Happy Saturday!

Today, Bruce and I attended the ordination of my good friend, Matt Every. He pastors a small church in Mount Pleasant. We have been friends, colleagues and breakfast buddies at Brite for several years. His service was well attended by clergy, family and friends.  It was a wonderful service and I am so proud and excited for this man. The ministry of Jesus Christ and the Church will be continually blessed by Matt and the gifts and graces he brings to the pulpit and the community of faith. Way to go Matt!

And…Hot off the presses…our niece Kendall (Ken and Sheena’s oldest daughter) is engaged to a young man named Matt!  Just announced a few minutes ago. We are all so excited and proud for her and Matt.

Prayer: Lord of understanding, I know it has taken me a long time to understand what sacrifice means. Today I finally understand. Even though it is hard, the answer is always the same, “call upon the Lord.” Thank you for Your unfailing love when I am troubled and on the edge of anger or heartbreak. Thank You for Your love that is so great that Your Word tells us to be thankful for trials and offer them up as thanksgiving. Lord, I do not like my troubles, but if You are to reign sovereign over them then I must offer them as thanksgiving and call upon Your name. When I call upon Your name You speak softly to my hurting soul where You reside and I find hope. I love You Lord. In Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.”

Psalm 116: 17

How difficult is it to offer our troubles to God with thanksgiving? It is tough and seemingly contradictory to what we should do. Why would I thank God for something tough or really awful? But the psalmist says to offer up the “sacrifice of thanksgiving and then call upon the name of the Lord.” What we sacrifice is our anger, our complaining and the indulgent temptation of thinking that God is treating us unfairly or is ignoring our plight. When we offer these things up to sacrifice then we make all of this space for God to come in to heal, repair and comfort our broken hearts.  When we offer the sacrifice of whatever our problem or situation is to God as thanksgiving then in the depths of our souls we invite God to reign sovereign over us and our situation by calling upon His name.

Thanking God for our problems is kind of strange at first. But if we persistently pray in faith using thankful words then it will change our hearts and find that God’s unfailing love will overshadow our problems and difficulties.  I am at the same place as many of you and I need to practice, practice, practice…

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 casting our cares upon the Lord because God is up all night anyway. 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.

Happy Thursday! 

Hello friends! I have spent the day in school and writing my last paper before class ends tomorrow. I put it to bed for the night and will do the conclusion tomorrow.  This has been a really tough class for me. I am glad tomorrow is the last day. The final paper is due on July 15.

Tonight our precious daughter came over and washed the dishes, cleaned the stove and prepared dinner for Bruce and I. She is the best. We love her so very much and I think we will keep her.

Prayer:  Lord, my life is in You, Lord, my hope is in You, Lord and I know you hear my prayers. Thank You for speaking softly in the depths of my spirit, where You have residence. I pray to find you in more and more of the moments of my day as I am warmed by Your unfailing love.  Lord, in You mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“As for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

Micah 7: 7

 OK, here is the deal. I have been really praying about God’s unfailing love and being centered in it. This is what I have discovered. I have to stop trying to control things and to think through problems and situations as a solo act. When problems, troubles and difficult situations arise we need to remember where we are and in Whose presence we stand. We need to lean on Jesus and enjoy being in the presence of the God of unfailing love. The love of God is independent of all of our circumstances because God’s unfailing love will never be taken away from us. We may not understand the mysteries of God’s love, but God’s love is perfect and is everlasting. Watch in hope for God, remember that God is our Savior.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with hope and gratitude and cast your cares upon God and get some sleep because God is up all night anyway and there is no reason for both of us to be awake! Love you, 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.

Happy Tuesday and Happy Birthday Casey.

Casey would have been 29 years old today. We remember him each year with a family meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and red velvet cake.  We laugh and remember him in funny and happy ways. We miss him so much and work at remembering only the times that make us smile.

Prayer alert:  I ask you to lift my Aunt Linda in prayer. She is having some long needed surgery on her neck tomorrow. She has been in pain for about two years.  Thank you.

Prayer:  “When I walked through the door, I sensed Your presence and I knew it was a place where love abounds. For this is a temple, the God we love abides in, for we are standing in Your Presence on Holy Ground.” Lord, I seem to sing this to you a lot lately.  Thank you for Your unfailing love.  Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. When I come before You, Lord, please lead me to just think about Your love and how it will guide forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness…For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”

Psalm 48: 9-10, 14

Lately my prayer life has been sort of disjointed. I will begin to pray and then my mind goes to another subject. It is sort of like trying to speak in incomplete sentences. My prayer life was leaving me feeling frustrated. Then I began to pray the first sentence of the scripture passage, “meditate on your unfailing love.”  I am beginning to think about God and the unfailing love given so freely, generously drawing God even closer by whispering God’s name and then offering thanksgiving, praise. I then offer up the names of those for whom I have been charged to pray. This may sound silly, but by doing this I am inviting God into my prayer life claiming that “Surely the Lord is in this place.” When God has been invited into this time of prayer then I am asking God to have conversation with me meaning that I have to sometimes be quiet and listen. I think it is at those times that I am going to practice thinking about God’s unfailing love and grace and how it has brought me through really tough times and everyday living.

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. Cast your cares upon God and go to sleep because God is up all night anyway. 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.