Wise words with...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV)

Can it be possible that we have already passed the halfway mark of the final term in our 2022 school year? Of course, this is a rhetorical question as the answer is a definite ‘yes’. Our year is rapidly coming to a conclusion and I am pleased to say that much has already been achieved by our students and staff during the first five weeks of this term. (You can read about many of these exciting events in the pages of this edition of the Bytes.) However, many significant events still lie ahead, including a number of graduation and presentation assemblies that will be held at school. Our NCS school year will culminate with the holding of our whole-school Thanksgiving Evening that will this year occur off-site on Tuesday 6 December, using the excellent facilities of the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre. Please mark this date in your calendars. We will be emailing you more information about this night in the coming weeks.

As mentioned above, the first five weeks of term have been a very busy time for all of our students.In just this past week, our Year 10 students have had an overnight camp to Canberra and their very special Graduation Assembly was held on Friday in front of an appreciative audience of parents,carers and extended family members. Our HSC students put their amazing talents on full display as we enjoyed a ‘Celebrating Creativity’ Showcase event that again drew a very appreciative audience of family members. On Friday 11 November at 11.00 am, all NCS students and staff gathered together outside on the lawns to solemnly recognise the full significance of Remembrance Day. (You can read more information, and view gallery photographs of these events, elsewhere in this edition of the Bytes.)

However, this ‘busyness’ has been especially the case for our Years 11-12 HSC students who have been completing their external HSC examinations. The examination period commenced for our students on 12 October and concluded just last Friday 4 November. (Thank you to the many parents and carers who have been faithfully praying for these students throughout this time.) Examinations are always demanding and the process of study preparation and the actual examination experience can be a very stressful time for students. It has also been a very busy time for our next group of HSC students, especially our current Year 10 students who commence their Foundation Studies (Year 11program) on Monday 14 November and are now themselves beginning the journey towards their first HSC external examinations that will occur at this time next year.

My focus verses come from the book of Philippians and they are verses that I have highlighted in previous Bytes articles. This is essentially because I find them to provide incredible encouragement when we are surrounded by a world where many people seem to be very anxious and perplexed. Often there appears to be no cure for this heightened state of anxiety or, if there is, it can sometimes seem to be very elusive. However, in these two verses we are encouraged to pray and to present our cares and concerns to our faithful God who is always present and always listening to us. Verse 7 acknowledges that our God is a God of miracles for that is the only way to explain the sense of comfort and reassurance that He is able to provide us with.

As part of our whole-school devotional program, we have been examining many of the psalms. Recently we explored Psalm 143 and I would encourage you to consider reading this psalm as well. In this psalm, David is fleeing from those who would wish to kill him, including his own son, Absalom. Clearly David is anxious and perplexed as he realises that his enemies are pursuing him from all directions. However, ultimately he is able to experience this ‘peace that passes all understanding’ that is referred to in Philippians as he comes humbly before God in prayer. As he says in verses 8 and 9 of this psalm, ‘I have put my trust in you’ and ‘I hide myself in you’.

I trust that this may also be our experience when we are troubled and anxious and I would encourage each one of us to seek out this amazing God who is always waiting to comfort, support and reassure.