Like father, like son?

Happy Wednesday!

Isaiah 55: 1 “Come to the water everyone who thirsts, come to the water.”

Three mornings a week I go to water aerobics class. One morning after class one of the class members said, “You know, now that you know the routine then you could just come to gym and work out by yourself.” I thought about what she said and I thought first, I am not self-disciplined enough to come to the gym and do a water workout for an hour by myself. I need a leader in front of me showing me the exercises and keeping me always moving forward. If left to my own devices I am sure I would not work as hard or as long or maybe not even go at all. And second, there is certain camaraderie among the other class participants. Everyone has their own spot picked out in class (sort of like in worship where we have our favorite pews) and we count on the others around us to be there as friends in the water. Third, the hopeful benefit of the class for me is that I can become healthier by strengthening my heart and taking off some pounds and inches. (Our instructor plays Hit the Road Jack, recorded by Ray Charles as we exercise. I jokingly call it “Hit the road fat and don’t you come back no more.”)

In this scripture God calls each of us to come to the water. When we come to the waters as God calls, we receive forgiveness and healing. When John baptized Jesus, he did not baptize Him in private. John baptized Jesus and the others standing on the shore. On that day as Jesus was baptized he was baptized into the ministry God had planned and prepared for Him. Randy Travis sings a song with the lyric “Down with the old man and up with the new” in reference to the act of baptism. Jesus, in the waters of baptism, left His private life behind and began His public life, ministry and the road to the cross.

When we come to the waters of baptism, we too die to the old and are raised to the new life Christ has promised. I hope to become changed by going to water aerobics but I know I am changed through the loving forgiveness and powers of healing, the living water of God flowing through Jesus. Just like my water buddies encourage me and I encourage them, we need to encourage each other through prayer, kind words and showing our love to each other. We were not meant to go through this life of faith alone, so encourage someone today. So let’s pray for our families, friends, those new to a daily walk with Jesus and for those who have hurt us (they need our prayers too.)

Tomorrow is Geni’s birthday . My beautiful daughter will be 22 tomorrow. I think we are going to do some girl stuff and then The Cheesecake Factory for her birthday dinner.

Take joy in the journey friends and stay in the air conditioning. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

Travis watching for dolphins and flying fish.

Happy Tuesday!

Well, as the old saying goes, “Don’t count you chickens before they are hatched.” Due to an error on the part of TCU I will not be receiving my difference check on Friday. So that means that Travis will not get his desk as we had planned. But in my daily practice to find God in all I do I am sure that Travis will get a desk, it just won’t be the one he originally picked out and God is trying to teach me (again) to not spend money before it is in my hand. God will meet this need in His time and when it is right for us.

Also, a piece of way cool news: my best friend, Carme Russell is coming for a visit next Monday. She is only to be here for a day. Bruce and Travis will pick her up at the airport around 7:00 am and return her to the airport in the evening. We are so looking forward to her visit. I think that she and Travis have a date for tattoos. Time will tell…

1 John 5:12 “He that has the Son, has life, and he that has not the Son has not life.”

BHE Fellowship met today and we talked about the scripture from John 6 and what can we do to perform the works of God. Jesus answers with “Believe in the One whom He sent.” And then we discussed the scripture from Micah 6 that talks about act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our Lord.” And then today the Word tells us that if we have Christ then we have life…if we do not have Christ then we do not have life. In our devotional book God Calling, we talked about the godly ways in which the Father has called us to act.

At the heart of all of this is that God, through His Son, Jesus, wants to be a part of all of our lives. In the meditation we studied along with the scripture, we learned that Eternal Life begins with our first breath. As the Spirit gives us our breath… as we grow in the likeness of Christ and as we continue along the path of faith, we are to give more and more of ourselves to God and into His leading. In all of our days, nights and times God wants to be the One abiding Presence of whom we are conscious all the time. We must “seek to do less and accomplish more. Doing is action, but achievement is successful action.” (from God Calling) As teachers we may write these words and post them in our classrooms. We do all kinds of stuff every day, but if we are not achieving our goal, which is the higher calling of God in Christ Jesus, then we are just doing stuff.

Again, God is seeking to be in each part of our lives. The only way we can act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God is by making Him the One constant in our lives and learning all we can about Him and how to act like Him.

Let’s try something together. Get a card and write this simple prayer on it: “O Jesus, I love You so much and long to serve You.” Place this card on your side of the bed and as you say your “nightie nights” (as one of my favorite principals used to say), pray this simple prayer. Then when you awaken in the morning and roll over to turn off the alarm clock let’s say this little prayer even before your feet hit the floor. If you are not much of a morning person perhaps you could place the card in the car and say the prayer as you are driving to work after a couple of cups of coffee. Won’t it be the coolest thing ever to see where God will take us and use us? “You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting yielded and still.”

Take joy in the journey and find some air conditioning! Love you all so much, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.
PS Let me know where God leads you. This could be really cool! gc

This was one of the other "critters" that were available for photo ops on the beach at Cozumel. It is an iguana, probably one of the many which make their home on the island.


Happy Monday!

We had a God moment today. Travis had gone shopping for a desk. He found one at Office Max and it was on sale. The good news was that it was affordable but it was not affordable today and the desk will go back to regular price after Saturday night. I told Travis that I did not see any way we could afford the desk before it went back on regular price. I asked him to pray about this and I would pray also and maybe something could be worked out. We came home and I phoned TCU Financial Services to check on their receipt of a fax I sent earlier today. The bottom line is that I will receive my difference check on this Friday instead of next Friday as I had thought. Travis can have his desk before Saturday. I was so excited and could not wait for him to come home from the gym. When these wonderful God moments happen I always sing the doxology and give thanks to God for His grace and tender mercies. God knew Travis needed the desk and by His providence God has provided once again. Thank you, Lord for one more time meeting our needs.

Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

After the scripture of last night in John “How do we perform the works of God?” and Jesus answers “…believe in the One whom He sent.” I thought this scripture from Micah was a wonderful response to the scripture from John. Anyone who has raised children has probably said this sentence (or something like it) to squabbling children, “use only kind words.” I know I have and I use that mantra daily in my classroom. I would love to tell you that I always use kind words, but then I would not be being honest with myself, you or God.

After we believe in God then we must spend the rest of our earthly lives acting in ways to show our belief in God and how He has worked and is working in our lives. What does “do justly” mean? I think it means to always be honest with ourselves and with others. I also think it means to live in truth. I don’t mean the kind of falsehood that doesn’t tell about a surprise birthday party, but truth in living the path of the Way of Christ. If we want to know who Christ is, the answer is simple. He is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the way, truth and life of His heavenly Father who walked around on foot for 33 years and then provided a way for us to also live the way, the truth and the life through His crucifixion and resurrection.

God asks us to love mercy. We need to love mercy because God give us His tender mercies when we don’t deserve them. God still shows us mercy when we sin against Him through the gift of forgiveness. We show mercy to each other when one of us sins against another and instead of getting back at the offender, we forgive the offender and draw ourselves back closer to God and maybe show the one who has offended that even though we are hurt by their actions, we still love them. After all, how many times has God forgiven us? (there are too many to count!)

Walking humbly with God is how we live our daily life as a child of God and brother to Christ. Walking humbly is to see God at work in each moment of our lives and recognizing His loving presence in each breath we take. God wants us to see Him in each task that is placed before us and to take Him with us everywhere we go and to share Him with each person we meet. We don’t always have to speak His name, but when we speak kind words and show tender mercies to those whom we love and especially to those who have hurt us then we are following the words of Micah and meeting what the Lord is requiring of us.

As I told Casey when he moved out into his own apartment several years ago, “Remember who you are. Remember whose you are. Always wear clean underwear and don’t date skanky women, (LOL) but mostly, remember the One who loves you most.”

Take joy in the journey and wear some sun screen. Love you, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

There were several of these guys walking around the beach in Cozumel selling photo opportunities with the animals and birds.

Blessed Sunday to you all!

Our family sang in worship today. As you who read this blog each day know, it was our first time to sing without Casey. We sang a lovely piece titled; How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. I did okay until we finished and then I sort of cratered in Bruce’s arms. I missed Casey so much, but I was so proud and blessed that we had Geni and Travis standing between us and singing praises to God. It was my prayer that our voices would be united in praise and glory to God. I pray that if God let Casey peek down from heaven and listen that he was proud of us.

Another piece we sang today as a congregational piece was I Surrender All. Remembering back, we had been in Houston for 4 days. It was a Monday night around 9:30 and preparatory drugs had been pumping through Casey’s body for several hours. The room was darkened except the lamplight that was over his bed. It came time to open up the chemotherapy drugs and Casey was somewhere between asleep and awake. I was standing over him beside the bed and praying. I don’t know how Casey knew but the instant they opened up the chemotherapy drugs he began to sing, “All to Jesus I surrender.” The presence of the Holy Spirit was very powerful and it was a holy moment for me. I did not see a vision of God, but Casey and I were most assuredly in His presence. Whenever I sing that song for the rest of my life I will see Casey’s face bathed in the lamplight and know I was in the presence of the wounded Healer, our very present and living God. (musically it was a bit of an emotional moment for this mom!)

John 6: 28-29 “Then they said to Him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Jesus did not answer with the questions of how you spent your time, how you spend your money, with whom you associate. He did not even answer go and minister to others. He simply says, to perform the work of God you must believe in Me. God asks only to believe in Him and the One He sent. Casey had the most profound faith in God I have ever been blessed to witness. To lay in a bed with poison pumping through his system and sing “All to Jesus I surrender,” was profession of a powerful belief in a holiness that was embedded in his soul.

Today Pastor Joel talked about living a life of faith. But how do we begin? Pastor told of teaching his young son to swim. Pastor kept telling Caleb to jump in and he would catch him. It took Caleb a long time to wrap himself around this jumping in thing. But when he finally jumped in and he trusted his daddy to catch him, Caleb was eager to try again and again. Isn’t our faith the same way? We want to make sure of the path before we set out. There are times when God just wants us to get in the car and drive, or put on our walking shoes and walk on in the midst of trial, and in tribulation, He asks us to sing. Friends they don’t call it a “leap of faith” by accident.

When we surrender to God then we walk in faith and we can do the work of God because we believe.

Take great joy in the journey and wear sun screen. Love you all so much, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

Mother and daughter enjoying visiting after lunch.

Happy Friday!

Can you believe it is the last day of July? And once again God is putting on quite a light show tonight. August happens tomorrow. And school will begin so very soon. Where has the summer gone? My internal clock is beginning to think of crayons, sharpened pencils, books and the massive undertaking it will be to reassemble my classroom from its summer sleep.

2 Chronicles 5:13 “As the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking God.”

There are times when I get what I call the “spare me’s.” The spare me’s are those moments when everything seems to be going wrong and nothing is going right. They are those moments when Geni and I have had an argument and I feel really terrible. They are those moments when I am alone and begin to think about how much I miss Casey and all I can do is cry. Those moments do not happen often, but when they do it is a really tough time.

I read this verse tonight and the meditation and the words told me to “seek diligently for the something to be glad and thankful about in every happening. “ When it seems as everything is going wrong I count my blessings in that I have a loving husband and two healthy great kids to come home to and a house I really love. I give thanks that I have a daughter with which to argue. And then I have begun to give thanks and praise to God that He allowed me to be mother to Casey and witness to his life as brief as it was.

When I count my blessings I usually find that my blessings out number my troubles and then I feel better. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving during the saddest or most difficult of times is incense that rises to the heart of God and God is blessed with our prayers. If we express joy and gratitude in the midst of grief and sorrow it does not diminish the reasons for our sadness and pain, but it tells God that we believe that He will see us through. We affirm His presence in our lives and His Lordship over whatever the situation is that has brought us to our knees. May God give us the gift of brave and thankful hearts.

Take joy in the journey friends and take an umbrella. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

Happy Thursday!

1 John 4:26 “ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.”

I have heard and sung songs all of my life about the phrase “God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” This verse states very clearly that God loves us and God is love. No matter what the situation, whether there is the greatest joy or deepest sorrow God still loves us and with the same unconditional love. The pathway to heaven does not have to be paved with sorrow and suffering.

When we lost Casey to cancer it was and is the most devastating event to occur in our lives and struck in us the deepest sorrow we have ever experienced. But we are not sad all of the time. There are times of joy, laughter and fun. Yes, there are times when we will see something or hear something or wish he was here with us to share this moment that will bring about a memory of Casey and we are in a heap once again. But God, in His infinite love for us, brings a blanket of comfort that eases the sorrow. Sometimes, it happens through Geni and Travis and we catch a glimpse of their big brother in them. Those moments always make me smile. Sometimes it is through the comfort of His Word or email or the voice of a friend. God sends His comfort in many ways and always in a timely fashion.

The other night I was watching the Biography Channel and the biography was about Bill Cosby. He lost his son by a tragic murder. When asked a question by the interviewer, “Are you mad at God?”, Mr. Cosby’s answer was, “No, I am not mad at God. You don’t get mad at God. You praise God because you were blessed to witness the life of your child.” This very profound statement of faith was made by a man who lives a life of faith in God. I am sure Mr. Cosby still misses his son as much as we miss Casey. But this is a man who has found peace through the conquering Christ.

I think that is the road on which this family travels. The conquering, risen Christ is the anchor to which we hold fast. Through trial, tribulation and in joy and peace, God never changes. His love remains the same. God’s love is not just unconditional, but never ending and never changing. God promises that if we will live with Him then even though trial, tribulation and sorrow come, He will see us through it. And He will dance with us when we experience joy and peace.

So friends, let us live with Christ, the conquering One who will promise that peace and joy will be ours.

Take joy in the journey. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

Number 3 in a series. (I included this one to prove that I was actually on the cruise, too! - Bruce)

Happy Wednesday!

Just in case you were wondering, I made it to Granbury and back in one uneventful try; making the trip home the same way I went to get there. I prayed as I was backing out of the driveway and I felt much better about making the journey. We had a wonderful Bible discussion and fellowship time. We began at 10:30 and did not part company until around 2:30. The time really flew by and none of us realized that we had been sharing, eating and praying for 4 hours. Somehow or other we are going to have to squeeze this time back to less than an hour in just a few short weeks as school will be beginning very soon.

Romans 15: 32 “…and that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.”

As my summer begins to wind down for me, my thoughts are beginning to drift to returning to teaching. I set for myself different goals I wished to accomplish during the summer months. It was my intention to clean out closets of their excess clutter and make them usable instead of the tall clutter hampers they have become. I have not gotten my closets cleaned out. I wanted to learn to smoke meat in a wood burning smoker. I have learned to do that and in fact I am considering a second attempt this weekend if it does not rain. I decided to become a better housekeeper (I could not have gotten any worse!!) and I have kept the public areas of our home cleaned and the plants watered and healthy. But the area of my life I have enjoyed most of all is my time on the deck with a cup of coffee and my computer and devotional materials. The next thing I have enjoyed greatly is meeting with the teacher’s fellowship each week. Even though I drove with uncertainly and a great lack of confidence each week; drive to each home I did. These amazing, incredible women bring great joy to our time together. I come away refreshed and renewed with each meeting. These women are extraordinary because the love of Jesus flows through them in such healing streams.

Have you ever considered a waterfall? Waterfalls are amazing works of nature. But they also hold a tremendous spiritual message. When we stand at the edge of the mountain where the waterfall goes over the lip of the precipice we stand in awe of its magnificence and power. We also look in fear and dread as it dashes itself on the rocks below. But if you look at just one part of the fall and follow it from the stream to the rocks below, you will notice that the water, as it pours itself over the fall, does so with total surrender. It does not hold back anything; it cannot wait to get to the lowest place. When it finally dashes itself on the rocks below it splashes and then explodes into the most amazing droplets of joy we can even imagine. It is doing exactly what it was created to do and takes the greatest joy in its creation and the accomplishment of its assigned task.

The coolest part is that it is not just a single trickle of water that causes that waterfall to give of itself so freely. The waterfall as a single entity is made up of billions of droplets created all for the same purpose. They were created to fall obediently over the lip of the edge of a mountain to the lowest place of all and rise again in the greatest joy.

When I meet with the teacher’s group I may share the burdens of my soul or the joys in my heart and come away refreshed and filled with joy. I did not get my closets cleaned out but God blessed me with a place to clean the clutter out of my life in my weekly fellowship group.

God wants us to have joy in our lives. He desires that relationship with us that will invite joy to our lives. But He also places us in relationships that will bring refreshing joy. If you do not have a “joy” group; get one! Make yourself some Vegas style rules (what is said here – stays here) and experience the joy that only Christian love and trust can offer.

Take joy in the journey and experience joy with a friend. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.