Numidia Mennonite Bible School - Reflector Yearbook (Numidia, PA)

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in Y nd ill I rg -ore the on-- A ed. L 1:22 to me. . .all ung irit- the t to 3 we Jrth and :tive lteg- mugh was fvice e is the E C311 f We IDOW uide. sling mis- will stent step' and f the con- , our 3 C811 eling .rgole MATRONS A MATRON'S PRAYER Father in heaven, would you look down on earth where I am with a fmaily of seventy? I have things to say about them. Not tattle-tale things. Not complaints. Not flattery. Things like thanks and concerns and - and - maybe a little righteous jealousy over them. I know they have their faults, but they know this too. Some- times they get noisy when they should be studying. Usually they don't mean to, they just forget. They have so many other things to talk and laugh about. They enjoy each other so much. Youth should, should- n't they? Also they should learn when to be quiet, shouldn't they? They 'are so full of life, Lord. They should be, shouldn't they? Is it all right for me to enjoy their fun the way I do -- if I know when to direct them back to study and worship and quiet? Some come to me with their prob- lems - a headache, a cut finger, a sore throat, a rust stain, a rip, a knotty lesson, a hurt, a troubled conscience. Help me to offer love along with the needed pill, band- aid, needle and thread, lesson explanation, sympathy,listening ear, guidance. Some need reprimands now and then. Let me pronounce these firmly yet kindly, bring- ing remedy instead of hurt. Some deserve praise. I want to express this at the right time, in the right place, to the right per- son. All of them need guidance. May I, having walked the road a little farther than they, know enough to lead, care enough to point out pitfalls, and love enough to draw them patiently along. I want every one to make life's journey safely. Well, I've done a lot of asking and not much thanking. I am deeply thankful, though. I'll have to go now. There's a knock on my door. It may be Henry need- ing a new band-aid for his cut finger. Thank you for listening. And thank you for Jesus, in whose name I've done all this asking. Amen. --Ida B. Bontrager M E S S A G E S OUR MASTER'S STEPS We hunger and thirst for the word of the Lord. So we gather together to study His Word, And learn how to use and to wield the Sword, As we travel the path that our Saviour trod. But now our paths leave the mountain top To serve our Master at home or the shop. We know that Satan will tell us to stop, But we want the path that our Saviour trod. y ' -Anna W. Eshbach HIS SERVANTS I appreciated working, sharing, fellow- shipping and studying God's Word and praying with the young people. It has been an encouragement to me, to see the many young folks that desire to do God's will, and obey His commandments. These words express my prayer and desire for each student: Are you serving Jesus with your might? Are you making sunshine chase the night? Are you spreading gladness as you go? Are you leading others Christ to know? Are you preaching Jesus by your life? Are you helping others in the strife? Are you gladly giving all your days? Are you teaching others Christ to praise? Are you doing ever Christ-like deeds? Are you scattering gladness, just like seeds, Soon to bud and blossom, sweet and fair, And to pour their fragrance everywhere? Serving Jesus all along the way, Serving Jesus, faithful night and day, Serving your Master as you onward go, Lift this ensign high. Ever faithful, let there come what mayg Always ready any price to pay 3 Loving your Master as you onward go, Serve Him, faithful till the end. -Luella H. Ebersole -4-

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PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Dear Students, I D Together we have embarked ag?-111 111130 the sea of intensive Bible study- IH Splte of the many waves of despair - lack of ability to search out deeper truths and to concentrate on study at hand - there are the many surges of blessed new truths that strengthen f o r further research. Along with these are the frequent buoys we can spot along safe channels which lead us away from mental and spiritual distractions. How gracious our heavenly Father is in guiding us into all truth and in guarding us from evil allurements. God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. - My prayer is that each of you will take advantage of the guides and benefit by the safeguards. For we do look for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God . As we make our voyage, let us be clear REFLECTORS of Him. -Ernest J. Bontrager Dear Youth, and all fellow travellers with me to the judgement bar of God: I Let this mind be in you, Which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5. Our Lord was ever humble, loving, pa- tient, kind. His very food was to do the will of His Father and to finish His work. He regarded no sacrifice too great, no humiliation too painful, in accomplishing His redeeming work, and finally, after a- life of full submission to His Father's will, He was able to cry out, It is Finished . To have the mind of Christ is not only to do what we think He would do, but to cultivate the spirit and disposition which He revealed. His moral temper and His humble, unselfish devotion command our full submission to His will. May each of us determine, that by the grace of God, we will walk worthy of the vocation where- w1th we've been called, that we might be made like unto Him in all things. This is God's plan for each one of us. , .Christ has redeemed us from all iniq- u1ty, so that we may be His peculiar people, zealous of good works, and be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless, at the appearing of the Great God, and our Savious Jesus Christ. -Benj amin C. Eslfbach FINDING MY PLACE IN HIS WILL I PROVERBS 3:6 Many ask: how can I ind my place in life? How can I know God's will for my life? No one can live a Christian life and be truly happy, without being in the will of God. To find His will for us, there are some facts to realize. There must be a change of heart before we can be conformed to His will. ' There must be an honest desire to do the will of God. A self-willed person is con-- stantly getting himself into difliculty. A yielded will is a will that is easily directed. Many people say they want the will of God for their life, but when they come face to face with God's will, they rebel. Ephesians 5:15,16 admonishes us to walk circumspectly, redeeming the time. Walking curcumspectly means that in all life we will be watchful, that nothing hinders us from exercising a deep spirit- ual life. If we are not trustworthy in the little things of life, we may not expect to be given greater responsibilities. What We do here and now, is an index of our worth tomorrow. We must learn to withstand evil. Sin makes us incapable of effective Christian service. Joseph proved his integ- rity of character by refusing sin, though it took him to prison, but the prison was only a stepping stone to the throne. Worship and devotion precede service and activity. A vital devotional life is essential. We must learn to sense the privilege of value of prayer, before we can expect to find God's will for our life. If we do not know how to pray, we cannot know how to serve. Feelings alone are not a safe guide. There is great danger of confusing feeling with the will of God. It is possible to m1s- judge our own qualifications. To have a sincere desire to do His will is absolutely essential. To live a consistent life is to walk worthy of the Lord, step- ping into doors as He opens them, and doing what we can, in the power of the Spirit. We need to maintain strong con- victions against sin, and strengthen our devotional life and loyalty to God. We 92111 evaluate our convictions by c0unSGl1I1g with older spiritual leaders. -Paul Ebersole -3-

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FACULTY BRANCHES! Yes, branches are an important Part Of the fruit-bearing tree or vine. Jesus, on His way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Mat- thew 21:18-20, saw a fig tree with branch- es and leaves, and being.hu11g1'Y, he Went to the tree for fruit, but it had none. Jesus said, Let no fruit grow on thee hencefor- ward for ever , and it withered away. n 15:5,6 Jesus said, I am the viii yiglare the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me Ye C3-11 do nothing. If a man abide not 1n. me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them 1nto the fire, and they are burned . The importance of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ is very clearly stated 1n these verses, and it is also clearly statefi, that it is our responsibility to maintain this relationship, if we would bear fruit and glorify our Father in heaven. This vital relationship is a must if our prayer life is to be meaningful and effec- tive, as a branch that bears much fruit, because it receives its life-giving.vital1ty from the vine. John 15:7 . What kind of a branch are YOU? -Edwin H. Gehman LET US GO ON The experiences during the first three weeks of Bible School have shown the powerful influence of the Gospel. A con- stant saturation of the students of the Word, prayers, preaching, and teaching has resulted in some very definite soul searching. Some victories have been won. Illumin- ation has resulted in some objects going into the Idol Box. Prayers still ascend to God that His Spirit would influence more trips to the box. Satan hates the revelation that the one who is his conqueror has all sufficiency for those who ask for His grace, and brings glileirt wills to complete submission to ris . May God bless and guard these youth that they may go on from victory to V1C'C01'Y-' May they develop into strong pillars in the church of Jesus Christ, for the promulgation and defense of the Gos- pel, and unto the glory of God. I -Irvin S. Shank MESSAGES FAITH AND WORKS If the heart is right nothing else matters. This may be true of a beet or an onion, but not of a fruit tree. Among people professing Christianity it is often the dying groan of those whose heart is NOT right. To boast of a flourishing faith in the absence of fruit as the evidence, is like lauding the merits of a lamp that doesn't even shine. The room is- dark and you beg for light, but I insist the room is well equipped with beautiful lamps. Even though they do not work, rest assured that all is well because the lamps are there - why you can even feel them! So be content and get busy with your lessons! Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. .... For as the body without the spirit for the lamp without lightj is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:17, 26. -Ervin N. Hershberger THE BIBLE- A BOOK USED FOR DECEPTION The Bible was given by God to bless and save the human family, but the Devil has ever used it to deceive. In the Garden of Eden he used it to deceive Eve, by just changing the thought a little. When he tempted Christ in the wilderness, he again put a false interpretation on the Word, hoping to deceive Christ. Today there are many preachers and teachers, who have no fear to put any interpretation on the Word they choose. For instance in Mat- thew 7 :1-5 they see only the first two words judge not , and then with these words they also choose to use I Samuel 16 :7, and then come to the conclusion that they are altogether powerless, yes, even out of place to correct any thing in the lives of their members, because they can- not see in the heart , neither dare they judge . Anyone who even desires to look into the heart is out of place because God says, by their fruits ye shall know them , and fruit is always on the outside - NEVER IN THE HEART. Galatians 5:19-23. Yes, the works of the flesh, as well as THE FRUIT of the Spirit are manifest on the OUTSIDE. Once ITIOTC dear students, may I urge you, as well aS others, to do as Christ did--take the Word at what it says, for it is a sharp sword, and much harm can be done if used other- Wlset --M. S. Stoltzfus -5-