Happy Thursday. Geni arrived home safely and Bruce is about an hour away. Praise God! He worked in Bossier City, LA today. I am very ready for him to come home and stay a bit closer to home for a while.

Today, I faithfully wore my Elvis Has Left the Building t-shirt and played Elvis music as my children entered the room today.

Carme update: the current plan is to have a mastectomy and reconstruction. The mass is between 1 and 2 cm and may have some fingers running off of it. It is near the chest wall. The cancer is called Invasive Ductile Carcinoma (IDC). Carme says it is the most common type of breast cancer. It there is no invasion of the lymph nodes then there may be no need for chemotherapy or radiation. Carme’s cancer is classified as Stage1 or possibly Stage 2. Please continue to pray for her and Dave for healing strength and guidance. Thank you all so very much.

Deb Koplen update. Deb is still planning to go home tomorrow afternoon sometime. Her equipment will be delivered tomorrow morning and she and “Miss Chips” will be reunited once again. Please keep Deb in your prayers as she transitions from almost two months in the hospital to home.

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you.” Today I was listening to my drive time devotion on the way to school. I don’t remember the scripture verse, but the message was on faith and forgiveness. The phrase I remember most of all was this, “Take God at His Word.” That phrase kept popping up in my thoughts throughout the day. I first thought about God’s Word and how we can always call on it and claim it for instruction and comfort in our lives. And then I thought about what it means to “take God at His Word.” God promises abundant life and to meet our needs. These are not to be confused with life in abundance (like material things) or to give us what we want in terms of earthly things.

God promises, through His Son, Jesus, to love us completely and eternally. God promises if we will be His people, then He will be our God. And God promises that He will be with us when we ask, when we search and throughout our life here on earth so that we will spend our life eternal with Him. When Jesus died on that cross God said give Me your problems, give Me your sorrows, give Me your burdens and cast your cares on Me because I love you. He in essence said, “Take me at My Word.” God is not the author of lies or broken promises. Take Him at His Word and trust Him in all things and with all things. His Holy Word says, “Ask and it shall be given, seek and you will find and knock and the door will be opened.” Let us begin this New Year dependant on God, His Word and His promises.

Let the journey begin and 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.