Jesus is Always With Us to Infinity and Beyond!
April 09, 2026
鈥淎nd surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.鈥� Matthew 28:20
Last Wednesday, as millions of people gathered around computers and televisions in anticipation of NASA鈥檚 launch of Artemis II, Mrs. Lancaster and her family joined nearly 400,000 enthusiastic spectators along the Florida coast for a firsthand experience and a treasured memory.
Artemis II is currently making history as the first human mission to journey around the Moon since Apollo 17, which occurred more than fifty years ago. This mission has already accomplished the task of carrying four astronauts farther from Earth than any crew has traveled before. Although this spacecraft will not land on the Moon, it has flown around the portion of the moon that is never visible from Earth, allowing these astronauts to become some of the first human eyes to see parts of that surface.
Blessed to have a daughter pursuing a career in space exploration, Mrs. Lancaster received in-depth explanations of the broadcasted communications from Mission Control as soon as the astronauts entered into crew module of the Orion spacecraft. As her family watched the countdown on a monitor and scanned the sky, within seconds of the command for 鈥渓iftoff,鈥� they could see the smoke, hear the engines as the spacecraft passed overhead, and even feel the ground rumble. Those of us watching from afar could appreciate the magnificence of this tremendous accomplishment, but the Lancasters鈥� experience was entirely different because they were actually there.
Last Sunday, Christians around the world were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Through the Scripture accounts found in all four Gospels, we learn of God鈥檚 saving love for us through the power of the resurrection. Through Jesus鈥� excruciating crucifixion and glorious resurrection, we are assured that He saved us from our sins.
However, we can also reflect on what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene, one of the first eyewitnesses to see the empty tomb, to encounter the risen Lord, to observe the marks of His crucifixion, and to hear His voice speaking words of comfort and peace. Mary observed God鈥檚 power over death firsthand!
Mrs. Lancaster went to the Florida with anticipation of the launch. Mary went to the tomb early in the morning, fully unaware of what she was going to experience. Mrs. Lancaster experienced a historic milestone. Mary Magdalene experienced a world changing event that is the foundation of the Christian faith. Mrs. Lancaster experienced great joy sharing her personal experience of the launch. Mary鈥檚 life transformed from fearful to bold, and she became the first messenger to profess to the disciples that Jesus is alive. Lastly, Mrs. Lancaster observed a human achievement, but Mary encountered divine victory over death!
As we reflect upon the Resurrection, let鈥檚 follow Mary鈥檚 faithful example and live a life of tremendous joy and hope, where we boldly proclaim Jesus to those around us.
He is Risen鈥� He is Risen Indeed!
Mrs. Palka
Oh How He Loves You and Me!
March 26, 2026
"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" Luke 24: 5 & 6
Of all of the newsletter articles that I have written over the past twenty-nine years, this is one of my all time favorites, so about every four years, I bring it back for a repeat! Not only do I find the story extremely endearing, but I truly treasure the child-like faith that is expressed. I hope that the message that this young disciple shared touches your heart in the same way that it does mine each time I read this.
Many years ago, two of our Kindergarten students were admiring a new bulletin board that the Preschool teacher had recently displayed in the hallway when the following conversation was overheard:
"Look at Jesus!" stated the first child in an irritated tone. "He's smiling! Why would He be smiling on the cross?"
The second child replied, "Well, of course He was smiling, He loved us so much that He was happy to die for our sins!"
Next week, as we follow Jesus' journey to the cross, may your heart be touched by the realization of how much He truly loves you.
Blessings on your Resurrection Celebration! He is risen indeed!
Happy Easter,
Mrs. Palka
What an Incre-DI-ble Day!
March 19, 2026
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1
I鈥檝e heard that you could learn a lot about someone by examining the contents of his/her automobile. If someone was to look inside your car right now, what would they learn about you?
Last week, if you had the opportunity to examine the contents of Mr. Jeremy Groat, Mr. Jason Nichols, Mr. John Strain, Mrs. Amy Hawn-Smith, Mrs. White, Mrs. Trowbridge, Mrs. Strain, or my own car, you would quickly be able to determine between the numerous rolls of duct tape, game show wheels, shadow screens, palm trees, cardboard boxes, and even a volcano that we are DI coaches!!!
Since 1998, 糖心传媒 has participated in the after school problem solving program entitled 鈥淒estination Imagination", whose mission statement reads 鈥淲e inspire young people to imagine and innovate today so that they become the creative and collaborative leaders of tomorrow.鈥� Through this program, students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges intended to teach the creative learning process. Designed to be totally student driven, children develop and test their own solutions, learn from their failures, and celebrate their achievements and accomplishments.
Throughout our twenty nine years of DI history, we have experienced tremendous blessings from this program. On March 14, 2026, St. Matthew had five teams represent our school during the Destination Imagination State Tournament, which was held at the Albion College campus.
Listed below are the results:
- 1st/2nd Grade Rising Stars do not formally compete but they did an awesome job solving their challenge.
- 4th/5th Grade Team (Mr. Groat and Mr. Nichols) 5th place!
- 3rd Grade Team (Mrs. Hawn-Smith, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Trowbridge) 3rd place!
- 3rd Grade Team (Mrs. Strain) 2nd place and Global qualifier!
- 5th Grade Team (Mr. Strain) 1st place and Global qualifier!
As Global Qualifiers, our two teams are now discerning if they will participate at the Global Finals where approximately 1400 children from forty five states and fourteen countries will have the ability to compete. This event will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, during May 21 - 24.
We thank and praise God for these incre-DI-ble accomplishments!
In Jesus鈥� Love,
Mrs. Palka
Sweet Surprises!
March 12, 2026
鈥淓very good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.鈥� James 1:17
Since January, our family had been planning and coordinating a trip to Chicago last Saturday to surprise my daughter a week early for her 30th birthday. Reservations were made, her best friend carefully crafted the perfect plan to get her to the restaurant where we were waiting, and we even figured out how to get balloons and a cake!
In the weeks leading up to 鈥淥peration Surprise Teenie,鈥� we often laughed about how stressful it was to talk with her on the phone, while constantly making sure we were not the ones to accidentally give the surprise away.
Two weeks ago, she called and mentioned, 鈥淚 think I want to come home next weekend.鈥�
Without even taking a breath, I instantly barked, 鈥淣O YOU CAN鈥橳 DO THAT! NO ONE WILL BE HOME!鈥� Afterwards, I wondered if she was as shocked as I was at the intensity of my reaction.
Yet all the anxiousness and nervous anticipation melted away the moment she walked in and saw us. The look on her face was absolutely priceless鈥攁 moment of pure joy that will remain a treasured memory in this momma鈥檚 heart.
However, another endearing moment occurred in this story. While we were waiting for my daughter to go home to let her dog out so she could spend the rest of the day with us, we stopped at an arcade next to our hotel to keep my six-year-old grandson occupied. Papa purchased him a card with a limited amount of game time, and immediately he gravitated toward a human-sized 鈥淐law Machine鈥�.
I warned him, 鈥淭hose machines are a rip-off. You won鈥檛 win, and you鈥檒l end up wasting the money on your card.鈥�
My words fell on deaf ears. He played that particular game with great intensity because he was determined to win a large green bouncy ball with a picture of 鈥淪onic the Hedgehog鈥� on it. Somehow, by God鈥檚 grace, he actually won it! For the rest of the day, that huge green ball traveled with us everywhere we went. It bounced its way through the streets of Chicago, made its way to Navy Pier, rode the Ferris wheel, and even joined us for dinner at a nice restaurant.
The sad reality, however, was that the ball was too large to take on the plane home the next day. Since becoming grandparents, I鈥檝e discovered that my husband had no trouble disappointing his own children when they were young鈥攂ut disappointing a grandchild is an entirely different matter.
So the next morning, he woke up early and tried everything he could to deflate the ball before we left for the airport. He even took it to the front desk to see if they had a tool that might help, but nothing worked. In the end, we left the precious ball in the hotel room and explained to Max that we had left it behind to make another child happy. Unfortunately, Max was still very sad.
When we arrived at the airport, my husband asked me to call the hotel and find out how much it would cost to ship the ball home. I was connected to the security manager, who ran the dimensions through the FedEx website and came back with an estimate of $358. My immediate reaction was, 鈥淢ax will get over this!鈥�
But then the gentleman said, 鈥淵ou know, I have an air compressor in my office. I鈥檓 going to go get the ball from the room and see if I can deflate it.鈥�
Thirty minutes later, he called back to say he had succeeded and that he was mailing the ball to us in an envelope鈥攆ree of charge. I thanked him profusely and said, 鈥淵ou must be a great dad to understand how important this ball was to a six-year-old.鈥�
He replied simply, 鈥淣o鈥� I just enjoy helping people.鈥�
What makes a complete stranger go to such lengths of kindness? A kind and loving heart.
What makes a family travel to Chicago to surprise a girl for her birthday? The bond of love.
What makes a Savior travel to a cross to die for our sins? The most precious act of love that ever existed.
This Lenten season, as we reflect on Jesus鈥� journey to the cross through personal devotions, prayer, and worship, may we be reminded of His incredible love for us. Even when we cannot fully see it, God is always at work鈥攕ometimes preparing sweet surprises of grace in the process.
As we continue our Lenten journey, may we remember that every step is leading us toward the joy of Easter.
In His Amazing Love,
Mrs. Palka
Guard Your Heart!
March 05, 2026
鈥淎bove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it鈥� Proverbs 4:23
Six years ago, when my mom passed away, my sisters and I made a commitment that we would intentionally get together at least once a year since we are so spread out between California, Tennessee, and Michigan. Winter Break provides the perfect opportunity for us to meet and enjoy the sunshine and sand at Daytona Beach.
However, four years ago, Hurricane Ian struck this area with a vengeance, compromising a high percentage of aging seawalls as well as the foundations of many residences along Daytona Beach. Six weeks later, Hurricane Nicole arrived over the ocean, and her strength was more than many of the already compromised structures could withstand. As a result, many homes, condominiums, seawalls, and pool decks collapsed into enormous piles of concrete rubble.
Each year since, we have watched the community rebuild, using hurricane-resistant materials such as concrete and steel. The most significant improvement, however, has been the installation of brand-new engineered seawalls. These 鈥渟tate-of-the-art鈥� barriers now surround every property, acting as a protective shield between the ocean鈥檚 waves and the dwellings they protect.
In a similar way, just as these seawalls protect their designated physical structures, Scripture reminds us to guard and protect our hearts.
This week, the sixth graders and I have been studying 1 Samuel, and one of the verses that generated a great discussion was:
鈥淭he Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart鈥� (1 Samuel 16:7).
Everything in our lives flows from the heart, which serves as the command center of our being. If left unguarded, the heart can become vulnerable, allowing the enemy to sneak in through moments of frustration, hurt, anger, etc.
But how do we guard our hearts? By being cognizant of the things that we watch, the commentaries that we listen to, the conversations that we contribute to both online and in person, the activities that we participate in, etc. If God is honored in those situations, your heart remains guarded. But if the Lord is not glorified in those circumstances, it鈥檚 time for a heart check up and maybe time to do a heart cleanse.
As we journey through this Lenten season, guard your heart, not by your strength, but by God鈥檚. Fill it with His Word, trust His guidance, and let His love be your shield. In doing so, you will walk in peace, wisdom, and purpose, reflecting His light in every area of your life.
God鈥檚 richest blessings during this Lenten season as you reflect on His great love for you,
Mrs. Palka