Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Monday!  All is well and recovering here at 811 from our really busy, blessed, joyous exhausting weekend!  For me it as 4:00 AM wake up calls to be at the church at 5: 30 AM to sing the men off to the prison unit. For Bruce it was back here at home to spend time in the dark, take care of the dogs and saw a multitude of limbs that had fallen in our backyard during the storm that hit Arlington last Thursday.  Oncor came sometime late Saturday night and repaired the downed power lines and whatever else needed to be fixed.  Our house weathered the storm well and as far as we can tell there was no damage. The Kairos Weekend was wonderful. It is my task as Chaplain to facilitate worship services each day. They are simple services that include scripture readings, devotional readings, meditations given by different team members, lots and lots of prayer and singing. There were no rules in chapel, just worship.  We all look forward to chapel times where the tasks in the kitchen and other areas for just a few moments are put aside and worshiping God takes precedence.  Even though the worship of God takes place as meals are prepared, letters, posters and prayer chains are organized and prepared and thousands and thousands of cookies are  counted, sorted and bagged for the participants, guards, helpers and nearly each person in the prison.  The reason is that all of these tasks is being done for God as an act of honor and glory to God. All of these things are done to make the name of God known and to do the work of God for the sake of God.

Tonight the candle is not lit. I think Bruce had to use it for light while the power was out. I will try and get one before writing tomorrow evening. 

Dear God, may everything I do for you be done on behalf of your glory. When I consider all You are to me, I worship and praise your holy name. Lord, I ask for insight into Your will so I can rejoice in all you have given me and minister as you require. Lord, may everything I do be a response of worship to you and what you do in my life.  I love you Lord and thank you for your presence, in Jesus name, amen.

As the chaplain for the support team for the Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend for a Men’s unit it is my task to facilitate 9 worship services beginning on Thursday afternoon just after the men leave for the unit until the final chapel time early on Sunday morning for the support team. I am also to be a ministerial presence for the members of the support time for encouragement and in times of crisis.  This weekend with the weather emergency here in Arlington we lost some team members who needed to go home to assess damage to their homes.  So during our times of worship as we prayed for the team and the participants inside the unit we prayed for our own.

“Worship is the act of offering our lives to God in response to his life in you.”  We worship God because of who God is in our life and what God does in our lives.  One of the greatest joys I experienced in our times of worship during the weekend was the different speakers.  We became closer as a team as we learned how God has worked in each of our lives through offered gifts and graces God had given each of us and how we offer them back to God as an act of worship. Worship is not just something we attend, but a response of God’s awesome presence in our lives and a way we begin to know God and tell Him how much we deeply, deeply love him.

“GOD passed in front of him and called out, ‘GOD, GOD, a God of mercy and grace endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true.”

Exodus 34: 6

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.”

Take joy in the journey praying as you go. Worship God because you love him. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene