01/19/2022 Principal's Note

By -

I am a self-proclaimed, proud-of-it coffee snob. Currently, I own five coffee brewing systems that make a cup of joe in completely different ways. I have my eye on a sixth, but I've told my children they have to start getting rid of old toys to make room for new ones in the basement, and I'm not willing to practice what I preach...at least not yet. 

Coffee is one of those polarizing foods that has its public image change every so often. People either trumpet the benefits of coffee and how good it is for you (check this out), or they decry the caffeine content and insist that it stunts your growth. As with most things in life, both sides probably are correct to a certain extent. However, if you invest yourself in some trial-and-error work with coffee, you can learn exactly the right amount for you. Too little, and you're still exhausted all morning; too much, and you're bouncing off the walls with a racing heart; too much creamer is a lot of extra calories; too little creamer and the coffee tastes like rusty nails (if your black coffee tastes terrible, set up a parent/teacher conference with me and we'll talk brewing methods!). You have to figure out what works for you.

God's Scriptures are also polarizing. People either believe that the Bible is God's holy, inerrant Word, or they don't. If you get a person from each side together for a conversation about it (read: argument), get ready to watch the definition of the "unstoppable force meets the immovable object." A similar phenomenon happens if you get two people together, one who has been drinking black Folgers coffee out of a dirty mug every morning for 50 years while reading the newspaper, and the other who runs between college classes to pick up a venti caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino from Starbucks to drink while perusing TikTok, with one major difference: the two coffee drinkers can both be right, depending on your opinion and perspective, while the person who refuses to believe that the Bible is truly God's Word is absolutely 100% wrong, with eternal consequences.

There is no "figuring out what works for you" when it comes to the Bible. The Bible is not like coffee, where you can add different flavorings or change the grind to personalize it. The Bible is what it is and always will be, ever since the Holy Spirit spoke through the pens of the writers thousands of years ago. What's the right amount of God's Word? As much as you can get, and always more. The Scriptures are "alive and active" (Hebrews 4:12, NIV 2011), and "will not return to [God] empty" (Isaiah 55:11, NIV 2011). The only way to strengthen saving faith is through participation in Word and Sacrament (Baptism and Holy Communion), so in our dark and hostile world, we desperately need as much of God's Scriptures as possible. That is my encouragement to you, today and always. If you don't have an active devotional life at home with your children, get active; if you are active, get more active! If you aren't sure how to start or where to go next, contact our pastors here at Emanuel, and they will help you find resources.

You wouldn't start the day without your cup of coffee (or whatever you need to get out of bed); don't neglect the Word of your loving, almighty God either.

In Christ,

Principal Bill Fuerstenau