Saturday, October 23, 2010

Happy Saturday!

Well, two of our three of my teams have won this weekend. The Rangers won last night and earned themselves a place in the World Series. My beloved Frogs beat Air Force tonight and soundly I might add! Now if the Cowboys could just win on Monday…

Matthew 10:22 “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”

The great characters of the Old Testament all were made to walk some path of sacrifice and forgiveness. Abraham was made to walk the hill of sacrifice with his son, Isaac. Moses was sent into exile across the desert to be made ready to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt into the land promised to them by God through His Word.

Each one of these men walked a most difficult road in obedience to God. They trusted in God from the beginning of each of their journeys and God rewarded them with deliverance. Abraham, with his son tied to an altar, was delivered from the slaying of Isaac, with a ram sent to him by God to take the place of his son. Moses and the Hebrew nation were allowed to cross the Red Sea unharmed with Pharaoh’s army on their heels. That army was then destroyed before their very eyes. They trusted God with their very lives and were rewarded for their obedience. These men learned to rely on God for all of their needs. They learned to walk by faith.

Tomorrow at Advent we will celebrate with the families of those young people who are being confirmed. In the Lutheran Church, Confirmation takes two years of study to be completed. These young people thought that two years was a near eternity, with difficult assignments, long commitment and seemingly never ending study. I am sure these young people are glad to see this time in their lives come to an end and the time to celebrate is now! Tomorrow there will be a time of questioning what they have learned. Also, these young people will share faith statements as they have grown in their faith over the last two years and take their places in the Church. As they prepare to stand before the assembly tomorrow I pray they will continue trusting God to stand with them. In this final test of their time of Confirmation, these young people must walk by faith and rely on Christ alone to complete the task of obedience.

Our call to obedience is not unlike those young people. Even though most of us have completed a confirmation experience (long ago) of some sort, we too must remember to rely on God for everything. We must trust God to walk the path of sacrifice even if it seems very difficult and impossible to accomplish and the end never seems to be in sight. God promises deliverance to those who continue to walk in obedience, in faith and in reliance on God alone. God promises His very presence through the Holy Spirit to be with us continually as we rely on Him alone.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift each other up in prayer 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.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Hurray for Friday!

Rangers Win! Rangers Win! Was that amazing or what! I loved that the last out was on A-Rod. (sorry, that was sort of mean) I also loved how Josh Hamilton gave glory to God and Jesus Christ before he spoke about anything else. Praise God for witnesses who are not just willing to talk the talk, but are also willing to walk the walk.

Jude 1:20 “But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

In my classroom during center time I have places for noisy centers and places for quiet centers. I keep the quiet centers near the area where I am teaching a small reading group and the louder centers further around the room. The ones I am teaching in the small group have a better opportunity for increased learning without a lot of nearby distractions. With fewer distractions these children are building up reading skills and fluency.

When we pray in the Holy Spirit we are furnishing the quiet places in our souls with the clear and quiet voice of God. We build up an unshakable faith because of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit we fill the spaces with peace, all things that are good and beautiful and, if you will allow the comparison, an extraordinary sense of joy and a need to celebrate.

Friends, let none of us wait 39 years ( the time it took the Rangers to get to the World Series) to build a spiritual home and fill the quiet places with the power of the Holy Spirit. But begin now through prayer in Jesus name, by the intercession of the Holy Spirit, reading God’s Word and surround ourselves by God’s people.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift each other up in prayer 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.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Happy Thursday!

Revelation 3: 20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

Isaiah 55: 3 “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live.”

I love having friends and family over for dinner. It does not matter if we are having a full meal, snacks or dessert and coffee. The fellowship that is experienced around the table brings me great joy.

Can you imagine attending the meals and feasts with Jesus as recorded in scripture? Just think…the wedding feast at the marriage at Cana where Jesus finally accepted His divinity at the urging of his mother; the meal at the home of Mary and Martha where Jesus ministered to Mary and Martha in such different ways; the Passover meal shared in the upper room when Jesus said good-bye to his dearest friends; the meal shared at the lakeside with Peter and some of the other disciples - all examples of places and times when Jesus revealed Himself.

At each one of those meals, God provided the elements and God fellowshipped with the people gathered. At each meal the hearts of those gathered burned with the fire of the Holy Spirit because God was present in the body of Jesus and in the elements provided; the wine at the marriage feast symbolizing the changing of the hearts of man, the wine and bread imaging the sacrificed body and shed blood of Christ, and finally, through the familiar hands that broke the bread and served the meal to the disciples after the resurrection.

In each of these events Jesus initiates the meal. He offered the invitation to dine with Him to meet the immediate need of physical hunger and to fulfill the eternal need for a relationship with God through Jesus. All we need to do is accept the invitation and sit down at the table of grace and forgiveness and dine with our Host.

All we are asked to bring to the table is our heart. Jesus will provide the rest.

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.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Happy Wednesday!

Class was great tonight! Tonight we discussed sacraments and sacramental thinking. It was really wonderful and a very spiritual lecture and discussion. Being a Lutheran, I am well versed in sacraments. I even contributed to the class discussion tonight! I don’t do that very often.

Ephesians 5:8-10 “Walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.”

I love to pray. I love to pray alone and in silence and I love to pray aloud even if it is only me and God present. I love to pray with a group or lead others in prayer. I have been complimented on the ease with which I pray and my ability to pray aloud with not very much notice. When complimented for those abilities, I always respond, “I practice a lot.”

When we accept God’s Will for our lives we will experience the Divine Revelation of God. We will experience Holiness and Happiness. The road of obedience is not always an easy road, but remember that Jesus walked the road to the cross and that was not a smooth path, either. It took total and complete surrender of the earthly self of Jesus and his willingness to be obedient in order to carry the burden of sin and forgiveness for each of us. When we accept God’s will for our lives in all things then the yoke transfers to the shoulders of Jesus.

Here is the thing; God does not just want surrender in the really difficult decisions and big events in our life. God wants us to surrender in every interruption, every task, no matter how small. If we will remember to surrender in all things then it becomes a habit and the Joy God promises will change and transform our lives.

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

PS Our Rangers lost today, but still are ahead in the series 3-2. One more win at home and we will be in the World Series! Go Rangers!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Greetings from Austin St.

Happy Tuesday! At this writing it is the top of the 9th inning and the Rangers are ahead 7 to 3. Go Rangers!

1 John 5:14, 15 “If we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us; And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”

The group of children I have in my classroom this year need a lot of work on listening. Their life and success in the classroom would be far better (and my life would be a lot easier) if they would just listen to directions and then do what I ask. I must have said that very statement at least 20 times today. Here’s the thing, even though they may ask the same question a number of times, I always answer and then sometimes I ask them “Why did you not listen?”

Garth Brooks recorded a song about thanking God for “unanswered prayers.” While it earned Garth a lot of money, it is not how I understand the way prayer works. First, God hears all of our prayers and honors them with His thoughtfulness. Next, God always answers our prayers. Scripture tells us this very Truth. We are His creation and God does not ignore that which He has created. The cry of the human soul never goes unheard. The issue may lie not with God, but with us, His children, who fail to hear His response. When we pray to God we become one with Him and work in harmony; the human soul’s cry and God’s response. I’m sure we sound like the first graders in my classroom. We ask questions and make requests and then do not listen for the answers. The answers do not always come immediately, but they always are given in loving response to God who loves His children.

So my friends, it is time to get into listening position. Let us be quiet before God. Make our requests known before the throne of grace and lay them at the mercy seat of the Father and then, in trust, listen for the answer that will be given to each of us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift each other up in prayer 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.

Rangers win 10 to 3!!!!!!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Happy Monday!

Go Rangers! At this writing at the top of the 9th it is Rangers 6 and Yankees 0. Go Rangers!

Luke 23:24 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Mark 14: 50 “Then all the disciples deserted Him and ran away.”

Let’s go back 2000 years to the night of the cross. The disciples fled, Judas betrayed and Peter denied. Not a great night for faithfulness and commitment. But as Jesus hung there on the cross he spoke those all too familiar words, “Father, forgive them…” How lonely Jesus must have felt knowing His closest friends and companions were not there and had run in fear. And yet, He still said, “Father, forgive them…” even though they were not present to hear those words.

But Jesus, in His love and belief in those men, still commissioned them to carry the gospel to all who would hear it. He charged these sinful, fearful men with the task of beginning the church.

You know God does not use those human successes to further His work in the kingdom. God uses our frailties and our failures as the path of forgiveness. It is when we fail that we look to God for guidance and grace. It is through that guidance and grace that we become more like Him and are made fit for His service. The good news is that even when we are full of fear and sin and when we try to run away hoping that God will not find us, God remains faithful and forgiving and charges each one of us to continue the task of telling others of His love and forgiveness. Who better than each one of us…?

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 - The Rangers won!!! Go Rangers!!!!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Blessed Sunday!

Today in worship we sang “Breathe.” As many of you may know, that song is the last one Casey sang. He sang it with Bruce on the Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend just prior to his final days with us. What a blessing for Bruce and he to share singing this very profound piece. I usually get pretty weepy when this song is sung. I cry because I miss Casey, but then I think of how he must be living the words of this song every day and for all eternity. The instant he passed from this world and into the next Casey breathed in the Holy Presence of God through the resurrection power of Jesus. God spoke His very Word to Casey and now Casey lives in perfect peace, perfect health and in the Holy Presence of God. WOW!

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

While we are here on the earth we are to live, love and grow into the likeness of Christ and into the image of God. The way to do this is to develop a relationship with God through Jesus.

One of the things I say in my classroom (numerous times each day) is “look at me.” The wisest educator I ever knew gave me the best truth about teaching I have ever learned and put into practice. These simple words are what I base everything on that I teach the children in my class. These words are, “You can’t teach the children until you have their attention.”

When the children pay attention then they learn more not only academically, but they learn to trust me as their teacher. They learn that I will be there to help them and all they need to do is look at me and help is coming shortly. If they continue to pay attention they will learn their lessons and will grow as students and be ready for the next grade level. It is my hope that I do my job well enough so when the students leave my classroom and travel to the second grade classrooms, their new teachers will know that they came from my classroom and are prepared for the second grade.

Jesus tells us to “look at Him.” When we look at Jesus we grow in His likeness and receive the answers and direction we are seeking. When we are at a place of unrest then we must seek His calm. When we are impatient then we must seek His unfailing patience. When we feel we are lacking and reaching our limits then we need to seek His perfection. The result is that we receive the answers and direction we need and we grow into the likeness of Christ because we looked at Him and paid attention. Others will know us by our faith and actions and say. “These people have been with Jesus.”

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.
Happy Saturday!

Congrats to the Rangers on their win this afternoon and congrats to the Frogs for theirs.

Psalm 37: 1-4 “Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like the grass, they soon fade away, like spring flowers they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire.”

Today I had an interview with the head of the Lutheran Candidacy Committee. It was a delightful conversation. We discussed my life from the time I was a child growing up, my parents, my brother, my faith formation and the calling I have received and am pursuing. As I continue to attend school to complete the Master’s of Divinity degree there are some decisions that will have to be made. I must affiliate myself with a Lutheran Seminary and attend for a year. I think the closest Lutheran Seminary that I can attend is in Chicago. And according to the requirements I will have to pastor a church for three years before I can go into the field of chaplaincy. If I choose not to seek ordination I can go the path of being a Diaconal Minister. I am not sure of the requirements, but it is an option I can pursue.

These are things I must think about as I seek discernment and God’s absolute planning. These are life altering decisions that will be surrendered in prayer. As I told Steve, (my interviewer), today, if God truly is leading me into an ordained ministry then God will make a way and the path will be laid out before me.

These are not decisions that need to be made today, but they are decisions that will require a great deal of praying and listening to God’s clear and gentle prompting to do His will. After all, the bottom line is that I seek God’s will in all I do and serve Him in whatever way He sees best. How about you…?

Let us help each other through prayer to take joy in the journey of obedience and surrender to the will of God in all of our lives. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift one another up in prayer 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.