Jun 30, 2020 | Care Conversations
God is both joyful in and of Himself as well as the source of our joy. Nothing makes God joyful; His joy is not conditional upon anything external to Himself, thus His joy is constant and total.
The Triune God rejoices in His own existence. The persons of the Trinity have joy in one another. The Father takes joy in the Son[1]; The Son has joy in the Father; it is the Holy Spirit’s joy that causes our joy.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). I always thought of the joy referred to here as the joy which God gives, and so it is. I now realize this does not say quite enough. It is also the joy which God possesses and experiences. God gives us joy because He is joyful. He is the source of joy, just as He is the source of love, of truth, of mercy, and so on. Joy is both a description of God and a description of what He gives.” [2]
He rejoices in his Creation.
God’s joy is so great, so infectious, that even the Creation itself enters into, reflects and speaks of His joy:
The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.[3] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;…let the field exult, and everything in it!…Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.[4]
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills sing for joy together.[5]
God rejoices in the redemption of His people.
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.[6]
God shares His joy with His people.
“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”[7]
| VIRTUE |
BIBLICAL INDICATOR |
VALUES |
| JOY |
“I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them.” John 17:13 |
Contentment
Thankfulness
Enthusiasm |
We see that the joy that comes to us is a consequence of the joy that is God the Father; made available to us by the actions of the Son and made True for us by the witness of the Spirit.
Contentment thus becomes a mark of our community life. Joy transcends circumstances and is not conditional upon any other factor than God’s joy. We can be at peace.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.[8]
Our relationships both within the community and beyond are undergirded by thankfulness; a recognition, that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
We are to be people of enthusiasm. Joy motivates us; joy is infectious; joy is to be shared. We will have contentment, gratitude, and enthusiasm that says my Creator is Joy – He has created me in His image.
Blessings
[1] Eg Matthew 17:5; Isaiah 42:1
[2] Bob Deffinbaugh
[3] Psalm 65:12-13
[4] Psalm 96:11-12
[5] Psalm 98:8
[6] Luke 15:7
[7] Psalm 16:11
[8] Romans 14:17
Jun 25, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
The story of all stories. Stories are enchanting as they immerse us into the narrative and we begin to recognise ourselves in the characters, cultures and common things of life. Stories are about connection, tradition, identification, values and inspiration. They are relatable. And they must be authentic. As we sit around our campfires of life and tell stories, they powerfully touch our thoughts and emotions. Stories can also be markers about life and reality as they point us towards meaning. Stories ignite imagination, stir innovation, kindle hope, create wonder, inflame inspiration and author our memories.
Deep down every heart longs for a story that explains the reality of life; a story that will never disappoint. The story of all stories is one such story. It is the great story of God. He is the author, narrator and director of this epic story. The story of all stories is God’s overarching meta-narrative of life. It is authentic and totally relatable and we locate our own story within the story of all stories. It is the greatest love-story of all time where “once upon a time, the King of all Kings had a kingdom that He extended into the earthly realms. He created magnificent creatures and placed them into His Edenic garden of paradise. The people he made were unique because they reflected their King. They lived in purity, perfection, peace and with purpose. But one day the King’s people assaulted their King after they made an agreement with the evil serpent prince. They traded their first love; they lost their innocence. In the flash of one moment; yes just one moment, where man attempted to be king, the people fell and the creation began to crumble. Dislocated from their King; disorientated in meaning; distorted perspectives, life would never be the same again. Death that was never intended became part of life. They were lost. Yet the King of all Kings loved His people and set about to restore them to their original creative purpose. He gave them a great book to teach them how to live. The words were golden and of great value. But the people kept breaking their covenant with their Kinsman Redeemer. So, He came to their earth to restore His kingdom and rescue His people. His love was so great He laid down His royal crown and chose a cruel crown of thorns and sacrificed Himself on their behalf to restore them once and for all. It cost the King His life. He was innocent and they were guilty. They deserved to be punished but instead He loved them. But the story goes on and this King of all Kings was raised from death to life and He took up His victor’s crown and He is seated in the heavenly realms on His eternal throne. Moment by moment He reaches down, helping, protecting, loving and comforting His people. But, one day, like a thief in the night, the King of all Kings will come back again. In a final blow He will defeat the evil serpent prince and will create a new heaven and earth. He will be enthroned and glorious and His people will be pure and they will love Him eternally. In this story, the people who belong to the King of all Kings will live happily ever after.”
The script of the story of all stories is our script and we are living it out. As we enter into this grand, grace-based narrative we find a connection to the King; one who identifies with our humanity, gives us a tradition of faith, offers His presence, gives us His kingdom values to live by, restores our purpose and fulfilment and secures our destiny by writing our names in His eternal Book of Life. Oh, what a story we are living out and living in; the story of all stories.
So, friends, get your story on today.
Best days to come
Wen
Jun 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
Welcome to Teacher Talks for Term 2.
Last term we began with the question “How do we trust God and education faithfully in an age of confusion and anxiety?”
The talks ended with a quote by Joni Eareckson “When we learn to lean back in God’s sovereignty, fixing and settling our thoughts on the unshakeable, unmovable reality, we can experience inner peace. Our troubles may not change, our pain may not diminish, our loss may not be restored, our problems may not fade with the new dawn. But the power of those things to harm us is broken as we rest in the fact that God is in control”.
God is always sovereign and does not stop being sovereign at any time even if no-one seems to be listening or that reality is questioned.
How powerful are those words now in the midst of the spread of COVID-19 across our globe. It knows no distinctions of race, class or religion. Creation is always groaning and this time it is loud enough to awaken us. Fear and anxiety have gripped the hearts of people and the daily normality of our lives has been disrupted as there is no vaccine to rescue us. As teachers, together with our students and their families, the everyday patterns of school life have been turned upside down with online home schooling and social and economic hardship being experienced by many.
Can we trust our sovereign God, our Heavenly Father when as part of creation we are collectively groaning? Though the unfolding of history in its fullest sense is beyond our grasp and where only in eternity will our time be disclosed, we need faith to see our present context under God. Only then can we face the challenge of seeing and fulfilling God’s purpose in this time of upheaval.
We love and need our triune God who is both transcendent, infinitely wise and powerful, and yet immanent, choosing to make His home with us. Here is “Where Heaven meets earth”.
Term 2 Teachers Talking will help us explore this theme as we seek to walk with our God and our students to imagine and write the script of our story for this time.
May our prayer be:
“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Grace and Peace,
The Team
The Excellence Centre
Take me back to Teachers Talking Series 10
Jun 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
“Always Winter, never Christmas in Narnia” [1] as the story goes, is how many have seen the world recently, as life as we have known it slips away. There is a longing for things to be different or for a better time. This human desire for renewal is a deep longing for relationship with our Creator and the life He intended us to live. For “He has set eternity in the hearts of men. . .” [2]
But we know something is wrong and we mourn its loss. The Suffering Servant goes to the heart of darkness and all sin, pain, suffering and death are laid upon Him, “If the willing victim that has committed no treachery is killed in the traitor’s stead, the Stone table will crack, and even death itself would turn backwards.” [3] But this is not the end of the story. The risen Saviour has overcome chaos and now turns the world right-side up through His love, power and wisdom. Springtime has come. When Aslan is on the move, the snow melts and new life appears in Narnia as the spell of the white witch is broken. Edmund’s heart gives a leap when he realises the frost is over. Hope springs up as a new reality has been let loose, creation knows ‘it in its bones’. [4]
Jesus is the King, a ruler who brings renewal, healing and reconciliation. The whole cosmos has been re-awakened and is being put right. “Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrow will be no more. When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, and he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” [5] The ultimate hope, the surety that Christ will return and fill the whole earth with His glory, has already started to come true. The great re-creation project – the unity of the new heaven and the new earth where the triune God will be present forever, enables us to live lives of hope and purpose. As Victor Frankl, the holocaust survivor said, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’?” [6]
So there is a time when God will wipe away all tears from our eyes, but not yet. For the Kingdom of God is like a seed. Re-creation comes through a strange and slow process of sowing where there are remarkable stories of prodigals who are rescued, outsiders who become the true neighbours, the least ones who become the greatest and the poor in spirit who see God. Christ makes his home in one person at a time, building a temple, a resurrected community, where the living God dwells by His Spirit. His people offer His self-giving love to a lost and broken world.
Now is the time to help our students to embrace the tension of living in a broken world where all things are being made new. The Lord wants them to move into this His world, so that the ‘ice will melt’ and the fragrance of Jesus will permeate His creation. May we tell them stories of God’s people who in times of great need, embodied faith, hope and love that brought new life in Christ to communities in the midst of suffering and despair. Let’s point them to the many small acts of re-creation that are bringing joy to others. May we be filled with gratitude of the wonder of God’s presence in our midst. For we can engender an unshakeable hope in the lives of our students because our final restoration awaits us and it comes through a Person. For in Him, we are learning a new way to be human, the imprint of God on His creation.
This is reflected in the words of a school Principal in a letter to his community this past month. “… we need to remind ourselves of the goodness of God who is Sovereign over all things and that He is with us in the struggles that we are facing. . .We can be thankful for the deep sense of community. . .(and) we plan to continue the strong relationships of trust, mutual support and encouragement.” [7]
Let us live faithfully in our time, for in Christ is the unshakeable hope that all things “are being made new”.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ (Revelation 21:5)
Grace and Peace
The Team
The Excellence Centre
[1] Lewis, CS. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
[2] Ecclesiastes 3:11
[3] ibid Chapter 15-Deeper Magic Before the Dawn of Time
[4] Romans 8:21,22
[5] Lewis, CS. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
[6] V Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
[7] Dr Boyce, Pacific Hills Christian School
Jun 19, 2020 | Care Conversations
| VIRTUE |
BIBLICAL INDICATOR |
VALUES |
| JOY |
“I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them.” John 17:13 |
Contentment
Thankfulness
Enthusiasm |
I have been reflecting on a number of conversations recently that have centered on the concept of happiness. Many times, people have finished the conversation with phrases like, “It’s OK as long as they’re happy.” Or “All that really matters is their happiness.”
Is it OK to want to be happy? Of course it is. But is happiness the greatest goal? The problem with happiness is that it’s not a big enough purpose; generally, it is self centered and it has a habit of being temporary.
It’s no coincidence that “happiness” and “happenings” come from the same origin. So when “happy” things “happen” we have happiness. Happiness is therefore always related to our circumstances, how we view those circumstances and how we are affected by them. If we are happy then it’s because life is going well for us. We have no crises, we are healthy, we have possessions, we are well fed – life is good.
The word “happiness” appears very rarely in the Bible; the Scriptures instead major on the concept of “joy”. Where happiness is related to our circumstances; joy is a gift from God.
Many of our young people live their lives in the pursuit of happiness; it is inevitable that when circumstances don’t please them, they will be unhappy. Those that have discovered that joy is the secret to “enjoying” life are notable for their far greater level of contentment and security. So how do we move our young people on from the search for happiness to life-changing joy? Well, firstly, we who teach them and who spend our days with them have to know for ourselves the eternal joy of knowing Jesus Christ rather than a temporary confidence in happiness.
Philippians is known as the “Letter of Joy”
“
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” [1]Was Paul, or were the Philippians, in a “happy” state? Probably not. Paul was writing from prison and not far away from death. The people of Philippi were about to become animal food! Nero would soon be providing sport by pitting Christians against Lions, and when the sun went down, he’d be turning Christians into garden flares by covering them with tar and setting light to them. There would be pain and torture and grief . . . and Paul tells them to rejoice. This is not some mantra, or self-help statement that will cause happiness, but a deep truth that joy is to be found in the eternal security of a loving God.
Whilst the opposite of happiness may be unhappiness; the opposite of joy is unholy fear. Joy in Jesus Christ and His promises drives away fear. It is knowing the deep truth that God’s purposes can never be thwarted; our eternal destiny with Him is never in doubt.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [2]
It would be absurd to say that the crucifixion was a “happy” experience. It was about torture, cruelty, unfairness, sin and death. The joy for Jesus was that He was accomplishing the will of His Father. Our understanding of joy must be the same. It’s a strange thing but we are more likely to see joy when we give up our claims to happiness. When, by the grace of God, we understand that we are called to be instruments of God’s love, grace and peace rather than to grasp our own selfish comfort then we are close to joy.
Let’s bring our students to the joy that is far greater than happiness. Let them see that our trust is in the One who is the origin of all joy.
Blessings
[1] Philippians 4:4
[2] Hebrews 12:2
