Happy Wednesday!

Today was our last class lecture day in Christian Worship and now the push is on to complete the remaining two projects. The Sacraments paper went through the airwaves around 4:30 this afternoon. Now I will work with a group to present a worship experience for Pentecost. My group drew the last presentation of the semester. We will present in December. I also have to write a paper on a particular type of service. I am planning to write about a Celebration of Live service using a Praise and worship Liturgy.

Psalm 34: 6 “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all of his troubles.”

My mother says, “Life goes on.” She is not one to dwell on the tough times that happen in our lives, but to get past whatever the difficulty is and get on with living. She knows that the difficulties that life hands us sometimes are not meant to stop us, maybe slow us for a bit, but then it is time to get back on the road and keep going forward.

Perhaps she knows that time spent dwelling on past hurts, difficulties and a tough times doesn’t accomplish anything. Maybe it is the long life with which she has been blessed. Maybe it is the extraordinary mother who raised her. (My mamo was phenomenal!) Mamo always lived by this one mantra, “One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.” She knew that no matter what happened, the strength of Jesus would always be waiting for her. She also knew that nothing was too small or two large that she and Jesus together could not handle.

These two phenomenal women are and were prayer warriors like no other and they knew that the path to victory over any difficulty began on their knees facing forward. They knew that with God, failure would never be an option and they could face whatever they needed undaunted and in the full belief that God would be there to lead and guide them.

As I begin to phase out a life that I have known for 30 plus years and begin to look to the next road and become a full time seminary student, I will always carry with me the faith of my mother and grandmother and remember that even though I will miss teaching, “life will go on” and that “One day at a time, Sweet Jesus” will become my mantra. God continues to assure me each day that I am not to fear and that if I continue to fix my eyes on Him then the path which will at times be difficult and rocky will never be a path of darkness and I will always know my way.

As I prepare for the next phase of the candidacy process, the candidacy interview in mid December, I ask your prayers for the Holy Spirit to begin to be in the hearts and minds of those who will be interviewing me and that they might find somewhere in me a worthiness to be considered for approval. So tonight I leave you with this thought and pray this blessing for myself and all of us, “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…”

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift one another up in prayer each day. 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.