Happy Monday! 

This semester is rapidly coming to a close and this is my last week of classes. Supervised Ministry is complete as the final Theological Reflection Group is meeting tomorrow. My final is finished and in my backpack. Tomorrow is the last chapel until fall and the final community conversation.  Two more class sessions and two more papers and I can put this semester to bed and focus on this wedding coming up here in just a few weeks!

Prayer:  Holy Lord, God of Love and Peace, let us continually remember to come to You when we need more love and when we feel anxious and afraid. Let us then remember to come into Your peaceful presence.  Lord we need to trust You more and remember that You are always with us with unlimited storehouse of love, peace, comfort and understanding compassion. In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying ‘Destroy him!”

Deuteronomy 33: 27

Tonight during dinner there was a television program featuring Elvis Presley and his gospel music.  He sang many of the old gospel songs along with other gospel quartets. When I read this passage of scripture I thought of an old brown Cokesbury hymnal with all of those old gospel songs including “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” 

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning,

Safe and secure from all alarms.

Leaning, leaning,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

The more time we spend with God the more we learn about God and our character begins to change to reflect the time spent in the arms of the Savior. A relationship with God is an intentional relationship that hopefully will cause us to be more loving and peaceful in our relationships with others. When others irritate us or act in ways that upset us, we need to try to see God in that person. We have all been created in the image of God and the way for God to best love people is to have that love flow through us. When it is difficult to love other folks we need to ask God to love them for us and for us to find ways to live in peaceful loving ways and then stay close to God.

God will teach and reveal to us ways to love those we label as EGR (extra grace required). The really hard thing about that sort of humorous statement is that it applies not only to those who we encounter who are difficult to love, but ourselves, too, when we are difficult to love.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude 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.