Saturday, January 19, 2013


Happy Saturday!

Brite Divinity School sponsors a series of lectures throughout the year. They are called the Stalcup lectures.  I attended one before Christmas on the book of Job. Today I traveled to Granbury, Tx and attended a lecture led by the Dean of Brite, Dr. Joretta Marshall. She is a United Methodist Pastor and one of my professors from last semester. She led and taught on the topic of Forgiveness.  It was absolutely amazing. These lectures are for the laity, but anyone who desires may attend. In fact I shared a table with the president of Brite, a pastor and a Doctor of Ministry candidate. 

Prayer:  Lord, today is a new day, and my eyes and ears are open to You. The spirit of my heart seeks to understand what You are about to tell me regarding who I am in You. Amen.

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Ephesians 1: 18

Today I became “enlightened” in learning so much about forgiveness.  I always thought I knew a lot about forgiveness, but today so much more about forgiveness became really clear.  Every religion and faith on the planet has tried to deal with suffering because of the atrocities of life. The Christian faith uses the path of forgiveness. “The antidote for shame is grace while the antidote for sin is forgiveness.” (Dr. Joretta Marshall) Forgiveness is one of the ways we become reconnected as individuals and as community.

Many new believers are often overwhelmed with what they are supposed to do for Christ before they are ever told who they are in Christ. We have the inheritance in Christ through His forgiveness that covers our past, present, and future.  We have full access to the entire storehouse of God in relationship without rules, religion or bondage. We are completely free and loved and redeemed and justified.  Jesus was not called to forgive while He was here on earth, but He was called to do the work of forgiveness. As Jesus hung on the cross He called to God, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23: 34) Jesus asked His Father to forgive these folks and then Jesus did this amazing thing; Jesus then stood in the gap for our sins when He said, “for they know not what they do.” Jesus pled our case before God for now and for always in His dying moments. Up until His dying breath Jesus was doing the work of forgiveness. Praise God for His forgiveness and for Jesus to plead our case before the Father.

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, Travis and Sarah.

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 request:  Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of Mom’s passing. We are gathering in Howe tomorrow to go to church with Dad and spend some time with him. Please continue to pray for Daddy and all of us as we remember Mom. Peace, gc

Thursday, January 17, 2013


Happy Thursday!

I spent the day reading about violence as experienced from the plantations to the holocaust. It was tough reading about the violence people do to other people.  Then in chapter two the author talks about how we must strive to find the image and likeness of God even in those who seem very ungodly(read: violent people).  My Religion and Violence class is going to be very interesting.

Prayer:  Jesus, thank You for this new day. Today I can choose to allow You to work through me by the power of Your Spirit. I can also choose to retreat back to my worldly ways. Where my desires are wrong, please change me, and where my flesh is weak, please help me. I love You and thank You for Your grace today—not just in salvation by also in every moment. It is all because of Jesus that I am alive, and it’s in Your Spirit that I find true life, so I start my day yielding to You. Amen.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5: 22, 23

While I was doing an overnighter this summer during CPE I re-read the book The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. In one of the passages of the book she writes of a time shortly after her release from Ravensbruch concentration Camp. She writes of arriving at a home that housed refugees and of seeing fresh fruit in bowls sitting on a table. During her time at Ravensbruch the only colors she saw were grays, blacks and browns.  Corrie stopped and was reminded of what she had missed during her captivity in the beautiful colors of the fruit before her. Her world had been so broken and full of such sadness, despair, hunger and death. The colors of her life were bland and full of a cold future-less life. 

There before her in her life of freedom were the beautiful colors of God’s creation.  As I read this I was reminded that even though Corrie went through the horrors of the concentration camp, she surrendered herself to the Spirit of God to serve others who had survived. One of the ways she served was to serve them some fresh fruit.  She served these folks helpings of the character of God and how to serve others these same pieces of God’s loving grace.

So here is the question of the night…If Corrie daily faced the horrors of the concentration camp and still told others about the love of God in all circumstances, then what keeps us from sharing from the fruitful table of the character of God to those who so desperately need it?

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes, throw that extra blanket on the bed and get some sleep. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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. 


Wednesday, January 16, 2013


Happy Wednesday!

Prayer: Lord, Today, I surrender my heart, mind and will to You. It is You who works in me and You who will accomplish Your will in my life. I choose to allow You to work in me today, to make my life pleasing to You. Teach me through this scripture today, that it is You who work and You who receive the glory. Anything I try to do on my own will be exactly that—on my own—and all that I allow You to do will bring me rest and true joy. Open my heart and mind today as I hear from You. Amen.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His  will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen”

Hebrews 12: 20, 21

This passage reminds me of an onion: lots and lots of layers. I would encourage you to find a phrase that strikes a chord within you and just meditate on it. As for me I have chosen the phrase, “make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight.” 

In a year, by God’s good grace, I will have attained a Master’s of Divinity degree from Brite Divinity School. I will have completed the course of study and met the requirements necessary for this degree. I look at this as a “good work.”  But I do not take the credit for this accomplishment alone.  In my prayer tonight anything I would accomplish “on my own” would be exactly that - “on my own.” On my own would not be worthy and would have fallen short of what God has ordained that I do. But I was and I am not alone and have not accomplished all of this alone.  I have counted on God to continue reminding me that this was not my idea, but His. 

I have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses in all  you who have prayed, those who have taught me and those peers who have walked with me and helped all along the way. Bruce has faithfully walked this journey with me without complaint. Geni and Travis encourage me at times when I get a little down. And I believe my Mom, who held education in the highest regard looks down and reminds me that I am to finish what I started and how proud she is of me.  I think one of the most important things I have learned is that God, all of you and all who have walked with me want me to complete this journey just as much as I. Please do not stop praying! I pray that God is working His will in my life according to His divine purpose and plan and that I am listening to the scripture that says, “This is the way. Walk ye, in it when ye turn to the right hand or the left.” (Isaiah 30: 21)

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes, throw that extra blanket on the bed again and get some sleep. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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 Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Travis!  Today Travis turned 22 years old.  My favorite story is of the day of his birth. We got to the hospital at 4:45 am and he was born at 5:44 am; 59 minutes, at 9 pounds 14 1/2 ounces.  The couple who delivered shortly after us told us that they wanted to slap us. They had been in labor for about 36 hours and their baby was 6 pounds 4 ounces.  After Travis had been checked out and declared perfect the nurses asked me if this was going to be my last baby.  I said, “yes.” They then told me that if I planned to have more children then I was to come in a week early and wait in the hall because the next one wouldn't wait even an hour!

On Tuesdays I usually make that my long day on campus. My first class is not until 1:00, but on Tuesday we have chapel and community conversation beginning at 11:00.  This morning I woke up to snow and ice down my street and it was dark.  I have lived by a mantra most of my life, “I don’t drink, smoke, chew or date boys that do and I do not drive on ice!”  I did not have to be in class until 1:00.  I stayed home until around 10:00 and made it to Brite in time for chapel.  It was still a long day because I have a class at 5:15 and do not get out until 7:00.

Prayer:  Lord, it’s a new day with new opportunities. Thank You for this day that You have set me free to live through Jesus. Thank you for confidence to walk in this freedom today. May I see it and live it—today! Amen.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5: 1

Being free does not mean that we can do whatever we want whenever we want. Freedom for a Christian means that we surrender our lives to our Creator and heavenly Father.  Through our faith in Jesus we are made free from our past, present and future sin.  We can stand firm in the freedom we have in Christ because he made us free. We were not made free by any “good works” we might believe we have done.  This freedom gives us the privilege of being free to love, free to give and free to serve - not because I “have to” but because I am free in Christ and I am free to serve Christ.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed and warm socks tomorrow. Get some sleep, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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. 

Monday, January 14, 2013


Happy Monday!

Back to school tomorrow. By God’s good grace I am beginning my final year at Brite.  This semester I am taking an ethics class on Religion and Violence, a globalization class on immigration and my last semester of supervised ministry.  I’m going to need lots of prayers, please.  There will be some distractions with the wedding coming up and whatever else God puts in our path, but I pray I can stay focused and healthy.  After reading the prospectuses on these classes I have found that they are requiring a great deal of work.

Prayer:  Gracious and generous heavenly Father, I am rich in You. Whatever measure of earthly wealth I have—great or small, much or little—it is a blessing from your hand. How should one so blessed live?  I ask You to instruct me today. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
1 Timothy 6: 18, 19

Tonight dinner was interesting.  The meal was a simple roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, celery cooked in the oven.  The house smelled as Bruce said, “like Sunday lunch.”  The meal began with just Bruce and I. Then he left for BSF. A bit later Travis came in and ate and then Geni called and asked if she and a friend of hers could come for dinner. There was plenty for all with leftovers for someone’s lunch tomorrow. This meal was not just a blessing of the Sermon on the Mount type, but a blessing to the ones I expected and the ones I had not expected. The blessing for me was the time I got to spend with each of these precious people.

When we serve God by sharing with others out of what we have we are not (in my case) just filling a hungry tummy, but we are serving as a conduit of God’s blessings to others.  Sometimes the most outward way we can serve is by sharing the things we have in our earthly life. I read or heard somewhere that you don’t miss what you give away. 

In Paul’s writing we are instructed to “give” and to “share” in order to “do good.” The challenge for us is to be as generous and gracious to others as God has been to us. 

There are a number of Biblical characters who demonstrate generosity and servanthood flowing through them. Zacchaeus gave generously, Mary the sister of Martha, gave extravagantly and the unnamed widow who gave sacrificially all she had.  Let us pray for the blessings of servanthood to flow through each of us in this life remembering the One who gave His all for each of us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed and get some sleep. Count your blessings and say your prayers.  Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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. 


Blessed Sunday to you all! 

What a wonderful day!  I began the day by offering prayer during two services at Rush Creek. I love to pray whether it is table grace, personal prayer, prayer with individuals or with a congregation.  I then met the rest of the family at Babe’s Chicken House to celebrate Travis’ 22nd birthday (which is really on Tuesday).  We went to the Babe’s on Center Street that really great atmosphere for family meals. We celebrated with Daddy, our family, Ken and his oldest daughter Stephanie, Sarah and her parents. The food was wonderful. When the wait staff brought out the cake for Travis they made him put on the chicken hat and hold a small cone shape drinking cup in his mouth and do the chicken dance. It was toooooooo funny! Travis is a good sport.  Such a wonderful time with family.  Family is the best!

Prayer:  O, God, I hear there is deliverance in You. I hear there is refuge in You. Grace and mercy are found in You. Kindness and goodness abound in You. Lord, may I be open enough to experience these gifts myself—taste them and see them as I continue to trust in You and be blessed by You. Amen.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Psalm 34: 8

If you have been reading this journal recently you know that Bruce and I just recently returned from a visit to Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas in the Texan Hill Country.  We had the most wonderful time.  And while we were there and enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of these places we thought we want to bring our family down and share this experience with them. We will extend that invitation to them in the future and hope they will accept. 

The verse today is an invitation from God to come and taste His goodness.  It is as if the psalmist is saying, “Come and try God out and see what he is all about.”  If we accept this invitation we will personally experience that God is good. Even though goodness is not the entirety of God’s character, it is the invitation to see this part, “Come, taste and see.”

So what happens when we “taste and see?” We discover God is good and we learn to trust Him. We begin to rely on God and take spiritual refuge in Him. We run to Him to receive His blessing.  We discover we are God’s children and receivers of His forgiveness, love and grace. We find ourselves loved completely.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed and dress really warm.  It is supposed to be 24 degrees in the morning. Count your blessings and say your prayers.  Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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.