Happy Saturday! 

Happy Travis and Sarah Chrystie!  It was such a beautiful wedding - full of extraordinary joy, kisses, dancing, eating, music , laughter, family, friends  and most important…love. 

I am in the process of clean-up at our house. I found the top to the dining room table this afternoon and have begun washing the dishes from the rehearsal dinner. The silverware and plates are done and tomorrow I finish the dishes, glasses and begin on the linens, tablecloths, chair covers and the bandana scarves we used as napkins.

I really need all of this to be done and put away before I begin class on Monday morning.  I will be taking an intensive study class from 9—5 every day next week and I will have done an entire semester in 5 days. 5 long days, but still only 5 days. Pretty cool huh? The class is on feminist and womanist theology and the Old Testament. I think it is going to be awesome. I love studying the Old Testament. The stories are great!

Prayer:  Holy and Loving Lord, thank You for the joy that Your love brings when two hearts are joined together in marriage. How awesome it is that Your first miracle occurred at a wedding.  Lord, I ask you to bless Travis and Sarah. May they always see through Your eyes when they speak to each other, when they make decisions, when they agree and when they disagree.  Please comfort them when they look through Your eyes and know that whatever they seek will be found in Your holy Presence. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 28: 15

I have a confession to make. Last night I sat on the front row of the guests gathered at the YWCA to witness Travis marry Sarah. And as much joy as I had for them and for us I remember another time I sat in the front row of a gathering of family and friends to celebrate the life of Casey and of my Mom. I cried tears of joy for the wonderful addition of Sarah to our family and tears of sadness for the two who were not there.  The memories flooded over me and I never thought that just sitting in the front row of this space in God’s Holy Presence would bring these emotions and memories to the surface.

These conflicting emotions are the ones that don’t always make sense and are unexpected, but cause us to look to God for help to sort them out. The presence of God is clearly stated in the passage for the evening. We are given the promise of God to remain with us and watch over us. The promise continues to say that God will not leave us and will remain faithful to us.  We can be assured of this promise because of the Helper God gave us in the Holy Spirit which never runs out of strength. Trust is the way forward even though we cannot see it.  So when the road is kind of rough let us cling to God and let God uphold us.

Prayer alert:  Our friend that we have been praying for the last few months had a CT scan on Tuesday. The scan came out clear and we are hallelujah grateful and praising God for His healing power, grace and tender mercy. This friend will have to continue on maintenance chemotherapy for the remainder of his life, but we will take it!  Please give thanks and keep him in your prayers.

Another gentleman that I have mentioned before and have asked prayers for is not fairing as well. The cancer is spreading through his bones and other vital organs and treatment is not working. They are meeting with home hospice on Monday. Please pray for this family. His name is Stephen Baker. 

The interesting thing about both of these men is that they have both chosen life. One is choosing to remain on maintenance chemotherapy for the remainder of his life to keep the cancer at bay. The other is choosing to live his life without the side effects of chemotherapy and to work with pain management. Please continue to pray for these two courageous men and their families. Thank you. gc

Take joy in the journey and remember 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.