Happy Monday!

Busy day. Because of the rain Bruce and I were able to spend the day together. We took Luther to the vet for shots. According to the Dr. at Banfield, he is perfect.

Then I had a difficult decision to make about classes this fall. I received an email from my professor for my Dead Sea Scrolls class. I discovered the class only had two students. I was a little nervous about the class not making so when we went to Brite I spoke with the dean of student affairs he offered me to option of dropping the class and enrolling for another. The only slight problem with this class is that I am the first one on the waiting list. But, the dean assures me with 99.9% assurance that I will get in and that this will not be a problem.

Dinner tonight at home with Bruce and a movie on the couch. It was a good day. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Most loving and kind Lord thank You for the seemingly ordinary blessings of the day. Your unfailing love is the comfort I need and it shows up so often in Bruce. Thank You for living in Bruce and allowing him to be the vessel of Your love, Lord. The words of Jeremiah say, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” Thank you LORD for the blessing of being in Your presence today. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.”

Psalm 119: 76

The unfailing Love of God is our comfort. God’s love and comfort is dependable, In order for us to receive the full benefit of this love and comfort we must trust God with all of our heart. When we experience the blessing of God’s love and comfort we are empowered and strengthened to do what God has calls us to do.  It is in the receiving of these blessings that we are prepared to following God’s will for our lives.

My meditation tonight offers this suggestion to help receive this blessing. The suggestion is to get into God’s word and memorize favored passages of scripture that assure us of God’s Love that are constant reminders that God loves us with an everlasting love.

Take joy in this journey of blessings remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, give thanks with a grateful heart, let us cast our cares upon the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway and there is no use in all of us being awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Blessed Sunday to you all!

It has been a great day. I preached at Hurst Christian Church, my wonderful husband took me to lunch and I cleaned out a closet! Then, Bruce and I (but mostly Bruce) did the final edit on my final paper for the summer and SENT IT OFF!!!!! WOW!! I have a couple of other projects to complete before classes begin in August. 

Geni sent wonderful pictures of her and Cody on the beach and everyone looks like they are having a really great time.

Prayer: Loving Lord, full of kindness and grace, tonight let us enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. Our hearts are thankful for a day set aside for worship and praise to You. Thank you for prayers, Your Word, songs, preaching and fellowship with a community who loves You and each other. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100: 4-5

When our hearts are thankful they are filled with joy. When we forget to be thankful and forget to offer the sacrifice of praise then our souls suffer. Sometimes we forget to receive the blessings from God with gratitude. Just like any new behavior it has to be practiced.

It is easy to be thankful for really obvious blessings, but sometimes difficult to be grateful for situations we would have never chosen such as…a difficult child, or tension in a marriage or home, health issues or employment.  The author of my meditation calls this “counterintuitive thankfulness.” This type of thankfulness is only possible when we trust God at the deepest level. It also takes practice and self-discipline to be able to honestly be grateful when our circumstances feel just the opposite. It is a lesson I am trying very much to learn.

So my friends, let us work together. I will pray for you and you pray for me that we will work on coming into the Presence of God with Thanksgiving persistently when we receive blessings that make us glad and especially when it doesn’t look like a blessing we would have chosen so that God can take this situation and turn it into victory.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares on the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no need for all of us to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Happy Saturday!

Geni and crew safely made it to Florida. She sent a beautiful picture from Biloxi this morning and the beach right outside their hotel. No pictures from Destin yet.  She is asking for prayer for the weather. According to the weatherman it is supposed to rain the whole time they are there. No fun!  

Pray for good weather for these folks. This trip has been planned for over two years. It would be so sad if all of their plans got soaked! 

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for Your unfailing love. In You all things hold together. When I empty my heart of all things not of You then there is more of You in it and Your leading and voice are easier to hear and follow. My faith is strong even when sometimes I am sad. Help me to be thankful when it is not easy and my connection to You will be so much stronger. Forgive me when I let the enemy get inside. Remind me to seek Your face. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 143: 8

God is our Creator and Savior and every breath we take is a gift from God. It is only right and proper that each day we wake up thinking of God in thankfulness no matter how we are feeling. Our lives often feel pulled in so many directions. Let our priorities be to spend time with God as the most important thing we do each day. This practice helps us to stay in communication with our Creator.  The more we do this the more God can show us the way we should go.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, give thanks with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares on the Lord and get some sleep.  God is up all night anyway so there is no reason for all of us to be awake too. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Prayer request: Please pray for me and the congregation in Hurst as I bring the Word and reflection to them tomorrow. Thanks. gc

Happy Friday!

Okay…Bruce began editing my final paper a couple of days ago. After what we considered the final edit last night he brought to my attention that I had written the paper in the wrong font size. Instead of having a 16-17 page paper I only had a 13 page paper. After visiting with Mandy and the girls today I came home and added some more to the paper.  I am so glad that Bruce caught my error. Brite requires Times New Roman 12 pt. font.

Tatum is doing well and her counts are good. I delivered a pretty ladybug pillow case made by a group of ladies from Rush Creek who make pillow cases for the children at Cook’s Children’s Hospital.

Mandy took the most wonderful pictures of Travis and Sarah’s rehearsal dinner and prepared a CD for us and Travis and Sarah. The pictures are wonderful!  Mandy is not a professional photographer, but she takes really good pictures and did an awesome job for us. We are so grateful for her time, talents and willingness to be a part of this special event in our lives.

Prayer alert:  we are giving thanks that the travelers made it safely to Biloxi where they will stay the night and reach Destin tomorrow. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Prayer: God who defeats Satan in our lives, I am grateful to the bottom of my soul that You do battle with Satan in our place and win!  You are a powerful God who has compassion and allows us to take refuge in times of trouble. You care for those who trust in You and You love us enough to not let us wallow in self-pity when You are ready to pick us up and stand prepared to do battle for us. Forgive me, Lord, for my self-pity, rescue me from the depths of despair. Even though our situation has not changed, I have changed because You are a good and loving God and the Light of my life, a place where there is no darkness tonight. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

Nahum 1: 7

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Psalm 56: 3

Today, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was tired of feeling broken so I had a “come to Jesus” meeting during my morning devotion time. It reminded me of the time I stood Satan down at MD Anderson outside Casey’s room. That day I saw Satan fall like lightening and today I experienced that again. Satan knows exactly where to hit me. Satan attacks me though my family. God has granted me refuge in Him especially during times of trouble.

When we are hurting God yearns to shelter us in His powerful loving Presence. When we turn to God during difficult times we find God faithful. I could not receive God’s help because my self-pity was blocking my trust in God. I must always remember that God is always with me reminding me to trust in Him.  The situation that was causing me so much emotional pain has not been resolved, but I know that God is working on this and will work things out in His time and His time is always perfect.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, give thanks with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares upon the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no reason for all of us to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Happy Wednesday!

(My apologies for the delay of this posting - ed.)

I had the most wonderful long-overdue lunch with a dear friend today. I am blessed to have two best friends. One lives in San Antonio and the other lives much closer. I am so very honored to call these two phenomenal women my dearest and closest friends.

And then I was blessed with a dinner date with my beloved hubby. It was a great day!

Prayer:  Holy, holy and loving Lord, You know the worst in us and see the best in us. For this great assurance I give great thanks. You ask us to lean on, trust in and place our confidence in You. The more difficult our circumstances the more You call out for us to place more of our trust in You. Lord, I can do nothing without You. So I place my challenges in Your hands and claim victory in Jesus’ name. I believe You want this more than I do. I am not equipped to lean on my own understanding so I am leaning on You, most Holy Lord. In Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

Prayer request:  Today while Geni was grocery shopping at Target her brand new 4G phone was stolen from her grocery cart. She was and is very upset. Please pray for her to have peace of heart. Thanks. gc

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the LORD with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”

Proverbs 3: 5

“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

2 Corinthians 4: 17

Bonus Day!! God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. (Let that one sink in.) When we surrender our will to the God who created us we allow God to be involved in each part of our lives. The world we live in is not always easy and sometimes we find ourselves in a place where the world is falling down around us. Now because God is God, He could just destroy the world, end suffering and gather each of us who believe into heaven. But God is waiting to bring many, many more of His children into heaven. God has an eternal purpose for each of us in this world today. God’s purpose for each of us is being worked out in the difficulties we face.  Hebrews 2: 10, “It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons and (daughters) to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Our sufferings only become perfect when we give them up to the One who is perfect - the author and perfecter of our faith.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no reason for all of us to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Happy Tuesday!

I think my sermon is ready for practice preaching. Sometimes when I write sermons I talk through them as I write. Say a prayer as I practice this sermon and hone it to a talk that will have meaning to the folks at Hurst Christian and that God will be pleased.

Prayer:  Lord, You are the light of the world. I am so very grateful that when the world seems dark Your light is always there to remind me that You are Present and in Your Presence I can only choose You and not focus on the hurt and the wrongs. It is in Your light that I can learn to accept Your will and Your guidance. Thank You, Lord for walking with me in the way of hope and peace. Lord, in You mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.”

2 Samuel 22: 29

I really don’t like the dark. I especially do not like the dark and being alone. I hear noises that most likely are not there and imagine all sorts of things. So, if you have read my journal entries at all you know that when Bruce is away I put The Ten Commandments on the DVD and turn on lots of lights. This does not conquer my dislike of the dark, but it helps me sleep and not hear noises.

Here is the good news. I am making progress in this area. I am usually asleep before the narration in the movie even begins. I am learning to be an overcomer. I am not perfect at it yet, but I am doing a little better.

God calls us to walk along with Him in the way of peace and trains us to turn our thoughts to Him in the times that are good and in the times that are sometimes dark and difficult. The point is that God is with us in the light and in the darkness. The way we make the darkness bright is when the way seems very dark we must focus our attention on God and seek His face. 

When we seek God, the darkness gets pushed back and we are bathed in His invincible light. Jesus’ very Word tells us, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8: 12) We are followers of this loving and caring Jesus who shows us the way through darkness into light by reminding us to trust His heart.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, let us cast our cares on the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no need for all of us to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

Prayer alert: Prayer warriors please continue to pray for us. Thank you. gc

Happy Monday!

I have been “walking around” in the text of The Good Samaritan; Luke 10: 25-37. It is a power packed text. I was taught by a fine professor that when a story has several layers, just to pick one for your sermon this time and then perhaps do another one next time. I have currently titled my sermon “Have you heard the one about Jesus and the Lawyer…?  It is my plan to write the sermon tomorrow and practice the remainder of the week. Say a prayer as I prepare this text for the folks at Hurst Christian Church this coming Sunday. Thanks.

Prayer request:  Please pray for Randy Travis. He is in a Dallas hospital with a virus in his heart and is in critical condition. I know his press has not been very good lately. He has been one of my favorite singers for a very long time. I have seen him twice in concert at different churches and he was wonderful. Let us pray for his restored wellness and healing.

Prayer:  Lord of the enduring spirit. Sacred scripture tells us the Law of God is to love the LORD your God with all you heart all your soul, all your mind and all your strength and your neighbor as yourself. Lord, strengthen us to carry out this great commandment. Sometimes this means that loving is not easy, but You keep the word all in front of us. If we do not love all then we have failed in this great commandment and we have failed You. Forgive us LORD when we do not love as we should. Teach us to love as You love and to see You in all we meet.  We also pray that others see You and Your love in each of us. Lord, in You mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

Our citizenship is in heaven, And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Philippians 3: 20-21

I don’t know whether God gives us mountains to climb or if life presents situations that require the skills of a mountain climber in terms of spiritual endurance, but I know that the journey is not complete until we have scaled the mountain and reached the top. Mountain climbing is tough, especially when you are an inexperienced climber and the peak looks very far away and the grade looks very steep. It is during the climb that we really wish it was easier and less complicated and we entertain thoughts of giving up. Here is the thing - when we go through really hard situations in life just like the peak of the mountain we cannot always see the top, but we still know it’s there. We don’t know how the problem is going to be resolved but rest assured that it will resolve itself one way or another.

As believers in God we can trust that God knows the way and has already mapped out the path and walked it ahead of us. Then the best part is that God will walk with us in love and not let us give up even when our strength gives out. As we walk the mountain of our hurt we will be given the skills and encouragement to continue. The grade of the journey might become steep and scary, but God is our strength and will give us the tools of faith, trust, joy, hope and gladness that defeat the enemies of fear, anger, brokenness and sadness.

My friends, each day we are given is a day of thanksgiving filled with challenges. Habakkuk 3: 19 tells us, The Lord God is  my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hind’s feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and may [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, give thanks with a grateful heart, let us cast our cares upon the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no need for all of us to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

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

PS Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I believe that the prayers of the prayer warriors and the One who hears the prayers are breaking though the icy wall of forgiveness.  Thank you, dear friends.