COVENANT PRIDE PRESS
Dates
LOVE AND RESPECTBOOK STUDY:
• Huntsville at Research ParkJanuary 8th & February 12th
• Pelham/Valleydale
at Pelham January 15th & February 19th
WHY A CHAPLAIN FOR A
DAYCARE & DAY SCHOOL?
The ministry of a chaplain is known as a helping ministry. A chaplain listens to a person
and seeks to offer encouragement, guidance, and spiritual care based on hearing the
heartfelt needs. We are probably used to hearing about chaplains in the military and
in hospitals, but chances are few of us have heard of a chaplain for a daycare and day
school. This is a new thing that is being tried and the potential is great. A chaplain for a
daycare and day school does the same things chaplains do in any other setting, but in the
context of the daycare it is the families who are the focus.
CCS wants to invest in the spiritual lives of the families and staff through offering the
services of a full time chaplain. As chaplain, Drew will offer Bible studies on topics like
marriage and parenting. He is also here to offer support in times of need or crisis. We
hope you will feel free to seek out his services as you have need and will make time to
attend some of the studies he will be leading in the coming year.
2 Corinthians 5:17
• Homewood/Trace
Crossings at Trace CrossingsJanuary 22nd & February 26th
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.
TAKING ON THE
As the year winds down, we get both introspective and retrospective—
and all of this spective-ness makes us look hard at the people we want
to become. We look at the resolutions we made last year: Did we keep
them? How far have we come? If you’re like most of us, keeping those
resolutions starts out with a flurry of activity, but come February, the
rest of life kicks in, and suddenly, resolutions that felt so important in
December become lists on paper tucked away into a drawer. So, how do
you make those resolutions a reality? Psychologist Dr. John Grohol has
come up with a list of five tips for resolution conquest:
1. Pick Realistic Goals: This doesn’t mean, “don’t be ambitious.”
Ambition is good! It helps to motivate us and propels us toward our
goals. However, knowing thyself mediates ambitions that are too farflung and unattainable. Setting realistic goals, after looking at what is
actually possible, allows you to reach for something that is within your
grasp (but remember, you’ll still have to reach!).
2. Define Your Goals: This one is easy! Once you have your goals in
mind, define them down to every ‘T’ so there is no room for fudging.
Specifically detailing what you’re aiming for gives you the assurance that
you’re not going to settle for whatever you land on. Make your success
real so you can tailor your action plan to a specific outcome.
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3. Schedule Success: Let’s face
it—scheduling is hard for everyone. But resolutions
require planning. No matter what you’re conquering in the New Year,
get organized and you’ll be primed and ready to make it happen. Create
a schedule and stick to it to make the guesswork disappear!
4. Failure is Part of the Process: Remember that setbacks happen! Just
because you’re having a bad week, month, or year, doesn’t mean that
you’ve been given the reason to throw in the towel. If you want results,
you have to take action and accept that every once in a while, you’ll slip
up. It’s how you handle those slip-ups that determines your success in
the long run.
5. Bring in the Cavalry: Don’t go at it alone! True, no one can change
anything about your life except you, but without a support system,
keeping resolutions can feel close to impossible. Enlist the experts so
you’re not going solo. Remember—even the mountain climbers who
conquer Everest have Sherpas to guide them!
w w w . c c s l i o n . c o m
January 2015
IN THIS
ISSUE
When Life Comes
Full Circle
page 1
5 Tips to Teach
Kids Good Habits
page 2-3
Book ReviewLove & Respect
page 2
White Cheddar
Pasta Shells
page 3
Thief Gets Free
Groceries
page 3
Events
Taking on the
New Year
page 4
WHEN LIFE COMES FULL CIRCLE
M
y wife and I moved to Birmingham from Naples,
Florida in the summer of 2000. What most people
don’t know is that CCS was the reason for our move.
Just a few months earlier, in the spring of 2000, our paths had
providentially crossed with a group of Christian businessmen
who were in the early development stages of a Christian daycare
in the Birmingham area (Covenant Classical Schools). At that
time, my wife was working at a Christian daycare which was
being researched as a model for the Birmingham schools.
After meeting with them, the businessmen asked if we would
be interested in relocating to Birmingham to assist in the early
stages of CCS.
We were quick to jump at the invitation to be involved in such
a unique opportunity. And so, we moved to Birmingham and
Tracy began working at the Valleydale campus. I remember
very well that her class had one child at the very beginning – but
it wouldn’t stay that quiet for long! On the other side of town, the
Trace Crossings campus had opened with a brand new building
and Tracy spent a good bit of time there as well. Meanwhile, the
first location in Huntsville had experienced growth pains and
they quickly grew out of the first location.
However, in the mix of all the growing excitement over CCS, I was
working as an IT Director at
a financial institution. But
my wife’s love for Christian
education
and
early
learning was firmly planted
in our family – she enjoyed
going to work every day
and I was able to hear and
see all of the wonderful
things CCS was providing
for their families. And you
can imagine my surprise,
when she came to me one
day in the beginning of 2002
and said she would like to
stay home and focus on our
growing family.
4 • www.ccslion.com
And grow it did! The Lord blessed us with seven (we have one
in heaven) children in 9 years. Life became very busy for us
(and still is as we continue to homeschool our children; who are
now 14,12,11,10,8, and 6). We loved the people and the area of
Birmingham so much that even though we didn’t have family
here, we decided to put down our roots. We started a church and
the years came and went – people weren’t kidding when they
told us “time would fly” as we began our parenting adventure!
But let’s fast forward to the fall of 2011 because this is when things
came full circle and something I never expected happened…. I
personally became involved in CCS. I began providing business
consultations to the board at CCS and after a few months, I was
offered the position of CEO. After much prayerful consideration,
I accepted and began full time in May of 2012. So much has taken
place in the few short years since I’ve been involved with CCS.
When I started, the Research Park and Pelham campuses were
still in the building phase. And now we have two more campuses
that are being built!
It’s been an honor and joy to work alongside the amazing staff
in serving our CCS family. And this is something I truly enjoy
and get excited about – having an impact on young lives today
so that they can have a strong future! As I look back, I’m
still amazed at the paths that providentially crossed 14 years
ago and for the opportunity today to lead a company that I
wholeheartedly believe in. I look forward to many more years
walking alongside my CCS family as we continue to build on
the foundations that began CCS and instilling in children a
love for Christ and a love for learning.
I’d like to share with you my favorite Scripture verse
because it has had such a profound influence in my own
life: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and
what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to
love mercy, and to walk humbly with your god?”
Micah 6:8
- John LaBreche
CEO of Covenant Classical
Schools & Daycare
Coventant Classical Schools & Daycare • 1
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
5
Chaplain’s Corner
Tips to Teach Kids Good Habits
With the start of a new year, we all have resolutions we want to keep. There
are things about ourselves that we want to change or improve in order to
become a better version of ourselves by the end of the year. We will resolve
to get into better shape, save more money, or eat healthier. We will join a
gym, read books about effective ways to save money, or begin our new diet.
We may see some results from our pursuits, but by this time next year, we
will be looking for more ways to improve, and will probably repeat some of
the same resolutions. But what if we made a more lasting resolution? Would
we seek a resolution that had implications beyond next year or the year after
and reached into eternity?
With the new year approaching, many of us are trying to come up with our resolutions. Many parents try to get their children involved in this
process, in an effort to get them to make positive changes in their lives. While this can be a great tactic, it should be known that forming good
habits for the future will do far more to help initiate change than shorter goals or resolutions. Here’s a short list of ways you can help your child
create better habits that will help them throughout their lives.
USE THE CARROT, NOT THE STICK. For most kids,
punishment is not the ideal tool for encouraging good habits or
decisions. Instead, it primarily focuses on children’s faults as opposed
to what they’re doing right. Rewarding kids for their good habits and
decisions will go a lot further than scolding them for their bad ones.
2. SET THE EXAMPLE. As most of us know, it’s nearly impossible
to convince a child to do the right thing if you’re not doing it yourself.
So if you’re trying to teach good habits, you’ll need to look in the mirror
first to ensure that you’re practicing what you preach.
3. EMBRACE THE 21-DAY RULE. Habits are hard to form,
whether they’re good or bad. Studies have consistently shown that it
takes approximately 21-days for a habit to establish a pathway in our
brains. When focusing on forming good habits, keep this timeframe
We believe love best
motivates a woman and
respect most powerfully
motivates a man. Research
reveals that during
marital conflict a husband
most often reacts when
feeling disrespected and a
wife reacts when feeling
unloved. We asked 7,000
people this question: when
you are in a conflict with
your spouse or significant
other, do you feel unloved
or disrespected? 83% of the
men said “disrespected.”
72% of the women said,
“unloved.” Though we
all need love and respect
equally, the felt need differs
during conflict, and this
difference is as different as
pink is from blue!
2 • www.ccslion.com
in mind and try to stick to the ritual for three weeks. By the end, if
your kids have been doing it every day for that period, the neurological
process will have been formed.
4. KIDS ARE FAR FROM PERFECT. This statement can be said
for most of us; no one is perfect. And expecting your children to be is
more than far-fetched. Try to use failures as teaching opportunities and
explain the reasoning behind things. This will help them to understand
the “whys” of their decision-making in the future.
5. CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS. Go out of your way to
find things to celebrate about with your kids. This can be anything
from small changes to large. Just remember that positive reinforcement
goes much further than other forms or teaching.
Love &
Respect
By Dr. Eggerichs
This month we want to recommend Dr.
Emerson Eggerichs’ book, Love and Respect.
Dr. Eggerichs offers a very practical approach
for husbands and wives to understanding one
another’s needs. The book draws attention to
the differences between the needs of husbands
and wives and why these differences are
important in order to cultivate a richer married
life. The author attempts to avoid the “selfhelp, better marriage in this many steps” model
and instead tries to give a reoriented view of
the marriage relationship that is based on the
truth of Scripture.
Recipe
Shells &
White
Cheddar
Jesus taught his disciples to lay up heavenly treasures rather than earthly
treasures (Matt. 6:19-24). He taught that, unlike earthly treasures that will
eventually wear out and be destroyed, heavenly treasures will last for all of
eternity. The issue, though, is not the durability of the treasure but the draw
these treasures have on our hearts. If our primary pursuit is improving our
earthly condition and state, then our heart’s focus is primarily on our self.
But, if our pursuit is to love God more fully and serve others more genuinely,
then our hearts are turned toward the stuff of eternity. We cannot take the
saved money with us beyond this life, and the improved body and diet will
only last us so long, but our relationship to God in Christ will usher us into
eternity. As we seek this loving relationship with God, that love of God
overflows into our relationships with others, enabling us to love and serve
our neighbors with the love that only comes from Christ. It is through living
out God’s love and his truth that others come to know the same relationship
to God. We cannot take our earthly possessions with us, but we will carry
with us the relationships with others that are rooted in the love of Christ.
For this coming year, let’s make resolutions that rest on the steadfast love of
God rather than those that depend on our wavering strength and resolve.
- Chaplain Drew Phillips
CHARACTER TRAITS
OF THE MONTH
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shells
• 1 cup white cheddar cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and pasta to a simmer
over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often and
making sure that the milk doesn’t boil. Once the pasta is al dente,
remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted. If you like
it a little creamier, you can add more milk. Add salt to taste.
1/5:
Meekness
1/12: Faith
1/19: Loyalty
1/26: Wisdom
Covenant Classical Schools & Daycare • 3