New Year’s Resolutions

The changing of the calendar to a new year, in this case

2009, usually leads us to think about changes that we are going to make for the

new year.  A fresh start and a new

resolve give us the courage to think that things are going to be different this

time.  At one time such changes

might have been unique to our lives but that is certainly not the case any

more.  We live in an environment

that thrives on change.  The rate

of change that we must deal with is almost out of control.  To make a New Year’s resolution to

change hardly seems necessary. 

I would like to suggest we consider for this year to make

resolutions about what needs to stay the same in our lives.  What do we need to keep?  Really this is an upside down way to

get at what is really most important in our lives.  This is a very good thing to rediscover more frequently than

we do.  What do we value?  That is not to say we might not resolve

to do some things better or with more passion and purpose, but what is it that

we would never want to forfeit in our lives?  In today’s culture, unless we intervene more intentionally,

change will become the norm and we will be led to make changes in areas that

really need to stay the same. 

Eventually, I am afraid we will discover that our foundations, our

values, and our beliefs have been eroded away.  Not because of a grand-scheme, single decision but a series

of subtle changes that each seemed to be right at the time and yet in the

larger context, as a sum total, have brought us to places we never intended to

be.  The fences come down around us

that have protected us not with a bulldozer but with wire clippers, a link at a

time. 

Granted, I do think that some change is not only good, but

that it is absolutely necessary and important.  Our inability to discern those changes that will have larger

consequences and what those consequences ultimately might be is the very issue

we must wrestle with daily.

Every family, every institution, each person must at some

point recognize and establish those aspects of who and what they are that are

non-negotiable.  Where is the

immoveable line drawn for you? 

Where do you stand firm?  It

is getting more difficult to find that place, isn’t it?  We find that we can rationalize our way

to any choice we really want to make. 

Maybe it would be the best resolution that you could make this year; determine

what is it for you, for your family, for your classroom, for your school that

is not negotiable.  What will not

ever change and how will we make sure that it does not change?  Do your children know the

non-negotiables in your life?  Do

your students?  Do your friends? If

not, why not?

One place you might start is with what Jesus said when asked,

“What is the most important command? 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your mind and with all your strength and love your neighbor as

yourself.” 

Doesn’t sound too negotiable to me; does it to you?

May 2009 be a year that brings you closer in your walk with

the Lord and may you feel His presence daily, leading you on the very path that

He has uniquely designed just for you.

The headlines are filled with economic woe. We are

surrounded by uncertainty. Many are experiencing layoffs and reductions in

income. We are told almost instantaneously whether Black Friday or Cyber Monday

was successful or above or below projections.  Bad news seems to travel even faster than good news.  Any conversation that lasts more than five

minutes usually will pass through the waters of these troubled times we are presently

experiencing.

So I ask you, does the Christmas season feel different to

you this year? Does it seem that we are almost hesitant to celebrate in this

time of difficulty? Maybe we are disappointed that we cannot purchase the

number of gifts that we have previously, or they might not have the pizzazz

they once had.  I know I felt that

way; however, as I thought about it more I was struck by the fact that if I do

feel that way I have really bought into the commercialization of

Christmas.  In spite of my words

and my beliefs Christmas has moved to something different than I wanted it to

be.  What I have been telling my

children and my grandchildren for all these years about Christmas is not really

matching my actions and clearly not my thoughts.  Sadly, I must admit that Christmas has become driven by

economics in my life.  Sure I still

will enjoy the time with family and the food and the fun very much, but when I

start to think about Christmas as being good or bad based upon my buying power

I really have missed the boat.

The practice of giving gifts should be a reflection or a

celebration of the fact that God gave us an unbelievable gift in the birth of

his son and for us to then offer a gift to others should be viewed as an act of

love and a physical demonstration of our care for the person.  It’s an appreciation for who they are

and what they mean to us everyday, not just on Christmas.  With that as a context I think this

year might be the perfect year to recapture the expressions of love that are to

be at the center of our Christmas season.

So this year, think about giving those things that are more

about who the person is in the eyes of God than about the list of wishes they

have for items they currently do not possess.  Think about those gifts that you have received that you

really treasure.  Those things that

were made by someone just for you are the things that you really value: a photo

album, CD, even a meal, or an article of clothing (well maybe that is a stretch).  But you get the idea.  You are then giving of yourself, not of

your means.

Or how about giving some one the gift of time?  This does not need to be a huge event

or a five day trip that is planned from daybreak to sunset.  It can be just spending time playing a

game, reading a book, telling a story, or just listening.  Or taking someone to breakfast or lunch

as a gesture that you care about them, not that you want something from them.

It all sounds a bit corny doesn’t it?  But I think we should try it.  Not because we cannot afford to do

something else but because we can afford it and yet are choosing not to.  This year might just provide us with

the window of opportunity to put the genuineness of the gift back into the

Christmas giving traditions.  Showing

that you love those to whom you give gifts is really not about the number or

size of the gifts, it is about the thoughtfulness and personalization of a gift

that will keep on giving.  After

all, God’s gift to me was what I needed, not what I wanted.  Enjoy this time with family and friends

and let’s make this Christmas season feel different, not because of what we

cannot do but because of what we can do.

On behalf of the entire Holland Christian family, have a

very blessed Christmas and memorable New Year.

I want to take this opportunity

to invite you to attend the Open House and the Dedication of our newly

renovated High School.  The date is

Thursday, November 13, with the Open House from 5 to 8 PM and the dedication at

7 PM.  

The question really is what

does it mean to dedicate a building and why is this important?

The Scriptures, particularly

the Old Testament is filled with stories of how God’s people dedicated their

work, their land, their crops, their buildings, their children, and themselves

to God’s service.  We too feel it

is important to recognize that we want this building and the learning that

takes place in it, as well as every person that walks its hallways to be used

by God to build His kingdom.  We do

not think that God literally requires a building in order to do His work; but

rather this school building is to be used by us – staff, parents, and students

- to carry on God’s work, to allow us to carry out our calling of teaching and

learning in a manner that will equip our students and staff to be kingdom

builders and world changers.

 

We are dedicating this

building to the task of preparing young men and women to be disciples of

Christ.  It is a building in which

we will bring God praise and honor through our worship.  However, we do understand that every

aspect of our school and our entire life is really worship; what happens in

every classroom - science rooms, media center, commons, hallways, athletic

fields and tennis courts; every aspect of this school does indeed belong to

God.  Worship is not something we

get to add to a school experience because we are a Christian school, it is the

very core of what do every day – during every minute of the day at Holland Christian

– and not just at the High School but every building, every campus.  This is our work, this is our calling, and

this is our purpose.

 

We are also called in the

Scriptures to live in community and within that community.  It would seem to me that if as a

community we build something it should be God’s not ours.  It should then be used to build up the

entire body – the body of Christ. 

So then dedicating that building to God’s use is not just a good thing

to do, it is critical.

Also because we have claimed

the name of Christ as part of our own – Holland Christian Schools – we

must make sure that every public proclamation that we do belongs to God, is

backed by actions as well as words. 

This is not to say that until this building was officially dedicated we

were not really working to God’s glory but rather it demonstrates the

importance of celebration and ceremony within a community.  There are times when you need to come

together to celebrate God’s faithfulness and His presence in our lives

personally and as an institution. 

If anything, we do not celebrate often enough – also the importance of

ceremony is that we acknowledge the deep significance of this claim to be

followers of Christ.  It is in such

a ceremony that we nurture a sense of covenant.  We, as a body, promise to use this building to the glory of

God and are willing to be held accountable to live up to those covenants and

promises made with each other and before God.  That is not to be taken lightly.  Indeed we are told in the book of Proverbs that unless the

Lord builds the house the builders’ work is done in vain.

 

Throughout the 108-year

history of Holland Christian we maybe have built or occupied 20 buildings or

more.  Each one served the body

well and for a specific purpose and time but this school is not about buildings

– it is about the people and what happens within the walls of those

buildings.  Again what we are

dedicating is not really the bricks and mortar but it is what happens with the

relationships and the instruction occurring within the walls.  We are recommitting, by our words and

actions, to continue the work that was begun by the generations of school

supporters that came before us, to offer this school, these buildings, and

everything that happens in and around those buildings to be used for God’s work

and that we are pledging to continue this work for benefit of generations yet

to be born.

 

So, won’t you please join us

on November 13 – Open House from 5 to 8 PM and a Dedication celebration to take

place at 7 PM.  Come and make that

promise with us to do God’s work everyday, in every classroom, in every

activity, in every square inch of the school building – all of our buildings –

those that are new and those that have been part of the system for years.  This entire school system belongs to

God and we should count it as a privilege to be able to use it for that very

purpose.

I am sure that was the question asked by many folks that

frequently or even occasionally traveled 40th street or Ottawa Ave

this summer.  One could not miss

the volume and the scope of the construction project this summer – sometimes

seeing huge portions of the high school no longer in place and then to watch it

return with a very different shape and look.  It was quite a mess from one end of the campus to the other

for sometime and then it started around the first of August to come together –

first in new spaces that become better defined and then with magnificent

landscaping and parking lots and finishing touches that seemed to appear out of

nowhere – early on it seemed to change by the week – then by the day and near

the end it was changing by the hour.

But the question is a good one – What is going on at Holland

Christian, since we are about a lot more than buildings and glass and steel and

bricks and trees and fields and courts and flowers and parking lots.   What is going on is that a good

portion of “where” we are doing are work has changed during the last few years

– quite a bit of the “who” is doing the work has also changed in the past decade

– significant changes have been made in “how” we are doing our work – but what

we are doing has not changed from the first day that Holland Christian Schools

opened their doors over 100 years ago.

The “where” changes are very apparent – Rose Park, the High

School, Pine Ridge and both middle schools as well as South Side all have gone

through some very significant changes in structure, infrastructure and function

in the past few years.  We think

that with a few more steps at the high school we can put the need for major

building projects behind us for a few generations.  That is remarkable news for any school system – we know that

maintenance and renovations are never really finished but we are getting close

once the high school project as it has been designed would be completed. 

Regarding the “who” is doing the work at HC also has seen

some very significant changes in the past decade with almost an entire

generation of teachers retiring and have been replaced by a remarkable group of

dedicated teachers and staff members that have joined the HC family.  In addition the staffing required to

support education today is quite different than in generations past.  Holland Christian over the years has

been blessed to have one of the most capable, passionate, and caring staffs

that you will find in any school around the country.  Holland Christian is known as a good place to work and to

grow professionally.

The “how” aspect of our work has changed most

remarkably.  Technology continues

to play an ever growing role in our instruction, foreign languages, once

reserved for high school now have been brought into the pre-school and

elementary classrooms, with some students being taught entirely in Spanish in

our immersion program. We have added programming that will help identify

students that require some assistance with reading, and after they have been

identified we have multiple interventions to put in place at a much earlier age

so that they can be more successful as they move through the grades.  We have added after school and summer

programs that has been well received by not only HC families and students but

by many other families in the community. This fall we are launching some

classes that will be offered exclusively for home schooling students and they

will then also be joining some of our after school programs.  This program is just at the beginning

stages and has great potential.  We

have begun programs that will be impacting our pre school planning as well as

connecting with the other local school districts in a program called Ready to

Learn – determining how prepared children are for kindergarten and what factors

will be most influential in advancing their readiness to learn. 

In spite of all of these changes and proposed changes and

certainly changes that will be coming in the future you need to know that the

guiding principles – the purpose – the mission of Holland Christian has not

changed.  We will continue with all

of our ability to assist every student to fully develop their God given

talents.  We will be very aware of

how we are being good stewards of the creation and the many resources that God

gives to us – individually and as an institution.  And we will continue to prayerfully and actively discern

God’s plan for this school – determining where we are going and how we are

going to get there.  We will

continue to provide an outstanding educational experience that is based on

Scripture and teaches young men and women how to think not what to think.  It will be our challenge to guide each

child in developing a worldview or a perspective on life and learning that is

imbedded in every aspect of their lives. 

In short, we might be changing the building and the landscaping around

the building – both figuratively and literally – but we are not changing the

foundation.  Isn’t it interesting

that is exactly what we did with the high school this summer?  The school certainly changed but the

foundation of the building never moved – you never quite know where the next

life lesson will emerge, do you?

So now you too are able to answer the

question:  What is going on at

Holland Christian?