V o l um e 1
P ri n c i p a l Ja s o n W. Bu r ri c k
I s s ue 6
F e br ua r y 1 7 th, 2 0 1 7
G RAC E B APTIST C HRI STIA N S C HOOL
Upcoming Events
READING
WITH A
PURPOSE
M
S
. TA
MMIE
VA
RNEY
Monday, February 20
Presidents’ Day
(FULL DAY)
Feb. 17—Mar. 17
Popcornopolis
Fundraiser
Friday, February 24
GBCS vs Alumni
Game
Community Center
@ 6:30
Thursday, March 9Saturday, March 11
Thursday—No school for
secondary students
Friday—No school for elementary or secondary
Monday, March 20Friday, March 24
The one thing I enjoy
most about teaching is
teaching my children how
to read. It is very fulfilling
to watch the light bulb go
on in the mind of a child
when they learn how to
put letters and sounds together to form
a word. The excitement of a child reading their very first word and comprehending the meaning of that word is
very rewarding.
The Puritans believed in the absolute importance of every child being
able to read. The Puritans were the
ones who founded the Law of 1642—the
Old Deluder Satan Act. This law required towns of 50 households to hire a
schoolmaster to teach their children. If
there were more than 100 households,
the town was to set up a grammar
school.
The text of the Old Deluder Satan Act claims, “that Satan tires to keep
men from the knowledge of the Scriptures as in former times keeping them
in an unknown tongue.” The settlers of
Massachusetts believed that their children could come to receive salvation
and know the truth by learning how to
read the Bible.
The word delude means to deceive; to impose on; to lead from truth
or into error; to mislead the mind or
judgment; to beguile. The word deluder
means one who deceives; a deceiver; an
imposter; one who holds out false pre-
tenses. Is this not a perfect description of Satan? The Deluder Satan
keeping men from the knowledge of
the Scriptures.
I believe most of my problem is a lack of reading God’s Word
that puts me at a disadvantage and
the enemy knows it, and seeks to
destroy me. I stand before my enemy with no armor on and wonder
why I have no victories.
God’s Word holds the answers to what separates me from
Him and how to draw near to Him. It
shows me the deceitfulness of the
devil and tells me that he will flee
before me in the name of Jesus
Christ.
What treasure and life giving
water I hold in my hands and yet, I
stand in rags and dying of thirst.
Many of us know how to read, and
yet we do very little of it. May we
stop acting like fools and read the
Word of God.
The Old Deluder Satan Act
means nothing unless I apply its
purpose to my life and help my children see the importance of learning
to read and continue reading many
years after.
Senior Auction
Help send the class of
2017 on their senior trip by
letting them help you!
Place a bid to hire a
member of the senior class
by picking up a ballot
through the school office
now through 2/24.
Winning bids will be
announced on 2/26.
Reminders
Feb. 22 is the last day to
turn in Box Tops for our Box
Tops competition. However,
we collect Box Tops all year
round! A collection box is
located at the front entrance.
Through Cartridges for Kids,
our school can earn money
by recycling electronics—
functioning or not!
Items include:
 Cell phones
 Ink cartridges
 Laptops
 MP3s and more!
G.B.C.S.
“Excellence in Education”
THE MIRACULOUS &
THE
MU NDAN E
M
R
. B
EN
P
OTTER
"And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:42
It happens every year. As the winter months drag on, so do the students—
dragging themselves to class each day. Every day is like the day before, every
class like the class before. The classrooms feel muggy, the days seem long, the
work is dreary. Thoughts tend less toward the classes at hand, and more toward the warm spring days ahead. The best way to describe days like these is
with one adjective: mundane.
According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, mundane means "dull or ordinary."
In my days at school, both as a student and as a teacher, I have
found Februaries to be exceptionally mundane. Christmas break ended in January, everyone returned to school, and settled into the routine. By February,
this routine can become exceptionally dull. Teachers and students alike find it
hard to motivate themselves, and the prevailing attitude is that everyone is just
trying to make it through another day.
In Acts 2, God moves mightily in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The Scriptures are silent as to the actual number of Christians who were on the earth on
the morning of Pentecost, but we do know that at the end of the day, three
thousand people had been added to the church! The best way to describe a
day like that is with one adjective: miraculous.
Immediately following the account of this day, the Bible says that these baby
Christians "continued" in the apostles' doctrine. The word continued is not an
exciting word—it speaks less of spectacular moments, and more of carrying out
ordinary, mundane tasks. However, the Bible says that they continued
"steadfastly" in the apostles' doctrine, and it was during these very average
days, as they "continued steadfastly," that the early church grew by leaps and
bounds.
This means that even though nothing miraculous was taking place, these Christians were faithful while life was mundane.
All of us would agree: during times when we see God moving in a big way, and
during exciting days, it is easy to find the energy to attack the tasks at hand.
We approach every activity with vision and find the ingenuity to solve every
problem. We at Grace love exciting days full of miracles: Camp Meeting in the
summer, Ladies Conference in the fall, Teen Spec coming up in March. Unfortunately, not every day of the year carries with it the level of excitement we see
during these events. In times like these dull February winters, we must be vigilant—like the early Christians of Acts 2:42—to be faithful during mundane times.
We (students, teachers, and parents) need to remind ourselves that, with the
dawning of every day, we have a new opportunity to apply ourselves to new
tasks, to learn new information, and to impact an impressionable life. May we
dig a little further inside, and pray a little harder, that we may be faithful in
times that are miraculous as well as times that are mundane.