Happy Thursday!

I have spent the evening doing some laundry and beginning to pack for the retreat this weekend. I ask your prayers as I prepare for this interview in the morning. Thank you.

Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The road to candidacy has been a measured path set out by the ELCA. There are steps that must be taken in a certain order. I have made the application. Advent and Pastor Joel have endorsed me completely. I have written two lengthy autobiographies. I have taken psychological and personality tests. I have met with a counselor to disaggregate all of the data and I have met with the head of the candidacy committee in a private interview. Now the final step in this first part of the process is to be interviewed by the candidacy committee and hopefully to reach final approval to be a candidate for ordination. This process is lengthy with meeting deadlines and dissecting my life for others to read and make judgment to my worthiness and discerning if my call is a true call.

Tonight my meditation speaks of joy as the reward of patiently seeing God in the dull details of deadlines and 500 question tests and massive pieces of writing. Joy is in trusting what you cannot see. Tomorrow I am going in sort of blind as I do not know who is on the committee or what questions they will ask. Joy is my heart’s response to the calling God has given to me and the gift of faithfulness I have tried to live out since receiving the call to the ordained ministry. Since joy seems to be my trademark this meditation spoke to my heart. Not all of these steps have made me feel joyous, but feeling joy does not make God’s presence any less evident. Joy is not always a feeling, but it always knows that joy is what God feels when we are obedient and bravely show our discipleship. So tonight…

Take joy in the journey no matter how tedious the road. Wear comfortable shoes.

Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other each day. Love you and I am counting on each of you mighty and powerful prayer warriors, 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 I will report back as soon as I know something. gc