Happy Saturday!

Today I picked up my Bountiful Baskets order. It is a food-co-op that provides fresh fruit and vegetables, 5 grain bread and other breads and specialty baskets. A regular basket of half-fruit/half vegetables is only $15.00.  So today I picked up a regular basket, 5 loaves of delicious bread, a bag of fabulous granola and a bag of guacamole makings.  Tonight I used the fresh tomatoes and garlic to make a yummy bruschetta chicken.  And we had the strawberries for dessert. It was an early pick up at 6: 45 am, but totally worthy!

Also today, I was invited to go with Sarah and her Mom to taste wedding cake. The wedding cake from The Cooper Street Bakery is off the chart delicious. This was followed by a wonderful lunch at McAllister’s at the Highlands. Lots of fun. Then I came home and read for the remainder of the afternoon. Reading about plantations and death camps is kind of a downer from tasting wedding cake and lunch with Sarah and her Mom.

Prayer:  Dear God, I pray that today You would help me to find a way to serve others. So many times it is easy to look at others and assume that they are here to serve me. I ask now that You will open my eyes to the opportunities to put aside the selfish thought and instead begin to look at life through Your perspective. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 9: 35

Mark 10: 35 says, “They said to Him, ‘Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” This verse has always bothered me. Why would James and John ask such a bold question? Did they think they were cut from a different bolt of cloth than the others?  Actually I think these men were so caught up in their own agendas with Jesus that they did not see Jesus’ agenda. The Mark 9 verse for tonight tells us (and those disciples from long ago) that the call is to servanthood. Jesus came to serve. Perhaps the duh-ciples thought they privileged because they were hanging out with the Son of God. They still thought Jesus was establishing an earthly kingdom and they wanted to make sure they were included in his cabinet. 

If we are to follow the scripture of Mark 9 then we, too, must be servants. God gives us so many things.  If we do not serve others then we are missing out on all God has for us. When I ponder this verse a little further I think about Bruce. Through the Kairos Prison Ministry, he serves the incarcerated with a passion and with compassion. He loves to listen, teach and worship with this community of people forgotten by society, but not forgotten by God. Bruce’s servanthood is a testimony to him desiring to serve rather than being served and being a living witness and example to the servant heart of God.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Count your blessings, give thanks, say your prayers and help someone today. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni, Travis and Sarah.

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.