Standard Deviations
      Luke 16:19-21, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.” 
      One of the classes that i found interesting in college was statistics.  i enjoyed the math, and at the time it was more interesting and understandable than calculus.  The use and application was an important part of the class.  The second deviation, SD2, of the curve includes 95% of the statistical “population.”  i realize that this may sound rather foreign, so please bear with me as i look to apply this idea to sharing the Gospel. 
     If our statistical area of emphasis is time spent over the course of a year, i would like to suggest that, as we look to share the Gospel, we should look to opportunities that occur during 95% of our time (SD2), not opportunities that are rare (< 5% of the time)(SD3-4).  
      In the parable of the rich man, Lazarus lay at the rich man’s gate every day, in the 95% of the time.  The everyday is, well, ordinary, easy to overlook, to ignore.  It is easy to miss the opportunities to encourage, build-up, share Gospel nuggets when they are in the first two standard deviations of our time.  To make matters worse, we are often focused on the opportunities that are in the 3rd and 4th SD.  These opportunities often seem far more exciting: like mission trips and vacation Bible school opportunities.  (i am not implying these opportunities are unimportant, merely that they fall into the 5%, and often distract us from the work we have during the 95%.)  Our co-workers, peers, and family all fall into the 95% (SD1-2).  They are the ones that God has placed us around for the majority of our time, and it is on this population God wants us to have the greatest impact (95% of our impact).  
     We need to be taught to have our eyes wide open to the opportunities that are at our doorstep so as not to miss the most obvious window to share a Gospel filled message. (It might just be “hello” with a smile.) I would like to call these opportunities in SD1&2 as being part of the Lazarus curve.  We should chase Gospel sharing moments in the Lazarus curve.  Moments in the “everyday,” in the 95%, in SD1-2, and not be distracted by the moments outside of the Lazarus curve.  This is a point of emphasis in my teaching.  I do not want the students missing the student in the locker next to them due to the distraction of an event that happens once in a blue moon.  In fact 68% (SD1)  of our time: teaching, learning, and practicing sharing the Gospel should be focused on family and our closest circle of friends.  27% (SD2) should be spent on the next circle: co-workers, extended family, and neighbors.  Topics of how to relate the Gospel should also be considered under the Lazarus curve as well in order to maximize success.  What are the topics that come up the most often (SD1-2) that are the most helpful in sharing the Gospel?  Too often our emphasis is in SD3-4 discussing “how to save children in Darfur.”  Not that that is unimportant.  It is just not practical to our every day living in our immediate time and place – Acts 17:26.   i realize this approach may be unique, but it does help us prioritize and evaluate the idea of how we can be the most effective in sharing the Gospel every day.  Our Lutheran schools are concerned with this kind of Kingdom growth.  We are putting the Lazarus curve into practice.  
Join the movement! 
Come Lord Jesus, Amen!

Paul Steinhaus, Principal

Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This is an interesting quote.  Look at the heroes of faith and there are not many (any) that were involved in moving mountains.  There are certainly lots of miraculous events that surround the lives of the Biblical heroes, but mountain moving is not popular in the list.  So what are we to do with this info?  First is this: A little faith can do A LOT.  What is faith supposed to do?  Answer:  Share.  We are to share the Gospel.  The Gospel, in turn, moves hearts and minds.  Therein lie the “Big Mountains.”  There is nothing more immovable, more stubborn, than when a person digs in their heals and plants their butt and heart and mind.  Moving those stubborn butts is the most unlikely thing to take place, right up there with moving a mountain.  

Sharing your faith, even if it is a small, little faith, can have a huge impact.  If God puts you in the arena with an immovable, big butt mountain, it may take years of sharing the Gospel.  The Gospel will do the work.  As the Gospel looks to penetrate the heart and mind of the “mountain,” it takes the faith of the individual to maintain a meaningful and effective relationship to continue to share that small faith in meaningful and effective ways.  In this manner, with persistence and endurance, Big Butt Mountains will move.  

​There is nothing more important to me as a teacher than opening the eyes of students to their potential to being a mountain mover.  We look to be very deliberate in helping them be meaningful, effective, empathetic, patient, and loving.  We could call this discipleship, and we do.  But, it is merely living the Call of being a Christian.  Your help in this process is greatly appreciated.  May God bless our steps!!!  
Come Lord Jesus, Amen!

Paul Steinhaus, Principal 

     I was attending my oldest daughter’s college orientation meeting when the director of admissions was discussing her own high school.  She said her high school stopped giving finals in their classes.  She continued by stating that this was a huge disservice to her continued educational pursuits and her college experience.  The trend to end giving finals at the high school level has been a movement for some time.  There are several area schools that do not give finals.  At MLHs we will continue to give finals as a service to help prepare students for the opportunities ahead of them.  Preparation for great things does not happen without a little effort.  We work very hard to help students find success not merely in finals, but also in the day to day operations.  
      When it comes to our spiritual lives, we are expected to take a final.  It can be and often is STRESSFUL.  However, in faith, we realize that Jesus has taken our test for us, and He has passed it with flying colors.  This frees us to move forward in Joy to share the Gospel.  This is a Truth we also share at MLHS.  We do not merely help students prepare for and pass academic finals.  We help them prepare for and “pass” their spiritual finals as well.  Training and strengthening the faith walk of teenagers is critical.  Poor preparation, whether in school or faith, leads to tougher steps going forward.  Putting in the effort and making the sacrifices necessary to provide quality preparation can, and does, make an Eternal difference.  MLHS needs everyone’s help to help us as we strive to make these differences in families’ lives.  Parents, let us help you with your high schooler. Teens, let us help you be ready for the life God has planned for you. Final registration days for the upcoming school year are August 6th & 8th. We stand ready to help!  

                                                                                  Come, Lord Jesus, Amen!

                                                                                   Paul Steinhaus, Principal

​     Recruitment of new students and families sometimes feels sticky.  The whole idea of “what can i say to convince them” is laced with political baggage.   Personally that idea does not work well with me.  Martin Luther High School is a ministry established by area Lutheran Churches and their members to reach young people with the Gospel.  This is not about selling points or convincing arguments.  
    There is a strong stewardship discussion of dollars and cents that can follow.  The biggest questions that Martin Luther High School hears are: “Why pay for something you can get for free?”  “What are you paying for at MLHS that is different from the public ‘free’ school?”  And, “What is worth the cost of tuition?”  
     What you are NOT paying for, and what we CANNOT promise, includes higher ACT scores, higher grades, better Christians, and/or heaven.  We can promise an environmental difference.  It is not a perfect environment, but one that will emphasize and teach objective right and wrong.  We will not teach acceptance, but we will teach empathy.  We will teach confidence in Christ, not confidence in self.  We will teach discipline and forgiveness different than rules and punishment.  We will teach gifts, talents, and blessings as opposed to earning our way, “looking deep inside,” and survival of the fittest.  (When you consider that public schools have to teach that “survival of the fittest” is at our biological core with no alternatives, wouldn’t you expect bullying to be accepted and practiced as normal?)  When you start adding all of our environmental differences and the impact those differences can and do have on success, there is something of significant value in our Christian schools.  There is a strong secondary impact of our culture that certainly does carry into grades, ACT scores, and Christian living.  This is deliberate and liberating.
     For me, it is less about recruitment and more about “Fit.”  Maybe a better word would be “Fit-ness,” meaning the degree to which one fits.  The degree of Fit-ness needs to be right.  If families are here for the grades, or some other factor, then there will be friction.  If families are here for Christ in the culture and the impact that can have on their student(s), then there will be a high degree of Fit-ness. It all comes down to culture.  We promise to keep the Truth of Christ at our Core.  This difference yields spiritual and eternal Fit-ness. Martin Luther High School and our ministry partners hope you find this valuable enough to experience better Fit-ness for your family.  
                                                                                                 Come Lord Jesus, Amen!

                                                                                                  Paul Steinhaus, Principal

    It is amazing how many times i will hear statements to the effect of “That’s never going to happen.”  Kind of like: “The Cubs will never win the World Series.”  Or, i have heard students say, “I am never going to use that (class).  I am going to be…..”  My first response is usually something like, “How is it that you know the future?”  A statement of future forecast was recently stated regarding one of our athletic programs.  It is true that there are no guarantees.  However, there are some things we can control to ensure that our teams can compete and regularly achieve success.  One of the strongest keys to success is a program that develops its participants.  In athletics, one must train up the young athletes in the skills, movements, and vocabulary early on, so one can then teach the next steps of strategy and consistency in execution.  Fun should not be ignored at the earliest levels either, nor at any level.  Training the youngest athletes allows them to mature more quickly and be more successful in their sport(s) of interest.  A successful program following this type of blue-print can become a consistent competitor.  Proof is found in the number of programs that consistently find themselves challenging for championships at just about every level in every sport.  (The Packers come to mind, :-) along with Alabama football, Penn State volleyball, U Conn women’s basketball, Bethlehem Academy volleyball, Waupon volleyball, just to name a few.   If the protocol for success is abandoned, or not followed, success can only happen by accident or by anomaly (one hit wonders). 
​
    The same thing can be said of our Christian schools.  We need to follow the protocol of training our young students so they can mature more quickly and be more successful.  We also look to minimize the school of hard knocks.  They do not always need to learn the hard way. We need to teach them the Biblical fundamentals early on.  Then we can help prepare them with the necessary apologetic tools to share their faith with others.  In a similar methodology found in successful athletic programs, sharing the Gospel should also be “fun” (joy filled – 1 John 1:4).  The Bible lays out this plan:  Deut 6:4-9, Ps 78, Prov 22:6, Matt 19:14, Eph 6:4, 2 Tim 3:15ff, James 3:1, Heb 12:12ff, and many others.  The Church is here to help parents accomplish this. As parents, Lynn and i recognize our need for help in this, and we are so grateful to the dedicated teachers/ministers that have helped us along the way.  Our family is the beneficiary of the Church’s vision of Christ-centered education.  Please join us in the benefits of the Christian educational process.  At MLHS, our sole purpose is the purpose of souls.  It is vocational training for life.  

                                                                                                                          Come Lord Jesus, Amen!
                                                                                                                          Paul Steinhaus
                                                                                                                          Principal/Teacher/Coach

Some comments may be found offensive to the reader - Luke 12:51.

i may have written various grammatical "errors" - Matt 5:22, Matt 12:10ff.

This may illicit a response that will be counter-cultural - Matt 5:16.

An important question for us is:  Are we (MLHS) being successful in our ministry?  This then begs the question:  What is functional and successful ministry?  Both of these questions need answers in order for us to evaluate our success, or lack thereof.  We are in the midst of the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation process.  This process is a strong tool to help us determine our level of success.  At an even deeper level is to determine the value of one person’s faith being well grounded for a lifetime.  When looking at all the things we do at MLHS (academics, extra-curriculars, counseling, advising, etc), the most important is faith development connected to reality and the ability to share the message of Christ.  How do we accomplish this affectively?  We need beautiful feet!  We need feet to bring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23).  

We have a faculty & staff that is dedicated to doing exactly that, and we all    recognize the need to be better at what we do.  None of us are perfect, and we need more feet to help.  You see, we are well aware that our push to success comes with significant opposition: “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  This is a multiple front attack.  Satan attacks our steps to be fruitful.  He attacks our steps toward fiscal solvency.  He also hits the culture with backwards steps toward apathy and the illusion that we can do things all by ourselves.  God’s plan was, and still is, that we operate as team: “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen 2:18).  We need more feet!  We need more feet to encourage.  We need more feet to help us financially.  We need more feet to send out “into all the world” (Matt 28:19-20).  

Help us be successful by offering your feet for service.  When we think of you, we want to shout out, “How lovely on the mountains (and on the plains of southern MN)  are the feet of him who brings Good News, Who announces Peace and brings good news of happiness, Who announces Salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"  (Isaiah 52:7) 

Come Lord Jesus, Amen!

Paul Steinhaus, Principal

i have heard it often:  “Oh, that is where ‘those kids’ go.”  The definition of “those kids” changes    depending on the prevailing culture, or population, sharing the statement.  That is where the those rich kids go.  That is where those kids who cannot make it in the public school go.  That is where those kids who need the small school,   
one-on-one help go.  That is where those pre-college kids go. That is where those goodie, goodie, Jesus kids go.  i have heard other “descriptions” as well.  
i would suggest that we have those parents who want their kids in an environment where Jesus is incorporated into the curriculum, the discipline, the extra-curriculars, the music, the art, the hallways, the everything.  These parents are committed to making this happen.  
Yes, we have those kids!  And, we have that Jesus.  It is this Jesus that wants a relationship with our kids and our families.  It is this  Jesus, who was promised in the garden, showed up at Christmas, nailed it at Easter, and will return.  It is this Jesus that has proven His commitment to us. Our Christian schools look to bring those kids (all kids) to that Jesus! 
If you want this as well, we have room for more.  We would love to help!