Bugs and Crying Rocks at Our Christian School

“Mr. Janssen, I caught a bug. I think he is excited about spring!”

Visiting students where they learn and play is a significant pleasure.

Last week a proud kindergarten student exploring during outdoor centre time shared with me his prized outdoor find. A bug, creatively captured on the inside of a playground pylon. I smiled at both his delight in finding a “sign of spring” as he called it, and the idea of the insect having an emotional response of excitement to the changing of seasons.

The delight of spring warmth and sun is the change it causes in the the seemingly dead world of early spring greys and browns revealed by receding snow and ice. The velvet of green will be starting this week with hints in the form of tree buds and tender shoots emerging from last year’s dead debris. Creation around us is warming up for a spectacular renewal. It happens like clockwork every year, but if our eyes are open to it we can see it through the eyes of a child.

It reminds me of the response of Jesus to the Pharisees when they wanted him to urge the jubilant crowd praising God to tone down their joyful exuberance. “I tell you … if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” was his response. (Luke 19:40) There is no stopping God’s world responding to him.

I wonder if our students’ hands-on play with the leaves, dirt, plants,  - and even happy bugs - of God’s creation allows them to more easily make the connection to the idea of creation crying out in joyful response to their creator.  I’m thankful for the fertile soil of a Christian school where student can grow in wisdom, love, and delight in the mighty acts of God on display all around us.

Happy Spring! I’ll be listening for the cry of creation and the chance to join in.

SJ

Solutions Before Problems: Anticipating Our Future at Our Christian School

By calendar definition, spring is here, although it seems like winter won’t give up its grip on us as snow and ice still swirl through the air. Confused robins are singing while we scape our ice covered cars. It seems like we’re living in two seasons at once.

The same is true at LCES. On a daily basis we continue to operate LCES as a school where our children live, learn, love, and are loved by the Lord. Simultaneously, April is a month when the next school year comes into clearer focus as details are sorted. We praise God for many new families indicating that they wish to join us in September in the opportunity of Christian education. Classroom configurations, board member turnover, staffing, and more specific details are main areas of focus right now. A budget that balances educational integrity, financial responsibility, and long-term viability of our school was a significant effort of the board last week. It’s my delight to share with you that even amidst the challenges we see, we are blessed to see God’s hand of abundant provision. 

As a faith based institution, there is deep gratitude at the realization that solutions were already being orchestrated before we were aware there was a matter to be solved. Thanks be to God for his care for us!

As a parent, what’s your part in the above? Three things come to mind:

• If you are not already, please consider adding your own voice to this above process by becoming a member of LCES for only $60 per year. (Contact bookkeeper@londonchristian.ca) April 24 is the LCES Spring Membership meeting at which you can hear more about the school – this year, and the year that is upcoming. A budget will be presented for approval. If you already a member, I encourage you to make yourself a cup of coffee or tea and sit down with membership package to soak in the details of what makes our school a place “where faith meets life.”
• Please pray for discernment on the part of our school’s leadership at all levels as they seek to be found faithful in their respective positions of responsibility.
• Spread the word in the circles you travel in. Use the most recent Connector, a school newsletter, our school’s facebook page, a project your children completed, or something else as a conversation piece to simply share your thoughts on how LCES affects your family. Feel free to pass on my name and contact information or ask me to call someone you think needs to hear from our school.

SJ

What’s in a question?: Giving Answers in Our Christian School

I recently heard a psychologist say that pre-school aged children ask about 100 questions of their parents each day. Perhaps, like me, some of you might be thinking that number sounds low based on fist-hand experience with hours spent in close proximity to a curious young mind. I love to hear our student’s questions. 

Here are few of my recent favorites while moving around our children:

How did Noah catch the cheetah to get it on the boat?

What did feel like on your last day of being a child?

Who decided how big a metre would be?

What if we run out of air? Maybe people can learn to breathe underwater? That would be cool!

How many trees are there in London?

How did people make the first tools, if they didn’t have any tools?

While we might be inclined to become exasperated with the seemingly endless onslaught of questions, it is key to recognize that these questions represent young image-bearing children of the Lord attempting to figure out all things – from abstract ideas like love, grace, and beauty, -- to physical things like making a leaf whistle between their palms and painting things with water to see what they look like wet.

This time of abundant discovery is a crucial time for questions to be answered in a way that causes them to grow in the life of faith. “Is there a distinctly Christian way of asking and answering questions?” asked a colleague of mine years ago. I would propose there is. Here’s my short list.

• Questions and their answers should provide opportunity to see the connectedness of God’s world. It is complex in its design, and yet often simple in its beauty.
• The story of a perfect world, sin, and its restoration back to what it was meant to be should be  frequent touch stones since questions intersect faith and observations so naturally.
• The time given to them should include the ability to stop, reflect, and marvel at who God is and how he designed the world as our home.
• Answering questions should always leave room for our students to push the edges of known understanding. Fulfilling the commandment to “subdue creation” (Gen 1:28) remains their calling and their contributions may be different than their parents. New ways and means are possible to use the world around us in God-honoring ways that he intended.

Praise God for the opportunity to have our children’s questions answered in the context of a Christian school!  

SJ

The Future Me: Easter and Identity at Our Christian School

From a child’s perspective, it might seem that Easter is something we remember about the past more than the future. Children hear the well-known narratives of Palm Sunday, Judas’ betrayal, Pilot’s decision, the dark hour of Calvary, and the glorious morning of the empty tomb. A child listens to the dramatic story of Jesus and the cross, but on Tuesday morning - it’s time to go back to school and the NHL playoffs are around the corner. What does it all mean, and how are things different?

I heard a great quote on the radio this weekend while travelling to a family gathering. When we refer to someone whose health has been affected by sickness or disease, we often say that s/he “is only a shadow of their former self.” They no longer represent the fullness of character, the spark of life, the vigor of determination or perhaps even the zest for life that they once were known for. The wise voice on the radio offered this gem to mull over:  “In the death and resurrection of our Lord, we come to realize that we – in our present state, even squeaky clean as we might be on Easter Sunday worshipping in the joy of an empty tomb, are only a shadow of our future self.” We are given the gift of opportunity to become more alive, rather than less, as we grow in faith. At our Christian school we want our children to desire that future “new” self, the coming kingdom, and be motivated in heart and mind toward service in God’s kingdom here on earth.

Children have incredible ability to be a source of delight to us as parents. Their joy, love, curiosity, and genuine moments of faith in responding to their creator are often humbling. We also see that balanced with the ability to disappoint us with their moments of indiscretion, indifference, poor choices, and selfishness. No one, child or adult, wants to be forever defined solely by those weak moments. This is the perspective that Easter affords us: our identity is not in what we can manage to accomplish (or fail to) - our children are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” (Colossians 3:12). We are freely and entirely loved before we are anything else. Praise God for new life in Christ!                 

SJ