There will be no Children’s Church during the 11:15 service from June 1st through August 31st.

If you have any questions regarding special needs arrangements during this time, please contact Mrs Christie or Miss Robyn.

Important Note: We will still have Sunday School for adults and children of all ages at 10:30 each Sunday. We look forward to seeing you and your kids there!

If you are interested in volunteering or assisting with Children’s Church in the Fall, please contact the parish office at admin@allsaintsanglican.net or via phone at (210) 344-1920.

Thanks for a great year and have a fun, safe, and blessed summer!

“What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul.”

“While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.”

“We were created for a purpose much greater than ourselves, the kind of purpose that can only be accomplished in the power of his Spirit.”

~ Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt

Available in the All Saints Amazon Bookstore.

Reviewed by Lillie Ammann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book had such an impact on me that I’m still thinking about two weeks after I’ve finished reading it. If I could give a higher rating, I would rate it 10 stars.

Although it reads like a novel, this is a true story of a horrific crime that included the murders of the author’s wife and two sons, severe injuries to the author, the destruction of his home by arson, and the conviction of his daughter along with three others for the crime.

Terry Caffey was in the medical supply business but had been very active in his church and on the verge of being ordained as a minister. By all accounts the family was loving and happy except for what seemed like normal teenage rebellion from a sixteen-year-old girl who was involved with a boy the parents didn’t approve of. Then a week after his father’s funeral, the family was brutally attacked in their home. Terry awoke from unconsciousness (apparently the killers thought he was dead) and found his wife dead next to him and the house engulfed in flames and smoke. He couldn’t reach the three children he thought were on the second floor and crawled for hours to the nearest house, expecting to identify the killer and die himself to join his family in Heaven.

But God had other plans, and Terry lived, though severely physically and psychologically injured. He had some hope when he learned his daughter was found safe, only to have his hopes dashed when she was arrested as the mastermind of the murders. As would be expected, at first he didn’t want to live, and he wanted to save the state of Texas the cost of executing the killers. He felt he could kill them himself.

But through a series of amazing events, remarkable people, prayer, and reading the Bible (especially the Book of Job), he reached the point that he could forgive the killers and even convince the prosecutors to bargain for life without possibility of parole instead of the death penalty. He said that Jesus had died for his sins, and he wanted the killers to have time to find the Lord and be saved before they died. He stood by his daughter throughout the ordeal and lobbied for her to get a sentence that would make her eligible for parole at age 59 so she would have some hope. He continues to visit her every visiting day. He has since been ordained and regularly gives his testimony in churches and prisons.

Though I have summarized some of the high points of the book, I highly recommend you read it yourself. There is so much more there, and the spiritual impact is so strong that all Christians will wonder how they would react if something this unimaginable happened to them. Could I forgive the people who took away everything? Is my faith strong enough to make a new life after the old one was destroyed?

View all my reviews

Betrayal goes beyond offense because it involves a trust that has been broken. Sometimes it involves an element of shock and surprise; sometimes we might see it coming and wonder why? I have always said to be betrayed is worse than anything because of the trust issue; being betrayed by someone we trusted is a deep hurt, and it always invokes a deep feeling of loss in the end.

For quite a while I have dealt with forgiveness of a betrayal. There are days it is easy to forgive and days when I ask God to give me the love to forgive because my will is not up to the task. Or I ask him to change my will. I do believe I have forgiven completely. I have asked many times that the pain be taken away and a realization came upon me, an epiphany of sorts. Maybe there is to be a residual of pain in order to remind me of the sting. But why? Perhaps the pain will give me the ability to empathize with those betrayed and remind me to never betray anyone and cause them even a sliver of the same pain.

What gave me great comfort recently was a revelation God showed me about betrayal and how to endure. Our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by someone he loved and trusted, and that friend sold him out for 30 units of silver for that matter. But what is worse is that his friend, Judas, came to him and gave him the kiss of friendship. Since Jesus was fully human he felt all our pain and disappointment, and in this case the betrayal of a friend. Knowing Christ had endured that very pain and still went on to die for his friend and all those who would betray him in the future gives me purpose for my experience and a desire to love regardless.

Dr. David Jeremiah – NDP Honorary Chairman

Heavenly Father,

Every good gift and perfect gift comes from You. You are a faithful God and Your mercy endures forever.

You have promised to bless the nation that trusts in You. Our currency proclaims “In God We Trust,” but in our culture we are far from You.

In the words of the prophet Daniel, “We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.”

We come before You once more, seeking Your forgiveness and mercy. You, O God, are our only hope… Hear our prayer and, for Your honor’s sake, shine Your face upon this nation.

Give our leaders the desire to seek Your wisdom and the courage to follow Your guidance… and watch over the men and women of our armed forces as they sacrifice for the cause of freedom.

We give You thanks for all You have done for us, and we earnestly pray that You will help us become, once again, a nation whose God is the Lord.

In the name of Your Son, and our Savior, we pray this prayer.

Amen.

“God means what He says, and He will do what He says. God is serious about His relationship with you. He doesn’t speak to you in idle terms. He expects you to respond to His voice, heed His Word, and act on it.”

“Always, however, God’s Word is for your transformation. It is intended to change you in some way.”

“The truth about ourselves is twofold. First, the Holy Spirit convicts us that we are sinners. … Second, once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit becomes our Comforter and Counselor.”

“God’s holy presence burns out everything that is not like Jesus in our lives, and then He causes us to burn and to shine brightly with a zeal for the life that Jesus would live if He were walking in our shoes.”

“We aren’t called to a relationship with God in isolation. Rather, He desires that we become a family of God here on earth, with a sense of belonging, identify, unconditional love, and great value as individuals.”

“Direct revelation may be what many people today regard as an audible voice of God. It can also be thought of as a very strong impression, one that comes unexpectedly, is absolutely clear, and is very specific.”

“God continues to speak through proclaimers today: through preachers, teachers, evangelists, Bible study leaders, Sunday School teachers, and other people who proclaim the full story of God’s truth.”

“If you have any doubt about what God wants you to do in a particular situation, look to the life of Jesus. Do what He did. … Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.”

“There are three main ways God speaks to us today: through His Word, through His Holy Spirit, and through other believers in Christ Jesus. The person who desires to hear from God and wants to put himself into the best position to hear from God will pursue His message through these three methods.”

Bonus Reading: St. John 21:4-17; Jeremiah 16:16; Habbukuk 1:14; St. Matt 4:18

How I love spring, especially in south Texas. Full of new life and possibilities. A bumper crop of wildflowers…and wildlife. And one of my favorite things to do…is fish in spring.

The fish are just ready, it seems. How I love the entire experience…the smell of the water, the sway of the boat under my feet, and the thrill when the fish is on. I love it. Well, most of the time, anyway.

Not long ago, I discovered the joy of fishing for freshwater red drum in one of our local lakes. These are a big, powerful fish, and great table fare. I had some early success catching them on light tackle—then, I learned…there are zillions of ways to lose the fish. I can’t describe the empty, helpless feeling when the line suddenly goes slack… and the much-anticipated fish is not landed, but…gone. But, if you’re gonna catch something, as the saying goes, you have keep your line in the water. It’s the engaging yourself that puts you in line for productive fishing.

The thing about fishing is that is does draw you in. Focuses you on the pursuit. Sometimes the pursuit becomes the issue, though instead of the productivity and joy. And sometimes, no matter how hard you fish, you just get zip. Nada. Nothing. But, if you’re a fisherman, you keep fishing. That’s what St Peter did in our lesson. That’s when he, like us, is really ready for what the Lord had for him.

St. Peter, like us all, was weighed down by the fact he couldn’t see what God’s plan was going to be for him. In fact, his whole world was rocked. That’s probably one reason why he was fishing…he needed something else to focus on. The problem was, he was doing it on his own, and getting nowhere, and the frustration left him empty and hungry. That speaks to us all, with huge volume. Then he had an unexpected Jesus moment.

He and six other disciples had fished all night, and caught nothing. They had given up, in fact, and were beaching their boat, when Jesus, who was standing on the beach, called to them and asked them if they had caught anything for breakfast. The dejected fishermen admitted their failure. Although they did not recognize Him, when He told them to let out their nets just one more time, they did—and the net was actually overloaded with fish—yet, amazingly, didn’t rip open. Suddenly the joy and productivity was back —and then, they recognized the Lord. It was a moment of amazing fulfillment, reassurance, and nourishment—for both their bodies and their hungry souls. They needed success. And they needed the communion with the Lord, and each other. Once they had this recharge, an interesting thing happened. Jesus challenged and tasked them in this well-known conversation:

After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.” Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

So here’s the thing: we can do everything we can to NOT think about what the Lord may have for us…we can try to make the circumstances productive and fulfilling…and Jesus may even be there with us, and speak to us. But we aren’t catching anything until we hear His Words to us. And there’s no joy in what we do. Suddenly we DO hear Him, and when our joy and fulfillment return, we recognize Him and there is immense relief…but with a question and a job to do.

First, we may have our line tangled…our tackle isn’t usable. We have to get those strongholds out our lives, so we are free to fish. See our prayer ministers or clergy for help with that. Then, we can answer the question the Lord asked St. Peter. Do we love Him? Feed and care for His sheep:

• Involve ourselves in Christ’s flock and our neighbors.
• Get to know them and be part of their lives.
• Reach out to those who have drifted away and bring them to back to the parish. Work to take the Gospel to those around you.
• Worship. Teach. Love. Laugh. Help. Visit. Pray. It’s spring!