Saturday, March 12, 2011

Happy Saturday!

What an awesome day! I went to Sherman to see Mom today and she is doing so much better. Her blood pressure is returning to normal and her kidney function finally turned the corner last night and is greatly improved today. She doesn’t like having her liquids restricted, but she is hanging in there and is just really ready to go home. I also got to see Ken, Sheena and little Holly. It was a wonderful visit.

After lunch we returned to the hospital in time to see Daddy and hear that the doc is planning to dismiss Mom on Monday after Daddy gets off work! It was a wonderful day!

Prayer: “Lord, please grant me a clean heart. May the searchlight of Your Holy Spirit examine my thoughts and actions and reveal my wicked thoughts, actions or words in my life today. As You bring them to mind, I confess them before You and ask for forgiveness. Thank You for Your promise that if I confess my sins, You will forgive and cleanse me from all of them. In Jesus’ name. Amen”

Proverbs12: 13-14 “The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble. A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth and the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.”

Just in case you think you are having a déjà vu, that was the passage from last night. Last night I talked about truth. Truth is so important. God calls each of us to speak, live and act in truth. Tonight I want to think about God’s promises. In this passage of scripture it says, ”the righteous will come through trouble.” It does not say that we will be sheltered from trouble or that trouble and difficult times will not come our way. It does say, that no matter what the trouble, trial, difficulty or hard time, we will come through it because of our righteousness made manifest in our belief in Jesus Christ. Once we have committed ourselves to Christ then He commits Himself to us. Proverbs 3:6 says that if we acknowledge the Lord as our Savior then “He shall direct our paths.”

So we have a God who is the author of truth and will see us through every step we take whether in joy or sorrow or rocky path.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Remember that all of us are fighting some sort of battle. 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.

Praises and Thank you’s…today I went by a Starbucks in McKinney to get some tea for the trip home. They were demonstrating their new petite bakery treats. I managed to resist temptation and gave my bakery treat to the person behind me! Lead me not into temptation…(for I can find it myself!) I am down 5 pounds since Thursday. (Don’t stop praying!)

Geni has taken her second test and has one more to go.

Please continue to pray for us. gc
Happy Friday!

Spring Break is here! I realize we got a serendipitous early break with the days of ice and snow, but have you ever noticed if you get some unexpected time off then you are not sure what to do with your time? But when you know time off is coming you plan for that time. Well, I do have different events planned for spring break including a 6:00 AM breakfast with a friend. And tomorrow I am going to Sherman to see Mom. She sounded a bit tired today and is still having trouble with some low blood pressure.

Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I ask for a righteous heart that is worthy of your praise. Keep me from temptation, and guard me from the wiles of the devil. Allow me to serve and bless You today. Amen”

Proverbs 12: 13-14 “The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble. A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.”

Galatians 6:7 restates this passage in a much simpler text, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” These two verses from Proverbs and Galatians hold deep truth. In my classroom I demand that the children always tell the truth. I talk to them a lot about how important truth and trust are and how being truthful is always important for others to trust them. I also tell them that if they do wrong and then lie about it then they have now done two things wrong and the punishment will be that much worse. Just tell the truth and be done with it.

This passage talks about living in truth. We as Christians have every reward at our fingertips to live and act in truth. But the truth is that we do not always act in truth or in righteous ways. As children of God and brothers and sisters to Christ we are made righteous through faith, belief and forgiveness. We may be able to lie to ourselves and others, but we can never lie to God. As our Creator, God knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows when we are living in truth or in the entrapment of lies.

For God the simple truth is that He loves us so much and so desires a relationship with each of us that He sent Jesus to take on the burden of our sins and to model the godly life for us. So when we fail to measure up then we are still loved and forgiven and have the opportunity to begin again. To model that godly life God desires for our lives, we must not only speak the truth, but walk in truth.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. When you pray, remember that all of us are fighting some sort of battle and none of us can do this life alone. 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.

Prayer request: Geni takes the second of three of her exit tests tomorrow which will qualify her for specific specializations in her teaching certification. Prayers for focus and a spirit of peace would be welcome.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Happy Thursday!

Spoke again with Mom today. She seems to be feeling better, but is having trouble with some low blood pressure. So the heart doc believes she is being over-medicated. The tentative plan is to remove all current medicines and begin again and see if some of the medications are counteracting each other. I hope to go and see her on Saturday. Not sure when she will be coming home as yet. Please keep her and Dad in your prayers.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to see others through Your eyes. May I never be ashamed of Your gospel. Help me to be faithful to share it with someone today. Amen.”

Eccl. 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Last night I shared with you that I have begin the 40 pounds in 40 days weight loss plan. Today was the first day of the next 38 days of the strict diet plan along with taking the HGC drops. I did pretty well today. One of the requirements is that I weigh myself daily. I have added to that regimen a website that helps me to write down everything I eat and calculates the calories as well as tracking the weight loss. (It is called FitClick).

As I was documenting information tonight it suddenly dawned on me how this practice, while not always flattering, helps keep me focused on the goal and the process to reach that goal.

How closely is this practice to that of my walk with Christ? How important is accountability? The daily accountability will allow me to watch my progress and also help me to see if I get off track and, if I do, to get back on track with the next meal. It crosses my mind that I could not be honest on the computer and with myself and no one would be the wiser. However, I can’t pull that off with God. If I do not stay focused on prayer, scripture and study, practice compassion and share the gospel in word and action, then my spiritual life suffers. I cannot lie to God even if I try to lie to myself. My discipleship would be in denial.

My accountability to God is reading scripture each evening and reflecting on it, praying throughout the day, giving thanks to God for every good and perfect gift, asking for intercessory prayer and confessing and asking for forgiveness for my sins. Lately I have been asking God to let me see others through His eyes and to act upon what I see with compassion. This is my Lenten journey. The 40 days of Lent and the 40 days of this diet seem somewhat spiritually linked. Perhaps during this Lenten journey I am to learn discipline along with wisdom.

As with any journey encouragement is always a key factor. Since I have shared this with you, my dear readers, it is my prayer that you will be in prayer for me to grow in discipline and wisdom as I hopefully shrink in size.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Remember that each of us is fighting some sort of battle. So 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.
Happy Ash Wednesday!

Prayer: “Lord, help me to live a life of worship and to see You in every circumstance.”

Matthew 17: 20-21 “Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain. “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. However this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

I began the 40 pounds in 40 days diet two days ago. Anyone who has explored this process knows that the first two days are fat loading days. I am on the second fat loading day and right now fasting sounds pretty good! I have followed this plan before and it really does work. I did not lose 40 pounds but I did lose around 20 and was very happy with the results. I would like to lose about 25 more. Here is the thing, if you follow the protocol set out in the weight loss plan, it works. If not, then weight loss does not happen.

People decide to go on a weight loss plan because they decide that losing a few pounds is better than weighing what they currently weigh. And if one decides to follow a prescribed food plan then the person has decided that what they are currently doing is not working and the time is now to try something new.

Let me see if I can make the transition from my diet to my faith - We are not only saved by our faith, but we live by our faith. One of the reasons we decide to follow Christ is because we believe that we are better off with Jesus in our lives and following God than in going our own way. We can better resist temptation because following God is better than living a life of unforgiveness. Living in faith leads us to make wise decisions, receive answers to our prayers.

The mustard seed is such a wonderful example of how just a tiny bit of faith can be multiplied by God’s love and grace. That tiny mustard seed of faith nurtured and tended by God can cause our faith to grow into a lifetime of joy, peace and a lifetime of faith in a God who loves us so much. (I guess it is a good thing mustard greens are a part of the 40 pounds in 40 days food plan!) To accomplish my weight loss goal, I need not only my own personal faith but I need God’s unfailing faithfulness to block temptation. I need to gain strength while becoming healthier and attain my goal while growing in faith in Christ. (Did I succeed in the transition?)

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift up each other in prayer daily remembering that each of us is fighting some sort of battle. 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.

Prayer alert: I spoke with Mom this morning and she seemed to be feeling better. Currently they are “pumping” her full of Lasix to see if that will take care of the fluid retention problem. Please continue to pray for her to be restored to health and well-being. Peace, gc

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Happy Tuesday!

What a day! Happy Fat Tuesday! In the middle of taking my test tonight I received word that my Mom was sent to the hospital from the doctor’s office with congestive heart failure and her kidneys had shut down. I did talk to her on the phone and she says, “I’m fine.” (Right, Mom!) Needless to say the last couple of questions on my test were not my best work. Please pray for Mom, Genita or Nita as she has always been called. Also please pray for Dad, Ken and our families. Thank you.

Praise alert! Geni passed her first of three exit tests very well. Woo! Woo!

Prayer: “Lord, help me give all my concerns to You today. Help me trust You and remember that there is nothing You cannot do. Amen.”

Matthew 6: 30, 31 “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat!” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”

I do not take credit for the writing tonight, but it is a lesson in lordship over ownership. What we take ownership of is temporal at best, but what God gives us and has lordship over is eternal. Enjoy!

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 remembering that everyone is fighting some sort of battle. 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.

The Necklace

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here daddy, this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny ...

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Happy Monday!

Prayer: “Lord, I do not know what I will face today. Help me to see You in every situation and decision. Lead me to respond to all adversity in faith. Amen.”

Habakkuk 2: 4 “Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.”

This verse in Habakkuk contrasts the proud man with the faithful man. A Christian has humbled himself before Christ, confessed his sin and depends on Christ alone. The proud sees himself as the source of life and a blessing to all he meets.

As we continue on our journey of faith, if we forget to include Christ and recognize His intervention in our lives we exhibit a form of pride (sounds familiar as I was studying!). When we practice an attitude of gratitude we move from pride to faith.

The example the writer of my meditation used tonight really hit home with me. He spoke of a time when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and how angry he was at possibly losing her after only 29 years of marriage. When he finished being so mad he was humbled before the Father and gave thanks for the 29 years they had together. When he offered up his gratitude his anger was changed into peace about the future.

While Casey was ill and we knew that we would most likely not have a lifetime with him. Then we realized that God had placed in him a lifetime in his 24 years. The kids often expressed that their future children would never know their Uncle Casey and they would never attend his wedding or he, theirs. At that time every thought we had of Casey held the worst sadness any family could ever experience. But now, even though we miss Casey each day when we think of him, it is usually through laughter or a smile and sometimes through tears all at the same time. But here is the thing…we did not then and do not now ask God why because God did not take Casey before he was ready to go. Casey went willingly with arms open wide. We give thanks that God allowed us to have our dear son for 24 years. I realize I have said this before, Casey will not return to us (even though I do ask on occasions for God to just let him peek down), but I believe with full conviction that we will see him again. And when that happens we will see him for all eternity. I think that is what living by faith is all about.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Remember that each of us is dealing with some sort of battle. As for me I am dealing with a mountainous test for tomorrow night. Love you all and I am very thankful for each of 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, March 6, 2011

Blessed Sunday to you all!

Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, with the Lord of Hosts.”

Except for making my first ‘Gumbo” today, I spent this morning in worship and the remainder of the time studying. My hand is so tired. I am still a bit old school that I have to hand write my responses so I can remember them better. I have two more late afternoons and one evening to get ready for this test. It is a massive amount of information and I am really nervous that I am not going to be able to remember all I need to know to do well.

In my meditation tonight, I am reminded of whom I am doing all of this work. I am not working for me, I am working for God. This passage of scripture reminds me that God is working with me and I am to remember to invite Him into my study time. God has been seeking an invitation into my time of study. I need to invite Him in order for me to remember what I need to know for this test. If I do not invite Him into my thoughts and concentration then what I am learning will not be lasting.

Every time I have encountered Bruce or anyone else today I have said, “I don’t know how I am going to remember all of this.” Bruce’s wise response to me is a very calm, “Gaylene, God will give you what you need when you need it. He will give you the knowledge you seek.” To quote the meditation from tonight, “How silently My Spirit works. How gently and gradually souls are led into My Kingdom.” Bruce became the vessel for the gentle reminder of God’s presence.

As I study I realize I am the ground God is preparing. Prayerfully, I will serve Him as His representative to those in need some day. If I become hard ground and do not allow Him to be a part of all I do (including studying for a test) the seed of wisdom cannot be planted and will not grow. So once again I surrender my sometimes rock hard soul over to the gentle gardener to plant the seed so that it may grow in the soil He has chosen.

I ask you to pray for me as I attempt to absorb and remember this mountain of information. I also ask that God will clear my mind to receive His Holy Presence. And thanks for praying for Geni as she takes her exit exams. She has one down and two to go. The next one is Saturday.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. (Speaking of which, today I wore a pair of 4 hour shoes. They lasted until sending at the end of the service then off they came!) Count your blessings and say your payers. Remember that each one of us is fighting some sort of battle. 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.