How Well Do You Know Scripture?

by Rev. Rebecca Edwards

In my sermon on November 13, I threw out a challenge for all of us to engage with scripture in deeper ways. I am following up with some of my favorite recommendations for ways to do that.

The Bible Challenge (read the whole Bible in a year): 

• What Is the Bible Challenge?
• Amazon sells several Bible editions for reading over the course of a year, including the One Year Bible (NIV, NLT, or KJV), the One Year Bible for Women and the One Year Bible Companion.
• One Year Bible Online: Gives daily readings either chronologically (start at Genesis, end at Revelation) or broken up so you have a bit of Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Proverbs daily.
• Bible Gateway Reading Plans: Allows you to choose your reading plan and translation.
• A unique approach where you read from a different biblical genre (law, history, Psalms, poetry, prophecy, Gospels, and epistles) each day of the week.

There are many other ways to deepen your relationship with the Bible if you are not up for a year-long challenge. Some of my favorite include:

• Opening the Bible by my seminary professor Roger Ferlo: This is part of the Church's Teaching Series and is a great introduction for how we approach reading the Bible.
• the Daily Office: Read most of the Bible over the course of two years with short daily readings that take less than 10 minutes a day. Office readings are printed in the back of the prayer book (p.933-1001) – we have just begun Year Two. See my list of electronic resources below if you prefer to get the readings on a mobile device.
• The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox: This is a translation of the Torah that captures many nuances of the original Hebrew. It offers a different twist on familiar stories and has interesting notes on the translation.

electronic resources:

• Mission St. Clare app for iphone: gives complete services of the Daily Office in English and Spanish, including feast days, readings, cycle of prayer, and weekly collects
• "Lectionary" app for your ipod, ipad, or iphone: gives Sunday and daily readings. There is a free Droid app called "Pocket Common Worship & Prayer" that gives weekly or daily services (morning prayer, evening prayer, night prayer) with the readings inserted. You can also create and save your own liturgies.
• Glo Bible app: lots of cool maps and a Bible atlas
• Bible 365 HD app: a roadmap for reading the Bible in a year, with a bit of Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms for each day
• One Year Audio Bible app: for you auditory learners out there

human resources:

I also mentioned in my sermon that we have many members of our congregation who have studied in the Education for Ministry program (EFM), which involves intensive study of scripture. You can learn more about it here: http://www.sewanee.edu/EFM/ Good Sammers who have participated in EFM are:

• alumni: Robin Fowler, Dan Shawler, Leanne Shawler, Germaine Bergeron-Lynn, Sally Nichols
• 4^th year: Margaret Bookwalter
• 2^nd year: Kathleen Ide, Equilla Luke
• 1^st year: Verdery Kassebaum, Sandy Hammond

There are more recommendations where these came from, so please don't hesitate to ask if there is something you are interested in!

For those of you who are already regular Bible readers, what are your favorite resources to add to the list?

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Leanne Shawler

Our stewardship season at Good Sam seems to be a natural time to give thanks, and not just because our ingathering feast (where we collect pledges for 2012's budget) is a traditional Thanksgiving meal two weeks early!

This year, we asked those who joined us for the meal to write down something they gave thanks for onto some cardstock autumn leaves. We put them up on the wall behind our altar the following Sunday. Folks who couldn’t make it to the dinner added their own thanks last Sunday.

We wish everyone a safe and grateful Thanksgiving.

The Saving of Bob and Bette Keith, part two

(Part Two of a two part series. Part one was posted last Thursday).

by Bob Keith

Starting church services

Soon after starting the healing services, we knew it was time to try the Sunday morning church service. We had never before been to an Episcopal service, but couldn’t imagine not trying it.

We have never looked back.

We became regular attendees, joined Bible study groups and met so many more of you. Bette continued with her Wednesday morning healing services. then we took communion in this Episcopal Church and have been regulars ever since.

The main point in this is we each became re-established with God, and, probably, in a much more meaningful way than at any other time in our lives. I do not know how either of us could have survived the last few years without it.

And it all started in a therapy pool when Bob Tuggey invited Bette to try a healing service, and she said “YES”.

After that initial start, the whole Good Sam team was involved and helped us through these many years. We are grateful to everyone, to say the least.

Approaching the end of life

As Bette approached the end of life this past spring, she assured me time and time again she was not fearing it. She told me, and I knew it would be so, she would be comfortable knowing she would be in good hands.

As always, she was concerned for me, however. But I assured her I was in good hands too, and knowing that, I would be just fine. I reminded her of Father Chris’ end-of-the-service message that God is all around us, and with us, and will be supporting me.

A final note along these lines that really speaks to her inner character. In the final few days, she said to me, several times, “the nurses all know I am ready to accept the end, but please, please, keep reminding them not to hurry it -- a little bit longer would be just fine!”

I think of those conversations often and have confidence that all will be well.

Thank you, Good Sam

My endless thanks to all of you, especially Bob Tuggey, who started us.

The Saving of Bette and Bob Keith

(This is Part One of a Two-Part Series. The second part will be posted on Tuesday.)

by Bob Keith

My story is about Good Sam and its saving of Bette and Bob Keith, and it begins with the healing service.

We moved to San Diego 12 years ago as very healthy people. A year later Bette began an 11-year struggle with several medical problems that came out of nowhere and never left, especially her ever-increasing pain from shingles.

Another problem developed, too, and it became more important than we realized. We had tried several Presbyterian churches in the first years -- that had been our church back east -- but we never sensed any sort of welcoming.

Soon, we didn’t go to church much. That led to not talking with God much, even though we were beginning to get worn down and discouraged by the unsolvable medical issues.

Our big break

About 6-7 years ago, Bette was using a warm water therapy pool and so was a fellow named Bob Tuggey. They soon knew of each other’s problems. One day he suggested she join him at his “Good Sam Healing Service”. Bette thought what in the world is “Good Sam”? What is a healing service?

But at the same time, she never hesitated and quickly said “Yes”. And that did it. After the first session, she asked me if I could bring her to the next Wednesday session. I did, and some of you know the rest.

This is the point where our lives -- both of us -- began to get better. She had new friends at healing, she was soon smiling again and gaining a new outlook on her life and problems.

The yellow room

It wasn’t long before Bette started to refer to the healing service room, that is, the Chapel, as the Yellow Room. At her memorial service this spring, Father Chris described how this was an important reference term for her, as he knew from conducting the many healing services.

There is a good reason for her using those words: when the sun broke through the clouds mid-morning, it shined through the yellow colors in the glass window in the room, and gave a yellow glow to the room. That is the most obvious explanation for the Yellow Room term.

But in my talks with her, I learned there may be more to it than that. When in that room, she was sensing a comforting, mysterious tranquility that was coming from the healing process itself. The appearance of the yellow sunlight did help the good feeling but she probably used the “Yellow Room” reference because it was an easier thing to explain.

(This is Part One of a Two-Part Series. The second part will be posted on Tuesday.)

Why You Can’t Reach Staff on Thursdays

by Leanne Shawler

You might have tried calling on Thursdays and only been able to reach our office angel, Miss Penny, instead of the rest of the staff. There are two reasons for this.

1) Our staff meeting is Thursday morning and it runs from 10 until 11:30ish-12ish.

2) The gals on staff go to Chuao’s right afterward.

Chuao’s Chocolatiers is located in the UTC mall and is the perfect way to end a long staff meeting. Verdery and I started going when she was still the Thursday office angel and it quickly became a tradition because, hey, it’s chocolate and their drinks are amazingly decadently good.

Verdery, Hanna, Revbecca, Leanne

We recruited Hanna soon after she joined the staff, and then Revbecca. (We sometimes bring a drink back for Dave and Nathan.) And even though Hanna has finished working for us as Parish Life Director, we’re still getting together for Chuao’s until she leaves us to go home to Norway.

Because we go so often, we each have loyalty cards and the 10th drink is free! Here’s Revbecca with her first free drink (taken a couple of months ago).

Verdery’s favorites: Melao frappe (60% dark chocolate, milk, salt butter caramel) with a shot of expresso, Caramello (coffee with salt butter caramel) with a shot of chocolateHanna’s favorites: lattes, or Zero frappe (white chocolate, milk, vanilla)Revbecca’s favorite: Winter hot chocolate (58% dark chocolate, spices, tastes liquid gingerbread)Leanne’s favorites: Cambur frappe (60% dark chocolate, milk, banana caramel), or Zero frappe with a shot of salt butter caramel, or Zen frappe (60% dark chocolate, green tea, 2% milk)

So if you call and we’re particularly chirpy Thursday afternoon, it’s because we’ve had our chocolate fix!

Why We Give to Good Sam

(Can you tell it's stewardship season, the time of the year the church raises funds for the next fiscal year? Cleo shared her story a couple of Sundays ago.)

by Cleo Ochs

My daughters and I started coming here, it’ll be two years either next month or December. We started off and our job was to find a church that was close to home, because that was less driving that I had to do, and a church that my kids would love.

Good Sam was our first stop and our final stop. 

The first day we started, not only were we welcomed, but my children fell in love of course with Kathleen as all the kids do.

In that timeframe, Good Sam has not only welcomed us but taken care of us. 

Last summer was a really hard summer for me, I had a really horrible experience and without the prayers of the prayer group, I don’t think I would’ve been able to get my voice back again.  With the help of Teddy and Germaine, I was able to find my voice again.

Not only did I get my voice, but last Halloween my husband started coming to church with us, which was another prayer that I’ve had since the day we were married and it finally happened.  You guys not only welcomed us, but then you welcomed my husband who seems to enjoy coming here and hanging out with Chris, I guess because they have so much in common.

Good Sam has not only become our friends, but our family, and though we may not be in a lot of activities -- and I know why some of those prayers when they asked me to be on the vestry last year and I had to pray about it and my answer didn’t come back quite as I expected, now I know why, because I’m standing here kind of ready to fall over. [Cleo is 9 months pregnant.]

We give to Good Sam because of what Good Sam has given to us. Even though this may not be our permanent home, this is our home as we are here now and welcomed by everyone and taken care of by everyone, not just my kids but the rest of my family because Good Sam is also our family as well.

If you give to Good Sam, why do you?

How do you move forward in life with love?

by Ann Carlton

“Family is forever. You are safe.”

These words are borrowed from the movie “Dolphin Tale”.

First Thessolonians 5:11 “…encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”

This movie is about:

• Young folks showing us that they can make a HUGE difference in a really short time and they can fall in love with animals and work themselves beyond what us adults can believe

• Older folks showing us they can really make a difference with everyone, even saving the lives of animals

• Dolphins showing us they love to play and love to share love

We are family at Good Sam. We are all ages. We help each other and inspire ourselves and others to step out and move forward in life with love.

If you haven’t seen the movie, go now (take some extra tissues) and make a prosthesis for someone which will change that person’s life forever.

PS the prosthesis is the artificial tail that literally gave Winter her life back and she flaunts it everyday. 

How do you move forward in life with love?

Giving Thanks #2

by Tracy Jewell

I have many reasons to give thanks but today it’s for our worship team at Good Sam. I’m thankful for Chris Chase and his gift for giving a great sermon and being so approachable and easy to talk to.

While on the calling committee, I enjoyed meeting him in Tennessee, and I think every Sunday that God blessed Good Sam with a fabulous priest.

I’m thankful for Revbecca. I didn’t think that we could be lucky a second time, but once again we were blessed. Rebecca shares the same gifts as Chris as far as preaching and being easy to talk to. 

Finally, I’m thankful for Tom, our music director. Tom has been blessed by the Lord with his musical talents and shares them with the rest of us. Tom, when you bring music to our service I am overcome with the Holy Spirit!

I’m thankful to the Lord for sharing Chris, Rebecca and Tom with Good Samaritan.

What do you give thanks for?