The Faithfulness of the Love of God

As the High School Bible Teacher at Quisqueya Christian School, I often have the opportunity to speak at QCS's Secondary School Chapel Services. On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, I spoke on The Faithfulness of the Love of God. Click the play button above to listen to the complete talk on our school's Soundcloud.

Visit Quisqueya Christian School's Soundcloud page for other chapel messages here: 

https://soundcloud.com/quisqueyachristianschool

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” –Jeremiah 31:3, NASB

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” –1 John 3:1, NIV

For the Power Point for this talk, please click the following link:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

For a handout with reflection questions related to this talk, please click the following link:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

Shepherds Abiding

As the High School Bible Teacher at Quisqueya Christian School, I have the privilege of speaking at chapel every now and then. This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to teach on the meaning of Christmas through Luke 2:1-21, focusing on Luke 2:8. In exploring why God would send angels as messengers to shepherds in their fields, we see that God has a shepherd’s heart. Christmas is about Jesus leaving home and living among us, His sheep, and laying His life down for us, so that we might have His life. Jesus is our Good Shepherd and Great King.

To view the Power Point slides from this talk, please visit this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8J2UtWUNPV2FReGlzUmM/view?usp=sharing

To listen to this chapel talk, click above or visit this link:

https://soundcloud.com/quisqueyachristianschool/robbie-pruitt-qcs-chapel-december-10-2014

Key Verses:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” –Luke 2:8

"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'”  –Matthew 2:6, NIV

Benediction and Prayer:

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” –Hebrews 13: 20-21, NIV)

Gratitude for God's Faithfulness

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV

"Without worship, we go about miserable." –A.W. Tozer

“The surest index of your spiritual and emotional well-being is the degree of gratitude in your life.” –John Maxwell

As Quisqueya Christian School's High School Bible Teacher, I often have the opportunity to speak at our chapel services. This was last week's talk on "Gratitude for God's Faithfulness". Here I talk from Luke 7:36-50 and Luke 17: 11-19, a sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet and Jesus' cleansing the ten with leprosy. This talk explores the importance of, and the essential nature of, gratitude, thanksgiving and worship. Gratitude is God's will for our life.

For the Power Point for this talk, click this link here:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

For the prayers from this talk, and the study questions for this talk, click this link:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

Prayer of Thanksgiving

“Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.”(Book of Common Prayer, p. 101)

Seguin Hike 2014

Mountain View, photo by Robbie Pruitt

To read this full article in the Quisqueya Christian School newsletter, click here.

If you would like to financially support Irene and Robbie’s work in Haiti, please click here. The need is there and we appreciate your support.

Our Quisqueya Christian School Sr. Class enjoyed their annual hike to Fondation Seguin this past weekend, September 19^th-21^st. It was a great blessing to join them and to study 'The Faithfulness of the Wisdom of God'. "Unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24, ASV).

Over the weekend we looked at The Seven Marks of a Wise Person, by Mark Matlock. We looked at Proverbs, through The Wisdom Deck, and explored the Seven Marks of a Wise Person, which are: 1. Trusts in God, 2. Walks in Healthy Relationships, 3. Seeks Good Counsel, 4. Speaks Carefully, 5. Exercises Self-Control, 6. Keeps Balance, and 7. Manages Resources.

For more information on The Seven Marks of a Wise Person, please visit www.thewisdomdeck.com. 

There were 30 of us, 25 students and 5 leaders, on this year’s Seguin, Sud-Est, Haiti hike. The hike consisted of two nights and three days. We hiked to Seguin 10.5 miles on day one with four donkeys assisting us from just above Furcy, Ouest, Haiti. There was a 2,000-foot cumulative elevation gain over the course of the hike in.

On day two we did a 5-mile hike to a waterfall, round trip, and on the return we hiked through a 1.5-mile stretch of creek where we swam and worked together to get through.

The final day consisted of 2,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain over 10.5 miles, with 5 donkeys assisting.

Everyone had a wonderful time and completed the trip safely with minor muscle aches and scratches, and one minor sprained ankle.

We were all amazed at how God showed up during our time together and will be processing this wonderful time together for years to come.

You may visit the photo albums for this trip on Facebook here:

Sr. Hike to Seguin, September 19-21 2014: Day One

Sr. Seguin Trip, Creek Hike, September 20, 2014: Day Two

Sr. Hike to Seguin, September 21, 2014: Day Three

Discipleship Group: One Word

White Plains, photo from Wikimedia

We had our first discipleship groups of the year last week at Quisqueya Christian School. I have six 9th grade guys and had another 5 students from another discipleship group whose leader was absent.

We talked about some verses in Jude and I asked them to give one word, any word, which describes their relationship with Jesus right now.

“What is one word you would use to describe your relationship with Jesus right now?”

This was our passage from Jude: "Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. . . I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." –Jude 2-3

The word I used to describe my relationship with Jesus right now was plain. Here are some synonyms for plain: normal, basic, bare, or ordinary.

I chose the word plain to describe my relationship with Jesus right now, because, honestly, my relationship with God seems sort of normal or basic. At times, my relationship with God can even seem bare or ordinary. 

As a noun, a plain can be “a flat expanse of land.” “Flat expanse of land” also captures the emotion of the word plain, as well as my relationship with the Lord. The mountains are visible in the distance and there I stand “on the plain”, in the great expanse of it all.

When I posed this “one word” question later on to folks on Facebook, these were some of the words that were used: argumentative, inspiring, accelerating, growing, engaging, connected, humbling, directing, calming, clinging, comforting, seeking, healing, reflecting, awesome, and sustaining.

What is one word you would use to describe your relationship with Jesus right now?

If you would like to support our work of discipleship in Haiti, please click here.

Discipleship Celebration

Guest Post by Irene Pruitt: http://ourlifewithalittlegrace.blogspot.com 

At Quisqueya Christian School, all of the 7th-12th graders are in weekly discipleship groups with teachers or other adults. Robbie and I, along with two other teachers, have had the opportunity to lead groups of 12th graders this year, and had our final meetings with them earlier this week.

The girls in my group have been wonderful this year. Even though they didn't know each other very well at the beginning, they really bonded together as a group over the course of the last several months. We've had great discussions about lots of different topics--relationships, making decisions, the future, college, faith, boys, and ethics, to name a few. They have supported each other through friendship, prayer, and laughter. It has been such a blessing to me to watch them grow this year, and I am so excited to see how that growth continues over the next few years of their lives. One of the girls in my group said something like, "Miss, you don't have to worry about us when we go to college. We're not going to go off the path and go crazy. We know the Bible. Quisqueya has really prepared us. We'll be okay." And you know, I think she's right.

To celebrate the year of discipleship with the Seniors, all four groups went out for pizza and ice-cream this week to the fast-food place just down the street. We enjoyed spending the time together with this special class that we've grown so fond of over the last few years. May God continue to bless them and draw them toward himself as they transition to life after high school.

:: One of the students blesses the food.

:: Who needs Ronald McDonald when you have this guy?

:: A few of the girls in my group. I'll miss them!

Following Jesus to the End

Our following Jesus is going somewhere. It has been said, “Begin with the end in mind”. So what is the end? Where is following Jesus leading us when we follow Jesus to the end?

John describes where following Jesus is leading in 1 John 3:2 when he says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Following Jesus leads us to a beginning in Jesus, being in Jesus, beholding Jesus and being like Jesus.

We begin in Jesus. When calling His disciples, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23-25). We live in a broken and sinful world and we need salvation. It is in following Jesus that we find both our salvation and our very lives.

Paul addresses having our lives found and held together in Christ in Colossians 1:17 when he says, “He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together”. C.S. Lewis also talked about our lives being in Christ alone in The Weight of Glory when he said, “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.” When we follow Jesus to the end, we end up with everything—Jesus.

We continue our being in Jesus. Paul says in Colossians 2:6 that we should continue following Jesus as we began in Him. He says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.”

Following Jesus to the end is taking us somewhere. God’s ultimate intention for us is total redemption and restoration in Him. The disciple John captures this well in Revelation 21:5 when he records Jesus proclaiming, “Behold, I make all things new.” As mentioned, John’s words capture this idea in 1 John 3:2, “But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” In the end, we will be with Jesus and everything will be as it should be—redeemed and restored.

In following Jesus to the end, it is essential for us to recognize that it is Jesus who will see us through to completion. Paul could not have stated this more clearly in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God is making us new in Him. We are being conformed into the very likeness of Christ, if indeed we follow Jesus to the end.

Jonah: The Man Who Ran

Jonah and the Whale, by Alma Sheppard-Matsuo

Photo provided courtesy of the artist.

We have had a wonderful chapel week this week at Quisqueya Christian School! We had fantastic times of worship and some amazing teaching from four different speakers, covering the entire book of Jonah.

At the beginning of the week, each student received a student-created fact sheet on the book of Jonah and were given the opportunity to Tweet or text their comments or questions for a special Q and A session that summed up the week in our final chapel on Friday.

Each chapel message began with a reading from the chapter of Jonah for that day and a corresponding poem for that chapter. This was a thought provoking and transformational week of learning and growing as we follow Jesus together.

If you are interested in the Jonah Fact Sheet, the poems (Jonah: Out of the Depths—Resurrection), or the Power Points from the talks, please see the links below. 

Book of Jonah Fact Sheet

Four-Part Jonah Poem: Jonah: Out of the Depths—Resurrection

Monday: Jonah Chapter One

Tuesday: Jonah Chapter Two

Wednesday: Jonah Chapter Three

Thursday: Jonah Chapter Four

Sr. Trip to Seguin, October 25-27 2013

The Sr. Class of Quisqueya Christian School went on our annual hiking weekend to the Seguin Foundation in Seguin, Sud-Est, Haiti. This trip is one of the many programs we do to fulfill our mission “To prepare and equip students to transform the world for the glory of Jesus Christ.” Nineteen students and five adults hiked 10.5 miles to Fondation Seguin, we hiked 2 miles to a waterfall and then did a 3 mile return hike, which included 1.5 miles of creek hiking, on the second day. On the third day, we hiked back out another 10.5 miles for a total of 26 miles in three days with an accumulative elevation gain of over 5,500 feet. During our trip we toured the foundation, viewed a cave, swam, enjoyed a campfire and some gourmet meals and studied the entire book of Ecclesiastes in four devotionals. Highlights of the trip were growing in our relationships with God and with one another, learning about wisdom, unplugging from technology, enjoying God's creation and just being together. This was an amazing trip! (http://fondationseguin.org/)

You can read my coworker, Tara Thorn’s, blog on the trip here:

http://unspokenwordsfromhaiti.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/hiking-in-haiti-seguin/

A Prayer for Our Students

Prayer Booth, photo by Zach Alexander from Flickr

Many of the staff at Quisqueya Christian School are praying for each of our students, by name, regularly, going through our class lists.

Here is one prayer we are praying over our students:

Lord, we pray for the protection of our students. We ask that you would guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus, that you would wrap them up in Your love and deliver them from all evil.

Lord, we pray that you would give our students great enthusiasm for their studies. May you inspire them each and everyday. May each seminar and class bring fresh inspiration to their work. May each moment be filled with the energy they need for their tasks.

Lord, we pray that our students would know the hope to which they are called, that their life would be transformed by revelation from Heaven, that You would inspire their direction and gently lead them into their destiny.

Lord, we especially pray for all our friends at college. May they come to know Your goodness and love and to walk in Your freedom and grace all the days of their lives. 

Amen. 

(Prayer from: A modern prayer for college students)