Peter Taylor is a member of our Secondary teaching team, and he recently wrote a contribution to the local paper that I believe is worth sharing.

Peter’s concern, as is mine, is that society is quick to point the finger at the youth of today – but not so prompt to see its part in providing the solutions.

Part of his letter states:

‘I too have been frustrated by mindless vandalism, however it is a complex issue that is a symptom of some deep issues in modern society. As a school teacher I care a great deal about my students and how we help them develop themselves for the future. I recognize the hardships in family life that some battle every day. I recognize that they are growing up in a society that has come to view the teenager in a negative light. Just over 70 years ago the term teenager did not exist. It was first used in a 1940’s Readers Digest article’.

Peter continue by saying that the stage of life we could term as the ‘teens’ is a time where many young people struggle to know where their place is.

I agree with how Peter concluded his letter:

‘I believe that every one of my students has the capacity to become a valuable and supportive member of society, and that each one has potential to accomplish great things in their own individual way. I also recognize that most of my students need help and guidance to accomplish greatness and develop their potential. Young people need men and women around them to show the way. When the role models and the encouragement and the opportunities for young people to shine are removed, what do we expect will happen?

We are all responsible for our community. The teenager is responsible to embrace the challenge of entering the adult world, to develop themselves and engage with life in a way that honours the wider community. Those of us who are supposedly in the adult world are responsible to be the role models, to give direction and encouragement and to help present opportunities for younger ones to thrive. Will we play our part?’’

The Bible is clear about our part in producing the next generation of young men and women who live wisely and contribute to our society:

Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

It begins with us.

Bruce

Last week, our Head Boy, WJ Meyer, and Head Girl, Eilidh Lucas, spoke to our secondary students about what they perceive the strengths of Cornerstone are. Central to their speech, was the message of community and the connectedness that we are blessed to have here at the College. Let me share a few lines of what they said.

 ‘Ask any student what they most enjoy about coming to Cornerstone and they will probably mention community. Despite Cornerstone’s many other virtues, we choose to identify with one in particular, this sense of community. Why is it that we so cherish this community spirit and why is it so synonymous with Cornerstone?’

WJ and Eilidh spoke for a few moments about how within the broader sense, community in our world is breaking down. However, they see, that due to the foundation of prayer, connection with God, and living out the mandate God calls us to with respect to loving one another, that Cornerstone is ‘a bastion of community in a world slowly losing its social connectivity’.

It thrills me to see our students appreciating how set apart Cornerstone is, and even more so, to be able to communicate with such insight the source of the community spirit we have.

It is summed up in the verse from Matthew 22:37 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

They closed their speech with this line, and it fits beautifully for me to do the same:

‘It’s this fellowship which people see and remark upon when they visit the school. In knowing this we can further build upon it and take this sense of community out into the rest of society.’

Amen to that.

Bruce.

Yiddish folklore offers a telling tale about gossip-makers. One such man had told so many malicious comments about the local rabbi that, overcome by remorse, he begged the rabbi to forgive him.

“And, Rabbi, tell me how I can make amends.”

The rabbi sighed, “Take two pillows, go to the public square and there cut the pillows open. Wave them in the air. Then come back.”

The rumormonger quickly went home, got two pillows and a knife, hastened to the square, cut the pillows open, waved them in the air and hastened back to the rabbi’s chambers.

“I did just what you said, Rabbi!”

“Good.” The rabbi smiled. “Now, to realize how much harm is done by gossip, go back to the square…”

“And?”

“And collect all your feathers.”

There is much truth in this tale.

We may know little morsels of information that can be so tempting to share with others.  We may have issues with other parents, children or staff that we want to tell people in our circle about, either to garnish support or feel we are contributing something helpful.

My challenge for all of us is this:  Deal with the matters that concern you only with the people it concerns.  If it relates to College life, then speak to the staff that are involved.  My door and those of our deputies are always open too.  We invite you to share your stories with us.  Tell us if you or your child are having difficulties -  and where necessary, we can take your concerns to heart and make change.  Remember to tell us when things are going well too as we all need encouragement.

Car-park discussions won’t bring about solutions, but instead, can be like the feathers scattered in the public square.

Let’s make the only gossip that enters the College be that which will build up our community here.

Ephesians 4:29  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

God Bless

Bruce.

Welcome back to another term at Cornerstone. I pray that you and your family had a restful time over the recent break and are now ready to engage in education again!

Education is our core business, and as previously mentioned, our new mission statement puts that at the heart of what we are about. We aim to enable our students to be immersed and engaged in the best curriculum we can possibly offer, and partner that with the development of each student’s God-given gifts. If we can challenge our students to do the best they can, the result will be seen in the other key areas of our mission – in Christ, in Character and in Community.

Let’s take a moment to look at this first mission objective – Christ.

As a Christian College, our name alone speaks of what is central to what we believe. I have spoken before about how our first mission on earth is to know God, and enjoy Him forever, and to see His hand in all His works. By understanding who we are in God’s eyes and to evidence His working in our lives, we can discover the reason we were created, and follow a life of purpose and contribution as a result.

It is our desire that in the process of educating your child, that they will develop a personal faith in Jesus Christ, and use that relationship to provide them with Godly wisdom in how they live their lives. With that as the rudder for life, they will then see a bounty of growth in their character, which then will impact our community.

The individual elements of our mission are so inter-connected, that as we challenge growth in one of these areas, the other areas of our mission will bear the fruit.

Education for Christ, Character and Community. It’s the Cornerstone Way.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce our new Mission Statement. A mission statement defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, succinctly describing why it exists and what it does to achieve its vision. Our overall purpose has not changed – just how we are expressing it and implementing it. In a nutshell our mission is to provide:

Education

for

Christ, Character, and Community

What is meant by this is further explained through the values that we hold for each of these areas:

Education                  [Learn for Life]

To enable students to be immersed and engaged in up-to-date curriculum.

To explore, understand, and critique everything with a Christian worldview.

To identify and develop students’ unique God-given talents and plan for their life.

To encourage enthusiasm and perseverance in learning.

To develop a mind-set in students to challenge their own limits.

Christ                         [Passion for Jesus’ view for the world]

To develop faith in Jesus Christ.

To actively pursue Godly wisdom for life.

Character                [Confidence and integrity]

To be confident people of integrity, humility, and self-discipline.

To show love, compassion, and respect.

Community             [Participate and Serve]

To be responsible role-models in our community.

To make a positive difference in the lives of others.

As the year unfolds, it is sure to be a message you hear often.  As we endeavour to implement it, it is our hope that it will embody the educational experience of each student here at the College.

It is an exciting place to be: Cornerstone Christian College – Education for Christ, Character and Community!

Bruce.

 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In the October newsletter I wrote about our calling or mission. According to Richard Bolles, author of What Colour is Your Parachute?, the first part of our mission, which I outlined last month, is as follows:

(1) Your first Mission here on Earth is one which you share with the rest of the human race, but it is no less your individual Mission for the fact that it is shared: and it is, to seek out and find, in daily — even hourly — communication, the One from whom your Mission is derived. The Missioner before the Mission, is the rule. Simply put, your Mission here is: to know God, and enjoy Him forever, and to see His hand in all His works.
Bolles goes on to further unfold our purpose or calling:

(2) Your second Mission here on Earth is also one which you share with the rest of the human race, but it is no less your individual mission for the fact that it is shared: and that is, to do what you can,  moment by moment, day by day, step by step, to make this world a better place, following the leading and guidance of God’s Spirit within you and around you.

(3) Your third Mission here on Earth is one which is uniquely yours, and that is:
a) to exercise that Talent which you particularly came to Earth to use — your greatest gift, which you most delight to use,
b) in the place(s) or setting(s) which God has caused to appeal to you the most,
c) and for those purposes which God most needs to have done in the world.

Cornerstone Christian College is unique in that we encourage our students to discover and use their God-given gifts to make a difference in the world around them for God’s purposes.  When any of us recognise and accept the truth of God’s purpose for us we excel in what we set out to do. We want to be the best that we can be!

And there it is again – the Cornerstone way!

NB This post is written by Principal Bruce Douglas, and placed on the site by Dianne Fraser.

Ever have that persistent ringing in your ears? You know – that high-pitched almost electronic sound or that dull roar that frequently comes at otherwise quiet times or at times of stress. Officially this experience is known as tinnitus. In many cases this “noise” is simply the sound of our blood flowing past our ear canals. (For a more thorough explanation please consult your GP or at least wikipedia). Generally we are able to just ignore it and if we can’t do that then we stick our finger in our ear and wiggle it up down or just carry on and wait for it to go away.

I have a feeling that many of us often respond to God’s call on our lives in much the same way. We ignore it or wish it would go away. The fact is that his call on each of us is a fact of life, a reality and will never change or be gone. He has called us and has a plan for each one of us – whether or not we like it or accept it.

The trick is acknowledging it, seeking his “gentle whisper” (as in 1Kings19:12) and then responding like Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8 when he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And he said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Over the next few newsletters I hope to talk more about our calling or mission. According to Richard Bolles, author of “What Colour is Your Parachute?’ there are three parts to your mission or call here on Earth. The first part can be defined generally as follows:

(1) Your first Mission here on Earth is one which you share with the rest of the human race, but it is no less your individual Mission for the fact that it is shared:

and it is, to seek out and find, in daily — even hourly — communication, the One from whom your Mission is derived. The Missioner before the Mission, is the rule.

Simply put, your Mission here is: to know God, and enjoy Him forever, and to see His hand in all His works.

It is our aim here at Cornerstone to help our students understand and embrace this part of our calling or mission, along with the other two parts that I hope to talk about in the future. By encouraging our students to discover and use their gifts, for God’s purposes, we see them excel and achieve their best. That is what excellence in education is all about! And that is the Cornerstone way!

This generation of Cornerstone has a great heritage. Just last weekend we celebrated 25 years of Christian education here at Cornerstone. It was a great family day of fun, reminiscing and honouring of those who had the wisdom and courage to plant the seeds that have grown into the Cornerstone Christian College we have today. We today, are heirs. As heirs we are blessed by what has been done in the past and we also have the responsibility of carrying forth into the future this heritage. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:16-17

We must continue to build upon the excellent foundation that has been laid down, the Cornerstone Way, as some call it – our unique ethos or culture. Cornerstone is an awesome school where the children feel connected and engaged in their educational journey; where they are encouraged to dis encouraged to discover their unique gifts and talents; where they are prompted to do their best and push past what they see as their limits; where they are taught to enjoy life, discern right from wrong and Make A Difference. It is a place where we are in partnership with parents in overseeing the educational journey of their children. We have the responsibility to never lose this focus and to always remember that this is clearly God’s school. He has blessed it and will continue to bless it as long as we seek out and do His will in and through this place.

The future of Cornerstone promises to be exciting and challenging and I look forward to being on that path with you. “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.

Cornerstone Christian College is an exciting and blessed place; I know that it will shine as a beacon of educational Truth long into the future.

I must be a brute for punishment or something because I went on the Year 11/12 Outdoor Education Expedition just a couple of week’s ago. Maybe I just need a reminder every now and again that I’m not as young as I used to be. I have nothing but praise and admiration for the students that went on that expedition. It was a demanding trip in more ways than one – the students had to navigate and hike through unfriendly, rugged, prickly Aussie bush, using only their wits, determination, a compass and topographic map. I really had to push myself to keep up with these young folk, but I did it (actually at one point they did slow down for me when my knee began to act up).

If you have been reading the past few newsletter articles, you may recall that I have been writing about extending ourselves to tackle hard or difficult things. The tenacity and determination shown by the students on this expedition are skills that are transferrable to all aspects of life – school work, careers, relationships etc. This is the type of culture that we hope to nurture here at Cornerstone – to push through the hard stuff and not stop and say “it’s too haaard!” It is my prayer that our students will overcome self-doubt and know in their hearts and heads that they are capable of much more than originally expected. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

As always, things are really happening here at Cornerstone. Last week was the first Year 8 Service/Missions Camp and listening to the students share at COGGs affirmed for me that we are on the right track. They spent four days “camping out” at the YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base in Perth where they were involved in a variety of service projects and church-based activities. A large number of the Year 8’s compared this camp to their Year 6 one and made the following observations: “Our Year 6 camp was a lot of fun, but it was all about us – this one was so much better ‘cuz we didn’t focus on us but got to do things for other people and learn more about God.” I find it very fulfilling when I see our students pushing outside of the self-centred norm that our society has set for teens, and actually enjoy serving others.

Next week is a milestone for our College – we are celebrating our 25th anniversary and I want to invite you all out to join us in a time of fun and sharing on Saturday the 10th September (see details inside newsletter). Personally I am really looking forward to hearing first hand some of the stories of the early “pioneering” days. Hope to see you there.

Oh, and speaking of anniversaries and doing hard things – I think that my lovely wife deserves a medal for putting up with me all these years; we just celebrated our 34th anniversary this last weekend!

God Bless

Bruce Douglas

NB – This item was written by Bruce Douglas and posted to the site by Dianne Fraser

Have you ever been so afraid of doing something that you feel paralysed? Or your knees buckle? I have to admit to having been in situations where that is exactly how I felt. Now I like to think of myself as relatively tough, but I must be honest and say that I tend to have a problem with heights. Up until a few years ago (Ok, maybe a bit more than a few) I could not handle being close to an edge with a vertical drop of more than 3 metres. My teenage peers (at the time) and my family either called me “chicken” or tried other means of encouragement – but to no avail.

I avoided heights like the plague.  However, when I was well into my teaching career, I had to lead a group of Year 11 students on a week long Outdoor Ed Expedition along the coast of Vancouver Island (back in Canada). This involved walking for kilometres along the edge of 300 metre high cliffs and crossing raging rivers on rope bridges 100 metres in the air. As the “fearless” leader, I had no choice but to overcome my fears and do my best. Only by the grace of God and with his strength did I manage to complete that hike and those river crossings.

I am still nervous of heights, but since that time, I have led 5 expeditions on that same trail.  I have helped numerous terrified students to push through their fear and self-doubt and do their first abseiling drop while I hung from a harness suspended 40 metres up in the air. God enabled me to do far more than I ever thought I could do.

From that trip, I learned two things:

First, that God enables us to overcome our fears and do much more than we think we are capable of (“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13).

And second, that we always need to push ourselves to do our best – not just for us, but for others and for God (“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2Timothy 2:15) and (“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Colossians 3:23).

As students, staff and parents at Cornerstone I believe that God expects us to push ourselves and make every effort to do our best in all areas of our life. For our students, this means in studies and schoolwork. We all, but especially young people, often sell ourselves short when it comes to knowing our limits. I want to urge all of our students to not just take the easy route. Neither to accept the “she’ll be right” attitude—but to give your studies your very best shot and be ready to be  surprised at what God has made you capable of doing. You will be amazed! I sure was.

God Bless

Bruce

NB: This post was written by Bruce Douglas and posted to the website by Dianne Fraser