God is with you even through depressing times.

In chapel on Thursday, Charlene Schultz shared her testimony. She started off with asking the question "have you ever wanted to die?". She shared how God was with her even in her most depressing times. Life was going well for her. Everything was too perfect. She knew that something big was going to happen to her because life was going too well. And then she found out that her baby boy was going to die and she couldn't believe it. She was sad and depressed but even when Satan taunted her she could find God through her hardships and there she found hope. Don't believe what Satan tells you, it's not true and just. But God is always trustworthy and faithful and he has your best interest in mind.

What people see on the outside isn't always what God see's on the inside

In chapel on Thursday the speaker explained how we can be judged for what we look like or act on the outside, but God looks for what counts on the inside. He see's everything about us, he knows exactly what we are thinking and he know's what we are like when no one is watching. He can pull out things about us that we didn't even know were there. God know's everything that is going on in our lives, and if anyone can do it he can take our outside image and show the true beauty that he see's on the inside and leave all the judgments behind.

Praising God with our mouth

In chapel Tuesday the speaker talked about how we should use our mouths with self control. There are two ways to use our mouth, either to praise people up or put them down.
Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Use your tongue with thankfulness; use your tongue for building people up. What could you say to someone today to build them up?

"Don't let the good rob you of the best"

On Thursday Robby talked about Jacob and Esau and how Jacob deceived his brother in order to get his father's blessing. But it came back at Jacob when he wrestled with God in the night, and he realized that by deceiving his brother like he did was against what God had planned, and it robbed him of the best. And because he didn't let God give him the blessing like God had planned. He ripped himself off and it didn't work out when he tried to work it out himself.
Dreams
Robby also talked about how "we all have dreams but life get in the way." So many excuses..where did our dreams go? There is no way we can reach our dreams without people in our lives. People who support us. You need people around you that will push you onto greatness. You NEED God, you need the one who will never leave you or forsake you. Brothers are brothers for life. Just like brothers God will always be there.

Robby's Thanksgiving Talk

Hey guys! It's Thanksgiving break! And that is something I'm deflinitely thankful for :)
Today our dear Robby Gilliam shared with us.
He challanged us to think about what we're actually thankful for. Do we actually think about what we have? Many times we pity party about the cards we've been dealt, or the life and circumstances we've been given. I know I've personally done this.  What we forget is that God can change the game and add a wild card (parallel to poker!!). He's put us in the situations we're in for a purpose.
And we also compare ourselves and our situations to others. We think God is pouring more into others' cups and again, pity party.
Robby challenged us to be thankful for the glass itself, and the fact that God is pouring life into us.
I think it's all about a change of perspective.
In Luke 17:11, the parable of the lepors is told. When all ten men were healed, only one came back to thank Jesus for that healing.
So, it's important to be thankful for the hand we've been dealt.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again: REJOICE!
See? It's all about a change of perspective..
Phil. 4:6, Phil 4:8
Let's be thankful this season for our lives, what God's poured into us and how he cares, and all the material things we have. We have so much to be thankful for!

The Prodigal Son

Yesterday, Steven Gates came to talk to the whole student body. He shared from Luke 15, the story of the lost son coming home. He told the story to make it make sense for us today. Though a few weeks ago someone else preached about the lost son, I felt Gates had different points to share.
1. We are spiritually sick, or dead, without Jesus. Ephesians 2:1
2. We have need. We are in spiritual need because of sin.
3. We have value because we're created by Him uniquely. Ephesians 2:4
4. God's grace. In the parable, the father throws a celebration when his son comes home, not caring that his son squandered his wealth. This is an act of grace because the lost son was found, and he had no rights to forgiveness. Ephesians 2:8
We are undeserving of the grace and life we've been given. I think the point is to live that life full of grace to the fullest.
~ calla, Ministries Chair

Tuesday, November 15

This Tuesday, Jim Fitz, a farmer who works for the Christian Peacemaking team came to share with the high school students. He has worked with this team in Colombia for 9 years and stands up to both guerilla groups and the paramilitary in Colombia to bring peace in a nonviolent manner. Both of these groups are considered terrorist groups to the U.S. Fitz shared about how 50 soldiers left the paramilitary and became Christians because of these peace making teams. The Christian Peacemaking team simply talks to soldiers in the paramilitary groups and tries to reslove issues with them and the local people peacefully. One point I remember was his point about our enemies. He said not to make the opposing side the enemy, because God is capable of working through them as well. Fitz encouraged us to seek nonviolent ways of problem solving and showed that peacemaking does work. I encourage you as well as the student body to pray for these teams that go to unsafe places that God would keep them safe and that He would work through the people there.

November 10 High School Chapel

Jonathan from West Salem Four Square Church shared with the high school students this Thursday. He was able to connect with us through humor and shared personal experiences to illustrate his points. Jonathan shared from the passage James 4:13-17. His topic was dreams. He made the point that we don't have control over our future, or of what will happen tomorrow. It is ultimately in God's hands. That means it's important to surrrender your dreams (and life) entirely to Him. Jonathan encouraged the student body to ask God if our dreams match up with His dream for our life. And third, in corrilation with James 4:17, respond to the dream God has for your life! It is exciting that God has a specific dream for each of us and wants us to be obedient and follow that dream.
~ Calla Stinson, Ministries Chair

9/20/2011 & 9/21/2011 - High School Chapel & Middle School Chapel

What do you see? When you go through your day do you see life, hope, truth, and victory or do you see lies, desrtuction, hopelessness, and defeat?

I shared with the students that seeing other people and other things the way God's sees them is not simply choosing to do so. You can't see others the way God sees them until you see yourself the way God sees you.

Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God does not create junk. Genesis 1:31a says "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." You are God's workmanship!

Once you understand that you are good and someone created for good works then kindness towards others will begin to flow out of you.

Below are two videos that were shown in chapel. The first to the High School and the second to the Middle School.

My prayer for you today is that you know deep down in the depths of your heart that you are God's workmanship & He looks at you and says: "You are good so be good!"

Here is a link to the other video.

Middle School Chapel

Easter

I had a chance to talk to our students today about how we view God. Do you view God as an angry person? Do you view God as a being in the sky? Do you view God as a friend? Do you view God as a father? We all have a perception of God based on the way we have experienced Him & other Christians around us. Sometimes the greatest way to view God is to know how He views you.

I encouraged the students today as we enter into the Easter season to not leave Jesus in the grave. A lot of times we focus so much on the cross & the death of Christ that we forget to move onto the resurrection & rejoice in the beauty of Christ rising from the grave for us. Our Reedemer lives today!

My prayer is that you all enjoy your Easter week as we remember everything our Lord has done for us!

Spiritual Renewal Week

Eric Ivanitsky, former campus pastor at WMS, making his beloved coffee!

What an incredible school I have the privilege of working with. Last week was our annual spring Spiritual Renewal Week and we were blessed to have our former Campus Pastor, Eric Ivanitsky, speak during the week. Our theme was freedom. Our goal was to not create a sensational mountain top experience or an emotional week for the students, but rather an experience where they find God for themselves. We wanted our students to not hear about freedom or understand it, but to actually experience the truth & the life giving freedom that our God freely offers us.

Our campus was flooded with expectancy as the week approached. Our students were ready for a week of spiritual challenging. Eric did a fantastic job of connecting with our students & challenging their thinking. A lot of times we think & act as if we are free, yet we continue to walk in the bondage that holds us down sometimes. From big hurdles we come across in our lives to basic depression, we are a people who are called to live in freedom!

By the end of the week I believe freedom was not only understood, but experienced. We had people choose to give their lives to Christ for the first time & we had numerous people release bondage's they were holding onto. We had a great week & I am extremely excited about what God has in store for our school as we wind down an amazing & impacting year. We serve a big God who is greater than all of our "stuff". 

Continue to pray for our students to live out lives that are free in Him. Pray that their hearts & minds continue to seek out the truth & in that truth they will be free.

Fighting Cancer

The past few days we have had the privilege of having our International Club & Middle School Student Council adress the student body about cancer. It is a fight that many kids all over Oregon & around the world are facing. We have a wonderful hospital in our local area, Doernbecher, which works with children daily to fight against this awful disease. The Middle School Student Council is coordinating a "pennies for patients" campaign over the next 3 weeks (April 7-28) to help kids who suffer from Leukemia. Donations can be made in homeroom collection boxes. If you write a check, please make it out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Below is a video that we showed in chapel to explain the program that we are doing. Kids like Elisa can use all the help that we can give. If you can't give, please take a moment to pray for families like Elisa's that are struggling through a very hard time right now. Prayer changes things & our God is the creater of perfect peace.

Where are you at in this journey? - Dwight Polivka - 3/31/11

Our students had the honor of having Dwight Polivka come out to speak today. He spoke very honestly & candidly about where we all our in our walk with Christ. He put the believer into 7 categories and explored where each student might be.

The students were challenged to live a life of promise, focus, & purity in Christ. Pray for our students to evaluate their faith journey's today.  Pray that they continue to stay strong in their walk. As we approach Spiritual Renewal Week quickly pray that the students continue to hungry & thirst for a deeper encounter with Jesus.

Your Tongue - Midde School (3/30/11)

Today we talked about your tongue & how it has power to bring life or death. So often we hide behind humor, facts, or teasing & we don't realize the damage that it may be causing. The middle school was challenged today to speak life, encouragement, & love! To make the effort to say nice things even we you don't have to. To make the choice to speak into people's lives instead of tear them down.

"Oh, be careful little mouth what you say. Oh, be careful little mouth what you say. Because the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little mouth what you say."

Live Dangerously - High School (3/29/11)

We talked today about living out your dreams & passions. So often we have dreams & things that drive us every day, but we wait for something to happen. The students were challenged to live dangerously & to go after their dreams with every day. They were challenged to start living each day with purpose & go after their dreams.

We also talked about how we perceive people around us. The homeless man on the street, the elderly woman trying to cross the street, the guy at a party, the people at school you don't know, etc. What if we lived dangerously & showered those people with love? What if we broke out of our comfortable lives & showed Jesus love all around. I asked the students one question..."Are you willing to live dangerously to chase your dreams & change the world?"

Tuesday (2/8/11)

Today Kelly Christenson & I talked about Unity. Sometimes we don't realize just how united our school really is. How we all look out for each other & then common good for our community. Kelly talked about leaving Western & going to a public school for the first two years of high school. You realize really quickly how different things really are. We talked about being thankful for the blessing that Western Mennonite is as a school.

We also talked about how we become united? It isn't by our works, deeds, or attitude. It is by Christ in us. We are united by a common goal...giving our all for the glory of God. Today we stand united in Him as a school. Below is a video we showed about God being all that you need. He is exactly what you need at every moment. He is truly our everything & the attributes of God through the Bible show that. As this young boy shares his take on God's attributes in every book of the Bible, the students began to find what God means for them. Through his love in us, we are united!

Change

Change...it is a funny term. What does complete change actually mean? Lately I have been confronted with the fact that many of our students have either been exposed to drugs or involved in drug use recently. With this knowledge I was stuck with the question of "What can bring about real change?"

We decided that the best thing to do was to talk. At Western we consider our alumni, parents, friends, & current faculty & students to be apart of Western's community or family. As a family, you get things out in the open. As a family, you trust each other enough to share your heart. So that is exactly what we did. Thursday after chapel we dismissed our middle school students & I began to talk to our high school student body about drug use. We talked about its effects on you as an individual & how it effects everyone around you. We talked about how it can change the course of your life forever. After a long talk we opened the microphone up & allowed the students to share anything that was on their minds. What followed can only be described as an amazing moment in the history of our school.

Student after student got up & shared about their experiences with drugs. Some confessed to being involved in them whether in the past or currently. Some talked about how they have seen it tear apart their families. Others talked about other addictions they currently have not related to drugs, but binding them none the less. It was a time of healing, confession, & restoration. Our theme as a school this year is "One God. One People. One Love." Thursday we were being real before our one God, we stood together united as one people, & we accepted everyone with God's one love. It was a special moment in our school.

Change was aparant in our school that day. Students' lives were changed & never to be the same. Sins were forgiven, trust was gained, & bonds were formed by God's amazing grace.

Pray today that the hearts of students will continue to look to God. Pray that we continue to support all of their students as they walk out true change. Pray that the work that God created in each student would be carried out to completion. Pray that joy would begin to come as freedom is embraced & forgiveness is received.

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Cultural Awareness Week

This week is our anual cultural awareness week put on by our international club. It offers an opportunity for our students to learn about other cultures & pray for them.

The focus of the week is all the different islands of the world. Please join us in prayer for all missionaries spread throughout the globe as well as peace to all cultures. Also, join us in prayer as we thank God for all of our different culture represented at Western Mennonite School.

Thursday - (1/6/11)

We had the privilege of having Joe Castaneda from Betheny Baptist speak to our student body today. He talked about authentic worship. How we get caught up in going through the motions a lot of times & just want to do the right things, but we miss the real point. Being a Christian is about following after Jesus, about worshipping Him & who He is, not the thought of Him or a good deed or action. The students were encouraged & challenged to not just do something in church or in school because you're supposed to, but really seek out the reason for it & do it with your heart & not just your thoughts. The students had time to reflect on the love of God & How much He loves them.

Today, pray that our students continue to seek after His true love & worship Him in spirit & in truth.

1/5/11 - Middle School Chapel

The Middle School was privileged to have Eddie Peterson & John Wisseman (class of 2011) speak to them this morning. Their focus was that many times as students, we don't understand the power of our words. Our words have the power to uplift or to tear down. They can bring hope or defeat. They can offer love & compassion or judgement & disdain.

Sometimes we never see the fruit of our words, but what I am confident of is that they are important. Jesus called us to "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  (NIV, John 13:34-35) Sometimes the best love is an encouraging word or a hug. The fact is people are lonely & hurting in our world. We have the power to change that. We have the power to love, encourage, & genuinely care for people.

Today, I am praying for love to be on the minds of our students. I pray that they will look for ways to be loving, kind & caring to their friends, family, & even strangers. "For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." (NIV, I John 3:11)