Blessed Sunday!

Thanks darlin’ for writing last night. You always do such a great job and send a wonderful message.

Friends, after the misbehaving alarm went off twice yesterday morning, I finally gave up and got up early. I was up a very long time yesterday and by about 10:30 I was exhausted and did not feel I could write a coherent sentence. We still have a bit of work to do in the flower department for now. We seem to be doing our backyard in stages (as finances allow) and the pansies are in the current stage.

Worship today was awesome. The house rocked! The Word was preached, the praises in song reached heaven and set my soul on fire and Eucharist was shared. I sang between Bruce and Pastor Joel today. What a blessing! Pastor Marc preached today about how end times occur all of the time. God’s creation began out of chaos. The chaos ended and life began.

Mark 16:20 “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following.”

In the sermons the last two weeks Pastor Joel and Pastor Marc have spoken about what to do when recession hit your house. First, don’t give up. Next, trust in God, and, finally, remember someone is always watching. Trusting in God is not always easy and the thought of someone always watching is a bit overwhelming. With the current economy many of us are trusting God to meet our daily needs. God is so faithful and loves us so much. When we trust in Him for everything then God becomes central in our lives: we know Him intimately. We believe that He will meet our needs. So don’t give up. Keep believing. But today, Pastor Marc spoke on “someone is always watching.” He used the illustration of the widow at the temple. She walked up to the temple to place her offering in front of all of the Pharisees who had put in great amounts of money. She put in just a couple of copper coins. Jesus allowed the disciples to see this act. Jesus did not want the disciples just to watch her, but to be like her. This woman gave all she had. She emptied her purse into the offering basket. Do you suppose the “duh”ciples got it?

I think Jesus was trying to show them what an act of faith looks like. I also think that Jesus was trying to give them (without their knowledge) a bit of the foretaste of what He would do in a very short time. Jesus was preparing the Disciples for His death where He would completely empty Himself on the cross so that the ministry of the Father could continue. Jesus even tells them in Mark 13:10 how they must proceed following His death. The passage reads: “And the gospel first, must be preached to all of the nations.”

God calls each of us to trust in Him, to have boundless faith in Him and to give Him all the glory. When we are tempted to give up we must repeat and believe “not by might, nor by Power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” Everyone needs a miracle. Call upon the Lord, breathe His name and trust that His help is sure.

Take joy in the journey and wear comfortable shoes. Love you all so much and pray you all a blessed week, 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.