'Tis the Season

And so it begins...

By my count, there are sixteen and one-half days of school before the Christmas break if I include today. These are some of the most challenging days to teach for any teacher, the stretch from Thanksgiving break to Christmas break, because the peppermint and evergreen scent of the next big holiday grows stronger and stronger as the day draws nearer, and that aroma energizes children and can cloud their minds. May God help us if the skies should open and bestow upon us a blanket of snow, no matter how thin or temporary.

The elementary students are in rehearsals for the Christmas musical. This year's production will be something called, "Aaron, the Allergic Shepherd" and it should be amusing since Aaron is allergic to wool. We have some wonderful singers and actors in the elementary grades, so I anticipate a great performance which will usher in the presence of God as only the youngest among us can do.

This season also means it is time to once again prepare Christmas shoe boxes for the needy. This year, some shoe boxes are going to Haiti and some are going to Baltimore outreach areas to bless children. If you are reading this blog and wish to participate, it is easy to do. Take a shoe box, fill it with small gifts for either a boy or a girl, then wrap the box in Christmas gift wrap and bring it to the school by December 16th at the very latest. What should you put in the shoebox? Get a mixture of practical and fun things: toothbrush and toothpaste, washcloth and soap, a pair of socks or some mittens or a hat, some candy or edible, non-perishable treats, a book, some crayons or markers or colored pencils or pens, a little book of word find puzzles, a stuffed toy, a yo-yo - just simple things that would be stocking stuffers. Put a tag on your show box and label it BOY or GIRL and give an age estimate too, so that your gift ends up in the right hands.

Pray for GGCA. I know you do, but I am asking you to pray for protection from sickness, for safety in the parking lot and on the roadways, for God's blessings on moms and dads and marriages and home life. Pray for each teacher. Pray for the office staff. Pray for me. I need prayer so that I don't wear out, so I don't lose sight of what we're all doing. We need to be about our Father's business, just like Jesus was in Luke 2.

My thought for today is that Jesus has never stopped loving me and He never will. My soul sings that over and over again and I hold onto this truth for dear life. No matter what else comes my way, my God has always loved me and always will. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know "thus saith the Lord."