Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Monday! All is well here at 811. I went back to work today.  It was great to see everyone; staff and students alike. They seemed genuinely glad to see me and I was so very glad to see them as well. I must admit that I was tired at the end of the day and Tylenol and my heating pad were on the agenda when I got home. Also, tomorrow I will go back to Dr. Adams, my oncologist. I am not sure if he will begin the connections for setting up radiation treatments, but I believe myself to be healing nicely and will be ready for the next step toward checking off this episode of my life!!

Dear God, My soul rejoices. My joy comes from you and I praise you with gladness. I pray my soul will yearn for things that are of you. Thank you for the healing that you are providing for my body and my spirit. May I continue to sing praises to you with all that I have and all that I am. I  love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

My very first church job was as a church choir director in a small country church. This small Methodist church had Wednesday night prayer meeting and Sunday evening worship. I was pretty young and on Sunday night they liked to sing from the old brown Cokesbury hymnal. It was on those Sunday nights that I learned to sight read music. This little congregation loved to sing these time honored hymns and loved watching me stumble as they called out hymn numbers and I fumbled through unfamiliar tunes while trying to lead these folks in song.  I learned to love those wonderful hymns as they are permanently etched in my mind and in my voice. They bring me comfort and wonderful memories.

Not often do I compare myself to the Apostle Paul, but when it comes to singing hymns in times of trouble I think Paul had the right idea.  Paul was in prison in Philippi along with Silas. They were treated with great cruelty and yet the story goes that they sang hymns because they believed in praising God in the midst of their circumstances. It is during one of those hymn sessions that scripture records the doors of the prison flew open and they were freed. As for me I sang The Lord’s Prayer during my recent MRI and then sang along with a Christian music CD being played during the nuclear procedure and it really helped lower my stress level and kept my mind focused on something other than the procedures being performed. I was not treated unkindly, but I was plenty anxious at these tests. The point is these…tough times to not have to control us when our joy comes from God and we can stay focused on Him.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice!”

Philippians 4: 4

“Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection ever them, that those who love your name may exult you.”

Psalm 5: 11

Take joy in the journey and sing along the way. Wear comfortable shoes, get some sleep and think pink! Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene