Senior Chapel Address

This is my message to the seniors today in chapel.

Members of the Class of 2007, let me open by just saying you look fabulous today!!! And the opportunity to be a part of honoring you here today before your peers is truly a great privilege…You’ve accomplished much, and God has great things in store for you as you ready yourselves to leave Orange Lutheran.

I want to share a story with you this morning. It took place over 18 years ago in a little apartment in Anaheim, CA. I was a new father of a week-old daughter and her 2 year old brother. One night, my wife and I were sitting in the living room and for some reason she (my wife) decided to go into the bedroom to check on our daughter. I’ll never forget her cry out for help. She brought our daughter out to me, and she was not breathing. I listened for her breath – nothing. I listened for her heartbeat – very faint. I told my wife to call 911 as I started to administer CPR. Within minutes the paramedics were there and they noticed that she had started to breath again. I handed her off and they took her to Anaheim Memorial.

As we watched her on the big bed, we thought maybe we had imagined this whole thing. Feeling a little embarrassed we called the nurse over. Soon after the nurse noticed that our daughter had stopped breathing again. She was then sent to CHOC where she spent a week being checked out.

After many tests the doctor’s called it a near miss SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We were speechless, and then terrified it would happen again. The hospital sent us home with a heart and breathing monitor. There were little electrodes on a band that velcroed across her chest. The machine would blink to show she was breathing and that her heart was still beating.

We really got used to that monitor and found it very reassuring to look over at anytime and know that she was ok. It went off once, but that was a faulty wire. It was a nice thing to have that monitor for the three months. Then came the day they took her off the monitor. Her mom and I had to trust God as the monitor from that point on.

A monitor in life is a good thing. If we approached danger, it can go off and remind us that we need to correct something. Next Saturday, ladies and gentleman, you go off the monitor so to speak. What will you have as your monitor as you leave OL?

Over the past four years for many of you, this school has been a built in monitor to let you know if something wasn’t right. Your families and true friends have been monitors that let you know when you are wandering too close to the out of bounds. As you get older, and have more independence, the desire for a monitor will need to come from within.

Two thoughts I share with you today…

I truly believe that God’s Word is our monitor. Over the years you have been asked to read it, asked to memorize it, asked to learn from it. That encouragement now needs to become your own. I would encourage you to read a little everyday. As a man who did not do this until 10 years ago, I would share that my life has completely changed because of the power of His Word. Let His Word be your guide – Your monitor. It is all the power you will ever need to take on any battle in your life.

Finally, over the past four years you have walked by the front office everyday, and you walked past a mural that was painted about 8 years ago. The words – It’s never too late to do the right thing – are words that have meant a lot to me in my lifetime. I heard them when a Pastor Chuck Swindoll shared a story about a girl who had not kept her virginity and was struggling with his Waiting until marriage campaign. She said she couldn’t participate because she hadn’t waited. He told her it is never too late to do the right thing. Wait from this moment on.

We all sin and fall short of God’s glory. We have done things that make us feel bad or ugly – things we know that do not please God. When you are faced with those times and you wish you could start over – start over. That’s what forgiveness is – a fresh start, a clean slate, a redo. As long as we are alive we can say it’s never too late because of what Christ did on the cross for each of us. He gave us the opportunity to start new. By His grace we receive His love and forgiveness.

Go through life as a forgiving person. Those that hold grudges and withhold forgiveness are the one’s that are miserable. Forgive as you have been forgiven.

You have great days ahead of you. Finish this year in a positive way – be complete – don’t take short cuts, and your memories back on your days of life at O Lu will be wonderful.

be God’s,

Mr. Pinick

Character Moment from March 28

This is the Character Moment I read on March 28, 2007.

Why is it that the world focuses so much energy and attention on people like Anna Nicole Smith or Paris Hilton? I am amazed at times by how intriguing the lives of the rich and famous can be for people. I mean, who really cares who the father of baby Dannielynn anyway? And what talent are we exactly watching when Paris is on TV? Have either of these people made our world a better place?

I sound a little critical today, and I don’t mean to, really. It does bother me though that there are a lot of positive things that go on in our world that never get the attention, while the famous can basically get a news story by simply walking down the street.

Ten years ago, there were two events that occurred in the same week, and the values of the world really stood out.

On August 31, 1997 Princess Diana of Great Britain died in a car accident with her boy friend in Paris. Even in the last few weeks there have been news stories about how there was a conspiracy to kill her and people are still demanding an investigation. The funeral was on TV and attracted the rich and famous from around the world. No one seemed to care that she was married and running around with a rich playboy.

A week later, on September 5, 1997 Mother Teresa died. Her death came at the end of a long and faithful life to serving the world’s poor and suffering people. She too had her funeral on TV and it also was attended by many famous people from around the world. Because her life wasn’t so glamorous, we didn’t take as much notice, but hundreds of thousands of the world’s poor knew they had lost a special friend.

The difference in these two people is great. One lived a life of luxury here on earth for herself, occasionally using her power and influence to help others. The other devoted her entire life to helping the poorest of the poor find peace and hope in Jesus. Her life of luxury was the reward that awaited her after her earthly life was complete.

Who had the better character? Whose life had more significance? Who had the greatest impact in the world? Who truly lived the richer life?

A Mission Based on Faith

From the Orange City News - Thursday March 29, 2007

Please check out this wonderful article that introduces our new Director of Athletics, Mr. T.J. Ragan.

http://epaper.ocregister.com/Default/Client.asp?enter=true&skin=OCW&Daily=OCWOrangeCityNews


go to page 27

Season Ending Excitement!

I typically won't bore you with personal information, but this was a pretty neat way for my son Travis to finish his sophomore basketball season this past Saturday night (March 3, 2007).

http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030407aac.html

WASC Visit

Our WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation visit will be held Monday through Wednesday of next week. We have a team of five people who will be reviewing the self-study document that has been prepared and also our list of the areas we want to work on over the next few years (action plan) to improve the ministry here at Orange Lutheran. Thank you to everyone who contributed in developing our self-study document through surveys, committee work, or focus groups. Orange Lutheran is a special place, and it is an honor to share what goes on here everyday with those who visit us.

Character Moment from February 28

When I came to Orange Lutheran 10 years ago, people asked me about what I thought our academic program could become. Over the first 25 years of the school’s existence, many graduates had attended colleges and universities around the country. I wanted this to continue, so that our high school is a place where students can get there from here. That destination is really about the school helping our students develop the gifts God has given them. Placing an emphasis on excellence in academics is a value that is critical to the success of our school.

To attain this value, Orange Lutheran will strive to hire great teachers who are passionate about their discipline. We will continue to provide them with the resources to accomplish great things with their students. We will create an environment and a climate in our school that is conducive to learning, and we will support our students with the resources and strategies that help them reach their full potential. It has been wonderful to see the places God leads our students upon graduation.

A few years ago as the mission and values were developed and shaped, the discussions were lively. Helping students grow into the people God desires them to be, helping them become people who were known for their character, and helping them reach their academic potential were all fairly obvious goals. We wanted to go a step further though and really emphasize those things that occur outside the classroom as well. Thus our third value was established – that we emphasize excellence in competition and performance.

Competition deals with all of those areas in which we compete. Athletic teams, groups, and clubs that compete with other schools fall under this area. Performance deals with all those activities in which we perform. Activities like the fine arts – vocal and instrumental music, drama, musical theater, and the visual arts are all areas of performance. In identifying these areas as a value, we are saying that in whatever our students do outside the classroom, we want them to do it at the highest level. We will provide experiences for our students to compete against the best teams, perform pieces that grow their abilities, and create works that exhibit the gifts God has bestowed on each of us.

Our mission and values are the guide by which we do all things here at school. If we do something that doesn’t help us reach our mission and values, it is not worth doing. As students and faculty, we need to be people that assist in raising these values to the highest levels.

So, next week is our WASC visit. I thank you for your cooperation in advance. Please make our visiting team feel welcome. I am excited for them to get to know Orange Lutheran the way we know it everyday.

Character Moment from February 21

As I mentioned last Wednesday, we will have a WASC accreditation visiting team on campus in a few weeks. This is an event that occurs every six years. Our team, made up of five educators, from both public and non-public schools will be here to review our self-study document and determine if we have clearly communicated a real picture of Orange Lutheran High School programs and those things we have identified as what we need to work on.

The filter they use to evaluate us is our three core values and our mission. As you remember, it is the mission of Orange Lutheran High School to help students internalize the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus. We seek to accomplish this goal through three values that are emphasized daily.

A core value helps guide all actions in an organization. It defines who we are and what we strive to be about. It is the glue that holds us together in times of change.

The first of our core values is excellence in Christian character development. What we mean by this is that we strive to be a people that display character qualities in a Christ-like way. Out of all of the character qualities that could be emphasized, we pay special attention to three: respect, honor, and service.

In the area of respect we emphasize respect for God, for others, and for His resources. We emphasize appropriate conduct in the hallways and good manners. We expect all of our students to use words of courtesy like: Yes, No, Please, Thank you, and proper eye contact when speaking to others.

We also expect our community to be known as a people who are honorable. This is carried out inside and outside of the classroom. Valuing honor and striving to develop this characteristic shapes our school culture in such a positive way.

We also promote service to others. A person who serves is one who is connected to something much bigger than themselves. Christ said this was a fundamental teaching. “I have come not to be served, but to serve.”

The value of Christian character development communicates to others the identity we strive to portray as a Lancer community. People can sense there is a difference in a person who truly desires to be respectful, honorable, and focused on serving others. That difference creates a place that students and families want to be a part of.