High School Spiritual Life Conference, 17 November 2022

Southside Christian School was blessed to host Pastor Alex Sands of Kingdom Life Church as our speaker for the Fall High School Spiritual Life Conference.  If you would like to read my summary of Pastor Sands’ message to students and staff on Thursday, November 17, 2022, please read on. . . .

Fall High School Spiritual Life Conference

Southside Christian School

Simpsonville, South Carolina

Thursday, November 17, 2022

6:30 p.m.

Cafeteria and Fine Arts Center

Summary of and Editorializing by Dr. Bob Stouffer, High School Principal (All mistakes are mine alone.)

LeeAnn Jacobs, Erin Bowers, Carla Evans, and Diana Baker served pizza, chips, and water in the Cafeteria.

Bob Jones and Terry Dietrich were also in attendance.

After moving from the Cafeteria to the Fine Arts Center, Campus Pastor Nathan Forrest welcomed everyone to the evening activities.

Pastor Forrest prayed to open the evening activities.

Brett Henderson (vocals and guitar), Katelyn Moll (vocals), Sam DeFoor (guitar and vocals), and Menzi Hlophe (percussion) served as lead worshippers for a time of worship through song.

“Make Yourself a Reminder”

By Pastor Alex Sands

Thank you, Nathan for giving me this opportunity.

Yesterday’s idea was don’t make your one thing the only thing.  Make Jesus your one thing.

At one time in my life, I could not trust what I was experiencing.  It was sort of like looking at a carnival mirror.

God’s Word provides a tether to the truth.  You can’t trust your gut or feelings.  All that matters is how God sees you.

How do you use electronic reminders?  We can use our reminders for everything.

God offers many reminders to us through Psalm 103:

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;^[a]
    he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
    his ministers, who do his will!
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

I want to tell you reminders from this Psalm which you should tell yourself as a tether to truth.

Bless the Lord!  Praise the Lord with all that is within you!  Do not forget his benefits. 

What are those benefits?

The Lord. . .

• Forgives iniquity.
• Heals all your disease.
• Redeems your life.
• Crowns you with steadfast love.
• Satisfies you.

What are your five?  How would you remind yourself?

David widens the scope of God’s benefits:

• Justice to the oppressed
• Righteousness to His people
• Mercy and grace and steadfast love to His people

God doesn’t constantly accuse you.  He will not keep His anger forever.  The Jewish people understood this truth in remembering how God provided for and protected them in the past.  During their time in the desert, and in a very short period of time, the people had turned to idolatry in crafting a golden calf while Moses was with the Lord. BUT GOD.  But God showed mercy and grace and steadfast love to His people.

Remind yourself to bless the Lord for being merciful to you.  We make commitments to the Lord, and we quickly turn to our idols.  Yet the Lord is always so merciful.

You’ll need this reminder the next time you feel entitled to a better life.

Yes, we live in a fallen world, but thank the Lord every day for His mercy.  The culture has such a victim mentality.  Stand back as children as God and say, “God has been better to me than I deserve.”

You are going to have highs and lows in life.  Remember God’s mercy.  The Lord has been merciful to you.

God love is a covenant steadfast (hesed) love.  He made a covenant with a group of people, promising to be faithful to them, even though His people were not faithful to Him. 

David was sinful.  He committed adultery.  He participated in a plot for murder.  Yet the Lord still was merciful to him, knowing him as “a man after God’s own heart.”

You ever been tired of yourself?  God’s grace is never exhausted. 

The Lord is faithful.  He keeps His promises to us.  If he did not honor his promises, He would be a liar. 

God knows everything about you, and still He loves us. 

We have unrealistic expectations for ourselves.  We need to remind ourselves of God’s love for us.

Sometimes, we just need a “spanking,” to be taken behind the woodshed for discipline.  God loves us and disciplines us in ways that we become more like Jesus.

Bless the Lord for knowing you intimately and still being a compassionate healer and redeemer.

God has delivered you out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light.  We have been healed.  We were dead. Now, we are alive.  One day, we will also have a glorification of our bodies. 

God gives us to us or withholds from us what we need in our seasons of time.

Bless the Lord for satisfying you with good things. 

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

When you are in that pit, you will need these reminders to keep circumstances and feelings from defining your faith.

Our theology should not be shaped by our feelings. 

Remind yourself every day what God says about you.  Our value does not come from what we say about ourselves.

God gives us grace to outlast the storms.  One day, there will be nothing but sunshine and perfection.  We will struggle now.  But God promises grace to make it through every storm, and the tether of truth is God’s Word.

Let’s pray. . .

[Pastor Nathan amplified some of Pastor Sands’ thoughts to close the evening.  “We love you.  We are for you.  You are not alone.”]

Opening Convocation, HS SLC, 16 November 2022

Opening Convocation

Fall High School Spiritual Life Conference

Southside Christian School

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

3:00 p.m.

Sabre Center

Summary of and Editorializing by Dr. Bob Stouffer, High School Principal (All mistakes are mine alone.) 

Campus Pastor Nathan Forrest welcomed the high school student body and introduced Pastor Alex Sands, the speaker for the Fall High School Spiritual Life Conference.

Pastor Nathan prayed to open the session.

“What Is Your One Thing?”

Pastor Alex Sands

Thank you so much for the invitation.

I pastor in Simpsonville at Kingdom Life Church. I’ve been in Greenville for 27 years, so you might say that I’m a native Greenville-ian. 

I’ve got one question for you.  I want you to be thinking about this. 

What is your one thing?

Here’s what I mean by that.  If everything else collapsed around you, what is that one thing that you would be confident about, you’d be good at, and lean into. 

Something separates those who are elite and all of the rest of us. 

If the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line collapses, Quarterback Lamar Alexander’s one thing is his speed. 

Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time.  His one thing was the turnaround jumper.

What is the one thing for you?  Math?  Band?  Athletics?

How do you lean into this talent for this ability?

Whatever your one thing is, don’t make your one thing your only thing.  Why?  It will always let you down at some point.

What happens when you can’t do that one thing anymore?  Don’t let your identity to be wrapped up in that one thing.

That happened to me.  My Dad built bombs — literally.  My parents were married over 60 years.  A great marriage and home.  I was the baby of 4 kids. 

My one thing was to be a good student.  I was an engineering student.  I had a fellowship to earn my Ph.D.

But I gave my life to Christ instead.  I was doing all that other stuff to impress people.

I have my mind.  But 10 years ago, I had a collapse.  I had started Kingdom Life.  Things were going well on the outside.  On the inside, I was falling apart.  It was the worst season of my life.  I was bitter and angry.  Sad.  I’d preach.  I’d sing the songs.  I’d fall on the floor and cry.  I could not get out of my own way.

I got some help.  If you are struggling, make sure you get help.  We will struggle as Christians.  I’m bi-polar.  I put the pieces together, looking back on my life.  I had ups and downs.  I had never been stable.  I always thought that I had been okay.  I had put my faith and trust in Christ.  I had made course and direction of life my idol.

The Lord ministered to me.  He shared the times in my life that I could have lost everything — church, life, family, respect.  The Lord protected me from myself.  My strengths had not been strengths.  Jesus had covered my back. 

I cried out, “Lord, who wants a bi-polar pastor?”

It was never about Alex anyway.  I should have leaned into and trusted Jesus Christ.  He exposed these things in me.

Don’t let your one thing be your only thing. 

Paul was strong in the faith.  His pedigree was immaculate.  He was gifted intellectually.  All of those things were “dung” or “manure” when compared to wanting to know Jesus.

Knowing Jesus outweighs everything.

Paul said he wasn’t perfect.  But his one thing was pressing forward in the upper call to Christ.  That became the pursuit of his life.

Only one thing will last.  And that is our relationship with Jesus Christ whatever your plans for life and talent.

I’ve been open about my struggles.  The church has tripled in size.  We have a new building. 

Make Jesus your one pursuit.  God is dependable.  He was that way for Israel.  He’s that way with His people now.  Pursue.  Seek the one thing that matters: knowing the Lord personally.  Seek first His righteousness. 

Tomorrow night, I’ll be back with you at 6:30 p.m.  I want to share assurances David gave to his people. 

Jesus will never let you down.  Make Him your one thing. 

Pastor Sands prayed for the students.

Pastor Forrest reminded students to be in the Cafeteria for pizza, worship in the Fine Arts Center, and a time with Pastor Sands as well. 

Parents are also invited to interact with Pastor Trenton Stokes at 6:30 p.m. in the Sabre Library.

Summary of SCS High School Assembly, 03 November 2022

Every Thursday is different for Southside Christian High School students.  At 9:40-10:20 a.m., students may be in a Chapel with all high school students, 9/10 Chapel, 11/12 Chapel, small groups, The Forum, or an assembly.  An assembly was scheduled Thursday, November 3, 2022. If you would like to read my summary of the assembly, please read on. . . .

High School Assembly

Southside Christian School

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Fine Arts Center

9:40-10:20 a.m.

Summary of and Editorializing by Dr. Bob Stouffer, High School Principal (All mistakes are mine alone.)

Mrs. Lindsay Donovan, Director of Drama, opened the assembly with a promotion for the fall musical, Holiday Inn.  Tickets are available through mySCS.  The show is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of next week.  Also, a special matinee is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Mrs. Donovan prayed to start the assembly. 

Mrs. Donovan introduced Mr. Mike Sonneborn, Head Football Coach and Assistant Athletic Director.

Coach Sonneborn explained the high school requirements for playing athletics at the college level:  Academic achievement is important at Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, especially in the core credits. 

• Students can be great athletes, but, if they have not earned the necessary core requirements or grades, they will not be admitted to those schools. 
• Coaches are recruiting student-athletes through social media.  “It’s helpful not to be dumb on Twitter,” Coach Sonneborn said.
• The junior year of high school is a pivotal year.
• Not everyone is obviously going to play college sports, but his explanation gave all students a better understanding of preparing for such a commitment at the university level. 
• Coach Sonneborn is the go-to person at Southside Christian for post-secondary athletics qualification (msonneborn@southsidechristian.org or 234-7575). 

Coach Mike Johnson, Executive Director of Athletics, introduced Coach Scott Freeman (Baseball), Coach DeAnn Walpole (Track and Field), and Coach Jadan Anderson (Boys’ Basketball) for a Q&A time with this panel of SCS coachese.

• 65% of students played at least 1 sport last year! 
• The coaches shared about their own participation in high school athletics.
• Desired characteristics of a student-athlete:  work ethic, looking to get better every day, relentlessness, leaders, intentional about improving, a good teammate, coachability
• The “why” of coaching: the ability to impact student-athletes in a positive way, the opportunity to share our faith and to disciple students at a Christian school, influencing in the sport that has changed my life, using a sport to reach others (including spectators), a front-row seat to the value of athletics, involvement with families and friends
• Multi-sport athletes are heartily welcomed to our sports; track and field is a foundation for any other sport; cross-training assists in other sports; multi-sport involvement offers the ability to handle pressure in challenging situations
• Good teammates: effective communication, lead by examples, rally teammates in pressure situations, excel in all aspects of life
• Most memorable experience as a coach:  not one specific moment, but experiencing text messages or conversations with current and former student-athletes for our influence on their lives (Jadan Anderson); the last out of a state championship, but it’s more about the times on the bus and the memories which build to that point (Scott Freeman)
• Benefits of high school sports: good athletes are good students, living the fruit of a disciplined life, learning life lessons, doing our best carries over to all of life, being the best for Jesus is what counts, giving our all, good resume-builder for future calling and employment
• Impact of coaches on our coaches: coaches become father- and mother-figures, teaching more than just the sport, relationship-building, parents who coach future coaches, the example of relentlessness for Jesus, the Lord gives you a platform in athletics for His glory, ongoing relationship with past coaches
• The sport as a platform for discipling: adversity occurs, which buildings and reveals character; representing ourselves, our families, the Gospel, and Christ
• College coaches ask not about skills, but rather about character, family, and grades; they are looking at student-athletes’ social media accounts; the consistency of students in all avenues of their lives; wanting to see athletes succeeding AND failing, including the student-athlete’s response in both scenarios
• God’s use of athletics to grow Christlikeness: God showed me I was not playing college basketball to play college basketball; he showed me how to use my gifts, make connections, and spread the Gospel, forcing me to think about what God wanted to use me (Coach Anderson); the Lord stretches us awkwardly and painfully, with Satan attacking our athletic programs, to a point of calling on His name and falling on my face before Him (Coach Walpole); we are not in control, relationships have helped me and my marriage (Coach Freeman)
• Challenges for the student-athletes: life looks different from the average student, time is of the essence, priorities are directed toward success in all venues, taking care of business, athletics help the athletic mentally and emotionally and spiritually, sports are exhilarating, improvement of the whole person
• To the 35% who did not play a sport in 21-22: don’t be afraid of failing; go for it; relationships in the sport will be worth your involvement; the school departments allow for multiple participation, i.e., fine arts and sports

Coach Johnson encouraged all students to consider playing a high school sport.

Coach Johnson recognized the swim team for advancing to the Final 16 with such a small number on the team. The volleyball team finished in the Final Four.  Football plays Blackville-Hilda on Friday night in the first round of the play-offs.  On Friday, Cross Country competes for the opportunity to compete for a 1A State Championship.  The girls’ tennis team is competing for the State Championship on Saturday.

Coach Johnson prayed to close the assembly.