Greetings from Austin Street

TGIF Today God is First! All is well here at 811. I did not post a message from Greetings from Austin Street because I spent several hours filling out an application for Texas Health Resources for the position of chaplain.  There may be a large number of applicants ahead of me, but it is a start. The service for David Russell is Sunday at Hill Country Christian Church. Geni and I are singing and Bruce is preparing to speak. I am so proud of him and his courage to attempt to speak a few words to honor his best friend for over 30 years. Please continue to pray for Carme’s family and all friends as we travel to celebrate the life of David Paul Russell.

Dear God, I do believe that you can do the impossible and that you will help me in my circumstances. You are Holy and worthy of all my praise. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins. Thank you for the lessons of love and teaching me to love others the way you love others. It is through your perfect forgiveness that makes room in my heart for your love to flow through me. I pray to believe more and have a deeper relationship to you. Lord, there are many who will be travelling or have already arrived  to celebrate the life of our dearest friend and your faithful servant David Paul Russell. Bring us all together safely and in a spirit of praise and worship lifting your name. May we all hold Carme, Shaleena, Sarah, Mary and Mark in our thoughts and please Lord, especially attend these dear ones in your strong arm filling and surrounding them with peace and comfort. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

“When there’s nothing left to do but just depend on you and the power of your name.”  For me this statement is where we land when there is nothing on this earth that can solve the problems we are facing.  This statement says that our only hope is in God. Belief in the God that brought about phenomenal miracles in ancient Israel can provide a solution to our present day problems. I believe that the same God that parted the waters is willing to work in each of our own unique situations as well. When we land between belief and unbelief we are stuck in our faith through the sin of doubt. Just as those ancient Hebrew folk trusted God to do the impossible in their lives we must do the same and truly believe.  God is good and love wins!

“I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Mark 9: 24

“All things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9: 23

Take joy in the journey remembering that faith, hope, prayer and belief do not disappoint. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Wednesday! All is well here at 811. 

Dear God, I am learning to trust you and learning to praise you with an open heart. I rejoice in your faultless strength and know your mighty hand will provide the victory.  Today Lord, in my moment of need I remembered that with all of the changes that have occurred in my life, the losses I have experienced and concerns that weigh on my heart that You are the constant in my life and for that I worship you in praise. I trust in your strength. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

How was your quiet time today? I remembered the quiet place is always my car. I have about a 25 minute drive to school. I listened to my Sarah Young devotion and began my prayer time. It was a wonderful prayer time and I was prepared for the day by the time I reached school. On my way home I give thanks for the day as is my custom and then I began to think of several things that make me sad and remind me of losses I have experienced and several of the burdens I carry. I found myself becoming quite emotional while driving down the road. It was then I remembered that the constant in my life has always been God. I found myself praising God for His continual presence in my life and God’s all sufficient strength. I found myself before the throne of grace turning from my suffering to God’s sufficiency. God’s unfailing love and tender grace replaced the pain of my trials with the reality of triumph. Today, I discovered the worship of God helped me refocus my attention on God and come to understand the power of praise. God is good and love wins!

“Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your Power.”

Psalm 21: 13

“You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. You welcomed him with rich blessings.”

Psalm 21: 2-3

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope, faith, prayer and praise do not disappoint. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Wear comfortable shoes, pray for Carme’s family and get some sleep.  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Tuesday!  All is well here at 811.

Dear God, I sit before you in quiet and joyful expectation. Truly, you are God. Show yourself in a mighty way through the stillness. Thank you for leading me. I trust you even when I don’t understand your directions. Thank you that with you, answers are assured and I am always in Your Presence. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Tonight my meditation gives some great instructions for having a quiet time.  The words of the meditation tell us to find a place where we can be very quiet before God. And in the quietness, relinquish to God as an offering the things that fill our minds and then offer ourselves and …listen. Let us close our eyes and picture ourselves before the throne of grace in the holy temple. Then, let the Spirit speak directly to our hearts. Listening for what we are being taught, asking for forgiveness.

As I was paraphrasing the words of the author of my meditation tonight I was struck by something. In the steps of the meditation there are a number of times that we are asked to be quiet. Perhaps that is the reason we have been given two ears and one mouth. Maybe we are meant to listen twice as much as we are to talk.  As I read, meditated on the scripture passages and then wrote I found myself having a quiet time. I began to put aside the events of the day and picture myself at the throne of grace in the holy presence of God. My cares dissolved and I felt bathed in the brilliant light of the God I have loved and worshiped all of my life.  So in this quiet moment let us each allow praise to fill our hearts. Keep silent before God and enjoy the presence of our Lord and Savior.

“The Lord is in His Holy temple; let all the earth hush and keep silence before him.

Habakkuk 2: 20

“It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.”

Lamentations 3: 26

Take joy in the journey remembering that faith, hope and prayer do not disappoint. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Wear comfortable shoes, pray for Carme and her family and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Monday!  All is well here at 811. Bruce was able to work today as the center was closed due to President’s Day.  He is so tired, but happy that he was able to help some folks with their house. Tiny Oliver went home today.  He seems to be just perfect and Stephanie is feeling better each day.  Please pray for this new family as they begin the most amazing journey they will ever travel.  And Geni and I have been asked to sing our friend Dave’s Memorial Service.  We feel so humbly honored to be asked to serve in this celebration of an extraordinary life. 

Dear God, you are so very worthy to receive glory. Thank you for loving me inside and out, and for how wonderfully you have created each of us.  Lord, You have allowed each of us to live a life with some things we could never imagine could happen. The one constant all of the changes our lives have contained is You. Your powerful presence has remained with us no matter what has happened and will continue no matter what the future will bring. Thank you Lord that we need not fear for nothing can overcome Your mighty strength found in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord, let us trust you for victory. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Each talent, our personality and the details that make us unique were chosen by God. There are things about ourselves that we do not like.  But here is the thing…we are so very precious to God and everything about us He has given us is lovely to Him.  God has given us remarkable potential and has made no mistake in His creation of us.  God may not always be happy with our choices, but God loves His good creation with a love we cannot understand, and we stand in awe and are totally embraced in this perfect love.  We were created to praise Him. God does not look at us with His eyes. God looks at us with His Heart. Let us take a look in the mirror of our souls and praise God for being our Creator. 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory…for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelation 4: 11

“You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.”

Psalm 139: 15

Take joy in the journey remembering that faith, hope and prayer do not disappoint. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Wear comfortable shoes, continue to pray for Carme and her family and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Blessed Sunday to you all!  All is well here at 811. Busy day of worship, a wonderful concert of the Norwegian Men and Boys Choir at Advent and then we drove to Plano where I got to hold my brand new great nephew for a very long time. He is so beautiful and perfect. I also saw his Mom and Dad and my brother and sister-in-law. But today they came in a close second to baby Oliver.  It was a day of great and wonderful joy. God is so very good and His perfect love wins.

Dear God, I trust that you are a faithful and able leader. Thank you that my future is a work in your hands. In this prayer today I pray that my life would bring you much praise, for you are truly worthy. My prayer for each of us today is that you would grant the desires of our hearts. Bless this new little family with great joy.  Thank you for bringing this precious one into our family and placing him into the loving arms of Stephanie, Stephen and the loving embrace of a family who has already fallen in love with him. Guide them as they teach him Your ways. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Did you ever wonder what God is doing in your life? In my meditation tonight it offers that it is okay if we do not know what God is doing or intends for us to do. It is better to ask this question, “Do we have the confidence that God knows where he is leading us?”  Here is what I need to learn and perhaps you do to; my hope should not be based on what I think or understand of God and  what God’s purpose is for me. Rather that my faith be firmly grounded in God. God works in eternal time and I tend to work on earthly time and set personal deadlines. All  is in God’s hands and not mine or yours. It is God’s perfect timing and God’s able hands that will work out His purpose for each of our lives. 

“The Lord will fulfill [His purpose] for me, Lord Your love is eternal.”

Psalm 1: 38: 8

“We will shout for joy over your victory and celebrate your triumph by praising our God. May the Lord answer all your requests.”

Psalm 20: 5

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope, faith and prayer do not disappoint. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Continue to pray for Carme and her family. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene