Roosevelt Staff

Monday, August 18, 2008 is the first day of the 2008-2009 school year at Roosevelt Elementary School. Kindergarten students will experience their first day of elementary school and all other students will return from a two month recess. Some will be excited. Others will be nervous and uneasy. Teachers will certainly be busy and stressed the first few weeks. I pray this year that God will continue to work in the lives of the staff here, giving them wisdom, patience, and love to reach and teach the students effectively. I pray that God will open spiritual eyes and hearts so that everyone will know and experience the glory and majesty of the King. May the grace and mercy of God be poured out on this campus in a way that is new and fresh and that glorifies Christ. Let's continue to pray for each other, encouraging each other in all things.

Roosevelt Staff
Kinder - Ginger Beard, Nicola Dillard
K/1 Combo - Allison Martin
1st - Kriss Eifert, Julie Smith, Sandra McMillan
1/2 Combo - Julie Hodson
2st - Pam Mortenson, Audrey Cadiente, Julie Rayburn, Debbie Stevens
3rd - Jim Kelly, Phyllis Jones, Joni French
4th - Marie Peck, Michelle Radovich, Canesha Wrathall
5th - Virginia Tibbetts, Marta Foster
6th - Shauna Veltz, Bonnie Wong, Carol Young
GATE - Chris Murphy, Renee Lee
SDC - Angela Juarez, Freda Tao, Debbie Brothers, Joel Molina, Rosario Ramirez, Kasey Zendejas, Lynnae Gonzalez, Livier Valencia, Sheryl Boyce, Violet Gutierrez, Peggy Humbert
Librarian - Carol Carlson
Tech. Assistant - Terri Adams
Lunch Clerk - Olive Lam
Nurse - Karen Temple
Psychologist - Heidi Denissen
Speech&Language - Carolyn Baker
CELDT - Martha Rivera
Community Liaison - Rafaela Moraza
Social Skills - Carrie Pearce, William Santamaria, Glenda Westergard
Custodians - Juan, Jose, Reuben, Joe
Office Staff - Tawny Holman, Noemy Penilla
Administrators - Leslie Peregrina, Mike Heiner
Literacy Coach - Bonnie Brandt
TOSA&Resource - Christina Jans, Angela Scher, Elvira Vierstra, me

Uncover and Confess Sin

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

Here is the way of mercy for a guilty and repenting sinner. He must cease from the habit of covering sin. This is attempted by falsehood, which denies sin; by hypocrisy, which conceals it; by boasting, which justifies it; and by loud profession, which tries to make amends for it.

The sinner's business is to confess and forsake. The two must go together. Confession must be honestly made to the Lord Himself, and it must include within itself acknowledgment of the wrong, sense of its evil, and abhorrence of it. We must not throw the fault upon others, nor blame circumstances, nor plead natural weakness. We must make a clean breast of it and plead guilty to the indictment. There can be no mercy till this is done.

Furthermore, we must forsake the evil; having owned our fault, we must disown all present and future intent to abide in it. We cannot remain in rebellion and yet dwell with the King's majesty. The habit of evil must be quitted, together with all places, companions, pursuits, and books which might lead us astray. Not for confession, nor for reformation, but in connection with them we find pardon by faith in the blood of Jesus.

[C.H. Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, August 15]

Yosemite National Park Video

Yosemite National Park

August 5-8, 2008

Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on our planet. The views from Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, and Half Dome are breathtaking. It was comparable to Ellie's mystical flight in the film Contact, when she couldn't describe in words the beauty of the universe. "They should have sent a poet... so beautiful.. so beautiful..." The highlight of the trip occurred Wednesday, August 6, when dad, Stephen, and I, hiked a little over 8 miles, 4800ft elevation from the valley floor, up to Half Dome. It took about 12 hours and I barely made it back, having to ask two people along the trail for food because I was hiking on 3 Clif Bars the entire day. It was incredible at the top, and I thanked God for the grueling experience. Beautiful and majestic as the view was, I knew that that wasn't the substance of the experience. It was knowing the Creator who made it all. Every transcendent experience we go through should deepen our understanding, awe, and fear of the One who started it all.

"Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (1 Chronicles 16:23-34 ESV)

The Purpose of Marriage (Paul Washer w/ Dutch)

Examine Yourselves

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
(2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV)

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1798-1870)

Examine yourselves. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 11:28". The particular reason why Paul calls on them to examine themselves was, that there was occasion to fear that many of them had been deceived. Such had been the irregularities and disorders in the church at Corinth; so ignorant had many of them shown themselves of the nature of the Christian religion, that it was important, in the highest degree, for them to institute a strict and impartial examination to ascertain whether they had not been altogether deceived. This examination, however, is never unimportant or useless for Christians; and an exhortation to do it is always in place. So important are the interests at stake, and so liable are the best to deceive themselves, that all Christians should be often induced to examine the foundation of their hope of eternal salvation.

Whether ye be in the faith. Whether you are true Christians. Whether you have any true faith in the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ, and in the promises of God through him, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a true Christian; and to ascertain whether we have any true faith, therefore, is to ascertain whether we are sincere Christians. For some reasons for such an examination, and some remarks on the mode of doing it, See Barnes "1 Corinthians 11:28".

Prove your own selves. The word here used (\~dokimazete\~) is stronger than that before used, and rendered "examine," (\~peirazete\~.) This word, prove, refers to assaying or trying metals by the powerful action of heat; and the idea here is, that they should make the most thorough trial of their religion, to see whether it would stand the test. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 3:13". The proof of their piety was to be arrived at by a faithful examination of their own hearts and lives; by a diligent comparison of their views and feelings with the word of God; and especially by making trial of it in life. The best way to prove our piety is to subject it to actual trial in the various duties and responsibilities of life. A man who wishes to prove an axe, to see whether it is good or not, does not sit down and look at it, or read all the treatises which he can find on axe-making, and on the properties of iron and steel, valuable as such information would be; but he shoulders his axe, and goes into the woods, and puts it to the trial there. If it cuts well; if it does not break; if it is not soon made dull, he understands the quality of his axe better than he could in any other way. So if a man wishes to know what his religion is worth, let him try it in the places where religion is of any value. Let him go into the world with it. Let him go and try to do good; to endure affliction in a proper manner; to combat the errors and follies of life; to admonish sinners of the error of their ways; and to urge forward the great work of the conversion of the world, and he will soon see there what his religion is worth--as easily as a man can test the qualities of an axe. Let him not merely sit down and think, and compare himself with the Bible, and look at his own heart--valuable as this may be in many respects; but let him treat his religion as he would anything else--let him subject it to actual experiment. That religion which will enable a man to imitate the example of Paul, or Howard, or the great Master himself, in doing good, is genuine. That religion which will enable a man to endure persecution for the name of Jesus; to bear calamity without murmuring; to submit to a long series of disappointments and distresses for Christ's sake, is genuine. That religion which will prompt a man unceasingly to a life of prayer and self-denial; which will make him ever conscientious, industrious, and honest; which will enable him to warn sinners of the error of their ways, and which will dispose him to seek the friendship of Christians, and the salvation of the world, is pure and genuine. That will answer the purpose. It is like the good axe with which a man can chop all day long, in which there is no flaw, and which does not get dull, and which answers all the purposes of an axe. Any other religion than this is worthless.

Know ye not your own selves. That is, "Do you not know yourselves?" This does not mean, as some may suppose, that they might know of themselves, without the aid of others, what their character was; or that they might themselves ascertain it; but it means that they might know themselves--that is, their character, principles, conduct. This proves that Christians may know their true character. If they are Christians, they may know it with as undoubted certainty as they may know their character on any other subject. Why should not a man be as able to determine whether he loves God, as whether he loves a child, a parent, or a friend? What greater difficulty need there be in understanding the character on the subject of religion than on any other subject; and why should there be any more reason for doubt on this than on any other point of character? And yet it is remarkable, that while a child has no doubt that he loves a parent, or a husband a wife, or a friend a friend, almost all Christians are in very great doubt about their attachment to the Redeemer, and to the great principles of religion. Such was not the case with the apostles and early Christians. "I know," says Paul, "whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him," etc., 2 Timothy 1:12. "We KNOW," says John, speaking in the name of the body of Christians, "that we have passed from death unto life," 1 John 3:14. "We KNOW that we are of the truth," 1 John 3:19. "We KNOW that he abideth in us," 1 John 3:24. "We KNOW that we dwell in him," 1 John 4:13. See also 1 John 5:2,19,20. So Job said, "I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth," etc., Job 29:25. Such is the current language of Scripture. Where, in the Bible, do the sacred speakers and writers express doubts about their attachment to God and the Redeemer? Where is such language to be found as we hear from almost all professing Christians, expressing entire uncertainty about their condition; absolute doubt whether they love God or hate him; whether they are going to heaven or hell; whether they are influenced by good motives or bad; and even making it a matter of merit to be in such doubt, and thinking it wrong not to doubt? What would be thought of a husband that should make it a matter of merit to doubt whether he loved his wife; or of a child that should think it wrong not to doubt whether he loved his father or mother? Such attachments ought to be doubted--but they do not occur in the common relations of life. On the subject of religion men often act as they do on no other subject; and if it is right for one to be satisfied of the sincerity of his attachments to his best earthly friends, and to speak of such attachment without wavering or misgiving, it cannot be wrong to be satisfied with regard to our attachment to God, and to speak of that attachment, as the apostles did, in language of undoubted confidence.

How that Jesus Christ is in you. To be in Christ, or for Christ to be in us, is a common mode in the Scriptures of expressing the idea that we are Christians. It is language derived from the close union which subsists between the Redeemer and his people. See the phrase explained See Barnes "Romans 8:10"

Except ye be reprobates? See Barnes "Romans 1:28". The word rendered "reprobates," (\~adokimoi\~,) means, properly, not approved, rejected; that which will not stand the trial. It is properly applicable to metals, as denoting that they will not bear the tests to which they are subjected, but are found to be base or adulterated. The sense here is, that they might know that they were Christians, unless their religion was base, false, adulterated; or such as would not bear the test. There is no allusion here to the sense which is sometimes given to the word reprobate, of being cast off or abandoned by God, or doomed by him to eternal ruin in accordance with an eternal purpose. Whatever may be the truth on that subject, nothing is taught in regard to it here. The simple idea is, that they might know that they were Christians, unless their religion was such as would not stand the test, or was worthless.

{a} "yourselves" 1 Corinthians 11:28; 1 John 3:20,21
{b} "is in you" Romans 8:10; Galatians 4:19
{c} "reprobates" 1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Timothy 3:8

Reformed Voices

From left to right, that's Alistair Begg, C.H. Spurgeon, James White, John Piper, Jim McClarty, John MacArthur, and Paul Washer.