Greetings from Austin Street

Blessed Sunday to you all!  All is well here at 811. We were blessed by the visits from Carme from San Antonio on Friday and Saturday and Dale, Gayle and Taryn (their beautiful daughter) on Saturday and this morning. It was the most wonderful weekend we have had in a while. Most of all of that time was spent out on our deck. I don’t think I have ever spent an entire day talking, laughing and eating.  I am convinced it was a  piece of grace God granted…a glimpse into the kingdom of heaven out on our back porch. We gathered as the family of God; not all by blood but by faith, feasting on a lifetime of love and really great food!  God is good and love wins!

Dear God, Thank you that believers can encourage each other. Please use my gifts to strengthen, establish and comfort others bringing you glory. Lord, help me to recognize your presence and you working more clearly remembering to give you the praise. Teach me to love you more every day, my wonderful Lord. I thank you that all of our visitors got home safely and that we were able to be together. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Psalm 30 leads us through trouble, relief and thanksgiving at least four times in its short 12 verses. If the psalmist revisits these feelings and actions repeatedly then he/she needed to affirm some hope in his/her own life. These repetitions are constant reminders that God will respond. It helps us to recall how we have experienced  the healing and faithfulness of God. It is our own experiences of healing and God’s faithfulness in which we put our trust. Sometimes life works in seasons. My dear brother-in-law asked me on Saturday if I still loved the color purple because I am currently wearing pink frequently and collecting pink items. I told him “pink is for a season, but purple is forever!”   Bruce and I are going through a season. It is most assuredly a season we would not have chosen or expected. And this season has presented us with life altering changes. It is my earnest prayer that we both fully recover.  Psalm 30 contains one of my most favorite verses, “Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”  Some nights last longer than others. The good news is that God has been and continues to remain with us through the night and when we wake is there to greet us with hope.

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

Take joy in the journey claiming the faithfulness of God and finding joy welling up in your soul. Wear comfortable shoes, and think pink!  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene