Happy Friday!

The funeral service I attended was a very uplifting time of worship. Shared was how God’s plan was lived out in Mrs. Patterson. Her grandchildren led the entire service in song, scripture and reflection. It was a joy to worship this morning.

Prayer:  LORD of the healing soul, You answer our prayers when we are ready to hear Your answers.  When we focus our thoughts on You then You are all around us and we are constantly aware of Your Presence. Thank You for hearing all of our thoughts and prayers. Today, Lord, You answered such a special prayer and I am so grateful. I was not prepared for the difficulty I have been going through, but You have never left me and You are working on the problem with power I cannot imagine. You have taken me from a place of brokenness and giving me hope of healing.  Thank You, most loving and merciful LORD. In Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“Many are the ways of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.”

Psalm 32: 10

God is with us, always watching over us with perfect love. God’s unfailing love surrounds those who trust Him. It is our job to be aware of the presence of God even when so many things demand our attention.  It seems that each summer God sets me on a new path of learning more about His character and presence in my life. This summer I am learning about God’s unfailing love and the Presence of God in all things and times.

You may have guessed that I have experienced a very recent hurt in my life that has consumed my thoughts, disrupted my sleep and caused deep emotional distress. My study has been focused on staying fixed on God. 

Tonight my devotional reading says, “I (God) want to be the constant in your life that provides stability and direction in an unpredictable environment.” I have been presented with a situation for which I was not prepared. Through the psalms and other sacred scripture, through daily and sometimes constant prayer, pouring my heart out to God and Bruce, and private journaling each day, I am beginning to heal. You can pray for me, too. The situation has not yet been reconciled, but I have hope that God is working to bring this healing and forgiveness.  When I stop and say, “Jesus, I seek Your face”, then the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that can come only from the power of the Holy Spirit eases the hurt because I am not focusing on the hurt but on God and His unfailing, perfect love.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares upon the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no reason for all of us to be awake. 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 4th of July!

Decorated the table, ate a sumptuous meal at Chez’ Chrystie and then watched the fireworks at the Highlands. The fireworks were really different this year. As Bruce said, “Someone is getting really creative with the pyrotechnics.”  The night was really nice with a breeze, two comfy chairs and my sweetheart.

Prayer alert:   Please pray for the family of Violet Patterson. Her daughter is the pianist at Rush Creek Christian. Vivian (the daughter) had just helped her mother move into assisted living and Mrs. Patterson passed away within the week.  Mrs. Patterson’s funeral is tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers.

Prayer:  God of the broken heart, bring healing to the sadness and having mercy on the broken soul. Your sacred Word calls us to seek You while You may be found and to call on You while You are near. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55: 6-9

We are not immune from struggles. Leaning on our own understanding is what we usually try first. This is really a tough mindset to break. Most of us are ‘fixers.” It is easier to fix it ourselves instead of asking for help. 

Here is a powerful piece of truth. (I am learning this the hard way.) “We can no more understand the wisdom of God than we can create something out of nothing.” God created us in His image and gifted us with different gifts, talents and creativity  When we are struggling and do not understand especially when we think we have something sort of under control and then the issue rises up and hits you in the face or heart again…God calls us to remember that He is the great I AM.

My friends, it then that we need to bow before the God who lovingly and graciously created us and offer up ourselves. We need to worship the One whose thoughts are greater than our thoughts and whose ways are greater than our ways.  In the majesty of God, He came to earth so that we could know Him as the Holy One who died for us.

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

Great progress on the paper today and great Bible study tonight! 

Prayer: Lord of light and love, when the way is dark Your light is always there and always overpowers the darkness. The darkest place of all would be a place where You are not. But You promise to be the light that overcomes darkness and darkness has never overpowered Your light. Thank You, Lord, that when problems seem to overcome Your loving kindness You allow us to pour out our hearts to You. Your Word invites us to lay our burdens on You to carry and show us the way forward - into the light of Your glorious presence. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62: 8

I love the psalms. They bring such comfort to me. The most interesting thing about the psalms is that they were written as prayers to God, not God’s Words delivered to His people. This simple verse holds amazing promise and speaks to the character of God.

Trust in Him at all times. We are to trust in God at all times and for everything no matter what the problem or situation.

Pour out your hearts to him…God cares about us and our problems and hurts and wants us to share them with him in trust and confidence that whatever is going on in our lives is important to Him.

For God is our refuge…we and our problems and situations are safe with God. There is no condemnation for us because God loves us so much  when we go to Him in prayer we can bask in His radiant presence.

When we unburden ourselves at the feet of the Lord then His energy recharges us and the light of God overcomes the darkness we feel around us and illumines our souls with the brilliant light of His Presence. We will find ourselves bathed in the light of God’s unfailing love where no darkness can abide.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, cast your burdens on Him who loves us so much and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no need for all of us to be up too. 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 Tuesday!

I have about half of my paper finished. I also had a splendid interview with the Chaplain of the Allred State Prison where Bruce and others participate in the Kairos Prison Ministry. The Chaplain’s information will really be helpful for the completion of my paper.

Prayer:  Lord of counsel, we commend ourselves to You in every way; in trouble, hardships, distress and rejoicing and praise. Lord of hope, You are so much more than just a feeling. We place our confidence in You to do what You have promised as our Savior and Lord. Your promise to be present in our lives as the one constant brings such joy and sweet peace. We are ever grateful, Lord.  We lift up the sacrifice of praise to You without complaint and ask that You receive our sacrifice out of Your great love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer, Amen.

“Why are you in despair, O my soul/ And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him for the help of His presence.”

Psalm 42: 5

Do you think that when we pray for trust in God, that God just zaps us with trust or do you think God gives us opportunities to practice learning to trust? God offers us opportunities to practice trust and hope in Him through praising Him regardless of how we feel.

We begin this lesson by recognizing God’s Presence in our lives as a constant. When we rejoice and praise God during difficult times then our words of hope and trust in God lift us above our circumstances. We find the path of gratitude and with each step we take and each utterance of praise we begin to experience joy. This is the sacrifice of praise. 

Sometimes we need to whisper the words, “Jesus, I seek Your face.”  “As servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses…sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6: 4, 10)

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

What awesome weather for the first of July! I did not turn on the air conditioning in the main part of the house all day!

Two events of the day...took a large load of things to Mission Arlington and got my paper started. The paper is not due until July 15, but I hope to have it completed by the weekend so Bruce can edit it. I have a phone interview with a prison chaplain tomorrow, so the paper should be interesting. Please say a prayer as I write. This paper is really different from any other I have ever written.

Prayer:  God of restoration, healing and forgiveness, I believe You are living unconditional love. Lord, You are with us and are mighty to save. I don’t always understand why You take delight in us, but Your word says You do. When I am upset I thank You for quieting me with Your unfailing love and ever present undeserved grace. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for Your tender mercies and lifting us to the highest place of all when we come before You kneeling at Your feet with humble hearts and penitent souls, secure in Your love no matter what. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3: 17

I love being a Mom. Sometimes being a Mom is tough and you wish you could rent your kids out cheap. But the truth is that I delighted in my children every day of their lives.  I love them more than they can ever imagine until they have children of their own.

God loves us the same way. God must get frustrated with us sometimes. I don’t think God gets so frustrated with our sin as much as He gets frustrated with our lack of asking for forgiveness. Just like I take delight in our children each day because they are our children, God takes delight in us as his children because we are His beloved creation.

When you are a parent, each day brings its own challenges and sometimes there is brokenness that tears us to our very souls. But each day when we seek the face of God we can relax and remember that God’s love for us is greater than any challenge or hurt we will ever encounter. Just as our children do not earn our love, we cannot earn the love of God. We must simply accept it, relax in it and let our gratitude for this unfailing love keep us close to the God of salvation so that we may learn of His will for us and we may follow His leading for our lives. But no matter what, God delights in us.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, casting your care upon God. Get some sleep. God is awake all night anyway so there is no need for both of you to be awake! 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.

Blessed Sunday to you all! 

Wonderful worship at Rush Creek this morning. The choir sang Majesty combined with Come Christians, Join to Sing.  Dr. Newell Williams, Pres. of Brite Divinity School, preached a wonderful sermon. His message was  based on the passage from Luke 9 where Jesus is trying to get to Jerusalem through Samaria. They would not let Him through because “He had His face set toward Jerusalem.” (v. 51) Further on in the passage of scripture: “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (v.62) The cost of discipleship is quite steep. Once we begin following Jesus we cannot stop and we must never turn back. Great 

sermon!

Prayer: God of the day of worship. God of the day of singing praise. God of the table of remembrance. Thank You for being present in our worship, singing, and sharing of the sacred Word and sacrament. Thank You for those who preach Your Word with authority and reverence, and thank You that we get to share this time with friends who love You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

“The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”

Psalm 33: 18

The first sentence in my devotional passage tonight is “MY EYES ARE ON THOSE WHOSE HOPE IS IN My unfailing Love.” To enjoy the abundant life God has planned for us it is vital that we have hope. The key to this hope is to choose well the object of this hope. One of my most favorite songs has a line that says, “When I turn my gaze to people they just let me down.” We cannot put our hope in money, or people, or possessions because they are all temporal. The best choice we can ever make is to fix our hope on the unfailing love of God.  Romans 8 tells us that neither life, nor death, things present, things to come can separate us from this love of God. The sacred Word tells us that those who put their hope in God are those whom God watches over with special care and unfailing love. When it is hard to not place our hope in worldly things then we must persevere in the practice of placing our hope in the One who remains in the midst of our every moment, breath and situation offering perfect, unfailing love.

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