Heads Up

Chapel Summaries

2012-02-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Elementary:

Mrs. Louise Erickson shared with the elementary students about her work with The Union Gospel mission, specifically her heart for Hmong families here in St. Paul. She was able to show the students several videos of the work being done there. Mrs. Erickson also excited the students by sharing that one of the folks she works with is coming in a couple of weeks to share her testimony. It was a great example of sharing the gospel with others and a reminder that others still need to hear about Jesus.

Secondary:

Pastor George from the Twin Cities Church gave a message based on the hope we have in Christ. He did so by sharing stories from several non-Christian friendships and how those relationships led to Christ and the opportunity to share hope, love, and joy. He reminded the students that each of us that have Christ not only have this hope, but the power, courage, and strength to share it with others.

Happy Birthday Charles Dickens!

2012-02-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

First of all, I am no great authority on the literary works of Charles Dickens, but I have thuroghly enjoyed a few of his novels.

Because of the the anniversary of his 200th birthday, Dickens has been back in the news. Recently, I've had the opportunity to read a couple of articles about why his works, and characters, are so enduring and popular today. I was quite surprised with some of the conclusions both authors came to, not at all what has kept me entranced with Dickens' works over the years. The first article simplified the enduring qualities of the characters to the fact that they had been reproduced by the film industry time and time again. But failed to answer why? The most recent article, from this month's Smithsonian Magazine, emphasized the social and cultural aspects of his works along with his criticism of "modern" England and the industrialization age. But why do we connect to that today?

I find Dickens so fascinating because of how real his characters are, specifically the virtue they display or do not display. I am drawn to virtues such as self-sacrifice, loyalty, and love. Frequently those virtues are contrasted by other characters, or within the same person, and then reflected into the society they live in.

It seems a common underlying question in classic literature is, "What kind of society do we want to become?" This is often played out in the novels by characters taking their choices to a logical conclusion. I find our current culture rarely doing that.

I believe the opportunity to teach students about virtue and character is vitally important to how they build their faith and worldview. Foundational knowledge in Jesus Christ and the virtue of his teachings are a perfect way to build societal beliefs about life, liberty, economics and justice among a myriad of others. Because of that, we see the Bible's teaching relevant inevery aspect of today's culture.

What do you think?

Chapel Summaries

2012-02-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, first I have to admit that I've been a little absent from chapel lately; thus, I am also behind on my chapel summaries. Time to get back in the groove!

Elementary:

Mr. Simmons spoke to the students basing his message on C.S. Lewis's book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He made the connection from one of the scenes in the book to Matthew Chapter 12 where Jesus tells us to come to him all that are weak or heavy burdened. He reminded the students that even though we might not be able to do everything by ourselves, Jesus is faithful to be our helper and wants to forgive us when we fall short.

Secondary:

A couple of weeks ago Mr. Simmons told one of the best stories I have ever heard in a message. It was about when he was flying a small aircraft and had to make an emergency landing during an ice storm while flying over South Dakota. He related to the audience the importance of a pilot doing two things: trusting their training, and trusting their instruments. Mr. Simmons made the obvious connection to faith in Christ and how it is so important as Christians to do the same. It was simple and powerful. I was on the edge of my seat as he described the events leading up to the landing!

Chapel Summaries

2012-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Elementary

Mr. Simmons used the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior to talk to the students about having nothing to fear. It was a great way to honor the holiday we recently celebrated and to see how Dr. King was motivated by his faith in Christ.

Last week Mr. Schrader used several sixth grade students to reenact the parable of the Good Samaritan. However, it was with a little modern day twist...instead of Jews and Samaritans, there were Vikings and Packer fans! The students loved the connection and it really brought the truth of the parable home!

Secondary

No chapel today. Finals week!

Last week Mrs. Haglund gave an emotional and powerful plea for students to find their hope in Christ. Her personal insights with the alignment of scripture created a lasting impact to all of those in chapel!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

I first started working in Christian education about eight years ago after teaching for a few years in public schools. Of course, there were a myriad of differences as I began a career committed to infusing Christ at the center of each child’s education, but none of those experiences were nearly as impactful as what I experienced that first Christmas in a Christian school.

I remember sitting there with tears in my eyes as little children celebrated the joy of God sending His one and only son to earth out of love for people in a Christmas concert (unlike the “Winter “ concerts I had attended in the prior years). . I was delighted as each song was directed in praise to our Heavenly Father.

This year, here at New Life Academy, I experienced that once again. From the Grandparents’ Day performances, to the Sounds of Christmas, the real reason for the season--Jesus Christ--was joyfully proclaimed. Although I have experienced this for several years now, my tearful, grateful reaction remains the same.

This Christmas season I am thankful. Thankful that God has allowed my family to serve and be a part of this community. Thankful for the wonderful students we interact with each day. Thankful for the dedicated and skilled teachers, administrators and staff serving faithfully here. Thankful for Governing Council members who have volunteered countless hours because of their commitment to children and to Christ. And I am thankful for you, and the other dedicated families that sacrifice to support and invest in our mission of an excellent, faith-driven education.

Along with training in scholarship, each day our students have the unique opportunity learn about their faith and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Never is that simple fact more profound than at Christmas time.

Thank you again for your partnership with New Life Academy. May God grant you His true joy this season as you celebrate Christ’s birth.

In His Service,

Cade M. Lambert, Head of School

Chapel Summaries

2011-12-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

Elementary: This morning the seasonal treats continuted with the students being serenaded by the fifth and sixth grade band. The band students played selections from their upcoming Christmas concert.

Mr. Simmons shared the message this morning. He reminded the students that while there are many different traditions and additions to the Christmas holiday, when you strip all of them away you have Jesus. God, who sent His one and only son to Earth as a baby, loves us enough to give us the best gift of all!

Oh yes, and we ended with an incredibly vigorous rendition of the 12 days of Christmas!

Secondary: Mr. Simmons continued the theme of the reason for Christmas in the secondary chapel. He confessed that each year "Christmas" disappoints him more and more because of the increased commercialism and busyness.

Mr. Simmons also talked about some of the advances in worldwide life expectancy, infant mortality, and disease control. And how through Christ, there is even more reason for hope!

PS-If you haven't heard the student praise band before...they are awesome!!

Chapel Summaries

2011-12-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Elementary: The elementary students were treated by the first and second graders this week as they presented their Grandparents Day program. I purposely didn't go this morning so I could be there for the "big show" this afternoon. I always love hearing not only the children share their talents, but the wonderful message they bring!

Secondary: Mr. Simmons spoke to the students this week and continued on a topic I introduced last week. Through the wonders of technology, students could text questions about their faith. Several teachers jumped into the discussion to offer their perspectives on some of the difficult and pointed questions from the student body.

Here are some samples of the questions discussed...

What is faith?
Each religion thinks they are right, so how do we know we are right?
What are you supposed to do when you believe in God but you don't necessarily want to be a Christian?
Why don't we have miracles these days like in the Bible?

It was powerful demonstration of the depth of our students and their questions; but also the transparency of our staff in demonstrating their convictions regarding faith in Christ.

Fuel is Here!

2011-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

Check out our progress towards our $100,000 goal! Click Here!

Remember, three days to give. Countless lives to impact!

Chapel Summaries

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Elementary: Today the elementary students signaled that the Christmas time is here by singing Christmas carols during the worship time. The students also had an opportunity to recognize and celebrate four students from each class that earned the peacemaker award. The winning students were nominated by their teachers.

Secondary: I had the privilege of speaking to the secondary students today for Chapel. My message was entitled, "The Hope We Have." We spent time analyzing some outcomes of a study by researcher/professor/author Christian Smith about the spiritual lives and beliefs of today's teenagers. In summary, he found while teenagers are actually quite spiritual, they have a very difficult time articulating any foundational aspects of their belief. The study led Smith to declare that the predominant religion of today's teenagers is something he calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." I challenged the students to develop an intimate understanding of their faith and not be afraid to question. We closed by looking at some attributes of God from the 23rd Psalm.

Thank You!!

2011-11-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

A huge "thank you" to the NLC/NLA community for their prayers, gifts, and encouragements as my family welcomed its newest member! Will is doing great! I thought that the fourth child would come out ready to sleep through the night but no such luck. We're in for the long haul. No matter how many times you witness birth, the miracle of it all points directly to our awesome God and creator!

Congratulations!

2011-10-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

A HUGE congratulations to the girls soccer team! They finished the season as the Section 4 Runners-up, marking the deepest playoff run in school history. Way to go!

Chapel Summaries

2011-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

It was a great day to be in Chapel at NLA! Check out my summaries of what the elementary and secondary students experienced during chapel this week.

Elementary Chapel

Elementary students received a powerful personal message from a familiar face. Former second grade teacher Katie Peterson shared with the students how the Lord used her mission trip in India to learn how to show Christ’s love in a completely different culture. Students and staff greatly enjoyed many of the pictures and stories she shared from India. Out of that experience, Miss Peterson also spoke of her calling to church ministry in South Dakota and how her experiences at New Life Academy have impacted her new work.

One of the verses Miss Peterson shared with students was Philippians 4:6 NIV, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.. Not only did Miss Peterson do a great job of engaging the elementary students, she was a great model of a dedicated follower of Christ!

Secondary Chapel

The secondary students experienced an impassioned worldview message from Cody Kargus, Camp Pastor at Arrow Head Bible Camp in Wisconsin (he reminded the students several times he was from Wisconsin with several no so subtle remarks about professional sports comparisons).

Pastor Kargus focused on the naturally exclusive nature of our Christian faith and challenged students to continue to look the Bible for answers to faith and truth. He emphasized the need for a foundation for faith and truth stating “neither sincerity nor intensity of faith can make something true…and refusing to believe something that is true doesn’t make it false.” Pastor Kargus brought some friends with him to “interrupt” chapel by yelling out some of the hard questions the rest of the world asks about God and our Christian faith. That REALLY got everyone’s attention and provided him the opportunity to go to God’s word to answer those questions.

Chapel concluded with a challenge to be thankful for God’s love for us and to be urgent about sharing Jesus with a dying world.

What Am I Investing In?

2011-09-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

If I’m honest, I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to the rioting situation in the UK. With personal changes like a new job and external issues like national media coverage of the budget crisis and the stock market demanding my attention, I felt little compulsion to turn my attention towards Europe. Until recently.

Reading the morning news I was shocked by one of the headlines from USA Today: “Prime Minister: UK Must Reverse Moral Collapse.” The title was all too intriguing and found myself amazed at the situation in the UK. Although the title provided a great summary of the article, I found myself equally shocked and surprised by several of the comments and quotes aimed at Britain’s youth and moral condition. I have rarely seen statements like “Cameron said his coalition government would spend the next few weeks examining policies designed to tackle a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness” addressed by public figures. Prime Minister Cameron also stated their culture “… incites laziness, that excuses bad behavior, that erodes self-discipline, that discourages hard work." I guess I’ve been conditioned by the media and politicians that all the world’s problems are solved by balancing revenue and expenditures.

So what does that mean? I think it means morality, ethics, and philosophy have finally made their way out of courtrooms, polls, and public opinion and landed right in the middle of reality--social reality. And how morality, ethics—and yes, religion—will ultimately speak through it and in this case, very loudly.

As a Christian Educator and a father of young children here at NLA, I can’t think of a better social response to this crisis than the Church and Christian education. It is easy to become short-sighted and focus on the BENEFITS of Christian education and neglect the REASONS. Let me explain.

Benefits are things like Christian friends, smaller learning environment, and greater access to athletics and fine arts. Those are great things but reasons are different. Reasons are foundational statements like to provide children with quality academics integrated with the Word of God, training in foundational Christian ethics, to be mentored by Christian teachers who will pour their lives into their work, and develop a comprehensive understanding of Scripture they can base their lives, leadership, and future families on. Neither of these lists is exhaustive or ranked, but hopefully you get the point.

For me, the reasons make it clear how God can use Christian education to help change our world. No matter how hard the British Government tries, it will not be able to make enough rules or laws to make better people. As Christians we know that is a job for Jesus Christ. New Life Academy is a place where we daily invite God to come and transform our hearts and minds. And that our students would take that experience and apply it to a world, which according to Prime Minister Cameron, desperately needs it.