Kuyper, Author at Kuyper Christian School

True Identity

10 Nov 20219 Nov 2021 by Kuyper

Jason Shadie, Assistant Principal, Secondary

I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17

I have always loved this statement by Jesus in the Book of Revelation. Jesus promises to give us a new name; our true identity.

Today is the beginning of the HSC Exam period for 2021. It has been delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, but it marks the culmination of two years of senior study for our current Year 12 students. Our Year 11 cohort will also be involved in some of these exams. This is the first time that we have hosted the HSC Exams on-site at Kuyper since we began our senior school journey in 2016. It’s a big week for students, teachers and the school community!

The HSC is just one important event in the life of our students. It is definitely not a ‘defining’ moment. Our students – your children – are infinitely more valuable than the results of their exams. It is important, however, for our Year 12 students to strive for excellence and seek to honour God with their efforts. However, they are not to be defined, as individuals, by the outcome.

We live in a world that places great emphasis on the results students attain through study, or the job they have. In our culture, when we meet someone for the first time, we might ask, “So, what do you do?” Our initial assessment of the person is often shaped by their answer. It can prompt preconceived ideas about ‘who’ the person is. This can also lead to awkwardness when someone is uncomfortable revealing what they do for work because of the way they might be judged. Our culture values people based on their achievements or performance. By contrast, Jesus had a very different way of seeing people and inviting them to follow Him. He didn’t seek out those most qualified, or those with the keenest intellect. A wide range of people found their purpose with Jesus, from those gifted in finance (tax collectors) to local tradies (fishermen).

So why does our culture place such importance on what people do for work? Why is a person’s identity so often tied to their job?

With a focus on these final exams, we should remember that this is the beginning of life beyond Kuyper for our senior students. They are now stepping into the life that God is calling them to, beyond their ‘childhood’ at school. There will be significant challenges ahead; decisions that these young adults will face in deciding where they find their identity. Will they be defined by the secular culture that is relentlessly trying to shape them, or will they know that their true identity is found in Christ?

Our Year 12 students of 2021 are all wonderfully gifted in different and unique ways. Each of them has a responsibility to use their strengths and weaknesses – the entirety of who they are – to serve and honour God in all aspects of their lives. This includes further study and careers.

Leonard Sweet, in his foreword to The Vertical Self by Mark Sayers, says “Christianity asks you to be who you are and who you aren’t at the same time.” While this sounds paradoxical, he means that God knows our true identity even while we are distracted through our own sinfulness and the culture of the world around us. We need to be honest about who we are, and hopeful about who we are becoming.

I am praying that our Year 12 students have a clear understanding of who they are when they leave Kuyper. I want them to know this truth: God knows who they are. They are created in His image. This will be a journey for all of them. As Sayer puts it, “We must seek to understand how we have moved away from basing our identities in our God-given image and toward simply adopting identities from the culture around us.”

Year 12, don’t let the world tell you who you are. Leave behind the false identities offered by our culture, and receive the white stone, the new name, from Jesus Himself.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Growing Patience

3 Nov 20212 Nov 2021 by Kuyper

Leila Thomson, Secondary Teacher

I still recall driving home the evening before lockdown. We had been at my family’s house, and the kids and I were driving back. I had mentioned that we were going into lockdown and that we would have lots of time together as a family and that it was to keep us safe. The boys seemed very excited by the whole thing and as we pulled into the driveway the youngest said, “We made it! When are they putting the barricades up?” Clearly he was picturing a scene from Paw Patrol.

As we all know, not even Paw Patrol could save us from a long period of stay-at-home orders and school online. As much as I valued and loved the extra time I had to spend with my two young boys I found that patience, and then some more patience, was required every day. They have energy levels that make an Olympic hurdler look lazy, and their latest interest is all things ninja.

Helping my son with his online lessons, and teaching through my own Google Classroom was tricky. Overwhelmingly, I felt supported by all my students, your lovely children! Although they did approach Google Meets hesitantly and, at times, viewed the mic like the big bad wolf, they were very patient. They patiently listened, they patiently participated, they patiently grew in confidence and they patiently learned. The experience was a unique one for each student but I really think we all got to practice patience. I received some lovely emails from students and as much as I value students achieving their individual best, I also value the development of their character. I saw many students develop character through this time.

I don’t think patience is something that we value very much in today’s context. As a history teacher, I would observe that our past decades operated at a slower pace. We had more time to think, more time to process, and as much as technology has transformed our world in positive ways, I think it is also transforming our patience into impatience.

Our history syllabus encourages students to be empathetic. To reflect on another perspective and attempt to understand, we must choose to spend time, to be patient. The Civil Rights Movement took great patience, soldiers on either side of the trenches waited patiently before “going over the top” (of a trench). Today we all still struggle to show love to our neighbour. You will have likely heard of the famous definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. It first describes love as patient.

Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2

We have returned to school, which is wonderful. It has been great to see your children in person again and watch them connect with friends. There is a lovely buzz at the moment, but friendships, teaching and parenting will always require patience. The Lord calls us to be patient with one another, but he also asks us to wait patiently for him. As Christians, we patiently put faith in his will for our lives, and we patiently wait for his promised return.

Hope

27 Oct 202126 Oct 2021 by Kuyper

Gareth Thompson, Secondary Teacher

Excitement was bubbling in the Thompson household last week as we inched closer and closer to moving out of lockdown and again being able to do some of our favourite things. Personally, I’ll probably have to wait a month or two until Bunnings’ sausage sandwiches are on the menu again. However, my youngest daughter had been saving up and making plans to go to her favourite doughnut shop in Penrith. We told her that the type of doughnut she wanted was readily available at local petrol stations, but she insisted that it had to be from Krispy Kreme. It had to be made fresh, or it wasn’t the same.

The date and time were set, and off she went. After 17 weeks of only “essential” shopping, her hopes were high for the sweet taste of a freshly-made glazed doughnut. Unfortunately, she soon discovered that there were many others with similar hopes. By the time she got to Krispy Kreme, they were SOLD OUT. Not one left. What a disappointment! She tried to find an alternative, but nothing was going to be as good as what she was hoping for.

Hope is a funny thing. Sometimes we hope for little things; sometimes big. Sometimes our hopes are for others and sometimes for ourselves. After the strange times we have recently experienced, we will all be carrying a variety of hopes for the future. Whether it be economic stability, good health, reduced stress or a new puppy, we all have something we are hoping for. Some of those hopes will be realised. Others will not. Sometimes the outcome will be as good as we hoped for. Other times it will be disappointing.

As Christians, we can know a certain hope that does not disappoint. If you have been enjoying these newsletter articles each week, you will have read it. If you’ve been listening to Mr Hottinger’s Lockdown Friday devotions, you will have heard it. Our sure and solid hope is God’s love for us in Jesus.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who he has given to us.
Romans 5:1-5

I wonder what you are hoping for as we move out of lockdown. I hope that you will want to know the One who does not disappoint.

Taking Time to Reflect

19 Oct 202119 Oct 2021 by Kuyper

The Gift of Music

12 Oct 202112 Oct 2021 by Kuyper

Mitch Cavens, Secondary Teacher

For a long time, music teachers have been attempting to convince families of the value of picking up a musical instrument for practice. Today, I hope to continue that trend and perhaps convince you to pick up and learn an instrument, or to encourage your children to do so.

Did you know that learning a musical instrument can increase the size of your brain? I am sure that reason alone is not particularly convincing, however, the research outlining the effects of musical training on the brain is so astounding that it certainly has convinced many parents to encourage their children to learn a musical instrument.

The following image was published in an article by researchers from the Laboratory of Brain Imaging and the Laboratory of Language Neurobiology at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. They investigated the effect of musical training on brain development.

This image describes some of wonderful effects of musical training on the brain. For starters, the size of the brain in key areas is increased. More importantly, areas of the brain affecting motor skills, speech, executive functioning, hearing, memory, emotions, reading, sensory skills, reward perception and movement coordination are exercised and improved.

As more and more neurology researchers investigate the effect of music on the brain, indications point to the importance of musical training for a developing child, from as young as 6 or 7 years old. Notwithstanding, the positive effect of musical training on the brain continues well into adulthood, and has even been shown to produce long term benefits in combating dementia and other memory-related deficiencies.

It is often the case that students who learn a musical instrument in Primary school stop playing during Senior school so that they can focus on their studies. However, I hope they are encouraged to persevere. The benefits of musical training are so great, that they are worth the effort of continuing into adulthood. Paying for your child to learn an instrument can be costly, but if you are a parent who has undertaken this expense, I encourage you to persist! Your sacrifice is worthwhile. And if you are a parent who has not ventured down the musical training path, I encourage you to investigate the positive effect of music on your child and yourself. If you play, they are more likely to.

Music is an incredible gift. It helps us develop physiologically and emotionally, but most importantly, we can grow spiritually through music that reminds us of the character and works of God. He has given us an amazing brain that can learn and appreciate music, so why don’t we use it to bring Glory to His Name.

Learning Gratitude in Lockdown

14 Sep 202114 Sep 2021 by Kuyper

Lyndal Mitchell, Assistant Principal

I recently had the privilege and delight of joining Year 5 and Year 6 (on separate occasions) for their morning Devotions online. While I was keen to share God’s Word and pray with them, I was even more keen to hear from them and to learn how they have been growing as God’s people in the context of lockdown and School@Home. I am often encouraged by the wisdom of children, and these visits were no exception. I won’t quote individual students, but here is a taste of the collective thoughts and insights of this remarkable group of young people:

We are learning how to rest and that being busy all the time is not necessarily good for us. Not being rushed helps us to do better quality schoolwork. It is good not feeling rushed all the time.

We don’t need all the things we thought we did. We can be happy with less and with what we already have. We are learning new skills, like how to keep ourselves organised, stay focused and be more responsible. We are finding new strengths that we didn’t know we had.

This pandemic was a surprise to us, but it was not a surprise to God. Somehow, it is part of His plan for the world. Good can come from any situation when it’s in God’s hands. He can always be trusted.

There are so many things that we were taking for granted that we now appreciate. We can see now that they are good gifts from God, and it has made us more thankful. We are learning gratitude, especially gratitude for things that have always been there – like our own backyards. Our pets are important. They can give us lots of comfort. Missing our friends has shown us how important they are to us too. We are finding new ways to connect with them, and that has been fun.

We are learning to appreciate our families more. We are spending more time together, and it’s good to realise how important they are to us.

The overwhelming majority of the comments made by students in both classes were related to gratitude. Given what we now know about the importance of gratitude to our long term emotional and mental well-being, I was greatly encouraged by this. What a rich opportunity our kids are being given at this impressionable time of their lives. The final comment, made by a Year 6 student, brought tears to my eyes. They said:

I’ve always known that God gives. But now I’ve learnt that He also takes away. And that’s ok. I can trust Him when He gives and when He takes away.

Our young people have so much to teach us. I am very grateful for them.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12

End of Term Events

6 Oct 20217 Sep 2021 by Kuyper

Life in Christ

8 Sep 20217 Sep 2021 by Kuyper

Term 3 2021 has been interesting from my perspective as Chaplain at Kuyper Christian School. Part of my role this term has been to create weekly devotions for the community. I have been so encouraged by the students who have contributed to this process over the past few weeks. Another part of my role has been to contact certain students who I would normally meet with regularly at school.

Each week I am in contact with around 16 boys. I touch base with them, over the phone and via their parents, to see how they are coping with school at home. This includes how they are going with their studies, as well as in themselves. I talk to them about their mood, whether they are getting out and exercising, taking breaks and eating well. I then offer them an opportunity to read the Bible with me. Every boy has opted to do this, which from a chaplaincy perspective, has been a joy and a blessing.

Appropriate to their age and where they are at in their relationship with God, I have been able to share a variety of passages. With the younger boys I have been able to open to Philippians 2, Psalm 34:4, Joshua 1:9, and others. This has allowed them to hear God’s love for them, his power, and Jesus’ sacrifice and humility. With the more mature Christians, we have been reading through entire books together: Habakkuk and Nahum (by request) as well as 1 Thessalonians.

One student provided the basis for the story I want to share with you. This student would not consider himself a Christian, but is open and willing to investigate philosophies and world views. He was happy to read a denser text (he actually requested we read from the ESV) so I decided to read through Romans 8 with him. This has turned out to be a joy, a privilege and a blessing from God that I couldn’t have predicted.

We established the context by reading through the end of Chapter 7, then began to move through the Apostle Paul’s logic, verse by verse. Around four sessions in, we arrived at Chapter 8:10 – 11. We wrestled with Paul’s distinction between the flesh and the Spirit, and what this means practically.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:10-11

We spoke about what it means for Christ to be ‘in you’, and the privilege and uniqueness of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We discussed what it means when it says that the same Spirit that raised Jesus to life lives in every Christian person and is God’s gift to His people. We spoke about the same Holy Spirit being completely God. Ultimately we spoke about experiencing the forgiveness and grace of Christ and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit here on earth, as well as being raised bodily on the last day into eternity, like Jesus was, through the power of God living in us.

At the end of our time, I asked him what he thought of all this:

These are my own words… but that’s pretty cool

I couldn’t have said it better myself. It is pretty cool. I was then able to pray for each of us, that we might never forget just how cool it really is.

Spreading Seeds of Kindness

31 Aug 202131 Aug 2021 by Kuyper

For me, the online google meetings in the morning with my class have been one of the highlights of my day. During this time, we share what’s been happening for each other, pray, look at God’s word and reconnect as a class. In our devotion time Year 1 and 2 have been working through a book called “How Great is Our God” by Louie Giglio. This book looks at some of the awesome things that God has created and, through them, encourages us to think about the truths that God has taught us in His word. I would like to share something very interesting that we have learned in our time together.

Plants, as you well know, are unable to move around to disperse their seeds. Class 1/2 were amazed as we looked at some of the ways that God has provided for different plants to disperse their seeds. We considered the coconut, which drops its giant seeds into the water that then carries them far away to different places. We looked at maples and dandelions whose seeds fly away on the wind. We chuckled about the squirting cucumber, whose fruit fills with liquid until it explodes, squirting seeds up to 6 metres away. But the most impressive, and dangerous, is the Sandbox Tree. This tree can be found in South America and the Amazon Rainforest.

The Sandbox Tree is also called the Dynamite Tree because it has fruit like little bombs. When they are ripe, they explode, sending out seeds at approximately 240 km/h and making a sound like a gunshot. This tree is also called the ‘monkey-no-climb’ tree because it is covered in spikes. The sap of this tree can cause a terrible rash and even blindness.

After marvelling at God’s creation, Class 1/2 went on to discuss the type of seeds that we can sow. God calls on us to sow seeds of righteousness and kindness. A quote from our devotions book reminded us that “being kind means more than just smiling and being nice. It takes courage to be kind to the person that is different from you. And it takes strength to be kind when you’re tired or when others aren’t so kind to you.” I am sure you could add some more situations, such as being in lockdown for months, to the list of things that make being kind difficult. Thankfully we don’t have to be courageous and strong on our own. God gives us all the courage and strength we need to do the things He wants us to do.

Just like the seeds of a plant, any seeds of kindness we sow will grow and spread. When we are kind to others, it encourages them to be kind to their fellow humans as well, therefore spreading seeds of kindness far and wide. In our current trying times it takes a God-given amount of strength to be kind day after day. While we are all locked down it may take a little more creativity to think of ways that we can be kind or reach out to others, but it is certainly worth it and definitely what our hurting world needs at this time. The family that we share a home with is a great place to start. I hope you can sow some kindness today and that you are blessed enough to see some kindness from others.

Just don’t try to climb a Sandbox Tree, that’s not being kind to anyone.