Dear SouthLake Christian Families,

Happy New Year. I hope you had a restful break. Later this month I will have updates for you on a few important matters including tuition rates for next year and our turf field project. For now, let me offer a few words of confession and encouragement for the coming year.

This semester we will be studying the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) in Middle and High School chapel, faculty-staff devotions, and our parents Bible study. The beatitudes, so-named for the Latin word for “blessed,” encapsulate Jesus’ teaching to his disciples on the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. In these verses, Jesus commends a way of life that is surprising and countercultural. The way to a blessed life isn’t wealth or influence or self-fulfillment or even education. Jesus rejects politics, power, personality, and pride as means of achieving earthy or heavenly blessing. Instead, he blesses those who are poor, sorrowful, meek, peaceful, and persecuted for righteousness’ sake. I confess these are not always attributes I seek diligently. Thankfully, I see these attributes in so many of our people at SouthLake. If you plan to make resolutions for the new year, perhaps Matthew 5 is a good place for us to start.

School resumes on Wednesday. See you then.

Blessings,

Matthew S. Kerlin, Ph.D.
Head of School
SouthLake Christian Academy