Saturday, January 16, 2010

Happy Saturday!

We had such a wonderful day! We began our day with our young niece joining us for the day. Then we were joined by an “extra son”, Ben. Ben was one of Casey’s best friends and has recently moved into the neighborhood where we live. I prepared a big country breakfast and we all talked, ate and then the kids played Wii. It was so great to have a full house once again.

Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I Am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there any thing too hard for me?”

In this passage God not only identifies Himself as Lord, but that He is the God of all flesh. I love the words used in scripture like all. This passage tells me that God is the God of all things that concern us. We are the flesh on which He places His love and therefore all that we do, say, feel and believe are of concern to Him. There is nothing too big or too small that is not of interest to Him.

Sometimes when I pray I say, “God, I realize in the grand scheme of things what I am going through is not near as important as those who are really hurting and in need of your love, grace and healing, but this is important to me…” This passage of scripture verse tell me that my prayers for my own needs and those I pray for are of interest to God and He cares about my needs, desires, cares and joys no matter how large or how small. The most important thing that we need to do is to bring those needs, cares, desires and joys to Him. God is a big God and nothing is too hard, too small, too trivial or even silly for Him to be unable to handle whatever we surrender over too Him. But we have to hang in there day after day, moment after moment and trust God to take care in His time. Most of us spend a lot of time in the plains and every once in a while we get to the Mount of Transfiguration. The best part of the plains walk is that we grow as friends with God through Jesus and just when we need it we get the glimpse of God in His glory on a mountain top experience. The daily walk, the journey may be a bit of drudgery or monotonous at times so find joy in each step taken with the Master.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all and see you in worship, 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.

Prayer Alert: We ask you to join the prayers for Tamra Peterson. Her husband, Pastor Dale Peterson, was the interim pastor at Advent for a while. She is battling breast cancer. The treatment plan is still undetermined as is the stage of cancer. We are keeping up with her story through the Caring Bridge website. This was the website that became invaluable to us as we walked this road with Casey. Please place her on your prayer lists. Thank you. gc
Happy Friday and Happy Birthday Travis!

Travis turned 19 today. Tonight had special requests from the kitchen for a birthday dinner and a lot of Wii playing. Tomorrow our niece is spending the day with us so we have saved our meal out and movie to share with her.

Matthew 28: 18 “Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

We have a limited vision and understanding of God and His Son Jesus. This passage says that God gave Jesus all power, power in heaven and earth. Since Jesus has all power, what have we to fear? We have a bit of a problem grasping the concept of all.

One of my readings said, “Our lives are hidden with God and God does not change.” Because our lives are hidden with God we can claim His power at anytime. The same power with which God led Moses through the desert is the same power that lies within us because God lives in us. Do you realize that we can use the power of God at anytime and ceaselessly? We cannot ask too much of God and He never tires of our requests. We are the focus of His love and His relationship with us is the most important aspect of God’s life. God gives us His joy in the life of Jesus. When we claim the joy God gives then we can live our lives without fear.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

PS Thank you to those who wrote on my email and sent birthday wishes to Travis. He sends his gratitude for your remembrance.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Happy Thursday!

I went to my first class this semester at Brite. The class is called Practical Theology: The Book of Common Prayer. The class is largely filled with Episcopalians with a couple of Methodists, one non denominational and one Lutheran. I will spend this semester studying worship practices of the Episcopal Church, history, theology and prayer. As ghastly as my last semester class was, this class is wonderful! We spoke of the Holy Spirit, holiness, holy moments, etc…this class is going to be so awesome. Two and a half hours seem to zoom by and it was time to go. One of our practices in the class will be to lead worship within the class each week. Next Thursday night the Lutheran (that would be me) will lead worship. I am the first one up to bat so to speak. I am really excited. Travis said, “Mom, your class is on prayer? Way to go!” This was followed by a large high five! This semester my class begins at 5:15 pm and ends at 7:45. It makes for a long day, but I believe it will be a wonderful close to the day.

Isaiah 26:5 “You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in You.”

What drives your life? My goal is to retire from teaching in a year and a half and continue my studies at Brite and become a hospital chaplain. These two paths in my life are important and a great deal of my energies are taken up with teaching and all that goes with it and studying, writing and attending class at Brite. But these parts of my life are not the driving motivation for my life. My life is driven God’s love. No matter what I do today or years from now when I graduate I must act in God’s love. God’s purpose for me is the same as His purpose for you. God’s purpose is for each of us to model the godly life in Jesus to all we meet. Whether I am to be a hospital chaplain or a gum scraper at a movie theater God’s perfect peace will be present as I continue to trust Him more each day.

We are all products of our past. God is taking this school teacher of 30 years and preparing her to take on a whole new career by the time she is 60. If God changed a murderer, Moses, into a leader, and a coward, Gideon, into a hero then He can change each of us into what He desires for each of us to become as long as we keep His purpose in our focus.

Take joy in the journey my friends. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

PS Friday is Travis’ birthday. He already, at this very late writing, has turned 19.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Happy Wednesday!

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.”

At the close of Praise Team rehearsal each Wednesday evening we have a time of prayer. Each of us is asked if there are any prayer requests. Tonight there were several requests for healing. Tonight’s prayers were not just for physical healing but for healing of broken relationships.

This morning a group of us met for prayer and devotion before school. There we also name our prayer requests aloud and then write them down on sticky notes and trade them to prayer partners for the week. We also add other prayer requests and names in a book we have been keeping. Today’s prayers within our group were also about physical healing and the healing of broken relationships.

Physical healing, while at times a slow and difficult process, usually occurs with health and well-being being restored. There may be some scars, but pain and diseases gone or at least manageable and under control. The healing of a broken relationship takes healing to a whole different level. It is not as easy of the mending of bones or infection leaving your body. Healing of relationships I believe to be far more difficult. It is easier to forget the pain of a broken bone, but far more difficult to forget the pain of a broken heart. When physical pain subsides we do not go back and revisit it. When our hearts are broken, we too often return to the torment of the hurt and relive it all over again.

Sometimes in that broken relationship there seems to be darkness and a feeling of being so alone. I have learned when the sadness of brokenness is surrounding me and there does not seem to be any way out of the darkness that God’s radiant presence shines its brightest. In moments of hurt and adversity, God’s Presence fills our darkness with His light and His joy takes the place of our sorrow. In that Light that shines so bright we find strength, wisdom and, most of all, God’s love.

In this season of light look for God’s love and His light that shines in the darkness. And let the healing begin…!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Happy Tuesday!

Today was much more like a Tuesday in January in Texas than the past few days. I went to TCU this afternoon and the shorts and t-shirts were everywhere!

Psalm 147: 11 “The Lord is pleased with those who worship Him and trust His love.”

In my drive time devotion this morning the opening phrase of the meditation was “If God sends you out on a limb, then that is the safest place to be.” Let’s talk about Noah. Now there was a man out on a limb. The Voice of God tells Noah to build a boat out in the yard, place his family and two of every animal on board and wait for a flood. From the story recorded in Genesis those things are exactly what Noah did. Noah knew that bringing pleasure to God was the first purpose in his life. The faith and obedience that Noah showed to God must have made God smile.

How can we make God smile? I was reading in Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. According to Warren there are five acts of worship that make God smile.

God smiles when we love Him supremely.
God smiles when we trust Him completely.
God smiles when we obey Him wholeheartedly.
God smiles when we praise and thank Him.
God smiles when we fulfill His purpose.

God had to establish a relationship with Noah before He could ask him to build that Ark. It was after God built a relationship with Noah and Noah began to love God, trust and obey God and learned to praise and thank God that God called Noah to fulfill His purpose. God took Noah, his family, some of His creation and placed them in the safely of an Ark and then sent them out with only their faith to guide them. Talk about a man out on a limb! And yet that limb (Ark) was the safest place for the floating zoo to be because it was completely in God’s control and according to His purpose.

So I guess the question for tonight is, “Do I make God smile?” Do I practice these five acts of worship? And, finally, am I fulfilling God’s purpose? Do I live the example of a life lived to please God? Just throwing it out there tonight…

Take joy in the journey, wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Happy Monday!

I must share a funny happening from my classroom today. I was giving a semester Science test to the children in my classroom. A couple of the questions had the possible response of “A roll of film.” Hands shot in the air with the question “Mrs. Chrystie, What is a roll of film?” I laughed about this all day. All these children know is a digital camera.

John 10:4 “And the sheep follow Him; for they know His voice.”

As most of you know I teach first grade. Most of the children whom I teach come to my class being able to read to some degree. The issue comes about when we leave actual reading instruction and go on to another content area. They forget that reading is reading no matter what the subject matter is. So when we leave reading instruction and go on to math or science or other area they look at the words very puzzled and I have to say “remember you can read.”

God calls us to remember that He has spoken to us and He will continue to speak to us. We just need to be conscious of His Presence even when we don’t hear His Voice. We need to abide in that Presence remembering that He promised not to leave us or forsake us. Just because we cannot hear God speaking or God is quiet does not mean that He is not with us.

Think of meeting with God in the morning (for me it would be with coffee!) and through a time with the Word, prayer and listening for our “marching orders” for the day. Then ask for guidance, wisdom and strength to carry out the work for the day.

Let us try to listen eagerly and with joy for God’s voice and remember that he has spoken to us and He will continue to speak to us by His promise and out of His desire to have relationship with us!

Take joy in the journey, wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Blessed Sunday to you all!

John 10:10 “I Am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Tonight this writing comes from the kitchen. It is still a bit cool in some parts of the house and the kitchen is warmer. I love my kitchen. I love the creative outlet it allows. Today, I grilled my first marinated chicken wings for lunch. They were so good! It will definitely be a repeated meal choice.

As I sat down to write tonight I began to look back over the last several entries and there seems to be a running theme of prayer. I am beginning a new semester at Brite on this Thursday evening. The class is on the Common Book of Prayer. Prayer is so important to me and given the events of the last two years I have practiced prayer a lot. Prayer is now etched into my soul. Prayer is where we learn the rules of eternity.

In the Lutheran Church today it was the day to remember the Baptism of Jesus. I love this story because the act of baptism and Eucharist (Communion) are the “God present with us” events that tie us to Jesus. A former pastor of ours called it our “spiritual DNA.”

When we come to Jesus we are given eternal life. Everything we do and say springs forth from the new life that is within us. That new life is Jesus. Randy Travis sings a wonderful baptism song titled, “Down with the Old Man, Up with the New.” When we come to Jesus as repentant sinners, His forgiving blood covers and soaks us in His eternal love. It is that moment that we are marked with the mark of Eternal Life with the One who gave His life for us. When we receive this ultimate gift of Eternal Life our learning and service have just begun.

When Jesus was baptized His work had just begun. His private life was over and His public life was now begun. The scripture had then been fulfilled with the words of Isaiah:

1 “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you."

We must pass through the waters of baptism just as Jesus if we are to be in relationship with Him and receive Eternal Life. God told Jesus in His voice from heaven that in this act of obedience He was well pleased with Jesus, His Son. . When I was baptized in the fourth grade I did not hear a voice from heaven, but I know that from that moment on I was changed.

Remember your baptism. Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, a warm jacket, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.
Happy Saturday and way to go Cowboys! That’ll teach ‘em to spit on our star!!

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and God will give it to you. Search and you will find. Knock and the door will open for you.”

John asked of Jesus “Are You the One who has come or should we wait for someone else?” Tonight, just prior to writing this entry Bruce asked me, “Where is the remote?” My response was, “The last time I saw it, it was in front of the TV.” To which Bruce then said, “It was hiding in plain sight.”

Do you suppose that was what Jesus was thinking when John asked his question? The One you seek is right in front of you and yet you do not see Me for who I really am. Did John see the eyes of the blind healed? Did John witness the deaf hear again, the lame walk and the dumb speak? John was the disciple whom Jesus “loved.”

All of the proof and signs were there and yet John did not see Jesus as Messiah, but only as a great teacher and itinerant preacher with an amazing command of the scriptures who had the gift of healing. Until Jesus said, “Ask Me…” Jesus then affirms His divinity and honor by saying, “If your children ask for bread, would you given them a stone…and how much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him? “ Do you suppose John was afraid to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah? Maybe John thought he should have known this by faith and did not, or perhaps he thought he has missed the memo, but for whatever reason John was not sure if Jesus was the Promised One. So, John asked for the sure identity of Jesus.
John’s question was asked from a “dungeon of doubt.” John asked. Jesus answered. John was listening. John had been listening for a straight forward answer of “Yes, I am the Messiah.” But, Jesus said, “Look around and remember what you have seen and heard and ask yourself if any earthly being could accomplish all of this. Look beyond this earth and into your heart of hearts, John, and you will find your answer.

Do we see God is our heart of hearts? Are we the blind who need to see, the deaf in need of heavenly hearing and the lame who need to walk the path of righteousness? Let us ask God in this New Year to open our eyes to see Him clearly, listen as He speaks to us and to walk the godly path of righteousness.

Take joy in the journey, wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all and see you in worship, 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.