Happy Saturday!

This afternoon I walked out onto the deck in back of our house and I felt something I had not felt in a very long time…I felt the absence of feeling as I was living on the surface of the sun! It was comfortable and I entertained thoughts of sitting out on the wonderful patio Bruce built for me. It has been too hot to sit out there all summer long!

Today Geni and I were honored to attend the bridal luncheon for my brother, Ken’s oldest daughter, Stephanie. She will be getting married in late October. Stephanie is a wonderful young woman who works for Allen ISD in the counseling office. She is the one who helps students find money for college. She is also attending school to get her degree in Art Education. We are really proud of her and excited for her during this time in her life. She is a really special and wonderful young woman!

Prayer: “Father, I ask You to direct my thoughts toward desiring You above all. May the lesser things of life that sidetrack my focus—pride, ambition, greed, lust—fade into oblivion as I bask in Your presence. May I fight the good fight of faith and continue to confess before you the same confession I made when I surrendered my life to You. You are Lord. Amen.”

1 Timothy 6: 11, 12 “You, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Martin Luther was a strong believer in the “priesthood of all believers.” That does not mean that he believed that all of us were called to the clergy. Being a member of the clergy is a profession that sets apart those who have been called by the church to serve in ministerial pursuits. Sometimes those clergy members are easy to spot due to special ways they dress, such as with robes or collars. But Martin Luther and the Apostle Paul remind us that followers of Jesus are to be distinctive people. We are not like everyone else because Christ lives in us. Because Christ lives in us we should pursue things like righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

I would love to tell you pursuing these things are easy, but they are not always easy. We will have to work at showing these godly pursuits. God gives us all of these gifts through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. And we cannot even share these gifts with others except by our faith in Christ and His leading in our lives.

It is with these gifts that we are able to fight the good fight in faith and lay hold on eternal life. We cannot earn eternal life; it is a gift from God made possible through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is the quality of the new life we have in Jesus right now and prepares us to live our life eternal with the Father.

We need to do our best to ignore or walk away from the things that are not the qualities and gifts God has given to show that we are all set apart for His service and so that His light can shine through each of us today.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us try to pursue the things of God with all we’ve got! 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 only moved by what I believe and I believe God.

Praise God! Bruce installed a ceiling fan in our bedroom today! Is he a champion or what!? Peace, gc