Fun on Galveston beach.

Happy Monday!

Carme landed safely, and arrived the same at our home this morning. The weather was perfect to have breakfast on the deck (and Jackson did not get any coffee cake today!). After visiting and cleaning the kitchen we went to my school to survey the work to be done. Carme was amazing. She put my computer center together. We came home for lunch and had a wonderful visit for the remainder of the day. Carme looks amazing and it was so wonderful to have her here even if it was just for a few brief hours. Bruce may be making a trip to San Antonio next week and will get to see both Dave and Carme. Please pray for their family as on the upcoming weekend they will move David’s mother from an assisted living center into an Alzheimer’s care facility.

Psalm 81: 9 “There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.”

This summer I attended water aerobics classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9:00. Those classes were very important to me and I did not miss unless there was a very important reason (like a cruise or Bible Study!) I place a high priority on that time and the classes became a part of my weekly summer routine.
Now that school is starting back up I can no longer attend the morning classes and will have to switch to an evening class. The evening classes are Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6:00 and Saturday morning at 9:00. After working at school all day I am really going to have to “exercise” discipline and place this event as a serious priority or I will find excuses to not go. I can already hear the excuses of “I’m tired,” “it is dinner time and I need to be at home cooking dinner,” “I have papers to grade and studying to do…” and the list could continue. The truth is that it was far easier to go in the morning at the beginning of the day than it will be to go at the end of the day. At the end of July I purchased new swimsuit, water aerobics shoes and a set of weights to enhance my workout. I have all of the equipment and now I just need the self-discipline to go to class at a different time.

God has blessed me with a hunger and thirst for the Word. I have a Bible (several) and I have the time to read scripture and reflect on it each night without being really tired, right now. But what is going to happen as this week progresses? Am I still going to have the self-discipline to read and reflect on scripture when I am so tired from working in my room all day? Will I remain faithful to my Morning Prayer time? I have the equipment, but will I remain faithful to my spiritual life when my time is no longer at my own discretion? Or will I place other “gods” in the place of my spiritual journey? Will I remember to pray “Lord, I love You so much, I just want to serve You.”

My prayer for myself is that I can keep a balance in my life. It really is not a balance I am looking for, it is remembering with Whom my priorities lie. If I can keep my eyes fixed on Christ then I believe the rest will fall into place.

How about you? Where and with whom do your priorities lie? Let us decide today to place Christ first and place no strange gods before Him. Let us all rise with Christ in the mornings, live with Christ during the day and rest with Christ at bedtime. I believe if we keep Christ in our focus then he will lead us and help us in our self-discipline and make strong our weak excuse making wills.

Take care, my friends, 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.