What is Morality?
by Tom Burkett
!Over the past several weeks, a number of troubling issues have gripped the National Football League (NFL). From Ray Rice to
Adrian Peterson and others, issues of domestic violence and child abuse have been thrust into the limelight. Let me begin by
saying that these issues are not limited to sports; but because sports figures are famous for their abilities on the field, their
issues are more public. Domestic violent acts occur every seven seconds, so it would be foolish to assume that this is just a
problem with professional athletes, this is a problem for the entire world. As I watched the news coverage, it was interesting that a number of pundits on television began using the terms “moral
responsibility” when referring to actions that should be taken against those that violate the laws of the land. My mind began to
contemplate what moral compass these individuals feel should be utilized to determine if something is deemed “right” or
“wrong.” I understand that the majority of individuals would say that violence against women is wrong; but if that is true, why
does it continue to happen at such an alarming rate? This debate spilled over into a conversation with my children over moral
relativism vs. moral absolutes. If morality is relative and is based on an individual’s unalienable right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, then is it feasible that brutal acts could be considered, by some, to be morally acceptable? The point is,
who gets to decide the definition of morality, man or something/someone greater? This question resulted in a wonderful
discussion with my children. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible has been given to us as the measuring stick to be used
regarding morality. “Right” and “wrong” are defined though the characteristics/attributes of God. If something is a
characteristic/attribute of God, it is “right”; if not, “wrong.” While many may see this as an …. (continued on page 2)
B.C. News
October 2014
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(continued from page 1)……
oversimplification, my children were able to see that defining morality must be based on one universal standard that is not
subject to change; and because none of us meet the standard all the time, we are no different than those who have
committed these horrible acts. The human consequences for our sins may be different, but separation from God is
separation from God--sin is still sin. The blood sacrifice paid for all of our sin was done so on the cross and is the reason
that humans with imperfections have the opportunity to spend eternity in a perfect heaven. This is called “grace,” or
unmerited favor (Ephesians 2:8-9). It seems that every time we turn on the television, we are exposed to more and more sin in the world. While many
of these subjects are very troubling, I would encourage you to help your children see that all of these issues occur when
people fail to follow scriptural mandates on morality. I pray that you will be able to use these teachable moments to have
deep discussions with your children because the future of our world will soon be in the hands of their generation. May God
grant you wisdom as you rear your children in the love and admonition of the Lord. Blessings,
Dr. Burkett
Help Keep the Banner Family Healthy
Cold and Flu season is right around the corner. In an effort to keep the
Banner family healthy, we have the following medical policies in place. Do you know the importance of washing
your hands properly? This simple task
can help stop the spread of colds, flu,
strep, and many other illnesses.
If your student develops one of the following symptoms, they must stay
home. Your student can be a germ-buster in 6
simple steps:
Vomiting and/or diarrhea, fever, strep throat. itchy or reddened eyes with
drainage, an unusual rash or a poor night’s sleep due to illness or cough.
1. Wet your hands
Students may return to school a full 24 hours after they are symptom free.
Students with a fever must be fever free for a full 24 hours without the
use of fever reducing medications such as Tylenol, Motrin or Advil.
Example: If the fever ends at 2:00 pm on Monday, your student may return
to Banner after 2:00 pm Tuesday afternoon.
If a student has been diagnosed with strep throat, that student should
remain home until receiving a full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy in
addition to being fever free for 24 hours.
Please help keep Banner healthy by adhering to these policies. Have a
Blessed Fall Season!
2. Add Soap 3. Wash for 20 seconds (sing the ABC song
in your head)
4. Rinse
5. Dry your hands
6. Use your paper towel to turn off the
water
Here's to a germ free year!
Holli Blake
Banner EMT
B.C. News
October 2014
2
3 Mistakes Successful College
Applicants Don’t Make
What’s the best (and least painful) way to succeed?
Learn from the mistakes of others! Today, our friends
at Accepted share 3 common mistakes you need to
avoid.
The preparation for successful college application
does not happen overnight. In fact, it is the
culmination of years of work throughout high school.
The most successful college applicants take a
number of components into consideration as they
approach the application process. Here are three
mistakes they don’t make:
1. Blow off essay responses. They know a strong GPA and test scores are not enough. They invest time and thought
in their essay responses and they don’t wait until the last minute to submit their applications. They keep deadlines in mind.
They request letters of recommendation in a timely manner to allow a teacher/counselor time to reflect before writing a
recommendation. They use their essays as an opportunity to demonstrate their specific interests, life experience, and
aspirations not just to repeat information found elsewhere in their application. They share something that helps fill in the
overall picture of who they are and how they can contribute to the overall college environment.
2. Neglect to consider appropriate college fit. Their initial list might begin with colleges that family members or
friends recommend but it doesn’t stop there. They apply to a range of schools that are a good fit for them- they include
fallback and dream school options. They invest time to research which schools are the best fits for them on many levels
(consider: size of student population, distance from home, financial obligations, academic interests, special programs, alumni
ties). They use on-line resources to provide information and insight into the sorts of programs and activities available at a
college. They schedule campus tours and reach out to college counselors whenever possible. They speak with current
students and recent graduates. They ask their tour guides/hosts questions about how they selected a specific college and
about experiences at the college that matched their expectations, as well as, what they might do anything differently in
hindsight. Successful applicants can articulate why each school they apply to is a good fit for them.
3. Take it easy in senior year. They take a rigorous curriculum throughout high school, demonstrate an upward trend
in academic demands, and maintain extracurricular involvement with increasing leadership responsibility. They don’t blow off
senior year.Yes, of course they have fun but they keep future goals in mind as well. They make sure to stay on top of
assignments and prepare well for exams.
Although this discussion seems logical, nonetheless, these are common oversights. Successful college applicants don’t make
these mistakes. By Marie Todd, an Accepted.com consultant who has worked in college admissions for over twenty years.
This article was originally published on the Accepted Admissions Blog. - See more at: http://magoosh.com/sat/2014/3-mistakes-successful-college-applicants-dont-make/#sthash.MDLKuSB7.dpuf
B.C. News
October 2014
3
Giggle
Box
!
Funny Church Bulletin Bloopers And Blunders
• Due to the Rector’s illness, Wednesday’s healing services will be
discontinued until further notice.
• Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at
Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
•The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.
• On a church bulletin during the minister’s illness: GOD IS GOOD; Dr. Hargreaves is better.
• Applications are now being accepted for 2 year-old nursery workers.
• The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth Into Joy.”
• If you would like to make a donation, fill out a form, enclose a check, and drip in the collection basket.
• Next Sunday Mrs.Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on “It’s a Terrible Experience.”
!
What a Way to Start the Day (a note from a parent):
To the Admin & Office staff, and Mr. Baugh,
I wanted to let you all know that I stayed for the chapel service this morning, and am making
arrangements to try to make it most mornings.... it really blessed me this morning....to start my day
with my child--corporately worshiping God and seeing how these youth love the Lord as well. I
could hear the sincerity in the voice of the young girl that prayed ... WOW .... so happy and blessed
to have [my child] in your school.
Thank you, to everyone, for all that you do. I am so thankful, to the Lord, that He made a way for
[my child] to attend Banner.
Have a great day!
All praise, honor and glory to God! Amen! Love you guys!
B.C. News
October 2014
4
Creation by Design
Buzzing Past Computers
A recent study shows that bees can do the same work
as computers in determining the shortest path when
making multiple stops (aptly named the “traveling
salesman problem”).* Plug the locations into a
computer, and the system can pull up all possible
routes and calculate the shortest one. But bees can
also make the best determination with uncanny
accuracy—all without RAM and “on the fly.”
Dr. Nigel Raine, who conducted the experiments at the
University of London, tested whether bees would
return to flowers in the order they discovered them
or if they would fly the shortest return route. With
brains the size of a grass seed, the bees picked out the
most energy-efficient route. Such extraordinary
behavior points to the Creator, who programmed bees
with this incredible ability.
!
*Mathieu Lihoreau, Lars Chittka, and Nigel E. Raine, “Travel Optimization by Foraging Bumblebees through Readjustments of
Traplines after Discovery of New Feeding Locations,” The American Naturalist 176(6).
For more information about bees, read Honeybees—Always on the Move
Any Old Blenders?
!
Does anyone have an old blender they can donate?
I need a few "soil disrupters" for my environmental
science class. The blenders need to work, but they
don't need to work well.
!
Thanks, Pamela Arnold
B.C. News
October 2014
5
When Time is No Longer
“. . .that there should be time no longer.”
Revelation 10:6
Perhaps one of the hardest things to define
is time. I have often thought of time as
being a yardstick with which to measure
deterioration. Could that be the reason
there is no time with God, and there will be
no time in eternity? Nothing will ever
deteriorate there. The older I get the more I realize that
perhaps the greatest gift that I can give you is my time. Actually, the only gift that I can give is my time. If I give you money, I
give you the time it took me to earn that money. If I give you a gift, I give you the time it took me to earn the money with
which I bought the gift. Perhaps, then, it is true that time is the only thing that I can really give to you. Time is probably the
greatest gift for several reasons:
When I give you my time, I am giving you my life, for time is life. My time with you is an investment. Your time with me is an
investment. Let us care for each other’s investment wisely.
If I spend some time with you, I am giving you a gift that can be given only to YOU! The moment that I give to you I will
never have again. Once it is given, it can never be given to another. Such a realization should cause us to appreciate
moments spent with friends [teachers or students], for a moment given to me by a friend is not only his giving to me of his
life, but also something which he can give to no other person and which can never be given again.
For you to give me a moment, or for me to give you a moment, is to exchange the only moment that we actually know we
have.
The giving of a moment to a friend is a greater gift than Heaven can give. If I spend a moment with you in Heaven, it will not
be subtracted from time, for there is no time there. May I then never take lightly the time you give to me, and may you
never take lightly the time I give to you.
Time is a gift God cannot give. This is the one thing that God cannot give you. God has no time. To be sure, He gave His
life on the cross to save you; but since God will never die, the time He gives to you does not subtract anything from Him. In
other words, He loses no life to fellowship with you. Here is a gift we can share that even God cannot give.
For me to give to you a moment is an honor that God cannot give you. When we share a moment alone, we take that
moment from everyone else and give it to each other. God, however, is omnipresent. For Him to fellowship with you does
not mean that He must forfeit fellowship with all others.
Therefore, to give you my time is the greatest gift that I can give. Since it can be given only to you and can never be given
again, please accept the moment that I give as my supreme gift, and as an expression of my love to you and my interest in
you.
*Adapted from Blue Denim and Lace, by Jack Hyles, 1969
B.C. News
October 2014
6
Most Dangerous Apps for Kids (part I)
Felicia Alvarez, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Friday, June 13, 2014
In 2013, a twelve-year-old girl was lured away from her home
by a 21 year-old-man. Once they met, he took her to a motel
and took advantage of her. How did this little girl meet this
terrible stranger?
Through an app called Whisper on her handheld device (yep,
the one her parents bought her). And Whisper is only one
of many dangerous apps, apps that every parent should be
aware of.
The Scary Truth
“The bad guy’s not just at the bus stop anymore. He has
entrance right into your kid’s bedroom and hand-held cellphone device.” Sexual predators can target your children even when
your child is in the room down the hall. And sexual predators aren’t the only problem. Cyber-bullying and exposures to sexually
inappropriate content are additional concerns.
New apps are constantly being created, so it’s important to monitor what your child downloads. Being aware of the online
tricks predators use will help you know what to look for. So here is a current list of some of the most dangerous apps:
Snapchat – Allows you to capture an image or video and make it available to a recipient for a specific time. After that time
limit is up, the picture/video automatically disappears forever…or so Snapchat claims. (Similar apps: Poke, Wire, and Wickr). Why
It’s Dangerous – Kids can receive (or send ) sexually inappropriate photos. This app also makes kids feel like they can “sext” or
send inappropriate pictures without consequences because the image will self-destruct automatically. The truth is that nothing
sent over the internet disappears. There are always ways to retrieve and capture those images.
Vine – Allows users to watch and post six second videos. Why It’s Dangerous –While many of the videos are harmless, porn
videos do pop up into the feed, exposing your children to sexually explicit material.You can also easily search for/access porn
videos on this app. Predators utilize this app to search for teens and find their location. Then they try to connect with them via
other messaging apps.
ChatRoulette and Omegle – These apps allow you to video chat with strangers. Why It’s Dangerous – Not only are
users chatting with strangers, they could be chatting with a fake stranger. “Chat sites like Chatroulette and Omegle have done
their best to produce systems that warn users when the people they are chatting to are potentially using fake webcam
software, however developers still manage to slip under their radars with frequent updates.” So a fifty-year-old man could set
up a fake webcam and use images from a 15-year-old boy that looks like a teen celebrity to convince your child to send
inappropriate pictures or get information about your child’s location.
More to come next month!
B.C. News
October 2014
7
The faculty and staff would like to thank Banner Bridge for lunch on Parent Teacher Conference
Day. The bags decorated by the lower school were an added blessing!
At the beginning of school, the middle
school art students created a group
project. Each student drew a section of an
image of Jesse Owens running in the
Olympics. After each section was
completed, the students assembled the
image to see the completed picture. The
project was inspired by this year’s school
theme "Every Minute Matters".
B.C. News
Congratulations to
Banner's third grade
teacher, Mrs.
Rhodes, on
becoming a
Grandmother
September 24th! Her
daughter, Ashlyn,
and new
granddaughter,
Brooklynn, are doing
well. May God bless
your new family
abundantly!
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
October 2014
8
Johnny Appleseed Day
The kindergarten kuties celebrated
Johnny Appleseed Day by sequencing
the life cycle of the apple tree, making
"pot" hats, eating a yummy apple treat,
and learning a new song that Johnny
Appleseed sang! We discussed
Johnny's love for God, God's Word, His
creation and people! We decided we
are thankful he chose to plant apple
trees all over America! We enjoyed an
apple taste test and decided Granny
Smith's are our favorite!
Why Does it Matter?
“Why does the office bug me about a note from my parents that explains why I was absent? Don’t they trust me? Can’t they
take a look at my face and see that I’m feeling lousy?”
“What do you mean, I have to have prior approval for an out-of-town trip with my parents? “
The answer to both questions is the same: personal responsibility and respect.
When one goes to work on his/her first job, whether it be flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s, stocking shelves at Target, or
working in corporate America, an employer will have rules and regulations for employees to follow. Failure to obey those
rules will affect your job performance evaluations and may ultimately result in termination of employment. Learning to obey
and abide by the policies outlined in Banner’s Student Handbook is an important step in being prepared for that first job.
As followers of Christ, we glorify Him when we obey those in authority over us. Is it tough to do? Yes! But when we submit
to His will for us, we not only please Christ, we also encourage those around us to act in a way that is pleasing to Him as well.
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of
eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a
good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord,
whether he is a bondservant or is free. Ephesians 6:5-8
B.C. News
October 2014
9
FACTS ACCOUNTS
As you know, we are currently using FACTS to pay for tuition. However, as many of you found out already, Renweb does not bill
you right away when you order lunches (as it did last year). Instead, what happens every Friday, the charges get posted to your
Renweb account for the following week. From here you have three options: 1) You can pay them through Renweb when they
appear. 2) You can wait until the end of the month to pay for them on Renweb; this way you do not have to make weekly payments
3) After 30 days, if your Renweb account has any charges on it, they will be moved over to FACTS. You will receive an email
informing you that charges have been added to your FACTS account and they will be withdrawn with your next tuition payment. If
you do not have a tuition payment, the balance will be withdrawn from your bank account on the 1st of the following month.
Originally, we were just going to move over any balance on your account to FACTS each month, but a number of parents wanted
to keep tuition payments separate. However, any balance, whether it be sports fees, lunch, aftercare, or other miscellaneous
charges on your Renweb account that have been there for 30 days, will be added to your FACTS account and be withdrawn from
your bank account.
VISITING?
All visitors need to report to the front office to sign in and receive a visitor badge. The badge must be
returned to the front office to sign out prior to leaving the premises. In the event of a fire, the "Visitors’ Log"
is taken outside, allowing us to account for everyone in the building. If you have not signed out, we will
send a firefighter in to search for you. Thank you for your assistance.
LOST & FOUND
Lost something? We may have found it! There are numerous items being found each day.
Remember to LABEL, LABEL, LABEL!!!
FINANCIAL OFFICE
Remember:
• Your monthly financial
statement will be emailed
to you on the first of every
month.
• Payments received after
the 7th will be charged a
$50 late fee.
• Any questions? Contact
the Director of Finance and
Marketing, Mr. Wolf, at
[email protected]
or 276-5200.
BANNER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL • 1501 S. PROVIDENCE ROAD N. CHESTERFIELD, VIRGINIA 23236
P: 804-276-5200 • F:804-276-7620 • WEB:WWW.BANNERCHRISTIAN.ORG
B.C. News
October 2014
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