I only did it because…

I didn’t do it… He did!

It’s not my responsibility…

We live in a Cain kind of world today. By that I mean, we live in a world where people do not want to take responsibility for what they do. They certainly do not want to take responsibility for anyone else. According to Cain we are not our brothers keeper in any sense of the word.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Genesis 4:9

Can you hear the anger and bitterness in Cain’s voice? The sound echoes from the ground where Cain is buried somewhere in the Middle East. It reverberates in every community and culture on earth today.

At CCLS, we live in a (imperfect) Christian Community. While the same issues and challenges apply to us on a daily basis, we sometimes see glimpses of heaven amidst the rough-hewn edges of society. The lessons are sinking in!

As an example, just the other day, three young boys were brought to me after some issues on the playground. I was told they had exchanged sharp words with one another and things had gotten heated during a football game. In a Cain kind of world the exchange with those boys would have included lots of denial about who was responsible. There would have been accusations and recrimination. Anger and blame would have been passed from one to the other…  That did not happen. I left the boys waiting as I went and completed a short task. When I came back and was about to say something to them, the oldest among them spoke for the group and said, “We worked it all out Mr. Boehlke. ” A smile came to my face as I asked what they had decided. He said, “We all said we were sorry.” “Everyone just got into the game too much.” He explained a bit more. I asked a few follow up questions, to check and see if everything was covered. Had they learned a lesson? Would they try harder in the future? Yes, yes.

Perfect? By no means was it perfect, but it was pretty cool. I saw little Christian boys, solving their own problem amongst themselves so that everyone could walk away feeling good. That is a definition for a Christian Community. They cared enough for each other, for the Lord and for who we are as a school; to let the minor issues related to their game get in the way. 

Am I my brother’s keeper?  God’s word speaks loudly in response to that question. Clearly we are. We are to respond in love when those around us are in pain or are suffering. We are to respond in love when our neighbor is hungry or hurting. We are to respond with words of compassion when someone is lonely. We are to respond with words of forgiveness when someone acknowledges a wrong. In essence we are to share Christ in word and in action.

But, we live in a Cain kind of world. Like Cain, we have our moments where we fall horrible short. I have had those moments. When Grace was required, I was stubborn. When support was needed, I failed to respond. The list goes on! The Apostle Paul wrestled with issues like this too. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 he said:

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Thankfully, we have a Lord who knows our shortcomings as well as our strengths. He provided us with a way out of this mess. Jesus came into this world at just the right time. His life and death on the cross were the sacrifices needed to wash away my since. When he rose he conquered death for me. Pretty cool. 

I will continue living in this Cain kind of world cloaked in Christ. I will fall short again, I will lean on my Savior Jesus again. I will keep seeking the Christian Community and glimpse of Heaven that encourage me in my journey. I encourage you to join me on this journey too.

In His Service,

Jeff Boehlke

Principal

This comment actually helped remind me to not take what I do too seriously. I think we all do that sometimes; we fail to live in the moment and appreciate what we see around us.

Anyway, as I said, I was gone with the flu one day last week. Guess what, the wheels kept turning and life went on here at CCLS. Lesson; none of us are irreplaceable.

But there is one who was irreplaceable! Jesus the Messiah is that one.

Over two thousand years ago, while there was a fever like focus in Palestine on a messiah coming soon to aid God’s people, few had taken the time to check with God on what would happen. As usual, too few were interested.

 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Micah 5:2,4

The Savior, for all mankind, lying helpless as a baby in a manger. Wow! Born where it was foretold generations in advance. Many missed this messiah being born in a cave-stable outside on Bethlehem to a young couple. They were looking for a “Powerful Messiah King” to emerge. They missed what was amazing while looking for what never was. The truth is God has a way of weaving history along through our presence, absence, lack of  focus or disinterest.

We get so caught up in living we forget to actually l-i-v-e and appreciate what is around us each day. We forget what Christmas is really all about (as we chase plastic stuff for the kids with plastic stuff from our wallets). Simply put, God came into the world in human form (he took on flesh). He lived a short life, he died on a cross and came out of the tomb for each of us so that we will live forever.

That is very humbling to me. It makes me re-examine what I do each day.  It makes me value what I see each day.

I am blessed in what I do working with kids at CCLS each day! Getting to be greeted by cheerful and exuberant little kids who shake my hand, give me a fist bump or a high five. I get to see kids growing in all kinds of ways and be excited about learning and sharing their faith. Recently, I had asked two young men in the upper grade lunch to lead the after lunch prayer. The next day, as I was walking around at lunch, the same two asked me if they could do it again and another young guy near them said, “Can I help them pray too?” Let’s see that happen at a public school folks! Pretty cool faith stuff. Pretty cool focus on what is important during this busy time and pretty irreplaceable in our world today.

May this Advent walk to the Cross and Empty Tomb enrich you and make you appreciate your life, those around you and most importantly the grace God has cast upon you!

God’s Blessings,

Jeff Boehlke
Principal

Many of us picture God (as in the cartoon) this way when we imagine the end of the line for “evil” people like Osama Bin Laden. Clearly, Bin Laden was a person who appeared to reject the grace of God and the Good News of new life in Jesus Christ. We all saw his actions over the years and heard him gloat and celebrate in murder and mayhem fueled by himself around the world.

The topic of Bin Laden “getting his due” in the end has been expressed by many people.  At the same time, few of us see ourselves as the person under the piano…  so to speak. We usually reserve that spot for murderers, kidnappers and people of that ilk.

What if we examined our own hearts and lives a bit more closely? Have we truly measured up to God’s calling in our lives?

We often say, “I am a good person. I go to church and pray regularly.”

But, God says in Romans 3:23, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

In turn, we need to realize maybe… perhaps just maybe, we need a way out.

God says in Romans 3:24,”all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Martin Luther was a huge fan on the book of Romans. It is said he felt he truly discovered the Grace of God (in these passages of Romans) when he was at his lowest point spiritually.

Is this where we are too sometimes?  Drained emotionally and spiritually, we feel overwhelmed by sin, the world, problems and everything else in our busy lives. It is at this point the words of Paul come home to us like they did to Luther and we can hang on like it’s a life raft in swirling waters. I have been there. Overwhelmed by issues and challenges, I too have needed the shot in the arm to remind me that while I am a sinner, living in a fallen world, God provides His forgiveness, grace and promises to me.

You see, the piano is not hanging over my head.  It already fell on Jesus.

Praise be to God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who reigns today and forever!

In His Service

Jeff Boehlke

Principal

When I opened the grill, I realized how dirty it was. Yuck! I tried my best (in the cold) to clean off the grill grating and get the grill ready for the pork chops. When I grilled them and brought them in for dinner, we all ended up eating a bit more ash and grease than I had hoped for. The grill was still a mess.  The cleaning I had done was incomplete.

Ash is sticky, greasy, messy, dirty stuff. Cleaning it up is not fun and takes time. Oftentimes, when we clean a grill or a fireplace or some other ash filled item, we get covered in the ash and then spread it around to other objects we touch or come into contact with.

Ash and sin have much in common. This week starts our Lenten journey to the cross of Christ. Just like ash, sin too is messy stuff. It spreads through contact with others, sometimes intentionally sometimes not. It seems we cannot extricate ourselves from sin, it's much like a quicksand which pulls us in; we are soon more covered than ever. The efforts we make at cleaning up our own lives are often incomplete. Sin still lurks around us and in us. Sin makes a mess of all our lives.

Truth is we have sin even in our Christian school.  Like any other place where mankind exists; sin abounds. Whether it is an unkind word, bad language, a thoughtless gesture, an angry response or a frustrated expression, we see sin in the lives of our staff, students, parents and friends every day. So what makes CCLS different? Hope.

Romans 6:11 

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Hope is expressed daily at CCLS. The hope is not in us as individuals but instead our hope is in Christ. We know like the ash which covers our hands after cleaning a grill, our sin makes great messes. Too often we first see sin in others and call attention to it. Our feeble response and lack of awareness of our own sin makes cleaning up after it impossible. We need a cleaning only God can offer.

1 Timothy 1:15

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

We know in Christ, our hope is secure; we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To outsiders, this talk of forgiveness, fresh starts and newness in Christ is madness! The world often does not get what God offers and does not respect or respond to God’s call. That is a tragedy of epic proportions for those individuals.  

We have hope! As we start our Lenten journey to the cross, it is a good time for each of us to inspect our (not others) lives and ask ourselves how we can respond to the Grace of our Lord.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Do we have hidden sins that impact the lives of those around us?

Do we need to go to someone and ask for forgiveness?

Are there words or things that we say or do that do not model what God has called us to? 

What can we do to help others see Christ in us?

How can we model forgiveness for others?

In our Lenten journey, when we realize our sinfulness, we can take those issues to the cross and give them to Jesus. He will forgive us and make us clean again!

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

May God bless our journey!

In His Service,

Jeff Boehlke

Principal

S-Spiritual Gifts

H-Heart

A-Abilities

P-Personality

E-Experience

Pastor Warren contends that God never gives us an assignment we are not ready for. Good teachers try and emulate this idea all of the time. Sometimes an assignment is easy! Homework can also be challenging, can stretch our abilities, and can be difficult.  Homework or assignments should be within the scope of what we are able to do with hard work, study and dedication.

I believe Pastor Warren is on to something. I also think CCLS is a place where SHAPE is … well…  shaping the lives of our students, staff and families each and every week.

Each of our children (like all Christians everywhere) at Christ Community have Spiritual Gifts from their Father in heaven. One of our implicit goals here is to help children identify them. We also encourage students to find their voice and share those gifts. According to the Apostle Paul, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” The key is we are all different, as are our spiritual gifts, yet we receive these gifts to build up the body of Christ.

Pastor Warren talks about Heart as where our desires, passions, dreams and ambitions lie. These heart matters are often what drive and motivate us. They give us wings and help us soar and explore. Once again, each of us is different. Just as our students all have unique footprints and their hearts lead them in special ways.  

The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” Our Abilities are diverse. Our students’ abilities in so many areas are a wonder to all of us. Will they earn a living some day? Certainly!   As a school, we also want children to see how their ability can be used positively in the Kingdom of God. They have the opportunity to grow up and use these gifts in service to others and to our Lord. Our country and the world desperately need Christian business people and civic leaders. Wherever they are led, our students will use those abiities in a God pleasing way.

Being who you are is important. As each of us grows, our Personality emerges. We are happiest when we are true to who we are. Sure we change and mature, but ultimately most parents can say they have seen consistent personality traits in their children all their life. Parents often say, “He was like that as a little child.” These personality traits are from God. At CCLS, we work hard to value each child as an individual, seeing in them the strength of character God has placed in him or her.  God uses all personality types! There is not one Biblical personality type that is lifted above another. God uses those who are precise (Luke) and cautious and those who are bold (Peter) and adventurous. God uses the quiet (Moses) and the loquacious (Paul). 

It is in Experience, I believe that Christian schools may best serve Warren’s model. At CCLS, students get to know and share their faith on a daily basis. Every year, students come to CCLS from public schools. I often ask them how often they prayed before a meal at their old school. I have never had one student tell me that they ever prayed at public school. At CCLS, faith life is not just respected, it’s lifted up and honored. Students experience everything through the prism of the Gospel.

• Academics? Prepared for high school? Absolutely!  The Valedictorian at W-M High School last year was a CCLS graduate! But our students also leave having learned through their experience that learning is a life long pursuit that never ends. Learning is about a lot more than grades, its knowledge that will provide us with the tools for the next step.
• Discipline issues? These are seen as opportunities to seek forgiveness, absolution and grow as a Christian.
• Athletics? Not an opportunity to put down an opponent or use offensive language during the heat of the game. No, instead we try and pray together with our opponents prior to every game. Our students lead the prayers.
• Technology? A great tool used to expand our understanding and appreciation of good things.
• Sharing the faith? Does a pastor, teacher or the principal lead Chapel? Sure! But the kids themselves often lead chapel too!  They pray together and worship together daily and weekly.

Over time, the faith formation experience begins to strengthen in students. We see it every year with our 8^th grade classes. They leave here experienced in Christian relationships, stronger in their faith, assured that they are redeemed children of God, ready for new challenges. Their experience here has helped shape that.

SHAPE, in a word, says so much about our Christian faith walk and about our school. I hope you see as much good in what happens at CCLS every day as I do! Serving as the principal here is a great honor and privilege.

As our school makes decisions about how we change and continue to provide the highest quality Christian education possible, I hope that you see what we are about and your passion and heart for this ministry will grow!

Serving Jesus with Passion,

Jeff Boehlke

Principal

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When we look at the Bible account of the birth of Jesus, this is exactly what we see. The Magi (often referred to as three kings, or wise men) brought three gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was precious just like today, an appropriate gift for the birth of a king. Frankincense was rare incense, a valuable recognized gift of the time, which was much sought after. Myrrh was used for a variety of things as oil. It was commonly used when someone died to make his or her body less smelly. It was a tool for burial.

So why would these foreign men be so thoughtless as to give a baby a burial gift?

Perhaps, God led them to do such a thing, knowing as only he could the full extent of the future of His son Jesus. Today we can look back through the threads of history and see how everything is interwoven. God’s plan would be fulfilled. This little babe wrapped in swaddling clothes was meant for the cross.

There is a poignancy here that cannot be overlooked. God the Father, seeing and knowing this child’s future was filled with pain, directing these men through star lit nights to provide gifts that portended his future.

It is humbling to think about. That babe would go to a cross for you and for me. It was in so many ways truly a silent and holy night that redeemed each of us from the cross and grave.

So give thanks this Christmas for that Savior. He is the best gift of all!

In His Service,

Jeff Boehlke

Principal



Most of us have at least one thing in common about our Christmas celebration, the Christmas tree. Today they are everywhere but that was not always the case. In fact, Martin Luther, the German reformer was the first person known to promote the idea of the Christmas tree in Germany back in the early 1500’s.

Many people know the story about the Christmas tree and Martin Luther, but not as many know the reasoning behind the idea. After all, the idea of cutting down a tree and dragging it into the house probably seemed strange to many people. The truth is to Martin Luther, the tree symbolized the Tree of Life from the book of Genesis. You remember that tree,

22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

It was not the tree from which Adam and Eve had eaten. That was a tree that brought sin and death. This tree was a tree that provided eternal life. God as always had a different plan for man (first revealed in Genesis 3:15). He would send a savior, his very own son. How fitting it is that Jesus himself would die on a tree.

So today, while many view Christmas trees as non-descript, politically correct holiday trees, hopefully we see the Christmas tree as representing something greater than Santa Claus or merriment. Hopefully, we are reminded we have a God who loves us so much that he provides us with our own Tree of Life in Jesus.

Think about that when you hang your ornaments next time! Merry Christmas!

Serving the Christ Child!

Jeff Boehlke

Principal

Very soon our nation will take some time to sit down and “Give Thanks.”  So what does that mean to us?  We say… Thanks! Thanks a lot! Thank You! Thank you very much! Thanks for everything!  So often we say thanks to others in our lives and we say it quickly and efficiently. We don’t get too hung up on it nor do we think about it very often.

For me, the blessings abound. Health and food, family and friends, house and home, knowledge and … the list goes on. Thank you Lord for my family, a roof over our heads and the wonderful blessing of serving in a ministry that I love. That ministry is all about sharing Jesus Christ (my greatest blessing). I hope to see all my students in heaven some day with my family and me!

In the end, what we say or how we say thanks does not really matter all that much. The greater question is, are we truly grateful for the blessings we have been given? Have we communicated that to the Lord and to those around us? As Grandpa Harvey would have said, “remember to give tanks.”

What are you grateful and thankful for today?

“Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 20:21b

In His Service,

Jeff Boehlke

Principal