Anglican Orthodox Church
Worldwide Communion
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday Report
Today was the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday as the Endless Green Season marches on!
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, but overall mostly from Bryan. He always has some great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –
Liberty
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!
Patrick Henry
All God-fearing people must answer to this clarion call sooner or later, or perish in the shadows and dungeons of wicked rulers.
Jerry L. Ogles
Death
We all are destined to die at some point. Though we do not control the time or place, we can determine the manner in which we go – either as courageous patriots, or cringing cowards.
General George S. Patton
Death
Trust in God and Dread Naught. We all die, thus there is nothing to fear from death. One should only fear failure before death. There are none so poor as cannot purchase a noble death.
Rev LTC Hap Arnold
Maturity
One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.
Jack Lewis
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
II Corinthians 5:17
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:4-6
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
James 4:8
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 Anglican Church, being founded on the principal of one nation, one church, holds patriotism and true love of country in great regard. It is quite interesting the majority of the Founding Fathers were members of the Church of England and transferred their national church identity to what became the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States. Like Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer, they saw the need for a national church. Not a captive arm of the government, but a link to God for the people of the nation.
The Propers for today are found on Page 215-217, with the Collect first:
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
O |
GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for today came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the Fourth Chapter, beginning at the Seventeenth Verse. Typical of Paul, he uses a spiral argument with a seemingly confusing structure to further instruct the people on how to become the New Man. Our nature is not good, but rather straying from good. We have to work at good, by ourselves good is not attainable, but through Christ, we can attain good. Paul asks us to lie no more, particularly to ourselves, but rather to “speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” If we are angry, we must “let not the sun go down upon our wrath.” We should not live off others, but rather, “labour, working with our hands the thing which is good, that we may have to give to him that needeth.” Speak good, speak that others might learn. Put away ill feeling, give in to God and be “kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” God wants us to be happy, to be good and to enjoy life. If you find this no other place, listen to Paul’s words.
T |
HIS I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Today’s Holy Gospel came from the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the First Verse. Jesus came upon “a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Present were scribes of the temple. They thought to themselves., “This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. Sometimes we are tempted to view the troubles of this world as the only issues we have to confront. Surely the trouble we have here pales to that we have if we make the wrong choices here and end up in the pit. Many can heal the palsy; only through Jesus can our sins be forgiven. In this case, the sins were forgiven and the problems of this earth resolved. The power of Jesus was again made manifest.
J |
esus entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
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.
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
Wilt thou be made whole?
23 October 2022, Anno Domini
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
O |
GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect
T |
HOU art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity …..(Habakkuk 1:13a)
A |
ND he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. (Matt 9:1-8)
There may appear a seeming impasse for imperfect children of God in this prayer, but it is only apparent and not real. How can those imperfect professors of Christ please God in their imperfections when God cannot look upon the slightest sin and wickedness, especially in view of this fact: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) If we had continued reading in Romans 3, we would have read that it is righteousness by Faith in Jesus Christ by which we are all justified. God the Father views us in light of the imputed righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ! It is our faith, dictated by God’s elective grace, that brings us into that covering of Grace for all our sins.
O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee So, apart from Christ, there can be no salvation. Without Christ, there is no reconciliation of the sinner to the terms of justification and salvation to God. We must have that nature and mind that was in Christ imparted to our own natures and minds. Even the will to do good cannot exist in a heart that does not belong to God. An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. (Proverbs 21:4) Though our pride and vanity are our ancient stumbling blocks to keep us from righteousness, even the small things of life that seem good are not so with God. Now, I am sure you will agree, the plowing of a field seems to be commendable labor. It certainly is so in the eyes of men, but to God, even that seeming good thing is sin when performed by those who are not of the household of God and who harbor wickedness in their hearts.
Doubt not! All who are depending upon their own righteousness are wicked. Every heart born into the world needs a purifying and cleansing purge. That purge is Christ and His shed blood! So the Collect opens with a profound truth upon which the petition that follows in good order is contingent – we are not good without the goodness of God. Our good works are not our own, but His who died for us and MADE us into the sons and daughters of God.
Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts Even our rudimentary petitions must start, not with our own worth, but MERCY – and that mercy is of God to us. The very services that we perform out of love to God and man are not ours, but result from that MERCY of God through the efficacious workings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Why is this so? Because even that love we demonstrate to others is borrowed and not our own – it comes from God in His Mercy. Remember those Tables of Law written in Stone? Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; (2 Corinthians 3:3-5) This is, indeed, good news to the saved. We are not perfect in our ways, and we KNOW it! But God has imputed a love of righteousness in our hearts that causes us to obey His Law of Love. We know that our righteousness falls far short of God’s standard, but our love of God, and His Son Jesus, will bring us to obedience in the things of the law. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. (Proverbs 10:12) How many sins will love cover? All sins!
Now you may smugly satisfy your ego that you have such an abundance of love that your sins are all covered, right? Wrong, it is not your own love that covers all of your sins, but the Love of Christ that has covered all sins – and He broadcasts that Love into the hearts of those who know Him as Lord and Savior. Does this truth make the Law of none effect? Not at all, but it makes it a greater joy to please and obey God out of our gift of Love than from the uncompromising restraint of Law written on Tables of Stone.
We see in the latter part of the petition of this Collect an acknowledgment that our obedience and goodness are not native to the human heart, but directed by the Holy Spirit that rules in every heart born of God.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Were our petitions of imputed righteousness based on any name other than that of the One who paid our sin-debt, our prayer would fall on the bleak ground of our own helplessness. It was Christ who bought us, and it is in Christ’s name by which we ask the blessing. Are you good? “There is none good but God!”
The Gospel for the day echoes the grace represented in our Sunday Collects. The man afflicted with the palsy was unable to come to Christ just as many in the dark and far-flung lands of wilderness countries are kept from coming by lack of knowledge and preaching. They must be brought by other caring souls to Him. Bringing others to Christ is not a private matter, but a function of the mission of the Church. Carrying a litter, as these men of today’s Gospel did, bearing a disabled friend, requires a coordinated effort. All who carry a litter must bear the equal weight of the four corners of the litter. If one relaxes his grip, the victim falls to the ground. Like so with the Church and her missions. One must prepare and train the missionary, another must share the burden of costs, and the other must do the travel. Many hands are involved in the delivery of the Gospel to those who sit in darkness on foreign shores.
Another cardinal point of today’s Gospel is the fact Jesus knows the innermost thoughts of our souls – sometimes even before WE know them. He has the authority to forgive sins, and He has power to heal the bodies that He has made for us. And when He commands any to arise, that person cannot resist that irresistible grace of His command and Voice. If you are a disciple of Christ, and Andrew must have brought you to Him at some point. Perhaps it was your parents, a friend, or a caring stranger. As it is written:
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:13-15)
HOW?
Sermon
A |
FTER this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. (John 5:1-16)
Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem at the feast of the Jews. This feast is considered, by most traditional Bible scholars, to have been the Passover. I concur in the view of these. That feast must surely have been the Passover. It is very appropriate that He be present at EVERY Passover, for He has become our Great Passover and the Lamb Without Blemish slain on the Eve of His last Passover on earth. The sheep market was just outside the gate of the Sheep Gate referred to in Nehemiah 3:1. It is altogether appropriate that Christ should come to that Gate on the eastern walls of Jerusalem for He is our Lamb of Sacrifice and the Sun of righteousness which shall arise (from the East) with “Healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4:2) Moreover, it is a lovely place to which He has come (the Pool of Bethesda) which, interpreted, means House of Mercy. Christ, thanks be to God, is our Bethesda – our House and Ark of Mercy. When we come to this pool for the healing of our souls, the moment of our visitation and healing is altogether dependent on the discretion of Heaven and not our own. We patiently await the movement of God in the things we need for His timing will always be the perfect moment to answer our prayers.
“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Christ “went up to Jerusalem” to this Passover. If we will go up to the Passover of our souls, we must arise from our common labors and be about – not our own devices and pleasures – but the work of our Father in Heaven. The direction to the Narrow Gate is always upward.
“Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” The Lamb of God comes to this sheep market place. You and I were these sheep without a shepherd until that Lamb came to us, knowing our hurts and needs as One like unto us, and became the Great Shepherd of His sheep. We waited alone in the market place, being bought and sold by men, until Christ came and laid claim to His sheep. There at the Sheep Gate, though a place of barter of souls, yet there is also a House of Mercy (Bethesda) into which we may run as shelter from having our souls sold out by the world. But we enter that House on the terms of God and not on those of our own making. “…whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” Do you not find great consolation in the term “whosoever.?” We know immediately that ‘whosoever’ can mean you and me as well. All we need do is come to the House of Mercy and wait upon the provision of God to heal all our wounds.
Now comes another term different from ‘whosoever’ for it points to a definite identity: the word here that I love is ‘certain.’ “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.” This is no ‘certain man’ by accident, but a certain man whom Christ has come to visit by His own choice – just like you and me who have been blessed to encounter Christ as His ‘certain men and women, boys and girls.’ We laid our souls by the House of Mercy and at our Time of visitation, He came to us. Now, to know this beautiful truth beautiful truth fills my heart with a burning love and gratitude to that Dispenser of Pure Grace called My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Though our souls feel to be at the very center of the Wilderness as was poor Hagar, the Lord sees us. She called the Fountain where the Angel of the Lord found her, The Well Of The Living One Who Sees Me (Beerlahairoi). (Gen 16:13-14) What beautiful strokes of vivid color does the Master paint upon the canvas of our lives? “When Jesus saw him lie” yes, and not just at this moment, but for all the years of the man’s misery!
“When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” Is this not a very simple question, and does it need an answer? Yes, even though it is the greatest desire of the afflicted man, he MUST answer this question just as you and I must answer it for the healing of our souls. Being made whole is much more than a healing of our physical ailments, but a wholeness in body, soul, and spirit. Our most grievous affliction is our sin before God. It is this affliction that will bring not only physical death, but eternal death without the Grace and Mercy of God.
Of course, the man desires to be made whole, but there is no help forthcoming from any other than Christ. The healing of the leprosy of sin cannot be healed by man. “The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” Many times even the disciples tried to step in between Christ and those wanting mercy, but Christ would not allow it. He suffered the little children to come unto Him, the blind Bartemeus, and the woman from the coast of Tyre and Sidon over the objections of those closest to Him. No man can prevent our access to Christ!
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Why wallow in our misery while Christ is near? Why slumber on the water’s edge when the Water of Life stands at the ready to lift us in? It is not a request that we rise up and walk, but a command! If we possess the sure mercies of David, why linger fasting in the Wilderness. We should not only walk where we were unable in times past, but carry our beds as well in doing good and serving others. And to what result? “And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath.” Don’t we see that this poor man, though carrying his bed, had complete rest on this Sabbath Day? His Eternal Sabbath was realized in Christ!
Guess who is watching and burning in wrath and malice? “The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” These men were more concerned about prying particulars than they were about life and healing and truth – as always. This man answers that he cares not about the violation of one of their onerous mandates, but he does care that the Lord has healed him.
“Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.” Jesus may not choose to reveal Himself to us in the crowds, but in a place apart. It is not the influence of the multitudes that bring us to Christ, but Christ Himself. “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” After finding our wounded persons on the Road to Jericho, and healing us to wholeness, the Lord next finds us in His holy Temple which is the heart in which He resides. He will most often reveal Himself to us behind those closed chambers of our hearts. His counsel to the man to “sin no more” is ample evidence that the man was forgiven his sins as well as healed physically.
The man now understands the depth of his healing because he has come to know the greatness of his Redeemer. “The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.” Please note that it was the crippled man who carried his bed on the Sabbath – not Christ. It is for the goodness of His healing the desperate cripple alone that prompted these murderous vultures to desire to kill Christ.
My friend, if you have been found by the wayside of the traffic of life by the loving Savior, have you heard His voice and responded to His invitation. “Wilt thou be made whole?” If so, why linger beside the pool at Bethesda without getting up? Why not take up your former prison (bed), and walk as a new creature in Him who has made you whole? Do so today!
Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold – Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion – Descanso, California
Rev Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE.
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, “…without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts …”
The collect continues on the theme from last week, that without God’s mighty help through the Holy Spirit, we are not able to understand what we need to do to be one with God, to follow His Will; we need Him, through the Holy Ghost, to direct us in our endeavors, beliefs and understanding. We cannot be successful without the help of the Holy Ghost.
This theme is continued and amplified in the Epistle, where Paul writes to the Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 17: Yet henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened and alienated from the life of the God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
Paul basically is saying we should not do as the world does and look into ourselves for guidance in our spiritual lives. If we look to ourselves for inner guidance, nothing good will come out of it. In short, we will be separated from Him for all eternity. We obviously do not want this, so we must look to Him for guidance.Without the help of the Holy Ghost, we will be spiritually blind. We need the Holy Ghost to help us with our spiritual vision. Make no mistake, that fixed gulf is very real. There is a way to avoid this fixed gulf; accept His spiritual help and guidance and to let the Holy Ghost into our lives.
To do that, we must openly accept Him into our hearts and let Him guide our thoughts and actions. This follows the collects words of “Without thee we are unable to please thee”, showing we do need Him in our hearts in able to serve and please Him. This process begins by allowing His guidance to enter into our actions and to make His Way our way, so that we are in alignment with what He wants us to do here on Earth. We are making His picture of the world our Picture, and so we act as He would have us act to align ourselves with His Picture. Saint Paul tells us we must begin to live our lives anew, to leave off the old sinful ways and thoughts of our old lives, to reboot as it were, and to start afresh by being honest, not prone to anger, work hard, to think, speak and act kindness and to forgive as you would have God forgive you.
In short, we are to act on His Instructions, then our lives will change as the natural result of doing what we are supposed to be doing. And our lives will most certainly change for the better if we act and continue to act on His Instructions. Simply saying you believe changes nothing. Change your actions and your heart must in the end follow, with the help of the Holy Ghost. We have to actually change to follow His Word in order for improvement to appear in our lives. Your heart will be renewed through the entrance of the Holy Ghost. This will show up a little later on, but it is an important message which bears repeating. It is the same with many changes you need to make in your life, you have to make them, not just say you are going to make them. In other words, to perform the action and not just say you are going to. Many people never get past the stage of saying they will perform the action, but we need to go farther and actually do the action.
To be successful, Paul says we need to fix ourselves upon the guiding lights of Christ and God and not use ourselves for a moral compass. For if we use our sense of direction, we shall not get far and indeed we will be in much distress, though we would not think it due to our easily corruptible minds. I we rely on Christ as our navigator, He shall never fail us in His directions, if we will but listen to him. He, unlike us, will never let us down or withhold anything that we need to know; the catch is we have to be willing to listen to Him. We have to know He truly knows the way, and that without following His guidance, we cannot have any hope of finding the way on our own. We need to remember this in good times and bad and to always trust in God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost and do our best to follow their instructions to the best our abilities.
Paul also gives very practical and simple, though hard to follow, directions on living our lives:
- Be honest;
- Avoid anger;
- Do not let anger linger over night;
- Follow not the guidance of the devil;
- Quit stealing;
- Work hard;
- Think kindness;
- Speak kindness;
- Act kindness;
- Forgive as you would have God forgive you, which He hath done in Jesus Christ!
These are all fairly common sense concepts that when we utilize them become wonderful human beings and members of the Church.. While there may be hardships here, if we but hold fast to these principles which Saint Paul gives we will find they not only benefit ourselves, but they will help the people around us. And that is what is so wonderful about living life in accordance with the Scriptures. That is what the Gospel is about, spreading the Good News and helping the people around us to become better people and followers of God. When we help others improving in our corner of the world, gradually as the work of the Spirit spreads, more goodness will help improve further corners of the world. It is always a work of constant improvement. We will never full 100% get there in our lives, but if we never give our best attempt we will never get anywhere. So let us do our best to improve and follow Him and not just say we are doing our best.
We move on to the Gospel, where Jesus, attending to a sick man, picks up on the evil thoughts of the temple scribes, who think to themselves Jesus blasphemed. The reason they are thinking that is that they have allowed darkness in their hearts, like the vanity of the Gentiles minds Paul talked about, which prevented them from seeing the truth of the person of Christ. Anyone who is a true Believer would know that God never blasphemes. Then He asks them, which is easier, to forgive the sins or to have the man “Arise and walk”? Jesus is making the point that words are nice, but actions are what really produces fruit in the end. We could talk about spreading the Gospel all day long, but if we never actually go out and do it, it means little.
As always, Jesus’ words are important, but only as His actions always match those words. Jesus doesn’t just talk to hear himself talk, unlike some of the more modern “Christian” television preachers. He talks to make a point and acts in accordance with the point He makes. If we believe His commandments, we will keep them, which means our behavior, our actions, will match His Words. The book Acts of the Apostles, isn’t “Meditations”, “Philosophies” of the Apostles, but Acts. Jesus puts forth emphasis on “Actions speak louder than words” through his actions. Actions truly show where a person’s heart is set. Words do not reveal much about a person’s character alone, you need to look at their actions to see where their heart truly lies. They may profess to be a member of Our Lord’s church, but if their actions do not match his profession then we shall clearly know he is not truly our Christian brother.
Therefore we must make sure our actions match our claimed beliefs in Scripture. If our actions do not match the Scriptures, we are not truly following Christ. Thus we must realign ourselves so that our actions will match Scripture. We will all struggle with this from time to time, but as long as we return to Christ with true repentant hearts, all will be fine with our souls.
If we profess to be Christians, then we need to act like Christians, not just say we are Christians. The ending sentence at the end of the sermons I have given thus far goes, “Be of God”, “Live of God” and finally, last but especially not least “Act of God.” We have to Be of God, and Live of God, to live our lives in a Godly and Christian way, which means as Paul said “Henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk”, so should we not walk in the ways of the world but that of God and His Heavenly Kingdom. Our actions which make up our lives need to be in alignment with the principles of Scripture and need be clearly seen. If our lives are not in alignment with Scripture, then we are not living the faith as God has called us to do.
To Act of God, we must follow the commandments of Christ and act according to them, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. If we actually follow the three step process “Be of God”, “Live of God” and “Act of God”, we will find ourselves in a much better position than walking in the ways of the World.
The time to act is NOW. Will you act? For whom will you act? Will you count the cost before you act?
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, as well as Central and South America.
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
God is Sovereign
23 October 2022, AD
Psalm 72 • Job 24:1-17 • Titus 2
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
O |
GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
There is a rather stark contrast to our Old Testament and New Testament lessons. In the Book of Job, there is a listing of what appears to be a wanton abuse of good people by evil people. They seem to be getting away with all of this abuse.
Job points out they do all this under the supposed protection of darkness. All of this activity is done in what appears to be secret. And yet as Job points out, God does see them, He is aware of their activity, their proclivity to evil, the damage they do with animal like abandon, …behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey:…
All seems to be happening without any intervention by God. The warning against this behavior is found several times in this passage, starting with Verse One: why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days? And again the several references to doing evil in the dark or at twilight, all in an attempt to avoid the Almighty. We know that God does not sleep or slumber, so the implication is He sees all. So, no matter how the wicked try and avoid God’s eyes, they cannot, He sees all.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)
When we compare and contrast the Old Testament lesson with the New Testament lesson we can see several valuable points to aid us in our daily walk with God.
In the Second Chapter of Titus, Paul is writing to new and ‘seasoned’ Christians at the same time. He expresses the need to eat, sleep ,read, and profess sound doctrine. It is of the utmost importance to do these things. As Paul had written to Timothy and to the church at Corinth, he again emphasizes the need to be true to the Gospel message. All of the characteristics that he writes about are an important aspect of behavior, a behavior that the world is watching at all times. The idea of course to see if Christians mess up in their daily lives. We can and we do, we are not perfect, we are forgiven. That is an interesting point that can be made to nonbelievers. We as Christians are not perfect, but we are forgiven our sins when we ask forgiveness of the same.
We are to be sound in faith, in charity, in patience, be teachers of good things, teach younger ones these truths and also showing a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing incorruptness.
As we study this chapter pay attention to Verses 9-11. Many false teachers try to use this and other similar passages to say the Bible promotes slavery. Balderdash. Define servant.
In a very real way, anyone who works for someone else is their servant. I know in our democratic ways we like to think of ourselves as independent beings, but in reality we have a boss or three when we work for others. In theory even if you have your own business, you still have bosses…they are your customers. But now back to the point. As a servant/employee we are not to talk back, follow the orders of the boss(as long as it is legal), don’t steal, this includes playing on the internet, taking long coffee breaks, being idle. Be faithful, be a good worker/servant: why ? Because the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Make sure you show that grace of God in all you do as a person, a worker, a boss, a neighbor, a friend to both believers and non-believers.
E |
XHORT servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
In conclusion, if we know God sees all, that He is Sovereign and has control of all, then it is our duty to God and His Kingdom to live and serve Him all our days. As we reread the last five verses of Titus Chapter Two let us reflect on what aul is expressing as the right way to face the day to day grind we all find ourselves in; we are to look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Know that we cannot do this ourselves, we must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world. We need to speak, exhort and rebuke with all authority, because it is the right thing to do as we serve the Kingdom.
F |
OR the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Let us pray:
A |
LMIGHTY God, who hast bidden us seek that we may find, and who pourest out on all who desire it, the spirit of grace and of supplication; Deliver us, when we draw nigh to Thee, from coldness of heart and wandering of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship thee in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O |
LORD Jesus Christ, who didst say unto Thy Disciples, Come ye apart into a desert place and rest a while; Grant we beseech Thee to Thy servants now gathered together, so to seek Thee whom our souls desire to love, that we may both find Thee and be found of Thee. Grant such love and such wisdom to accompany the words which shall be spoken in Thy name, that they may not fall to the ground, but may be helpful in leading us onward through the toils of our pilgrimage to that rest which remaineth, where, nevertheless, they rest not day nor night from Thy perfect service; who livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen.
D |
IRECT us, O Lord, in all our doings, with Thy most gracious favor, and further us with Thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify Thy holy Name, and finally, By Thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.O Almighty God, who hast built Thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the head cornerstone; Grant, us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
T |
HE Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace, now and for evermore. Amen.
T |
he grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
✟
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, espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
In I Kings 21:17-22 God sent the prophet Elijah to pronounce judgment on wicked King Ahab and his entire family. He was sent to proclaim before Ahab that on account of his murder of Naboth and the unjustified seizing of his property, the king would have no male descendants to inherit his place on the throne of Israel. He also prophesied the death of his wife Jezebel whose known evils aside from the murder of Naboth involved turning her husband in the worship of Baal and harboring a priesthood in the hundreds who attempted to lead the people of Israel away from their worship of the one true and living God and to turn their affection and worship likewise unto Baal. She also sought to eliminate the prophets of the LORD that were preaching in the Kingdom of Israel (I Kings 16:28-33; 18:4). So, yes, she was as they say, “bad news” and God had prepared an end for this wicked couple. So if one were to read further in the books of I and II Kings, you will find that God did indeed put an end to the line of Ahab, and in the gruesome fashion which the prophet had set forth. But none of that had to happen if they had lived their lives according to God’s word written even in their time.
It is understood by every believer that from the beginning, God has called upon mankind to live by his rules for life. He even created a means whereby men and women might be saved from his just wrath to come through the atoning work of his only begotten Son. Nevertheless, unregenerated man continues to listen to the hiss of that same serpent who inspired our first parents to rebel against our Creator God. Our Lord warned that salvation is not obtainable except via the strait gate and narrow way which the LORD God of heaven and earth has provided in his word written. Jesus stated the matter plainly as found in St. John 3:16-21. So let us turn in our bibles to this familiar passage of scripture.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (vv.16-17). Salvation is in Christ alone. The sinner is saved by him in his acceptance of Christ as God’s only begotten Son, and not simply because one attends church, receives the sacrament of baptism or any other work in and of itself. (Yes, we are to be baptized and yes we are to attend church. But those are works that reveal us to be saved not works that can save us from our sins.
But there is more. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (v.18). You see, we are faced with a choice— either we accept Christ as our Saviour, or we reject him. And in our choosing of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are thus alleviated of the condemnation that we carried naturally in our beings before we ever knew Christ— And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (vv.19-20). The unrepentant sinner rejects Christ because he would rather sit in darkness with his sinful deeds rather than confess them to God in Christ and be freed from them. As Pastor Roger Ellsworth once explained, “The tragedy of our day is, we want to bemoan the evil we see all around us while we refuse to deal with our own evil hearts. We want to criticize God for evil while clasping it tightly to our breasts.”
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God (v.21). We who are born again of the Spirit of God are not afraid of the light of God’s truth. We prefer it to the darkness of evil. We are not ashamed of the gospel of the Lord as it is the power of salvation to us and all who believe (Romans 1:17). We desire the company of our God via the Holy Ghost the Comforter who leads and guides us into all truth and away from the error of the wicked (John 16:13; II Peter 3:17).
Nevertheless, in spite of all that God has done to assist mankind, a sizable number still persist in their belief that they are able to save themselves, and that the next leap forward for humanity — apart from God — is just around the corner. If only such people would examine the words of the apostle Paul to young Timothy then they might see things differently. The apostle warned his pupil that, evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (II Timothy 3:13). The apostle spoke of no revival. He spoke of no paradise of progress for humanity as the modernist and the social progressive espouse. He prophesied evil men and deceivers will continue to grow in number until our Lord’s return. And such is a fact of life which we must accept. We cannot fight the good fight of faith if we are in denial about the presence and power of evil not only in individual mortals but in the multifarious institutions of government which have been and are now in place across the world.
As Christians, we know well from its inception, human government has been twisted by Satan to serve his purposes. Even our Lord was tempted with the power to control the nations and empires of the world when Satan said: All this power will I give thee and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine (Luke 4:6-7). The Devil’s message to our Lord was not unknown to him. The Bible tells us rather plainly that the Devil had gained control over this sphere after the fall of man in the Garden. And because he has possession, Satan exerts his influence over those whose hearts lust after power, wealth, and fame. So through his placement of such persons within the various governments across the globe, the Devil has created a willing cadre of elite followers who will do literally anything to retain their offices.
Rev EM Bounds once noted concerning human governments that, “Satan seizes and directs all the mighty forces of this world! War is seized … and is no longer the patriot’s struggle for freedom or the defense of home and native land. Instead, it becomes the tool of despotism; it crushes liberty and enslaves freedom. War carries on a campaign of lust, rape, cruelty, desolation, and death … Money … is diverted by Satan for selfish and unholy purposes … Men become illustrious and esteemed … when they are money-getters and money-keepers. Education … becomes a source of pride and ungodly power … Under the guise of Christian learning, education becomes the most powerful ally to Satan by unsettling faith in God’s Word and opening a wide door of skepticism in the temple of God.”
Dr. Merrill Unger detailed for us the magnitude of the satanic nature of government when he wrote, “Not only is Satan the directing head of [this] world system, but according to Scripture, the system itself is wholly evil … [it] is characterized by pride, lust and war … [it] presents a perpetual peril to the child of God … [Satan] is the god of this age, the head of a powerful world system, and through human governments is the director of the affairs of unregenerate men, albeit unknown to them…”
While God is sovereign over his creation, the Devil has a limited scope of authority for now until our Lord returns to cast him out. Look at Revelation chapters 21and 22. We who are born again of the Holy Spirit will inherit a kingdom unlike anything this world has seen since before the fall of man in the Garden. For it is that kingdom which God has prepared for all who truly love him and seek his will. But for the moment, the plan of God is to let evil run its course until the glorious appearing of our Saviour.
So what should we be doing now? We should be witnesses of the good news of God’s grace to those around us. We ought to be working to preserve the good things about our governments and our countries which the Lord has extended to us. It is clear from Scripture that we should be busy — occupied — until the return of our Lord and King. Jesus the Messiah is coming back. Our duty then is to live following his commandments and continue to stand for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (St. Jude 3). Wicked governments and evil rulers will increase culminating in the worst of them all, the Antichrist and his wicked governmental system. We know that he is coming, but we know from Scripture that he will not endure for, in the words of Martin Luther, “. . .lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him.” So then keep to the true faith. Read your bibles and follow God’s word for they are the words of life. The institutions of today, and the people who fill them, are transitory and temporary. Consider that last point in light of the words of the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822):
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Such aptly describes the coming end of all human government. St. Peter tells us that the world and every thing upon it shall one day be burned off by the word of God. As the apostle noted, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness … (II Peter 3:10- 11).
God has promised us a glorious and everlasting home in the New Jerusalem in which righteousness dwells. God is coming back that we might have life, and have it in abundance. The greatest and best government is that of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Embrace him today, and then go and communicate the same to others.
Let us pray,
O |
MOST holy and gracious God, whose hand no being either natural or supernatural can turn aside, give us such a filling of thy Spirit, that we would live in obedience to thy will, and do those things which thou hast given us to perform in thy service; for these things we ask in the name of our Lord and King, even Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week,
Bryan+
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 Anglican Orthodox Church 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 Anglican Orthodox Church to be prayed for?
No! The only qualification to be on the list is that you want our prayer team to pray for you. We are Christians and are happy to pray for you, no matter who you are. If you want help from God, you are our kind of people.
What is the commitment from the prayer team?
Each member of the team will pray for the desired outcome at last once per day.
How do I get myself or someone else on the prayer list?
You can email one of the prayer team leaders: Jack – jack@faithfulcenturion.org or Dru – dru@ faithfulcenturion.org, or call the office at (619) 659-3608 or fill out a prayer card at your 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 our happy duty 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!
Corona Virus
With most of the world on some form of restriction, we ask you pray for the governments be guided into appropriate reaction and scientists find cures and vaccines and that the virus pass each of us by.
Whitney Cruz has Covid and a reduced immune system.
Laurie, daughter of Jim and Mary Lou Flanagan has post-Covid lung damage, dizziness, falling, blacking out and loss of time relation. Please pray that they find a cure for these problems for Laurie.
Four of the kids from Bishop Jerry’s home parish have come down with Covid. Please pray for their complete and rapid recovery, as well as to know what treatment they need.
Sandra (63) and her two grandchildren. Sandra and her daughter live in New York and recently got Covid requiring hospitalization and ventilators in ICU. Sandra’s daughter died in ICU and Sandra pulled through and is now home. She is coping with traumatic grief, as she did not get to see or get to be near her daughter in her time of need, confusion on how to proceed on providing for and protecting her and her grandchildren who are teenagers. Please pray for the Lord’s comfort in
Bishop David Pressey and his wife Elizabeth, from St. George’s Anglican Church of Ventura are recovering from Covid. Please pray for their complete and rapid recovery, as well as to know what treatment they need.
Bill Hall is still having difficulty breathing and with his ability to move about.
Kai Mandella – Loss of Lung Function
Donald and his family. Donald has Covid, is medically sedated, and has been on a ventilator for a number of days. He makes a little progress and then experiences a setback. This had been a rollercoaster pattern now for a while. Please pray that our Heavenly Father will restore him to health and that He will meet the emotional and financial needs of the family at this time. Donald has a wife and four children.
Travel
No known travel this week.
Birthdays
Dru Arnold celebrated her 67th birthday on 2 February 2022, she saw her shadow, so there will six more weeks of winter, Southern California style, that is lows in the mid-thirties, highs around 60°F.
Jim Flanagan celebrated his 83rd birthday 12 January 2022.
Immediate Prayer Please
Deanna Sampson went in Thursday for cataract surgery and found she had an irregular heartbeat with precluded the operation. Please pray for resolution of the heartbeat problems so she can get her cataract operation.
Rachel and Joshua Richards have been hit hard by a virus infection, Rachel in particular is having a hard time recovering. Please pray for their complete and rapid recovery.
Hap Arnold fractured his right elbow as the result of a fall due to his own inattention. Please pray for a full and rapid recovery and patience for him.
Henry Johnson (age 3) suffers from a rare form of epilepsy. Please join his parents in praying a treatment regimen can be found to treat his condition.
Roy Morales-Kuhn is having trouble shaking a serious sinus infection. Please pray they can find the right antibiotic to help him recover fully and quickly.
Tricia Marie now has Covid and is still recovering from a stroke on 11 December 2021, she has recovered from the vision loss from the stroke, but she is still plagued with terrible headaches which had been bothering her for months since she got the Moderna vaccine and now dizziness. They found a 5 mm aneurysm at the base of her skull which may the source of some of her headaches. She has had almost no real sleep or rest for months. She has gotten some relief from the headache from a Botox injection series, may that continue. Please pray for relief from the headache, nausea and pain and rest for her, for guidance for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating her and a full and rapid recovery, for peace of mind for her and her family.
Shamu is totally exhausted, but in relatively good spirits. Shamu has a terrible headache, is in a lot of pain; feels like she has been stabbed, totally exhausted and weak, but her faith is incredibly strong. They have found a mass in her upper abdomen which must be investigated. She asks you pray for guidance for the medical people helping her. After 36 surgeries, she is quite very weak, but strong in her trust in our Lord as she goes through this difficult time. She needs your prayer. Please.
Tommy Cook is beset by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Congestive Heart failure. It seems there is little that can be done except fight a delaying action against the aggressive pair. At present it seems like the only avenue open is a heart lung transplant and little chance of that. He asks you pray for guidance for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him and the miracle of a full and rapid recovery, for peace of mind for him and his family. He is a very strong Christian and has no concern for himself, but for his wife, children and mother.
Johnie Ratcliff is having breathing issues.
Stephen Ratcliff who is in ICU in Beaumont Hospital in Michigan with problems of liver, kidney and lung issues. They ask you pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating them, that they might pay attention, do their very best and be open to God’s guidance. Please pray for peace of mind for Johnie, Stephen and their wife and mother Paulette.
Brady on the way to enter the armed forces in Virginia Beach, got in a horrible tragic car accident that required surgery to restructure his foot, and back surgery to relieve pressure on his spine and repair the breaks. Please pray for his parents, and that he, unsure of what his future will hold, will understand the Lord Jesus Christ holds his future and He will not fail nor forsake him.
David Connis has Stage Four colon cancer, he can no longer do chemotherapy and has switched to immunotherapy in the hope of surviving to participate in an experimental program in December. Please pray for strength and guidance for him and his nine year old daughter, as well as what we consider a good outcome.
John Crawford, of Tennessee, is in ICU for treatment of pancreatitis. Please pray for guidance for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him and for peace of mind for John and his family and for a good result.
Lori Barnett had a large mass in her abdomen surgically removed which turned out to be cancerous. She has begun chemotherapy. Please pray for the cessation of pain and discomfort for her and for her to tolerate the chemotherapy.
George Gunn, a dear friend of Bishop Jerry, is in hospital with several afflictions, most serious is MRSA. He and wife Becky ask your prayers for healing.
George Johnson, MD, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. From Dr. George Hardin Johnson, I need all my friends and prayer warriors to pray for me, that the new chemo pill (meds) that the doctor ordered will be use mightily by the Lord Jesus to heal my body. Pray that there will be no side effects and my body can handle the meds. Thanks and God bless you all for your prayers in the mighty name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. We know God is in full control and we are trusting in Him to give George a complete healing!
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. In multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells
While there is no cure for multiple myeloma, the cancer can be managed successfully in many patients for years; the average life expectancy is 4 years. However, some people beat the odds and live 10 to 20 years or more.
The most common cause of death related to multiple myeloma is infection, with pneumonia being the most common fatal infection. Other common causes of death are bleeding (from low platelet counts), complications of bone fractures, kidney failure, and blood clots in the lungs.
Hank Mook recently had surgery on a five inch rare pleomorphic non-small cell lung carcinoma which was removed along with a lung lobe, it had not spread. He will need chemotherapy which will begin 5 April 2021. The family is asking for prayers for complete healing. Praising God for successful surgery. Please pray for trust in God, comfort and strength for Hank, his wife Patti and family as they go through the time ahead.
Rev Jack Andrews, his family and all those living in Fiji Islands just went through a Category Five Cyclone with another one coming their way. They were a month without electric, however, they did have solar power so they were able to make it through the month without incident and are preparing for the next event. Please pray for them to make it through the next storm safely.
Howard Tatum, a good friend of Bishop Jerry, has been hospitalized with heart problems. Please pray the people treating him will be open to God’s guidance, pay attention and do their very best to help him. Pray he and his family will keep their trust in our Lord and not worry.
Greg was in an explosive work accident leading to burns over 65% of his body. He is in the hospital and will be for months. Also pray for his mother, who recently lost her husband and now is overseeing her son’s care; she is disabled and in a wheel chair.
Lauralee Meade has tested positive for Covid 19; she is only moderately concerned as she has no symptoms. She asks you pray she stay that way and test negative so she can visit her mother. Please pray also for a complete remission of her cancer. Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.
Inga, the wife of Tore, requests prayer for her husband in Norway. He is awaiting surgery for a heart valve and kidney transplants. He is nearing surgery. Please pray for trust in the Lord for her, her husband and family and friends who are so very worried about him. Pray also for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him that they might be open to God’s guidance for treatment, pay attention and do their very best to help him. Pray for a good outcome.
Angela Walker has Covid and has been hospitalized and currently is in the ICU doing poorly. Please pray for trust in the Lord for her, her husband, two young children and family and friends who are so very worried about her. Pray also for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating her that they might be open to God’s guidance for treatment, pay attention and do their very best to help her. Pray for a good outcome.
Rhonda, a close friend of Angie Colgrove, has Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer[1]. Please pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating her that they might be open to God’s guidance, pay attention and do their very be Please pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Rhonda and her family.
Elizabeth Pressey, wife of AOC Bishop Dave Pressey, is seriously ill. Please pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating her that they might be open to God’s guidance, pay attention and do their very be Please pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Elisabeth, Dave, their son Eddie and family.
Zephaniah Leguman – the Iron Bishop of the Pacific – has been diagnosed with a serious eye affliction that could lead to blindness. It presently stop deteriorating and seems to be improving. Please give thanks for this positive movement and pray the condition will continue to abate.
Gary Anderson of Enterprise has been hospitalized with unknown illness. He requests prayer for diagnosis and healing.
Corrie Marsh, daughter of Ida Benson, is facing serious medical procedures in coming days. Please pray for trust in God for Corrie and her family and for the doctors, nurses and technicians to pay attention and do their very best, as well as to be open to God’s guidance.
Cyrus has blood cancer and is very very ill. Please pray the doctors treating him will pay attention and do their very best. Pray also for comfort and peace for Cyrus and his family; pray that if it not be that he will recover that he past restfully to home.
Evelyn, an 88 year young woman is losing her eyesight to glaucoma. Evelyn has been transferred to a rehabilitation facility and is not doing well due to the virus restrictions, she cannot receive visitors even her family. Evelyn, even with hearing aids does not hear well and cannot see well, so she is discouraged without her family around her. She feels all alone and her family is very concerned. Please pray for God to guide those treating her and for her to let God carry her worry.
Jill was on life support; her family members traveled a great distance to see her and returned home safely. Jill’s condition improved to critical, but needs your prayers to continue her recovery.
Samson Hendrik has prostate cancer and his kidneys are not working. Pray our Lord Jesus Christ will be close to him and his family of friends during this illness.
In need of a miracle or understanding of God’s Plan
Marc Eisberner, Amy Jamieson biological father, is approaching the end of his time here on earth due to various untreatable forms of cancer. His beliefs are at best open to question. She asks that you pray for a peaceful passing to wherever he is bound and peace for his family left behind and an opening of a window in God’s world for them.
John Thomas, of Malaysia, a long time friend of Bishop Jerry, a persevering servant of the Lord for many years. His health has begun to fade in his present age of 79. Please pray the Lord will extend a merciful hand to John, and his devoted wife Gina, in working out His perfect will for both.
Joey Angelica is a recovering addict with liver cancer and diabetes, he lost his job during the plandemic, then found out he has liver cancer. He is a very strong Christian, he and his friend Vicki ask that you pray for his recovery and continued trust in God.
Michael Baran – End stage congestive heart failure. 20 March 20 at 10:56 AM To all my friends and family I had to go to the hospital in Rochester NY where I had my implant mechanical heart assist pump placed in my abdomen. I have end stage heart failure. On Wednesday I had to go to the hospital I was in need of a wheelchair I was very weak and I needed to have someone push me because I got short of breath, and I was so weak, I needed assistance to get up out of the wheelchair. I had to do a walk test and I had to have help to stand up my blood pressure was so low. I fell back In to the wheel chair. I tried to walk after they got me up and was able to use the hand rail and walk about a hundred feet there were two aids behind me I had to stop and nearly collapsed. They kept me from going down. After all the tests were done the Nurse practitioner reviewed over the results. I had one valve replaced about 6 months ago. But now the other 3 are leaking, there is not much they can do for me.
Yesterday I prayed that if God didn’t need me here. to take me home. I long to be free of this old body and to see my Lord, my family and friends that have gone on to their rewards, to be with them evermore. I told the Lord if he needs me here then he needs to renew my strength so that I can walk.
I woke up this morning and felt good. I got up to go to the bathroom and to my surprise I did not struggle to stand up!!! I actually walked to the bathroom without a walker. I am back in bed crying as I write this to you as the Holy Spirit brought to my mind Isaiah 40:31 ..Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength and shall soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary they shall walk and not faint.
I have been unable to walk more than 100 ft or so, for the last six months in the last two weeks my oxygen saturation was as low as 74 and unable to walk without a walker. have a lift chair-recliner in the TV room. I am now able to get up without it.!!!
My God is an awesome God he has heard my prayers and has indeed strengthened me.!!!
Janine Alvarado’s daughter has what appears to be terminal cancer, she is in much pain, in and out of the hospital. She asks that you pray for a miraculous recovery for her daughter and if that not be God’s will, a safe passing home. She asks you pray also for peace of mind and strength for both of them.
Neal has heart problems and is very weak, he also has COPD, kidney problems, his potassium is too high, he came back from the point of death. He is now home and permanently on oxygen. He is doing well, for that he and his family are grateful and ask your thanksgiving prayers. More importantly, please pray Neal will accept salvation through our Lord and Savior.
Paul is in hospice and ready to meet His Lord. Please pray for Paul as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Pray for the faith of his family to build and the transition to be good.
Dot is an elderly woman with liver cancer. Please pray for Dot 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.
Mrs. Tiffany (90) has chosen to refuse extraordinary care as it will not gain much earthly time. The Tiffanys have been together for a long, long, long time. Pray for Mrs. Tiffany and her husband as together they begin this Journey to be with their Lord.
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.
Ron had a Heart Attack, at the hospital he found out he also has Kidney Cancer. He is a man of faith and is in need of prayer for his health and that the Lord will provide strength for his family.
Krysti is off life support and able to talk, please give thanks for the good news. She is still unable to feel her legs. When that comes back she will go to a rehabilitation facility. Krysti has used drugs, has high blood pressure, is diabetic and has organ failure. Her families are with her and will appreciate your prayers.
Pat has metastatic osteosarcoma; there is little that can be done. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Pat’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Pat and family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
Amy has been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and has cancer all over her body, and in one of her kidneys which are no longer functioning. Amy and her family have asked for prayer to stop the growth and to aid the family financially with the medical bills. At present she has to have surgery every two months to place stents. Pray Jesus will be close to all.
Gemma Dillinger has been treating for breast cancer for over a year now, after surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy, she is reaching the limit of her tolerance with no end in sight. Please pray for her to gain strength and ground on the cancer. Help her to continue with her faith in our Lord, she is not afraid to go home, but wants to make sure it is time. Pray she will be encouraged to not give up until it is her time to go and that her time here on earth with her family will be good.
Janet has had a blood borne cancer for several years. Her faith in the Lord is great and she is ready to be with Him. Pray she will be encouraged to not give up until it is her time to go.
Holly has had Colon Cancer, Breast Cancer and now it is in her spine. Please pray for guidance for the medical personnel treating Holly, for a miraculous remission; that Holly’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Holly and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror. Pray for strength and courage for Holly.
Tim was on a kidney transplant list and started dialysis and was taken off the transplant list for a heart problem that required stents, while putting in stents a leaking valve was found. A port was put in and something happened and it has to be redone. In several days he will have a valve replaced, after heart surgery and recover he will go back on the transplant li Please remember him in prayer in the days and weeks ahead. Pray he will put his worry on God’s shoulders so he might be at peace and re Pray for those treating him that they might pay attention and do their best.
Marilyn has been diagnosed with non-operable pancreatic cancer. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Marilyn’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Marilyn and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
June found she has a recurrence of colon cancer, which is now Stage Four, that is it has spread. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that June’s remaining time here hon earth might be good. Help June and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
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 some time. 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.
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.
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.
Homebound or Infirm
Jim and Pam Lanno – After Jim was recovering from a heart attack, he noticed something was off. Soon came the diagnosis of ALS along with dementia. He is in his early 60s. Pam is learning the role of care taker and overwhelmed and fearful at times. Both are good Christians and love the Lord with all their hearts. Pray for God’s Comfort and Guidance for both and all caretakers who assist.
Babe in her late 80s is experiencing an inability to move at times throughout her day and fear of anyone helping her. Please pray for her family who are caretakers that they may be able to provide the care she needs.
John has Alzheimer’s pray he will call on God to help him as he deals with this.
Steve, brother in law of Paul Martin, appears to have early onset dementia. Steve had teenage children and is very concerned for them. Please pray for the disease to stall or abate and for peace of mind for Steve and his family.
Joan has had serious medical problems that have kept her confined. Please pray her health will remain stable.
Surgery
Edware is having his fourth back surgery (in the last four years) Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Edware and his family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Jeff has been undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation since October for pancreatitis and Pancreatic cancer. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Jeff, his wife and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
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.
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.
Testing and Treatment
Melissa Morgan, a young woman in her thirties just found out she has ovarian cancer. Pray with Melissa, her family and friends the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Melissa, her family and friends in this worrisome time.
April and her husband ask you prayers for the Lord to guide them and lead them both to the correct medical care; and that the family may receive comfort in the process.
Josh has two little children and just discovered he has a rare form of Cancer. Please keep him and his family in your prayers in the days ahead.
Ross an elderly gentleman has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Ross has had good health until now, your prayers at this time will be appreciated by his family and friends.
Carman was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Pray for her family as they continue to help her get the proper care. Pray with Carman, her family and friends that the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Carman, her family and friends in this worrisome time.
Tina just found out she has cancer on her left kidney. Please pray for guidance for the people treating her and for trust in our Lord for Tina and her family.
Martha is now home after testing and she does not have cancer, but she does have bad kidneys and is adjusting and getting ideas to work with that. Please pray for guidance for the people treating her and for trust in our Lord for her.
Spencer has been diagnosed with Autism. Please pray for guidance for the people treating him and for trust in our Lord for him and his mother Lorna.
Michael has cancer of the blood and is starting chemotherapy. Please pray for the physicians treating him to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Michael.
Jim Sevier has been in the hospital for heart related troubles. Please pray with Jim and his family the physicians treating him will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Jim and his family in this worrisome time.
Claude has been falling and he does not know why. Pray doctors will discover what the problem is and he can continue without any more difficulties.
Gretchen has been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis and is now being treated with exercise, nutrition and vitamins. Please pray with Gretchen and her family the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Gretchen and her family in this worrisome time.
Pete has not been well and is back in the hospital with another stroke. Please pray for the physicians treating him to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Pete and his family in this worrisome time.
Mary Lee has bleeding into her stomach and they cannot find the sources. Mary Lee is in CCU and her husband Maurice is not eating until she returns home for is so upset. Please pray for the physicians treating her to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for her, Maurice, as well as the rest of the family in this worrisome time.
Glenn Porter, MAJ USMC Retired, has Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis, which causes him to be unable to get enough oxygen into his system without supplemental oxygen all the time. The only real treatment is a lung transplant, without a transplant he has between two to five years here on earth. Please pray for him to continue in his faith and for a set of lungs to become available.
Pat has an aneurism of the brain, pray she will make the right decision on how to treat this problem and it will be healed.
Dan is very sick with cancer and is starting an experimental treatment. This treatment will take Dan away from their family business and put even more stress on him and his family. Please pray for Dan’s wife who is meeting with Steve who plans to keep the family business going while Dan is ill. Pray for Steve as he has many new responsibilities.
Timothy has brain cancer. He had surgery and is waiting for the pathology report to find out what kind of chemo he will need. Please pray for continued guidance for the medical team treating Timothy and patience and trust in God for Timothy and his family. Pray also for a full recovery for Timothy.
Elma has been suffering with headaches for a long time. Doctors have not been able to discover the reason for them. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Elma and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for her that they might find the best treatment method to banish the headaches completely.
Deborah has had a stroke, she is doing much better and out of the hospital. She has a problem with anemia and is taking supplements for that. Pray our Lord will be close to her and her family. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Deborah and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for her that they might find the best treatment method to allow her to heal completely.
Rev. Steve Boardman has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Pray that Jesus will be close and comfort his family and members of his congregation.
Hang So Ryu has cancer. Please pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very be Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for him and his family, as well as physical strength.
Olivia, age 7, has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Lymphoma. The prognosis is good at this time, please pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very be Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Olivia and her family, as well as physical strength.
Paul has been hospitalized recently several times because of persistent high fevers. He is being tested and checked by physicians and seems to have a slight scoliosis, a node and Schuermann’s disease. Please pray it will be discovered how to treat these problems and healing will begin so he will be inspired to continue his education.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Madisun Hanks (19) has Tourette’s Syndrome and suffers from horrible migraine headaches. There are various very high risk treatments which provide some relief. None of them are close and none are easy. Madisun is truly one of the most inspiring young ladies we have ever come across, her attitude and actions are almost unbelievable. No one should have to go through what she does, but she makes it through and performs incredibly when others just get by. Please pray for Madisun, her mom Hilda who guides her through all this and those treating her.
Hilda Hanks has developed diabetes, which resulted in the need for eye surgery and has difficulty with the added stress in her life. Pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating her to pay attention, to be open to God’s guidance and do their very be Pray for trust in our Lord and peace of mind for Hilda and Madisun.
Linda recently had a basal cell carcinoma removed and she is doing well, 15 years with Multiple Myeloma is doing great. She is continuing bimonthly chemo and this keeps her going strong, she is grateful for all prayers.
Chris Hill (close friend of Jon Weston) suffered a brain aneurysm and needs your prayers. He came out of a coma he had been in since the week before Christmas 2016. He is now in a stepdown facility. Every day is a new day to him; his memory seems to have been damaged to a point where it is not recovering so far. Pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him to pay attention, to be open to God’s guidance and do their very be Pray for trust in our Lord and peace of mind for Chris and his family.
Rev Bill had a stroke. Pray he will stay comfortable and Jesus will be close by, please pray for a full and rapid recovery.
Vickie has been bothered with Migraines and all that go with the headaches. Please pray for relief from the pain for Vickie.
Jon has Stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma. There is good news in that he is in remission; however the chemotherapy is producing neuropathy in his legs so it is a challenge for him to get around. Please pray that he will be as comfortable as possible; he has been a Marathon runner so this is especially difficult.
Amy has melanoma in her lungs, liver and kidneys; they have found a treatment for her that has a high success rate however the side effects are debilitating. Please pray she will be able to tolerate the side effects and the treatment is successful. Amy has full trust in the Lord, but would still appreciate your prayers.
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.
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.
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 choose 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.
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.
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.
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, she is doing much better and she and her family thank you for your prayers. Her pain level is high and some medications have bad side effects. Please continue her in Prayer in the weeks ahead as she heals.
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.
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.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) is recovering from a hip replacement operation years overdue; please give thanks for her seemingly great recovery and pray for it to continue. Kay has had a stroke and has residual vision and balance problems and needs a knee replacement to be able to move about. She still has many physical difficulties in connection with her dialysis and related problems. She has been on dialysis for many years and has cascading problems. She had been feeling very down and depressed, but has turned a corner. Please pray she retain the cheerful outlook on life that has characterized her being and for continued peace of mind for Mrs. Kay and her family. Give thanks for her trust in the Lord and her positive attitude.
Healing and Patience
Angie Colgrove has various problems and challenges, physical, mental, and spiritual. She asks you pray for guidance for her and those treating her, as well as for her family.
Kym (43) has various hip problems which seems to be related to osteoarthritis. And, her mother Ruth is in the early stages of dementia. Pray for guidance for those treating both of them, as well as patience and trust in the Lord for both of them.
Christopher has had problems with his leg for some time. Now he has to have it casted and it will stay that way for what to him seems an interminable time. Pray for patience and peace of mind for this young man who has much he wants to do.
James for the Lord’s healing of health issues and give a remedy for many personal challenges at the moment.
Thanksgiving and Continued Healing
Major Tom Connell, a good friend of Hap Arnold, had surgery on 25 February 2022, for abdominal cancer to remove a tumor. Tom underwent chemotherapy for over a year, which he did not tolerate well. But, his most recent PET scans came back completely clean. He has some chemotherapy to complete and further testing. Tom asks you join him in a prayer of thanksgiving and continued healing. Tom is a good guy and a faithful Christian; he is grateful for weathering this storm and the comfort God provided to him and his family.
Barbara (Paulette Ratcliff’s) sister, has battled stomach cancer through removal of tumor and chemotherapy but the tumor returned at 7 centimeters. She had apparently successful surgery on Friday 24 June 2022. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and for a full and rapid recovery and for full remission of the cancer. Pray also for peace of mind for Barbara, her children, her sisters and brothers.
Deborah Drucilla, sister of Bishop Jerry, was hospitalized with a number of issues including blood clot in her liver. She is now home. Please give thanks for a good result so far and a full and rapid recovery, for peace of mind for her and her family.
Wendy Hinman, one of Hap Arnold’s backseaters from the Air Force and a great Christian of much faith, had successful double bypass surgery on 14 March 2022 to replace two stents which failed. He ended up with a lung blood clot and back in the hospital. He is back home again. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and for continued healing and for peace of mind. He is depressed and beset by thoughts he does not want to confront.
Ken Harris underwent apparently very successful quadruple bypass surgery on 8 April 2021, please give thanks for that and continued healing and recovery.
Bill had surgery November 2016 for a kidney tumor; he is one kidney short, but recovering very well for the present. It appears the cancer has spread to another spot. Please pray for Bill as he undergoes chemotherapy and perhaps other treatment. Pray Bill and his family will stay strong in their faith and draw the strength they need from our Lord.
Cindy (81) had an operation to remove a cancerous growth in her stomach which was successful. She is now home, but in a bit of pain. Please give thanks for the good result, pray for full and complete healing and remission of the cancer, as well as cessation of the pain; pray also for continued faith for Cindy and her husband Les (91).
Ruby broke her hip on 10 December 2015, surgery was successful. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and pray for her full and rapid recovery.
Terry was undergoing radiation treatment for cancer, which he had to stop to amputate his leg below the knee due to diabetes. The surgery was successful, he has been fitted with a prosthetic leg and foot. He is in good spirits and positive about the remainder of his treatment. Please join Terry and his family in giving thanks for the successful surgery and continue to pray for his return to radiation treatment and then to chemotherapy, ask God to give Terry, his wife and seven year old son trust in him for peace of mind and heart, as well.
Janet Jessup had a stroke and heart problems were causing huge issues for her. They seem to have gotten her stabilized and she is home. Please pray for those treating her to find the appropriate treatment and for trust in God and peace of mind for Janet and her family, in particular her husband of 45 years, Rev Roger Jessup, retired minister of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church.
Sam had surgery on his entire large intestine that had become infected. At the time of the operation he was just hours away from a complete organ shutdown. He had had turmoil in his life over the years. Sam is now in the ICU and his Minister visited him and explained to him God had given him another chance for him to make things right with his Lord. Pray for his good health and his spiritual life with Jesus.
Ian had surgery to remove excess skin rendered a nuisance by controlled lost of 200 pounds. Please give thanks for the successful result and for those treating him to have paid attention and done their very best on the lengthy surgery, taking the best possible care of him. Please pray for his continued recovery and strength for his Mother who will be in charge of his after care.
Jenniffer had surgery for breast cancer on 15 October 2014. She continues to have other complications which preclude her from making a full recovery in particular, the reconstructive surgery seems to have gravely affected her back muscles and nerves, resulting in both very limited mobility and extreme pain, the drugs are making her terribly sick; please pray those will be overcome. 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.
Elma is suffering from cancer. She was taken home from the hospital on the advice of her Doctor. We were asked to pray Elma’s remaining time here on earth might be good and 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.
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.
Financial Guidance and Employment
Kona is applying for a job in the hospital. Pray our Lord will find the right position for her and she will glorify Him in the work.
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.
Lori is considering a potential change in her employment. Please pray for God’s guidance in considering all aspects of her potential work.
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.
Guidance
Jackie and her son Tommy, Jackie 10 years free of substance use, returned to substance use while pregnant with Tommy who was born free of substances. Tommy has been removed from her and placed with Grandparents. Pray for the Grandparents strength and courage to raise Tommy in a Godly way and for Jackie to return to the Lord and give up substance use and become a responsible Mother.
Zachary is still having huge problems growing up. He has backed away from much of the evil, but seemingly has adopted the sloth as his ‘spirit animal’ and does not want to move forward in life. Pray his parents Lee and Shamu will come to see what course of action they can take to help Zachary and safeguard his brother and sister. Please pray for God’s guidance for all of them and in particular for Zachary to open his heart to God and his parents help.
Linda is slowly converting her children through her great loving attitude and Love of the Lord.
Judy seemingly does not want to allow the Holy Ghost into her heart so she might come to know our Lord and Savior, despite the efforts of her family. Please pray for her to open her heart and for her family to be at peace with their efforts.
Barbara has been recovering from cancer for the last three years. Pray for her husband Bill who has come down with a mental illness that may have been caused by much stress the last few years. Barbara and Bill will appreciate your prayers.
Larry is very weak and has periods of confusion and depression. Larry has been in the hospital and recently moved to a rehab. Please keep him in prayer as he begins to gain strength in the days ahead.
Thomas recently learned as the result of a parole violation he will not be allowed to return to society for the remainder of his life. He is despairing and fearful of his inability to cope with this new news and God’s plan for his life. Please pray he will be able to work with God to live with the choices he has made and go forward.
Cam has gotten into some of the issues being with the wrong crowds, too much dinking and making the wrong decisions. Pray he will ask God to send the Holy Ghost in to straighten things out and he will listen when He speaks to him.
Paul recently had his large toe amputated due to diabetes and is having a difficult recovery filled with fear about dying. He recently accepted Jesus as his savior and his family Rosie and Brenda are very grateful. Pray for strength for both Rosie and Brenda who are staying by his side through it all encouraging him on.
Steve is addicted to alcohol, pain pills and gambling. Pray for wisdom, courage and strength to stick with treatment and follow God’s plan for his life.
Eli has some mental issues and has lost his way. He has yet to come to grips with the demons chasing him. He has returned to his family living in a cottage on his parents’ property in Hawaii so that they can keep him on his meds. He is doing much better, but he still needs prayer to follow his medication schedule. His parents are so thankful for all of the prayers as they have felt the Holy Spirit’s power in handling Eli during his dark periods.
Michael and his Family ask your prayers for wisdom as they are under trial and affliction to follow the law of the land and yet honor God in so doing.
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 she will be able to let God carry her worry and sorrow so she can do the things she must do.
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.
Helene and her family ask your prayers for them as they deal with the loss of Alan, husband and father.
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.
Sam and her two children 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.
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.
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.
Sara asks that you pray for guidance for her as she deals with the stresses of life. Pray 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 to keep up with the needs of her husband and healing her own problems.
Jacquie to open her heart to God and accept His Love and Grace.
School Challenges
Destiny, Blake and Janet
Anglican Orthodox Church
Solomon Islands
Please pray for Bishop Zephaniah, the AOC and all the peoples of the Solomon Islands who are experiencing civil unrest as a result of the government switching their alliance from Taiwan to Communist China.
Diocese of Central and South America
Rev Miguel Madera was received into the Anglican Orthodox Church on 13 August 2018, with the AOC mission of San Augustin de Canterbury, La Plata, Argentina.
Indonesia
Please pray for the Lord’s will regarding the establishment of an AOC church in Indonesia.
Pakistan
General and Ongoing – The forces of evil are strong in Pakistan. The force of God stronger. Pray for our Christian family there.
Ernest Jacob
Presiding Bishop Pakistan
Congo
Jimmy is a missionary in the Congo. There has been violent unrest in this country and also a water shortage. Please pray people will find water to drink and Jimmy will be a means of helping others to find the Lord.
Philippines
We are generally doing good, except that all boundary checkpoint out were tightened again due to the DELTA VARIANT entered the city. On the other side, our members in Tulodan are now experiencing famine due to the effect of the recent continues heavy rains during the month of July to early August which completely destroyed their vegetable plantation.
Bishop Anthony Pangsiw
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, had to retire as he was so pressed by the duties of a primary care giver, in addition to all the worries of this world. Pray for trust in God for each member of the parish and for them to find economic relief.
Columbiq
I am writing to request your prayers for Colombia, my country. At this moment frightful things are happening, a great diabolical shadow is cast over this nation.
- The Constitutional Court in a tyrannical way has decriminalized the crime of abortion in Colombia, even up to six months. This is an illegitimate process, the court is legislating, something that is not within the competence of the judges, on the other hand the issue of abortion was a cause judged in 2006, which is why it should not be judged again in 2022. But socialist groups, international elites, social engineers and feminist groups have not given up on the issue. They want to traffic in death.
- The candidate of the extreme left Gustavo Petro is close to become the president of Colombia, this is a man who in his youth was a guerrilla criminal, a vile and despicable man who has always served the interests of drug trafficking, he was an advisor to Chavez who implanted Communism in Venezuela, his second home is Communist Cuba.
- The same court approved the movement of Gustavo Petro called: “la Colombia Humana”, it gave him the status of a political party, with this, he has the possibility of getting to introduce at least 15 congressmen, basically he is close to kidnapping all the powers, he already has the judicial power in his pocket, he only lacks the executive and the legislative. We are close to the precipice, we trust in a miracle of God.
We hope you support us with your prayers, I will ask the brothers to pray unceasingly so that in his mercy we will be saved from these perverse men. God bless you and keep you in all things.
Your servant in Christ,
Bishop José Antonio Rios
Armed Forces & Contractors
Dustin (USAF – Stateside), SGT Donny Patton (USAF – Hulbert Field, Florida), Jordan Brown (USMC – Recruiter – Iowa City, Iowa), Trevor Jennings (USAF – KC-10 Boom Operator – McGuire AFB, NJ), Trevor Di Marco (USN – Whidbey Island, EF-18 Pilot), Kurt Thomas (USN – Headquarters, Virginia), Ethan (US Army Airborne – Southwest Asia) Sarah Schumacher (US Army Kuwait), Lourie DeBoer (NTPS Patuxent River, Maryland)
Housing
WO5 Lourie and Jackob DeBoer have arrived at Lourie’s new duty station at Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland where she will serve as an instructor pilot. Please pray for them to find a home in an area with a good school for Jakob.
Employment
Sharon Derrington is in need of full time employment. Please pray she might find a suitable position.
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
Hap, Jack, Dru, Hope, Ralph, TW, Kathy and many others give thanks for safe travel to Fredericksburg, Texas for the annual meeting of the Organization of Flying Adjusters.
WO5 Lourie and Jackob DeBoer give thanks for safe travel to Lourie’s new duty station at Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland where she will serve as an instructor pilot. Please pray for them to find a home in an area with a good school for Jakob.
Amy Jamieson gives thanks for safe travel to see her father in Seattle.
Jim Flanagan gives thanks for his pacemaker returning to service.
Tricia gives thanks for her recovery from Covid.
Jim and Mary Lou Flanagan both give thanks for recovering from their serious reactions to the second Covid booster which they felt compelled to take.
Shamu gives thanks for recovery from Covid.
Rev Yves Mera and his wife give thanks for recovery from Covid.
Eddie Pressey from St. George’s Anglican Church of Ventura gives thanks for recovery from Covid.
Lynn and Katie Hall give thanks for recovery from Covid.
Amy Jamieson gives thanks for recovery from Covid.
Hope and Ralph DeLong give thanks for recovery from Covid.
Coming Up
30 October 2022 – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity Sunday – 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
[1] The average 5-year survival rate for women with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer is 91%. The average 10-year survival rate for women with invasive breast cancer is 84%. If the invasive cancer is located only in the breast, the 5-year survival rate of women with breast cancer is 99%