Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Thursday!  All is well here at 811. 

God, thank you for those small daily happenings that make life so worth living. Help me to celebrate the holiness of the ordinary day.  I give thanks that You never change.  Thank You for the promises of each new day. Thank You that each new day is like a package that we can continuously take the priceless gifts you have to offer and use them to Your glory.  I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Often when I pray I claim the part of the verse from James 1: 17 “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming from the Father.”  Sometimes the gifts from God are a bit difficult to see or we get so used to seeing them that we forget to give thanks. But after the long days of winter we have recently experienced, today it was easy to give thanks for the gift of sunshine and mild temperatures.  I must confess that I was not very grateful during the cold and ice and slippery roads.  But God gives his stamp of approval on each new day in which God sees his Creation. Each new day is a gift of life and the anticipation of each day . The air we breathe is a witness to God’s unfailing kindness toward each of us and the outpouring of God’s unfailing, unquenchable love. .  So my friends let us greet each new day no matter what the weather with a hallelujah and thoughts of unique opportunities to praise him. Let us praise God in sunshine and snow, rain and balmy breezes for there will never be another day like today.  God is good and love wins!

“I am God—yes, I AM. I haven’t changed.”

Malachi 3: 6

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. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Wednesday!  All is well here at 811.  I actually wore sunglasses this afternoon! 

Thank you Carme for teaching us about hope. This one’s for you. Love you my dearest friend.

Dear God, Today I praise you for pouring out your love and giving me and my friends hope. Even in the daily pressures, you are doing wonderful things. Lord, you have blessed me so much and you have inspired me to tell others your story. Guide my words and my heart so that I can honor you and encourage others to know you as well. Tonight I give special thanks for the answered prayer of Carme as the long awaited facility was located and accepted our dear friend David. I pray your Holy Spirit is present in those who will attend Dave and that he will be cared for with tenderness, gentleness, knowledge and skill. Bring peace to Carme’s weary soul as perhaps now she can rest.  Thank you for her faith and firmly placing hope in her heart and not letting hope disappoint. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Hope is an amazing gift from God. But hope, real hope, must be experienced in the pressures we face each day.  Like it or not, each day, if we examine our heart of hearts, we struggle with the truth of God, who God is and what God has promised. The stresses of the day, when faced in the presence of God allow us to move forward with patience because we remember that God has never let us down.  We place our faith on God’s eternal truth not on the changes that go on in our lives. God’s truth produces the hope that does not disappoint because we have seen the goodness of God.  We have tasted the sweetness of his heart and felt the comforting balm of healing grace when our souls are torn apart.  Our response to these extraordinary gifts is to become a living psalm of praise of the existence of God, the faithfulness of God and that God does all things well. God is good and love wins!

“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 5: 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. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Tuesday!  All is well here at 811. Bruce is continuing to play handbells and really enjoying some music returning to his life.  He has begun to whistle which is something Bruce never really did before. He whistles “Standing in the Need of Prayer.”  Not a bad choice.  Bruce’s life is such a joy and to watch it unfold anew is a precious gift.  God is good and love wins.

Dear God, Thank you for the unique peace you give to those who trust in you. I will not be afraid knowing that you are always there with the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you for seeing more in me than I see in myself. I trust you to use every situation to develop your godly excellence in me. To you be all the glory. Tonight Lord, I am giving thanks that our dear friend Dave has been accepted into a long term care facility. This has been such a difficult task. You have answered the prayers of our dear friend Carme and those of us who have been praying for this stage in the journey. Give Carme peace as their lives change once again and a new normal begins. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

“Peace, by the world’s standard, is defined by absence of conflict and achieved by an abundance of strength.” There are those who think they can only go to God when they are feeling strong and have done most of the things right in their lives. There are those who believe that these things will bring peace in their lives.  But you and I know that we do not have to be strong, tough or trouble free to go before God.  We can go before God when we are weak, troubled, sinful or vulnerable. It is in those times that God can bring us to the most blessed peace we will ever know. It is incumbent upon us when we go to God to be truly receptive to the goodness of God and the gift of peace and forgiveness. When we receive God’s gift of gracious peace and forgiveness we are filled with God’s unfaltering peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. So tonight, tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come let us rest in the peaceful strength of God.

“The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.”

Psalm 29: 11

“I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.”

John 14: 27

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. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Monday!  I am giving notice that I am tired of being cold!  Other than that all is well here at 811.  I just have to tell you that I have the sweetest husband ever. This morning when I emerged from our room dressed and ready from school my coffee was in my TCU traveling cup, my thermos of coffee was filled and my oatmeal was prepared in my thermal bowl ready for my lunch bag.  He is the miracle man of Austin Street.  He had time with his counselor today. Bruce is at a place in his rehab therapy that he needs to have more conversations to increase the breadth of his language.  So the counselor is going to set up a group or groups for the facilitation of conversations.  We have always sat down at the end of each work day and shared the events of the day with each other and for a while now those conversations have been largely one-sided and now he contributes more to our daily conversations.  It is really great.  Thank you for all of your prayers and please continue because even though he has experienced amazing progressed he still has a quite a ways to go. Thanks mighty and faithful prayer warriors.

Dear God, thank you for training me for the heights through my circumstances. I know that with you I’ll achieve all for which I have been created. But I know the only time you can work in me is when I get out of the way and create the space within me to learn what you have to teach. Thank you for the quiet time today and I was able to hear your voice and receive the answers to the questions I have asked.  Because of the clarity of your answers I am able to move forward. Thank you for your lessons about salt. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

I have shared a number of times about the book Hind’s Feet on High Places.  It is an allegory.  One of the lessons taught is to watch the mountain goats leap from rock to ledge and ascend the mountain. These mountain animals are not able to ascend the mountain at first attempt. Their muscles and bones are not strong enough. But this is what they were created to do. They don’t gain strength by staying on the lower slopes of the mountain and walking in circles staying on level ground. They gain strength by climbing the mountain.

Our faith can only grow in the midst of our doubts and the unknowns of our circumstances.  We exercise and strengthen our faith muscles by trusting God and letting God be sovereign over all parts of our lives. Our faith muscles are strengthened when we pray and are willing to stop talking and listen for the times when God speaks to us. I think we should prepare ourselves for the climb because I’ll bet the view from the top is spectacular.  God is good and love wins!

“He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains.”

Psalm 18: 33

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 and maybe double socks tonight, pray for Carme and Dave 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. 

Dear God, I praise you that one day I will shout with joy over the victory you have produced from my tears. As I face the personal challenges of my own journey through life, I am thankful for your presence that guides and protects me.  Lord, forgive me my sins and get me out of the way so that I may hear your voice giving me hope and courage to walk with you, step by step, one day at a time. Help me to not be concerned with earthly time and self-imposed deadlines believing that You are sovereign over all parts of my life placing my trust in You to lead me to the next step in the journey. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Each of you are welcome to place in your name in the prayer above. We all have uniquely personal passages through our time here on earth.  Sometimes on the journey the tears are many and the burdens are really heavy. God knows each tear we cry and honors them. My meditation tonight says these tears we cry are transformed into seeds of hope. These seeds produce within us faith and perseverance. The tears we cry are transformed into blessings with the promise of unshakable joy.  Let us not give in to hopelessness. God is the author of every journey in our lives. Our journeys do not go in a straight line and sometimes we have delays in the process of moving forward.  Our loving God leads us to find the provisions to meet our needs sharing the weight of our burdens, giving  us hope and courage to keep moving forward. God is good and love wins.

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”

Psalm 18: 16

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Psalm 16: 11

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

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Saturday!  All is well here at 811. Finally, a day without a parka! 

Dear God, thank you for your loving presence. Help me practice being loving toward others so that your love is fully expressed through me.  Thank you for hearing my prayers and for answering me in your time. Many of my prayers have not been answered and there seem to be several bumps in the path. So Lord, until you tell me different and the road begins to change I am going to stay the course. For you oh Lord, are faithful, loving and worthy of all my praise.  You are the firm foundation on which I trust in your presence.  I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tonight my meditation recalls how thankful David was at the many times God delivered him from so many things. David, both scoundrel and faithful one testified about the Lord’s unfailing faithfulness. No matter how intense or dangerous the situation God answered his prayers. God also called him into correction, but still answered his prayers.

Do we ever wonder if God answers our prayers as he did David’s? I believe the answer to be yes. I believe God moves in the mysterious ways of heaven and in the apparent ways of earth to answer all who call to him. We may not get the answer we expect, but I also believe because we are God’s beloved creation, God will never fail to answer and act in our best interest and more importantly to fulfill His purpose in each of us. God claims us as His own and desires in us the trust to call out to Him with whatever concerns we have; great or small or every day.  So my dear friends, let us pray…

“My cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked.”

Psalm 18: 6-7

“He took me to a safe place. Because he delights in me, he saved me.”

Psalm 18: 19

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. Please pray for Carme and Dave. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene

Greetings from Austin Street

Happy BrrrrrrrrrrrThursday!  All is well here at 811. We pray that all of you are well, warm and safe in your homes.  We also pray for those who are without heat and shelter to find shelter and warmth somewhere.  As for me and B…it is fragrant hot tea, snuggled under blankets on the couch and watching Skyfall. 

God, help me to end each day by whispering an amen to you as I go to sleep and to wake up each morning with a hallelujah in my heart. As I live more with You each day let me not fear to ask forgiveness.  It is only through your grace-filled forgiveness that I have the freedom to grow closer to you and experience your love.  I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

I love the story of the unnamed woman who crashed the party of the Pharisee and bathed the feet of Jesus with the jar of costly oil and then wiped them clean with her tears. She offered her neediness at the feet of the Savior and knew that only Jesus could meet her need and relieve her of her guilt.  She offers her gift of humility in a public place. Then Jesus declares her forgiven as he submits to her ministering and the most remarkable thing occurs. She empties herself as she empties the jar at the feet of Jesus. Her heart is filled with love and begins to overflow.  She allowed Jesus to forgive her deepest shame.  This woman exposed her greatest weaknesses and in turn the power of loving forgiveness shined its most brilliant. Her response to this act of grace was to act in profound worship.

So I guess the question for tonight is when we ask forgiveness from Jesus, how do we respond? Are we humble enough to ask for forgiveness and admit our neediness before God and sit at the feet of the Savior?  And are we so filled with overflowing joy, love and thanksgiving that we find ourselves changed and able to forgive others because we have been forgiven?  Just some thoughts on this cold wintery night.

“Her sins, which are many; have been forgiven, for she loved much.”

Luke 7: 47

“O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask your aid.”

Psalm 86: 5

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