How to Apologize

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker
Superintendent: Briarwood Christian School, Birmingham, AL
Author: The Christian School Journal

One of the mistakes we are prone to make when challenged by parents, staff, or board members is to become defensive. This is an unfortunate tendency of fallen humans dating back to the Garden of Eden. Our sinful pride and our fragile self-images propel us to make excuses, to explain away, or to protect ourselves.

While it is right to defend ourselves against false accusations and misinformation, too often we become defensive rather than listening to what may be valid criticism of ourselves or of our schools. Young teachers and administrators are particularly prone to make the mistake of being defensive, which inevitably damages their credibility.

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What Did You Write Today?

Nancy R. DeHaan
MACSA Executive Director

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not a quick note to a parent or an email to a colleague or a “note” on your Facebook page – but a real honest-to-goodness letter – on paper, with ink, in your own handwriting?

I am a big fan of electronic media. I appreciate the “almost” instant communication of email and instant messaging – and I am learning how to text message, too! But getting an email is not the same as getting a letter – there is something “missing” in the electronic communication.

This concept hit home for me several years ago when my son returned from an 11 month deployment to “The Sandbox” in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had pretty regular Internet access during his deployment and we were able to exchange email and IM – a great way to keep in touch while he was half a world away. When he returned home, he hadn’t printed out and saved any of my emails, but . . . he brought home a packet of letters – handwritten by his great-grandmother (who was 100+ years old at the time). She wrote to him every week – for the entire deployment. The letters had been opened and read – and re-opened and reread – many times over. Letters have a sense of permanence that electronic communications do not.

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul refers to the Corinthian Christians as “his letter of recommendation . . . to be known and read by all.” It was a letter written “not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3) The changed lives of the Corinthians testified to the work of the Spirit in their lives (individually and as a church) as a result of Paul’s ministry.

Back to the opening question – When was the last time you wrote a letter?

· Every day in your classroom, you are writing a letter – not with ink or crayon, but with the Spirit of the living God.

· Every day in your classroom, you are writing a letter – not on the back of the lunch memo or the bottom of the spelling paper, but on the hearts of your students – individually and as a class.

· And . . . every evening at home, the parents are reading your letter.

So . . .

What did you write today? Was it a letter of recommendation – to be known and read by all? Was it a letter dictated by the Spirit of God and written on the hearts of your students? Was it a letter worth reading today – and tomorrow – and for many years to come?

May God bless you this year with 180 days of great letter writing!

And . . . sometime soon, recover the lost art of letter writing. Sit down with pen and paper and write a letter to a loved one – fold it, seal it and mail it – and know that your time and effort will be appreciated.

A Back to School Prayer

I Offer Myself
Words and music by Steve Green and Phil Naish
Copyright 1999 Birdwing Music, Steve Green Music, Meadowgreen Music Co., and Davaub Music. Admin. by EMI-CMP. All rights reserved.

I offer myself to you,
Presenting every part,
Pure and holy, set apart, I offer myself to you.

I offer my hands to you, may labors great or small be done in answer to Your call.
I offer my hands to you.

To be holy, holy, holy like you.
To be holy, holy, holy like you.

I offer my words to you. May everything I say be pleasing in your sight, I pray,
I offer my words to you.

To be holy, holy, holy like you.
To be holy, holy, holy, holy like you.

I offer my life, my praise to you, O Lord, for endless days.
To be holy, holy, holy like you.
To be holy, holy, holy like you.
Oh to be holy, holy, holy like you.

Let me be holy, holy, holy like you, holy like you.
Holy, to be holy.

Lord take my hands, my feet, take every word I speak.
May it be holy, holy to you, O Lord, holy like you.

http://www.stevegreenministries.org/lyrics/index.php?song=61

It's Back to School Time!

A note from MACSA President, Dr. Timothy Sierer

"We are about to embark on another year that is shaping up to be full of challenges in light of the current economic atmosphere in our country. Yet we are able to take heart because we know that we serve an awesome God who has not been caught off guard by current circumstances. I wanted to take this opportunity to share this article with you as a means of encouragement as we seek to train our students in a manner pleasing to the Lord. May God richly bless your efforts during the coming year."

Things are Different This Year
Bruce Etter

It's that time of year...the time of year when we all start to think of going back to school. Teachers are thinking of setting up classrooms, home-schooling families are planning their year, parents are buying supplies, and students, well, some are getting excited and others are desperately wishing for more time. This year is different, though. We are starting this year with a burden.

When the recession hit around October 2008 the school year had already begun. Most people could finish out the year without worrying about how it affected our children's education in the long term. Things have changed drastically for many people for this coming year. Schools have had to downsize or even close, families have had to begin home-schooling because they cannot afford tuition, mothers have had to go to work and cannot be as involved in their children's education. Things are different. Several men who are close to our family have lost their jobs.

How does this affect the education of our children? First, this does not change the calling God has given us to provide our children a Christian education. Second, as we observe the reaction of our government to the recession-a reaction that appears more and more socialist-it is more important than ever to educate our children in such a way that enables them to be the generation who can bring about godly change. Whether you are a teacher in a school or a home-schooling parent, never forget the importance of giving your children a distinctive Christian worldview.

When asked how he could afford to spend several hours a day in prayer, a wise theologian responded, "I cannot afford to NOT spend these hours in prayer." We can apply this well-known story to education. These times tempt us to conclude that we cannot afford a Christian education. The question we must entertain is, "Can we afford to NOT give our children a classical and Christian education?" The hard reality is we have to think about the future. Our nation is a mess, and if we are not producing committed, Christian-thinking students, where will we be in twenty years? Riddled with both fiscal and moral dilemmas, more than ever we need thinking minds which are submissive to the Word of God. Let me encourage you, regardless of your situation, to continue to find creative ways to inculcate your children with a thoroughly Christian mindset.

But, you might say, we are living in an economy that has taken its toll on many families. You can't get blood out of a turnip, as my father used to say. If there's no money, there's no money and a quality education is not cheap. Let me respond to this valid concern with a few thoughts. First, the truth is, we tend to find creative ways to get what we want. We spend money on the things we truly desire. When it comes to providing enriching and educational experiences for our children, we often conclude that something else less important has to go. It's simply a matter of weighing priorities and choosing to spend money on things that have eternal consequences as opposed to luxuries that we can do without.

Second, I know that many are blessed to have grandparents who are involved in the process. I have talked to homeschoolers who make a point of getting grandpa and grandma in on the teaching of their children. What a wonderful way to experience the multi-generational nature of education! But it doesn't have to stop there. I challenge grandparents to recognize the struggles that their children are having in this economy and step up to lend financial aid as they are able to do so. I cannot think of a better gift that a grandparent can give than to play a role in providing a Christian education for their grandchildren. Now would be a great time to commit to paying for a portion of your grandchildren's tuition and school uniforms or curriculum if they are homeschooled. All grandparents are not in a position to do so, but many are and should consider the value of assisting in this way.

Finally, education should not be viewed as something that takes place only in the 8:00-3:00 time slot, Monday through Friday. There are activities that we should be doing with our children that do not cost anything (or very little) that get to the heart of what it means to provide them with a Christian worldview. Are we having a regular time of family worship? Are we praying together as a family? When you see a TV commercial or any type of advertising do you use it as a teachable moment to challenge worldly, illogical thinking? When you are having family movie night do you discuss worldviews that fall short of being thoroughly Christian? When you observe ungodly behavior by others in public do you discuss what causes and perpetuates these kinds of actions? Are you taking opportunities daily to provide your children with a mindset that is distinctly Christian?

Remember the words of Deuteronomy 6:6-9: "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

This economy has affected us all in one way or another. Whether it is our common plight of paying more for groceries or gas, a great loss in the stock market, or the loss of a job, you are in the minority if you are not affected by these stressful times. My prayer is that despite the tough circumstances God would allow us to see the fruit of our labors and sacrifices in the hearts and minds of the next generation.


Bruce Etter is the head administrator and teaches online with Veritas Press Scholars Academy. He lives in Lancaster, Pa., with his wife Julie and their five children.

2009 MACSA Scholarships Announced

Barbara Williams
MACSA Vice President and Chair of the MACSA Scholarship Committee
Lehigh Christian Academy ~ Allentown, PA

Each year MACSA awards several scholarships to educators (teachers and/or principals) in Christian schools who will be taking graduate courses during the summer months. The Lord has continued to bless this effort and each year we award a scholarship to several candidates.

This year we had many applicants and awarded eight scholarships. The educators chosen answered questions about their educational background, current responsibilities, future plans, and the impact that the coursework would have on their professional growth.

We trust that we will be able to continue to offer these scholarships to teachers and administrators dedicated to Christian education and the students they serve.

Tim Connor
Summit Christian Academy

Michael Stell
Lancaster Christian School

Jane Seaman
Keystone Christian School

Deborah Thomas
Carlisle Christian Academy

Brenda Leibundgut
Carlisle Christian Academy

Cheryl Bogardus
Greater Grace Christian Academy

Andrea Graybill
Christian School of York

Alice Latour
Calvary Academy

Dealing with Difficult People and Dealing with Criticism

At we prepare for another school year, take a few minutes to read these posts by Dr. Barrett Mosbacker as orginally posted on his blog, The Christian School Journal.

How To Deal Effectively with Conflict and Difficult People
How Not to Be Offended When Criticized

Great reminders for teachers and administrators!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and prayers for a smooth opening of the 2009-2010 school year!

Lead On, O King Eternal

Nancy R. DeHaan
MACSA Executive Director

Friday night was high school graduation at the Christian school where I serve. All in all – the graduation was pretty traditional and fairly typical.

• Processional
• Opening Hymn
• Student Speeches
• Student Awards
• Graduation Speaker
• Granting of Diplomas
• Moving of the Tassel
• Closing Prayer
• Recessional

Our graduating class was 27 students – leaving us and embarking on a new chapter in their lives. Of those 27 young men and women, 13 had been at the school since Kindergarten with another 2 joining them in First Grade! That’s over HALF of the class! The graduation speaker (a pastor dad of one of the graduates) commended this group of parents for the sacrificial commitment they made in order to provide a Christian education for their children.

At our school, the processional, opening hymn and recessional are the same each year – a tradition. Pomp and Circumstance for the processional, O Worship the King for the opening hymn and Lead On, O King Eternal for the recessional. (I heard whispers in the Teachers’ Room that perhaps THIS year, we should break with tradition and play the Hallelujah Chorus as the recessional! Just kidding!)

I have attended many graduations at the school – and each year, something different solidifies for me why those of us who minister in Christian schools are SO committed to Christian education. The “moment” might be a tidbit from one of the student speeches, a truth from the graduation speaker, or a heartfelt “Amen” as the class is prayed over by one of our faculty members. This year, it was the recessional.

At the end of the ceremony, the students move their tassels and are officially graduated! They are no longer students – they are now alumni. We - Moms and Dad, teachers, staff members, everyone in the audience - have invested much time and prayer into the lives of these young men and women. Now, tassels moved, they leave the stage, leave the gym, leave our school - and we pray that the spiritual and academic lessons we have taught and modeled will “stick” and we pray with all our hearts that they will continue to follow God and trust Him “in all their ways.” It is our prayer that our newest graduates will say with boldness:

Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.