Summit Principal's Blog

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

For years I taught “apologetics” and was an avid follower of Josh Mc Dowell, a follower of the Bible Answer Man, and avid debater of atheists. I liked to present a “Ready Defense” as Mc Dowell suggests in his book to convince unbelievers. But over the last several years I have come to appreciate the position of presuppositional apologetics. The CARM web site describes the theology this way:

“This form of Christian apologetics deals with presuppositions.1 A Christian presuppositionalist presupposes God’s existence and argues from that perspective to show the validity of Christian theism.2 This position also presupposes the truth of the Christian Scriptures and relies on the validity and power of the gospel to change lives (Rom. 1:16). From the scriptures, we see that the unbeliever is sinful in his mind (Rom. 1:18-32) and unable to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).  This means that no matter how convincing the evidence or good the logic, an unbeliever cannot come to the faith because his fallen nature will distort how he perceives the truth.  The only thing that can ultimately change him is regeneration.  To this end, the presuppositionalist seeks to change a person’s presuppositions to be in conformity with biblical revelation.”

But more recently I’ve become aware of a condition with the Christian community that has been transformational in my walk with God. It is a rampant skepticism within the family of believers who are afflicted with a view of Christian life polluted with “scientistic” thinking. The arguments of secular humanistic science and philosophical materialism has polluted their thinking and caused these Christians to seek explanations or evidence to explain the supernatural miracles of God.

Recently I came across a passage in Romans that I’ve read probable hundreds of times,

“¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”

What stuck me recently was in verse 21, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened”

They knew God, they DID NOT glorify Him as God, they were not thankful, their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. This was all the result of denial of the supernatural revelation of God all around them! And notice their thinking became “futile”, literally vain, selfish, empty or idolatrous in their reasoning.  Unfortunately I believe the church today has far too many skeptical Christians who see self recognition with vain and idolatrous thinking. They are preoccupied with arguments over words, “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” just like the pharisees, and drawing attention to themselves “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’”

As God has taken me and others at Summit on this glorious journey I am only beginning to recognize and appreciate the miracles He performs every day.  It is as though the more we give glory to God, the more of His miracles He allows us to see. And I am so humbled that he has allowed me to witness His hand at work through so many people who don’t seek recognition for their hard work, intelligence, gifts, etc. but point to God as the one who is making Summit into His school. Everyday is a new miracle! What an exciting place to serve!

2 Peter 1:2-4

^“2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

I just can’t get over it! The amazing journey that God has allowed me to participate in by being His partner in His ongoing miracle called Summit Christian School! Every day there are new blessings and surprises! I just don’t know what God will do next!

Back when I took that first step of faith I believed, with child like faith, that God could provide for Summit, that He was moving in this group of dedicated parents and teachers who shared a vision for a new kind of Christian school. But I had no idea what He was going to do or how he was going to accomplish it! But as the months have passed He has allowed us all to partner or participate (the word is koinonos in the greek, the same root word used for fellowship) in His divine nature.

Consider the last month for example. Projecting ahead in the budget we were facing the possibility of not having sufficient cash flow to meet the last payroll in January. I presented the situation to the School Board with some possible alternatives, and there was much discussion and prayer. Alternative “critical path” choices were developed and we moved on in faith beleiving that Summit was God’s school and He would guide us to make the best decisions. In the ensuing month our God moved in the hearts and mind of our school community, without making dire predictions or strong pleas for money, and provided over $21,000! God did it because this is His school!

I am extremely thankful to all of our supporters (I like to think of you as investors because we are investing in the future generations) because you listen to God and act as He moves you! But the greatest blessing of all is that we are all partners with God, we get to participate in His divine nature! We get to witness and participate in the supernatural, man didn’t do it, God did it, provision of blessings by exercising our faith walk!

But I guess what just amazes me the most about our God is the presence of His Holy Spirit on the Summit campus. There is the strong presence of God evident in a way that I’ve never experienced at a school before in my whole life. And with that is this sense of close fellowship with God, something historic and spiritual, and it is God who is making it happen! As I talk with parents, students, teachers, and volunteers there is a consistent glorifying of God! No selfishness, trying to take credit or gain attention for “our hard work” or “my talents” or “I did all the work” or ‘we are special at Summit”, but rather an exciting desire to be obedient to God and see what He is going to do next so that we can glorify His Holy name  and participate in His divine nature! I don’t know about you but I can hardly wait to see what He is going to do next!

And finally on a more personal note I was overwhelmed by all the generous Christmas gifts from so many of our Summit family. Thank you all for the great love, generosity and encouragement that you gave to me!

Psalm 95

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

As I looked out upon the families and friends of Summit in attendance at our first ever Christmas program, “Hotel Bethlehem” I felt overwhelmed by the number of people who support Summit and who came to experience the work of the Lord in our school. One teacher commented afterward that the attendance was larger than we had experienced with the prior school. But even more impressive to me were the number of people who greeted me afterward with a similar observation, “there is such a joyful spirit here!”

This is similar to the comments I have received from the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce where we performed last week, “your kids are so happy and well behaved.” or from visitors to our campus, ”there is so much peace in the classroom.” It is so humbling to know that God through His Holy Spirit is using the teachers, staff and volunteers at Summit to “grow young people who are really living and learning with Christian character!”

Recently we drafted our Statement of Educational Philosophy which really develops the “how we do it” through the Holy Spirit component.

“And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut. 6:6,7).

Summit Christian School was established in obedience to the teaching of Scripture that all life must be lived in loving submission to the Lord’s will, and that the Christian community in general and parents in particular have a great responsibility to educate their children in the love, discernment, wisdom, knowledge and righteousness of their sovereign God. Christian education views each student as an image bearer of God, called to be His servant and called to serve the world in His name.  Summit Christian School seeks to partner with Christian parents to accomplish this task which God has assigned. The Bible motivates and regulates us in the development of education for Christian living and Christian service both in Christian community and in society at large.

The Bible reveals God’s promises to us and tells us that God calls His people to faith in Him. That faith is worked in the human heart by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the source of all enlightenment. Only He can guide the teacher and the student to view all knowledge through Scripture so that they, by faith, can know the truth. Whatever true knowledge we have has been revealed to us by God. He has made Himself known to us through His Son, revealed in the Bible as “God in the flesh, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” God also displays His glory in the heavens and the earth which He has created. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). This idea is also expressed in Romans 1:20. Our response to this magnificent revelation is an eager desire to learn and to serve. God wants us to be stewards of His creation and ambassadors in His name. Christian education seeks to explore every avenue of learning so that every student may be able to discharge his or her responsibilities faithfully. God has given man, His highest creation, rich endowments of mind and spirit and the joyful commission to roam throughout His universe, to create works of beauty in the arts, to appreciate what is noble and to develop skills – doing all these things in a spirit of wonder and gratitude in the presence of God.

Partnering with parents, the faculty and staff are charged with the responsibility of giving close attention to the individual needs and talents of each student. This love and concern of the instructors invites the student to respond to God in faith and encourages him or her to become a loving and obedient disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each student is challenged to develop his or her talents for the honor of God and the service of fellow human beings in all areas of life. Thus Summit Christian School broadens its influence upon the community in which the student lives. In obedience to our Lord, Summit Christian School aims to implant in the heart of each one of its students that the glory of God is the primary pursuit of all our striving. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

What a joy to serve God in a place that is dedicated to honoring Him! Thanks to all of you who support the ministry called Summit Christian School! May our God grant you a joyous Christmas season with your family!

Public Schools are needed

One of the myths that I hear frequently from some of my colleagues in education is that Christian Schools are in opposition to public schools. That is simply not true, there is a great need for public schools, as a matter of fact I wish that there was no need for Christian Schools. But as long as the secular humanist progressives control the curriculum and ideology in public schools we need Christian Schools!

William F. Cox Jr., PhD, is a professor and the director of Christian education programs in the School of Education at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He points out that “God holds parents and particularly fathers responsible for their children’s education, communicating to them both the content and the methods of education (Deuteronomy 4–7; Psalm 78:1–7; Proverbs 22:6, 23:23; and Ephesians 6:4). By God’s grace, this parental responsibility extends to enlisting the aid of others (Galatians 4:2). It is alignment with such biblical expectations that by definition constitutes Christian education.”

Cox continues, “Public schools, attended by the vast majority of U.S. children, are legally prohibited from supplying the kind of education that God commands. Consequently, textbooks typically teach relativistic values, tolerance for all beliefs, feelings as a reliable test for truth, personal invention of truths, evolution of the human species, and human self-sufficiency. Even when textbooks promote morality, it typically is a civic morality rather than a biblical morality, regularly omitting reference to the Bible as the ultimate standard for morality or to the loving ministry and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.”

“Promotion of any such system of values that does not comport with God’s ultimate truth is, in fact, not even education in truth; it is indoctrination against truth. As a result, children come to believe that there is no God or that He is essentially irrelevant to life’s circumstances. This ungodly perspective is actually a substitute religion for Christianity, and classrooms serve as the pulpit for such orthodoxy.”

Salt and Light

Now I have many friends, and parents of our school’s students, who teach in public schools. May God bless them! They act as “salt and light” in a place where they are needed! They are missionaries in a hostile culture, often dealing with discouraging and insurmountable problems. But I would argue most children are ill equipped to present an effective arguement for Christ in the hostile and sophisticated public school classroom. It would be like sending our army recruits to Al Qaeda for boot camp. They may come back skilled in fighting but their ideology would more than likely be opposed to those who sent them! And the research supports this!

Cox points out, “Tragically, studies by the Nehemiah Institute, Josh McDowell’s ministry, and the Barna Group show that Christian youth are increasingly adopting secular worldviews. More than half do not believe that Christ rose from the dead, that He is the Son of the one true God, and that the Holy Spirit and Satan are real entities; but they do believe that all faiths teach equally valid truths. Predictably, these findings are commensurate with the findings that born-again adults have similar belief profiles. Just as it was prophetically portrayed in Psalm 78, this intergenerational tragedy dramatically underscores a major problem in—and hence a warning to—the Church.” What I can’t understand is why the pulpits of our churches aren’t vocally supporting Christian Schooling!

Last week at the ACSI Convention in Sacramento Michael Evans, Assistant Director of Urban School Services for ACSI posed the key question.”who do you trust to teach your children, the state or the Christian School?” Evans also asked “why do you do what you do (teach or administer) in a Christian school”? As I thought about that question the demise of our culture came to my mind and I was reminded of the story of Israel. My desire is to raise up a remnant that will survive the captivity, a group of “Daniels”.

So if your desire is to raise up children or grandchildren who are strong in the Lord, get them in a school like Summit and support it! Or if you have the ability, home school your children using Christian curriculum. It is absolutely essential that we leave a Godly legacy for what ever the Lord allows in the future of this nation.

The Just Live by Faith Romans 1:16-32

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. ²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

If you are a reader of this blog and you still have your child in a public school consider the legislation signed into law today by Governor Schwarzenegger. Is this what you want taught to your children? Is this tolerance or indoctrination?

From Savecalifornia.org

BILL FACTS: SB 572 would establish every May 22 as “Harvey Milk Day” in K-12 public schools in California. Children would be taught to admire the life and values of late homosexual activist Harvey Milk, of whom the bill states: “…perhaps more than any other modern figure, Harvey Milk’s life and political career embody the rise of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement in California, across the nation, and throughout the world.”

Under SB 572, children would perform ”suitable commemorative exercises,” remembering the “life,” “accomplishments,” and “contributions” of Harvey Milk — in other words, the entire homosexual-bisexual-transsexual agenda for which Milk advocated. There is no definition or limit to these “exercises,” which could include gay pride parades, cross-dressing contests and mock gay weddings, or anything else Milk supported.

According to the reputable biography, “The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk,” Harvey Milk repeatedly engaged in adult-child sex, advocated for polygamous homosexual relationships, and told a very public lie because he thought it would get him ahead. Since SB 572 would do “excerises remembering the life of Harvey Milk,” kids could be taught to support and emulate these very bad values.

SB 572 would affect children as young as kindergarten. There is no parental notification or consent written into the bill.

BILL STATUS: “Harvey Milk Gay Day” has been signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Senate floor vote | Assembly floor vote | Our Oct. 12 news release | Perspective

Luke 14:28-30
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

For the last several weeks I’ve been talking in chapel around a theme of “Hiking to the Summit, how to live and learn with Christian character” One of the visuals I’ve put up on the PowerPoint is that of “Bob the builder”. I really like Bob because he always has a “can do” attitude, he always asks his crew when faced with a job, “can we do it?” and they always reply “yes we can!”

Five months ago a group of parents sat down in a living room and agreed to undertake the building of a new ministry called Summit Christian School. In the initial discussions one of the commitments that came from that early steering community was unanimous agreement that this new school would be transparent and forthcoming in its operations and finances.

As the school’s development progressed over the next several weeks the finance committee portion of the steering committee met and used the best information that was available to develop a projected budget, with several different scenarios based upon different enrollment levels. The projections indicated that we could function as a school with 60 students, if we raised additional funds of $60,000 over the school year at our current tuition levels. With 85 students we would be able to operate with a balanced budget and as the enrollment increased we could expand.

After some discussion the steering committee agreed to go ahead with the formation of the new school believing that we could raise the necessary funds if enrollment ran short of our goal. Now that we have been in operation for four months I can report the financial condition of the school based on our real experience. The great news is that our projections were very close to target! However because we are currently at 69 full time students we need to raise money to balance our budget over the next eight months. And that currently appears to be $45,000 to $60,000 (or an additional ten to fifteen students).

So because I’m an optimist and believe on setting high goals I’ve selected $60,000 for our target! We have a number of exciting fund-raising opportunities planned to help us achieve our goal that I encourage you to participate in. Please watch the Trailblazer’s upcoming editions for more information and updates on our financial status with ways that you can support Summit for free! Can we do it? YES WE CAN!

Goal: $60,000
Raised to date: $00,000
Needed: $60,000

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in thekingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-5)

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

“Oh excuse me please” was my reply.

He said, “Please excuse me too;

I wasn’t watching for you.”

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

“Move out of the way,” I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,

God’s still small voice came to me and said,

“While dealing with a stranger,

common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You’ll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.

He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.”

By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

“Wake up, little one, wake up,” I said.

“Are these the flowers you picked for me?”

He smiled, “I found ‘em, out by the tree.

I picked ‘em because they’re pretty like you.

I knew you’d like ‘em, especially the blue.”

I said, “Son, I’m very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn’t have yelled at you that way.”

He said, “Oh, Mom, that’s okay.

I love you anyway.”

I said, “Son, I love you too,

and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.”

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company

that we are working for could easily replace us in

a matter of days.

But the family we left behind will feel the loss

for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more

into work than into our own family,

an unwise investment indeed,

don’t you think?

So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

-anon

2 Peter 1: 1-4

“¹Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:  ²Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”

Greetings to all you! ^“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  I thank God for you every day as I walk around the campus and see you and your children! Summit Christian School is open and running to the Glory of our God as His divine power has worked to bring about this miracle called Summit Christian School!

As I was speaking to our Junior High students the other day I was telling them that I believed that they were not here at Summit as the result of some chance occurrence, but rather as a miraculous work of God’s providential hand. And because it is His hand we know that He has a special and specific plan for their lives. Likewise I believe that God has called you, as a parent or supporter of Summit, to the work that He is revealing to us as we develop the ministry of Summit Christian School.

One of the blessings that I have enjoyed as principal is to see the hand of God on a daily basis as Summit has been formed out of nothing. I can still recall the totally empty buildings on June 1^st this year. And I have been blessed to watch the miraculous hand of God provide as He has given to us furniture, office supplies, computer equipment, curriculum and classrooms supplies and the outstanding teachers and staff.  God is performing a miracle before our eyes!

Please remember our school in your prayers so that we have “grace and peace multiplied to us” as we move forward in pursuit of the “knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord”. We need His guidance and provision as we build upon a new foundation.

The other day I was talking on the phone with a prospective new Summit parent and she asked me a great question. She said,”I really like what I see on your website but what really makes Summit different from all the other Christian schools in the area?” My first thoughts were the Bob Jones curriculum that we use across the grade levels, and our small class sizes, community environment, safe campus, christian character emphasis, biblical worldview. But other schools have that, what really distinguishes us is our focus on our love for God!

When a community of Christians come together and truely love God they want to glorify Him with their lives! Their focus becomes their personal relationship with God and not judgement of everyone elses walk. It is a simple concept but has huge implecations! Frank Hamrik in his book “The Heart of the Matter” really expresses it well,

“The purpose of a Christian school is not to teach youth how to live but to magnify the majesty of God. Christian school teachers are not behaviorists, but cardiologists. They teach, not only so students will achieve academic excellence, but also so students will have a heart for God and zeal to exalt His name,” (Hamrick, 2005)

And our teachers model it every day, all day! Our exceptional teachers  are mission/ministry minded with every child. Their discipleship mindset transforms the culture of the school!

But they also are exceptional educators! I’ve watched this week as they have selflessly labored to provide the best education for every child! When I’ve had a discipline issue, their concern was for the heart of the child. When we’ve had a curriculum need it is to insure the education of each and every child.

And their approach to their profession is to be the best to glorify God using a diverse approach to teaching. They don’t just “teach to book” but often I’ll see them integrating some of the latest learning research such as that of Howard Gardner. (Gardner and others in the secular educational arena have begun to discover what the scripture teaches that each of us is unique and wonderfully made),

Psalm 139

^“13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;^[a]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”

We also have a great staff of volunteers! Recently our long time Administrative Assistant, Debbie Schmitt, who was instrumental in the development of Summit over the summer, decided to take a new direction in her life and left Summit. Debbie will be greatly missed and her lagacy will live on at Summit for years to come. But immediately and quite naturally Sherry Ehrhart, Shelley Sharer, Jen Zambrano and other parents stepped in and enabled a smooth transition by volunteering their time in the office!

All of this happens because Summit is composed of people committed to glorifying God through their lives because they Love God with their whole heart! What a tremendous testimony to our God, the One Who is continuing to perform miracles in our midst that brings glory to His name!