Today was the Second Sunday after Trinity. Sunrise brought clear skies and 51°F on Mount Olympus. It was 73°F by the time church started and 81°F by the end of the service. Pretty nice day! The lovely weather brought out 16 people for church.
Gathering Songs
Father Ironhand and Jack Arnold played the usual gathering or welcome songs for the service.
• Just a closer walk;
• Lord, I lift your name on high
• In Christ alone
We do the gathering songs for a number of reasons. It allows people a chance to “drift in” without being late. It gives us a bit of variety in our music. We can have more contemporary music before the service and still have organ music in the service, thus having something for everyone. It also a hit with our guitarists who love to play!
Once again, the gathering songs did their magic. When they started playing we numbered 11, by the time the service ended, we had 16!
Pre-Service Class
Today’s pre-service class today continued the Book of Luke from the Eighth Verse of the Second Chapter; the shepherds in the field.
2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers: special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. If you have a hard time remembering, “Do I read the Collect from last Sunday or next Sunday during the week?” Remember Sunday is the first day of the week. There are also two Bible readings, the Epistle and the Gospel. While they are “lessons”, they are not the First Lesson and the Second Lesson, they are the Epistle and the Gospel. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the priest as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the priests and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feast, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers for today are found on Page 188-190, with the Collect first:
Second Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
O LORD, who never failest to help and govern those whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love; Keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Don Patton, our Senior Warden, read the Epistle for the Second Sunday after Trinity, just like the Senior Warden has since the parish was formed, which came from the Third Chapter of St. John‘s First Epistle, beginning at the Thirteenth Verse.
MARVEL not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of com-passion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
John gave us God’s commandment: That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. We are exhorted to love one another not in word only, but in deed and in truth. We are to carry out the word we have been given, not just to repeat the words.
Actions speak louder than words. If we are to lead people to Christ, we must be in front of them showing the way.
Today’s Gospel started in the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Sixteenth Verse. This is another of Jesus’ stories. This one is of a rich man who made a great supper; a thing of great value in times of hunger.
A CERTAIN man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Are we like the busy people, are our lives so filled with important activities that we have no time to come to the Lord’s Supper? Think about that when you set your bedtime on Saturday, think about that when you schedule the outing for Sunday morning.
Sermon - Pentecost
Father Acker provided a summary of today’s sermon so you can see what he was trying to get across:
Today's Message: Self or Serve
[I borrowed several thoughts of others (as the best things are usually the best of other people. In particular this week is the understanding that God created every human being with his imprint, and so they have “dignity, value, and worth.” I was able to trace this back to 1977, but the author of the phrase isn’t clear. It has been used widely, and of late by M. Driscoll.]
I love Self-Serve. I loved it when they first put the soda dispenser out in the dining area and they gave you a cup at the counter. I was first inline to use the self-checkout lanes at the grocery store. I really love Self Serve Soft Serve. The trouble is I do love Self-Serve. This is where John’s letter we hear this morning comes in.
John writes in the verses just before our Epistle today.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
John doesn’t write “Love Self Serve!” He writes “Love one another.” He saw it from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It was what Jesus taught. It was how Jesus acted. What was Jesus’ bottom line: Love God and Love People. Jesus demonstrated love by giving his life for us. It was anything but serving himself.
To understand love John recalls one of the most tragic stories in the Bible, Genesis 4, Cain and Abel. The story of two brothers. God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and they had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain commits the first murder and it was his brother.
Abel was a herder and Cain was a farmer. They each brought their thank offering to God, the firstfruits. Abel came with a loving heart to worship God. Cain came with an unloving heart. God was pleased with the offering from Abel’s pure heart, a loving heart. God was displeased with the offering of Cain’s unloving heart.
It could have gone differently from that point. Cain could have said, “I need a loving heart like Abel.” He could have repented, and had a change of heart. Instead of changing he kills his brother out of anger, envy and jealousy.
Pastor John is saying, “Don’t be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and murdered his brother.” And “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you like Cain did with Abel.” Isn’t that what Jesus taught? Jesus said, Don’t be shocked if people hate you as Christians, because they hated me. They will hate you!
¿Have you ever been nice to someone and they hated you? So you were really nice to them and they hated you more. Sometimes unloving people are convicted by being around someone who is loving. John is saying “Don’t be surprised that they act like Cain.”
Abel could have tried to change his brother. ¿Don’t we try to do that with others? We know people who gets married expecting to change the other person. “I’ll love him until, he’s a decent person.” Love isn’t about changing someone. Reality is you don’t change them, but they change you, drag you down to the lowest common denominator. Or your love remains distant, on different tracks heading two different directions--Disconnected lives. If you go into “love” expecting to change the person, it isn’t love and you’ll leave when they don’t change. “I’m done with this one, and I’m out of here.” Isn’t that what we see too often.
So what is our Action Plan? Don’t try to change others; just love them. What do I want for the people around me? Am I trying to change them or Am I serving their need? Is it Self or Serve?
New Testament Love doesn’t expect the other person to change. We love them because we want to be like Abel. To have a pure, loving heart. We want to be like Jesus, who loves you whether you change or not. He loves you any way. Our love doesn’t depend on their changing. Our loving someone doesn’t depend on what kind of person they become. It depends on what kind of person we are. ¿Do we want to be like Abel and do the right thing because it is the right thing?
Cain murdered his brother. Murder taking of the life of a person made in the image of God. Every life is formed and imprinted with God’s image, with dignity, value, and worth. Destruction is product of evil.
[If we are honest, the wanton taking of human life is rampant today. It should trouble us that human lives are ended by tens of thousands while debates go on about rights and choice. We need to remember the damage done to the dignity, value, and worth of Cain as well as that of Abel. If we are to love one another it can’t depend on our changing them. We love others because God loves them; they have God’s imprint and we need to see the dignity, value, and worth in each one. Again I have to take care not to fall in to self serving.]
But John takes it even further in human being having dignity, value, and worth.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
You can’t say your a Christian and murder. You can’t say you’re a Christian if you hate others for hate does violence, destroys someone made in God’s image.
If we look at our lives. We love being here in Southern Southern California (unlike Northern California and the Left Coast). Here in nice little Alpine. The reality is that self-interest, convenience, and avoidance of personal responsibility is our culture. In our culture self takes precedence over the dignity, value and worth of others. It is Self Serve.
I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. Matthew 5.22
When we hate, when we are angry, when we insult, and when when we murder we don’t have loving hearts. We are failing to Love One Another.
John wasn’t trying to be negative, but to encourage Christians to Love One Another. Love isn’t about convenience and self-interest.
We see good mothers and fathers putting the interest of their child above their own interest and convenience all the time. For Christians it isn’t something we do just for our own flesh and blood, but for each human being made in God’s image. We take personal responsibility for our actions. We look to what is best for the other person. It isn’t about what I need, but what you need. Love is inconvenient.
¿Where does John tell us to look if we want to see, understand, and know love?
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
We look to Jesus, who gave his life. The Passover Lamb for the sin of the world. John is saying, “Don’t be like Cain. Be like Abel.” Have a pure, loving heart.
Let your love be genuine and visible. Don’t do Self Serve, but Love these people. Your job isn’t to change them. Love them as God loves them, giving your self as Jesus gave himself because he loves you. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart to be like Abel. Ask for God’s grace to love others as Jesus loves them.
New Nametags
We had no new nametags today.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries or birthdays today. We did get to celebrate Louis Ruiz’ 20th birthday with him today!
After Church Hospitality
Betsy and Marianne Lane brought the snacks today. In addition to bribing (or perhaps to be properly thought of as remembering …) the Beadle with three saved white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, there were green and red flame seedless grapes, nuts, chocolate chip cookies, more of the aforementioned white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, what I believe to have been banana nut mini-muffins and some of what I am sure to be the best chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing. Other than that, there was not much to eat!
After church goodies providers as currently signed up:
Date Name
20 June 2010 Jan Macauley
27 June 2010 Alice Acker
4 July 2010 Opportunity Available
11 July 2010 Mary Lou Ruiz
18 July 2010 Opportunity Available
1 August 2010 Opportunity Available
8 August 2010 Greg Chase
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 least 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 on the yellow (maybe green or orange, if you get an old one) 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 their names and purpose be kept confidential, then only Father Acker will pray for them.
Prayer List Notice – If you have someone on the prayer list and their needs have changed, please let us know. We are loathe to just stop praying, yet some of the entries are a bit long in the tooth. We don’t mind praying, at all. We just want to be praying for what is needed!
Anniversary
Diane and Greg Chase celebrated their 39th anniversary two weeks ago.
Birthday
Tom Collins celebrated his 66th birthday last week.
Travel
Holly is on travel this week.
Tim is on travel this week.
Karen C is on travel this week.
Traci and Warren are on travel for the next few weeks.
Ryan is on travel throughout Southeast Asia until May 2010. He is in India (dot, not feather), heading to Kuala Lumpur and is keeping his parents updated.
Departed
Charlotte 13 June 2010
Victor 13 June 2010
Lilly, Steve Carpenter’s aunt, passed away the morning of 23 May 2010, after a protracted battle with cancer. Please pray for the repose of her soul and comfort for the family which she left behind.
Peaceful Transition
Beatrice
Ruth is in home hospice care.
Healing
Marge, Karl, Christian, Lois, Jennette (Alzheimer’s), Ruth, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Nancy, Bill (infection), Ernie, Ray, Hazel, Bruce (gall bladder surgery this month; waiting for heart transplant), Susanne, Ralph+ (prostate cancer; the doctors are at a loss on the decreasing cancer cell count except prayer; please add your thanksgiving to the prayers for healing.), Allison (kidney), Bill (ETOH poisoning and gout), Kai, Jay, Tim, Diane, Amy (Thyroid cancer), Evelyn, Debbie, Lona (shoulders), Paul (stroke), Doris, Charles, Marie (sprained ankle), June (cancer surgery), Susan, Jeff, David (leg injury), Judy, who suffers from mental illness, is undergoing tests for cancer, Greg, June (cancer), David (leg sprain), Cheri, Ben, Walter (skin cancer), Gabriella (surgery), Curtis, Doyle, Martha, Richard, Ralph+, Jeffrey, Rod, Gary, Mark, Jeffery, Jennifer, Curtis, Steve (cancer), Ashton, Marjorie, Mike G, Dave (knee surgery), Karl (shoulder surgery), Jeffrey (testing), Gary (sepsis; diabetic), Jim (stomach cancer), Jeanette (Alzheimer’s), Kathleen (breast cancer), Mrs. Alvord, Angie, Madge, Betty (Healing from cancer. Betty has completed her chemotherapy after her surgery), Jeannie (testing for breast cancer), Ed, Betty, Karl (Healing of his shoulder injury, but not having surgery), Phil (Thanksgiving for his having received a pacemaker. Phil is suffering from renal failure and other complications), Dave (We had been praying for healing from a tumor. It now may require surgery), Jacque (Healing of her rare form of cancer. It is her second recurrence), Jeannie (cancer tests), Sarah, Stephen, Curtis; Angie, Madge, Veronica, Carmen, Alice, Dave (surgery recovery), Ed S (liver failure), Greg D (leg injury. Greg is making good progress still using a knee brace; Thanksgiving for the progress and requests continued healing), Martin, Pauline, Pat A (Alzheimer’s: things are stable); Charles A (Alzheimer’s: slight improvement in general awareness that he is disappointed not being allowed to drive), Maurice (in ICU with a congenital disease), Susan, George (reoccurrence of cancer, undergoing chemotherapy), Lillian, Rob, Ken, Marlene, Emma W (Brain tumor), Vivian, Kelly (undergoing test unexpectedly), Veronica, Irith, Shirley, TP, David, Mark, Doris, Mary, Ken, Rick, Mike, Don, Sandy, Fern is recovering from a fall which broke her arm and pelvis
Luca, 5 years old, from our church family in Perth, Western Australia, who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. And for his Mum and Dad and extended family.
Doreen Wolf, mother of Melanie Zimmers, had very successful reconstructive orthopedic surgery on her foot the morning of Thursday 27 May 2010, to correct damage from previous surgeries which have caused her foot to be almost perpendicular to the desired position. Pre-surgery testing found she apparently sustained a "silent" heart attack. Luckily the tests came out fine and the surgery went forward. The damage was a bit less than expected and the result appears to have been good. Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the successful surgery and that Doreen will be a good patient, hard for a nurse we all know, during her recovery. Finally pray for a good result that Doreen might live a long and healthy life the glory of God.
Greg Chase asks that you pray for his family:
Diane, Greg’s wife, to see some positive physical signs for the ongoing treatment of her ulcerative colitis.
Phyllis, Greg’s mom, to gain physical strength to overcome her frailties after her recent "small" stroke.
Ed, Greg’s cousin, after a long history of heart issues (two open heart surgeries) to gain physical strength that continues to decline due to a series of other debilitating health issues.
Billy Zoe, Greg’s cousin, was admitted to the hospital Friday 30 April 2010, for a probable ruptured colon.
Sunny, Greg’s sister, to continue her recovery from a broken ankle.
Carl, Susanne Barrett’s dad had chest pains while visiting Hawaii. He underwent a successful double by-pass surgery. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and for a full and rapid recovery. Pray for peace of mind for Carl and his wife Judy. Carl believes he is self-made man who thinks he has always been able to do everything himself. Perhaps even more important, please pray for Carl to see the Hand of God in his life.
Michelle Cannariato (a former student of Susanne Barrett) had a stroke on her wedding night as the result of a benign tumor in her heart. She underwent what seems to have been very successful surgery for tumor removal on 20 May 2010, at Scripps-La Jolla. The surgery took several hours less than expected, the tumor is out, all the damage has been repaired and the mitral valve was not involved. Thanks be to God! Give prayers of thanksgiving for God’s gift of grace and the skill and attention of the surgeons and their team.
Please pray for peace of mind for Michelle and her husband Nick, as well as a full and rapid recovery for Michelle.
Karl is in ICU with a ruptured colon.
Carol and Rick, Muriel Pappin’s daughter and son-in-law, were in a motorcycle accident. They were banged up, but are now both home and healing. Please pray for their continued recovery and also give prayers of thanks that they were not more seriously injured.
Emma Langstaff thought she had a kidney stone, which might interfere with her upcoming trip to the UK with her family. Turns out that she did not have one; but three, two in one kidney, one in the other! Two of the three passed, she is back home after a volcanically successful trip. Please pray this one too shall pass for a total of three.
Muriel Pappin’s back has really been causing her a lot of pain and limiting her mobility; it seems to be getting better. Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the initial horrible pain is over and pray for her continued improvement.
Rede Acker, Father Acker’s mom, is recovering from her broken leg, just above where she had a knee replacement. Rede has made great progress; she is walking with leg support and SHE IS HOME. In Rede’s position, attitude is 100 percent of the game, pray for continued positive attitude. The whole family appreciates your prayers, thank you.
Wanda M is still out work due to her Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Please pray for her complete and rapid recovery, as well as her to keep her spirits up while she gets better.
Vince (age 13), reoccurrence of cancer, recent testing found a nickel sized tumor in his lungs. The doctors are consulting with a specialist in Houston. Please pray for guidance for the medical team and for peace of mind for Vince and his family.
Matt Alcantara, age 15, has Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), a very rare and often lethal form of cancer with limited treatment options.
Matt has completed his chemotherapy. All looks good for now. Thanks be to God. His attitude is great, he and his family faith is great. Pray they continue to put their trust in God as the time passes. The stress is great and His help sufficient.
His family asks for your prayers for Matt and we ask you to pray also for his family in this time of great stress. You can look at http://www.mattalcantara.com for information. If you want to follow Matt's progress, look at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mattalcantara.
Danielle’s neck surgery to remove her lymph nodes and damaged tissue was successful. A recent CT Scan, blood work and examination have given her a clean bill of health so far. Danielle will be following up monthly. Please pray a good outcome and peace of mind for Danielle and her family.
Lee Thomas is in assisted living after a stroke. Please pray for Lee, his family, and the care staff. Please pray for Lee, Sandy and their children to maintain their trust in God and to look towards Him for guidance. Pray also for the medical team treating Lee that God might guide and direct their assessment and treatment.
Vicky developed a brain aneurysm, which ruptured the morning of 28 Oc
tober 2009. She has moved to a rehabilitation facility specializing in brain injury patients and seems to be making progress.
Please pray for Vicky’s recovery and for peace of mind for her family, that they might keep their trust in the Lord.
Obra continues to take day by day, and had a wonderful uplifting week, when his youngest son, Obra Gray, wife Shamim and three grandchildren, visited him over the Eastertide. Please God give Obra the peace in his heart he needs, and pray for him to believe the almighty Lord will hold onto him, and not let go until he is in the Lord's arms. Obra needs security of what lies ahead of him, and only the Lord can grant the solace to answer his prayer.
Cerrus, daughter in law of Hy, has had a relapse of her cancer. Please pray for a successful treatment and remission.
David is suffering from shingles and asks that we pray for a remission of the symptoms and a return to normalcy.
Jimmy had a stroke along with triple bypass heart surgery. Miney Farrell asks you pray for his recovery and positive frame of mind during his recovery.
Annie S has experienced some return of her hearing. She was unable to take one of the medications, so the recovery is slow. She continues receiving dialysis as she awaits a kidney transplant. She has been added to the kidney transplant wait list. Please pray for healing of her diabetic condition causing complications.
Jackie was involved in a rollover car accident, her passenger was not injured, but she sustained a serious head injury. She has regained consciousness and is up and walking. Pray for the medical team treating her that they might do their best. Pray for her and her family who are very worried about her.
Bashir Ahmed, father of Shamim Gray, and father in law of Commander Gray for whom we prayed for while he was deployed in Iraq, and on various carrier deployments, has been blessed with the Lord's breath of life to stay on this earth for the time being. Bashir has not left his house for the past six months, and would love for the Lord to give him strength to move freely enough so he can leave his four walls, and once again enjoy the freedom of what lies outside his current domain. We also pray Bashir is not upset when he loses his mental faculties, and is unable to understand what is happening to him. God has a plan for everyone, and please pray Bashir is part of God's blessed plan. Finally, please also pray for Bashir's wife, Sorraya, who spends her entire day and night time, taking care of her partner, despite suffering from terrible arthritic pains to her hands and legs. Sincerely, without our Lord, we would be lost. Shamim keeps her faith in the Lord. Above all, pray for his entire family to open their hearts to accept all God’s love will bring them.
Mary Parker is doing pretty well. "I'm going to surprise everyone one of these Sundays," Mary said, by making it to our Sunday morning service.
Evelyn Hunt is still having difficulty with her medication. She was back in the hospital for a week. She's at home now. Please pray that the doctor might find the right medication and doses for her treatment. Please pray for God's peace and goodness to surround her.
Miney Farrell had a couple more falls, but nothing as dramatic as a few weeks ago. Being sore and hurting has just slightly dampened her enjoying life on ninety-plus. One of the big pluses are her two doxies and the good folks at the board and care.
Lorraine Winkles is doing pretty well considering the arthritis and all the other things, "I'm not doing too bad," said Lorraine.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) is still home and doing pretty well considering the bones in her neck and hands are degenerating as a side effect of her kidney failure. Her thumbs are not particularly useful any more. Mrs. Kay asks everyone who is praying for her know how grateful she is for their prayers. As always, she retains her trust in the Lord and her positive attitude.
Natalie (age 10, leukemia recurrence) has not responded to any treatment since her relapse. Please pray for God’s grace for Natalie and her family to give them peace of heart, soul and mind.
Guidance
Adam, Tom, Mary, Lloyd & Jennifer to be guided to a church
Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, William, Phil, Rick, Susan, Curtis, Donny, Chris, Keith (job decision), Sara (God's grace and His patience), Mark, Alexandra, Perlita, Lewis, Susie, Dru, Jack, Tina, William, Christina, Tuck, Jeff, Christiana (God’s grace), Tara (divorce), Errin, Elizabeth, Brandon, Steven, Nelson, Ashley, Betty who is considering moving into an assisted living home, Nick, Pat, Caroline, Stephen, Greg (vocation guidance and training for the diaconate), Stephanie, Richard, Daniel, Sheryl, Edward, Jeannie, Rachel, Mikaela, Patrick, Mary (adoption); Ashley (job); Curt; Angelina & Ron C; Steven (strength); Vanessa H (trust), Jackie (God's grace), Sandy (Relief from stress; Her husband has severe medical problems), Jennifer, Margie, Phyllis, Sam (guidance on direction of his business), Tara (divorce), Virginia, Darin & Brian (mom’s health issues), Jeanie (upset over her husband's cancer problems), Curt (Still providing care for his wife, Jacque, who is undergoing chemotherapy), Alex, Emilie, Stephen, Daniel S, Jan, Tamera (her house is being taken by eminent domain and is in settlement phase; pray for a fair settlement), Rachel, Stephen, Paul, Seth C, Alan P (to control his feelings), Cris, Louis R (re-set court date), Sean, Lesa, Kenny, Carmen, Jeff, Jane (Bereavement of Caroline's death), Elizabeth B (Graduation from High School; preparation for Point Loma Nazarene), Kenny P (Graduation from High School), John
Louis is in need of God's guidance and direction. Please pray that Louis might see God’s outstretched hand to him and guide him in all he does.
Mark Thomans is in need of God's guidance and direction. Please pray that Mark might take note God’s outstretched hand to him and accept his guidance in all he does.
Nick, age 90, grandfather of Dominique Mimnagh, friends of our Langstaff family members in Perth, is a UK citizen who suffers from various health issues, including what appears to be the onset of dementia. He has lived with his daughter Tina for 45 years. A year ago he moved to Perth with Tina, who is a permanent resident, on a temporary visa to be with his family. Immigration officials have refused to renew the temporary visa. Nick is faced with being forced to return to the UK, where he has no home and little family. Your prayers are so appreciated. This is a really troublesome time for the family. Tina has contacted a solicitor in Sydney who specializes in immigration law. Supposedly there is a "AGE DEPENDENT VISA' you can apply for. However it is not normal for UK citizens to be granted this visa, as the state provides a pension. If it can be proved Nick’s income is below the poverty line he stands a chance of getting this visa. Tina has yearned to be with her sister (who has lived in Perth for 10 years) who she is very close to. If Nick has to return to the UK, Tina will go back as well and that will break her sisters heart and Dominique’s too. Please pray the immigration authorities will reconsider their refusal to renew the visa or that the family will come upon a solution that will be in the best interests of all concerned. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Nick, Tina, Dominique and the rest of their family.
Sandra asks that you pray she will be able to concentrate her efforts at her job to do the tasks at hand, not to put off anything that can be done today, regardless of how easy it might be to justify putting it off and to do a little each day to reduce her backlog. Most importantly, for her to maintain a good attitude during her adjustment to the new process and to look to God for guidance and not her inner self.
Joan had just started her recovery from two back operations when she was given bad news, which she was unable to deal with on top of her physical problems. Things are looking up now. She is home and happy to be there. She has a new granddaughter, Eli, for whom she is grateful. Please pray Joan will look to God for the help He can give her, to help her accept those things she cannot change and change those things she can. Pray also for her husband Bob, that he might keep his mind clear to help Joan.
Ali is searching for spiritual meaning; may the Holy Ghost guide those around her to help her in coming to Christ.
Jacquie to open her heart to God and accept His Love and Grace.
Noriene for God's comfort as she mourns her mother and for her turning to God for His healing.
Paul S asked everyone to give thanks that his doctor is adjusting his medication for severe schizophrenia.
Hap asks you to pray that he might be able to trust God will help him make the right decisions at the right time and not to worry uselessly and that he will open his heart to the Holy Ghost.
Guidance and Protection
Christina, Sarah
Economic Guidance and Assistance
Keith has been unable to find any full-time work since his custom home drafting business of 25 years really dropped off last year. He is working as a handyman, doing tile work, painting, home repairs, etc. Their family has a great deal of debt from Susanne’s medical needs. Pray also for God's peace to comfort them and for His leading and wisdom to be very evident to them.
Mark’s business is very very slow, he asks that God point him to new markets and give him guidance in following God’s will that his business might survive and his employees not lose their livelihood.
Please give thanks for Kevin in the UK who has found a job. Please continue to pray he will find a position that will maintain his family and where he can use his talents to make a positive impact on the world. Please pray also for his family, in particular his wife Beverley, that they might open their hearts and minds to God’s guidance.
To Find Employment
Father Keith is looking for additional employment to supplement his part-time stipend at Blessed Trinity. Keith believes his expertise lies in web site development and guitar teaching, both of which he is clearly good at. Please pray the Holy Ghost will enter into his heart and give him inspiration and guidance to lead him to a job which will use his considerable skills to support his family, bless the company he joins and further God’s Work, all together.
Obra, known to us as Commander O, has retired from the Navy after 20 years and now must find employment to support his family. Please pray for him to find a position which will use the skills he has and the training he got from the Navy to support his family and make his new employer more successful.
Jack has been laid off from his job as a construction manager in East San Diego County; due to the economy jobs in the field are hard to find. Please pray that Jack will find a job, not necessarily in the construction, that will allow him to use his considerable skills and talents to make his new employer more successful; guide him and his family is this difficult time.
Stephen, Brad, Brian, Russell, Kris, Keith and Kevin each to find a job that will allow them to use their skill and talent to make their new employer more successful.
Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie, Ray (Alzheimer’s Disease)
Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Justin, Evan, RJ, Matt, Phillip, Julian, John Kelly (USN - USS Ronald Reagan), Evan (USMC-Afghanistan), Stuart (USMC-Afghanistan), Airman Donny Patton (RAF Mildenhall, UK), Bob (USCG), Josh (USCG), Rachel Ziegler (USAF – Deployed to Southwest Asia), Aaron Huber (USNMC – Deployed to Southwest Asia with USMC), Julian (USMC: Russia until 1 July 2010)
Persecuted
Around the world, Christians are under attack, not only in the Muslim world, but from Hindus and others in India. Also, they are under continual attack in the name of “Separation of Church and State” in the western world, as it becomes actively atheist or pro-devil buddy. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection for all persecuted Christians and those around them.
Thanksgiving
Logan DeLong, grandson of our Ralph and Hope DeLong, born two months early to Ashleigh and Jarrod DeLong 16 May 2010, came home on 3 June 2010. Logan is doing well; eating and growing. Please join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for this great beginning to Logan’s life.
Various Special Requests
Please pray for the earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile and ask God to guide relief efforts there. Pray for God to enter into the hearts of the people there and for the Holy Ghost to guide those attempting to provide relief for the suffering.
We ask that you pray, please ask God that the Holy Ghost might give you insight into how you might make the lives of your friends and family better. Remember helping others is not just those who you don’t know!
Please join us in praying for God to fill us with the Holy Ghost, even if (or maybe particularly if) we need Him shoved down our throats, to provide inspiration to grow our little church to the glory of God. Our numbers are static, we need God’s inspiration to figure out the next step. Please pray that we will open our heart to the gentle prodding of the Holy Ghost; and not do what we have always done expecting a different result.
Please join us in praying that the Free Teen Guitar Class will be an opportunity for God to work in the lives of the kids and their families. Please ask God to guide the class to new opportunities to make Him known to others. Help us to let the love of our Lord shine through us into their lives, putting Him first, so that He might enter in to their hearts and lives.
National Prayer Time - If Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. During WWII an advisor to Churchill organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?
This thought has been taken up here and now, if you would like to participate, pray every day at:
9:00 pm 8:00 pm 7:00 pm 6:00 pm
Eastern Time Central Time Mountain Time Pacific Time
Stop what you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens and for a return to a Godly nation. It won’t work unless you participate. Encourage others to join us.
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 you want to write something, please forward your item to the Beadle (with a note as to whether or not you would like editing help) to: thebeadle@mac.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
20 June 2010 Greg Chase
27 June 2010 Ben Lizak
The near future, as well as Next Sunday
You can go on line here and see our church calendar. There is also a link to subscribe. If you have problems finding this page, due to the typing requirement, go to the Beadle’s Blog or email the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for an emailed link.
Calendar Location - http://go.to/alpineanglicancalendar
Also, if we can get just five more members on our church Facebook Group page, we can have a name instead of a number. Help us get a name for go here and sign up for free:
Or, email the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for an emailed link.
Sunday
20 June 2010 – Third Sunday after Trinity - Come learn about the Green Season - Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service starting about 0945 (9:45 am). Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – Alpine Elementary School Auditorium – 1850 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine, CA
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
29 June 2010 – 1 July 2010 – Diocesan Synod or Meeting will be held at Mesilla, New Mexico, at the Holy Cross Retreat Center. The actual location is almost downtown Las Cruces, New Mexico. Representatives for each parish in the entire diocese get together to talk. It may be worthwhile if you have time. The Beadle has been to one, it was unique. If you would like more details, please contact the Beadle offline.
See you next week on Sunday!
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