Happy Tuesday!

There are things I will miss about teaching first grade. One of the main things I will miss will be the stories. First graders tell stories like no other. Here is today’s story.

The Gospel According to Lily

I sit with my students at lunch. I have done this practice for years. And in all that time I have never had a conversation about school with the children. They talk about everything except school activities. Today was no different.

Lily is a precious little blond haired girl with a slight lisp and an extraordinary ability to speak. Today she told me the Creation story from Genesis. I will begin about mid-way through.

Lily shared “that man and that woman were in the garden and the woman told the man to eat one of the peaches. (Lily now has my full attention.) So the man ate the peach and there was a boy. That boy turned into a snake. God got really mad at the man and the woman and threw them out of the garden. God told them, “I only gave you one rule!” (By now I am biting my lip to keep from completely falling apart with uncontrolled laughter.) ”Then God put a big angel at the garden gate and the man lived to be 100 years old. (I do believe that Lily gets it! I laughed for the remainder of the day every time I thought about Lily’s story.)

Prayer: “Dear Father, tonight I rest my body from this really long day. And even though it is late at Your pleasure I will rise tomorrow to a day of working, watching, and waiting. With Your direction I will serve You, regardless of my occupation. I will watch for You with the expectancy that You will soon return for me and for all who have faith in Jesus. With the eager music of Your Spirit playing songs of faith, hope, and love within me. I will long for Your perfection. Good night, my Lord!”

Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith.”

God sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice and the model of the godly life. Jesus kept on doing good things no matter what the cost and how frustrated He must have become with those stubborn, self-reliant, egotistical people in Judea. I feel fairly sure that people have not changed even unto March of 2011. God keeps doing things for us through His very essence, the Holy Spirit. We could never repay the goodness God has done in our lives but what we can do is “pay it forward.” Even when our heads hurt from nodding north and south and our bodies ache from carrying a load for a brother or sister in Christ, we are called to continue on helping and to not lose heart.

Jesus took on a task of reconciling the world unto Himself by showing all with whom He came into contact the way to the Father. We are not asked to sacrifice ourselves as Jesus did, but we are called to serve in His name and do acts of random kindness to those with whom we live, work and play. In paying it forward we can love, forgive, help, pray and listen to those who are members of the household of faith.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift one another up in prayer each day remembering that each of us is fighting some sort of battle. 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.

Praise! Geni has passed all three of her Texas required exit tests for teaching. We are so proud of her! Now every one, please pray for her to be able to be employed in a school in the fall! Thanks, gc