Today was the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Sunrise temperature on Mount Olympus was a warm 67°F under the bright blue skies of a Santa Ana! By the time church ended, we were at 87°F with humidity down at 12 percent. The school HVAC system is set to heat, summer is over; don’t you know? With almost half the parish on travel, we still ended up with 14 people to worship our Lord!
Gathering Songs
Today Nick Patton was on travel for hockey, but Jack Arnold was back from Maine. Jack and Father Ironhand did a great job, playing:
• God was there
• Closer walk with thee
• Jesus loves me
• My hearts desire
Gathering songs are a great way not only to allow people to come in a bit late and not to worry, but also to allow us to mix contemporary music and conventional church music in the same service without interfering with each other. Plus, most importantly, our guitarists love to play. Plus, like today, somehow they often draw in people. We started with 7 people and by the time the songs were over we had 14!
Pre-Service Class
Father Acker’s leisurely stroll through the Book of Luke continued with Chapter 5, Verse 27.
And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In those days, tax collectors were called publicans (the same term is now applied to keepers of public houses [bars] in England). They collected taxes from the local inhabitants for the Romans, whatever they collected above that they were required to remit to Rome they kept. Thus they were normally corrupt, wealthy and despised. We are told Matthew was an honest tax collector. Thus, he would have been honest, moderately well off and still despised by the local populace.
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 is read by an ordained minister.
The Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity follows:
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tim Macauley read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning at the Seventeenth Verse of the Fourth Chapter. Typical of Paul, he uses a spiral argument with a seemingly confusing structure to further instruct the people on how to become the New Man. Our nature is not good, but rather straying from good. We have to work at good, by ourselves good is not attainable, but through Christ, we can attain good. Paul asks us to lie no more, particularly to ourselves, but rather to “speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” If we are angry, we must “let not the sun go down upon our wrath.” We should not live off others, but rather, “labour, working with our hands the thing which is good, that we may have to give to him that needeth.” Speak good, speak that others might learn. Put away ill feeling, give in to God and be “kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” God wants us to be happy, to be good and to enjoy life. If you find this no other place, listen to the words of St. Paul.
THIS I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
The Gospel was written in the Fourth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the First Verse. Jesus came upon “a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Present were scribes of the temple. They thought to themselves., “This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. Sometimes we are tempted to view the troubles of this world as the only issues we have to confront. Surely the trouble we have here pales to that we have if we make the wrong choices here and end up in the pit. Many can heal the palsy; only through Jesus can our sins be forgiven. In this case, the sins were forgiven and the problems of this earth resolved. The power of Jesus was again made manifest.
JESUS entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Sermon - The Seven Destroyers - Laziness
Father Acker is working his way through the Seven Deadly Sins, this Sunday was on laziness or slothfulness and he provided the following summary so you can see what he was trying to get across:
Today's Message: Don’t Let Short Cuts Sell You Short Of God’s Abundant Love
We want to have a closer relationship with God. Jesus makes it so we can get closer to God. Jesus died for our sins upon the cross that we might receive forgiveness and live. Sin is turning away from God and we want to turn back toward God. Christians have recognized how we may want to draw closer, we keep turning away, so understanding our turning away is helpful. Sin, so often, starts out small, and before you know it, has grown out of control. It has become a biohazard. This is what Saint James is saying.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1.14-15 ESV
As Christians we live by grace, not by self-control; It is Holy Spirit control that we need in our lives. We need God to enter into every part of our life and be Lord, King, and Savior.
Christians have repeatedly talked about sin by category, trying to get some understanding of how we need God’s grace to free us from specific sins. You can call them the Seven Deadly Sins or look at the labels in Proverbs. The first time the list of seven shows up is in the 4th century. Galatians 5.19 has a much longer list.
One category of sin we don’t talk much about is Sloth or Laziness. Actually the early Church understood it as despair or apathy; a failing to take action. So Lazy is quite right, but we need some place to start and get a handle on what Paul talked about and what Jesus taught.
If you know the movie “Ice Age” you know the Sloth. His name is Sid. Actually Sid is very un-sloth-like with all of his energy. He’s the fire starter. The real rainforest animal is quite a bit different. It spends most of its life in one tree or small area. It only has 25% of the muscle mass expected for a mammal it’s size. It’s metabolism is half the expected level. And it sleeps 10-15 hours a day. It that isn’t enough, two-thirds of its weight is its stomach contents—Yes, everyone loves the sloth.
Not to do any animal bashing of one of God’s creatures, and I don’t want PETA picketing us, so let’s see what good qualities I can mention…Did I mention the moss growing in their fur? And I can see why someone felt the Sloth embodied, the lazy, despair, apathy, not making much effort that some call Sloth. Everyone admires the sloth.
I don’t know if you ever took one of those tests in High School about what you might be good at, what you might like do as a job or have as a career one day. It never seemed to work out you’d a professional baseball player or president of the USA. Then again I didn’t see many Professional Couch Potatoes results either. If that is all that Jesus and Paul were talking about we be home free.
So think the movie The Matrix: The virtual reality living where the brains of the humans are wired into a massive computer. Whole lives appear to be real right down to headaches and doing laundry. But Morpheus is taking people out of the computer world. Cypher, one of the characters liberated from the machine wants to go back to the easy life of the virtual world; Back to the easier, life, the less hostile and appearance of safety. He wishes he had never heard the truth of the Matrix.
We need to think Guitar Hero professional—The video game doesn’t make you good at real life. No one has gone on tour playing Guitar Hero.
This Laziness, Easy-Life, Sloth is trying to cut corners. When you cut corners on God’s plan for your life you won’t like the result. Cutting corners isn’t the Jesus Plan for life. Instead of John 10.10 where Jesus says, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Not a virtual life, not window dressing, not a short-cut life, but a full life, the life God gives. The life God wants for you is knowing the reality of his love and your loving others. And when times are tough and life is hard, short cuts start looking good. I can just skip over, ease off, coast, skate by. Life and loving require effort.
Understanding what God wants you to do isn’t enough. God expects you to make an effort. It is the “renewal of our minds” that Paul speaks about today’s epistle. Living with others being “kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving” isn’t the easy way, but it’s God’s way.
Jesus’ parable of the Talents, the man gives five, two, and one Talent to his servants according to their ability and goes away. When he returns the one with five now has ten; the servant with two has four; but the servant with one hid it in the ground—He did nothing with what he had been given. If he had invested it and it went bad, he had lost it all, he would have made an effort.
The sin of laziness isn’t kicking back and relaxing. It is doing nothing with what God has given you. God expects us to make an effort. God wants and expects us to participate in “putting on the new man” (Ephesians 4.24). “That ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” We need to be born anew. We talk of the new birth that comes in Christ, about baptism. God is at work in us bringing it about, bringing about perfection of righteousness and true holiness.”
Again, where do we start? Our prayer this week focuses on asking God to rule in our lives, to direct us, to do what he knows we can’t do without him. If we rely on ourselves it is easy to be discourage, withdrawing in apathy and despair. Turning to God, what we couldn’t manage, accomplish, or put into action in our lives, God can when we let it be his righteousness and true holiness which guides and directs us.
Disclaimer: I make no claim to the ideas being my ideas or thoughts as I collect ideas, examples, and connections from many sources to help formulate what results in the message for today. Thanks to J. Cook for his look at the seven deadly sins and many others for ideas and examples for this topic. Bible texts are from the English Standard Version or Authorized Version.
Father Keith Acker, SSC
New Nametags
We had no new nametags today, but Bill and Liz Fuller did visit with us.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
We had no reported birthdays or anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Betsy and Marianne Lane brought snacks today. Great they were; first and foremost, the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! Then, two kinds of cheeses, two kinds of crackers, chocolate chip cookies, no sugar muffins and nuts! Thank you kind ladies!
After church goodies providers as currently signed up:
Date Name
17 October 2010 Mary Lou Ruiz
24 October 2010 The Pattons
31 October 2010 Primo Dew and Alice Acker
7 November 2010 Primo Dew and Mrs. Dru
14 November 2010 Opportunity Available!
21 November 2010 Jan Macauley
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
Sandy and Don Patton celebrated their 24th anniversary with us last week.
Birthday
Miney Farrell celebrated her 95th birthday two weeks ago.
Moving
Alan, and his son Kenny, Parker moved to Mississippi for Alan’s job. Please pray they will make a good place for themselves there and adapt to their new surroundings in a positive manner.
Travel
Alice is on travel this week.
Ryan and Lisa are on travel this week.
Walt and Fran are on travel this week.
Ben and Holly are on travel this week.
Don, Sandy and Nick are on travel this week.
Won is on travel to Korea.
In need of a miracle or an understanding of God’s plan
Mike Brown is losing circulation in his legs for reasons unknown; he is in a drug induced coma in ICU. He is on a ventilator and on dialysis machine. Mike is in need of a miracle. Please pray for God’s intervention or an understanding of his plan for Mike and his family, particularly his wife Nela. May God grant them the strength they need and may they accept it. Pray also for his family and those who care for him that they might do their very best to help Mike. Pray for strength and faith for all those around him.
Peaceful Transition
Otis is in hospice care.
Beatrice
Ruth is in home hospice care.
Peter Hunter is in hospice palliative care and needs his wife Susan's continuous care. Please pray for peace of mind through trust in our Lord for both of them as Peter passes from this world to his home. Pray also for their friends and family.
Departed
Lisa Sparto was thrown from her horse 29 September 2010, sustaining massive head injuries and passed away on 30 September 2010. Please pray for the repose of her soul and for comfort and strength for her family, in particular her daughter Tiffany, who sustained minor injuries at the same time, and her husband Joe.
Florence died on Monday 27 September 2010, after a protracted period of disability under the loving care of her daughter June. Please pray for the repose of Florence’s soul and comfort and strength for June. Pray that June will move through this major change in her life and find purpose anew to fulfill her God given mission here on earth through the fellowship of faith.
Mona’s Grandmother
Homebound
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie, Ray (Alzheimer’s Disease), Poli (in failing health and currently hospitalized)
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, 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 (Broken arm & pelvis from a fall; bedridden & pain; Back in hospital), Louis, Alan P (Stress test for chest pain), Lydia, Burton (neurological back pain), Terry (Breast Cancer; surgery 3 Aug10), Goodwin Family, Kathy who had surgery for a reoccurrence of cancer, Susan A, Dorothea, Liz F (diabetes and vertigo), Robert, John, Liz, Jack
Becky Madlen was accidently shot by her brother in law Friday 1 October 2010, while staying overnight at his home with her husband. The brother in law mistook her for an intruder. Becky is able to breathe on her own, but it appears that she will be paralyzed from the neck down. Please pray for further recovery for Becky, as well as strength and guidance for each of those involved.
Hy Barrett had a hip replacement. Please give thanks for the great result and pray for her continued recovery.
Greg Garvin began chemotherapy on Monday 13 September 2010, for testicular cancer. Please pray for good result and peace of mind for Greg and his family.
Won King had a small stroke near the end of August, the only residual appears to be a loss of vision in her left eye. Please pray for a complete healing and give thanks for the great progress so far.
JJ Davies, age 11, sustained a crushing injury to his left hand on 1 September 2010, which resulted in the loss of four fingers. He was released from the hospital on the night of 3 September 2010, with no sign of infection. Please give thanks for no infection and the great results to date and pray for continued healing in his hand and arm. Pray for courage, strength and trust for JJ and his family.
Nancy Bologna underwent emergency surgery the night of 23 August 2010, for a brain tumor. Please pray for a successful outcome and strength and comfort for her and her family.
Nancy Belk’s breast cancer had been in remission for seven years. It has apparently resurfaced in metastasized into her lungs and her arm. Please pray for treatment that will help her, as well as strength and comfort for both her and her family.
George Seddon’s bladder cancer resurfaced earlier this year. His previous chemotherapy was ineffective, and he's been put on a stronger dose with more severe side effects. It hasn't been pleasant, to say the least. But George's latest MRI on Monday shows a 15% reduction in the size of the tumor! Thanks be to God! He'll be meeting with a surgeon to discuss the efficacy of another surgery. Please continue to pray for George's complete healing. Please pray for effective treatment and pain control, pray for peace of mind for George, his wife LaVonda, and their children Megan and George III. Their faith is great, but so is their need.
Mary Jo for guidance in taking care of her husband.
Betty Macauley, Tim’s mom, is currently in a state of failing health. Please pray she will gain interest in life around her and actively pursue life here on earth. Please pray for her family, in particular her son Tim, as they try to help her.
Lauralee underwent a lumpectomy on Friday after Thanksgiving. A further anomaly has been discovered and she is back into preventative radiation treatment. Please pray for a complete remission of the cancer. Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.
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, can now wear a shoe around the house, better than the boot which was hot and uncomfortable. She is using a bone growth stimulator to encourage complete healing. Please give thanks for the great results so far and for her being 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 to the glory of God.
Greg Chase asks that you pray for his family:
Greg broke his toe.
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.
Judy, Susanne Barrett’s mom, had chest pains the morning of 5 October 2010, and was taken to Scripps La Jolla where they found a blood pressure issue and released her. Please pray for treatment guidance and peace of mind for Judy and her husband Carl.
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 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.
Rede Acker, Father Acker’s mom, is recovering from her broken leg, just above where she had a knee replacement. Rede’s attitude is great, she is working towards increased mobility and is making it to church! Rede us akready planning on visiting her sons for Thanksgiving! This is huge progress, please pray a prayer of thanksgiving. 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 of 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. After about 18 months of treatment, all his scans are clear and Friday 3 September 2010, he had his chemotherapy port removed. This with a disease that is about 90 percent fatal in that same time period. He has no hip joint on one side, but he walks and swims! Courage? Guts? You bet! Thanks be to God for the way things have gone. Thanks also for the great faith of Matt and his entire family. Their faith and trust is a wonderful example for each and every one of us. But, now is not the time to stop praying. Actually, it never is the time to stop praying!
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 October 2009. Vicky’s neighbor Sandy has been updating us periodically and sent this:
On 28 October 2009, Vicky she told her husband Doug she had a terrible headache. As it turned out she had a ruptured brain aneurysm. After four surgeries and several months in hospitals, nursing homes and a rehabilitation hospital she came home five weeks ago. Considering the fact she was only given a slight chance to pull through and the fear was she would be an invalid and might never understand anything or talk again her coming home was a small miracle. Doug prepared for the worst but never gave hope and he made daily trips to Denver to be with her and their boys also went often.
Please pray for Vicky’s recovery and for peace of mind for her family, that they might keep their trust in the Lord.
Obra Gray continues to take day by day, despite still mourning the loss of his beloved wife, Pauline. Please continue to keep Obra in your prayers, and give him the strength of knowing the Lord is with him and will never forsake him. 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.
Paula, daughter of Obra Gray, has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) one month ago. The disease has impacted her far quicker than anyone can believe. Two months ago, she could walk with the aid of a cane, one month ago she could feed her self. Now she cannot move, cannot walk, cannot feed herself and has no movement from her neck downwards. Please pray for Paula and her family, particularly for her sons Brian and Jimmy, as well as her father Obra.
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 continues her recovery from the kidney transplant and is doing incredibly well! Please give thanks for the great progress to date and pray for continued recovery.
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, has been blessed with the Lord's breath of life to stay on this earth for the time being. But, things are hard for him and his loving wife, who cares for him. They have two young nieces living with them who see no real need to help, pray for God to enter their hearts. Above all, pray for his entire family to open their hearts to accept all God’s love will bring them.
Mary Parker had her pacemaker replaced on Tuesday 6 July 2010. The procedure was completely successful and she feels significantly better. The Wii is coming out soon!
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 has pain and weakness in her leg. She asks that you pray for strength to work hard on physical exertion required to regain her strength. She also thanks God for the wonderful people she lives with.
Lorraine Winkles is dealing with the arthritis, but her shingles have resurfaced. She asks your prayer in dealing with the accompanying discomfort.
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
June D, 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, Cole, Gabe, Toni as she cares for Terry who is undergoing breast cancer treatment, Christy, Ray, Alan (stress in family matters), Kenny (dealing with not being able to physically qualify for the Coast Guard), Sol F, Alex, Emilie, Delores, Fontonilla, Will, Vinnie, Colleen and family, Maureen and family
Helen and her family are in need of God’s guidance that they might do His will, see things His way and hopefully come together through His love.
Sol and his family are in need of God’s guidance that they might do His will, see things His way and hopefully come together through His love.
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 Thomas 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. 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.
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 to turn 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
Wanda for guidance on dealing with an employment situation for which her organization needs protection against those who would destroy and tear down the work of the helping organization; also for strength and guidance to deal with the extra stress and hours required to deal with these problems; and pray for her continued healing during this time of stress.
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.
To Find Employment
Nancy asks your prayers for guidance for her as she seeks employment at both Viejas and Donovan Prison.
Sandra asks that you pray she will be able to find new employment in which she can use her considerable talents to make her new employer more successful. Please pray for her as she searches that she might maintain a good attitude while she looks for work and to look to God for guidance and not her inner self.
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.
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.
Peter, 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.
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), Kurt Thomas (USN – Afghanistan FOB), Julian (USMC)
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
Steven gives thanks for a hit and run accident in which he was the non-at fault party, but most important neither he nor anyone else were hurt. And his car is drivable.
Nancy gives thanks for all God’s blessings.
Danielle Rubio Blomberg gives thanks for the safe birth of Cannon Christopher Rubio Blomberg the night of 9 September 2010, after a difficult pregnancy.
Stephen gives thanks for getting a job.
Louis gives thanks for getting a job with UPS.
Various Special Requests
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 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 continue to 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 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
17 October 2010 Greg Chase
24 October 2010 Alice Acker
31 October 2010 Ben Lizak
The near future, as well as Next Sunday
You can go on line here and see our church calendar.
Calendar Location - http://go.to/alpineanglicancalendar
Church Facebook Groups Page - http://www.groups.to/alpineanglicanchurch
Or, email the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for an emailed link.
Sunday
17 October 2010 – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – Vestry Meeting before the service 0930-0945L - 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
See you next week on Sunday!
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