Saturday, September 25, 2010

Happy Saturday!

I spent the day in grading papers and posting grades on a new computerized grading system. Bruce was in Wichita Falls at the final meeting prior to the Kairos weekend. Geni was at a reading conference and Travis went to work. I ask your prayers for the 42 brothers in white, the inside team that brings in the gospel, the outside team that prepares all of the meals, prays and prepares the simple gifts the men receive, all of the cookie bakers, letter writers and prayers. May the gospel enter the walls of this facility and into the hearts of the brothers so that they may learn that they are never alone and that their sins are forgiven.

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

1John 4: 18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”

God calls us to come unto Him all of us who have labored and He will give us rest. I began to think about this passage and I did not think about physical labor. I began to think about all of the stuff that we carry around that weighs us down. The anger, the bitterness, the grudges, the worry the hatred, and more than anything else the fear; more things than I have mentioned that weigh us down - more than unpaid bills, disease, leaky roofs and joblessness combined. In these two simple lines of God’s Word, God reminds us to be sure of His Help, and, when we are weighed down by so many things, to find rest in Him. When we come unto God for rest, we don’t just sit down for tea, but stay a while until we have been restored. Rest in God knows no fear. Rest in God knows no want. Rest in God is strong and sure. Let us come to God when we are weighed down and rest. We can rest when we surrender all that weighs us down to the One who has asked for all that causes us to labor.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for one another each day. 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.

PS Go Frogs!
Happy Friday!

Go Frogs!! The TCU Horned Frogs defeated the SMU Mustangs tonight. We are proudly displaying our TCU Flag outside tonight. We do bleed a bit purple around here at 811.

John 6: 68 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Matthew 16: 15, 16 “But whom say you that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”

The wisest educator I have ever known once told me “Gaylene, you can’t teach children unless you have their attention.” Keeping and holding the attention of 20 six year olds during the day is a task that is always challenging at best. But I tell them that if they will listen and pay attention I promise they will learn. I also tell them that they must work very hard in working through their lessons and then practice outside of school as well as in the classroom. If the children pay attention and listen then they will be prepared for the next years schooling. For a first grader, the ultimate goal is second grade. I sort of tell them “Learn of me".

God in His Word tells us the same thing. God tells us, “Learn of Me.” There are teachers in this world, but God is the Master Teacher. God is the one Who gives us the lessons of Eternal Life. These Words of Eternal Life shape our faith and guide our earthly life in preparation to be received into the Kingdom of Heaven eternally. God’s Word is our textbook to moving forward in our faith and preparing us for the next steps in our lives and furthering the kingdom here on earth with the goal being the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

I am sure God feels the same way about teaching us as I feel about teaching first graders in that I must pay attention in order to learn. I have begun having a brief devotion upon arrival at school and a time of meditation and reflection just before going to sleep. Beginning my day with God and ending my day with God helps me to pay attention between those times to always remind me of who I am, Whose I am and all of the learning I still have to do.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other daily. 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.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Happy Thursday!

This week has really flown by. Today, after school Geni invited me to walk the arts district in Fort Worth and enjoy educator day. The museums had a fabulous array of information, open displays and great food. I watched Geni walk through the different museums and collect their information and I was reminded of me when I first began my teaching career. Where has the time gone? It is a lot of fun to share in her experiences as she begins the last of her college career and begins to look to a professional career of her own.

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Kames 1:17 “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

When we enter into relationship with God through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, God remains with us. His nearness is always with us. This nearness affords us the security of calling on Him in every circumstance. We need to remember God’s presence is a near as our next breath. We don’t even need to speak the problem for God already knows our needs far better than we do ourselves. We can take the help supplied by God through our faith and be comforted and be joyful in His nearness. It is His nearness that brings sweetness into our lives. Never fear and never lose heart. Call upon God and rest in His presence. Growing a friendship with Christ will transform the condition from a struggle and challenge into a victory and bring harmony back into our lives.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other daily. 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.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Happy Wednesday!

Praises tonight! Holly Hope Hall arrived safe and sound around 7:05 last evening Hawaii time. Proud parents are Cody and Asenath Hall. Proud Grandparents are Ken and Sheena Helvey and very proud Great Aunt and Uncle are Gaylene and Bruce Chrystie!! Holly weighed in at 7 pounds 5 oz, 20 inches long with brown hair and brown eyes. We are so proud and excited for Cody and Asenath.

Psalm 33:3, 4 “Sing unto Him a new song, play skillfully with a loud noise. For the Word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.”

Tonight Bruce and I experienced something really awesome. We were driving home from TCU and it began to rain. I mean it was really raining hard. I usually am pretty nervous while driving or even riding in the rain and then one of God’s miracles presented itself. There was a rainbow that went from one side of the horizon to the other. It was gorgeous and you could really see the breakdown of the colors. The next thing we knew the rainbow was right in front of us on the road as we were driving toward Arlington and we drove through the rainbow. I mean we actually passed through the colors of the rainbow. It was the most amazing thing. Then another rainbow appeared and it showed the reflection next to it and the colors were reversed. Once again we were blessed to be bathed in the colors of the rainbow as we drove through the second one. How cool is that!?

We gave thanks as we drove for God in His phenomenal creation and that we were blessed to not just witness this miracle of the rainbow, but become a part of it. When God placed the rainbow in the sky that first time it was a reminder of how much He loves His people. The rainbow is a testimony to the love of God for His creation. The rainbow testifies in its silence because our words are inadequate to describe the love of God.

There is scripture that says that if we do not praise His name then even the rocks and hills will cry out. One of our pieces we are learning in Praise Team is called “No Rocks A’Cryin’!” It is a rockin’ gospel piece that claims this scripture. God had blessed all of us so richly that I think sometimes we take His goodness for granted and forget to say thank you and praise His name. Tonight as we drove in the rain we worshiped God and gave thanks for His creation and His promise of love in the reminder painted so beautifully in the sky and etched permanently in our hearts. So as long as we live let us give thanks to God and testify to his love. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other each day. 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 God really showed up today as the first day of fall brought with it a gorgeous full moon!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Happy Monday!

John 14: 8 “Phillip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

John 14:9 “Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known Me, Phillip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father.”

This passage of scripture happens just after Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. I am not sure if Peter was present during this most amazing and memorable passage or if he had hidden himself away. Thomas and Philip are mentioned, Jesus is trying to tell the disciples about His relationship with the Father and about His true identity. Jesus is explaining that all they have seen was possible by the power of the Holy Spirit which is God at work within Himself. He sort of fusses at them (you know why I call them the “duh” ciples”). Jesus says, you have been with me all this time and you still don’t know who I am? These men have walked with Jesus for three years and spent their lives in His presence. They have watched Him work miracles, pray, teach, preach, and proclaim with authority like no other and yet it never dawned on them that He was anything more than an extremely gifted teacher and healer. So He tells them, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”

I am not sure they even got it then, but Jesus needed these men to see Him as He really was so that the work of salvation could continue. Jesus needed the disciples to see Him in themselves so that they may also work miracles, pray, teach, preach and proclaim with the authority of the Lord of all Creation empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We are followers of Christ. We are called to follow the Way just as the early church. We, too, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the work of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Today a friend of mine shared a “mother moment” with me. She told me about one of her teenage daughters who witnessed to another girl about “Meet you at the pole.” Her friend asked what “meet you at the pole” meant. My friend’s daughter told her it was a time for Christians to meet together around the school flag pole to let others know how much they love Jesus, to pray for each other, their school and our country. We could all take a lesson from this young lady and bravely and proudly share the love of Christ with someone who did not know about Jesus. Today, someone knows Jesus because Jesus lives in the life of this faithful teenager. Way to go!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, (Tomorrow is the first day of fall and I am wearing my Crocs!), count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other daily. 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.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Happy Monday!

John 15: 11 “These things have I spoken to you…that your joy might be made full.”

Psalm 16: 11 “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

I love passages about joy. I remember the day I decided that somehow I was going to try to find some joy in the daily situations of life whether ordinary or extraordinary. I was at MD Anderson Hospital and there was very little going right. Casey was so terribly sick, we were homesick, Geni had been involved in a car accident, the bills were piling up and I was really stressed. I walked out of the room and walked the pod. The nurses were all in patient rooms and it was just me in the empty nurses’ pod. I remember stopping somewhere and saying out loud that I was tired of being hammered by Satan. So I stood toe to toe with Satan and said, “You have no power here so stop!” As soon as I pronounced Satan without power, God stepped in and restored my joy. From that night on I have signed off on each email with the phrase, “Take joy in the journey.”

Jesus’ disciples walked in the truths that Jesus taught them and gave them overflowing joy. The Word tells us that Joy is of God, joy in its fullest. We, like the disciples, need to live, love, laugh and delight ourselves in the Lord.

We need to seek joy as if it is a hidden treasure. Sometimes joy hides itself from us and is hard to find. I found that joy was being blocked by Satan’s lies and deceit. Once I told Satan to get out of the way then God revealed Himself in the Word that there is joy in Him. As long as I keep my eyes and my faith focused on Jesus, the joy of the Lord will be the strength I need.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other daily. Love you, 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, September 19, 2010

Blessed Sunday!

We had a guest pastor speaking at our services today. He spoke on feeding the hungry. But he said something really funny “Salvation comes by the grace of God. If it did not come that way, the dog would get there before the rest of us.” He quoted Saint Mark (Mark Twain).

Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”

Today we began our worship with the song, “God is good, all the time. He put a song of praise in this heart of mine. God is good, all the time in the darkest light His light will shine. God is good, He’s so good, all the time; for His love is everlasting and His mercies, they will never end.” That was the entrance song for the celebration of life service for Casey almost two years ago.

God is good! God is so good and loves us so very much and He desires all of our joys, sorrows, our glad times and our sad times. God asks us to leave in His hands the present and the future. Our faith in Him is in the knowing that He can bring order out of chaos, good out of evil and peace out of turmoil. For God to do good to His children is by sharing His goodness with them. He shares His goodness with us out of His love for us! We must trust and be not afraid!

Friends, we are about to begin a new week. Let us be the recipients of the goodness God has to offer. Remember that His mercies are everlasting and His truth is reliable and endures forever.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other daily. Love you all 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.
Happy Saturday!

Today was a busy day in the Chrystie household. Bruce went to Wichita Falls for prayer and share with Kairos. Geni and Travis went to Grapefest where they said it was sooooo crowded and soooo hot! And I made a delicious bacon sweet potato biscuit today and graded papers.

Psalm 91:1 “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalm 17:8 “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings.”

A friend of mine today share with me that the doctor suspects that she may have leukemia. This is a friend I have had for many years. I was saddened by this piece of news and her family is sad and scared. They are waiting for final test results that should be arriving early in the week. I think living in a place of unknowns is harder that living with what is for sure. I remember when the doctors told Casey that it was a mass on his hip, he was relieved. At least at that point in time he knew what was causing the pain and the swelling and that cause could be treated.

I left my friend today with a hug and a prayer. As I was walking to the car I remembered this scripture and prayed it for my friend and her family. I know that she is a woman of faith and I am praying that her family will gather closer to her in support and find closeness to God. When news like this is given it is like being hit with a size 12 boot right in the pit of your stomach. This news causes you not to be able to breathe well, sleep, eat and even carry on a conversation because the word cancer takes over every thought you have.

God gives us a place to hide and be protected. God gives us His Word as a place for us to dwell. God’s Word is not just a place to pop in and out of, God wants us to dwell with Him in His Word and find a place of real abiding. When we dwell with God we take up residence and God stays put with us and covers us with His wings just like that mother hen hides her babies protectively under her wings keeping them safe from harm and allowing them to rest. The shelter of God’s Word is always there for us and we can always go there to find “rest unto our souls.” The journey may not be one of ease, but the journey is never traveled alone.

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