Learn about the highlights of the upcoming National Youth Gathering.

Jesus knows the misery you feel. Jesus makes the difference at that very point—when your pain intersects your cry for help. Jesus is God’s answer to that cry.

Jesus took the punishment you deserve. He died in your place so that you can be forgiven. Because you are forgiven, you can have the comfort of knowing you are at peace with God and the certainty that He provides you with the strength to cope with guilt, shame and grief.

And because of what Jesus has done for you, your past is forgiven, your present can be lived with confidence, and your future is guaranteed.

For all who believe in Jesus, an everlasting world—without suffering, sin and death—is assured. This glorious place called heaven is where you will see Jesus face to face.

That’s the difference Jesus makes

Christ Lutheran School – Family Fun Night

Come enjoy the excitement of the Kings Hockey together!

Participants will enjoy the Group Spotlight where they’ll be welcomed by the PA announcer and shown on the JumboTron!

      If you still would like to contribute to Haiti relief, it isn’t too late!  February’s offering is going towards Giving Gardens, a project that will plant sustainable gardens in Haiti to help the survivors of the quake grow their own food.  Through the mercy of God and the blood of Christ, hope springs eternal at CLCS and Haiti!

              There are many days that I give thanks to God that I am working in one of His schools, rather than a public school.  Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against public schools and enjoyed the years I spent working in them.  What breaks my heart is how the current public schools are ruled by the iron fist of standardized testing so that it becomes the sun in the school’s solar system.  Thankfully, we are able to use our ITBS test results to inform our instruction, not to use it to measure the success of students or teachers.  At Christ Lutheran the ITBS results are one of many tools that we use to assess the skills, strengths, and needs of our students and programs. 

                With that being said, I am glad to report to you that, again, the average score for every grade level on every sub-test was above grade level!  The faculty will use these scores to help them create a customized program of instruction for the unique group of students they are privileged to minister to this year.  The staff will be looking for trends among classes, students, and subjects so that we are sure that we are providing your children with the best academic experiences possible. 

            If you have any questions about your child’s scores, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I love data analysis (I know my nerd is showing) and academic testing in particular.  We have invested in a program called the Interactive Results Manager that allows us to look at a variety of reports including those that break down the skills covered in each sub-test, how your student  did, and how the majority of his/her peer group did nationwide.  You can contact me be e-mail or call the office to schedule an appointment to go over your child’s test results.

         To give you an idea of how well our students are doing, I have constructed a chart of grade level equivalents for the sub-tests by grade level.  This chart displays the average score for each grade level in the area tested.  Since the test was administered in October, the decimal behind the grade level should be a 2 to signify the second month in that grade level (i.e. 6^th graders should get a 6.2 in order to be on grade level). 

          I am proud of the students, teachers, teacher’s aides, librarian, and parents who have all worked together to produce such good results.  If the students are doing this well in October, I can’t wait to see what June brings!  God is truly generous and gracious!

                Isaiah 6: 1-8 is a wonderful account of the commission given to him by God.  The prophet sees God and immediately freaks out!  He knows that he is sinful and lives among sinful people; he knows that he is not worthy to be in God’s presence and should be destroyed on the spot.  In a bit of foreshadowing, one of the seraphim attending to God takes a smoldering coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips, and pronounces the absolution of Isaiah’s sins.  What a graphic way to show that Christ’s sacrifice (symbolized by the coal from a burnt offering) would, will, and does take our sins away.  God immediately asks, “Who shall I send?  Who will go for us?”, and Isaiah, transformed by the absolution of his sins cries out, “SEND ME!”

                It was not easy for Isaiah; the message he came to deliver was not popular.  He rebuked Israel for its idolatry and admonished them for their sinful nature.  However, the book of Isaiah also contains some of the most uplifting verses of encouragement anywhere in the Old Testament.  I love Isaiah 40:28-31 where the prophet reminds everyone that God does not grow weary and tired, that He does not fail, and that those who “hope in the lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

                Why would God give us this wonderful strength?  What does He wish us to do in this 21^st Century world?  The answer is found in Matthew 28: make disciples of all nations!  We are chosen, forgiven, transformed, and empowered to spread the Gospel, reflect God’s love, and enrich/enlarge the Church on earth.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I tell you, open you eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.” 

The world that we live in is like the world of Isaiah: full of unclean lips, thoughts, and actions.  People who do not know Jesus abound.  They do not know His love, His grace, or His promise.  Because we are baptized Christians, we have His spirit.  We have God’s support, and we are transformed by Jesus death into a new life that allows God to use us to His glory.  The time to witness is now, the person to witness is you, and those who need Jesus are everyone.  The harvest is waiting for you; will you let Him send you?

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Faith alone

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.

Scripture alone

The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.