Happy Monday!

Today, I took the day off. I think the business of Christmas and emotional upheaval with Mom finally caught up with me. It was my plan to take down the tree and put Christmas away. Instead I sort of vegged out until it was time to prepare for our evening out.

For Christmas, Geni got Bruce tickets to Manheim Steamroller at the Meyerson in Dallas, so we used this to celebrate our anniversary a few days early. We ate a wonderful dinner at one of the restaurants at the Meyerson and then went to the concert. The concert was phenomenal. We had the most wonderful time. Thanks, Geni!

Mom update: I spoke with Mom this morning. She thinks they are going to move her tomorrow to a rehab hospital. Mom says that she may have to stay there about six weeks. She has surrendered to this move, but I think it makes her sad. She and Daddy are so close and this separation will be really hard. But if it helps Mom to be more mobile and regain the use of her arm, then it will be worth it. Please pray for her and Dad to get through this tough time ok. Daddy is very encouraging and will smile when he sees her and tells her she can do this. They will get through it, but it is just going to be difficult.

Prayer: “Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the beginning of a brand new day. I will confess to You that there are many things I am looking forward to and many I am not looking forward to. Please forgive me today for my sins. Help me to live today as a person who knows You and has a personal relationship with You. I find this hard to do at the best of times, so I commit my day to You today with no strings attached. These things I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen”

Acts 11: 21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”

Christmas is just about over. The gifts are opened and the dinner has been eaten. The trash has been taken out and the sites are open for the recycling of the trees. Now we face the after Christmas shopping sales and the ever popular stepping on the scales. We now look forward to finishing out this year and ringing in the new.

The people in the early Church were under stress and in fact they were stressed to the max. They were being persecuted from every direction because of their faith in Jesus. The stresses of our time are not the stresses of the early church, but sometimes life is really difficult. This Christmas had some unexpected stresses for our family. Situations change like the health of my Mom; jobs are scarce, money is tight, health issues can be devastating, family stresses can be the most challenging and sometimes we feel we are being persecuted from every direction.

The good news is that God has not moved. No matter what, God is there in the midst of our lives waiting for us to remember His love for us and His strong desire for us to place our faith in him and not in this world. May we remember to be thankful for our blessings; giving praise to God for all that He has done for us. May we learn to rely on Him as He continually blesses us with His presence and His love. He has held our hands this far and He will not quit!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Please pray for Mom and Dad. Love you all so very much mighty, powerful prayer warriors and friends, 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.