Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I pray your day was as wonderful as ours. We went to my brother’s home in Allen. Mom and Dad, Ken, Sheena, all of their girls and one boyfriend, the Chrysties, Ryan (our nephew on Bruce’s side) and Bianca, Ryan’s wonderful young daughter were all present. The Thanksgiving meal was full of tradition, variety in its wonderful tastes, aromas and textures. We had 4 different kinds of pumpkin pies and a Mexican Wedding Cake made by Mom who teased Bruce unmercifully about it being loaded with jalapeños. HA HA! Mom. (Bruce does not like anything spicy and the cake did not have jalapeños!) There was lots of playing with the Wii game today - even my Mom. She is so cool. Everybody had a great day!

1 Peter 2:23 “People insulted Christ, but He did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but He did not threaten.”

Several years ago I entered the pie competition at the State Fair of Texas. It is a fun event and I have occasionally won a ribbon or two. All of the pies are beautiful and there are pie makers out there that far outrank me in pie making. On this one occasion, one of the pies made by the ranking pie making queen was a lemon meringue pie. The meringue on this pie was perfect and in the center of this perfect meringue was a yellow rose fashioned from lemon gumdrops sliced so thin you could read though them. It was an absolutely perfect looking pie and I am sure it tasted perfect too as it was judged as Best of Show.

My pies are not particularly beautiful, but usually taste pretty good. As I sat out in the audience watching anxiously as the judges tasted and sampled each pie I had the opportunity to listen to the conversations going on around me. Some of the comments about pies and their creators I overheard were, “She did not make that pie. Her mother made that pie!” “Look at that meringue. It is weeping all over the place!” These are die- hard pie makers who have been entering these competitions for years and for them this competition is the Miss America of pies.

Jesus came to the earth in a human body. Scripture tells us He was not particularly comely in His appearance that others would follow after Him because of His looks. Jesus was after a far greater reason for a following. Jesus wanted others to follow Him so they could learn about the loveliness of God. I can only imagine Jesus as looking like any other Jewish man; long curly hair, olive skin and angular nose with one exception: His eyes. I picture His eyes as being a beautiful dark brown that shined with love, compassion; deep and piercing so that when they looked at you, you would think those eyes could look through to your very soul.

This man did not have physical characteristics that would distinguish Him particularly from others Jewish men in His age range, but His soul and His very countenance would distinguish Him above all others. That countenance would cause Him to be criticized, insulted and mocked. That loving heart, that grace filled soul and that compassionate Spirit would keep Him from returning the insults hurled at Him and would not allow Him to threaten His accusers. That obedient will was the thing that would allow Him to walk the Via Dolorosa to the hill of Calvary and be crucified, knowing that that path was His Father’s plan. Jesus laid His own will down and took the insults, pain and humiliation with these words “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and may the meringue on your pie never weep! 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.