God Does Not Call the Equipped..He Equips the Called

"God Does Not Call the Equipped..He Equips the Called"

This was the takeaway I had from the LEAP meeting I attended yesterday and I have to admit, I was thankful in that very moment for these words of truth. There is a great sense of peace in knowing that God will prepare me for whatever He calls me to do. And the thing is this, He is constantly calling me to places that bring me great pause, He tests me often, and sometimes requires things of me that are uncomfortable.  I stop and wonder "Can I do this? What happens if I fail? What if the outcome is not what I expect?" and then He reminds me that He is continually preparing me to do all He has in store for me. I find great comfort in His faithfulness. 

So, the good news is that God prepares us and equips us to do all things He calls us to do. Roman 8:28 states, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" and  I Thessalonians 5:24 says, "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Remember, God is faithful even in the small stuff, so cry out to Him and ask Him to continue to supply you with all you need to carry out His calling in your life. To God Be the Glory!!

Church Blitz

I am proud to announce that the students were given a goal to be intentional about attending worship on Sundays (or Saturdays or Mondays...whichever day your family attends).

The goal was to reach 80% so that Mr. Parks would have to sleep on the roof overnight, and today we calculated church attendance for the last two weeks for all grades and it averaged out to 82.7%. Great job! Mr. Parks will be on the roof the beginning of next week!

While setting goals is fun and energizing, and we will certainly set some more of these goals to get our kids engaged, the real purpose is to encourage our families to come together for a time of worship.

We teach our children each day about the gospel of Jesus Christ and we walk with them as they grow their faith. An important part of this process is to worship regularly so that they can build a personal relationship with their Lord and Savior. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am in their midst." What comfort there is in knowing that when we worship, the Holy Spirit surrounds us with His presence.

We are blessed to have the opportunity to be in His word and praise His name together through song as the body of Christ. Walk with us as we continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus as the church! If you are looking for a church home, please feel free to join us on Sunday mornings or Monday evenings. If there is anything we can do to support you in your journey, please reach out to the principal or a teacher, we would love the opportunity to pray with you!

To God Be the Glory!

More of You...Less of Me

As I was driving home the other night after a really long day, a song came on the radio with a lyric that caught my attention. It made me stop and ponder the greatness of God and think about my real desire to get closer to Him. The lyric was this.. "Empty me of myself until the only thing that is left is MORE OF YOU AND LESS OF ME." 

So many times we find ourselves preoccupied with our own "stuff" that we lose sight of what God has in store for us. Decisions, thoughts, actions often become about the things of this world and are not focused on the promises made by the One True King...I don't know about you, but I want more of Him in my life in every way. 

Romans 5:8 says, "Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored (The Message).

This once again reminds me we need to spend time in worship and in His word so that our eyes are always fixed on Him. Lord, increase in us! 

Upcoming Events

As we near the end of the 1st quarter, I am blessed beyond measure by the support I have received here at Bethlehem Lutheran School. God continues to do Immeasurably More than we could ever imagine. "Thank you!"

There are a few upcoming events that I would like to personally invite you to attend! My hope and prayer is that all families feel welcome and connected.

November 2nd-Spaghetti Dinner in the gym following church. This is a Bethlehem tradition so please come out and eat some tasty spaghetti and spend time in fellowship with school families and members of the congregation. All proceeds will benefit our athletics programs.

November 5th, 6th, and 7th-It's that time of year again for Parent/Teacher conferences. School will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. Latchkey will be provided. Please send a lunch. Teachers will be sending home your appointment time.

Boar's Head practices are getting started. If you did not receive a letter in the mail, and you are a part of the cast, please let the church office know so that you can get your schedule.

Please check out the teachers' blogs and post comments to let them know you are reading!! This process takes a few moments, but it really does help connect you to what is happening in our classrooms.

And above all else, please know that I am praying for you and your family! My door is always open so please don't hesitate to stop in and say hello!

God's Richest Blessings!

~Dr. Frederick

School is in Session!

I am excited to share with you some of our student masterpieces. These pictures do not give justice to the creative work of the creative minds here at Bethlehem Lutheran School. God has certainly blessed our kiddos with many gifts and talents. These gifts and talents are used to demonstrate all that they are learning here at school in our different classes, but more importantly, they are used to glorify God every day!

The walls are filled with brightly colored pictures and writing and provide examples of all of the knowledge being gained.

I would encourage you to browse the many projects being displayed in our halls!

How Can It Be -

The question in the song is "How Can It Be?" How can it be that Jesus gave His life for us, how can it be that He pleads our cause even when we don't deserve it, how can it be that He rights our wrongs and breaks our chains to make us free?

It is because of HIS amazing grace in which He is always IMMEASURABLY MORE than we can ever imagine. There is no greater love....Thank you Lord...

FUNDRAISER and FELLOWSHIP!!

Please join us on October 15th at Buffalo Wild Wings for a night of fellowship. We will be using this opportunity as a time to eat great food, get to know one another, and participate in a local fundraiser which provides earnings for our school. We will receive 20% of all proceeds during the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. from all Bethlehem families and friends that show our fundraising flyer. These flyers are being sent home with students and will also be passed out on Sunday after each church service.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 989-755-1144 ext. 212. I really hope that you can join us for a fantastic evening!!

**SCRIP Cards are available for Buffalo Wild Wings in the school office**

Seeking

Our next Conversations with God will be on October 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the Narthex. I am SO excited about this opportunity! The atmosphere is informal...come as you are... contemporary worship songs, and prayer!! Please consider coming and invite your friends too!

Father, Let My Heart Be After You...

As I think about being Alive in Christ, I often reflect on what this means in my daily walk with the Lord. Today as I was spending some quiet time in devotion and prayer, I really took the opportunity to think about what this year's theme means to me...

My mind quickly went to one of my favorite songs titled The Garden by Need to Breathe where the chorus goes like this....

"Let the songs I sing 
Bring joy to you 
Let the words I say profess my love 
Let the notes I choose 
Be your favorite tune 
Father let my heart be after you"

Father, let my heart be after YOU....that's it....that's how I envision being Alive in Christ. 

My deepest desire is that He finds joy in my words and that He hears and sees my profession of love for Him being proclaimed boldly. I want to show Him how much I love Him in everything I do, I want my thoughts, words, and actions to always reflect His truth. 

As a sinner, I do not have much to offer in my brokenness, but what I can offer is praise and thanksgiving to Him for all He has done for me. Thank you Lord for loving me!!

Please Join Us

On Friday, September 19th, we are introducing a new monthly event called "Conversations with God." This event will consist of contemporary praise songs (led acoustically by Harry Frederick, Stacey Stahl, and Hannah Steele), prayer, and fellowship.

This is an opportunity for ALL of our school and church families to come together and pray, sing, and  build relationships!!

So no matter what church you attend, please join us as we sing together, pray together, and get to know each other a little better!!

Feel free to invite your friends!!

"Great Are You Lord" from All Sons and Daughters LIVE (OFFICIAL)

"He is ALIVE in us!!" 

As I was listening to this song the other day, the lyrics were so moving. When I think about the words, "It's your breath in our lungs.." I think about the significance....God is intimately near to us. 

Ezekial 37: 4-6 says "Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”   

I can't help but reflect on the magnificence of our God and His presence in my life. Worship through song is one way I grow my faith and strengthen my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

What are some of your favorite worship songs or hymns? 

First Day of School!!

Today was our first day of school! Teachers, parents, and students gathered in the church for our opening service. We learned about walking on holy ground and living a life Alive in Christ!! The energy was visible as the students sang and worshipped our amazing God. We have a highly talented teaching faculty and staff who love our children dearly. New ideas are being implemented and innovative strategies are encouraging a fun, engaging learning atmosphere. 

'

School Theme 2014-2015-Alive in Christ!!

Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead
in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

Kari Jobe: We Are (Acoustic)

The lyrics in this song state, "We are the light of the world. We are
the city on a hill. We are the light of the world. We gotta, we gotta, we
gotta let the light shine. We are called to spread the news. To tell the
world the simple truth. Jesus came to save, there's freedom in his
name. So let His love break through."

Sharing Christ's love and caring for all people is what we do here at Bethlehem Lutheran
Church and School. We are called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So
join me in telling our family, friends, and neighbors about our AMAZING
God.

Invite them to church to worship Him and learn more about his
grace and mercy.

Welcome to a New School Year!

Dear Bethlehem Students and Families:

I am excited about the start of a new school year, and I am even more excited to be the new principal of this amazing school. Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to watch some awesome things happening in both the church and school, and I am ready to continue the great work of sharing Christ's love with families inside and outside of our school walls.

For those of you who do not know me, please allow me to introduce myself. As a Saginaw native and graduate of Valley Lutheran High School, I am thrilled to be back home after 15 years. I am a wife and mother of two girls who are also Bethlehem students.  I feel so blessed to be back home near family and friends, and I feel even more blessed that God opened the door with this opportunity for me to lead the students of Bethlehem Lutheran School.

 As for my educational and work experience, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.A. in Elementary Education and from the University of Phoenix with my M.A.E.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Shortly after that, I received National Board Certification in 2009, and I recently defended my doctoral dissertation in Educational Leadership at Liberty University.

I have 14 years of classroom and leadership experience in grades K-5 and 7 years of additional experience in higher education working with teacher candidates and graduate students.

I want you to know that I am dedicated to the vision and mission of Bethlehem Lutheran School. I care about each student individually and will do everything I can to ensure that our students receive the highest quality Christian education.

My door is always open, so I ask that should you have any questions, concerns, or praise, please stop in and visit!!