Blessed Sunday to you all!

It has been quite a day! I preached two services in Rockett and Palmer, Texas this morning and have spent the remainder of the day working on the re-take test for my history class. I got bogged down in the Book of Common Prayer. My brain began to fry so I put it to bed for the day and will spend tomorrow completing as much as possible. I am finished with 9 ½ of the 10 terms and still have to complete the essay questions.

How about the trifecta for this weekend? TCU won, Cowboys won and the Rangers won. What a weekend!!!

Prayer: “Thank You for being my heavenly Father. Help me to be Your obedient child today. As I read Your Word, open my ears to hear what You are telling me, and then help me to do what You have told me to do. May my relationship with You take priority over every other relationship. I know that when I put You first, I am better equipped to love others. Remind me today that no one should ever take the place that rightly belongs to You. Amen.”

Luke 8: 20, 21 “And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside desiring to see you. But he answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are thee who hear the word of God and do it.”

I know I have said it before, but Jesus was a maser teacher and He did not seem to miss an opportunity to teach a lesson. Educators call these times “teachable moments.” This passage has always bothered me a bit, but I spent some time praying about it and tried to make heads or tails of it. Jesus was not being disrespectful of his family, He was telling the listeners that our first relationship must be to God and those who listen to God’s Word and do what it says are His family. Making God’s will for our lives our will shows others that we are truly related to God through His Son, Jesus. The message Jesus is sending to His birth family was that I love you and want to be with you, but I must be about My Father’s business. Jesus said these same words to his family once before when He became separated form them as a 12 year old child. Jesus believed that what God wanted Him to do must come before what his family or His own will wanted. Jesus told His family that He had a higher calling that demanded total obedience to whatever God needed Him to do and wherever God wanted Him to go.

As a teacher, Jesus teaches us that same lesson. He requires of us to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul and all of our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our relationship with God must be primary. When our relationship with God is primary and we learn to love as God loves through a relationship with Jesus then all of our relationships increase in love.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. 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 only moved by what I believe and I believe God.