Happy Tuesday!

My uncle, Eugene Smith, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer yesterday. I received the information today. He is in his 80’s and has lived a long life with his wife, my Aunt Imogene. I always thought it was so cool how they made their names work like that - Gene and Imogene. They were my first babysitters. They were never able to have children of their own and in some ways we, my cousins and I, became their children. There was always a quarter in Uncle Gene’s pocket and sometimes a small toy for us when we were small and as we grew the small gifts changed into other things like scratch off lottery tickets or some other small remembrance. Uncle Gene was always the big tease with a joke to tell or a funny story to relay. He always loved his family, brother and sisters and all of us kids. Right now, they have to make some difficult decisions in where to go from here. Do they go to a skilled care facility or back home with some home health care? Our family has been in prayer for them all day. I ask you to be in prayer for them too.

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no man pursues; but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

The meditation tonight talks about the Red Sea. If you think about the nation of Israel and the crossing of the sea, they were walking from captivity into freedom. They were going to a place they had never been before, but a place they had been promised for hundreds of years. The Hebrew nation walked out of Egypt boldly and then they came to the Red Sea. The armies of the pharaoh were in the rear view mirror and the Red Sea was in the windshield. It seemed that no matter which way they turned they were going to perish.

Then Moses prayed to the Father and commanded the Hebrew nation to surrender themselves into the hands of God. God opened up the sea and allowed the people to walk through safely while He held the Egyptian army at bay until they were across. Then to seal the deal, the army of Pharaoh entered the dry land of the sea and God caused the sea to crash down upon them.

How often do we fear our own Red Seas? Maybe we just think of these situations of being between a rock and a hard place. Do we go back to where we began or do we boldly surrender ourselves into the arms of God and go forward? My meditation tonight says, “Go forward fearlessly. Do not think about the Red Sea that lies ahead. Be very sure that when you come to it the waters will part and you will pass over to your promised land of freedom.”

Let us put away the past and take joy in the journey to freedom in faith that God will part our Red Seas and lead us across. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. 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.