Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Today was the Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday. The weather was different for the area. The sunrise temperature was 70.1°F on Mount Olympus, but the humidity was high for us at 50 percent. But today, the mercury did not climb out of sight. By the time the service was over, the temperature was only 73°F. Lovely! With perfect weather, we had 18 members present.

Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class - Around the Bible in 140 days by popular demand

Today continued the twenty week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching each Sunday, beginning at 8:30am.  The class started with one of the Collects for the Day, applicable to the subject at hand, in this case the Second Sunday in Advent:

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.           Second Sunday of Advent BCPp92

Today we moved on to the Book of Ezekial. The book talks of the Glory of the Lord, the departure and the return. It is divided into four parts:

1. Judgment & final destruction of Jerusalem (chapters 1-7)
2. The Glory of the Lord leaving Solomon’s Temple (chapters 8-24)
3. Judgment of the nations (chapters 25-32)
4. Return of The Glory of the Lord (chapters 33-48)

The book was written at the time of the Babylonian Exile, here is the timeline:

• 605 BC—Daniel is deported
• 597 BC—Ezekiel is deported. He writes to Jerusalem saying the city would be destroyed (Jer.29)
• 586 BC—Temple is destroyed

Like much of the Old Testament, Ezekial is the story of what happened when the people failed to follow the Word of God.

Jack Arnold read the Epistle, which came from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, the Tenth Chapter beginning at the First Verse. Paul reminds us we have a common past, regardless of our actual lineage. Spiritually, we are descended from the Jews of the Exodus. Our forefathers drank of “the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Those who have gone before provide examples, both good and bad. In this letter Paul addresses the bad and suggest we should see what their ill behavior gained them before we set our course and not after. And, let we think ourselves ever so special, he reminds us that we are subjected to no special temptations, only those “as is common to man.”

Brethern, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Today’s Gospel started in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Eleventh Verse and recounts the story of the prodigal son. A man has two sons, the older is a wonderful young man who strives to please his father in everything he does. The younger son asks for his inheritance, now rather than later, and sets off to spend it wastefully in a far off land. In dire straits, he decides to go home to his father and beg to be allowed to live as one of his servants. He decides to tell his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son…” Before he can get the words out of his mouth, his father welcomes him, gives him new clothing and calls the servants to prepare a fatted calf for a big party. The elder son is very angry and hurt. He asks his father what he did wrong; he followed his instructions every day to the best of his ability, worked hard, and yet his father had never even given a small party for him. The father answered, saying, “Son, thou are ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost and is found.” This story, like that of the workers in the vineyard has a number of meanings. Like the father in the story, God wants us to be His faithful child, but rejoices when we return to Him. Like the prodigal son, we should be grateful to live long enough to return to Him. If we are like the oldest son, let us learn from his mistake and be joyful when our brothers and sisters come home to our family. Let us join in the celebration and not begrudge the fatted calf.


Jesus said, A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Sermon – Be God-Confident
God is my shepherd, I shall not want. I am not God’s shepherd. If I try to control my life, I will fail. If I follow God’d directions, I will succeed.

Where is God? Right beside you every step of the way. If you do not see Him, it is because you are concentrating on you and not Him.

When you have a problem, look to God for the answer and yourself to implement the answer.

The Old and New Testaments are related. You will notice Jesus often quoting from the Old Testament, the foundation from which the New arose. There are portions of the Old which have parallels in the New. For instance, in the Exodus, the people were lead by the Cloud and Pillar of Fire. In the New, God sends the Holy Ghost (Spirit). The people have their slavers washed away by the Sea. In the New, our enslavement to sin is washed away by baptism. In the desert, the people are fed by manna. In the New we have the Holy Communion. In the desert, the people get water and thus life from the rock. In Christ we have our Rock.

Yet, while some of us are on the Mount, others are back in the relative comfort of the camp. When we come back from the Mount, will we find that the rest “sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” while others witnessed the golden calf rise on its own from the fires of hell and then on the fateful day “fell in one day three and twenty thousand.”

Self-Confidence is a wonderful thing if the confidence is based on following God’s will and direction. If, on the other hand it is really self-based, the resultant EGO (Edging God O Out) ends up being fatal.

Are we the prodigal son or the resentful brother? Frankly, there is not much to choose from there, is there? If we do not let God into our hearts and let Him run our lives we end up one or the other.

Like the father of the prodigal son, God believes in you. If you put your trust in Him, if you believe in Him, He won’t let you down. And you won’t let Him down.

There is nothing you cannot do to God’s satisfaction with God’s help.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
Today was the celebration of Traci and Aaron Huber’s 12th anniversary, but neither of them were present. Traci is in Mississippi and Aaron had to work. Still, we celebrated Tim Macauley’s 66th birthday with him today. Based on Father Acker’s counting of the coin today, Tim could be anywhere between 46 (which he looks) and 73, which the Beadle feels.

After Church Hospitality
Dru Arnold brought the goodies today. A failed banana cake resulted in the purchase of dog nuts from the local bakery. In addition, there were four different kinds of finger sandwiches, goat cheese of three flavors (none of which your Beadle cares for) and lovely crackers, which he loveth and marcona almonds.

The Command Master Chief Brewer himself handled coffee making on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee and Father Acker was up early to make his special low carb lemonade. Thanks to both.

After church goodies providers as currently signed up:

Date Name
20 July 2008 Dru Arnold
27 July 2008 Alice Acker
3 August 2008 Senior Warden’s Breakfast
10 August 2008 Greg Chase
17 August 2008 Dru Arnold
24 August 2008 Holly Lizak
31 August 2008 Martha Stevens
7 September 2008 Stephanie Boyd
14 August 2008 Jan Macauley
21 August 2008 Alice Acker

New Nametags
We had no new nametags today.

People in our Prayers - http://www.blessedtrinityprayerteam.blogspot.com/
Prayer is an extremely important activity.
It is not that God knows not our needs, for He surely does.  Yet, Jesus commanded us to ask God for those same needs.  In addition to the obvious of asking God for help, offering thanksgiving and the like, prayer helps us focus our thoughts on how we might do God's work.

The Prayer Team of the Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity was established to help our members and fellow Christians pray for those in need and to give thanks as well for the blessings we have been granted.

Who can be on the list?  Do I have to be a member of the Blessed Trinity Church to be prayed for? No!  The only qualification to be on the list is that you want our prayer team to pray for you.  We are Christians and are happy to pray for you, no matter who you are.  If you want help from God, you are our kind of people.

What is the commitment from the prayer team?
Each member of the team will pray for the desired outcome at last once per day.

How do I get myself or someone else on the prayer list?
You can email one of the prayer team leaders: Greg - gnchase@cox.net or Dru - dru@descansorodents.com, or call the church office at (619) 722-1772 or fill out a prayer card at church.

What should I ask for?
Depends on what you want.  Some people merely want God to be asked to heal their ills and be mentioned by their first name, others want a specific outcome and / or have more of their personal information known to the team.  Ask for what you want.  It is your desire and need for prayer the team is attempting to meet.  For typical examples, see the list below.

Updating the Team
If you are on our prayer list, or if you have submitted a person that you have asked us to pray for, please update one of the team members or Father Acker in person, by telephone or email.  It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is nice to give thanks!

Please note that on the green or orange cards at church, you can ask that those to be prayed for have their names disseminated to the "prayer team".  Those names will be said in church and appear here.  Or, you can ask that their names and purpose be kept confidential, and then only Father Acker will know to pray for them.

Travel
Ken is on travel this week.
Traci and Warren are on travel this week.

Repose of Soul

Maggie Stewart (age ~1) passed away on 5 July 2008 from complications of a heart valve procedure after four days of valiant struggle. Of your Christian charity, please pray for the repose of her soul and healing for her parents Mollie and John and the remainder of her family here on earth.

Healing

Betty, Annie (diabetes), Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Uni, Bethany (collision), Greg (shoulder surgery), Karl, Kathy, Christian, Marie, Wanda, James (diabetes), Frank+ (brain tumor), Sarah, Tina, Mark, Lois, Jennette (Alzheimer’s), Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Theresa, Don (post surgery), Melanie, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Terri, Mary, Edward, Bert, Carmen, Yolanda, Jodi, Ken, Sheila, Nancy, Leucrecia (cancer), Michele, Marybeth (broken foot, stroke), Bill (infection), Teiko, Ernie, Ray, Tamara, Betty, Hazel, Richard, Bruce (heart attack), Susanne, Paul (stroke), Ralph+ (eyes hip), Allison (kidney), Bill (ETOH poisoning), Fran (cataracts), Joy, Kai, Jay, Tim, Sandy (back), Jack (toe infection)

Muriel Pappin is going in for abdominal testing. She is quite anxious waiting for the results. Please pray for her to put her trust in God that she might not borrow trouble from tomorrow and that the results might be good.

Glenn Finch – awoke from unconsciousness on 16 July 2008. A friend since childhood of Greg Chase, Glenn was injured while bicycling on Saturday, 12 July 2008. He was on one of his weekly 30 mile bicycle rides when he hit a bump in the road going fast on a downhill stretch. Glenn flew off his bike and hit a large mailbox. Even though he was wearing a helmet, Glenn sustained severe head trauma. He was not in a coma, was not awake. He was stable and breathing on his own, but with assistance of a ventilator. He is in the SICU unit at Sharp Memorial Hospital at Genesee/163 freeway. The family asks for your prayers for his healing and their strength. They are grateful for such loving, caring friends.

Evelyn Hunt is just not feeling right. She has generalized shaking, pressure in her head, blurred vision, nausea and fatigue. Although she has undergone many tests, they have not been able to determine the cause of the problem. She goes back to the doctor on Tuesday for more results. Please pray for a determination of the cause of her problems, a cure and a cessation of the symptoms.

Lona Walsh is in significant discomfort, but it looks like it is not Lupus. She had an MRI last week with the hope of finding something that will help her. It looks like she needs shoulder surgery on both sides, not great news, but much better than Lupus. She hopes for more information shortly, in the mean time, she asks that you continue your prayers for healing.

Duncan Bridewell and his brother John Bridewell were in an aircraft accident in the Utah wilderness and were trapped in the aircraft over night. Duncan has a collapsed lung, ankle injuries plus the usual "I just got beat up" stuff. John has a broken leg, arm, plus the beat up thing. Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for their survival and pray for their rapid and complete recovery.

Mary Parker was in the hospital with an infection. She was released to her home on Monday, 26 May 2008, Memorial Day. Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving and continue to pray for her full recovery and that she might be able to stay home.

Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) – is home from the hospital now, though she continues to have with heart, kidney and lung difficulties with fluid buildup on the lungs and what may be a form of septic arthritis. She is doing much better. Every so often she has a flare-up of the severe shoulder pain, accompanied by chills and shivering- but the last time it happened was much relieved by Cortisone injections. Also, please pray for her to maintain her positive attitude. As always, she retains her trust in the Lord, she thankful to get her positive attitude back. Pray also for Mrs. Kay’s family and her close friend Len who are under great stress that they might also keep their trust in the Lord. 

Mrs. Kay sent the Prayer Team a card and asks that everyone who is praying for her know how grateful she is for their prayers.

Joy – She has a reoccurrence of abdominal cancer, which is non-operable. She is currently undergoing radiation treatment. She and her family ask your prayers for the treatment to do good and for her to tolerate it better. More importantly, she asks God’s help to deal with the pain and discomfort while keeping a positive attitude during what is a very trying time.

Nicole Ethridge - age 27, mother of two - Has a form of liver disease, which is causing her liver to shut down. She is near dialysis and would like you to pray for her disease to go into remission so that she can keep off dialysis and avoid a liver transplant. She asks that you pray for her continued faith and good spirits, as well as strength to take care of her children.

Baby Marie, daughter of Bill and Andrea Baker of St. Andrew’s in Jacksonville, Oregon. Marie was born prematurely with immature lungs. She is now 2lbs. 2 oz.

Marie's lungs cannot function on their own. She has been on a high-frequency ventilator for some time. Over long periods of use, the ventilator itself can cause lung damage. Thus, a dilemma. That combined with having two lung viruses has put her in a position of relying only on a Miracle. Nothing more can be done medically for Marie. It is up to her and God's will. She is comfortable and doing extremely well in every other way. She is no longer on IVs for food, blood sugars are normal, no signs of jaundice. On one side there are high hopes; on the other side how much time is there for her here on earth?

Please pray that Marie will gain the function of her lungs and stay with us. Also, pray for the Baker family that they might maintain their trust in God and have strength throughout this ordeal.

Caroline (age 10, leukemia recurrence) Day +1 Those beautiful, life-giving cells started to go in at 6:05pm and finished at about 10:35pm. The nurse said, "Now she has a second birthday to celebrate!" Just before the cells arrived at our room, Jeff was saying that to bring in the cells they should do what they used to do at Farell's restaurant/ice cream parlor when we were kids and it was someone's birthday. The servers would come running through the restaurant with all sorts of noise making devices and carrying a giant tub of ice cream. Oddly, right at 6:00pm the fire alarm started to go off and we joked that it was because the cells were about to be hung. There were two bags of cells and it once again struck me how generous the donor was to give of himself so unselfishly. They pre-medicated Caroline with all sorts of meds to avoid an allergic reaction or rejection and she handled the process extremely well. The benadryl they gave her put her to sleep within ten minutes and she continued asleep the whole time. Jeff and I sat by her watching for anything and everything. She did wake up around 10pm and she said she felt a little "funny," but she really couldn't describe what she was experiencing. Her blood pressure went up for a couple of hours, but by midnight was making a significant descent.

Once the second bag was placed, I started to pray. I thought of Jesus' baptism and how we are reborn through Christ. I know that this refers to a spiritual rebirth, but in many ways Caroline's bone marrow transplant is also a rebirth, a combination of the spiritual and physical. The donor's generous spirit is what Christ wants between all of us and it is that spirit that has allowed Caroline a chance for physical well-being.

Everyone's prayers, love and support are such a constant reminder of God's love for us. Thank you for your continued prayers for Caroline. We now wait for 2-3 weeks until the cells engraft and pray for no more leukemia and controllable graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). May it be God's will that Caroline live a long and healthy life to serve Him.

We continue our prayers for Caroline's body to take the cells well, that every single leukemia cell is history, and for no or mild GVHD. I admire this wonderful family's love for each other, others, and God. Their faith, hope, and positive attitude are truly inspirational, gifts from God during this difficult time. We send you all much love and many prayers, Carmen, Jeff, and family! Thanks for supporting this dear family and for continuing in prayer for them.

Guidance

Lloyd & Jennifer, Bob to be guided to a church
Ashley, Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, Ken, Maruja, Stella, Shelly, Jerry, Martha, Matt, Marci, Nicholas, Carmen, Mary, John, William, Joe, Alexander, Jonathan, Phil, Sandy, Larraine, Brad, Brian, Cindi, Uni, Jennifer, Greg, Ed, Ruthie, Margie, Phyllis, Walter, Doris-June, Rick, Carol, Susan, Curtis, Stephen, Donny, Chris, Eric (job), Andrew, Keith (job decision), Jeff, Penny, Sara, Mark, Alexandra, Nelson

Economic Guidance and Assistance
St. Andrew’s Academy (Lake Almanor, CA) Father Brian Foos (headmaster) – Please pray for help and guidance for the school, which is under severe pressure from economic down turn. You can pray and turn your heart towards this problem. If you can do something concrete to help them, contact Father Acker.



Homebound/Aged and Infirm

Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie, Walter (skilled nursing)

Armed Forces & Contractors

Tillman, Patrick, Justin, Tim, Evan, Jim, RJ, Matt, Phillip, Tim, Oscar, Julian, Joe (USAF - Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait)

Thanksgiving

SCAIR Center in Alpine, who provides assistance to the local community, with emphasis on the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians is thankful for receiving three new grants for their pre- Head Start programs. They do good work in the community and also allow us to use their facility for meetings and education. Please join us in a prayer of thanksgiving.

CMS Jim Rodgers has been released to home from the hospital. Jim had a stroke on 7 June 2008. He has lost control of his right side and had much difficulty in thought processes. He was able to go home after a few days, but ended up back in the hospital with acute renal failure due to dehydration and an infection. All that go under control and he is doing much better. He is happy to be home. He and his family asks you pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the good start on his recovery and continue to pray for his complete recovery. Thank you from the family.

Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate?  Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material.  Help us help you.  Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer.  Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know.  But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.

I’d like to get a different point across or announce something
If you have a different point of view, I would be happy to give you room to get your point across.  While this publication is my perspective on events, I recognize not everyone may agree and that some people would like to express their own opinion.

If want to write an article or make an announcement, please forward your item to the Beadle (with a note as to whether or not you would like editing help) to the following address: thebeadle@mac.com.

St. Andrew’s Academy
Our diocese is the sponsor of St. Andrew’s Academy (Lake Almanor, CA), a K-12 operation with about three dozen students. The product is superior, the students rank in the high nineties percentile of graduating seniors. These kids are our future. They are the future of the church and the school needs to keep turning them out, not away. The economic downturn is crippling them. They have a budget shortfall of about $30,000.00. Our parish came up with $2,113.00 to donate to St. Andrews Academy.

If you have not contributed and would like to, send a check to our church treasurer, made payable to the church, marked for St. Andrews. If you need the address, email thebeadle@mac.com.

Keeping Up to Date with the Parish and the World
In an effort to keep us in touch with each other and the Christian and non-Christian world, Father is posting updates at the Thursday Evening News, oddly enough on Thursdays. This is a nice mid-week update for us, drop in and take a look. It is also linked to from the various Beadle’s Blogs.

http://thursdayeveningnews.blogspot.com/

Epistle Readers
We post the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report each week so you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.

Date Reader

27 July 2008 Dru Arnold
3 August 2008 Stephanie Boyd
10 August 2008 Ben Lizak
17 August 2008 Tim Macauley
24 August 2008 Holly Lizak
31 August 2008 Alice Acker


The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Tenth Sunday after Trinity. Come next Sunday and see if Father Acker finally tells us what the Green Season means.

What about the pre-service class, will Father Acker lose his place or will he pick up where he left off? What about the sermon?  Will he preach on the Gospel or something all together different? Unless you come to the service, you will have to wait until you read the Beadle’s Report to find out.

Saturday 26 July 2008 is the Pine Valley Parade. We have been participating in the parade for the past three years. If you would like to join us on the fourth year, show time at the Arnolds is 0730L (that would be 7:30 am for our Marine friends). This is your chance to ride on a real Fire Truck, Military Jeep or Troop Transport. If 0730 is too early for you, then join us at the Arnolds afterwards (about 1030) for a picnic. It won’t be fancy: steaks, potato salad, beans and the like.

See you next week on Sunday!

Alternate Sources of The Beadle’s Report
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm

An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report a single photograph and simple text is available at:
http://thebeadle.blogspot.com/

or with one photograph per issue and colorful text at

http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html

All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:

thebeadle@mac.com