Blessed Sunday to all. Worship was awesome today. We sang so many perfect praise and worship songs and the congregation really opened up their hearts and voices and sang praises to God. As we look to the week ahead, Travis and Geni have a couple of more days in school and Bruce is working at least Monday and Tuesday. I think I may be going to Wichita Falls with him tomorrow. It is a long drive to do 15 minutes worth of work, but somebody has to do it. I will go along just for the company (and to see a little different scenery for a change).

James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and God will come near to you.” On October 21, 2007 in the early evening I was walking from the kitchen into the living room where Casey was laying on the couch. He said, “Mom, I am having trouble breathing. It hurts when I breathe deep.” Those are the words that began to change the course of our lives for the past year. Today in worship, we sang Breathe. This song is such a powerful prayer to God telling Him how much we need Him and that we cannot live our lives without Him. I began to pray about this song before arriving at church. And then I remembered the conversation on October 21, 2007.

Fast forward to October 14, 2008. Casey is on oxygen and struggling to breathe even with oxygen being pumped into him through a canula. And today I not only sang, but I listened to the words of this song. The words are “This is the air I breathe. Your Holy Presence living in me. This is my daily bread. You’re very Word, spoken to me. And I’m desperate for You. And I’m lost without You.” I am amazed that this song, Breathe, was the last song Casey ever sang. Casey told the Father how desperate he was for Him. Maybe Casey knew that his time on earth was short. I do not know if Casey had any of that foreknowledge, but I know God does not do anything by accident. And I believe that God placed that song in Casey’s heart and voice as a witness to all about how much God loves all of us and desperately wants to permeate our lives and live through us, His children before something catastrophic happens.

As I began to ponder the words to this song I began to think, what is the first thing we do when we are pushed from the womb? We breathe. Breath is life giving and grace filled. We take in air for the first time. We struggle to take in air because we have never performed this act before. God places His Holy Spirit in us when we are forgiven of our sins and cleansed of our unrighteousness. His Holy Spirit, as we learn more about God through His Son Jesus, prepares us for whatever life throws at us. The Holy Spirit tells us that we are not alone in this journey and that God, living in us, will be with us always.

Casey now breathes the Holy Spirit each and every day. He does not struggle to breathe because he lives in the presence of God, the eternal Holy Spirit. A year ago, Casey came near to God and God came near to him and never let Casey out of his sight, his arms or His presence. God spoke His very Word to Casey and Casey was not afraid.
On this side of heaven we can only come near to God. When God comes near to us does He find us struggling to breathe in His Holy Spirit? Or do we sing “I’m lost without you and desperate for You.” Can we surrender to Jesus on this side of heaven without having something catastrophic occur?

Most of us take breathing for granted. We just assume that we will continue to take our next breath unlabored and unassisted. But God gives us the Holy Spirit. If you think about it, the life-giving force we depend upon the most is the air we breathe. Above water and food is air. Without air we are dead fast. That is bad enough, but without the Holy Spirit we are spiritually dead, and that translates into living for eternity without the presence of God. The breath of God that passed over the waters and caused the fish to form, the same air that stirred up the cloud that lead the Hebrew nation out of Egypt and into the promised land is the same Holy Spirit that caused the people at the day of Pentecost to understand each other in different languages. This is the same Holy Spirit that God gives us to breathe in so that He may live in us always.

The journey between October 2007 and October 2008 was never easy, but it was always peaceful because even though the storm was going on constantly, the peace of God, His Holy presence was always there. This Holy Presence, this precious Holy air, the Holy Spirit is there for us whether we are joyful on the mountain top or despairing in the valley or just plodding day to day down the road. It is the power of the Holy Spirit breathing in us that allows us to take joy in the journey. So beloved friends, say a prayer of Thanksgiving for the journey and take joy in the One who leads us.

Take joy in the journey. Love you all with great thanksgiving, 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.