Southside Christian High School Easter Chapel, 30 March 2023

How glorious to celebrate the truths of the Easter season AT SCHOOL! If you would like to read my summary of the Southside Christian High School Easter Chapel of Thursday, March 30, 2023, please read on. . .

High School Chapel

Southside Christian School

Simpsonville, South Carolina

Thursday, March 30, 2023

9:40-10:20 a.m.

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

Nathan Forrest, Campus Pastor and Director of Discipleship, asked for applause to celebrate the students who had run for 2023-2024 Student Government Association offices.

Gary Grodecki played a 1-minute video of thanks from the Director of Freedom International Ministries in the Dominican Republic.  We celebrated raising over $12,000 for Freedom water bottles during the Spring Benevolence Project, the highest total in the history of benevolence projects.

Pastor Forrest spoke of Easter as his “favorite holiday.” 

Pastor Forrest

We have a rabbit.  His name is Midnight.  He is profoundly destructive.  I had said no for a year-and-a-half to a rabbit.  This is a testament to my son August’s requests for a bunny.  He spoke to complete strangers who were saying we were going to get a rabbit!  Rabbits are adorable.  I resent myself for loving this rabbit. They are also super-fragile. They die very easily. David August had a rabbit who leaped out of his arm and died! I had other friends sitting down on a couch; they leaned back, killing the rabbit!  On another occasion, thunder scared one of my friend’s rabbits to death! Some of you think I’m depressing.  Fair enough.

I don’t get the connection between rabbits and Easter.  As a child, I didn’t understand Easter as a holiday. There was no reason in my mind to wear pastel clothes.  I understood Christmas.  Presents. Easter?  Easter is now my favorite holiday. 

Think of the biblical narrative we have covered to this point.  Creation.  You are created in the image of God.  Then, sin.  Yet another school shooting shows our broken condition. The world is broken.  But God didn’t leave us in our brokenness. Christmas brought Jesus. He came to hang out with us.  We were still sinning, but Jesus stepped into that environment.  He said, “I’m going to be with y’all.”

He called people to purpose — to live lives that matter.  He invited us into a family and community. He brought us to His table, that we might die with Him.  We’re not supposed to live in isolation.

Jesus went to the cross for atonement. To heal our brokenness and be restored to the Father. We are justified and redeemed to a state to which we are not really worthy.  We are restored.  Often, the Gospel stops there.

If you’re a thoughtful person, you are more aware of systemic pressure of evil and human beings.  Evil thrives in the world.  The biggest perpetrators go unpunished, and that enrages me! I care about people in this room.  And I hear it from many of you.  People are hurting. The world is really jacked-up.  The Senior Seminar project presentations explore the facets of brokenness.

I still go to funerals. Death is still a thing. The morality rate is 100%.  This is sad and tragic.  You’re going to bury the people whom you love, or the people who love you will bury you.  When someone dies, pictures of that family member will not go on the wall of family pictures.

1 Corinthians 15.  This is why Easter matters.

The Corinthian church was asking why Easter mattered.  If Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile.  Easter’s a big deal.  The Resurrection proved the redemptive plan for humanity. Jesus defeated death.  People saw Him. He died for us.  We are secure with the Father because of Him.

Those who have fallen asleep apart from Christ are to be pitied.  But Christians are fruits of the sacrifice made by Jesus. 

When we lived in China, we could not get strawberries year-round.  This fruit is the fruit of our heart’s desire.  At the winter thaw in China, we paid insane prices to eat the first crop of strawberries after 10 months without strawberries.  The strawberry season had arrived! We feasted on strawberries!  We knew the huge harvest was near. Paul is saying here that Christ’s Resurrection is the first fruit of resurrection.  Death does not win. 

Think about the people you have loved and had to say goodbye to.  That’s not the end of the story.  My grandfather was processing the death of his daughter, my mother.  He was not going to church.  He was angry with God. I was grieving, too. We are in the middle of the narrative in which I will see my mother again.

The Gospel is not pie-in-the-sky.  Jesus defeated death.  He WILL come back. He WILL bring life.  He WILL crush death a final time.

There is a lot of fear, anxiety, pain, and sorrow in this room. Our brains spiral with issues at night which keep us awake.  Jesus defeated death! He is faithful and sufficient with the rest. God defeated death! Even if I die — even in my death — it’s not the end of the story. It’s the end of that chapter.

This truth is what I hold out to you.  In the midst of fear, we can cling to the King.  I can look at what Jesus experienced on earth. The early church spoke of the Resurrection as “life after life after death.” Life continues. Who you are — all of you — goes into eternity. Think about your life and sorrows.  Set the pain and hardship in the proper context. 

You’re going to live 75 or 80 years.  How do 80 years compare to eternity?!  Remember 3^rd grade.  You had bad days in third grade.  I had bad days in third grade.  Those bad days do not define you or me.

We gather for church on Easter, corporately linking arms with fellow Christians to sing with exuberant joy.  The King will one day come back and bring ultimate justice!  Our King is alive!  He has not abandoned us!  Death does not win!  Brokenness is not forever!  So I cling to this promise.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:54 that the perishable puts on the imperishable.  The mortal takes on immortality.  Death, where is your sting?! We are to be steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord.  Our labor is not in vain. 

Your life matters. 

If you have listened to the good news of the Bible and not owned it, and you’re living in fear, desiring peace, my plea is for you to talk to someone.  Start a conversation.

Also, if you believe this Gospel, let us go from here with peace and joy.  All of this life matters.  Have fun.  Rejoice with friends.  Cherish the beauty of this world.  Cherish the memories with your family.  That joy is because of Easter.  Take time to celebrate Jesus.

I’m going to pray for you.

We have donuts for all of you.  As you partake of the “bread,” your assignment is to have a conversation with a friend on your way to your next class.  Answer the question, “What is happening in your life that you see as from the Lord?”

Pastor Nathan prayed. 

Pastor Nathan dismissed sections of the Fine Arts Center to the Cafeteria to get donuts.

Students grabbed and ate donuts, moving to their third period classes.

“Why Do Children Disobey?”

That’s a provocative question, isn’t it?

“Why Do Children Disobey?” is also the title of a recent article which might be of interest to you as a parent or grandparent:

“Why Do Children Disobey?”

By Sam Crabtree

Crossway

March 11, 2023

https://www.crossway.org/articles/why-do-children-disobey/?utm_source=Crossway+Marketing&utm_campaign=5c7ad9bd5f-20230311+Teaching+-+What+Knowing+God+Involves&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0275bcaa4b-27fcbefe80-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

“God’s Heart for the World”

Southside Christian School celebrated International Festival Week with a special assembly during the chapel period on Thursday, March 2, 2023.  If you would like to read my summary of the assembly, please read on. . . .

“God’s Heart for the World”

High School Assembly

Southside Christian School

Simpsonville, South Carolina

Thursday, March 2, 2023

9:40-10:20 a.m.

Fine Arts Center

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

Nathan Forrest, Campus Pastor and Director of Discipleship, welcomed the students to the assembly.  He talked about the world constantly “getting bigger and more complicated.” He said, “The Word is at work with millions of people in hundreds of countries around the world.”  He prayed to open the assembly.

Carla Evans, Director of Student Life and International Relations, expressed excitement about presenting several opportunities for students. 

Ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students will be signing up for upcoming JTerm opportunities during the summer of 2023 and January, 2024.  Online information and registration forms are soon to be released.  Students must see trip sponsors to sign up for the trips, starting today. Spots are limited.

Each student has the opportunity to give $10 for the funding of an individual re-usable water bottle for students at Freedom International Ministries in the Dominican Republic. 

Mrs. Evans indicated that her mission team went to Honduras in January, 2023.  She played a slide show of a montage of still photographs accompanied by Christian music.  [That slide show brought tears to my eyes, seeing the SCS students interacting with the Honduran children, who were so filled with joy.]

Mrs. Evans explained that this mission trip to Honduras was “an amazing trip.”  She invited several students to share their experiences with mission trips

Kaitlyn Moll, ’23, shared her experience with eleven-year-old Gustavo in the Dominican Republic.  He was so willing to help all of the SCS students. His parents were in the U.S., working to send back money to his family.  Gustavo wanted to “become a better follower of Christ.” He was leading older students in the D.R.!  He was very committed to serving the Lord. He insisted on serving the SCS students.  “His attitude and willingness to serve was a testimony to me,” Kaitlyn said.

Sam DeFoor, ’24 described an “typical day in Honduras” on the trip. SCS students served children in Vacation Bible School and door-to-door evangelism. Translators were available. SCS students shared their testimonies. Sam shared a story of interacting with one mother, who believed she was a growing Christian; the students prayed with her, as she bawled, remembering the death of her son.  “We were super-inexperienced as evangelists, but is was so cool to see God moving,” Sam said. Parents would hand babies to the SCS students. Madison was holding a very happy three-year-old. It was hot.  Everyone was sweaty.  Students took turns holding his child. The students were struggling to get their breath. The team worked well together to struggle up the mountain.  “God gave us the strength,” Sam said. Sam encouraged the students to consider joining an upcoming mission trip.

Emma Haddock, ’26, was one of the youngest students on the trip to Honduras. She described interacting with a woman in her 60’s. A pastor had encouraged her.  She became a Christian. She started going to church. The students asked for a prayer request.  Her mom had recently had a stroke and was debilitated.  The students went inside the home to pray over her mother.  “It was scary,” Emma said.  Emma and the others had never done anything like this.  The students prayed over the woman.  “You could feel God’s presence,” Emma said, “It was a really moving moment.” On the last day, the students were exhausted.  Two little girls came up to Emma.  They held Emma’s hands going down the mountain. She asked where their house was.  They pointed up the mountain.  They had hiked all of the way down and then needed to hike all of the way up to spend time with Emma!  They didn’t complain. They were obviously poor.  But they were courageous. 

Will Daniel, ’23, served in Honduras — “in a profound way.” Will shared that, in the Bible, there are many accounts of Jesus meeting people’s physical needs, but He focused on people’s hearts.  Will shared that he “worked alongside an amazing team who allowed God to work on their hearts.”  The kids have no material possessions, “But they have so much joy,” Will said. “I am a more grateful person as a result of this trip.”  We are all called by God to go to the nations. 

Mrs. Evans invited the man from White Horse Mission to share about the ministry and how God is reaching the nations through that ministry. He expressed the joy he experienced through this trip to Honduras. He played a video of missionaries in Mexico singing “Jesus Loves Me.” Nationals sang the lyrics in Spanish and in a different language. In Revelation 7:9, we learn that heaven will be populated by all nations, people, and tongues.  The video was a representation of heaven. Scripture comes alive when we see people worshipping the same God in three different languages.  “We take our Christianity for granted; God is working everywhere; there are people groups who need Jesus.”

The first time he had gone to this location in Mexico, he was working with a church.  The people at one point saw the White Horse missionaries coming.  The people went into their houses.  They were afraid. They had never seen White people in their village! Those experiences are “priceless,” he said.  Students “can go on the cutting edge of what God is doing.” An uneasiness can lead to yielding to God’s purpose for our lives. White Horse serves other people who are poor and don’t know where their next meal will come from. “We blow through money” in the U.S., he said. People in Mexico live on $100 a week.  “God wants us to throw our lives at people like this.” Jesus gave everything He had for us.  “We claim to be Christians, but what does that mean? Seek what God wants you to do.  Let Him direct your life.”

“It was a great trip. It was so much fun. We take 20 trips a year.  This was an incredible trip for Southside Christian. The people were touched by the work of the students.”

He asked his wife to pray in Spanish to close the assembly.  [She did so. It was beautiful to hear that prayer in a different language.]