The2023StocktonJunior High School (Grades 6-8) Semester 1 Honor Rolls have been released. The Stockton Jr/Sr High School has three levels of honor roll.

(The Stockton Sentinel received this email from Blakemarie Martinez, the daughter of Aronda Strutt of Stockton, who wrote an article for her Johns Hopkins University’s MA in Science Writing Program. Martinez is originally from Wichita but has lived in Hawaii for the last ten years as her spouse is military. She wanted to write a piece about how ancient Kansas was connected to the oceans, with a spin on how Kansans make ecofriendly switches to protect the environment. As a shark safety diver, Martinez sees the harmful effects of pollution daily. Ecoconsciousness was instilled in her by her mother, so for this project, she wanted to honor Kansas and all it taught her about keeping the planet healthy, no matter where we live. She asked if she could share it with our readers. We will print her article as space and time allow. Enjoy.)

If someone asked you, 'What is the purpose of your church?' what would your answer include? How would you define people's roles within the church, including leaders such as deacons and elders? We know, of course, that we are to win people to Christ, but we must also grow in grace and knowledge.

POTENTIAL. The scientific name is Turritopsis dohrnii. First discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, they have since been found living around the world in temperate to tropical waters. Its life cycle goes from egg to larva to polyp. The polyp then forms into a colony, which then gives off buds that become genetically identical baby jellyfish. At maturity, they're only 4-5 mm wide with 80-90 tentacles. But God created these little critters with an amazing ability. If they're stressed or injured, they have the potential to go through a process of change back into a polyp and then give off new buds as clones of themselves. This means that while many will die from their injury, biologically speaking, they have the potential to live forever. That's why they're nicknamed the Immortal Jellyfish. Just like these amazing little jellyfish, by God's grace, every human has the potential to have eternal life. The key word is 'potential.' God's Word tells us the obvious truth that all of mankind enters this world spiritually dead. But we have the potential to become, in a sense, clones of the Lord Jesus Christ and thus to live with Him forever. That's God's desire. He wants people to trust His Son and have eternal life. And those who do go from the potential of eternal life to the possession of eternal life. And then, from there, we can become more and more like Him. Paul tells us in Romans 8:29, 'For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.' That's the potential for true Christians. Through testing us, stretching us, and teaching us from His Word, God is working at making us more and more into the likeness of His Son. That should be the desire of every true believer - to be more like Jesus day by day. And then, one future day, we'll reach our full potential and be 'like Him' (1 John 3:2). As the old song says, 'What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see!'

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The names of six NCK Tech students from Rooks County have been named to the Fall 2023 Honor Roll (3.5 to 4.0 GPA). Four from Rooks County were named to the Honorable Mention (3.0 to 3.49 GPA).

The 2023 Stockton High School (Grades 9-12) Semester 1 Honor Rolls have been released. To be eligible, the student must be considered full-time and have no D’s, F’s, or incomplete for the grading period.

This week, on the last day of 2023, we were fortunate to have missionaries Bruno and Luciene Moraes with us to talk about their mission in Recife, Brazil. Bruno has been the executive director of the Brazil Christian Mission since 2016. First Christian Church has been a yearly supporter of the mission.

TIME. It's nothing new. Everyone has the same amount to use each day. The brainiest scientists on earth can't create more of it. Not even artificial intelligence will ever be able to invent more. Despite their billions, the uber-rich can't buy more. And no one can store it away and spend it later in life. Also, worrying about it provides no help. That's why Jesus said in Luke 12:25, 'And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?' Moses spoke wisely in Psalm 90:12, saying, 'So teach us to number our days.'

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