Thursday, March 24, 2011

Happy Thursday!

Prayer: “Thank you Father, for another day to live this life and serve You. I want to have courage today. Prepare me for whatever You may bring or whatever that Wicked One may throw my way. Someone I meet may need to hear Your words of truth, so make me aware of Your divine appointment and help me obey. When the opportunity is before me, remind me of my prayer of the morning. With this prayer, I am reporting for duty in the service of my King!”

Ephesians 6:14-16 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod you feet with preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

I have been teaching for thirty plus years and most of them in first grade. I love first graders. You can nearly always tell when a child is a first grader. One of the most telling marks is that they have no teeth. Those baby teeth have gone away and the spaces for the new grown-up teeth appear. By the end of the year most of them have at least the two upper grown-up teeth. Now these teeth look huge compared to the rest of their mouths, but at least now they no longer have to bite using the sides of their mouths and the sweet “lithpy” sounds of their language have gone with clear language and speaking skills in place.

Do we have tells that mark us as Christians? Is God’s Word planted in our hearts and minds? God’s Word is our sure footing on which to stand and give us our ability to walk the journey of faith in confidence. Do we live lives that speak the truth? Do we keep ourselves surrounded by the shield of faith? When we come into relationship with Jesus we are given these gifts. But just like first graders we need time in life to grow into these gifts and use them on a daily basis. These gifts are the attributes God values in Himself and placed firmly into His Son. Because we are God’s children and siblings to Christ we, too, carry these attributes. A pastor friend of mine called this “Christian DNA.” God loves us so much that He has passed on His most treasured qualities to us, His children. What an amazing God we serve. How wonderful that we can call Him our Father.

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 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.

Prayer requests: Geni as she is doing her Special Education student teaching. The students she is working with are emotionally disturbed. It is a really draining task both physically and emotionally.

I have a paper due on Tuesday.

Bruce leaves for the Kairos weekend at the Allred Unit in Iowa Park on Wednesday. Please pray for a smooth running weekend, safety for all and for the gospel to not be denied. Peace, gc
Happy Wednesday!

Awesome worship tonight. Our Youth director preached tonight and is working with the youth to fashion the Lenten services. Both the youth director and the youth are doing an awesome job of organizing and planning for worship. He preached on Jesus standing in the gap between God and us so that we do not go before God without Jesus pleading our case before hand. That is a theology I can wrap myself around!

John 15:15 “Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord has done: but I have called you friends.”

God, through Jesus, is our most intimate friend. This relationship is as near as our very next breath. It is in the person of Jesus to which all of God’s power has been given. There is no need that cannot be provided and met with Christ as our constant supply.

God meets our needs out of His love for us. He wants us to carry on His great work of passing on the love, grace and forgiveness to those who are in need of a savior. Speaking as one who hopes to serve as a chaplain in a hospital or hospice setting I know the power of God will come in quiet moments and prayerful times. The healing power of God will come in times of humor and times of tears, but the most important message I will ever deliver to anyone is how much God loves each of us and has empowered each of us with His Holy Spirit.

My friends, share with one another about your intimate friendship with Jesus. Tell others of His love and how His love and friendship are available for everyone. Right now the needs of our world are so great. The world is in need of a Savior. Invite someone who does not know Jesus to meet Him.

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 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: A Kairos friend of Bruce’s from Tyler had a double mastectomy this week. Kay came through the surgery with flying colors but is waiting for the report on the biopsy on her lymph nodes. Please lift Kay and her husband, Mike, in your prayers. Thanks, gc.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Happy Tuesday!

There are things I will miss about teaching first grade. One of the main things I will miss will be the stories. First graders tell stories like no other. Here is today’s story.

The Gospel According to Lily

I sit with my students at lunch. I have done this practice for years. And in all that time I have never had a conversation about school with the children. They talk about everything except school activities. Today was no different.

Lily is a precious little blond haired girl with a slight lisp and an extraordinary ability to speak. Today she told me the Creation story from Genesis. I will begin about mid-way through.

Lily shared “that man and that woman were in the garden and the woman told the man to eat one of the peaches. (Lily now has my full attention.) So the man ate the peach and there was a boy. That boy turned into a snake. God got really mad at the man and the woman and threw them out of the garden. God told them, “I only gave you one rule!” (By now I am biting my lip to keep from completely falling apart with uncontrolled laughter.) ”Then God put a big angel at the garden gate and the man lived to be 100 years old. (I do believe that Lily gets it! I laughed for the remainder of the day every time I thought about Lily’s story.)

Prayer: “Dear Father, tonight I rest my body from this really long day. And even though it is late at Your pleasure I will rise tomorrow to a day of working, watching, and waiting. With Your direction I will serve You, regardless of my occupation. I will watch for You with the expectancy that You will soon return for me and for all who have faith in Jesus. With the eager music of Your Spirit playing songs of faith, hope, and love within me. I will long for Your perfection. Good night, my Lord!”

Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith.”

God sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice and the model of the godly life. Jesus kept on doing good things no matter what the cost and how frustrated He must have become with those stubborn, self-reliant, egotistical people in Judea. I feel fairly sure that people have not changed even unto March of 2011. God keeps doing things for us through His very essence, the Holy Spirit. We could never repay the goodness God has done in our lives but what we can do is “pay it forward.” Even when our heads hurt from nodding north and south and our bodies ache from carrying a load for a brother or sister in Christ, we are called to continue on helping and to not lose heart.

Jesus took on a task of reconciling the world unto Himself by showing all with whom He came into contact the way to the Father. We are not asked to sacrifice ourselves as Jesus did, but we are called to serve in His name and do acts of random kindness to those with whom we live, work and play. In paying it forward we can love, forgive, help, pray and listen to those who are members of the household of faith.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift one another up in prayer each day 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.

Praise! Geni has passed all three of her Texas required exit tests for teaching. We are so proud of her! Now every one, please pray for her to be able to be employed in a school in the fall! Thanks, gc

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Happy Monday and Happy full day of spring!

Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I come to You this morning confessing my tendency toward anxiety. Perhaps the hardest assignment You gave me is to wait on You. I am an impatient person serving a patient God. Keep me from the pitfalls of hurry and the sin of worry. You are always good and are always right on time. My prayer for today and this week is that I will be conformed to Your timetable and that I will pursue becoming more like You. Amen.”

1 Peter 1:8 “Whom having not seen, yet love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Jesus told His disciples to remember these words, “This kind goes out but by prayer and fasting.” Jesus asks His disciples “Can you tread the way I trod? Can you drink of My cup?” then He says, “All is well.” Say, “All is well.”

Wow! Sometimes it is so hard to say, “All is well” when there does not seem that anything is well. Jesus knows that we cannot do what he did in His sacrifice for our sin. But sometimes nothing seems in control within us or around us. I think Jesus is reminding us that when the world seems to be crumbling around us and there does not seem to be one thing we can do to plug all of the holes in the leaking dyke, we need to stop and remember who we are and more importantly whose we are.

Stop and take a breath. Breathe in the power of the Holy Spirit and let His peace to flow over us and fill us until we and the spirit of Jesus are one. At that moment before we speak we need to allow Jesus to say to us, “All is well.” All is well because in that moment of intimate communion nothing can harm and Jesus will speak to us the words we need to hear. Jesus will speak to us as a parent would comfort a frightened, crying child and say “everything is going to be alright. I am here.”

The most important words we need to hear are how much the Father loves us and will remain with us through the crumbling world. We must believe and trust in the love of God through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit receiving joy unspeakable and standing in His glory.

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.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Blessed Sunday and Happy first day of Spring!

Here is the newest project at the Chrystie household. Several weeks ago one of Bruce’s clients was cleaning out and was getting rid of a wrought iron patio table and chairs. With the exception of needing a bit of paint the furniture is in perfect condition. Our problem was that we did not have a patio to set under it. So, on Friday I went to Home Depot and purchased 4 wooden stakes, a spool of pink twine and my own way cool professional tape measure! I staked off the area, roped it off with my pink string and measured it with my tape measure. I placed a beautiful pot of pink flowers in the center of the table and welcomed spring. Since I am really not equipped to help with construction I helped in this way!

Saturday we went to Home Depot and purchased bricks, a ton or two of sand and edging. Today, Travis and I picked up the bricks, sand and edging and placed it in the side yard. Later this week and part of next, Bruce and Travis will complete construction of a beautiful brick patio to go with our furniture. I am so excited. Please offer a prayer for great weather and safety for the men in our house. I promise to keep you posted and place a picture on the entry as soon as it is completed.

Song of Songs 2:12 “Flowers appear on the earth…the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

This morning before preparing to attend worship I read a beautiful devotional on the first day of spring. Parts of this winter in Texas were particularly harsh with the icy weather in February (just a few weeks ago!) which makes spring an especially welcome friend. The yard is beginning to green a bit, and the plants that survived the icy weather are beginning to show their green leaves with a few hints of the budding flowers to come. As I sat out in the area where the patio will soon be and talked to Mom, I heard the birds singing and remembered the bird nest that has been made in the corner of our front porch (a first for us) and thought spring arrived in its subtle glory today.

In the meditation I read this morning the writer spoke of a small tree in the yard that was withered and lifeless with parched leaves. The writer wanted to yell, “Little tree, if you’ll just let go. God will give you fresh new leaves, and you’ll be lovely again.” Then Patsy, the writer, thought “What do you need to let go of? Do you still clutch to parts of the old life?”

The old life she was speaking of was her life before a personal relationship with Jesus. How many of us still carry around part of our old life? Maybe we haven’t confessed a grudge, some bitterness, a sin we are holding against someone, gossip, yelling at traffic or a hurt never reconciled. Whatever it is may be keeping us from bursting forth with new life.

Jesus came so that we can lay aside the “shroud” of our former life. God does not rehabilitate his people. He resurrects them. I know it is the season of Lent, but God won’t mind an early resurrection if we are willing to move out of the darkness of winter and wake anew.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Remember to lift each other up in prayer each day for each of us is 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.

Prayer alert! Former Happener and Happener leader, Chris Dow was in an auto accident in Florida recently. I am not certain of the specifics, but saw a picture of him in a hospital room with slings on both arms. Please pray for his full recovery.