Happy Thursday! 

It is still Reading Week.  Today I actually got around to reading for next week. 

I am learning a lot. I have a really interesting version of the New Testament.  It is called, The Evolution of the New Testament.  The books in the New Testament are arranged in the order in which they were written.  Luke and Acts stand side by side at the end of the book.  According to my scholarly sources Luke and Acts should have been labeled as a two volume set.  (I am actually learning a lot more, but I thought this was an interesting point.)

Prayer:  “Lord, help me not to be distracted by the petty demands of the day. Help me to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal. May Your agenda for this day become mine. In Jesus’ powerful name I pray, Amen.”

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.  But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,”

1 Corinthians 3: 10-11

When I began this journey of seminary studies I was told by many people that many of the things I would study and experience would “break” my faith.  Let me assure you my faith has not been broken - expanded and grown? Yes, but broken- NO.  There are a few items of faith that I claim as truth and on which I stake all of my faith formation.  The most important one is: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

The world can do many things.  The world can out think, out spend, out build and out grow, but the message of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected is the foundation of the church.  Not only is it the foundation of the church, but it is the foundation of our lives as well.

If you think about your house…you cannot see the foundation of your house, but rest assured that it is present and that your house is built firmly upon it.  We usually take care of the outside of our houses and redecorate the inside.  This week I have spent a great deal of time putting together and decorating my study.  I have invested time, money and effort into creating a space for my study time.  I could continue this and pretty soon I will have a cluttered room and an empty checkbook!  Now it is time to use that room for its created purpose; to study God’s Word, write and reflect on what I have read, read scholarly texts and write about what I have read and spend time in prayer and meditation.  I will do this for my seminary work and my own personal spiritual growth. 

My meditation tonight says this of a seminary professor, “Some folks have more in the showcase than in the warehouse.”  I offer prayer for myself that as my “showcase” of learning will increase because I will have read, studied and attended classes.  But more importantly I pray my “warehouse” will increase through my prayer life, my personal study and daily worship of God through Jesus Christ crucified and risen. 

So my friends let us keep our warehouses full and our minds focused on God’s Word so that His plan for our lives and for our futures will be fulfilled.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and continue your prayers for Tatum, or as her family and doctors refer to her as, “The Mighty T.”  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 only moved by what I believe and I believe God.