Happy Saturday!

Matthew 8: 26 “And He said unto them, Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He rose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

In the last two weeks of study of the Introduction of Pastoral Care I have been exposed to a great many needs and uses for pastoral care. And even though I have been through some pretty tough times I have now been exposed to a lot of different areas of life where pastoral care is so important: depression, abuse, death, violations of many kinds and others. The one thread that seems to go through all of these areas is loss.

The disciples in this passage are fearful of the storm. They thought they were going to lose their lives to the sea. Then they were mad because they believed that Jesus was withholding His presence from them by sleeping during the storm. Storms do not last forever and it is hard to learn lessons during the storm. When God teaches us the lessons He wishes us to learn then, in my experience, He quiets us and takes us by ourselves to teach us what He needs us to learn. He even took those same disciples up on a mountain where it was quiet to teach them the truths about the Kingdom of Heaven. I think God does the same with us. He takes us, quiets us and then speaks His truth to us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes (maybe hiking boots for the trip up the mountain), count your blessings and say your prayers. Please pray for our family and I will continue to pray for you. Love you so very 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.

PS Please pray travel mercy as we spend a really long day traveling between Arlington, Howe and Sherman, Oklahoma and back. Thanks, gc