141019 Sunday Report

Anglican Orthodox Church

Worldwide Communion

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sunday Report

Today we celebrated the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

On Point

Someone asked, where do the quotes come from? The answer is from the people who uttered them. But, how did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, many from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, some from Rev Geordie Menzies-Grierson, but overall mostly from Bryan. He always has some great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –

Niceness

‘Niceness’—wholesome, integrated personality—is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic, and political means in our power to produce a world where as many people as possible grow up ‘nice’; just as we must try to produce a world where all have plenty to eat. But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might even be more difficult to save.

For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to pro- duce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature. Of course, once it has got its wings, it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped and thus beat the natural horse at its own game. But there may be a period, while the wings are just beginning to grow, when it cannot do so: and at that stage the lumps on the shoulders—no one could tell by looking at them that they are going to be wings—may even give it an awkward appearance.

Jack Lewis

Mere Christianity

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13-15

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 14:12

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

St. Matthew 13:57

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

St. Mark 10:15

And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s

I Corinthians 3:23

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

I Thessalonians 5:6

As sinners never think they have sin enough till it brings them to hell, so saints never think they have grace enough till it brings them to heaven.

Matthew Henry

17^th and 18^th century English pastor and author

All things are safe in Jehovah’s hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening.

Charles H. Spurgeon

19^th century English pastor and author

Morning and Evening, p. 481

Sometimes violence, even murder, isn’t the worst thing you can do to a fellow human being. Stealing his soul, taking over the management of his conscience and his mind— those are worse… Once the State consolidates its power to order what you think, it will know no restraint. If someone else can decide what you believe, you aren’t human anymore; you aren’t even you. You are at best a child, with no power, no dignity, no autonomy. It isn’t even being done with legislation anymore. Who needs law, when anything a bureaucrat says, or a pressure group, has all the force of law?… Let Congress debate endlessly, to no purpose, while executive orders, bureaucratic fiats, and threats by special interest groups fundamentally transform America… The State’s satanic lust for power will never be slaked until the human race isn’t human anymore— just a herd of two- legged cattle to be driven wherever the rulers and the experts please.

Lee Duigon– 20th and 21st century American novelist. Page 3 of 11

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. 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 minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers 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 Feasts, 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 214-215, with the Collect first:

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle for today came from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians beginning at the Fourth Verse of the First Chapter. Paul tells the people of Corinth he thanks God they have been the beneficiaries of His Grace, that through Jesus they might have salvation, that through Jesus their sins would in the end be forgiven. He also pointed out that if they would follow Christ in both their words and deeds, as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them, through their actions, they would be “In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…” For by acting on Christ’s words, we not only gain entry in to heaven, but are far more likely to prosper here on earth. This prosperity is not the mega wealth sometimes associated with “prospering”, but rather the surplus of resources over our worldly desires and the true happiness that comes from loving and helping others.

thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today’s Holy Gospel came from the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Thirty-Fourth Verse. Pharisees who had heard how Jesus confounded the Sadducees, feeling they were superior to the Sadducees, came together to confound Him. An expert in the law, of which Pharisees were very fond, asked Him a question, trying to trick Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Thus, He provided the Summary of the Law we hear every Sunday. The Pharisees made their earthly living by providing guidance on how to get around the 613 Mosaic Laws with as little inconvenience as possible. They were astounded when Jesus boiled the intent of those laws down to two sentences. They were much more comfortable getting around laws than complying with ones that might inconvenience them.

Apparently tiring of the game with the Pharisees and wishing to confound them instead, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?” They say unto him, “The son of David.” For the scripture is clear that He should be of the House of David. As God, Jesus has been from the beginning, so he queried them, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” Not grasping the concept that God was, is and always will be, they could not answer and “from that day forth” no one would “ask him any more questions.”

hen the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon

We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes. Today is one of those Sundays. Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

Sermon Notes

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Saint Andrew’s Anglican Orthodox Church

19 October 2014, Anno Domini

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

Matthew 22

Many Bible scholars of our day promote these two Commandments as new commandments instituted by Christ, but they are not. Christ is simply quoting the Old Testament Commandments of Moses day:

Deut 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deut 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Deut 13 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, ² And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; ³ Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. ⁵ And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

Lev 19Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. ¹⁸ Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Silences the Pharisees about the Messiah

Christ was always the master of every crisis and every challenge:

Matt 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. ¹⁶ And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? ¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? ¹⁹ Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. ²⁰ And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? ²¹ They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. ²² When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

This is one reason they (the Jewish rulers) literally hated Christ. He interfered with their money greed …… selling in the Temple…house of prayer, but a place of thieves.

Who is my Neighbor ….good Samaritan….etc

Now Jesus will also present them with a dilemma they should already have known being Masters of the Pentateuch:

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. ⁴³ He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴ The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? ⁴⁵ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Psalm 110:1The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Now these snails crawled away to plan how further they might have Him put to death.

Psalm 58 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. ⁸ As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. ⁹ Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. ¹⁰ The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹ So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Snails love darkness. They hate Light. They also hate salt.

Matthew 5 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

⁴⁶ And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

A common enemy always unites various sects and interests together against it.

Jesus was a common enemy to the superstitions and power struggles of the Times, just as He is a common enemy of the political and economic structures of our time.

Though politics and financial interests are not found in the same common bed in normal circumstances, they both ally themselves against the True Gospel of Christ.

Text books promote evolution. News outlets say we must respect the religious faith of Moslems, Buddhist, and Hindus, yet, with one voice, they press for condemnation of Christian Faith in our society.

Those who accept the biblical authority that condemns adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, are considered smug and made to look ridiculous in movies and news specials.

Nothing has changed in the world’s contempt for Christ since He first ministered as a boy in the Temple at Jerusalem.

HERODIANS, Sadducees, Pharisees, who were constantly at war with each other, made temporary peace alliances with each other in order to destroy the Man, Jesus. He was both Man and God. Instinctively, these culprits recognized this from their study of ancient biblical texts, and the testimony of His works. Yet, they found Him contemptible to their world of power and money. They all hated Him alike.

They cunningly contrived questions to entangle Him in His speech and in His knowledge, however, they always lost.

The last of the three questions put to Jesus, and the one question with which He turned the tables and silenced His questioners, are our subject. In the former, Jesus declares the essence of the law or of religion; in the latter, He brings to light the essential loftiness of the Messiah.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Our Love for God crowns our love nature. The underside of that love is love for our fellow man. The Pharisees remained ‘gathered together,’ and may have been preparing another question, but Jesus had been long enough interrogated. It was not fitting that He should be catechized only. His questions teach. He does not seek to ‘entangle’ the Pharisees ‘in their speech,’ nor to make them contradict themselves, but brings them full up against a difficulty, that they may open their eyes to the great truth which is its only solution. His first question, ‘What think ye of the Christ?’ is simply preparatory to the second. The answer which He anticipated was given, — as, of course, it would be, for the Davidic descent of the Messiah was a commonplace knowledge and universally accepted.

One can fancy the Pharisees smiled complacently at the attempt to puzzle them with such an elementary question, but the smile vanished when the next one came.

What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. ⁴³ He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴ The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? ⁴⁵ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Why do teachers often ask questions?

If they ask a question, and you know not the answer, why does a teacher often ask you another question?

The reason is to provide a guided discussion to help you discover the answer which is already a part of your knowledge.

How are Snails like sinners? Both hate Salt and Light. They both love darkness, and eat from the labours of others.

Here is the new commandment Christ gave:

John 13 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

These are important words and an identifying command to us.

He gave it the night He was taken in the Garden to be crucified. It is the only new commandment.

But it is not written on tables of stone, but on the soft sinews of our hearts.

Love will release us from condemnation:

Proverbs 10 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Do not try to argue away your sins and wickedness as the Pharisees. It is easy to love when we have compassion. And when we feed love in our hearts, hate will die of starvation, and our sins will cease.

Jeremiah 31 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Do you love God and His Word? Do you agree to follow Christ in all things.

Be richly blessed now and forever!

Sermon – Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion – Descanso, California

Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction.

Consider the words of the Collect, “…grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God …”

When you hear the word GRACE, what do you think of?

Help;

Heavenly dispensation;

A gift freely granted;

The free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

The word can be any of these, it comes from Middle English: via Old French from Latin gratia, from gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’ and is related to grateful.

In this case we are asking God’s help, for which He charges nothing, except our faith and loyalty to Him, to withstand the temptations of this world. We ask for help to withstand what? Actually, what we are looking for is help to not follow our own devices and desires. This seems like an odd request, until considers the fact that our own devices and desires are the root of all of our troubles. We are naturally incline to the sinful things that separate us from Our Lord. We are simply requesting help in combating the evil desires of our heart that would separate us for all eternity if they were left unchecked. The We are asking for help to make His Will our will. To help us to do what will make us happy. For we know that we ourselves will not do what His Will is on our own volition, but rather we must ask that God plant the seed of His Will on our hearts so that we will do it.

Paradoxically, we are asking for help to do not what we want, but what is best for us. There is a difference between what we want, and what is best for us, as there is a difference between the words want and need. What we want and what is best for us are not necessarily interchangeable. We are asking God’s Help to make us want to do what He wants us to do, so that not only will we have “fun”, but be happy! For, being happy is far more important and helps our spiritual lives more than the temporary state of fun. Fun will only last a few moments, happiness will last forever. On the surface, it does not really seem all that reasonable, but here we are imperfect creatures with free will! The free will sometimes or rather most of the time seems more like a curse than a blessing, at least to me. For I feel that with it, I am more tempted to go the wrong way than the right way, but when I go the right way, it then comes to me that it is a blessing.

So, when Paul writes the people of Corinth, it is not just them, but us for whom he thanks God we have been the beneficiaries of His Grace, that through Jesus we might have salvation, that through Jesus our sins would in the end be forgiven. We are not made perfect by Jesus. That is a common misconception by non-Christians. It would be convenient if we were made perfect. And there would be no point behind Christianity if that we had been made perfect. Would we have to have a “New Testament” if we were molded into cookie cutter perfection? If this was so, then there would be no need for the letters of Saint Paul, James, Peter and John to the early church, for they as us, would have no need of them. If we were made perfect, then there would be no strife in the word today I believe, and thus no reason to even have any of the parables that Jesus gave. This is simply not so! While we are accounted as perfect before God in the final judgment, we are not perfect at all. If anything, we are more conscious of our imperfection. As a side point, none of us is perfect, none of us is better than others; however, some of us are clearly worse than others.

Which takes us to Paul’s next point; if we follow Christ in both out words and deeds, as the testimony of Christ is confirmed in them, through our actions, we will be “In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…” For by acting on Christ’s words, we not only gain eternal salvation, but are far more likely to prosper here on earth. This prosperity is not the mega wealth sometimes associated with “prospering”, but rather the surplus of resources over our worldly desires and the true happiness that comes from loving and helping others. It will make us far more happy than say for instance people like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, etc, that have far more money than even they know what to do with, and money cannot provide true happiness. Only God and Jesus can step in and fill that role, if we let him into our hearts.

But, not everyone is content to take Jesus at His Word. After the Sadducees lost their round with Jesus, the Pharisees, feeling they were superior to the Sadducees, came together to trip Him up. However, as we know ourselves, one cannot trick God, and if you try, you will come out looking like a fool. An expert in the law, of which Pharisees were very fond, asked Him a question, trying to trick Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Thus, He provided the Summary of the Law we hear every Holy Communion.

The Pharisees made their earthly living by providing guidance on how to get around the 613 Mosaic Laws with as little inconvenience as possible. They were astounded when Jesus boiled the intent of those laws down to two sentences. They were much more comfortable getting around laws than complying with ones that might inconvenience them. They could be closely compared to Lawyers today as a matter of fact, in the striking amount of dishonesty that is in their profession (no offense to the good lawyers!).

There have always been and always will be people who want to pick nits with the intent of avoiding doing what should be done, thus making it seems acceptable to do what they want to do. You can see people every day who fill the shoes of the Pharisees, insisting on complying with arcane and useless rules and regulations while studiously avoiding doing what God so clearly asks, that is to be a Christian and do as Christ asks us to do. You can see this as the government attempts to supplement the rule of God with the rule of man. When a group of men believe that they have the right to control other humans with the rule of man and disregard the rule of God, you know that a society is in trouble. Ask Sodom, Gomorrah, Rome, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan how that worked out for them in the end. No country has ever fared well when it replaces God with the rule of Man. We are to be Christians, not “good”, to do what God asks, not Go with the Flow! When you think about being a Christian, think a bit about these quotes from GK Chesterton:

“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

“The word “good” has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

We are called to a new and different life, we ask the Lord, in His Grace, to lead us and follow us, to keep us always. Our goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid 613 laws or to replace him altogether. To do what is right, no matter how hard that may be and be humble.

Action, not diction, is what counts. It is by your actions you are known.

Be of God – Live of God – Act of God.

Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor – St. Paul’s Anglican Church – Anglican Orthodox Church

Bishop Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC parish West of the Mississippi and is in charge of the Diocese of the Epiphany.

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

19 October 2014

Ps 48 • Prov. 2:1-9 • 1 Tim 3:14-4:16

Wisdom and Knowledge

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

As we study this Sunday’s scripture we see a common theme; wisdom and knowledge. In these two areas are a gold mine or as expressed in the Old Testament passage, silver. The idea that wisdom is too be mined as one would silver. A great amount of labor is needed to extract the ore from the ground, then it is processed and refined into a usable element, silver. Wisdom is so important for a believer, whether older or younger, it is a gift that can be applied to all aspects of daily Christian living. Wisdom helps one discern good over evil, it helps one to keep their temper when it would be easier to let go in anger, it helps give patience when things are taking longer than expected to come to fruition. All these situations that a Christian faces are aided by the application of wisdom.

Now let us look at the idea of knowledge. Wisdom can give you the discernment on knowledge. In other words, if you use your wisdom to understand what knowledge is usable and what is just information, this can help you in your daily walk with the Lord.

Notice what Paul is writing to Timothy about all the things that he (Timothy) will be facing as he continues to pastor the flock. There will be people leaving the church, following doctrines of devils and giving heed to seducing spirits. There will be lies in hypocrisy, lots and lots of legalism, (forbidding marriage, abstain from meats.)

Notice the very strong message to the vegetarian lifestyle: “…commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” It is not so much the eating of meat as it is the overeating or being consumed by the need for meat. If you understand the principle of moderation, (I know, I need to moderate my eating) you understand that it is the overindulgence of meat, alcohol, chocolate, etc. that causes the trouble. Yes, do eat your vegetables, you should have a balanced diet. Paul reinforces the idea in the next two verses, 4&5;

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Now to the aspect of knowledge. Paul is teaching Timothy (and us) that we are to use our knowledge of things we have learned. “…in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”

Next we seek Paul exhorting Timothy to avoid profane and old wives’ fables and to exercise thyself rather unto godliness….[because] godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of life that is now and of that which is to come. Sound familiar. We have numerous collects and prayers that ask that God helps us now and in the life to come. Notice that as we use the prayer book, you will see time and again that petition to God to help us now and in the life to come. Notice verse nine, “this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation”. Again a familiar phrase from our prayer book.

Finally we read of several concepts that really confound those who do not follow the Lord.

Notice verse 10 expresses the labor and reproach that comes with sharing the Gospel, but it is all worth it, ‘…because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.’

Paul explains to Timothy, ‘these things command and teach’. And to not worry about people being upset at how young he was, instead he should be an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in Christian love, in spirit, in faith and in purity.

Paul recommends to him to read the Word, to exhort the believers and to keep to the doctrine. He continues the lesson on knowledge by telling Timothy to meditate upon these things, give himself wholly to them; and in doing so others will see that this is the right thing to do.

He finishes up the lesson by telling Timothy to take care of himself, take care of the doctrine; continue in them, for in doing so you will save yourself and those that hear them being expounded. In other words Paul is telling Timothy that he needs to be faithful to all he has learned in the faith, to tell others of the faith and to live the faith as an example to everyone who observes Timothy’s life.

Wow, talk about life lessons and application of the knowledge we have obtained. In this lesson today Paul is not only teaching Timothy, he is also teaching us, fellow laborers, those who have had the ‘…faith once delivered…’ What an awesome responsibility, we have been given great knowledge, it is up to us to apply wisdom to this and ascertain the time to share this with others, especially those who are perishing.

The Duties of a Shepherd:

Those who tend to Christ’s flock.

A double duty. The shepherds of Christ’s flock have a double duty: to feed the sheep (by teaching the truth) and to protect them from wolves (by warning of error). As Paul put it to Titus, elders must hold firm the sure word according to apostolic teaching, so that they would be able both ‘to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it’ (Tit. 1:9). This emphasis is unpopular today. We are frequently told always to be positive in our teaching, and never negative. But those who say this have either not read the New Testament or, having read it, they disagree with it. For the Lord Jesus and his apostles refuted error themselves and urged us to do the same. One wonders if it is the neglect of this obligation which is a major cause of today’s theological confusion. If, when false teaching arises, Christian leaders sit idly by and do nothing, or turn tail and flee, they will earn the terrible epithet ‘hirelings’ who care nothing for Christ’s flock (Jn. 10:12ff). Then too it will be said of believers, as it was of Israel, that ‘they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and… they became food for all the wild animals’ (Ezek. 34:5). — John R. W. Stott

Let us pray:

MOST mighty God, and merciful Father, who hast compassion upon all men, and who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his sin, and be saved; Mercifully forgive us our trespasses; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed; enter not into judgment with thy servants, who are vile earth, and miserable sinners; but so turn thine anger from us who meekly acknowledge our vileness, and truly repent us of our faults, and so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, we join our unfeigned thanks for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment, and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provocations; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives, and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day: beseeching thee to continue these thy blessings to us; and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and intercession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon

We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Take a look at what St. Paul wrote to the Galatians (Chapter One, verses 1-12)

1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Note the following: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. What did the apostle mean by the phrase another gospel? Matthew Henry observed that the apostle “calls it another gospel because it opened a different way of justification and salvation from that which was revealed in the gospel, namely, by works and not by faith in Christ. Yet he adds that you will find it to be no gospel at all.”

When we look about us through eyes which have been illuminated by the Holy Ghost, we find that the specter of another gospel has displaced the true gospel of our Lord in many denominations. No longer do ministers and pastors teach that God’s word written is the true and inspired word which he gave to the prophets and apostles of old. Now we have a new understanding. Now we have a new Jesus. Now we have a new way of living. The one true gospel of our Lord, which called for all to Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (St. Matthew 4:17b), has now been replaced with, to use a current political chant, “Yes-you- can.” Yes you can be a better person. Yes you can serve in any capacity within the church without regard to the very words of Scripture. Yes you can choose to do what you want to do, live like there’s no tomorrow, and support any cause regardless of its ends and goals. Yes, you can do it all because God will save everyone without regard to their faith, their religion, or their way of life.

The Bible tells us that it was the atoning work of Jesus Christ who opened the way of salvation for all who would believe on him. The Bible also makes it abundantly clear that there is nothing we can do to wipe away our sins apart from accepting Christ’s finished work on the cross at Calvary. Without his blood upon us, God will see only our wicked natures, and will regard all our works as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). God has set forth in his word the debilitating effects of original sin, as well as the dire need of mankind for a Redeemer kinsman. God has supplied us with but one road to redemption, and it begins with the solemn recognition that we are in a fallen state of sin and destined for perdition unless we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. But there is more. We cannot truly be assured of our salvation unless we are obedient to God’s word and commandment as found within the Holy Bible.

Now, that will not be an easy task as the devil is ever industrious to keep as many as he can from embracing God’s word as truth (St. John 17:17). He tempted our first parents to sin against God in the Garden when he assumed the form of a serpent. And since that time, he has utilized his human agents to inhibit God’s plan for redemption both before and after the first advent of our Lord. Yet in spite of the efforts of the evil one, God sent forth his messengers who prophesied of his plan for the redemption and restoration of mankind through his chosen one— his Messiah.

When at last the time of the Messiah’s coming was revealed, Satan was there to tempt and test our Lord. Rev. EM Bounds once wrote concerning this event, “…in the wilderness, Satan did not come as he came to Job, in frustrating storms of distress, but in the form of apparent sympathy and friendliness. It may have been in the disguise of a saintly hermit…If thou be the Son of God…command these stone be made bread (St. Matthew 4:3).” The devil tempted our Lord to demonstrate his power (vv.5-6). He went even further to seek worship from him in exchange for the kingdoms of the earth (vv.8-9).

Unable to defeat our Lord in the wilderness, Satan then tried to discourage him with the meanness and pessimism of the religious elites. Under Satan’s influence, these human puppets mocked our Lord’s good deeds and miracles; accused him of fomenting rebellion against Rome; and charged him with blasphemy against God. They also convinced a sizeable number in Jerusalem to call for his crucifixion while at the same time calling for the Roman governor to release the murderer Barabbas. But whatever the Devil’s plans were at Christ’s death and burial, they surely “went the way of the Dodo” with our Lord’s resurrection. Whether Satan realized it or not, his kingdom had been beaten (Colossians 2:9-15).

In spite of our Lord’s victory, Satan has continued his campaign of luring souls away from Christ. He has done this via his corruption of the various denominations of Christendom much as he did to the Aaronic priesthood (see II Chronicles 36:14; Ezekiel 8); the kingly offices Israel and Judah; as well as the hearts and minds of the people (see II Chronicles 34:24-28; 36:15-16), not in some direct frontal assault, but by deceit.

Now God did not leave us uninformed concerning Satan’s schemes for in the Book of Acts (20:26-31), we are supplied St. Paul’s warning to the Ephesian elders. First the apostle set the record straight when he said, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all that counsel of God (v. 27), and afterwards he warned them to Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock , over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch, and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears (vs.28-31). The Lord had informed the apostle that demonic influence would find its way into an unwary, and sleepy- eyed church and that is why he admonished them to watch out for it. Sadly, we know from history that the later bishops failed to heed the apostle’s instruction. Consider our Lord’s parable of the foolish virgins who did not take sufficient oil with them (St. Matthew 25:1-13). They represent that portion of the church which will be unprepared to meet the Lord upon his return. For instead of doing what their counterparts had done, they made no provision by taking extra oil and took their rest. Who else but the devil would insinuate such an alternative program to that of being prepared for the Master’s return?

Currently, Satan has gained control over a sizable segment of what passes for the Christian Church because its sleepy-eyed overseers have simply rolled over and gone back to sleep rather than run this intruder and his minions out of their denominations. Over the past century or so, Satan has used his various puppet leaders to gain control over a fair number of seminaries. For within these institutions a host of ministers— both past and present— were tutored in the false tenets of the Devil’s version of Christianity. And what do his disciples peddle, but that very thing which St. Paul spoke against in our epistle lesson: another gospel? Without a doubt, those so trained up in Satan’s schools of theology pose a very serious danger to the lay people— both in the pews, as well as in the Sunday school rooms— of those churches where they have been posted. For it is through these so-called ministers and pastors, bishops and elders, that Satan’s false gospel has been brought inside the door of the church house for the sole purpose of gutting the truth of God’s word written as well as poisoning the minds and hearts of those who have unwittingly accepted it.

And these faux shepherds are also peddling every other sort of infidelity. Many have spoken in favor of same-sex relationships, and have even given their assent for such persons to become ministers and bishops within their denominations in spite of God’s plainly stated condemnation of such behavior (Leviticus 18:22). Some have also advocated infanticide which clearly violates the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13). Some have even embraced a false universalism which does not conform to the exclusive nature of the gospel. And last but not least, many churches no longer use the old King James Bible in favor of the more user-friendly new versions which remove such things as St. Mark 16:9-20 leaving their readers with a verse which reads, and they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid (v.8) rather than, So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen (vv. 19-20). What a feeling of hopeless to end a gospel message with the former rather than the latter. But that is what the devil wants all Christians to do any way— to flee in fear and trembling. And to that end, he will continue his campaign to prevent those sheep who are under the direction of his false ministers from hearing the word of God unless its his version which has been edited so that the true message will be reduced to a mere figment of what God intended.

And should a congregant question one of his clergy minions concerning Satan’s false teachings, the Devil is ready to dialogue through his puppets. “By all means, go and tell everybody but don’t be dogmatic. Teach them to love the world, and the things that are in the world.” To which the observant Christian might respond, “But didn’t God say in the Bible that we are not to love the world and the things in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (I St. John 2:15-17)?” The word world used in this passage is kosmos and it refers to this world system dominated by Satan. Undeterred by the presentation of God’s word the Devil’s puppet minister might respond, “Shouldn’t you rather love those you do not understand, or who are different from you? Shouldn’t you relax your fundamentalism which has no standing any longer in this church or, for that matter, in the one over there on the corner, or those down the street and across town? Check it out. The church has moved on since you were a child. We’re much more open now. You need a good dose of tolerance and a willingness to be more inclusive. Does not the word say Judge not (St. Matthew 7:1)?”

That last comment usually silences the inquirer because very many Christians are not fully schooled in what our Lord meant by that statement. We have been called to make righteous judgments and not hypocritical ones (St. John 7:24). We have been called to discern what the truth of God’s word means and that requires us to study and properly handle it (II St. Timothy 2:15). The Devil will take full advantage of our ignorance so as to mask his real intentions. The English politician Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” And St. Jude reminded us, …that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (vv.3-4). So it should be incumbent on all true and faithful Christians to know where their church leaders and denominations stand in relation to the truth of God’s word written. Unfortunately, their silence is deafening.

It is still not surprising to find within the various apostate-leaning denominations those who still love the Lord, but who have had their voices silenced in order to remain within their respective churches. The Devil has made it hard for them to leave those church bodies into which they were born and were baptized; where they spent their childhood, were confirmed, were married, and where many lovely and godly relationships were formed. Satan enjoys tugging at their heart-strings and trotting them down memory lane all in the hope that they will remain where they are and not seek out a church where the truth of God is preached, taught and lived.

But sentimentality is a poor trade for the truth of the gospel of our Lord and it certainly cannot save. God’s word is clear. In II Corinthians 6:14-18 the apostle Paul wrote, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. The above is self- explanatory. It says in rather straight-forward and unambiguous language that if a Christian finds himself or herself in league with unbelievers (which includes apostates and those who endorse another gospel), he or she is commanded to come out from among them. In no way, shape or form, are we as believers to have unity with those who are in opposition to the truth of God’s word written. If a church body, or denomination cannot be turned, then the true Christian must obey the voice of the Lord and forthwith leave that fellowship. It may mean that families will be divided (St. Matthew 10:34-37), but better that than to deny the truth of God’s word written and suffer the consequences for doing such.

Does the word say God will pardon the willfulness of the impenitent? Will he give those a pass who stayed in those places where his word written was denigrated and twisted by Satan’s messengers? Will he accept the excuses such as, “My friends and family have attended this church for a long time”, or, “I cannot be buried next to so-and-so if I were to leave”, or, “I have gone to this church all my life and I am comfortable here”, or, “I have my social network here”? Do you really think that is going to matter to God? I can tell you in absolutely clear language, NO, IT WILL NOT!

God expects obedience to his word written. It does not matter what people will say now. Their excuses, their friendships, their associations, their social networks, their burial plots will not save them from being cast into perdition. All that truly matters is our faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Many will hear on that grim day of judgment his words , I never knew you: depart from me, ye workers of iniquity (St. Matthew 7:23b). And to that end, the Devil is counting on his minions and fellow-travelers to hold the ambivalent Christian in his or her pew, for in so doing he has chalked up a victory over them. And sad to say, he has won so many victories within today’s denominations that frankly he must feel like he’s “in the winner’s circle”.

We all love correction, don’t we? We are so accepting of those who have told us that the things we were doing were outside the bounds of the Christian faith? No, we really did not like being reminded that what we were doing was in error. Cain did not like it when God tried to set him straight. Neither did the children of Israel, who killed the prophets because they told them the truth of what was coming if they did not turn. The same is true for people today. But the principal difference between the regenerated Christian and those of the unregenerate is that while all may not like being told they are out of step with God, the regenerated will use that occasion as a time for correcting their behavior and for repentance, while the unregenerated will go their merry way in sin until the last. The born-again Christian will submit to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and will trust that God will forgive and remember no more his or her sins. The Devil would have us to believe another gospel which embraces an assortment of self-help schemes, do-it-yourself projects and just plain ole feel-goodism. Beware Christian, as these are works of deception from the father of lies. Reject them and live that true life in Christ Jesus. Obey his commandments. Come forth and be received of him as he gave St. Paul to write, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Let us pray,

ather, we appeal to you for thy divine assistance, that you would keep us from all that the world, the flesh and the devil would have us to suffer; and make of us a people truly fit for thy kingdom and zealous for thy word; for these and other needful things we ask in the name of him who came to seek and save the lost, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed week, Bryan+

After Church Hospitality

We would like some pictures of your after service gatherings. Come on! Help out!

People in our Prayers – http://faithfulcenturionprayerteam.blogspot.com/

Why? 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 Church of the Faithful Centurion 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 Church of the Faithful Centurion 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: Jack – jack@faithfulcenturion.org or Dru – dru@ faithfulcenturion.org, or call the church office at (619) 659-3608 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 Hap 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 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 that their names and purpose be kept confidential, then only Hap will know to pray for them.

Prayer List Notice – If you have someone on the prayer list and their needs have changed, please let us know. We’d like to update our prayers to reflect the need and most important to give thanks!

Travel

Tuck Arnold and Patrice Li are on travel to American Samoa this week.

Whitney Cruz is on travel through the beginning of November to the United Kingdom and Europe. Pray for safe and enjoyable travels for her and peace of mind for her mom as she waits for Whitney’s return.

Birthday

Mrs. Kay, that is Kay Denton, celebrated her 70^th birthday on 2 October 2014.

Move

The Thomas Family is now in Okinawa for a second short tour. Please pray for this new assignment to go well for Kurt and for Mary and the kids to make new friends. In particular pray that Kristyna and Mitchell will develop good friends and schoolmates there so as to further their development as both Christians and citizens. Give thanks the safe move and ask for continued good developments.

Departed

Nafees, sister of Shamim Gray, passed away the morning of 16 October 2014, as the result of heart problems. Please give thanks for her time here on earth and pray for her family members who of necessity remain behind, in particular her mother and sister Shamim.

Jeffrey, Jennifer’s Father, passed away from complications of diabetes and kidney failure on 25 September 2014. Please give thanks for Jeffrey’s time here on earth and pray for trust in the Lord, comfort and peace of mind for Jennifer and her family who of necessity remain behind.

Dennis Ogles, Jr. Uncle, Friend and Compatriot of Bishop Jerry Ogles, passed away 29 August 2014. The Ogles family is very close and wonderful followers of our Lord. Please join them in giving thanks for Dennis’ time here on earth and family and friends he left behind. You are known for what you do and his family tells the real story of his life. Please pray for his family who of necessity remain behind, that they might put their sorrow at the temporary separation on God’s back, while they look forward, not back.

Nearing the end of their time here on earth

Maggie is nearing the end of her time here on earth. Please pray for Maggie and her husband Dub as she prepares to go home to be with her family who have gone before her. Pray for the faith of her family to build and the transition to be good.

Alan is a victim of metastasized colon cancer already destroying his liver. His youngest sister has put aside her hard-earned career to care for her brother in these days on earth. Please pray for him as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Alan and his family who will of necessity remain behind.

Saundra is in ICU with congestive heart failure after a heart operation. She is aged and frail. Saundra is near the end of her time here on earth. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Saundra and her family who will of necessity remain behind. Pray for the love of God to stay foremost in their hearts.

Polly is in hospice care with dementia and spinal stenosis. Please pray for her as she prepares to go home to be with her family who have gone before her. Pray for the faith of her family to build and the transition to be good.

Homebound or Infirm

Mary is an elderly woman who has fallen four times in the last couple of days. Please pray the doctors find a reason for her falling and that God will stabilize, comfort and heal her.

Lily is the caregiver of her elderly husband Harold; she fell down the stairs and has a break that will take six weeks before she can be on her feet again. Please pray for rapid healing for Lily and for a plan to form that will make things tolerable for both of them.

Martha and Irene both have Alzheimer’s Disease. Pray that their hearts will stay close to Jesus.

Walter has many health issues and is growing weaker and weaker. Pray Walter will learn to be able to swallow correctly.

Joan has had serious medical problems that have kept her confined. On 26 September 2013, she took a fall. Please pray that in the weeks ahead her health will remain stable.

Lou has aspiration pneumonia. Please pray for the infection to be knocked down and for her continued recovery.

Norma, Sara’s mother is in a state of deteriorating health, both physically and mentally, with both dementia and Alzheimer’s. She is slowly drifting away, though she still recognizes Sara and prayer gives her a sense of peace. Please pray for both Sara and her mother to put their cares and worries on God’s shoulders so they can deal with the many problems involved.

In need of a miracle or understanding of God’s Plan

Lloyds’ mother is in the hospital because of heart failure. Please pray for a miraculous remission of the heart failure; that his mother’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Lloyd and his mother and their family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Sarah, wife of Rev Geordie (AOC – UK), has been treating for ovarian cancer. The treatment has not worked and she has been advised her time here on earth is short. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Sarah’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Sarah, Geordie and their family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Leon McKay suffered a stroke a few weeks back that has left him unable to speak and while undergoing evaluation the doctors also found he has a very aggressive cancer. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Leon’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Leon and his family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Rev. Thomas Brooks is not improving and being kept alive by artificial machines. Please pray for a miraculous recovery and if that not be God’s Will, a rapid passing to home. Help Thomas’ family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry

Ronnie has kidney cancer that has spread and the surgeons are very concerned. Please pray the medical team to formulate a successful treatment plan and for a miraculous remission; that Ronnie’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Ronnie and family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Levi was cancer free for 4 years and just discovered he has kidney cancer. Levi has a great deal of faith and said whether he is healed or God takes him home he will be fine. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Levi and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders. In particular, please pray for pain relief; Levi is 22 years old.

Ray Daley is a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and served his country during the Korean War era. Ray is taking chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Meanwhile his son Trevor is in the hospital in a coma and seems to have lost the will to live.

Pat has been under treatment for colon cancer for sometime. He has had major complications the last few days and your prayers will be appreciated by family and friends.

Dorothy had pneumonia, on checking her lungs they found tumors which permeated the lung area. Further investigation found a primary site in the colon, with the lung being secondary. It would appear there is no viable treatment at this time. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that her remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Dorothy and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Scott, one of our Lord’s ministers who collapsed a week ago and is in the ICU of a Medical Center since he had a pulmonary embolism, with a concurrent infection of several bacterial agents. He has stopped breathing on several occasions, and may have undergone brain damage. He currently is on DNR. Please pray for recovery so that he will continue to do his Lord’s calling.

Becky has fourth stage metastasized lung cancer and is not doing well with chemotherapy treatments. Please pray for Becky and her husband as they are together during this difficult time in their lives.

Jane has fourth stage cancer and is not doing well. Please pray for Jane and her family as they are together during this difficult time in their lives.

Larry Howes suffered a fairly severe stroke. 4 December 2012, doctors replaced a valve in a shunt that had been put in about two weeks before, and Larry responded very well. He was able to go home.

Pray also for confidence in our Lord for Larry and his family. Larry needs a miracle, pray for one. Please.

Colleen has been battling pancreatic cancer over the last year and it has now spread to one of her lungs. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Christine has cancer of the colon, which spread to her liver; she is receiving chemotherapy and is having difficulty eating. Please pray for the medical team treating her to pay attention and do their very best; pray also for confidence in our Lord for Christine and her family.

Todd and Kenny have both been fighting osteocarcinoma for over five years and have been told their time here on earth is nearing its end, absent a miracle from God. Both are ready to go home and leave the pain, but would like to stay. Please pray for them and their families.

Surgery

Albert had a pacemaker installed recently. He will require surgery soon for a leaking heart valve and has just been told he has esophageal cancer. Pray he will turn to God and come to know Him on a more personal basis as the days go by.

Jane underwent heart valve repair surgery on 3 July 2014. Please pray for full recovery. Pray also Jane and her family to put their worry on God’s shoulders.

Mario has early-diagnosed prostate cancer and had surgery. Pray for complete remission and that Mario and his family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.

Eddie has upcoming bladder surgery. Please pray for the surgical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Eddie and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.

Testing and Treatment

Carol Anne needs God’s comfort and healthy test results as she is anxiously undergoing tests related to previous hysterectomy and experiencing symptoms in the surrounding area.

Maverick, a newborn little boy, has congenital adrenal hyperplasia. This is an inherited genetic defect that limits production of one of the many enzymes the adrenal glands use to make cortisol.

Most of the problems caused by classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia are related to a lack of cortisol, which plays an important role in regulating your blood pressure, maintaining blood sugar and energy levels, and protecting your body against stress.

This condition has no cure, but can be managed. Prayers are requested for Maverick, and his parents Kellie and Robert, as they adjust their lives to deal with Maverick’s condition.

James the 27 year old son of a friend of Dwayne Cowles has been diagnosed with cancer, and his future is uncertain. Pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very best. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for James, his family and friends.

Garth Neel is undergoing chemotherapy for lymphomacancer. He had to postpone last week’s chemotherapy due to low white blood cell count. Please pray his numbers will get in line so that the treatment can continue. Pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very best. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Garth and his family.

Garth is the AOC Bishop of Canada with oversight of South America and a really both good and nice fellow.

From Garth – I was able to have my second chemo therapy treatment yesterday and all went well. I am feeling okay today and seem to tolerating the drugs without many side effects. There are three more treatments scheduled at three week intervals. We are giving thanks to God for all who pray for us. (23 September 2014)

Jennifer has some lumps on the right side of her neck; they have grown and multiplied. In the last few months she has been having problems swallowing. Jennifer has an appointment with specialist in several weeks to try and discover what it is. She is having a great deal of anxiety as she waits for her Doctors appointment and will appreciate your prayer for anxiety and health.

Rick has heart problems. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating him that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Rick and his wife Wanda to keep their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Clay has melanoma. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating him that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Rick and his wife Pam to keep their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.

Tom is battling cancer. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating him that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Tom to keep his trust in the Lord and let Him carry his worry.

Atina has been diagnosed with skin cancer. Pray for guidance for the medical people treating her that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Atina to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry.

Evelyn has been diagnosed with bone cancer. Pray for guidance for the medical people treating her that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Evelyn to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry.

Stacy has Multiple Sclerosis and was hospitalized for what turned out to be food poisoning. Pray for trust in God for Stacy and Chris as they deal with Stacy’s illness.

Dick Gray had developed a Merkle Cell carcinoma just under his sternum carcinoma which is considered a stage four carcinoma since it has ‘metastasized’. He traveled to Seattle, Washington where he was examined and considered for a new type of treatment. That treatment will not begin for at least three months, so they referred him to the Rutgers University Cancer Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey. They have accepted him into the evaluation process, which will begin on Monday 11 August 2014. Rutgers started with monkeys and had good results, so now they are working with humans, Dick is hopeful as he has oft been referred to as an “Old Monkey.” Please pray for peace of mind and safe travel for Dick and his lovely wife Jennifer as they travel to New Jersey this weekend. Pray for those contemplating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very best. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Dick and his wife Jennifer. Dick is the Treasurer and a Vestryman at Saint Paul’s AOC in Missouri.

Janet Jessup had a stroke on 3 July 2014. She has made some progress and is now out of the stroke unit and in the General Surgery and Care Unit. Please pray for those treating her to find the appropriate treatment and for trust in God and peace of mind for Name and her family, in particular her husband of 43 years, Rev Roger Jessup, minister of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church.

Dennis had a stroke on 30 May 2014. Pray for his wife and family during this time of recovery Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Dennis and his family, most particularly his wife; as well as for God’s guidance for the neurologists and other medical people treating him they might find the best course of treatment and allow Dennis to heal completely.

Liz Strauch had a pineal cyst, which in the end responded well to a surgical draining last year. Since November 2013, similar symptoms have returned. A CT Scan turned up what is thought to be either a new cyst or an enlarged pineal gland. More testing, including an EEG is in the works. She can no longer work. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Liz and her family, in particular her husband Ken and sons Caleb and Nathan; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Liz to heal completely.

Steve fell from a roof Saturday, 5 April 2014. His injuries were multiple, extensive, severe, and life threatening. He is slowly making improvements. He still has a long road to travel and is still in great need of prayers. Yours are very much appreciated. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Steve and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Steve to heal completely.

Faye is in the hospital because she is weak has been receiving blood transfusions. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Faye and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Faye to heal completely.

Tom has heart and kidney problems. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Tom and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Tom to heal completely.

Harold has had a severe stroke. He is now home, but his family is looking for a rehabilitation facility to help him recuperate. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Harold and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for him that they might find the best treatment facility to allow Harold to heal completely.

Joe has had a preliminary ALS diagnosis. Pray the final diagnosis will something that will allow him to continue taking care of his devoted young family. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Joe and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.

Mark hadswelling and fluid buildup in his lungs. It appears things may be getting under control. He needs to use a Bi-Pap mask to breathe until his lungs clear and he hates it. Pray that he will be able to adapt so his lungs can clear. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mark, as well as for his family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.

Preston is reacting poorly to recent neck surgery and now has problems with his liver count; Physicians feel that dialysis will help. There may be a blockage in the bowel and an operation might be necessary. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best to determine how to help Preston and for a good outcome. Pray also that Preston and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders while Preston does his best to facilitate a return to good health.

Marianne is hospitalized with a perforated colon. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Marianne, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.

Erica has a non-malignant Brain Tumor which cannot be surgically removed due to the size and location. They are going to attempt chemotherapy. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Erica, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.

Brenda is in the hospital because of bleeding on her brain. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Brenda, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.

Mackenzie is a young girl with leukemia. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mackenzie, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.

Mack has had diabetes most of his adult life. Circulation in his legs is very bad and doctors are considering amputation. Please pray his medication will help and he will not face amputation. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mack and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.

Michael has been diagnosed with lung cancer recently after making it through gastro intestinal cancer last year. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Michael and his wife Gayle; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.

Ken Strauch has been tired and is anemic, he had a colonoscopy which found a pair of polyps which were removed and are being tested. Just for good measure they found he has a hiatal hernia with ulcers, basically part of his stomach is pushed up into his esophagus and is bleeding from there. Sounds like there may be surgery involved. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Ken and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.

Adriano is in the hospital due to high sugar and high blood pressure. He is very weak and will appreciate your prayers.

Heather recently found out she has cancer. Please pray for peace of mind for her and for the medical team treating her will be guided to the right solution.

Jim has had an aneurism and blood clots. Pray that healing will come.

Georgia has liver and pancreatic cancer. The doctors are evaluating whether to do surgery and how to tackle the disease. Georgia is a faithful Christian and appreciates your prayers. Pray for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find out the source of the problem and best course of treatment. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Georgia and her family.

Lana’s doctor found something on her lymph nodes and ovaries. Pray for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find out the source of the problem and best course of treatment. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Lana and her family.

Healing

Liz had a massive stroke at age thirty-seven. The prognosis is good but she has a long road ahead. . Please pray for guidance for those treating her, for trust in our Lord for Liz and her family, for healing.

Ebick is suffering from a severe ulcer but the Doctors cannot give her the proper dosage of the medicine due to her six month pregnancy. Please pray doctors will find an alternative avenue for treatment or that God will provide.

Stan is going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. He is elderly and the treatments are tiring him. Please pray for his wife Marvelene as they do this together.

Casey has strep throat along with her mother Deanna and Grandmother Virginia. Please pray that the other members of the family may stay healthy while those with strep throat recover quickly and rapidly.

Meg recently found out she had heart problems causing low blood oxygen levels, loss of focus resulting in an emergency room crisis. As a result of the symptoms she made errors on the job that caused her to lose her job. She is grateful for the excellent medical care she has received and optimistic, feeling with God’s intervention in her life her health may be reversed and a new job will become available.

Donald is in the hospital and had his leg amputated on 14 April 2014. Pray he will adjust and healing will begin.

Dallmus has lost 40 to 50 percent of his sight. Pray he will learn to cope with the situation and that he will trust in God to heal as He will.

Lucius Dabney (father of Rev Bryan Dabney) is now at home recovering from an infection. Please pray for a complete healing of the infection and return to health.

David has many concussions and unable to go to school, read books, watch TV and has headaches and migraines. He has trouble sleeping and his family will appreciate your prayers for this 10 year old young man.

Barbara Apple fell the week of 11 January 2014, in her home, breaking her right humerus (the large upper arm bone) in a spiral fracture, which cannot be set. Movement is very painful and due to a total lack of energy, she is more or less bedridden. Healing does not seem to be going well at this point. Pray for inspiration for those caring for her that they might find the appropriate treatment. Please pray for Barbara to put her trust in the Lord, look to Him for strength and for her to gain energy so she does not lose the mobility she has; pray for a full and rapid recovery. Please pray also for her husband Bob who is taking care of her that he might be comforted and strengthened in this time of stress.

Gladys has breast cancer and has had a lumpectomy. She needs to take a year off of her work to have chemo treatments.

Alwin Jack has had a stroke and recently has had a relapse. Please pray for those who treat Alwin that they might chose the best possible treatment and pray for peace of mind for Alwin during the recovery phase.

Carolyn has Multiple Sclerosis with complications. Pray Carolyn and her children will be close to our Lord Jesus Christ as they and family members help to ease the problems.

Jeong was in an auto accident and sustained a serious back injury. Please pray for a full and rapid recovery.

Dale was hospitalized Sunday 25 August 2013, after a heart attack. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating him and for peace of mind for Dale and his family.

Gil Garcia developed a bed sore which precludes sitting and is now confined to his bed. Gil has very smooth and delicate skin, please pray for a rapid healing of the sore so he can get out of bed and move around in his chair. Gil spent almost a year in the hospital the last time this happened. His faith and his attitude are almost beyond belief, he is an example to us all. But, we pray this time he will heal quickly. Pray also for his lovely wife Mary who takes care of him. Pray for both of them also for strength to deal with the loss of their son Bernie.

Bill had malignant growth removed from a lip last month and seems to be experiencing a re-growth of the cancer. He asks your prayer for the medical team treating him and for peace of mind for himself.

Hank has osteoporosis, which has caused him a great deal of pain and inconvenience in the past few years. Pray for his healing and that his medical bills will be met.

Evelyn is an elderly woman who has had problems with her eyes and is now blind. It appears some sight will return shortly, pray for that to happen!

Joanne has begun kidney dialysis as a result of kidney failure due to extensive chemotherapy. Additionally she cares for an adopted drug addicted baby who is now nine years old. Please pray for her to keep her faith, to let the Lord carry her worry and concern and to give her strength. Pray also for those treating her that they might pay attention and do their best.

Mr. N. Anand is in the hospital and is seriously ill. He is being encouraged to pray for repentance of his sins and to depend upon our dependable God for a cure and recovery of his health. Pray that he will be a strong witness for Christ.

Jacob has been going through some dental procedures and has some pain and aggravation with the numbness. Please pray for comfort and strength for him, as well as for guidance for the medical team treating him that they might pay attention and do their best.

Jean fell and broke her ankle in three places. She will be in the hospital for rehabilitation for the next 6 weeks. Please pray for comfort and strength for her, as well as for guidance for the medical team treating her that they might pay attention and do their best.

Bud and his wife for their continued welfare and enthusiasm. Bud has been advised of an aneurism in his heart of a size not mandating immediate surgery. This comes at a time when he has sole care of his wife who recently broke two vertebrae and thereafter sustained pneumonia.

Virginia has Sinus and Allergy problems giving her severe problems. Pray that the Doctor will discover why it continues and find a cure.

Steve Thornell had a brain aneurysm, which was found before it burst. He is home from the hospital and working hard on recovery. He lacks energy from seven days in the hospital. His doctor told him he has to make serious life changes. One of the two main arteries in the back of the head is now completely closed. He must take blood thinners, he has thick blood and recent chemotherapy made it worse. Steve has always operated at 110 percent, he needs help to slow down. Please pray for trust in the Lord and a full and rapid recovery. Pray for peace of mind for Steve and his family.

Arlen is receiving treatment for lung cancer and recently experienced a ruptured colon during treatment. She is alone in Oregon but does have a friend who has traveled a great distance to be at her side. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Arlen.

Oscar discovered some time ago he had blood clots in his leg and lung. He has been treated for them and has not been cured. He now will be facing surgery. Please keep him in your prayers.

Angela had an ischemic stroke (clot).Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Angela. Please pray also that she and her family might put their worries on our Lord’s back so she can work hard towards recovery.

Nora had a stroke mid February 2013. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Nora. Please pray also that she and her family might put their worries on our Lord’s back so she can work hard towards recovery.

Linda has been hospitalized for several days with a gastrointestinal problem. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Linda.

Dester is suffering from unknown skin and diseases. Please guide the medical team treating him to find out what the problem is and cure it. Pray also for Dester to trust in the Lord.

Lee has Arterial Fibrillation; the medical people are not sure how to help her. Please pray for guidance for the team treating her and for Lee and her family to make the right decisions regarding treatment..

Nell recently adopted two children and has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Mary Lou has been suffering with seizures. She was in the hospital with a 24 hour monitor and is being sent home from the hospital with two medications and orders to return in 2 months for another MRI to review whatever is going on in her brain. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating her, as well as peace of mind and trust in God for her and her family.

Kathleen has spent the last two weeks in the hospital. She has been diagnosed with colitis, shingles and possibly colon cancer. Pray she will be comfortable and begin to heal.

Rachel has Mitochondrial Myopathy. This is a hereditary disease of the muscles and they do not have a cure for it. Part of her pain is her family does not believe she is indeed ill, as she appears to be just fine. Please pray her family will learn the truth and be supportive of her; pray also the medical people treating her will find the right measures to minimize the disease. Most particularly pray for Rachel’s trust in God.

Nicolas is in the hospital with serious symptoms of a heart disorder. Please pray for peace of mind for him and guidance for the medical team looking for the cause and cure.

Mrs. Baek an elderly women fell and injured her spine. Doctors cannot repair the spinal injury due to her age. She fell again the morning of 12 December 2012, breaking her collar bone which is also untreatable. Mrs. Baek is in severe pain and will appreciate your prayers.

Juanita is a young girl who was in a coma because of a blood disease. She has not come out and is gaining strength. They are awaiting results from blood samples. Her family thanks you for your prayers and asks that you continue.

Barbara had an accident while cooking and the pressure cooker blew up in her face, causing second and third degree burns over her face and upper body. Because of this she has incurred kidney problems and may need a transplant.

George had foot surgery. Please give thanks for the surgery and pray for a full and rapid recovery.

Nellie is in the emergency room of a hospital in a great deal of pain. Please pray for peace of mind for her and guidance for the medical team looking for the cause and cure.

Lauralee Meade underwent a lumpectomy on Friday after Thanksgiving. A further anomaly has been discovered and she had additional preventative radiation treatment. Please pray for a complete remission of the cancer. Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.

Bill, Sara’s husband, had a third abdominal surgery on 22 November 2011, to remove a tumor. Bill is doing better keeping the doctor’s instructions, for which we are all grateful, including taking chemotherapy once a day for one more year. He has decreased the consumption of alcohol and eating at least mostly properly. Please pray for help for him to continue do all this. Please pray also that Bill might turn his heart outward to help those around him, as well as live a long and healthy life to the honor and glory of God. Pray also for peace of mind for Bill and his wife Sara.

Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) has had a chest infection, perhaps viral, but seems to be getting better. Please pray for continued peace of mind for Mrs. Kay and her family. Give thanks for her trust in the Lord and her positive attitude.

Matt Alcantara, age 16, came back with ZERO SCANS again in August 2014! Matt has Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), a very rare and often lethal form of cancer with limited treatment options. This is a disease that is about 90 percent fatal in a couple of years. He has no hip joint on one side, but he walks and swims! Courage? Guts? You bet! Please also give thanks 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!

Judith Clingwall, is afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She is currently in Laurel Place, an extended care facility in Surrey, British Columbia. Judith’s condition has worsened recently. Please pray for her to take an active part in her own life, for her strength, peace of mind, trust in God and remission of the disease so she might return home to her family. Pray also for strength for her husband Martin as he deals with all the problems and stress of Judith’s situation.

Vince (age 15), reoccurrence of Osteosarcoma, 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.

Thanksgiving and Continued Healing

Jenniffer had surgery for breast cancer on 15 October 2014, which seemingly went well; please give thanks for that. She is in considerable pain and has an apparently minor infection. Please pray for the pain and infection to both subside. Pray for guidance for the medical people treating her that they might pay attention, do their very best and for a good outcome. Pray for help for Jenniffer to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry and concern as she recovers. Please pray also for strength and courage for her family as they try their best to help her.

Jim had infection complications from diabetes in his foot. The infection appears to be under control and he has been released from the hospital. Please join in giving thanks for the quick and good result and pray for complete healing.

DiAnne Thornton had back surgery 23 September 2014, with apparently good result. Please give thanks for the good result and pray the L5 decompression will allow her walking abilities and balance to be restored.

Alice had a mastectomy on 17 September 2014, that apparently went very well with a good result. Please give thanks for the good outcome and pray for full healing and complete remission.

Mary had successful hip replacement on 10 September 2014. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and ask for God’s help in her recovery.

Kathy had what seems to be very successful surgery on Wednesday, 3 September 2014, for cancer that returned somewhat unexpectedly. Please give thanks for the good results of the surgery and pray that the cancer will be held at bay by this action. Pray also for Kathy and her family to let God carry their worry, concern and terror so that Kathy can recover fully and quickly, so as to gain the best result. Help their entire family to keep their full trust in God.

Peggy had very successful knee replacement surgery 26 August 2104. She is going home on 29 August 2014 with no pain! Please give thanks for a great result.

Nathan had successful surgery on 4 August 2014, to remove a tumor near his heart; he is home from the hospital. They think they got it all but he will continue on chemotherapy for a little while. Nathan and his family thank you for your prayers.

John Evetts had successful extensive heart surgery; he is still in the hospital and recovering. He is in good spirits. John and his family thank God for the answer to many prayers on his behalf. John is a minister in the Anglican Episcopal Church which as a relationship with the AOC. We look forward to his return to his ministerial duties at St. George’s Anglican Church in Ventura in the near future.

John Evetts entered the ministry after a lifetime of work in industry and business as well as service in the Armed Forces in Vietnam. Like the Apostles, he came to the ministry from the secular world of work. Rev. Evetts is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren.

We thank the Rev. Evetts for his service to our country and his continuing service to God and His people.

Mary Thornell had surgery on 30 October 2013, at the Riverside Community Hospital to remove a huge mass along with about ½ her colon and part of her lower bowel. Mary finished chemotherapy 17 June 2014. Tests the week of 2 June 2014 showed totally clear scans. For now, treatment is done after the last chemotherapy session. Please give thanks for the great result and also for the strength, guidance and peace of mind our Lord gave Mary and her husband Jim, as well as daughter Janice and son Jimmy, she underwent treatment. Please pray she will stay free of the cancer in the future.

Eli a two month baby is back home after going to the ER the night of 28 May 2014, not able to breathe. Please give thanks for her recovery and pray for strength, courage and understanding for Eli’s family; as well as for God’s guidance for the neurologists and other medical people treating Eli they might find the best course of treatment and allow Eli to heal completely, as well as for strength and understanding for the parents.

Jim has been hospitalized and had several operations for cancer the last few years. The physicians discovered a number of spots; but his exam was better than expected-prayer changes things and he thanks you for your prayers. Please continue him in prayer for he will have another scan in April.

Al had an abscess found on his liver for which he was hospitalized, it turned out to be benign and will not require surgery, he has been released from the hospital. Please give thanks for this good result and pray for continued healing.

Elma is suffering from cancer. She was taken home from the hospital on the advice of her Doctor. We were asked to pray that Elma’s remaining time here on earth might be good and that Elma and family might put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry. Since then, Elma’s Bishop told us a great Miracle of the Lord is working over Elma. Doctors sent her home to die, but now she seems to be doing all right. On behalf of her, thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue praying for her complete healing.

Dennis has heart problems; now the medical people treating him discovered a large mass on his liver which turned out to be a cyst! Please give thanks for this great development and pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Dennis and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that the contemplated surgery might go well.

Dwight had major oral surgery, for which he gives thanks. He is recovering slowly and asks your prayers to speed the process.

Mike is a veteran who has served his country when she called. Please pray he will open his heart to God so He can make Mike’s crooked road straight and pull him towards the summit rather than to the pit.

Dick’s left arm was amputated after treating for Merkel Cell carcinoma over a year ago. He is now believed to be cancer free and is waiting to be fitted with an artificial arm. Please join Dick and his family in giving thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ for his recovery as well as for their trust in God.

Bob Smouse had shoulder surgery on 28 November 2012. While the surgery went well, he is still in pain and would also appreciate prayers for continued healing and the pain to subside. He promises to work very hard on recovery therapy.

Carol Stone, the sweet wife of Mike Stone, recovered far better than expected from a severe brain bleed, but fell recently and broke her hip. She still requires 24 hour care, which Mike provides with little help.

Business

Mark’s business is in difficulty. He works in a shrinking field, of which he is one of the country’s true masters, but there is little work available. He asks that you pray that he can find a way to survive in his industry, which he loves and needs his talents. Pray he can find new sources of business and new ways of doing things, perhaps someone to partner with to better use his talents. Pray also for those who work for and with him that they might do their best to help.

Financial Guidance and Employment

Caleb David has finished law school and will appreciate your prayers as he seeks employment as an attorney.

Charlie is coming along in his need of both spiritual and financial. Please pray God will continue to fill his heart with the Holy Ghost for guidance. In addition, Charlie needs God’s guidance as to how to handle his life from this point forward. After many years in the aerospace industry, he is looking for a place to employ his talents to the mutual benefit of a company. He asks that you pray for God to guide him.

Carmine is looking for employment. Pray God will guide her and she will accept his guidance; something she has not always done, so your prayers will be especially appreciated.

Doug recently became unemployed from his job of 18 years. He has been applying for jobs, but unable to get one at this time. His wife is working; this is not enough for the family. Please pray he will find employment with a firm that will be able to use his considerable skill and hard work to benefit both the firm and the family.

Catherine and Lewis are at a low ebb due to a struggle for employment. Your fervent prayers will be appreciated.

Lori is considering a potential change in her employment. Please pray for God’s guidance in considering all aspect of her potential work.

Sarah is concerned about the future with her company. She would appreciate prayers for her continued employment and that her firm might find more and better ways to use her considerable skills.

Financial Guidance and Healing

Clark is in need of salvation; for God’s Will to be done in his life. Pray his family will be blessed with the financial miracles that come from doing His Will.

Timothy and Sharon had their home foreclosed the morning of 15 April 2014. They are experiencing spiritual, emotional and financial crisis at the current time. Please pray for God’s guidance as to how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves and more importantly have them draw closer to God and each other.

Linda, Rick, Christian and Sawyer are a family experiencing spiritual, emotional and financial crisis at the current time. Please pray for God’s guidance as to how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves and more importantly have them draw closer to God and each other.

David and Lorna are having financial problems. They are trying to find a smaller home which may be more affordable. Lorna has had an ongoing battle with brain cancer, her trips back and forth to the hospital have drained their finances to the point they sometimes struggle to have enough food in the house. Pleaser pray for Lorna’s healing and guidance on how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves.

Guidance 

Flora is in remission with cancer, but has high blood pressure and fatigue. Flora’s Mother recently died and this has caused added stress. Please pray that she will be able to let God carry her worry and sorrow so she can do the things she needs to do.

Elizabeth and Gunner need your prayers for their general well being. Pray that they might see the Light of the Lord and let Him guide their lives. Pray they might open their hearts not only to the Lord, but to each other to become one in Him and happiness.

Eric and Betty need your prayers for their general well being. Pray that they might see the Light of the Lord and let Him guide their lives. Pray they might open their hearts not only to the Lord, but to each other to become one in Him and happiness.

Eli has lost his way both spiritually and mentally, please pray for him and his parents Ed and Barb, who are having great struggles seeing their son, go through these afflictions having brought up in a Christian home. Please pray his parents can find a way to help Eli.

Marie has suffered the loss of her husband, her job and her pet all in a short period of time. Please pray for peace of mind for Marie, as well as for trust in the Lord for her and those around her that she might adjust to the changes in her life and move forward to the honor and glory of our Lord with His Help. (140607)

Mitten has a Christian talking to him about Christ. Mitten does not believe and does not seem to care. Please pray Mitten will see the light.

Kristen, Rickey and their two children ask you to pray for grace, wisdom and understanding as they attempt to cope with infidelity, separation and possibly divorce as a result of backsliding from the Lord into the World.

Aaron has a problem seeing is where his life should be leading him. Please pray that he can listen to his father Paul and those around him who want him to work hard and obtain a real education now rather than just coast towards oblivion.

Danielle has accepted Christ as her Saviour. Pray she will read the Bible and meditate on His Word so she can grow in him.

Helene and her family ask your prayers for them as they deal with the loss of Alan, husband and father.

Stephanie seems to be very deeply into post partum depression after her baby was born prematurely. Please pray for her Mother in Law who is going a great distance to help Stephanie and her new Grandson. Pray that Stephanie will be able to direct her attention outward, rather than inward.

William is an elderly man living with his Son and Daughter in-law. William is causing trouble in the family because of his demanding ways and continually using bad language. The family is at wit’s end to know how to handle him and will appreciate your guidance and prayers.

Caitlin is in the grip of the Prince of Darkness; she thinks there is escape from reality in drugs. The saddest part is that reality is not as she sees it. Her family is despairing as they can do nothing to help her and ask that you pray for the Holy Ghost to enter into heart and show her the need for change before it is too late.

Nathaniel is in spiritual turmoil. His family and friends will appreciate it if you will keep him in your prayers for him to find the root of his trouble and accept God’s help to heal his heart.

Sam and her two children that have been living in a shelter and are to lose their place there. Please pray a place will be found they can stay in and recover.

Please pray Darlene will surrender her life to Christ.

Norrie is facing daily exams in the weeks ahead. Pray for calmness and concentration and to do the best possible.

Jonathan is addicted to drugs. He is now in jail awaiting trial. His parents and friends will appreciate it if you will keep him in your prayers for him to find the root of his trouble and accept God’s help to heal addiction.

Beth is suffering from ungodly treatment in her marriage. Please pray God will guide her in her behavior, actions and thoughts that she might be able to lead her husband to God so her marriage might prosper to the benefit of them.

Brandon a young man from a Christian family who married a year ago and almost immediately became estranged from him family. As a result he has had a serious problem with keeping the civil law. Please pray for Brandon that he will return to the Lord and the many problems will be eventually settled. Pray the hurt he has caused so many will be helped with our Lord’s care and love.

Dennis has some decisions to make and will appreciate our Lord’s guidance.

Earl to read and understand Scriptures he has been given.

Jeanette has had many members of her family die from diabetes and several are near death now. Jeanette does not know the Lord and is despondent and perplexed about her family and herself. Please pray she can open her heart to allow the Holy Ghost in to bring her knowledge and understanding.

Dr. Elizabeth Raj is teaching a biblical approach to the psychological problems facing many in our society today. She is battling against the growing influence of worldly psychology adopted by the churches themselves. Elizabeth constantly stresses answers are found between the covers of that precious Book, the Holy Bible. Please pray for encouragement, strength, fortitude and courage for her.

Abigail is a teenager who has behavior problems. She feels she is in an area of mental darkness. Please pray that she might look to God for help and not within herself.

Sara asks that you pray for guidance for her as she deals with the stresses of her family and life. Pray that she can separate those things which she can affect from those things which she cannot and give her grace to accept that she cannot do everything and can only change those things within her control. She asks for God’s help for her business so that she might remain gainfully employed while keeping up with the needs of her mother and husband and healing her own problems.

Jacquie to open her heart to God and accept His Love and Grace.

Hap asks you to pray he might be able to trust God will help him make the right decisions at the right time and not to worry uselessly, to change those things he can change, accept those things he cannot change, sleep well to be able to do the correct things with a clear head and that he will open his heart to the Holy Ghost.

School Challenges

Destiny, Blake and Janet

Anglican Orthodox Church

Philippines

Good news from Bishop Anthony of the Philippine Islands:

Dear Bishop+ Ogles:

Hello! I just arrived from Tabuk after consecrating the Chapel made out of cogon in Nambaran. Its exciting to see plenty of kids attending the service. On the opposite village, the whole community invited us to schedule a service in the place. Their sincerity was confirmed by the willingness of one couple, Mr. and Mrs. Nestor Binnuloc, to donate a portion of land for the purpose. I instructed The Rev. Sherwin to arrange a schedule of service in that place. Thank you again for your continuous prayer over our ministry here.

In Christ Jesus,

Anthony Pangsiw

Bishop of the Philippine Islands

Pakistan

Kenneth Gill of Lahore, Pakistan, who is filling the large shoes of his father, the Rev. Younis Gill, who ministered to the church in Lahore. Kenneth is serving the members of Lahore and is taking theological courses from our seminary in Pakistan. Rev Younis Gill went to sleep in God on 4 December of 2013. This is a huge undertaking and only with God is it possible, even then it is hard! Give Kenneth the perseverance required.

The Anglican Orthodox Church in Narowal, Pakistan had its wall boundary collapse due to heavy rain on 5 July 2014. Water from the street is entering into the church compound which may damage the church building. Please pray for our priest and his wife as they try to reconstruct the wall boundary as soon as possible in order to prevent further damage.

India

From Bishop John Nakka of our Church Family in South India. We must know, but by the grace of God, we could, and may, experience the same in our own land:

Dear ALL,

I am so painfully writing this mail as we are very very suffering a lot politically and also due to separation of our State. No power for around 10 to 12 hours in the cities and more than 12 hours in the villages. No enough drinking water, very hot summer…. Politically we are now really afraid as the sectarian hindu religious background parties took over the Union and State Governments. We are a religious minority in India and now our hearts started beating fast and do not know what happened for us in the near future. WE ARE REALLY UNFORTUNATE. We may live like a second grade citizens and we need to face a very hard persecution as was the Hebrews in Egypt. The persecution was already started and around 05 issues were reported for abuse, warnings and stopping the conventions etc., during this week alone i.e., just within a week after Mr.Modi took over the charge.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS IN INDIA.

yours fraternally in Christ,

+John.

Central African Republic

Christians in the Central African Republic are experiencing the ravages of a war between the Muslim and Christians. We have both ministers and members of the Anglican Orthodox Church in Central African Republic. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection for all persecuted Christians and those around them.

Diocese of the Epiphany

Saint Paul’s, Moberly, Missouri would like your prayers that the Holy Ghost might enter more fully into their hearts so that they might be more effective in spreading the Word of God.

Diocese of Virginia

Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church is under a lot of stress. We all are, but they need even more prayer. Rev Roger Jessup, their wonderful minister, is pressed by the duties of a primary care giver, in addition to all the worries of this world. They have one of their family’s primary breadwinners who will be soon unemployed, absent His intervention. As Rev Roger said so eloquently, “We must pray for those who mean us harm and deprive us of our property are our enemies: Our LORD has so commanded us.” We must pray they will see light and cleave to it while turning their backs on the Prince of this World. Equally important, we must pray that the Lord will raise up a political leader from among us as He has done in the past. Pray also for trust in God for each member of the parish and for them to find economic relief.

Armed Forces & Contractors 

Airman Donny Patton (Hulbert Field, Florida), Jordan (USMC – Fleet Marine Force – Pacific), Trevor (USAF – KC-10 Boom Operator – New Jersey), Trevor (USN – Whidbey Island, EF-18 Pilot), Kurt Thomas (USN – Camp Foster, Okinawa)

For Our Country

Our country has lost its way. Over half the people that vote, voted for a government that promises them things it cannot deliver in return for their souls which it can, will and does take. Our foreign policy backs the rise of Islam, we turn our backs on those who would follow God and arm those who murder them. Pray God will raise up a leader from among the people who can turn the country’s course 180° and attempt to come back to God. Pray the people will recognize that they are headed down a smooth wide road into the pit, a road that will get smoother and smoother, steeper and steeper until the only possible way is down. Down, into the depths of the pit. Pray people will recognize there is:

· One True and Triune God who is goodness in and of Himself
· All religions are not equal
· All ways of life are not equal;
· The Bible holds the Key to Life;
· All rights come from God, not the State;
· Good;
· Bad;
· Evil;
· Right;
· Wrong;
· Allah is the Devil;
· Abortion is no more than sacrifice of children to Baal.

Pray this recognition will not come too late. Pray we will, each of us, do our duty to God, Country and Family, putting His Honor above all.

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

Jerry, James, MaryLou, Dennis, Elias, Roy, Dru, Jack and Hap, and other members of the AOC give thanks for safe travel last week to the Biennial Meeting in Statesville, NC.

Various Special Requests

Liberia is experiencing an outbreak of the Ebola Virus; causing sickness and many deaths. Please pray for people of Liberia and for their Health Providers.

The Anglican Orthodox Church in Peshawar, Pakistan sustained damage to their building as the result of heavy rains. At present the roof is being rebuilt and they have not been able to hold services. Pray it will be fixed very soon and a new place might be found until the church is restored.

Nathalie is teaching English in a small western Ukrainian town where they are having so many problems. Pray for Nathalie and others around the world who are standing up for Christian principles in their countries.

This is a horrible time for the people of India, Christians in particular; they are having problems with Hunger, Bank Closings, Transportation and Schools not functioning. Pray for the Leaders and Members of our Church in Eluru Andhra Pradesh. Pray their basic needs will be met and God will be close to them in this time of need.

Please pray for all the people of Egypt; Bishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt is asking your prayer as the supporters of the deposed Mursi government, with the support of the United States government, have been attacking Christian churches–Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox. They destroyed the car of Anglican priest Rev. Ehab Ayoub. The people of Egypt, the people of the United States need our prayers, even more so the people of the Muslim Brotherhood that they might repent of their evil and know God so the rest of the people may live in peace.

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 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.

The near future, as well as Next Sunday

26 October 2014 – Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

2 November 2014 – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA – END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME – BACK TO STANDARD TIME

9 November 2014 – Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity – AOC Established 1963 – 51 years old – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

16 November 2014 – Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity – Holy Communion – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

23 November 2014 – Sunday Next before Advent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

27 November 2014 – Thanksgiving Day – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

30 November 2014 – First Sunday in Advent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

7 December 2014 – Second Sunday in Advent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

14 December 2014 – Third Sunday in Advent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

21 December 2014 – Fourth Sunday in Advent – Holy Communion – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

25 December 2014 – Christmas Day – Holy Communion – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

28 December 2014 – Holy Innocents – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA

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