Happy Monday!

The countdown to the end of the semester has begun. After tomorrow I have one more brief paper due in Religion and Violence and one final longer paper. In Immigration and Religion I have one small paper and one paper left.  WOW!

If any of you are on Facebook, Travis posted a picture of a t-shirt where he is the feature on the shirt. It is a picture of him lifting 760 pounds in competition.  The shirts are available for purchase. We are so excited and very proud of him.

Prayer:  Beautiful Savior you have planted the seed of love in our hearts. It is in the shape of a thorn. But from the bushes with the thorns grow the most beautiful flowers. The flowering of Your love growing in our hearts reminding us that You have overcome the world and nothing can ever separate us from Your love. It is because of Your victory on the cross that no matter what it is that we face Your love will be ever present within us.  Thank you loving and beautiful Savior. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8: 39

During the times when I have grieved the most I have tried to find something for which to be joyful.  I remember when I was about 20 years old, the members of my little home church in Howe, Texas loved to play stump the song leader with me. There was an old song from the brown Cokesbury hymnal, “Count Your Blessings.”  The song told me that when my life was tempest tossed and I thought all was lost that I was to count my blessings and name them one by one to see what God has done. 

          Finding joy in our hearts and filling our minds with thankful thoughts can cause an overflow of joy in the gloomiest of situations. Sadness happens, but it is a short term thing. Fear is not of God. Fear permeates your very soul and Satan thrives on our fears. The best way I know to defeat Satan is to praise God because He is God and the One from whom all blessings flow.  Geni and Travis both sport tattoos that say, “When your life is in discord, praise the Lord.”  Praising God is the best protection from Satan and his lies and deceptions I know. For when we praise God in the toughest times we stand on holy ground.  Holy ground is sacred space where we are in the place of perfect love and are out of Satan’s reach.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart of thankfulness and get some sleep.  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.