Happy Thursday!

What an awesome day!  I think today I did something I have never done before. I had lunch with my four favorite men. My Daddy turned 80 last week so we celebrated his birthday on Saturday. One of the gifts he received from my brother was a pair of tickets to the Ranger game today for the two of them, so I invited them to lunch before the game. We met at TGI Fridays and joining us were Travis and Bruce. So I had lunch with Bruce, Travis, Ken and my Daddy. How cool was that?!!!

Prayer alert:  thank you for your prayers for Tatum. She is much better today. The blood transfusion she received made her feel better. If her fever remains down she can go home tomorrow. Please continue to pray for her and her family as they continue in this journey of extraordinary faith and hope.

Prayer #2  My sister-in-law’s sister is gravely ill in a Sherman hospital. Her name is Sheila. Please keep her and all of her family in your prayers. 

Prayer:  Holy Lord, You are our refuge and our strength a very present help in times of trouble. I thank you for being with us in all of the times of our life. Please grant Your gracious healing to those we name before you. It is hard to know whether to pray for healing or Your tender mercy. So Lord, I ask you to help us to trust Your perfect will to work in their lives and our willingness to accept it.  In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“God is our Refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a well -proven help in times of trouble.”

Psalm 46: 1

The psalms are the best when the words you want to pray don’t come. The psalms are not the words of God. They are the words of the people of God. These words praise, proclaim, instruct, and make petition.  These words promise that God is present with us in times of distress. We are members of the royal family and citizens of the heavenly kingdom. God is committed to caring for us. So when we are stressed to the max we need to remind ourselves  “Jesus is here with me in this very hard situation”. Then we need to take a breath, a slow deep breath, and connect with God. It is in this time when we are quiet and connected with God in prayer that we draw strength from His voice and His Word.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope in God never disappoints. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Happy Wednesday! 

This morning I met with the pastor from Hurst Christian to go over the bulletin for Sunday.  I also completed my sermon today and now I just have to learn enough to preach it. I am praying for God’s anointing to say the words He wants me to preach to a congregation I do not know. By God’s intervention the words will have meaning for them and bring glory to God. (I know I don’t ask for much.)

Bruce worked until 8:00 tonight. He is so tired and his hip is still hurting. Please continue to pray for him.

Prayer alert:  Our precious little cousin Tatum had to go back to the hospital last night. Her fever spiked and they rushed her to the hospital. She had a blood transfusion and antibiotics.  She cried and then bravely packed her bag for the hospital. Please pray for Tatum and her family and for her to be healed.

Also, pray for teachers and those involved in public education. These last few days of school are really difficult and they need all of the prayers we can pray.

Prayer:  Lord of heaven and earth, this afternoon when the storms came through and the space outside became dark in a time when it is usually light, I remembered that Your Word says that You are the light of the world and that your children will never walk in darkness because You are the light of life.  What a wonderful promise giver You are and what a promise keeper we trust in You to remain.  Keep us close, precious Lord, so that we may always dwell in the light of Your love. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

Proverbs 4: 18

I was sitting in my study putting the finishing touches on my sermon when the weather outside my window began to change. It began to get dark, the thunder began to crash and the rain began to fall. But inside my office the lights were still on and I was safe with my dogs. 

There is a lot of darkness in the world, but we always have access to the light of the world. We can never be in total darkness because Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is always with us.  God is with us and always goes before us lighting the way. It is our assignment to trust God and rest in the light provided by God no matter how dim it may seem. But if we live close to God then we will always have the light of Life.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes pray with a heart filled with gratitude and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Happy Tuesday!

Laundry is finished and the sermon is almost done. I am meeting with the pastor of Hurst Christian tomorrow to go over the bulletin and worship procedures. 

Prayer alert:  Bruce has injured his other hip and it is giving him a great deal of pain. He went to the chiropractor today and has another appointment on Friday. Please pray for him to be comfortable enough to sleep and well enough to work without pain. Thank you, friends.

Prayer: Blessed Lord, healer of every ill, tonight I ask you to ease Bruce’s pain. I also ask that as I complete the sermon I am writing that Your anointing will be on me as I learn what you would have me learn and say the words You would have me say to this congregation to further Your kingdom. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

2 Corinthians 9: 15

When I read this verse tonight I thought of the centurion in the passage from Luke, the scripture I am using as a basis for my sermon for Sunday.  The story includes an act of healing, but it does not focus on the healing of the centurion’s servant.  The story focuses on the faith of the centurion. In Luke’s account the centurion never even has a face to face encounter with Jesus, but simply believes on Jesus’ Word. It is obvious to me that the centurion heard Jesus speak and began to believe in the God of Israel.  This centurion was a Gentile and possibly a Roman who was probably not overly fond of the Israelites and vice versa. This centurion was given faith as a gift of God’s marvelous grace. This centurion was a first fruit and a foreshadowing of what Jesus had come to bring about.

The gift of the kingdom of heaven belongs to all who believe. Jesus is not impressed with titles, degrees (I really hope Jesus will be pleased with my rapidly approaching degree!) and achievements. Jesus is impressed with those who really do humbly believe Him.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, give thanks with a grateful heart and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Happy Monday and Memorial Day!

Bruce began the day with displaying our United States Flag.  There have been a number of family members on both sides who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces, but only one we can think of who died in that service. We are grateful for their service and the service of all those who have served in the past, who are currently serving and those who will serve.

I prepared a Memorial Day meal today. Geni and I shared blueberry maple sausage, mini egg quiches, red strawberries with white whipped cream and hashbrowns.  And tonight Bruce and I sat out on the patio for the first time this season.  It was quiet, with a lovely breeze and wonderful conversation.  Today was a wonderful day.

Prayer:  Blessed Lord, giver of freedom and grace. Thank you for a special day in which we give thanks for those who are and were willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Bless those who have gone on before us and bless those who are injured in body, mind and spirit because of their sacrificial choice. Thank You, Holy One, for making the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Your sacrifice was one time for all and forever.  I love you my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”

Psalm 33: 20

Wait in Hope for God; God is our help and our shield. Waiting is one of the hardest things we do. I don’t think waiting is a virtue, but I think how we wait is important. Being resigned or impatient is not the way we show our trust in God. However, if we wait in hope and keep our focus then we can wait in confident expectation believing our hope is in God. Then we can wait in peace. God has promised to be with us always as Matthew 28: 20 says, “to the end of the age.”

The other part of the verse is God’s promise to us that while we wait (not our best thing) God will be with us as our strength and shield. God’s unfailing love for us is there to help us during the time of waiting. This amazing love helps us through this time because we can access God through prayer and the Holy Spirit. Let us practice putting our hope fully in God and in the Light of God’s Presence asking that God’s light will shine in the times when we have to wait.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Blessed Sunday to you all! 

We began our day in Rockett, Texas. Our longtime friend Rev. CD Haun  retired from the ministry today after 50 years of ministry. The last 25 years have been at the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Rockett and Palmer, Texas.  I have done supply preaching for him in the last few years. There was a wonderful crowd that included his wife Sherry, daughter Megan and son Kenneth.  We have known these folks for over 30 years and used to live across the street from them when we were first married. In a week they will be moving to Colorado Springs to be closer to their daughter and her family. We will miss these long time friends. 

Prayer alert:  It is back to the books for me as I must prepare a sermon for next Sunday at the Hurst Christian Church. And my paper for my class on God and a Woman is due the following week. Pray for me to craft a meaningful sermon, listening to God as I write and that when I deliver this sermon it contains the words that God would have me say for the uplifting of this sweet congregation.

Prayer:  Precious Holiness, thank You that we may receive this day by Your grand design. Thank You for breathing Your life into each of us and in all we do. Thank You for this day of worship hearing Your Word read, preached, sung and prayed.  May we take the words of faith and the strength found in You and bless others in the coming week.  In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

Psalm 28: 7

From my meditation “I EMPOWER YOU—INFUSING INNER STRENGTH into you so that you are ready for anything and equal to anything. It’s essential to remember that this inner strength comes through Me. It comes to you as you need it—as you take trusting steps of dependence, moving forward with your eyes on Me.”

WOW!  I am preparing a sermon on the text from Luke 7: 1-10.  It is the story of the healing of the slave of the centurion.  I think about the inner strength and humility it took for the centurion to ask Jesus to heal this slave that he valued so much. As I have studied this passage throughout this afternoon I have come to understand some of the character and faith of the centurion. He cared deeply for this one who was in need of healing and, as a Gentile, was willing to risk asking this Jewish leader of whom he had heard so much to heal this slave.  He took a risk in faith that crossed racial and ethnic boundaries in order to have the Savior heal his slave. The centurion knew he, himself had power and authority, but he also knew that Jesus had the power to heal. To seek out the Savior was worth the risk.

We are not ready for every situation that comes into our lives. God provides perfect strength when we need it for everything that touches our lives. We must be willing to access this strength through staying connected to God in prayer and getting to know God more deeply through continuing to read and study the Holy Scriptures and talking about them with others.  

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Happy Friday! 

I am so glad to be writing the journal entries again. The rigor of this class caused my schedule to be nonstop each day.  I was in class from 9-5, came home and studied and read all I could, went to bed, got up and back at school by 7:30, studied until time for class and then began again.  I learned to “walk around” in a text of scripture and ask questions about the text.  I listened to brilliant scholarship of my classmates and to a professor who had more resources than any other professor with which I have ever been associated. She had a number of the scholarly writers we were studying on her phone and called them up to have Skype conversations with us. While were having class discussion or presenting our projects she was busy on her computer sending each of us material pertinent to our interests to help further our scholarship and is connecting us with her “friends” so that we may use them to help us in our work. This professor labeled herself the “lead co-leader.”  She did not stand to teach; she sat with us and guided discussion. Totally awesome!

I have chosen as my project the two mothers of Moses. I will be writing a paper on Exodus 2: 1-10 on the call of motherhood through womanist thought.  I am really excited about this project. Pray for me.

Tomorrow we will be gathering with family in Allen to celebrate Daddy’s 80^th birthday.

Prayer:  Holy Lord of learning and joy, I thank you for this wonderful week and your presence as I studied, learned and listened to others. Thank you for the ability and privilege of asking question and seeking understanding. When I look at Your word from now on, may I walk in it to find You, to find how You act with me and how I should act. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.”

Genesis 28: 15

This week I had to learn a different language. I don’t mean a language foreign to English, but a language of a new scholarly discourse. I had to learn about “womanist “language.  Womanist theology is born out of feminism and black liberation. It is a way of looking at biblical texts in terms of courage, strength, resistance to oppression, survival strategies. Generally these biblical texts are centered on women of the Old Testament. It was a fascinating week of study.

Anytime I have begun a new course of study a new language is a part of the learning. I had to learn the language of the womanist scholars in order to read their writing and to properly understand my professor. I had never before studied this subject area. For the first two days the language was confusing and it took a while for it to make sense. I began to pray each morning for understanding. I prayed for what I was hearing to begin to make sense.  I trusted God to this understanding and by Wednesday I was beginning to make sense of what I was hearing and reading. I began to be able to read and listen without coaching and recognize different parts of womanist strategies in the biblical texts and writings we were studying. Part of womanist thinking is working through the struggle. So that part of me was definitely a womanist!  The work was hard, energy draining and energy raising.

God has given us a wonderful helper who never runs out of energy, strength or time to help us.  Our helper is the Holy Spirit. We can ask for the Spirit’s help when we pray, “I trust You, Jesus. Help me, Holy Spirit.”  One of the many attributes of a womanist is trusting the Spirit. I have never claimed to be a feminist, but when I read the definition of a womanist I certainly found parts of me in the definition of womanist. I could definitely be a womanist ally. I am sure as I delve into the lives of the mothers of Moses, I will call upon the Spirit as I write and produce a scholarly work that shows respect and witness to God and what I have learned.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. (I know I am sleeping in until 7:00 tomorrow.) Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.

Blessed Sunday to you all! 

The newlyweds got back to Arlington around noon. They stopped at Sarah’s Mom and Dad’s to pick up the gifts brought to the wedding, her car and her dog Sophie. They then arrived at our house to do basically the same things. We had lunch together with all five of us present. They were slightly sunburned, somewhat sleepy, but smiling and glad to be going to their own home together. 

I will begin a five day intensive study class in the morning through the Hebrew Bible Studies called  Special Topics in Hebrew Bible—From God and a Woman:  Biblical Hermeneutics and Cultural Criticism Through Womanist/Feminist Lenses.  I think that is the longest title for a class in the free world!  The expectation is for the students to read 50 pages per night and write journal entries. This class will be different and I am sure really interesting. And if I am wrong, it only lasts five days and I will have an entire semester’s work complete. Pretty cool!

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, Thank you for being the Presence of the living God within each of us who believe. It is Your presence that allows us to do what God has called us to do. Thank you for being the channel of God’s love that teaches us how to love our neighbor as You love. By the power of the Holy Spirit and in Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

John 14: 14 and 16

It is the day of Pentecost, the day we call the birthday of the church. In Acts 2 are the recorded events of the day. All the people were gathered and the promised Holy Spirit came upon them allowing them to hear the good news in their own language even though there were many different languages among those who were gathered. 

When Jesus was crucified the Disciples fled in fear for their very lives. They disappeared and hid. They were unable to continue to ministry of Jesus because they were so scared.  They were, however, present at the day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit entered their hearts. Once they received the power of the Holy Spirit they were able to go out and preach the gospel of Jesus. They were willing to go to prison and continue that ministry to those incarcerated with them. They were willing to suffer persecution and die because of the power of the Holy Spirit that was now within them.

We were given that same power of the Holy Spirit when we came into relationship with Jesus. This is the deepest connection to God we have. That is how we can go to God at anytime because God is already present within us at all times. We may lose sight of God at times, but because of the Holy Spirit, we are in constant connection with God through our faith in Jesus.  When we make connection with the Holy Spirit and make our needs, desires, pleadings and joys known in prayer, the prayer is received instantly to the One who hears all prayers. Acts 17: 28 “For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”  Let us allow the Holy Spirit to occupy all of our being and include this mysterious presence in our awareness and in our daily lives. 

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint! Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a grateful heart and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

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.