Dear Families and Friends,

"Because I want to get to know Jesus better and love Him more, I will spend time every day, for the next 60 days, reading my Bible."

60-Day Challenge Begins

This week in chapel every student present chose to accept my 60-Day Challenge. My challenge to the students was this: Because I want to get to know Jesus better and love Him more, I will spend time every day, for the next 60 days, reading my Bible.

To help them get to know Jesus better and love Him more, I provided a new Bible to every students who needed one. At the end of the 60-Day Challenge, we’ll celebrate how we’ve grown closer to Jesus.

I’ve become convinced that students need spiritual habits, not more programs. If students are going to maintain their faith over the long-haul they must develop some habits (spiritual disciplines) that will help them grow on their own. These habits must move them toward a deeper commitment to Jesus and not reinforce their commitment to more programs. The first spiritual habit we’re focusing on is a daily quiet time with God—or as I prefer for kids, Hang Time with God. I want every student to have a consistent time with God through prayer and Bible study.

To help your child get to know Jesus better, here’s what you can do to help:

• Help them find a quiet place to read and journal.
• Younger children may need to have an adult read to them—I’d suggest begin reading through the book of Mark or Luke.
• Don’t pressure or push them to have some daily hang time with God; do praise them for having a daily quiet time.
• Provide a model for your child by having your own daily quiet time with God. Please feel free to join us in the 60-Day Challenge. If you need a bible, let me know... I’ll make sure you get one!

Thanks for the privilege of partnering with you to help our kids fall in love with Jesus!

Mandarin Treasure Class Performs

The after-school Mandarin Treasure class at San Francisco Adventist School (SFAS) made its public debut on Saturday, October 6, 2007, at the San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church during the 11:00 a.m. Worship Service.

Introduced by school board member Attorney Steven A. Booska, the five-member group sang “Amazing Grace” in Mandarin. The group was led by instructor Ms. Yi-ting Wu and accompanied on the guitar by Dianne, an SFAS student.

Mandarin Treasure opened this school year on Monday, August 27, as an extracurricular activity offered to the community as well as to SFAS students. The primary goal of the after-school classes is to help K-5th graders build a solid foundation for learning Chinese as a second language. More information about Mandarin Treasure can be found online at:

Mandarin Treasure Classes...

Sad News

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bozena Kozlowski, a faithful member of San Francisco Central Adventist Church, on Wednesday, October 10. She is survived by husband Witold, daughter Crystal, and all of the SF Central Church family. She has recently served at Central as a children's Sabbath school teacher and deaconess. She also worked as a mentor at Contra Costa Community College. She had also been a morning-care provider at San Francisco Adventist School. Her daughter Crystal is a former student of our school.

A funeral service is planned for Sunday, October 21, at 11:00 AM at SF Central Church. Our Walk-a-Thon, which was planned for the same morning, will be rescheduled to allow our faculty, staff, and students to attend her funeral service.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Robinson, Principal
Teacher, Kindergarten/1st Grade
San Francisco Adventist School

The Rediscovery of Joy

Christianity was formed in the womb of Judaism. It was born into first-century Hebrew culture and interpreted to us by apostles and evangelists who knew Jesus in the context of his Jewishness. Yet most of us know the Christian faith only as it has been passed through the vocabulary, culture, and mindset of Greco-Roman culture. So what?

One of the major "so-whats" is the difference the two mindsets fostered toward material things. The human body in particular – and joy.

Greek religion and philosophy separate material and spiritual, body and soul in a way foreign to Judaism. Hebrew thought sees persons as "living souls" in their totality. The invisible, spiritual part of a person is not trapped in a body (i.e., the Greek idea) but is made real and functional by means of it. Thus the goal is not to escape or to chastise the body but to direct its energy to holy pursuits.

Pleasure is not wicked. Laughter is God's gift. But that is not always the image Christians have communicated to unbelievers. They tend to see us as a pretty joyless crowd. Rather prune-faced. More inclined to scowl than to smile.

We seem to have cultivated that unhealthy – and, I must add, uninviting – image. Our "saints" tend to be dour rather than smiling. Austere rather than lovable. Rigid and forbidding rather than humane and merciful. What a pity!

Jesus went to parties. He enjoyed life so much that his critics tried to make him out to be a drunkard and a glutton. He had friends and enjoyed being with people. And He made people feel comfortable around him. I have no difficulty seeing him raise a glass to give the traditional Jewish toast, "L'chaim." To life!

A long list of negatives is a poor way to define the gospel. The very idea of "redemption" is less about going to heaven when we die than making life here something positive and holy. Paul says Jesus "gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age" (Galatians 1:4). Peter reminds Christians "that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you" (1 Peter 1:18).

Steak, golf, sunsets, music, sex, money – not one is unholy. All are given by God to meet human needs. Directed toward him, each is both a celebration of his goodness and a participation in his fullness. Divorced from him, both pleasure and pain become vulgar. Not the act but its God-ward direction makes it holy.

In a world of wrinkled brows and wringing hands, isn’t it reasonable to think the rediscovery of godly joy would be a great advertisement for the faith we profess?

--Rubel Shelly

School Calendar and Hot Lunch Menus

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This Week at SFAS

Oct 17
Mr. Carrillo’s Class to Herbst Theater

Oct 21
Walk-a-thon—
Lake Merced

Oct 26
Mr. Robinson’s Class to Pumpkin Patch

End of First Quarter
(48 days)

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