High School Track meet held on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at Messiah College.

Track Results – Senior High

Student Activities – MACSA Spelling Bee

Click here for the results of the 2008 MACSA Spelling Bee held on Friday, March 7 at Eagle's Nest Christian Academy.

Spelling Bee Results

59 and Counting

From the President. . .
Tim Sierer

Fifty-nine and counting!!! As members of the Mid-Atlantic Christian Schools Association we praise the Lord for allowing this organization to reach such a milestone. A milestone that many organizations can only dream about. It is possible to gain a perspective on how far MACSA has come by remembering what was taking place the year MACSA was founded:

• President Harry S Truman was nearing the end of his first term in office.

• Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi, India.

• The Communists took over Czechoslovakia.

• The average life expectancy was 67.2 years.

• The Cleveland Indians won over the Boston Braves to claim the World Series 4 games to 2.

• The cost of a first-class stamp was $0.03.

• The "Big Bang" theory was put forth by George Gamow to explain the origin of the universe.

• The Ed Sullivan Show was the number one TV show that year while Dragnet debuted as a radio broadcast.

• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, starring Humphrey Bogart, was a box office smash.

• Fifty-nine years ago the majority of the faculty serving in our schools was not even born.

While most of these events were appearing on the front pages of the nation's newspapers, members of the Christian community in the Mid-Atlantic region were laying the foundation for a Christian school association that would impact lives for many years. Since its inception God has blessed MACSA with opportunities to minister to the needs of hundreds of Christian schools which in turn impact thousands of young people for the name of Christ. Literally thousands of students have graduated from our member schools and are now impacting their communities for the cause of Jesus Christ. As we look over the class rosters of many of our schools we are able to see the second, and in some cases even the third, generation of families walking the hallways of our schools. Many of us enjoy the pleasure of having alumni serving as integral parts of our staff as teachers while still others serve as coaches, members of various school committees and governing Boards. God's grace, mercy and continued blessings are able to be seen in every area of His schools, and in the MACSA organization at large.

Over the years many individuals committed to furthering the cause of Christ carried out the work of building a great association. This endeavor has been a labor of love on the part of hundreds and thousands of people, past and present. As a reader of this newsletter, you have demonstrated an interest in our work and a commitment to MACSA as a whole. For that we gratefully thank you! Please continue to pray for our schools as they minister to the lives of children during the next fifty-nine years should the Lord tarry – Fifty-nine and counting!!!

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…that no man should boast before God." I Cor.1:27-28

Farewell

Charles Bloomfield

Forty-two years ago I attended my first MACSA convention at Delaware County Christian School, and MACSA has played a big part in my professional life ever since. I was privileged to serve on the convention program committee during the 1970s, and it was especially gratifying to be asked in 2001 to stand for election as MACSA's vice-president. It has been a huge and humbling privilege for me to serve as your president since 2004.

Now, as the end of my 42^nd year of Christian school ministry draws to a close, my term as your president is also drawing to a close. With that comes a change in my role at my school. Lehigh Valley Christian High School will welcome a new Head of School on July 1, and I am looking forward to moving into a support role as I transition toward eventual retirement.

Our Lord has been good in allowing us to move forward as an association in some significant ways these past three years. Our special subject day program (Music, Art and Technology) continues and has grown. Membership in the American Buyers Consortium (ABC) is now a benefit of MACSA membership. We have "adopted" Discover Christian Schools. The Summer Development Institute is now under the MACSA umbrella. We have a presence, so to speak, in Southeast Asia through our support of Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason, ACSI's regional director there. Scholarships for summer study are up, both in number and amount. Surely our God is a good God, and He is prospering us!

Join me, please, in praying for and supporting Dr. Tim Sierer as he takes the helm on August 1. Also, rejoice with me in our partnership together in the oldest regional Christian school association in the United States.

God’s Favorite Play

The Sacrifice that Gets Us Home
Phil Tuttle
John 15:13

I've prepared a lot of messages, but this was one of the hardest. What do you tell a group of thirteen-year-old baseball players on a weekend morning when they're focused on a tournament final that afternoon? What do you tell their parents and siblings, many of whom made the long road trip without any thought of hearing an impromptu devotional?

But since my son Philip was the only guy on the team with a preacher-father, I got tapped to deliver a biblical-but-not-too-churchy message. That requires a lot of wisdom, and I didn't know where to start. So I prayed. And the answer came back better than I could have hoped.

I had been thinking about a simple parable and, with the help of my daughter Emily's insights, fleshed it out before the big day. When the morning came, every ballplayer, every parent, and every sibling who had made the trip was there. The boys were all in uniform, seated in the front, thinking of the clutch hits, well-timed stolen bases, and incredible catches they would soon make. They had big, heroic dreams. So I began my parable with a big question: What is God's favorite play?

Silence. No one had an answer, so I offered my opinion: "I think God's favorite play would have to be the bunt."

"'Cause it's not being selfish," one of the boys suggested.

"True, but I think there's more to it than that," I said. "What do we call it when someone bunts?"

"A sacrifice."

"Right, a sacrifice. And look at the language we use for it. You can 'lay down' a bunt, and you can 'give yourself up' for the team. The reason the bunt is probably God's favorite play is because that's exactly what Jesus did for us. He laid Himself down and He gave Himself up. John 15:13 tells us, 'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice."

I looked at one of the boys whose reputation for avoiding bunts had become a humorous part of team lore. "Why do you hate them so much?" I asked.

"It's a wimpy thing to do," he said.

"That's what most people think. It makes us look weak. It goes against our nature. Even Jesus tried to shake off the bunt sign the night before He was crucified, but what did He do in the end? He did what was best for the team."

I went on to explain the gospel and then brought the point home—literally. "What's the ultimate goal of a bunt?"

"To move the runner," several said in unison.

"Really?" I asked. "What good does it do to just move a runner? What's the real goal?"

"To get him home."

"That's right. And to get him home how?"

"Safely," they answered. It was starting to sink in.

"One last question," I told them. "What's the worst thing that can happen if you're the one who makes the sacrifice?"

"That the idiot on third base doesn't move," said one.

"That's right. And there are only two reasons that could happen," I suggested. "First, he wouldn't break for home if he hadn't seen the sign. You can't ever say now that you haven't seen God's bunt sign, because I've just explained why Jesus sacrificed Himself for you. And reason number two is if the runner didn't really believe his teammate would follow through on the sign. The question is, then, do you really believe Jesus would make that sacrifice for you?"

There was a long silence. No one moved.

"I think God has enjoyed watching you guys play this weekend," I continued. "And I think His favorite play is the bunt. That's the play He called to make it possible—for whoever is willing to believe—to make it home safely."

Later that afternoon, our boys did whatever it took to make it around to home. But I have a hunch that some of them may have already done that earlier in the day—and they didn't even have to slide.

Care Enough to Discipline

Lets be honest. It takes loads of time, effort and more to hold students accountable to a standard. Yes, the parents have the primary responsibility to do this in the life of their child, yet as teachers we can reinforce or even stand in the gap. Your discipline is a function of your love for that student.

"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12) The word love here is Aheb which according to Richards Expository Dictionary is given as the motive for Gods choice of and continuing commitment to Israel. Do we have a continuing commitment to our students which translates into our being diligent in setting and keeping standards?

Eli was an example in the Bible of one who did not have this commitment. Eli knew his sons were in sin, but he refused to correct or hold them to standards. In I Samuel 3:13, notice Eli's lack of restraining his sons: "And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them." This lack of love through not keeping God's standards brought judgment not only upon himself but to his family as well.

Look at how clearly this point is made in Scripture: "And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:5,6)

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

You are VERY loving when you set and keep standards for your students.

May God's grace and peace be with you,
Mark Strohm, Jr