“Why do you look at the speck
of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own
eye? How can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a
plank in your own eye? You hypocrite,
first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:3-5
Let me start off this week by expressing my gratitude and thanks to the
parents and staff members who quickly came to my aid this past Thursday morning,
as well as the fellow called workers who made accommodations and took on extra
work to grant me a couple of sick days. Thank you for being a blessing to me.
I assume most if not all of the school family has heard about my epic
face-plant into the carpet in the fellowship hall shortly before last Thursday’s
chapel. One minute I was having a conversation but feeling a little queasy, the
next I was waking up face down on the floor surrounded by concerned friends and
feeling extremely embarrassed. 911 had been called, so a check-over by the
paramedics (very nice guys, by the way), a trip to the ER in an ambulance (my
first ever that I can recall, but no sirens) and what was probably my most
expensive check-up ever (including X-ray AND CAT scan) and the verdict was in:
nothing was wrong. Well, nothing but severe hydration caused by the flu –
something I could have easily remedied had I been more careful. You see, I was
feeling ill over Wednesday night, but I thought I was okay for Thursday. I
wasn’t. I thought I had been drinking
enough. I hadn’t. As a result, I learned an embarrassing lesson.
Which brings me to the Bible passage above. You see, just Wednesday
afternoon, I was reviewing the excretory system with my upper grade science
students. One point that I clearly remember (I don’t know if they did, but I
hope so) was how I emphasized the importance of proper hydration, especially when
sick, and how dehydration can cause all sorts of problems for your body. In
what was to be the greatest object lesson ever in my classroom, I failed to
carefully heed my own advice.
You see, by Wednesday afternoon I was feeling a little tickle in my throat
and probably already on my way to Thursday morning’s result as I lectured my
students on what they should do. Talk about a plank in my eye. Oh, to be fair,
I didn’t know I was getting dehydrated at the time, but I have had plenty of
warnings in my life about making sure to drink enough water. I just wasn’t
paying attention.
When Jesus said these words in Matthew 7:3-5 to his followers, he was
warning them that, before we point out the sins of those around us, we need to
look at ourselves and make sure that we are not allowing sin to continue in our
own lives first. That doesn’t mean that we don’t in Christian love go to a
brother or sister caught in a sin who needs to be warned of the danger that sin
poses to their faith. God calls us to do this out of love for each other. But
when I point out a brother’s sin while denying or excusing my own, I make myself
out to be a hypocrite and hurt my witness to my brother.
That is why we daily approach God’s throne of grace in prayer, asking
him to search our hearts as we confess our sins to him and are comforted by his
forgiveness and promise of salvation through Christ. Then, as we have
opportunity, we can go with the Gospel to those who need to hear not only God’s
call to repentance, but also his promise of forgiveness to those who put their
trust in him. Rather than a hypocritical message of “do as I say, not as I do”,
our witness then becomes, “Let me help you, brother, to find freedom and
forgiveness in the one that has freed and forgiven me.”
I doubt that I will forget this past week’s lesson. Feel free to
encourage me to have a glass of water any time. I will probably be embarrassed,
but definitely grateful. But more
importantly, may God remind us daily in his Word and in the encouragement of
fellow believers to watch our lives and our witness to others closely, that we
may clearly and lovingly share God’s grace in Christ Jesus.
God bless your week,
Principal Schneck J
SPRING BREAK IS NEXT WEEK. There will
be no school from Monday, March 14th through Friday, March 18th. Classes resume March 21st.
On Friday, March 11th, classes will dismiss at
12:00 noon. There is no aftercare on Friday.
The end of this week is also the end of 3rd quarter.
Auditions for parts in our Spring Musical, “It’s Cool in
the Furnace”, will be held this Tuesday, March 8th during lunch
hour. Students
may sign up for tryouts on the sign-up sheet in the school hallway or in Mr.
Schneck’s room. Please see Mrs. Schneck for more information.
Co-Ed
Indoor Soccer practices this week on Tuesday, March 8th and Thursday, March 10rd from
5:30-7:00 p.m. at Taku Elementary. There will be Soccer Rally games on this Friday,
March 11th at 5:45 & 6:45 p.m. at Anchor Lutheran.
The ACSAA soccer
tournament is scheduled for April 8th, 4:00-7:00 at UAA, Wells Fargo
Center. More information will be made
available as the date nears.
Junior Choir meets
this week Wednesday, March 9th at 12:20 p.m.
The school family
is invited to join the Faith Lutheran Church family for Lenten worship on
Wednesday, March 9th at 7:00 p.m.
You are also invited to join us for
soup supper prior to worship at 6:00 p.m. Bring a dish to share. Don’t worry if you are unable to bring
anything, come and join us anyway! We look forward to seeing you there.
You are invited to
join us for our weekly school chapel service this Thursday, March 10th,
from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Families and friends are invited to come and join us in starting
our day with the Lord!
Handchime
choir meets this week on Thursday, March 10th at 12:30 p.m.
Coming Soon!
On Saturday, March 19th, the
Faith Lutheran family will be hosting Easter
for Families. Families are invited to come and join us at Faith for an
Easter egg hunt, egg decorating, and a multisensory exploration of the Easter story. Stop in any time between 10:00 a.m.
and 2:00 p.m. We hope you can join us!
Easter for Families egg donations. Plastic eggs and hard boiled eggs will be
needed for decorating and for the egg hunt.
If you would like to donate plastic eggs you may drop them off any time
at the office. For hard boiled eggs,
please drop off Friday, March 18th 10:00-2:00.
Making Life Better
is a Bible class led by Pastor Ewings in which participants will discover how
God has made their lives better. This
class, covering the basic truths of the Christian faith, is for newcomers to
the faith and long-time Christians alike. Making Life Better continues this
evening, Monday, March 7th at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome!
Toddler Time is an hour of educational
activities, structured play and a snack for children ages 0-5 and their
caregivers. Toddler
Time meets Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. in the Faith fellowship hall. For more
information contact Mrs. Cara Ewings at
907-792-9388.
Invitations to our school
family from Faith Lutheran Church. Events this Saturday:
Men’s Bible Study meets Saturday, March
12th at Barbie’s Café on Lake Otis Parkway at 9:00 a.m. Pastor Ewings is currently leading the
study “Five Things You Can Do to Live a Jesus-Centered Life”. Please contact
Pastor Ewings at 792-9788 to sign up or order a book.
Ladies Craft Day on Saturday, March 12th
from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
This month bring a new craft idea to learn. We will enjoy a devotion and snacks
as we work on our projects. Bring any project to work on even if it isn’t new.
Contact Claire Zarnstorff at 792-9688 for more information.
Faith’s First Annual Ice Fishing
Tournament – Join us on Saturday, March 12th at Sand Lake starting
at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome and invited to participate in this family event. We will have gear available for all to
use if you don’t have any of your own. Bring what you have. Not only will you
have the chance to enjoy some fellowship with the people of Faith, but there
will be prizes as well! Fish on!
