Good-bye Bert

Dear Friends,

Bert never was a rich man but if you talked to any of his four children, they would tell you that money couldn’t buy the love that they experienced growing up. WW II interrupted his formal education; he learned in service to his country and through life experience. He went to work in the lumberyard for his career, but he was a wise man and served many times on Church Councils and School Boards. He was strong, athletic, and handsome, but humility covered his strength. He was the trusted neighbor, true friend, loyal husband, valuable employee, and tireless servant.

My wife Pat spent the last week with Bert at a care home in Kalamazoo. At 92, his body is worn out. She said good-bye to her dad, knowing that she would not see him again alive.

It is hard to lose a man like Bert Triemstra, a man after God’s heart. How do I know this? I know because he was kind and merciful; because he understood justice; and because he was a righteous man. Jeremiah 9: 23, 24 says that these are the qualities that God delights in.

These are the qualities that we want to emulate and teach our children; kindness, justice, and righteousness. Good-bye Bert. Thanks for showing us what happens when we Seek God’s Heart.

PS This blurb was published in The Bulletin on September 23. Bert died on September 24, attended by his two sons.

9/11

Dear Friends,
9/11 was chaotic. As a principal responsible for 600 elementary students and 32 staff members, I had some decisions to make without clear information. Are we under threat? Do I cancel school? How much information do we share with students? What message does our school community need to hear? Who has answers? Who is in control?

Imagine being a first grader. By the time you got to school, you might have seen the plane(s) smash into the trade towers time and time again on TV news. Did it happen once – or 30 times? Why is mom crying? Is New York close by? What will happen to me?

One parent came to the office with inside information. Our rural location (Ripon) made us vulnerable to airborne toxins spread by crop dusters. Hmm… I regularly watched the planes over the vegetable fields close to my home. Was this a real threat? Chaos.

We didn’t cancel school but we did reschedule the evening Back to School event (who would come?). We regulated the watching of video accounts of the tragedy for our younger students. They didn’t really understand what they were seeing. The older grades received updates as the day progressed. And we had a chapel to close the school day. The message? God is in control! When there is chaos; when one cannot make sense of tragedy; when one is fearful; remember, God is in control.

This is a simple message but also profound; important for first graders and school principals. Friends, do you experience chaos? The message is for you too…

Glitter and Gold

Dear Friends,
The prophet Jeremiah had it right thousands of years ago. It seems that it is human nature to value wisdom and learning as indicated by degrees and diplomas; to esteem strength of stature or power; and to value wealth. We pursue these things and then BOAST about them! But God doesn’t delight in these things. There is a bit of irony here. Imagine how foolish it must sound to hear men boast of education, power, and wealth to Him who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and not only owns the “cattle on a thousand hills,” but owns the hills!!

Jeremiah 9:23-24 warns us not to boast about education, power, and wealth. This is the GLITTER of life. Rather we are encouraged to boast about this, “that they (we) have the understanding to KNOW God who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth.” This is the GOLD. These are the things that God delights in.

Most of you know that I am the Superintendent of Contra Costa Christian School. Our school theme this year is SEEKING GOD’S HEART. Of course we value education, we’re a school! But we don’t want to be satisfied with the glitter; we’re going for the gold! We’ll find it when we seek God’s heart.