Happy Monday! Can you believe is December 1st? The first question my students asked me this morning was “How many days until Christmas?” My hopes that my students would have a rather subdued first day back were pretty well dashed. Today, they were extremely noisy and it was one of those days when if you asked them to raise their hands they raised both feet. And on top of all that there was no heat in the building today. The children and their teacher wore their coats all day long. But as Scarlett O’Hara once said, “tomorrow is another day.” I imagine that tomorrow will go much better than today. We have a couple of exciting events coming up very soon in that we are having Field Day this Friday and next week we are going on The North Pole Express. It is a takeoff on the book The Polar Express, and is a train ride taken on the Tarantula Train in Fort Worth. We all wear our pajamas, sing songs, hear stories and have a wonderful time. Perhaps that is why they are so noisy.

Deb Koplen update. She received her diagnosis today. She has been diagnosed with cancer in most of her bones including her skull and some spots in her lungs. Dr. Adams, Casey’s oncologist, is her doctor. Doc is beginning aggressive chemotherapy on her tomorrow. Please pray for her as she begins treatment and the fight of and for her life. Thank you, friends.

Daniel 6:16 says, “May the God you serve all the time, save you.” As I read this scripture tonight and the meditation I thought about our friend Deb Koplen. The meditation cited Jonah in the whale, Joseph in the pit and Daniel in the lion’s den. All of these prophets of the Old Testament were servants of God and when they called out to God, God saved them out of their life and death situations and they continued their missions of prophesy.

The Old Testament Community followed one prophet after another. When one would die there was always another prophet waiting in the wings prepared to pick up where the previous prophet left off. Enter Jesus. The nation of Israel is looking for a political “warrior king” to deliver them from the hand of oppression (warrior king - you know the type – clad in armor entering on a stallion?). They were not expecting a servant king. Jesus served His heavenly Father all of the time, but God did not save Jesus from death. Instead of saving His own Son, God saved us through the death of His Son. And instead of sending another prophet, God returned Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit. We can call on the Holy Spirit to intercede for us at anytime. The Spirit will plead our case before the Father when we call for help and are in need of His saving grace.

Our friend Deb has been a servant of Christ and His church for as long as we have known her. She may be praying this prayer right now. When you read this I ask you to agree in prayer with her. There is amazing power in prayer. She is beginning the journey. Let us help her to take joy in the journey.

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.