Happy Saturday! 

Three overtimes!! What a game!  Even though my beloved TCU Horned Frogs did not win, they played well and did not give up.  We’ll get ‘em next time! 

And if time permits perhaps we could all stand and eat a corn dog in memory of Big Tex.  1952—2012.

Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, You have invited me on a mission to make Your life known. This mission begins in my family and reaches the ends of the earth. Help me to so love You that those closest to me are drawn into intimate fellowship with God. Help me to touch the generations to come by making a difference in this generation. Lord use me that my family may know You. Lord, use me that the nations may know You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen”

“Only take heed you yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Today I was meeting with my Lay Training Committee.  This is a group of church members who have committed to meet with me monthly throughout my supervised ministry.  They are this wonderful support group who prays for me, with me and helps me to learn many things about the church. 

My focus for this month is outreach.  Rush Creek is really into outreach.  The overall focus of outreach at Rush Creek is helping the poor.  We have many missions and events that help the poor globally as well as locally. As our conversation continued we began to speak of families and how we can serve our families and help them to have more intimate relationships with Christ.  We can begin by providing a good disciple for our families.  We do not need to get on a plane or travel far away to model the godly life for our families.  We can sit at the table in our own homes joining in fellowship with those we love and being the godly seed in this world to bear fruit for God.  William James once said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”  See you in worship.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.

Prayer alert! My dear friend Lisa’s mother is a sever diabetic and has many health issues due to the diabetes.  Very recently this terrible disease has affected her heart. Lisa flew out today to Alabama to be with her mother and siblings.  They have difficult decisions to make concerning the care of their mother.  Please keep this precious family in your prayers.

Also when you pray tonight, please pray for Bruce as he travels to Memphis to be with his brother Dale and his family.  Dale is having knee replacement surgery on Tuesday so please include him in your prayers.

Peace, gc

Happy Friday!

Prayer:  “Father, thank You for the relationship You have given me through Your son, Jesus. I know that I was not created to enjoy a relationship with You apart from fellowship with Your family. Help me to stay connected in community and experience life-changing relationships with others. May my life be an inspiration to others to love You more. Make me mindful throughout this day to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.”

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10: 25

We are called to gather together with other believers.  Our salvation is not contingent on us going to church. We are called to gather together because following Jesus is all about relationships. Being a Christian is all about having a relationship with God. Following Jesus is all about a relationship with others.  When we gather in fellowship, service and worship our relationship with God becomes deeper. It is through our relationship with God that enables us to relate with others. 

“Exhorting” one another means “to invite to come along.”  When we gather with other believers we experience deeper levels of intimacy with the Divine.  Eternity is enjoying our relationship with God within the fellowship of God’s family at the deepest level of intimacy.  Our relationship with God and other believers is like that song says, “a foretaste of the feast to come.”

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  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.

Prayer Alert:  Daddy called today to tell me he has been diagnosed with severe diabetes.  So far he will be able to change his diet and take oral medication to keep it under control.  Please keep him in your prayers as he makes these life changes. 

Also, tonight I ask special prayers for Bruce’s brother, Dale.  He is having knee surgery on Tuesday in Memphis. Bruce will be traveling to be with him and the family.  Please pray for a perfect surgery and for Bruce to have an uneventful trip to Memphis and safe return home.  We so appreciate your prayers. Thank. Peace, gc

Happy Thursday! 

Part of my supervised ministry training is visiting some of the members of the congregation who cannot get out a lot, so I visit and have conversation and prayer with them every so often.  I have now visited two wonderful ladies and enjoy this part of my training. 

Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, I realize that You want to live Your life in and through me.  Thank You for inviting me to love others out of the overflow of my love relationship with You. Help me today to live in dependence upon You, so that You might make Your life known through me that the world may know You. Amen.”

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

People can see that we are alive because they can see our bodies.  People can see that Christ is alive because we are the “body of Christ.”  Christ lives and acts through us in the world.  We prove to others around us that Christ is alive when we share the light and love of Jesus.  The apostle John says in 1 John 4:12, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

Through the power of the Holy Spirit God manifests the life of Christ through each of us and calls us The Church.  May we be a church that is filled with changed lives. May we be a place that changes lives by the love of Jesus living in and through us.  May those around us see the difference Jesus has made in our lives and may they be drawn to Christ and His love. When we are in the midst of the difficulties of life may God’s peace rule in our hearts. 

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say your prayers.  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.

Happy Wednesday! 

Prayer:  “Lord, I thank You today that there is nothing I must do to earn Your favor. I am accepted in the beloved because of Jesus and His finished work on the Cross. Thank You for the freedom that is found in knowing Jesus. What a wonderful truth that nothing can separate me from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus. I love You, o God, and am grateful to be a part of Your family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

Psalm 122:1

“God don’t care which church you go to just as long as you go.” Dolly Parton to Darryl Hannah in Steel Magnolias.

Darryl Hannah’s character is completely flustered that she might “miss church.”  She thinks that God will be disappointed in her if she does not go to church.  Here is a newsflash…We do not have to go to church.  We get to go to church. God is not interested in anything I would do to gain His favor. God is far more interested in my position in Christ.  My position in Christ is being covered and immersed in His unconditional love. Worshiping with others who believe is not a ritual I must perform, but a privilege I am allowed to choose to enjoy. 

This freedom to choose is the freedom we have in Christ.  There is no freedom in always trying to measure up on my own for I could never measure up to be worthy of the sacrifice made for me.  However there is truth in that I belong and part of God’s family.  In worship I am allowed to love and worship God in richer and deeper ways and in fellowship with others. In the fellowship I experience with others in conversation, singing, prayer, Eucharist, reading and listening to God’s Word, God reveals Himself to me in ways I could not experience alone.

So friends…we do not have to go to church, but we get to go to church. 

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.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say your prayers.  Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Happy Tuesday!

Prayer: “O God, I will never comprehend the depth of what took place on the Cross! I stand amazed at the unfathomable love you poured out for me to experience forgiveness. May I never forget the suffering You endured on my behalf, and may I live today in light of the Cross. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and giving me life abundantly. Use me today to share the life-changing message with others. Amen.”

 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we thought many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.”

1 Corinthians 10: 16-17

We have been given an amazing practice in the church to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  Each week we prepare our hearts for the moments of fellowship with Christ and our holy family as we gather around the table.  We call this “The Lord’s Supper. We gather to celebrate, remember and proclaim the ultimate sacrifice of love. Just prior to this wonderful act we hear the words of the life and death of the body and blood of Christ poured out for the forgiveness of sins: our sins.  In this beautiful act we proclaim that without the crucified Christ we cannot have the forgiveness of our sins.  You know we can be creative with bread, select a wine, juice or pancake syrup (it’s a youth thing), but as long as Christ is present we can never be ashamed of the gospel, the blood of Christ and the redemption purchased for us.  The truth of all of this is found in the power of God for salvation to all who believe.

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.

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Count your blessings and say your prayers.  Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Happy Monday!

Today was one of discovery and joy!  I meet with my supervising pastor each week, checking in and seeing how things are going and receiving new insights into ministry and instructions for the week.  I spent the majority of the day working on a reflection paper on the story of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus.  I learned many things and that was great discovery.  Tonight, Geni and Penny (her dog), Travis and Bauer (his new chocolate lab puppy), Sarah (Travis’ girlfriend) and her grown black lab Sophie, our two bassets and me were all here for dinner.  It was so much fun to look out in the backyard and see all of these wonderful young people and their pets playing and talking and laughing.  It was a moment of great joy. 

PS We think we may have to change our local to The Chrystie Dog Park.

Prayer: “Lord, You have promised that if we ask for wisdom, it will be given. Grant me wisdom today regarding decisions that I will make. Grant me wisdom in discerning both the needs and motives of those I will encounter. Grant me the wisdom to recognize my own spiritual blind spots and the discernment to avoid unnecessary temptation. May my actions and attitudes please You today. In Jesus’ strong name I pray, Amen.”

“But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

1 Timothy 3: 15

We are sons and daughters of God by God’s grace and mercy and not by anything we have said or done.  Being the children of a king implies certain privileges.  As children of God we are called to be servants. That implies responsibility. As we continue to grow as Christians we need to balance these roles of privilege and responsibility.

This week I am turning in four ministry evaluations: one self-evaluation, one from my supervisor, one from my Theological Reflection Group leader  and one from the Lay Training Committee. I want my life to matter and I want to do whatever it will take to make me more like Jesus.  My joys and my sorrows should not be wasted and the forgiveness I receive I pray will continue to form me into a more Christ-like image.  Paul’s message here I think is addressing more to conduct than to character. 

As I continue to grow in the image of Christ it is my prayer that my character will drive and inform my conduct while I am serving the church.  It is also my hope that I conduct myself during this time of internship and path of ordination as a reflection of how deeply the grace of God has penetrated and shaped my character.  I ask you to pray for me as a future pastor and to pray for your own pastors. 

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Penny, Travis and Bauer and, of course, Jackson and Lamar.

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.

PS. Please continue to pray for Tatum as she is almost halfway through the radiation treatments.  This is really hard and has a dramatic effect on this little one and her family.  She is full of courage and faith and still needs every prayer to sustain her amazing attitude.  

Blessed Sunday to you all. 

Last evening Geni and I attended the wedding of one of Casey’s closest friends.  The groom created a space in the groom’s party that would have been filled by Casey.  Upon our arrival at the reception at the bridal party table there was an empty chair and Casey’s picture was at the place at the table.  It was the most precious way for him to be remembered.  I made it through the wedding and reception until the groom and his mom had their special dance.  I lost it at that point.  Today our family gathered at our house for food, football, fellowship and remembrance.  Casey passed away four years ago today.

Prayer:  “Lord, I bow before You today, not only as the sovereign Creator of heaven and earth but also as the One who rescued my soul from darkness.  Thank You for so great a salvation. I am humbled by Your mercy and grace and the thought that You might use me today in Your kingdom’s work. In the name of our savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.”

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.’”

1 Corinthians 12: 20-21

In my pastoral care class this semester one of the members made this statement, “Once you have seen one Disciples Church, you have seen one Disciples church.”  I thought that was pretty funny.  But then a few weeks later I attended the Regional Conference of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. The title of the conference was One Church in Many Places.  It was held as a teleconference with its central hub at Brite Divinity School.  I attended the conference at Northwest Christian Church.  As the conference progressed with singing, scripture, preaching and communion I began to see the image of the church as a body. 

A body is not an organization, but a living organism.  Each church represented in this body is important and the church cannot stand with the authority of God’s Word and the ministries it enacts without each member of the body being represented.  Each church facility may act independently of each other, but all congregations together make up the body, the living organism, the incarnated body of Christ.  If we lose a church we are weakened.  If we gain a church or a church experiences growth we gain in strength.  This living organism we call the church is connected not just as a body, but in function as well.  If we are to serve God we must recognize our dependence on God and accept and nurture our interdependence upon one another.

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Pray for others and count your blessings. 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.

      

Prayers please:  This has been a tough year on our family and I am having trouble focusing.  I ask you to pray for me as I continue to work through this semester.  Thanks and peace, gc