Living Thankfully

Dear Parents,

Thanks-giving has come to a end for another calendar year. I love Thanksgiving. As a former Canadian-now-US-Citizen, I can say that this is one holiday we Americans have nailed down to perfection. It is the worship time together, the food, the family and the football that make it all worthwhile.

This past Thanksgiving, I heard one of the best sermons ever. Probably, what made it a top 10, was my need to hear it. The theme was living thankfully. The church was /is Faith Reformed Church in Dyer, Indiana. The pastor of this sermon - Mike Pitsenberger. I strongly encourage you to listen to it. You can cut and paste this link in your browser or download it to your i-Pod.

http://faithchurchonline.org/grow/media/podcast-audio/item/204-live-thanks

If we chose to live thankfully before God we are able to walk through the valley of suffering and reach the mountaintop of joy, being thankful.

Ephesians 5: 15-20 was the sermon passage.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we give God thanks in the midst of illness, marital struggles, depression and all the other issues we face? Listen to this sermon.

Wayne Dykstra

Parenting in a Social Networking World

Dear Parents.

Last night almost 100 parents attended our focus group event Parenting in a Social Networking World. We had a great night sharing with each other and encouraging each other on ways to guide our kids.

We learned last night that we are living in an incredibly exciting time and an equally dangerous time. As a Christian community we want to lead in healthy Internet usage. Last night was a great chance for families to be encouraged and challenged.

Here are some ideas and resources that I feel are worth sharing for all Unity parents, whether you were here last night or not:

Concerned about bullying? www.stopbullying.gov. This site is a government site and not all the information on it is in line with a biblical worldview. Use discernment when needed. It does provide great resources.

Not sure how to use the internet? Want to get educated on Facebook? Twitter? Consider this website. www.getnetwise.org

Survey Results from 139 students at Unity:

• · 61% of our freshman and sophomores on Facebook have not shared their passwords with their parents.
• · The number place to be harassed or bullied is not the internet. It is still the school hallways.
• · Facebook is in decline and Twitter is increasing in popularity. One reason why is the increased usage of Facebook among adults: grandparents are even now on facebook. That makes Twitter the hot new place for teens to communicate.

Great Filter Suggestions: Check out the I-Boss: www.iboss.com This filter allows parents to control the wireless signal into the home. You can shut all wireless down at anytime. This filter also sends parents a daily report that lists all websites that your kids go to. It will red-flag searches of inappropriate words and send you an alert message.

Students are telling us that while the school laptops are well filtered their home computers are not.

Concerned about pornography? It is a devastating addiction that experts are saying starts on average for 11 year olds. Consider reading one of the following books with your kids: Every Young Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, and / or Every Young Woman’s Battle, by Stephen Arterburn and Shannon Ethridge.

Parents, this roundtable message is also on my blog. If you want to add to this written piece go to the school website, click on Principal’s Blog, and leave a post.

In Christ,

Wayne Dykstra

An A-maize-ing Day!

Looking back, it was likely one of the best days ever at Unity Christian High School. God had a plan and man did it ever come together!

The story you might have caught on KTIV news was this: Over 300 people, 60 plus pieces of farm equipment and 8 school busses descended on two farm fields on the afternoon of October 31, 2011 to assist farmers in picking up ears of corn left on the ground as a result of a crop fire. How nice to see teens serving others. But there is so much more to the story.

A month early God planted a seed in the minds of 4-5 teachers who attended the Heartland Teacher Conference. A presentation at the conference by Ron Vos, got several of us thinking about world hunger and possible solutions of food distribution in the 3rd world. We left the sectional thinking, couldn’t we do something? It wasn’t a pray; just a thought.

On Sunday, October 16 I received a phone call from a local famer. Is there anything Unity can do to help out? I have a burned field of corn, with ears all over the ground. The first thought I had, was guarded. We will see.

In the days that followed, we visited the site of the fire and we learned how much money could be earned picking up 2 fields of corn. And then selfishness and greed kicked in. Wow, we could spend $10,000 to $15,000 on ourselves! We could get....... God let us roll around in our thoughts for awhile. And He waited.

When the teachers were presented with the idea about taking time out of school to pick up corn, the reaction was both guarded and positive. Several teachers took some time to reflect, and came back later with a well thought out reaction. This is where God re-emerges. How about we consider using a corn picking day as an educational opportunity, and a mission opportunity to bless those elsewhere. And the guilt of our selfishness was burned away as quickly as the stalks of corn weeks earlier.

The day itself was a whirlwind of excitement. The weather was incredibly suitable. All the equipment we needed and prayed for was ready and working, farmers included. It was a great day for students to see both old and new farming techniques at work.

It was amazing to see how God brought all the details together. He always does.