Saturday, October 2, 2010

Happy Saturday!

It’s a great day to be a Horned Frog, but a tough day to be a Longhorn! But it was also a great day to be someone’s sister. Today my brother and I spent the morning at the Dallas Farmer’s Market. We have been trying to get together by ourselves for a while now. It was a perfect day for the market. The produce was gorgeous and so plentiful. The pumpkins were everywhere and the fall mums were absolutely beautiful. The best part of the time spent was simply the time spent with Ken having conversation, remembering the past, catching up on now and talking about the future. What an awesome day!

I have a sign on the mantle in our living room that says, “Families Are Forever.” I remember this day two years ago. It was the day of the Texas/OU football game and we watched the game at the hospital. There was definitely a line drawn down the middle of the room distinctively red and orange. The room was so full that the party continued across the hall into the Family Visiting Room. Each side of the room was loud and proud as their team scored or messed up and Casey loved the party. Not one time did a nurse come in and tell us to be quiet, but often came in and cheered for their team. With the Oklahoma win today I am sure Casey is smiling and hope he got to watch the game! I don’t know if heaven has the best parts of our lives waiting but if that is true, knowing Casey, he was tailgating with a Shiner on one hand and a bratwurst in the other! We miss you son.

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”

God’s job would be so much easier if we really followed His will for our lives. You would think that after all God has done for us that following His will would be easy, because He has shown such tender mercies and blessed us so richly that you would think that we could follow His will with relative ease. But it is not always thus…
The truth is the first part of this verse hits me at the very core of my being. I can do nothing on my own. For example, I can read all of the books required by my professors. I am perfectly capable of reading, but if I do not ask God for knowledge beyond myself then I cannot interpret the material I have read and begin to understand its meaning. And when life hands us difficulties and we try to work it out ourselves it often turns out to be less than the answer or solution we had hoped. But when we ask God for His will to be done in the situation and stand back listening for His Word and His direction then the situation rights itself, because God ordained it by His design and our yielded will. And even if it does not happen right away, our yielded will, will bring joy and a sense of gladness.

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 Tomorrow is the last day for the Kairos Prison Weekend and I am very ready for Bruce to come home. Please pray for God to continue to work through the teams and into the lives of the inmates. Also please pray for travel mercy as they travel home tomorrow. Thanks, gc

Friday, October 1, 2010

Happy Friday and Happy October!

Isaiah 45: 22 “Look to Me, and be saved all the ends of the earth.”

Deuteronomy 28:8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.”

Last night I shared about the endless supply of strength God has for each of us. Tonight God promises in His Word that blessings will be given on everything we do. God wants to be our only supply. The secret of prosperity is to look to God only for our needs to be met. God meets our needs in so many ways. I have never received manna from heaven like the nation of Israel did in the Old Testament, but I have received the answers to prayers in ways I did not expect.

Tonight my meditation shares “Whatever you desire or need, desire or need for others, look unto Me. Claim all from My Storehouse. Claim, claim, claim!”

We forget how big God is. Remember God fed the children of Israel with manna from heaven and led them through the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army right behind. He led them through the wilderness of difficulty, discipline and faith. And after they crossed the desert He led them into a land flowing with milk and honey.

We all have difficult times. As believers we are heirs with Christ into the endless storehouse of God’s blessings and His everlasting love. God simply needs to be asked and he will bless us where we are and with the gifts of love and provision greater than we can imagine.

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. Don’t forget the Kairos Prison Ministry and Bruce as he serves. 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 30, 2010

Happy Thursday!

Have you ever had one of those days that felt like another day? We had so many activities at school today that it really felt like Friday. I had to remind myself while driving home that it was just Thursday.

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

I think we do not always remember or can even contemplate how vast the love of God is for each of us. God promises us strength for each day of our lives. Each time we face a difficulty we can be sure that the strength we need to face this difficulty will be there for us. We just need to rely on the promised strength through the power of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is ask. The difficulty may not go away, but we will now have the tools to face the difficulty and complete the task set before us. For every task God gives us, there is enough of what we need set aside that is necessary to meet the job set before us. God provides enough strength, enough love, enough forgiveness, enough mercy and enough grace to see us through whatever we are going through. God is bigger than our difficulties and still He sees us and loves us each one.

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.

Please pray for Bruce, the Kairos team and the inmates as they walk with Christ through this weekend. gc

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Happy Tuesday!

Matthew 3:15 “ But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.”

Matthew 5: 17, 18 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No I came to accomplish their purpose. (18) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”

Today I had a meeting scheduled for 4:00. The person with whom I was meeting did not arrive and I received a phone call telling me that her mother died only earlier today. At dismissal time today we were told that Mrs. Brown, the woman who used to clean our classrooms, had also died today. She collapsed at her church Sunday, fell into a coma and passed away today. My prayers, joined with yours, are with these two families as they have lost their mothers.

Jesus came to earth in human form to share in all of the aspects of human lives. Jesus knew how it felt to lose friends in death. Jesus shared in the sufferings and difficulties of mankind. My meditation tonight spoke of the way of sorrows walked with Christ is a path kept sacred and secret for His nearest and dearest. I thought of Mrs. Brown as she faithfully cleaned our classrooms each day. When one of us was still working in our room, as she cleaned she witnessed for Christ. She loved the Lord, her children and her church. She had such a servant’s heart and never missed an opportunity to share the love of Christ. She sang in the choir, served with the ushers and was involved in service all the time. She kept her children close and taught them the ways of service and a love for God. She is a dear soul who will be missed by her children and the family at her church. So today if heaven is all of the best parts of our life here on earth then I can see her in a white suit with matching gloves organizing worship, collecting offerings, singing praises to God and sharing with the other citizens of heaven about the love of God.

Since the path of sorrows is one that only Christ can lead us through, will He find us among His nearest and dearest? Will we be privy to the sacred knowledge that only comes in earthly death? Or do we become one of the nearest and dearest when we surrender our sinful lives over to the forgiving and healing grace given so freely through Jesus’ death on the cross? May we share the love of Christ with others and walk the path of sorrows with others who are near and dear to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Man of Sorrows.

Even in sorrow, let us 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.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Happy Monday!

Was it a stunningly gorgeous day or what!? I wore a jacket and real shoes to school. I noticed that today most people had a spring in their step and seemed to have more energy than they have for a while. God’s handiwork was in full view today and, praise God, He granted us the grace to be witness to the plan He put in place.

Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”

God’s love for us is limitless. As we open up more of ourselves to receiving grace, God’s power increases. We walk in union with Him when His power and strength quietly flows through us throughout each day. The limitless love of God is comfort, help, guidance miracle-working power. The power of God within each of us brings peace.

The more we come to understand God through studying the Word, praying, worshiping and serving, the more His strength increases within us, His children. “His power to save increases as our power to understand God’s salvation grows in each of us.”

When I have thought about the word “government” in this passage I have always thought in terms of God’s Kingdom and His reign. But then I began to think about God governing our lives in limitless ways and increasing Himself within each one of us who believe. If we allow God to strengthen and govern our lives we must answer His call to ministry. Our call is to tell someone else about how richly God has blessed our lives and about His love for us which has no end. If we tell others about our relationship with God then His government increases and there shall be no end. We then continue to fulfill scriptures just as the prophets of old.

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.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Blessed Sunday to you all!

Worship was awesome this morning. The Holy Spirit moved and inspired our worship as we sang, listened to the Word read and preached, as we prayed and clapped. Praise God for worship this day!

Matthew 20:27 “And whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.”

This morning as I was walking up the sidewalk toward the sanctuary there was a gentleman walking up the same sidewalk. He was new to our congregation. I greeted him and told him we were glad to have him this morning and hoped he would have a great worship experience. After worship began we had a brief time of sharing the peace with each other (sort of a hug-a-thon). One of our members asked me if I knew if the new visitor was Hispanic as she wanted to greet him in Spanish. Later, after worship had ended, he asked how could he join the “singing.” He meant the Praise Team. I told him to be there at 7:15 on Wednesday night.

How awesome that God worked through our worship today and welcomed this stranger warmly enough that he felt comfortable enough to ask if he could join a group after his first visit. I overheard Pastor Joel inviting him to Bible Study during the week.

One of the things that drew our family to Advent was the way we were greeted on our first visit. We knew no one at Advent and yet these total strangers greeted and welcomed us so warmly that we knew we were meant to stay. We found a home because God had placed a spirit of hospitality in the hearts of the members of Advent.

Part of our servanthood is to greet one another with a sign of peace and hospitality no matter where we are or who we meet. Jesus welcomed the crowds no matter how large or small and greeted individuals with a sign of peace and taught His disciples to do the same. We are His disciples. Let us welcome all who are in need of a home in which to worship and a family in which to become a part. Remember when we serve others and welcome others we serve Christ and invite Him into the fellowship we share with others.

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.

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.