Saturday, May 11, 2013


Happy Friday! 

Such a wonderful day. Our niece, Emily Helvey, graduated this afternoon from UNT with her Masters Degree in Teaching and Administration. We are so very proud of her. I was sitting next to Daddy and he said, “This family has invested a lot in this school.”  From our family I graduated with my Bachelors in Music Ed. Geni with her Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies (Elementary Ed.), Emily with her Masters  in Teaching and Administration and Ken with his Doctorate in Education. This family values education ranking it with faith and family. It was a wonderful day and an awesome family!

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for creating family and honoring their dreams and accomplishments. Tonight I ask a special blessing on Emily that you are with her helping her realize her dreams by your guiding hand. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
Psalm 13: 6

I love reading psalms that speak of singing. We had a bit of a scare today. We had trouble locating my Dad. He was not answering his phone and he lives by himself. As the panic began to rise within me I kept thinking, “I just need to hear his voice.”  Today, God dealt bountifully with me. Dad went to Ken and Sheena’s just as planned and we were all relieved and so very grateful. 

Today for just a few moments it was hard to sing praises. The Sovereign will of God and the recognition of goals achieved today were not circumstances of mistake. Sometimes it takes a difficult circumstance to desire to live a closer life with God and to grow more fully into the one God created us to be. None of us knows what the future holds, but God has but one future for each of us. It is simply to follow. So no matter what our goals, dreams or circumstances God is a part of all of these things and because they are important to us they are important to God. Let us sing praises to God for the bounty of being able to dream and the obedience to see ourselves into God’s plan to follow.

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


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, May 10, 2013


Happy Thursday! 

Tonight, with great joy, Bruce and I watched our young cousins in Fort Worth. We played a new (to us) game called Bubble Talk. There is a set of picture cards and a set of cards with captions. The judge selects a picture card and the teams select a caption card from the cards in their hand that they think goes well with the picture.  The pictures are funny and when you match them with the equally funny captions it is hilarious. I think this game is going to come to live at our house at some time.  The girls were great teachers in teaching us to play this game.

I think the greatest joy we experienced tonight is seeing little Tatum, a.k.a. The Mighty T, with beautiful brown hair. She is still undergoing maintenance chemotherapy, but is doing excellently. It was our first time to see Tatum with hair. We had a wonderful time. Give thanks to God for His gracious mercies in the healing this precious baby and the family that is dedicated to their faith and each other.

Prayer:  Holy Lord, God of all healing I give you thanks for being in the lives of our family and in the healing of this precious little girl. Your tender mercies are great and Your love is ever present. The power of Your healing presence is grounded in Your faithfulness to your children. Thank you, Lord for Your faithfulness and Your healing grace. Lord in Your mercy, hear this prayer, Amen.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15: 13

When I look at Tatum and consider how far she has come in her few short years I think of Casey and see the parallels in their lives. They both have had powerful faith in God, evident through the joy and peace they both have demonstrated in their lives. I think they have been able to accomplish this because they remained in God’s Presence and have shown complete trust in God.

The lessons these two can teach us are that the more we learn to trust God the more time we desire to spend with Him. As we spend time with God the deeper our faith grows and the more peace and joy we experience. These two precious people knew without a doubt that they belonged to God.

We belong to God and the Holy Spirit lives within us. Even when we are not always aware of the Presence of the God, God is always aware of us continually working in us and transforming us into His likeness. The more we grow in the likeness and image of God the more we are controlled by the spirit and see God in his ever increasing glory.

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.


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.

Thursday, May 9, 2013


Happy Wednesday!

The final paper for Religion and Immigration has been sent to the professor. This semester is put to bed!!

Mother’s Day Shopping has been done. A gift for my niece who is graduating with her Master’s Degree on Friday - purchased, and in record time I might add, and I am down to only needing one last spool of wide navy blue ribbon for the sashes for the chair cushions. 

In case any of you are FB friends with me I am working through the recipes on my FB page. Tonight I made the Cheeseburger Pie and the No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.  Totally delicious!

Prayer:  Lord of all Creation, protection and strength, I give you thanks that we can worship you who made heaven and earth, sea and sky. Thank You for the family that raised me and the family You gave me to raise. Lord, You have guided us to raise our children and give them roots. They have now grown their wings and they are ready to fly. We turn them over to You once again. Help us not to worry about them, but trust that You are with them. Thank You loving Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are that birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’

Luke 12: 22-26

Worrying is a choice we make. Worrying wastes mental and emotional energy.  Worry rents space in our brains that should be used in other ways. How many nights sleep have we lost because we thought about something at the wrong time and it keeps us awake?  God would love it if we disciplined ourselves to minimize our worry and maximize our worship. I don’t mean that we need to daily find a worship service. I mean taking time when we worry to pray. In that prayer, think about God, give thanks, praise God, make a request to God and tell God how much we trust Him and how much we love Him. This is worship! (For me, I usually sing!)

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.


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, May 8, 2013


Happy Tuesday!  

Prayer:  Holy and Loving Lord, I give thanks that Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never end. Each day Your mercies are given anew because Your faithfulness is everlasting.  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen.

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Isaiah 61: 10

Well, it is full steam ahead for the wedding. Geni and I began to make a list of all of the things we can do ahead of time. All of the dresses and suits are purchased and are waiting to be worn. It is now a countdown to the rehearsal dinner and the big day. The colors are beautiful; navy blue, a bit of a deeper shade of mint green and ivory. Appointments for hair and nails have been made, all of the counseling is done, the license is purchased and wedding rings are in their boxes ready to be worn by the bride and groom.

In just a few days Travis and Sarah will stand before God and a great cloud of witnesses: the minister, family and friends, and pledge their love to each other looking so handsome and breathtakingly beautiful. As powerful as the vows of love and faithfulness that they take are; the Holy Scriptures tell us that it is the steadfast love of God that never ceases.  

There will be times when these two won’t see eye to eye and may even say words that hurt. The good news is that because they have invited God into their marriage (that which happens after this wedding) God will be tenderly present and ready to help them get safely through each and every day. Problems and pain will happen, but if they will remember this truth and how much they love each other it can make all of the difference between coping and giving up in despair. Trust comes easy when it is strawberries and cream and lovin’ all the time, but when unexpected problems occur, trusting God takes a lot more effort. 

It is my prayer for these precious two that they will remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23; “22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” And when the beautiful clothes are put away and its back to blue jeans and Starbucks shirts they will remember that God has clothed them with garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. 

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.


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, May 6, 2013


Happy Monday!

I completed my paper for Immigration today and sent it off to Bruce for a final edit. He is so wonderful at that. I placed the books for immigration on an inactive shelf replacing them with the books for my classes this summer along with a new spiral notebook, two new folders and two new three ring binders. Now I am ready for the summer classes. (at least all appearances point that way!)

Prayer alert: The last word I had was that my friend Casey has been under sedation for most of the day. I am sure his body needs to rest and heal after all it has been through. Please continue to pray for him. Thank you so much.

Prayer:  Holy One, Thank you for this beautiful day. In the beauty of the day we are reminded of your Presence with us. You hold us close and guide us with Your counsel. When we need someone to talk to and to count on You are always there. People may fail us, but You are the strength of our hearts and our strong tower. Thank You that we can find safety and comfort in You, Lord. In Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Proverbs 18: 10

Sometimes I over-think things. I plan for what I can take care of and then I plan for what I cannot take care of. In other words, I tend to plan for what might happen and already come up with an outcome before anything has even occurred. When I begin to feel anxious sometimes my mind goes into overdrive and searches for solutions and searches for security.  I think God would call this trusting in myself. I am capable and planning comes naturally to me. God has given me this gift. But in order for me to include God in the ordering and planning of my life and the events therein I need to walk in wisdom. The essence of wisdom is to trust in God more than in myself or in other people.

God stands ready to help each one of us and be our guide in all parts of our lives.  I am a writer. Sometimes I write my prayers asking God to show me the way in which to walk in His will. Then I wait giving God time to guide me and answer my prayers. While I am waiting I focus on God’s Word and continue to pray. Sometimes I just pray Jesus’ name and remember that God is I AM and a strong tower.

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.


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, May 5, 2013


Blessed Sunday to you all!

This morning Rush Creek Christian Church honored all of the high school and college graduates and two Brite interns. We have successfully completed our year of Supervised Ministry. We received the Rush Creek Cross. It is a beautiful wooden cross with the risen Savior carved out of the center. The cross has special meaning for Rush Creek as one of its members found it in China as a souvenir for a former pastor of the church. It was so well received that it is now the symbol for Rush Creek. It is sitting prominently on one of my book cases. I am so grateful. We were also treated with a lovely reception and a gift of stationary. Rush Creek is such a great place to be.

Prayer alert: Casey came out of surgery with the tear in his abdomen repaired and will be in the hospital a few more days. Thank you for your prayers. I will keep you posted.

I am 13 pages into a 15 page paper due on Wednesday. It is an immigration paper through the Book of Ruth. My last piece of the paper is about faith and immigration. By tomorrow night I should be able to tell you that I have put this semester to bed. Please pray that my efforts will be successful.

Prayer: Lord of all life, thank you for being with all of us in all of Your ways and loving us with all of your heart. Thank You for your healing grace and continual presence in our lives. We love you, Lord, so very much. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”

Psalm 145: 20

The opening phrase in my devotional tonight is WATCH OVER ALL WHO LOVE ME. LET THIS PROMISE OF MY WATCH-CARE COMFORT YOU — ESPECIALLY DURING DIFFICULT DAYS. This promise is for each of us because we love God. We do not earn God’s protection by our loving God. Because we are children of God we belong to God and are under God’s watchful care. We love God because God first loved us.

As I listened to the prayer concerns this morning there were so many who were in need of knowing that God was with them. This need can be met by trusting that God is with us and to begin communicating in prayer, pouring out our hearts and being aware of God’s loving and watchful Presence in our lives.

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.


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.