Happy Wednesday!

Today’s journal entry may be written throughout the day as we are in prayer for David Russell’s surgeries and peace for Carme.

10:26 AM

Acts 10:31 “God has heard your prayer.” God hears our prayers from all different places. God has heard prayers from mountaintops, altars, roadways (especially right now with all of the ice on the roads), prisons, pastures, deserts, stables, palaces, hospitals, sickbeds, ships and a whale’s belly. How comforting to know that we can pray wherever we are, and God hears us. Praise God!

Psalm 119: 149 “Hear my voice in accordance with Your love.”

I read a devotion written by Luci Swindoll today. She tells a story of a time when she went to visit a Ph. D. about spiritual matters. The Ph. D. was an avowed atheist. He did not understand how someone could have a personal faith. She spoke with him about prayer. She invited the gentleman to pray as he had never talked to God before. He told her that he would pray if she would pray. She addressed God as her Father. He began with Dear God…I know you are not familiar with the sound of my voice but…” Isn’t it amazing that all we have to do to get God’s attention is to call His name?” I love it!

12:30 PM

Message from Carme. David is out of surgery and placed in ICU as a precautionary measure. He seems to be doing very well. He is experiencing significant pain. (You think?!) As my Mom always says, “They did go at him with a knife!” But they have also given him his own pain pump so he can self-medicate as necessary. The next round of prayers is for the pathology report. The surgery went well and by all visual exams all of the cancer was removed and had not spread. The pathology report will tell the tale. Please pray for a clean pathology report. We should know in about 3 days. Bruce and possibly Travis will most likely travel to San Antonio to assist Dave after he goes home from the hospital. Carme sends her deepest thanks to each of you who have been praying for Dave and asks for continued prayers as he recovers.

John 15: 12—13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friend.”

We have many things in our life that we can negotiate, but loving others is number one on our list of non-negotiable choices. Our salvation is grounded in one unshakable truth; God loves us so much that He gave His only Son… We are to love others because God loves us. Jesus declared in John 13:35 that others would know that we belong to Him by our love for each other.

We may never be asked to lay down our lives as Jesus did, but when we pray for each other we show love. We show a level of love and care for others we may or may not even know. Many of you may have never met our friends Carme and Dave, but prayed for them today and will continue to pray for them throughout Dave’s healing and recovery. God has graciously placed in us a commitment to show others His love by praying for others and when necessary to act on His behalf.

So friends, let us remember who we are and whose we are and show the love of God to a world so very much in need of knowing what true love really looks like.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and 2 pairs of socks. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us remember to pray for each other each day remembering that everyone is fighting some sort of battle. Love you all and stay warm, 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.