Hello Friends, I have to share this with you. Last week, I was listening to a very interesting and encouraging children’s message regarding pencils. I will admit, I was a little confused at first, but by the end of the message the point of the lesson was loud and clear. The teacher gave each person a pencil and a small notebook; and asked each person to write something or draw something in that notebook. Everything seemed to be going to plan until someone said, “My pencil isn’t sharpened.” Then another person said,......

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Hello Friends, Well, did you make it through your first full week of school? Are any of you tired, worn out, or ready for summer vacation? After my first week of school, no matter what grade I was in, I was always tired after the first full week of school. There was so much to learn, so much to memorize, so many things to keep track of, and always remembering when snack time was. There was just so much to make my brain tired; so by the end of my first week......

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Dear Gracious God, we pray that you bless the students: that you grant them wisdom to learn, motivation to grow their curiosity, and compassion to do unto others as they would have done to themselves. May their pencils bring success and right answers, may their colored pencils, crayons, and markers bring color to their imagination, and my their notebooks be filled with stories of hope and achievements. May their folders contain the excitement of new beginnings, may their glue sticks remind them that your love, O Lord, is stuck with them, and......

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Hello Friends, Well the week that some of you have been dreading or have been anxiously waiting for all summer has arrived: the start of a new school year will commence in just a few days! Here in Oblong, school starts on Friday, August 19, 2022, and you can certainly feel the school spirit in the air as the community gathers to support the children, the teachers, the librarians, the music teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitors, and those involved in the school system. Whether we want to realize it or not,......

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Hello Friends, Summer is winding down….Are you getting ready for school to start again? I was trying to remember my very first day of school, and let me tell you its tough trying to remember all those years ago! I remember getting a new backpack, going school supply shopping, watching my mom write my name on every single crayon and marker, and making sure I new my address and telephone number. There was a lot going on for my 6 year old self back in 2001. Trying to remember that day, got......

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Hello Friends, Summer is almost over….and I can’t believe it! It feels like summer just began. I was looking at my summer to do list and there is still so much to do. Speaking of lists, I have noticed recently that some stores and websites are posting school supply lists. Have you bought any school supplies yet? I remember while I was elementary school, I would get my school supplies at least a few weeks in advanced, but by the time I was in High School I usually got my school supplies......

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Hello Friends, How are you doing today? Did you enjoy a week without any rain? I have been noticing around town and especially in some of the local stores that school supplies and school supply lists are being posted….Can you believe that school is just around the corner? Are you ready to go back to school? I don’t know about you, but I liked going to school, seeing my friends and planning for certain classroom parties, but I also enjoyed Summer vacation. What about you? Speaking of “seeing” our friends, have you......

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Hello Friends, How are you doing today? Did you have a good weekend? Would you believe me if I told you that even though the Fourth of July was almost a week ago, I still saw and heard fireworks going off! It seems like the celebrations may last for forever. I guess celebrating our freedom is something we should do all the time! Did you know that God wants us to celebrate our freedom all the time? The Apostle Paul wrote to the people in Galatia, “For you were called to freedom…”......

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Hello Friends, Can you believe that tomorrow is the 4th of July? Do you have any plans? Are you going to go watch fireworks? Are you going to stay home and shoot off your own fireworks? Are you spending time with family, friends, or your neighbors? What are you doing for the 4th of July? Being that this is my second 4th of July here in Oblong (and since I am not unpacking any boxes), I am going to try to go watch some fireworks! But did you know that the 4th......

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Hello Friends, How are you doing today? Can you believe that we are officially in the Summer season? It has certainly felt like Summer for several days, but now it is officially Summer! Pretty soon the sun is going to rise later and set sooner as we get closer to Fall and then Winter…but for now, I think we should just enjoy these long sunny days! I recently read that over the next few months, because the Summer sky has been so clear, you can actually go outside, about an hour before......

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