There were several of these guys walking around the beach in Cozumel selling photo opportunities with the animals and birds.

Blessed Sunday to you all!

Our family sang in worship today. As you who read this blog each day know, it was our first time to sing without Casey. We sang a lovely piece titled; How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. I did okay until we finished and then I sort of cratered in Bruce’s arms. I missed Casey so much, but I was so proud and blessed that we had Geni and Travis standing between us and singing praises to God. It was my prayer that our voices would be united in praise and glory to God. I pray that if God let Casey peek down from heaven and listen that he was proud of us.

Another piece we sang today as a congregational piece was I Surrender All. Remembering back, we had been in Houston for 4 days. It was a Monday night around 9:30 and preparatory drugs had been pumping through Casey’s body for several hours. The room was darkened except the lamplight that was over his bed. It came time to open up the chemotherapy drugs and Casey was somewhere between asleep and awake. I was standing over him beside the bed and praying. I don’t know how Casey knew but the instant they opened up the chemotherapy drugs he began to sing, “All to Jesus I surrender.” The presence of the Holy Spirit was very powerful and it was a holy moment for me. I did not see a vision of God, but Casey and I were most assuredly in His presence. Whenever I sing that song for the rest of my life I will see Casey’s face bathed in the lamplight and know I was in the presence of the wounded Healer, our very present and living God. (musically it was a bit of an emotional moment for this mom!)

John 6: 28-29 “Then they said to Him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Jesus did not answer with the questions of how you spent your time, how you spend your money, with whom you associate. He did not even answer go and minister to others. He simply says, to perform the work of God you must believe in Me. God asks only to believe in Him and the One He sent. Casey had the most profound faith in God I have ever been blessed to witness. To lay in a bed with poison pumping through his system and sing “All to Jesus I surrender,” was profession of a powerful belief in a holiness that was embedded in his soul.

Today Pastor Joel talked about living a life of faith. But how do we begin? Pastor told of teaching his young son to swim. Pastor kept telling Caleb to jump in and he would catch him. It took Caleb a long time to wrap himself around this jumping in thing. But when he finally jumped in and he trusted his daddy to catch him, Caleb was eager to try again and again. Isn’t our faith the same way? We want to make sure of the path before we set out. There are times when God just wants us to get in the car and drive, or put on our walking shoes and walk on in the midst of trial, and in tribulation, He asks us to sing. Friends they don’t call it a “leap of faith” by accident.

When we surrender to God then we walk in faith and we can do the work of God because we believe.

Take great joy in the journey and wear sun screen. Love you all so much, 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.