Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I don’t know about you, but as the turkey said, “I’m stuffed!!” Sorry, it is a first grade joke. I hope all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day spent with friends, family and delicious food. There were about 25 family members for lunch at my brother’s house and he delivered the most beautiful table grace. Our family stood together and gave thanks for the bounty before us, remembering the Thanksgivings when we were children spent at our Mamo’s house and later at our Mom and Dad’s home and now at his home. Ken gave thanks for those who had gone on before us to heaven; those who had gone on in long years past or those who had just left us recently. It was a lovely Thanksgiving Day filled with the goodness of the earth, the joy of family fellowship and the presence of God in each heart.

Deb Koplen update. I received a call from the hospital this morning from the nurses at the ICU at AMH where she had been transferred. Evidently there was a snafu with her pain meds and the nurses had a bit of trouble waking her up and her breathing was a bit irregular. She stayed in ICU until about noon when she was transferred back to 3rd floor. A revamping of her pain medications was ordered and things now seem to be better. I will go and see her tomorrow and report back in the next journal. Please continue to pray for her.

1 Peter 3:18 says, “Christ Himself suffered for sins once. He was not guilty, but He suffered for those who are guilty to bring you to God.” Today I drove back from my brother’s house in Allen. Now if I do not drive myself I usually do not pay attention to how I have arrived at my destination. Suffice it to say I am a champion at getting lost. Just ask anyone who knows me at all and they will tell you that if you give Gaylene directions pretend she is four years old and then pray she understands. I drive a lot by landmarks and rights and lefts not norths and souths. Bruce drove me to Allen today and then left with Travis (who had driven his car) to get him to work on time, leaving me to drive home later so I could have more time with my family. As I left Ken’s house I retraced my path going opposite from where we came and once we got back to the highway I knew how to get home. I kept the highway in my view as I drove through the neighborhood and down unfamiliar streets. I got home just fine and knew exactly where to turn once on the highway.

I think this scripture is like our landmark. For Christ to bring us to God we have to go to the cross. Each of us gets there by a different path, but we all have the same destination. When we keep the cross in our view we can always find our way to God. We can always find our way home. We must all walk the path of forgiveness and repentance keeping the cross as our landmark. Once we have reached the cross there is forgiveness, grace, tender mercies and everlasting love from our Father. Christ welcomes us home with His loving arms outstretched. When you think of Christ on the cross did you ever think that those outstretched arms on that cross were not just a sacrifice, but arms of love outstretched to welcome you home? The arms of love held out by the Son of God saying “welcome home my child, I have been waiting for you.”

The best part of this story of love is that even though I am 53 years old I still get lost. I still have to have directions (very easy to understand directions) given to me. But when I keep my eyes focused on the cross I always know where home is and I can find my way. Those outstretched arms are there waiting to welcome me home no matter how lost I am.

Christ welcomes us all home with His outstretched arms of love. He invites us to eat at the table of Thanksgiving and drink from the goblet of grace.

Take joy in the journey home. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.