Sunday, November 22, 2009

Blessed Sunday!

My apologies for not writing last evening. We attended the Allen vs. South Lake-Carroll High School play off game at Cowboy Stadium with my brother and his family. We had the most wonderful time, but alas, Allen came up one point short of victory. It was a heartbreaking game with two overtimes. Both teams played their hardest, but South Lake Carroll came away victorious. Anyway, the game did not begin until 9:00 pm and was not over until after midnight. We arrived home well after 1:00 am. After midnight as we were leaving the stadium, we sang Happy Birthday to my brother. We are 5 years and 8 days apart in age, with me being the elder. He really was wishing for something more than a song. He was wishing a victory from Allen!

Yesterday I planted my winter pansies. I had begun this project last week on my birthday and added to the flower population using primarily yellow pansies with a few beautiful violet/yellow variety and some beautiful pumpkin orange colored ones. I still have one more small project to go. I will trim back the chrysanthemums surrounding the Casey tree to prepare them for their winter sleep.

John 1:16-17 ”From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”

This morning as I was getting ready for worship I was listening to Mark Lowry. He is a former member of the Gaither Vocal Band, a very fine singer and a very talented Christian comedian. But today he was speaking prior to his singing about what he was like when he first joined the Vocal Band. He described himself as a rock. As he continued being around the Gaithers with their musical direction and their spiritual direction, his life really began to change. He began to grow in his faith because of the people God placed in his life. When he compared himself to a rock in the hands of the Potter, he said, “it was like God was chipping away a piece at a time until all that was left was grace.”

This sentence was the piece to a puzzle that has been rambling around in my head for a while now. God takes things like rocks, things that are dead and forms and fashions them until they are fit for His use. I am learning the lessons of the plants. Some plants are meant to survive the cold of winter and others are meant to sleep and reawaken in the spring. God takes things that are seemingly dead and chips away at them until all that is left is grace. My chrysanthemums have to be trimmed back now and again in July for their beautiful blooms to be seen in the fall. But the pansies will be pretty all winter if I continue to take care of them.

If I continue to read and study the Word, if I continue to pray, if I continue to worship and serve then God will continue to chip away at me until someday all that will be left is grace. I must be willing to surrender all of my sin, guilt and faults to the Potter and allow Him to shape me until I am fit for His service and use. God works with us out of His love for us. Only what is done in Love lasts, for God is love and only the work of God remains. So my friends, offer yourselves to God and let Him chip away the pieces until all that is left is His grace.

Take joy in the journey and wear comfortable shoes. 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.

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