Saturday, March 2, 2013


Happy Friday!  Happy March!

I did not look at my paper today. I ran errands and paid bills. Perhaps tomorrow I will have some new insights and then I will be able to put the paper to bed or at least send it to Bruce for editing! 

Prayer:  Lord, the giver of every good and perfect gift and forgiver of every sin, help us to not be afraid to confess before you. Cleanse us from what we do that is wrong and against the truth of Your Word.  Thank You, Lord, for your grace to forgive and your loving choice to forget by the blood of Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.”
Psalm 89: 15-16

Confession of sins is a hard subject. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but none of us want to own up to the sins we commit. And then there are times we sin and are not aware and do not realize we need to confess. The bottom line is that we still need to confess our wrong doings no matter what.  Confession is never a comfortable thing to do and sometimes we would rather run away or try to blame someone else than admit we have done wrong. And after all, we won’t be telling God anything God does not already know.

So let us look at this in a different “light.”  We need never be afraid to stand in the presence of God. In the light of God’s Presence those sins we know we have committed and those unknown to us are illuminated.  Remember this…God has already paid the price for our sins and taken the entire punishment for all of our sins. Because of this one act; the blood of Jesus that paid for our redemption we can receive forgiveness with joy! (my favorite word) When we are forgiven we are clothed with the very clothing of God; God’s righteousness…God’s perfect righteousness. When we remain in the perfect light of God we are being continually cleansed because we have engaged God in all of the parts of our life, remaining in constant fellowship. 

Let us be among those called blessed by the psalmist. Blessed are those who walk in the Light of My Presence. They rejoice in My Name all day long, exulting in My righteousness.

Take joy in the journey walking in the Light of God’s Presence remembering that hope does not disappoint.  Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed, pray with a heart of gratitude and get some sleep.  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.

Friday, March 1, 2013


Happy Thursday! 

I am writing the most difficult paper.  It is for my Religion and Violence class.  Right now it seems like it is the worst paper I have ever written. This paper feels like it is all over the map with lots of fleshed out ideas but not clearly flowing.  And its subject matter is based in theory where I find myself instead of engaging in the text I want to preach “can’t we all just be nice!!!”  Please offer a prayer for me. The paper is due Tuesday and I have another paper due on Wednesday. 

Prayer:  Divine Creator, as I struggle with the violence and atrocities that occur in this world I remember that You are Sovereign. Your Sovereignty means You are in charge.  While my mind only sees a finite solution Your mind carries the infinite solutions I cannot presume to understand or embrace. All I know is that You are good. There is not darkness or evil in You. So, Lord, as I contemplate this subject of the state of affairs in the world and the violence that Your children inflict on each other, help me to understand how You work and the perfection of Your Way in this world. In the name of the One who created everything and called it good, I pray. Amen.

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
Psalm 18: 30

I am beginning a four week study with Pastor Chris from Rush Creek on the book of Psalms. Today was our first session and we learned the different types of psalms.  Psalm 18 is in the category of Royal  Psalm. This is in the group of psalms, only nine of them that are prayers for or by an earthly ruler.  The psalms are unique in that the majority of scripture is spoken to us, but the psalms are the prayers of the people spoken to God. The psalms come out of lived experience and encompass every possible emotion we can express. 

This particular psalm says that God’s way is perfect. As I read the meditation for tonight I needed to hear this reflection and be reminded of this truth. As I am struggling in my study of the brokenness of our world it is sometimes hard to remember that God is good as being a truth when people do such horrific things to one another. I am sure that there are those out there who look at the God we serve as cruel because He allows the atrocities, catastrophes and carnage we read about and see on our television sets each day. The Goodness of God in the face of such evil is completely beyond my understanding.  So maybe I need to begin to pray this psalm and the clarity I desire to communicate in this writing will become clear to me and find it flowing from my mind, to the keyboard and onto the computer screen.

I have a finite brain and while it is capable of learning and growing it is still limited. God has infinite intelligence and a compassionate heart who promised to remain present with each of us no matter what we have done or what we need to do. Today I learned that when we pray the psalms we are living into the language of prayer.  So I think I am going to work just a bit each day and read a psalm out loud and learn the language of the prayers of the people and become more deeply connected to God. God’s way is not always the way I can understand, but I have enough trust in God to believe and trust that the mysterious way God works is perfect!

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint!  Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. 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, February 27, 2013


Happy Wednesday! 

Can you believe I am approaching mid-term in the semester?  WOW!  I have lots of papers due next week. I ask your prayers to help me complete the assigned work, making the deadlines. I have some distractions coming up between now and then so I pray for God to stretch my time between commitments and do the assigned writing and do it well. Thank you.

Prayer:  Holy Lord, We have so many things for which to be thankful.  But mostly Lord, we give thanks for Your Presence that is round the clock and 24/7. You are continuously reminding us of Your great love for us and desire to stay in relationship with us.  We love You, Lord, and desire to stay safe within Your perfect love that casts out all fear. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29: 25

Tonight the first sentence in my devotional reading was, “PUT YOUR TRUST IN ME, AND I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE.”  I love the feeling of safety and security.  Sometimes we can pretend we feel safe when we really do not feel safe at all. Fear is something we cannot keep to ourselves for very long. Being scared for a time is one thing. Being scared or on edge about something is usually pretty short lived, but fear is something that permeates your soul, mind and body. God never intended for us to live a life of fear.

God has provided us with His love through Jesus. Jesus is available for us to come to Him and talk with Him when we are feeling insecure, when we have concerns and when we need to share our fears. When we do this we place our trust in God and when we “have a little talk with Jesus” we are connecting ourselves to God at such a deep level. 

Fear is a place of darkness. When we go to God in prayer the darkness begins to change to light and our fears begin to fade. When we stand in God’s Holy Presence we are in a place where fear cannot live because God’s light is so bright that fear disappears. When we are in the Holy Presence of God we are in a place of perfect love and safety.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint!  Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. 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.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013


Happy Tuesday! 

Prayer:  Holy One, Your Word promises that You are the Lord of our past, our present and our future. You have assured us that You have a plan for our future that is filled with hope.  Help us to patiently wait and trust that You know what You are doing. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29: 11

I love this verse of scripture. I think the part I like best is that the LORD plans for our welfare and not calamity. Many people think God tests us by putting difficult things in our life’s journey. I personally think that life puts difficulties in our path and God reminds us to keep our eyes on Him for He has His eyes on us and is taking care of us in the best way possible.

Sometimes we lose sight of God in our lives and think that God has abandoned us especially when we are suffering. We want God to “fix it” NOW and God asks us to wait. We really hate to wait!  But beneficial waiting is simply keeping our eyes on God continually, trusting and loving in His loving presence. We need to remember to trust that God knows what God is doing and bring good out of every difficulty we experience. We are God’s own creation. He knows us best and loves us most. Reread this verse and let us each remember that God has good things in store for each of us—plans for a future filled with hope.

Take joy in the journey and remember with each step that hope does not disappoint! Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. 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, February 25, 2013


Happy Monday!

Prayer:  Holy One, I give thanks this day for Your amazing and abundant grace. Your Word says Your grace is sufficient. Given that You are the author and giver of this grace I rest assured that when I do not think I can take another step I find Your grace shining before me. Help me to open my eyes to see You clearly and know You are present all the time. Thank you for this form of love we receive as grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”
Isaiah 54: 10

Amazing Grace is the favorite song of my best, dearest and oldest friend, Carme. I even stood in our living room one time when she was visiting and she had me sing the first verse and she recorded it as her ringtone. This is also the song I sang at the funeral of Dave’s and Carme’s baby daughter Catherine.

In the toughest times of my life I have always known that after the dust has settled and the situation has ended, God’s amazing, all sufficient grace is what is left. That is when I began to understand the verse from 2 Corinthians that says, “My grace is sufficient for You.”  I began to understand the power and the expansive depth and breadth of the love of God. God’s grace is most precious and most glorious when we cannot go another step on our own and the only thing we have to count on is God and that all sufficient grace. It is grace, given as a gift, that provides what we need to live here on this earth now and what we need for the pathway to eternity. When we pray, God does not always say yes to our requests, but we are given what we need and more than anything else God always gives us Himself, His compassion and His unfailing love.  Praise God from who all blessings of amazing grace flow.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, throw an extra blanket on the bed, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. 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.

Sunday, February 24, 2013


Blessed Sunday to you all! 

Prayer:  Lord of all hope, the hope you provide is not just hope for today and tomorrow, but for all eternity. Thank You for this glorious hope that helps us to live in a broken world. It is in the hope only You provide that we can claim that every tear will be wiped away and joy will take the place of tears and overflow with gladness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 14: 15

One of my most wonderful memories in growing up was Sunday dinner at my Mamo’s house. The aromas of the prepared foods were so inviting and comforting. There were several things I could count on…1) when I took the lid off of the cast aluminum pan sitting on the back right burner of her stove I would find the most amazing black-eyed peas I will ever eat, 2) there would be baked corn in a rectangular blue cornflower Corning Ware dish (a recipe she created herself), and; 3) on the table in small waxed paper bundles were her homemade apricot fried pies. She won a ribbon at the State Fair of Texas with those pies. I am pretty sure that upon her death and she checked into heaven, Jesus escorted her to a heavenly kitchen and graciously asked her to make the fried pies because He had been waiting for those pies.

I have hope in the resurrected Christ. This is the hope that gives us courage to keep holding our heads up when we have been asked to endure suffering and sorrow. At 57 years old I have experienced a number of things that have brought me great sorrow, but because I hope in Christ I remember that I still have a life ahead of me on the earth and a life that is waiting my arrival in heaven. Each of us who believe in Jesus have this same hope. Most of us are not facing the end of our lives soon, but we can still feel as if our lives are closing in around us through the stresses that life can bring.

But here is the good news…while we are here on earth our spiritual lives grow stronger the more our relationship to Christ increases. We can grow strong in our hope through the nourishing Presence of God in Christ Jesus. And someday when I get to heaven and sit at that table I have heard so much about, maybe…just maybe, I hope to find waxed paper bundle filled with an apricot fried pie.

Take joy in the journey and remember that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, throw and extra blanket on the bed, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. 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.