The Friday Finish - God Is Faithful, Life More Abundantly - Baseball & Track Openers - "exactly what I was looking for" - Holler Crunch Certified
- Tim Crawford
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
April 3, 2026
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
-Isaiah 53:5
God is Faithful, Life More Abundantly
Easter is a time for hope and Wednesday’s chapel services at Red Bird Christian School sent students home for Easter break with the message of hope. Mr. Mark Smallwood started each service sharing hopefulness through a song based on Psalm 91 written by Marilyn Brock, former Red Bird Hospital Home Health Nurse.
When Marilyn served as a missionary in Africa before coming to Red Bird, there was an infant named Johnny that had been abandoned by his family. No one wanted him so Marilyn took him in and adopted him. Marilyn and Johnny were both at Red Bird when Mark first came. Johnny graduated from Red Bird Mission School and established himself with a job and family. Marilyn’s husband passed, her home burned and Marilyn’s health has become fragile to the point of needing someone to care for her.
Mark shared,
“Marilyn had no place to go. Guess where she is? She’s with Johnny at his house, and now he's caring for her.
“Have you ever heard the word Karma? Some religions talk about Karma, and really, it's a Christian teaching. Here's the Christian version.
God is faithful to you, when you when you are faithful to him. He is faithful you.”
Students also heard about the Passion Week through video and the spoken word at this week’s chapel. Elementary grades watched an animated version that simply and appropriately told the story of the events of Passover week through the resurrection and up to the ascension of Jesus.
Mr. John Lundy, Chapel Committee Chair and Middle School/High School Sciences, shared the passion story with middle and high school students beginning with the historical account of Publius Tacitus who described Christianity as “a mischievous superstition that originated in Judea.”
Lundy continued, “Tacitus explains the origin of the name Christ. He states that Christus, or Christ, suffered the extreme penalty of crucifixion. If you take the Bible out of the situation it [historical documentation by Tacitus] proves that Jesus Christ suffered a crucifixion. He [Tacitus] looked at this man, thinking
why would somebody suffer such things?”
Mr. Lundy then walked the students through each day of the passion week explaining the significance of Jesus’ acts as it relates to each one’s faith, inner purity, relationships with others, devotion to Jesus, and personal acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ. He then brought the group to the focus of Easter Sunday saying,
“
It's Sunday, a day that exposes the reality that Christ is no longer dead in the grave. See, it's the day that shows us what
he endured so that we may live, and live a life more abundantly.
It's the day that has sealed salvation for all who will receive it.
“It's the day that allows us to pray His will be done in our lives. It's the day that we celebrate every day because salvation cannot and will not be celebrated in just a single day. We have the opportunity to life because he gave his life.
Will you let this season pass without seeking for a change in your life?”
As he closed in prayer, several raised hands acknowledging they accepted the sacrifice of Christ giving them the assurance of an abundant life and eternal life in Christ this Easter!
Baseball and Track Openers
Those coming after the first pitch last Thursday didn’t have to ask about the score, inning and outs as Red Bird Cardinal Baseball hosted its first home game of the 2026 season thanks to the new electronic scoreboard dedicated last fall to Coach Daugh Sizemore. The Cardinals walked away with a 25-6 (3 innings) win over Oneida Baptist Institute, the first win under the new head coach, Pino Brock. Cardinal Nation is optimistic about the future with several of the varsity players still in middle school.
Red Bird Track and Field, a mix of veteran and up and coming athletes, opened its season last Friday at the Harlan County All Comers Meet. Field athletes finished well among the 10 teams competing. Juniors Ashton Lewis (4th year) marked a 3rd place overall finish in discus and Xavier Roark (1st year) came in 5th place overall in the long jump. Abenzer Dukamo also scored with a 10th place finish in the Boys 800 Meter Run bringing the boys team point total up to 11. All Cardinal girls and boys gave good performances in the cold, wet weather conditions.
Both the Boys Baseball and Track and Field teams deserve a huge shout out for their success considering facilities for training and practice are minimal to non-existent. It’s a tribute to these Cardinal athletes that bring their best efforts responding to their coaches’ instruction and sheer determination to compete at their highest level for their beloved Red Bird Christian School.
“exactly what I was looking for”
“When I read this in Friday’s newsletter, it hit me that this was exactly what I was looking for to honor my parents.”
That was the message received on Monday from one volunteer that wanted to honor her parents’ service as Red Bird staff and volunteers over two decades. The family had enough resources to sponsor an air handler for at least one classroom, and there was a possibility that her company would match the $10,000 so that they could sponsor two classrooms. The donation was made and the company committed to match which means that two rooms – Rebecca Smallwood’s elementary classroom and the music classroom where her husband, Mark, taught – have sponsors.
The remaining classrooms need sponsorship. The Kindergarten classroom has a commitment of $2,000 from a board member but no other classrooms have full sponsorship.
The average cost to buy and install each classroom unit is $10,000. Sponsors donating a minimum $1,000 for a classroom unit will have their name placed on a recognition plaque mounted in the classroom. Donors interested in sponsoring a classroom unit for a particular teacher, grade or subject can access the list online from our website, or request the list via email or USPS mail.
Please help now with an online donation, or mail your check to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607 marked, “Cool the School”. If you’d like to designate a particular room, add that to the check memo line, or the comment box with your online donation.
Holler Crunch Certified for Sale
Another dream was realized this week as Melissa Sparks’ Holler Crunch was certified for public sale Wednesday by Food Manufacturing Inspector Paul Rice. It took place in the Red Bird Valley Kitchen, an inspected and approved commercial kitchen space at Red Bird Mission offered to individuals like Melissa that seek to take a love for cooking, a special recipe, and food prep from a hobby to family income. The Red Bird Valley Kitchen was established through a USDA grant and has been maintained through mini-grants and private donations for a decade.
If you'd like to receive a copy of The Friday Finish in your email inbox each week, click the Subscribe button the bottom of our webpage.
Comments