Happy Thursday!

There was an air of sadness at school today as we watched our friend and colleague pack for a new school. The young man I spoke of last evening, and a teacher on my team, packed his room today and will begin to set up a new room tomorrow at South Hills Elementary School and have new students on Monday. He will teach kindergarten. We are praying for him and wish him the very best in his new school, but we are really going to miss him.

John 6:68 “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Matthew 16: 15 “But whom say you that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Our friend Jacob is going to have to earn to trust and learn from a new team at a new school. He is going to have to learn to teach a different grade level. He did not want to accept this new place and position, but if he wants to work in this district, he had to accept the district’s decision. The district is the final decision.

God tells us to “learn of Me.” The Word of God is the Word on which we live our lives. God’s Word tells us to abide in Him, have no fear and it also tells us to accept my will for you. Trust in Me.

In these times it is so difficult to be grateful, yet His Word tells us to be grateful because He is in the midst of our difficulties, our trials and the tough roads we must walk. Remember that God walks the difficult road with us and never leaves our side.

I am not sure that God plans for us to walk tough roads and have times of difficulty, but I do think that when those hard times come, He makes a plan for us and sees us through. We must be willing to accept His will and abide in His Word. We must learn of Him.

So when we are uprooted from what we know and are no longer surrounded by those we know and have grown close to and are asked to CHANGE, we must rely on God and learn of Him.

Take joy in the journey and hug your babies. 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.

PS Please lift up in prayer the Happening Weekend which begins tomorrow in McGregor,Texas, its 11 participants and staff. Geni, Travis and I will leave sometime tomorrow. Thank you friends. gc

Happy Wednesday!

One of the first grade teachers was surplused today. We were all saddened to lose Jacob. He will clean out his room tomorrow and report to his new school on Friday. That means that the team will absorb Jacob’s class of first graders. So instead of going to my ethics class today I stayed at school and prepared for five new students. Tomorrow will be like the first day of school once again.

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”

James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

This morning the BHE Fellowship group met. We were all concerned about Jacob and how devastated he was going to be at the news that he was going to have to leave our building. We talked about how the team would react. (we all cried at the loss of our colleague) and we prayed for Tammy, our principal, as she was the one to deliver this decision to Jacob. And we prayed for Jacob to be successful wherever his new assignment.

In our time of sharing the Word and a meditation on these two passages, we lifted all of the parties up in prayer and prayed for healing in each of our lives. Our meditation told us to “turn to Me before you are conscious of My nearness.” God tells us to turn to Him in every circumstance. It does not matter to Him if it is a thankful praise, a joyous elation or an appeal for forgiveness when we have been weak. God does not even say we have to speak. We don’t need to bring gifts or platitudes. We just need to bring ourselves in need of His healing grace and claim His nearness. That every good and perfect gift stated in the passage of scripture is the constant nearness of God. How awesome it is to know that the nearness of God is as close as our next breath and all we have to do is claim Him. “Never fear, never lose heart.” The presence of God is all we need.

Take joy in the journey and hug your babies. 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 Tuesday!

Happy first day of Fall! Today, I began the day with twelve students, but by the end of the school day, I was down to seven children. I sent four home sick and the others left early with parents who were taking older siblings to the doctor. Sometime mid-morning we stopped all activities in the classroom. I handed out antibacterial wipes and we wiped down all of the tables, chairs, locker handles and door handles. It may have been a “fix the gate after the horse has gotten out” activity, but maybe it helped. This afternoon I bought Lysol and intend to use it on everything.

Our nephew Ryan finally was able to resolve the issues with the insurance company after his accident and purchased a car, so Geni is now driving the Crown Victoria. She is now mobile once again. Yea Geni! I am glad you have wheels of your own, but I will miss our conversations on the way to school when we shared our ride.

This weekend Geni, Travis and I will be traveling to McGregor, Texas for Happening #40. It is going to be an amazing weekend. There are 11 participants. How cool is that! I ask your prayers for all of us this weekend. If you wish to send any caritas (letters, pass it on cards or other spiritual presents) just contact me, Geni or Travis and we will take them with us.

Psalm 33:3,4 “Sing unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise. For the Word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth.”

This past week Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer. I was very saddened as I have been a fan of his for years. I looked up to heaven and said, “Casey, if you see Patrick up there tell him I have always been a fan.”

Last Saturday I was flipping channels and I came across a memorial tribute to this man of great talent. There was an interview with Patrick and he told the interviewer that dancing for him was like “God flowing through him.” That is what singing is like for me. I wear many hats and do many things, but if you ask me what my most favorite thing to do is I will answer “singing.” When I sing I feel like God and I are one. It is the most intimate relationship I have with the Father. And it does not matter if I am rehearsing, singing with the radio, singing in the kitchen, in Praise Team rehearsal or in worship on Sunday morning. (Jeremy probably hates it when I close my eyes in worship and don’t look at him.) The gift of singing is my way to worship God with skill, in the Word and in truth.

What do you do to truly worship God? Worship does not just happen on Sunday morning in a building with pews and songbooks. What do you do that makes you feel “God flowing through you?” Do you garden, clean house, read and study the Word, fish, pray, draw, paint or sculpt, help others, rock babies, preach, teach, cook…this list could go on for a long time.

Friends, figure out what action you do that makes “God flow through you” and then practice that skill to do your best, ground it in the Word and act in truth when you worship.

Take joy in the journey and hug your babies. Love you lots, 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 Monday!

Greetings on this late and stormy night. It is after 11 and I am just now sitting down to write. First I ask you to pray for all who are sick. I have a class of 17 children and 7 of them were out today. I have heard of so many having the flu, so let us pray for them and their well being and healing.

1 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.”

Did you ever wonder why God’s power by His grace is made perfect in us when we are weak? It seems to me that the reason is that when we are weak, we can only look up. We may not even be able to get up, but we can look up. If we can look up and just breathe the name of Jesus then God can take it from there. When we think we are strong, we walk looking straight ahead and believe all is well.

Max Lucado says, “If we don’t bow our knees then we roll up our sleeves and put in another 12 hour day.” Putting in a 12 hour day may help earn a living, or build a house or start a business, but it will not help when we are facing our own death or trying to deal with our own sin and guilt. We cannot roll up our sleeves and expect to “save “ ourselves. There are some things we were not meant to do. And climb “Mount Messiah” is one of them.

Let us take the precious, blessed, gift of grace given to us lovingly by the Father through Jesus Christ: allow Him to forgive us, allow Him to work in our lives; healing us, teaching us, guiding us and leading us. Maybe we need to spend less time on the climb and more time on our knees. The highest pinnacle we will ever reach is at the feet of the Father. Look up. Breathe His name. Let His grace flow through you.

Take joy in the journey, stay dry and hug your babies. 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.

Blessed Sunday to all of you.

Praise God! Geni and Travis arrived home safely this afternoon. We teased Pastor Marc before leaving church today that we knew that he regularly prayed for his three small children, but that those prayers would change tremendously when they begin to drive!

Psalm 33:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Psalm 100: 5 “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”

I have to write a paper for my ethics class. It has to be analytical in nature and taken from one of the readings discussed in class. Analytical means that I have to take a passage of the reading and argue either for or against the author’s view. Since I am not well read enough in Christian theological authors I do not operate in theories, ideologies or opinions. So I have decided to pose a moral situation close to my heart.

We sat in the family room at the hospital on a Friday morning. Our son with incurable cancer is just down the hall. The latest test results tell us that the sarcoma cancer has covered his left lung completely and all but 20% of his right lung. The chemotherapy did not work and we are now out of possible cures and treatments. If left alone, we will lose our son in three or four days. We can pump enough pain killers into his system to keep him comfortable and let nature take its course or we can extend his body functions indefinitely through the use of life sustaining machines.

The moral question is: Do we have the right to make this decision for our son? Do we extend his body functions or do we allow him a remaining, however brief, quality of life?

If you have followed this blog and the one we began on the Caring Bridge website you know what our decision was. We prayed with Doc Adams on numerous occasions and it was through prayer and belief and trust in God that we believed our decision was the one Casey would have determined for himself.

We believe God is good. We believe that God is love. We believe that God holds the present and the future in His hands. We had to trust and be not afraid.

I have shared the last conversation I had with Casey with you before. It is the conversation in which he told me that his time was not long and that he was not afraid. Even in the worst situation I could ever imagine God was so good and we all were standing constantly in His presence. We were each blessed with a final moment with Casey. It was at this moment in time that we surrendered ourselves to God and His tender mercies and God took complete control of the situation.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross God was in control of the situation. God knew that Jesus had one more thing to do before He died. Jesus had to talk to one more person about the Kingdom of Heaven. The thief on the cross next to Jesus received salvation just before he died. God’s goodness was present in the worst situation ever; the death of His Son.

My friends, when faced with life’s toughest decisions - pray, read the Word and recognize God’s goodness. Then trust and be not afraid.

Take joy in your journey. We 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.

Happy Saturday!

Tonight I would like to write about finding joy.

John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you…that your joy might be full.”

I remember when I was in Houston with Casey and it seems that things were wrong with every turn and I got tired of Satan beating me up moment by moment. The road was so long and hard that I did not think I could endure one more set back and Satan knew my heart. My salvation was that God knew my heart better and I finally gave notice to Satan that he no longer had any power here. I remember printing those words on paper and posting them proudly on the wall; adding to the wallpaper Casey and I had created. It was at that point that I changed my attitude and decided to “take joy in the journey.” From that day on I began to try and find any blessing no matter how seemingly small and dwell on the gift that God had given.

Our friends Carme and Dave have walked some really hard roads in the last year or so. David has been bed-bound for quite some time recovering from pressure sores. He has to have assistance with many things and the home health nurse comes a couple of times per week to help and check on him. But his primary care taker is Carme. Carme has had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and then two repairs to that surgery. They have had a really tough year.

Now Carme has been offered and accepted a teaching position with San Antonio ISD. She had to make a really difficult choice. She was offered the job a week after her last surgery, but was not sure her new principal would afford her time to heal a bit more before beginning her teaching duties. On the same day, she and Dave sent their daughter back to college in Washington. In Carme’s words “it was bittersweet.” Here is what she had been waiting for and the timing was really off.

Carme surrendered the whole situation to God and His time. Carme has had to really hunt for blessings, but here are the blessings she has received: First, her doctor released her to work as long as she does not lift anything. Next, Dave is going to have to have more surgery. That means he will be in inpatient care through Thanksgiving. The blessing is that Carme will be teaching full time and getting that routine established and Dave will be receiving care 24/7. I know this blessing may seem like a stretch, it is a blessing for which we are all being thankful. God has made a way where there seemed to be no way.

Sometimes we have to search for the hidden joy in life. When we search for that hidden joy, we are delighting in the Lord. I’ll bet God claps His hands in joy when we find goodness in a situation that seems to be impossible. The Word tells us “With God all things are possible.”

Times are tough right now for so many people. If the road seems long, bumpy or full of pot holes, remember the teachings of Christ and find your joy in Him.

Take joy in the journey and hug your babies. Love, 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 Friday!

Prayer updates:
Carme finally got to meet with her new students around1:15 today. She was so excited. She will have first year teacher pay until her service records come in and then she will receive appropriate pay for her years and master’s degree plus some extra hours. Congratulations Carme. Praise god from Whom all blessings flow.

Geni and Travis got to Nac okay today and will return after lunch on Sunday.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “Capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”

Jesus was the perfect example of obedience to the Father. Jesus was also One who never lived in any gray areas. He knew His mission while on the earth and His purpose was to be not only the example of obedience, but to show His disciples and those with whom He encountered in His travels and had a relationship.

Jesus never let His thoughts go astray from the path the Father had laid out for Him. Remember the story in Matthew when He has told the disciples of His death and resurrection and Peter (as usual) speaks out because he cannot bear the thought of being without His teacher and friend. What does Jesus do? He tells Peter to “Get thee behind me Satan!” What a dramatic moment that must have been! Peter must have been completely shocked as well as the other disciples.

Jesus had to remain focused on the mission and not let anything be a stumbling block to the cross. Jesus captured the thought voiced by Peter and told him that he (Peter) did not understand the things of heaven and was only thinking about the things of the earth. Jesus’ eyes had to be constantly fixed on the cross. He did not allow any thought to enter His mind that would delay or deny the will of the Father.

Does this sound a bit like What would Jesus do? So I guess the questions of the night are these: What happens when we see or hear things that hinder our growth in our spiritual lives? Do we capture those thoughts and say, “Get thee behind me Satan!” or do we allow those thoughts and pictures to stay with us? And how do we change those thoughts or get rid of them in order that we do not stumble on the path God has laid before us?

Jesus had to be immediately decisive with Peter to show him that He (Jesus) had a mission to accomplish and there would be no time to dwell on the things of the earth. He modeled this action to Peter and the other disciples to show the seriousness of God’s plan and expectations of their lives when He ascended to the Father and they would take over the ministry.

Does God expect the same of us? Can we capture the thoughts that enter our minds and give them over in obedience to God? Just a thought…

Take joy in the journey and hug your babies! 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.