Happy Wednesday!

Geni got to see her new classroom today and because of advanced technology she was able to take pictures on her phone. It has a lot of small chairs and several tables, but nothing that matches. Well, as someone once said, “You don’t start at the finish line.” The room will take some work, but I am sure Geni will make the room inviting and cozy for her new students. She cannot begin work in her room until she has officially signed a contract. Today she received the “recommendation for hire” from her principal and it will be faxed to the Administration building tomorrow.

Meanwhile she has drawn a floor plan of her room and is making some plans for arranging the furniture. She gets one day to move in so I told her that she needs to put her room together to get through the first day and then add to it a little at a time after that. She is so excited. We are so excited for her. Please keep praying for Geni and her new students. Thank you, friends.

Prayer: “God help me comprehend how deep and wide Your love is for me. I know I can’t understand this without Your revelation. Help me to see the small things in my world that are expressions of Your love for me and to know the fullness of You and Your love in my emotions. Thank You for rooting and grounding me in Your love. Help me see You in a new way as I experience Your love throughout the day. Amen.”

Ephesians 3: 17-19 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

I believe the greatest experience we can have knowing God’s love. Those of us who have experienced the love of God through forgiveness and grace understand that life-altering feeling. Today in one of my classes a student shared that he was raised in an environment that did not understand the love of God. This student was taught that, as a sinner, he would be dangled over a fiery pit by God who would do that just to remind us of His power. Therefore he was to always be on his best behavior. This image was expressed to him as a young child causing him to have nightmares and to not believe in a loving God. (What an absolutely horrid way for a young child to view God!) He gave thanks in class for this loving God he now knows and for Brite Divinity School and their loving, caring acceptance of him.

Many people in seminary hope to gain a relationship with God through increased knowledge of God. Many students seek knowledge without ever gaining an acceptance and greater appreciation of God’s love. If a pursuit of knowledge doesn’t lead to a stronger relationship with God and with others then we are missing the point.

Relationships are far more important than being able to share great knowledge. Now I must share that I am hoping to gain a great deal of knowledge during my time at Brite. But the relationships I build as I attend classes and how I minister to those in hospitals and hospice centers will be far more lasting than any knowledge I will gain. Relationships with God absolutely involve our minds, but more importantly they involve our hearts. A relationship with God and His love for us is the foundation on which we do everything else in our lives. Not only must we ourselves experience the fullness of God’s love in our lives, but we must help others experience the fullness of God’s love with our hearts. We show the depth of that love by sharing the completeness of God’s love in telling the story of Jesus as He poured out His life and sacrificed His life for each of us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Share God’s love with someone today leaving no doubt how much He loves each of us no matter what. 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.