Happy Saturday and Happy birthday Travis!

Travis is 20 years old today. He told me that shortly after midnight early this morning he began receiving birthday wishes via text message. His phone went off many times throughout the day! We went to the Stockyard area of Fort Worth today and ate at Cooper’s BBQ Restaurant. Casual atmosphere, no plates, just heavy paper placemats, open pit and you select your own meat and tell them the portion you want, the usual BBQ sides, beans, slaw, potato salad etc..My family said the blackberry cobbler was the best on the planet and you can also purchase pre-scooped frozen scoops of Blue Bell ice cream that exactly fit on the cobbler dish. (Imagine that!) The food is excellent! Travis thought he had died and gone to heaven. We walked around the stockyards area and were witness to one of the two daily longhorn cattle walks. It was so cool! That is a lot of beef on the hoof!

2 Timothy 1: 6-7 “I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

I remember the first time I encountered this particular scripture. Casey and I were in Houston and he was afraid to get out of bed for fear of falling. He was beginning to lose confidence and this passage came to me on that evening at my nightly meditation time. After reading the passage I wrote the verses on paper in marker and placed it on the pole that was one the end of his bed so that when he awoke the next morning it would be the first thing he saw and read. We prayed together and he got out of bed. I left that passage up for the duration of our stay.

“If you don’t fuel the fire, the fire goes out.” (Gaylene Chrystie) The Apostle Paul said these words to his “spiritual son” Timothy as he was serving a local church. According to tonight’s meditation, Timothy’s excitement had begun to diminish as he served this congregation. Paul reminded Timothy that he needed to call upon the Holy Spirit which lived with him in his daily life.

These words are meant for each of us. Timothy was serving in a church as their pastor, but the words still hold true for you and me. The fire of the Holy Spirit can begin to diminish as we continue through the spiritual journey of our lives, but never completely goes out. The fire of the Holy Spirit seems to really grow in size and power when we face tough times. Perhaps that is true because we pray more, read the Word more, worship more and fellowship with other believers. But when the tough time is over we tend to become lax in our study, daily prayer time, regular worship attendance and time spent in fellowship with other believers.

We need to learn to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit vibrant and burning in our hearts and lives each day just as Timothy did. The Spirit of God still lives within us all the time. We need to listen and obediently follow the call and instructions especially when the path is level, with clear blue skies and a warm breeze. We tend to forget how we need to live our lives fully and dependently on God through the power of the Holy Spirit and not on ourselves.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes or your western boots! Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to lift each other 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.