Pastor Jared Andrea from Cumberland Baptist Church spoke at our chapel this week. He shared a story about his excitement as a boy when Christmas was approaching. One year, he badly wanted a Green Bay Packers shirt and hat. He received what he wanted, and he was super excited. But, the excitement only lasted a little while, and then he started thinking about what else he wanted.

Then, he shared about a time when his family bought two bikes for children who came from homes where they could not afford a bike. He remembers the joy that he received from that experience.

Acts 20:35b says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Here are a few points to ponder:

1. Jesus died for us, and the gift of salvation is the best gift we will ever receive.

2. We are able to share the truth about Jesus and His free gift of salvation with our friends.

3. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

4. Joy comes from the Lord and is not based on our circumstances compared to happiness, which comes and goes based on our circumstances.

Next week, Pastor Jason Sanders will be speaking at our chapel. Pastor Jason is one of the pastors at Spooner Wesleyan Church. Chapel is at 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday at the dome (next to the main building). You are invited to join us!

We have several fun events planned for the last week of school before Christmas break. First, we will show our Christmas cheer dressing up as follows:

Monday (Dec. 18) - Holiday sock day

Tuesday (Dec. 19) - Ugly Sweater Day

Wednesday (Dec. 20) - Christmas Accessory Day (earrings, hair pieces, ties, hats)

Thursday (Dec. 21) - Christmas Colors Day

Friday (Dec. 22) - Sweats and Slippers Day

Plus...

• The Christmas store will be on December 19
• Christmas parties will be on December 21
• Full-time students can earn a movie and popcorn party on December 22.

This is what the students are working on to earn their movie and popcorn party:

K-1 - Kindness Bucket

2-3 - Reading Challenge

4-5 - Words of Affirmation

6-8 - Romans Road Memorization

We will collect items from now until Christmas for the Pregnancy Help Center. We are collecting the following items:

Little Gloves

Little Mittens

Washcloths

Baby Towels

Teethers

There is a Christmas tree in our hallway. Donated items can be hung on the tree. Items must be delivered to Ascension Academy by December 21.

December 4, Shrimp Lo Mein

December 5, Tacos

December 5, Tacos - Gluten Free

December 6, Hot Turkey Sandwich

December 7, Pot Pie

December 8, Pizza

Please remember to order lunch for the week by 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning. If you need to order after that time or change your order, email us at office@ascensionarrows.org. We cannot provide a regular school lunch to your student if an email is not received should you add or change the lunch order after 8:00 a.m. on any day that a change is made or a lunch order is added.

Students will have the opportunity to shop for Christmas gifts on December 19. There will be gifts for all ages, so students can shop for their siblings, parents, teachers, grandparents, etc. PTF volunteers will be helping that day and will wrap all of the purchased gifts. Students will come home with a Christmas store sheet on December 7 where you can specify who they are shopping for and how much they can spend.

Board Vice-President, Janelle Hagen, visited the 4th-8th grade students today for a Lunch and Learn that will be ongoing every Friday. The focus of this time will be to discuss what it means to have a biblical worldview and apologetics. Today's session talked about doubts. The students will be invited to confidentially share any doubts they have in a box next week. We will then look at biblical truth to work through these together.

Thank you to all who came for our second parent chapel on Thursday night. Thank you to our board vice-president, Janelle Hagen, for sharing with our parents important information on what it means to have a biblical worldview and the importance of apologetics, defending our faith. Below is part of what we viewed at the chapel. Janelle will be emailing additional resources. Email her at vicepresident@ascensionarrows.org if you would like to receive these emails.

Isaiah is the twenty-third book of the Bible and the first prophetic book.

Students will also spend time reading about the prophetic books as a whole. Prophets were called by God to speak a message given by God. The special message they carried was not always focused on the future. Frequently, biblical prophets simply spoke truth about God’s character and his word to a culture. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:21-22 give us two rules for identifying true prophets. First, a true prophet will not lead us from God. Second, a true prophet will speak words that will actually occur.

Prophets were often gifted orators. They used a variety of methods to communicate their point. In the prophetic books, you and your students will come across historical and covenantal lessons, sarcasm, parables, songs and chants, rhetorical questions, and hyperbole. It’s important to communicate that you are now reading the literary genre of prophecy. While the genre of historical narrative is based on facts and figures, the prophetic genre often lays forth truth in dynamic and frightening language. Metaphors and hyperbole are common.

--From our Bible Roadtrip Curriculum

Students are memorizing the following verses for the first week:

K-3 Students - Isaiah 12:2

4-5 Students - Isaiah 9:6, 12:2

6-8 Students - Isaiah 9:6, 12:2, Luke 2:8-11

Isaiah 12:2, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."

Reading this week included the following:

Isaiah 1, 6, 7, 9, 11 (K-3)

Isaiah 1, 2, 4, 6-12 (4-5)

Isaiah 1-12 (6-8)

Questions to ponder:

1. Who wrote the book of Isaiah, what was the reason for writing it, and which reigns did it occur during? (Isaiah 1:1)
2. Why do you suppose Isaiah’s message fell on hard hearts? How can you keep your heart soft?
3. Why was there hope for Judah? What does Isaiah 9:6 tell us was yet to come? Consider the names this child would be called. Who was he to be? Read Luke 1:30-33 and Luke 2:8-11.
4. What did God promise to do for the remnant of God’s faithful people? (Isaiah 11)

December 5, PTF Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

December 8, Christmas Caroling, 4 p.m.

December 14, Christmas Concert, 6 p.m.

December 19, Christmas Store

December 21, Christmas Parties