Happy Thursday! 

Dinner with the family tonight!  My favorite way to spend an evening!

I have a Covenant for Learning due next Wednesday.  It is my contract with the church I will serve (Rush Creek) and a Theology of Ministry Paper.  Parts of my own belief system must be included in this paper.  I went back through my Systematic Theology Notebooks and found all of my notes and handouts from the class, but no papers.  I wrote to the professor to see if he just might have any of my writing archived.  He did!! He is sending me all of the papers I wrote for him four years ago.  They will be so helpful in the writing of this paper.  Giving thanks tonight for Dr. Peter Jones of Brite Divinity School.

Prayer: “Lord, I love You.  It is my desire to walk through this day completely trusting in You.  As challenges come, help me to trust the sufficiency of Your grace and Your strength to carry me through each struggle. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”

Matthew 14: 31, 32

I love this story.  Peter gets so excited when he sees Jesus that he strikes out across the water.  Here is the amazing fact…Jesus was walking on the water.  

Here is the un-amazing fact…Peter sank. 

 I think the focus of this story is not that Jesus walked on water, but that Peter, just like the rest of us, sinks.  Our not being able to walk on water has little to do with any supernatural ability.  But it has everything to do with our belief that we can do things on our abilities and doubting Jesus to keep us afloat.  When we doubt the result is failure.  Peter did not sink because he stopped believing in Jesus to keep him afloat, but because he began to trust in his own abilities. 

In our continued exploration of faith…faith is not about our ability, it is about completely trusting in Jesus.  If we divide our faith then we are doomed to failure, so let us instead trust Jesus alone.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say your prayers.  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.