Yesterday, we shared some comments from some of the students at Unity Christian School about what Christmas means. That post is below this one, and we encourage you to check that one out after you read this post. And, please click on the comment link on the bottom of the post and let us know what you feel Christmas is all about...or even how you feel about the students' thoughts. Here are a few more comments made by UCS students:
"Most people, when asked, would say that Christmas is about family gatherings, gift giving and fun. As a believer, though, I believe that Christmas is a time for remembering the gift given to mankind...the gift named Immanuel. December 25 is a time to celebrate the fact that God so loved the world, that He sent his only begotten son, so whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That is what Christmas is all about: remembering and celebrating."
"I think Christmas is about Jesus our Lord, who was born in a manger and died on the cross and rose again three days later!"
"Christmas is a holiday of joy. On Christmas, we celebrate Christ's birth."
"To me, Christmas means a time to celebrate Jesus' birth, because without Jesus, we wouldn't be going to heaven."
"Christmas means a time to celebrate Jesus' birth. It also means to spend time with your family and get them gifts from the heart...like a card or something they need."
"It means peace, love and good food. It also means Jesus was born."
"Christmas means to me getting to see both of my parents. It also means getting to celebrate God's birthday."
"Christmas means to me to remember to remember Christ."
"Christmas is all about Jesus! Christmas isn't just about presents, it's about the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. You can't have Christmas without the "Christ"...or it would just be "mas!"
"Christmas means to me that I should stop worrying about presents and focus on Jesus' birth."
"I like Christmas first because I love Jesus and second because I like giving and getting presents."
"To me, Christmas means that this is the day Jesus was born, and it makes me sad that some people are taking Christ out of Christmas. It also means that all of our family gets together."
"Christmas is about getting closer to God; and about getting closer to New Year."
"The significance of Christmas is really simple, yet really complicated all at the same time. Christmas is about Jesus and how God sent Him down to earth for a very simple reason: to wash us clean of the hundreds of sins we commit each and every day. It was his crimson red blood that washed us off and picked us up after the horrid fall of mankind."
"What Christmas means to me: Jesus was born to die for everyones' sins. Christmas is wonderful because it is the time Jesus was born."
"Any time I hear Christmas I think of Jesus. I think of Jesus because that is His birthday and we should celebrate that."
"Christmas is one of the most important holidays known to man. It's not onle a time for family gatherings, but the time we celebrate our savior's birth. It is also a time to draw back from the stress of the world and focus on our families. It's when we celebrate God's gift to us by giving gifts to others. It is a time of joy."
"Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. It is the day that Christ was born. It is the most important day of the year."
"Christmas means Jesus' birth and presents."
"I like Christmas because of the giving and presents, because it feels good to give. I like the weather and Christmas cards because it is a good feeling listening to Christmas-related songs while unwrapping presents. I like seeing family and having lunch, breakfast or dinner with them and visiting them. "X-mas" is bad because it takes Christ out of Christmas."
"Christmas is the best holiday. It is a day to worship God and be thankful for what He does. It is a time for presents to celebrate Jesus' time on earth. The whole family comes together. I love Christmas because of what Jesus did."
"Christmas isn't about giving and receiving material gifts but rather receiving a gift that only Christ can give - hope that we can and will receive salvation if only we choose to believe."
Merry Christmas everyone.
Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
That's What Christmas Is All About
My favorite scene in television history comes in Charlie Brown's Christmas Special. In this scene, Charlie Brown is feeling empty and frustrated because Christmas has become commercialized and seems to have lost its meaning. Obviously agitated, he screams, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!" Linus then walks on the stage, calmly says, "Lights please," and tells us why we celebrate Christmas.
We asked some of our students at UCS to answer the same question Charlie Brown asked. Below are some of the answers we received, in no particular order. Some of the shorter answers by the younger students prove to be as profound as the others. Some are funny, some are touching, all are thought-provoking. And, it's a beautiful thing to see that UCS students are as in-tune with the true meaning of Christmas as Linus.
We have a lot of responses, so we'll add some more tomorrow. Here is what some of our students had to say:
"Christmas means a lot to me, but the most important thing is Jesus. And that it's better to give than to receive."
"Christmas means time with family and peace. It is a day where race and works are put aside."
"Christmas means loving God and the one and only savior. Christmas means thinking of family and friends."
"Christmas is all about Jesus, not Santa or presents or candy or all the material things that come with Christmas. Jesus is a gift to us from God. God gave us His only Son. If Jesus wouldn't have been born, then He wouldn't have been crucified or resurrected, and no one would be forgiven and Christians wouldn't have victory. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth and a gift from God. It's a sign of hope, love, faith, fear, humbleness and of God Himself. Christmas means a lot."
"Christmas is a wonderful time when we are given a chance to receive and give blessings during the time of celebration of the greatest gift of all...Jesus."
"Christmas means to me that Jesus was born. When he got older and was a young man, he died on the cross for my sins."
"The meaning of Christmas is of the birth of Christ and His coming to the earth. Our one and only savior was born on Christmas day for all to celebrate every year."
"It's a time for followers of Jesus Christ to celebrate the time when their savior came as a baby boy, starting on his journey to save us. It's also a time to rejoice and spread the good news of Jesus Christ."
"Christmas is a time to give Jesus our heart."
"Christmas is my favorite time of year. It is a joyous time where we remember Christ's birth and share our love with others. I enjoy spending the holiday with my friends and family."
"Christmas to me means the birth of Christ. Also, it's the best time of year for me and my mom to bond. Ever since I can remember, Christmas was the best time of year. My mom and I would put up lights together and sing Christmas songs. My favorite part was always the tree. I loved decorating the tree."
"Christmas is very special to me because it's Jesus' birthday."
"Christmas is about giving - God's gift to us and how we pass that gift along to others. Christmas is a birthday."
"When we think of Christmas, we think of toys, reindeer and Santa Claus. The true significance of Christmas, in my opinion, is it's the time when all of the family comes together and drops all of the negatives and focuses on the positives. Everyone is filled with the joy of the Christmas spirit."
"I like Christmas because it's Jesus' birthday. I like Christmas because you get presents."
"What I enjoy most about Christmas is the reflection upon the hope that was born to us."
"Christmas means to me that my granddaddy get to be Cold Saint Nic...and another thing it means to me is that I have to let my cats in."
"The significance of Christmas is not about the presents and decorations. Christmas is a celebration of God becoming incarnate. He humbled Himself to come to earth and die for us. He was our substitutional atonement. Without Him coming to earth, our punishment would be Hell. So, it's not about the gifts we give and receive, but about the greatest gift that was given to us from God."
"Christmas to me means a time of giving and spending time with family. It is also a time to think about how little we deserve, but really we get so much. It's a time to thank God for sending his Son to us."
"Christmas means to me Jesus, because he was born on Christmas. And also neat colors, because red is my favorite color."
"I like Christmas because of Jesus' birth and being with your family."
"My dad's whole family has a feast and we celebrate Jesus' birthday. My mom's whole family comes to our house and we open up presents and we pray to God."
"Christmas means to me God died on a cross and rose again."
By the way, here's Linus' response to Charlie Brown:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development
We asked some of our students at UCS to answer the same question Charlie Brown asked. Below are some of the answers we received, in no particular order. Some of the shorter answers by the younger students prove to be as profound as the others. Some are funny, some are touching, all are thought-provoking. And, it's a beautiful thing to see that UCS students are as in-tune with the true meaning of Christmas as Linus.
We have a lot of responses, so we'll add some more tomorrow. Here is what some of our students had to say:
"Christmas means a lot to me, but the most important thing is Jesus. And that it's better to give than to receive."
"Christmas means time with family and peace. It is a day where race and works are put aside."
"Christmas means loving God and the one and only savior. Christmas means thinking of family and friends."
"Christmas is all about Jesus, not Santa or presents or candy or all the material things that come with Christmas. Jesus is a gift to us from God. God gave us His only Son. If Jesus wouldn't have been born, then He wouldn't have been crucified or resurrected, and no one would be forgiven and Christians wouldn't have victory. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth and a gift from God. It's a sign of hope, love, faith, fear, humbleness and of God Himself. Christmas means a lot."
"Christmas is a wonderful time when we are given a chance to receive and give blessings during the time of celebration of the greatest gift of all...Jesus."
"Christmas means to me that Jesus was born. When he got older and was a young man, he died on the cross for my sins."
"The meaning of Christmas is of the birth of Christ and His coming to the earth. Our one and only savior was born on Christmas day for all to celebrate every year."
"It's a time for followers of Jesus Christ to celebrate the time when their savior came as a baby boy, starting on his journey to save us. It's also a time to rejoice and spread the good news of Jesus Christ."
"Christmas is a time to give Jesus our heart."
"Christmas is my favorite time of year. It is a joyous time where we remember Christ's birth and share our love with others. I enjoy spending the holiday with my friends and family."
"Christmas to me means the birth of Christ. Also, it's the best time of year for me and my mom to bond. Ever since I can remember, Christmas was the best time of year. My mom and I would put up lights together and sing Christmas songs. My favorite part was always the tree. I loved decorating the tree."
"Christmas is very special to me because it's Jesus' birthday."
"Christmas is about giving - God's gift to us and how we pass that gift along to others. Christmas is a birthday."
"When we think of Christmas, we think of toys, reindeer and Santa Claus. The true significance of Christmas, in my opinion, is it's the time when all of the family comes together and drops all of the negatives and focuses on the positives. Everyone is filled with the joy of the Christmas spirit."
"I like Christmas because it's Jesus' birthday. I like Christmas because you get presents."
"What I enjoy most about Christmas is the reflection upon the hope that was born to us."
"Christmas means to me that my granddaddy get to be Cold Saint Nic...and another thing it means to me is that I have to let my cats in."
"The significance of Christmas is not about the presents and decorations. Christmas is a celebration of God becoming incarnate. He humbled Himself to come to earth and die for us. He was our substitutional atonement. Without Him coming to earth, our punishment would be Hell. So, it's not about the gifts we give and receive, but about the greatest gift that was given to us from God."
"Christmas to me means a time of giving and spending time with family. It is also a time to think about how little we deserve, but really we get so much. It's a time to thank God for sending his Son to us."
"Christmas means to me Jesus, because he was born on Christmas. And also neat colors, because red is my favorite color."
"I like Christmas because of Jesus' birth and being with your family."
"My dad's whole family has a feast and we celebrate Jesus' birthday. My mom's whole family comes to our house and we open up presents and we pray to God."
"Christmas means to me God died on a cross and rose again."
By the way, here's Linus' response to Charlie Brown:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development
The Gift
In the past few weeks, Unity Christian School received word that a family wanted to give us a gift of major proportions. It would be, in fact, the largest single gift to UCS in our school's history.
I'm constantly amazed at how God uses people to advance His kingdom. In the post just below this one, you read about how in the past decade so many people have worked so hard to take UCS from its extremely humble beginnings to where it is now. I assure you, we are continuing to move forward and working for the days when we look back at this one and say, "Wow...look how far we've come."
While God was using those people to build UCS, He was blessing a family that looked to Him above all else. This family knows that everything they have comes from God, and they give back to Him in extremely generous ways. This is not their first showing of generosity toward UCS, and I'm sure UCS is just one of the groups they help support. I also believe that if God didn't use those pioneers I mentioned earlier to continue to build UCS and put people in place that would keep doing His work, families like this one would never give their money, talent, time and efforts to this school. Their excitement for the future of UCS is built on what's already happened here. (When we are faithful with a few things, we will be put in charge of many things.) It's truly amazing to look back and see how God has taken the efforts and blessings of so many people and brought them together for His glory.
Now, as we continue to run with perseverence the race marked out for us, we continue to be thankful for the people that God has brought into our family who make it possible for us to keep running. To those of you who continue to give and continue to pray, thank you.
Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development
I'm constantly amazed at how God uses people to advance His kingdom. In the post just below this one, you read about how in the past decade so many people have worked so hard to take UCS from its extremely humble beginnings to where it is now. I assure you, we are continuing to move forward and working for the days when we look back at this one and say, "Wow...look how far we've come."
While God was using those people to build UCS, He was blessing a family that looked to Him above all else. This family knows that everything they have comes from God, and they give back to Him in extremely generous ways. This is not their first showing of generosity toward UCS, and I'm sure UCS is just one of the groups they help support. I also believe that if God didn't use those pioneers I mentioned earlier to continue to build UCS and put people in place that would keep doing His work, families like this one would never give their money, talent, time and efforts to this school. Their excitement for the future of UCS is built on what's already happened here. (When we are faithful with a few things, we will be put in charge of many things.) It's truly amazing to look back and see how God has taken the efforts and blessings of so many people and brought them together for His glory.
Now, as we continue to run with perseverence the race marked out for us, we continue to be thankful for the people that God has brought into our family who make it possible for us to keep running. To those of you who continue to give and continue to pray, thank you.
Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development
Thursday, December 13, 2007
We Serve a Big God!
Just a note of encouragement….
Yesterday Page, Mickey, and I had a meeting with two of the school’s founding pastors to try to capture their “story” as part of our auction’s theme “Picturing Unity : A Decade of Discipleship.” I left amazed once again at God’s faithfulness. Looking at what God has done in just 10 short years can get you very excited about what He can do over the next 10 years. One of the pastors specifically said that if someone had told him where the school would be 10 years from that 1st day of school he never would have believed it. That’s us living the scripture in Ephesians that “my God can do infinitely beyond our highest hopes or dreams” (totally paraphrased).
For those of you who were here in the beginning for this painful birthing process – Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And for those of you, who, like me, “arrived at noon but still get to earn the same wages as those who arrived at 8am” – be blessed!
Words like “destiny” and “vision” were used frequently yesterday. God does indeed have an awesome plan for this school, and we have each been called and chosen to be a part of it. What a privilege!
Jennifer Eddins
Special Events Coordinator
Yesterday Page, Mickey, and I had a meeting with two of the school’s founding pastors to try to capture their “story” as part of our auction’s theme “Picturing Unity : A Decade of Discipleship.” I left amazed once again at God’s faithfulness. Looking at what God has done in just 10 short years can get you very excited about what He can do over the next 10 years. One of the pastors specifically said that if someone had told him where the school would be 10 years from that 1st day of school he never would have believed it. That’s us living the scripture in Ephesians that “my God can do infinitely beyond our highest hopes or dreams” (totally paraphrased).
For those of you who were here in the beginning for this painful birthing process – Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And for those of you, who, like me, “arrived at noon but still get to earn the same wages as those who arrived at 8am” – be blessed!
Words like “destiny” and “vision” were used frequently yesterday. God does indeed have an awesome plan for this school, and we have each been called and chosen to be a part of it. What a privilege!
Jennifer Eddins
Special Events Coordinator
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Does School Matter?
From the time a child enters kindergarten and graduates high school he/she will spend approximately 16,000 hours in school. During that same span a child will spend approximately 1600 hours in church.
Does school matter?
The answer to that question lies in whether or not you believe 1,600 hours in church is enough to counteract the 16,000 hours of instruction from a secular worldview. Is 16,000 hours enough time for Satan to convince your child that Jesus Christ is irrelevant? Is 1,600 hours enough time for your church’s children and youth ministries to equip your child to understand that God is the creator and Redeemer of all the world through Jesus Christ and one’s duty is to God first, then to others and to self last? So, does school matter?
YES!!!!
Consider the following statistics discovered by Christian Worldview Researcher George Barna:
· What a child believes at age 13 he will likely die believing.
· 70% of born again parents do no mention leading their child to faith in Christ as a critical outcome of their parenting, but
- Almost 40% listed getting a good education as a critical outcome
· 9% of adults and 5% of youth have a biblical worldview
- A person with a biblical worldview is:
- 31 times less likely to cohabitate
- 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness
- 15 times less likely to condone gay sex
- 11 times less likely to condone adultery.
· 52% of teens believe Jesus was a sinner
· 60% think good deeds can earn eternal life
Is it possible that the rapid decline of morality in our culture is a result of 16,000 hours of secular education and only 1,600 hours of church attendance? I believe that there is not coincidence that the parents who were first affected by the removal of prayer from school and God from the public square are the parents of youth and young adults who are growing increasingly morally bankrupt. When God became irrelevant to the educational process, he became irrelevant to what goes on outside of educational institutions.
Dr. James Dobson stated that we are in a civil war. This is not a war fought with guns and missiles, but a war fought with the mind. The battle ground is America’s schools and to the victor goes our children. Does this matter to you? It should!
Psalm 127:3 states that children are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. God blesses parents with children because He recognizes that they are the means to advance His kingdom until the return of Jesus. It has been stated that if one of the largest Christian denominations in America were to just evangelize their own children the denomination would triple over the next 20 years. That doesn’t include actually evangelizing the lost outside the church.
Does school matter? Take a long hard look at your life and ask God to reveal to you where you have placed Him in the prioritization of rearing your children. Now consider the way that you show this practically in your daily actions. Perhaps where you choose to allow your child to be educated could be a major step towards answering the question - Does God matter?
Glenn Getchell,
UCS Headmaster
Does school matter?
The answer to that question lies in whether or not you believe 1,600 hours in church is enough to counteract the 16,000 hours of instruction from a secular worldview. Is 16,000 hours enough time for Satan to convince your child that Jesus Christ is irrelevant? Is 1,600 hours enough time for your church’s children and youth ministries to equip your child to understand that God is the creator and Redeemer of all the world through Jesus Christ and one’s duty is to God first, then to others and to self last? So, does school matter?
YES!!!!
Consider the following statistics discovered by Christian Worldview Researcher George Barna:
· What a child believes at age 13 he will likely die believing.
· 70% of born again parents do no mention leading their child to faith in Christ as a critical outcome of their parenting, but
- Almost 40% listed getting a good education as a critical outcome
· 9% of adults and 5% of youth have a biblical worldview
- A person with a biblical worldview is:
- 31 times less likely to cohabitate
- 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness
- 15 times less likely to condone gay sex
- 11 times less likely to condone adultery.
· 52% of teens believe Jesus was a sinner
· 60% think good deeds can earn eternal life
Is it possible that the rapid decline of morality in our culture is a result of 16,000 hours of secular education and only 1,600 hours of church attendance? I believe that there is not coincidence that the parents who were first affected by the removal of prayer from school and God from the public square are the parents of youth and young adults who are growing increasingly morally bankrupt. When God became irrelevant to the educational process, he became irrelevant to what goes on outside of educational institutions.
Dr. James Dobson stated that we are in a civil war. This is not a war fought with guns and missiles, but a war fought with the mind. The battle ground is America’s schools and to the victor goes our children. Does this matter to you? It should!
Psalm 127:3 states that children are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. God blesses parents with children because He recognizes that they are the means to advance His kingdom until the return of Jesus. It has been stated that if one of the largest Christian denominations in America were to just evangelize their own children the denomination would triple over the next 20 years. That doesn’t include actually evangelizing the lost outside the church.
Does school matter? Take a long hard look at your life and ask God to reveal to you where you have placed Him in the prioritization of rearing your children. Now consider the way that you show this practically in your daily actions. Perhaps where you choose to allow your child to be educated could be a major step towards answering the question - Does God matter?
Glenn Getchell,
UCS Headmaster
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