Happy Wednesday!! It has been quite a day. First, I was late to school due to an accident on the highway. I sat for a while. Luckily I have a principal who listens to the radio and expected me to call, a school secretary who takes great notes and a student teacher. I finally got to school around 8:10. My class was doing well when I arrived. Yea!!

I left school around noon to attend Robert Brooks funeral service. I prayed the city of Duncanville did not come under siege because it seemed the entire Duncanville police force was in the Lutheran Church attending the funeral service of their fallen brother. The sanctuary was full and the overflow was full. The service was led by Pastor Joel Burkholder from Advent Lutheran Church. The service was very honoring. The color guard folded the flag as Taps was played. A bagpipe player played Amazing Grace as the casket was being prepared to leave the sanctuary and then played another piece as the casket left the sanctuary. There was 21 gun salute and finally the policeman’s “Last Call.” This brief tradition is when the police radios retire the badge number of the fallen officer. Pastor’s sermon was inspiring as his sermons usually are. He spoke of his anger at the death of his parishioner and friend Robert Brooks. And even though Robert died without someone at his side, he did not die alone. Christ was with Robert. Pastor said in his message that the most loving and kind thing He did for Robert was to take him home where there is no more pain, no chemotherapy or radiation, but only light, perfect health and peace. I had never considered what a loving act God provided for Casey and Robert, but I think I do now.

Isaiah 55: 8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”

Have you ever considered God? I mean really. How do you picture God? Do you picture God with arms and legs, a face with eyes and ears like ours? We say that we know God is not human, but spirit. But face it, all we have to consider God and the heavenly realm is through earthly eyes. Tonight, Travis led the youth in worship. The topic Travis chose was on healing and prayer. He used scriptures from James and Matthew as his source and then asked the questions; “For what do you pray?” and “How do you feel when God does not answer your prayers as you had hoped?” Travis spoke of his brother and said that his prayer for Casey was not answered as he had hoped. His hope was that Casey would receive an earthly healing. Didn’t we all pray that!! But God had a different type of healing in mind. God planned for Casey to be healed by Him and with Him in heaven. And even thought the answer to that prayer is not the desired response, and we miss Casey terribly, God had a different plan in mind. For you see, scripture says, that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.

The expanse of God is not able to be fathomed by our finite world and our limited sense of Who He is and what He can do. But we can count on God to do the right thing even when we don’t understand.

A meditation I once read asked, “How can God be everywhere at one time?” (Who says God is bound by a body?) and “How can God hear all the prayers which come to Him?” (Perhaps His ears are different from ours.) “How can God be the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?” (Could it be that heaven had a different set of physics than earth?) So when we can’t see and understand the hand of God, then perhaps we just need to trust His heart. We understand His heart because of Jesus.

Let us take joy in the journey even when we are not sure of the destination. Love you friends. Stay dry and warm. 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.

PS The Happening weekend is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are a couple of times during the weekend when the staff and participants receive bags of letters, cards, love gifts etc…A special note of encouragement, small Christian pins or other trinkets like those beaded bracelets, the stretchy rubber bracelets and anything that is encouraging and spiritually uplifting (we call them caritas) or those little pass it on cards for the team and participants is always appreciated. You can bring the notes and cards to Advent Lutheran Church and I will see they are distributed. I think we have about 25 staff and 10 participants. Call me or email me if you need any further help in understanding. From Advent, Travis, Geni, Nichole Burkholder and I are serving on the team. We ask for your prayers throughout the weekend. Thank you all mighty and faithful prayer warriors. Love you! gc