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.....The Rev. Jeannie Martz

From our Rector

 

 

In their recent newsletter, the Rector of Emmanual Episcopal Church in Fullerton, the Very Rev. Rob Bethancourt, told a story about famous Christian preacher Dwight L. Moody and life in the Spirit:

“Tell me,” Moody once said to his audience, “how can I get the air out of the tumbler I have in my hand?” One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.” But the evangelist replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter it.” Finally, after many suggestions, Moody picked up a pitcher and quietly filled the glass with water. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then explained that victory for the child of God does not come by working hard to eliminate sinful habits – trying to “suck out a few sins”, but rather by allowing the Holy Spirit to take full possession.

As I quoted in a recent sermon, Paul writes to the Galatian Christians, “The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Like the tumbler filled with water, Paul’s life is filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with complete trust in the grace and the guidance of God no matter what the world might bring to bear.

In our human relationships, this sort of trust is hard to find and even harder to maintain as individual agendas break promises, clay feet disappoint expectations, and the sheer selfishness of human nature takes its toll. If the only guidance on which we rely in life is our own, sooner or later we will be misguided, and we will misguide others – or worse.

We need to be filled with the Spirit as the tumbler is filled with water, possessed by the Spirit who is closer to us than we are to ourselves; we need to be alive in the Spirit so that Christ can be alive in us.

As the days get warmer, a lot of tumblers will get filled with a lot of fluids. The next time you’re doing the pouring, look closely at your glass – and then take a deep breath, opening your arms, your mind, and your heart so that the Holy Spirit can pour itself into you.

Now THAT’S refreshment!

 

 

ADULT INQUIRER'S CLASS

 

THE ADULT INQUIRER'S CLASS will be meeting in the Rector's Office from 7-8:15 p.m. on the following Tuesday evenings: July 6, 13, 27; August 3, 10, 24; Sept. 14. If you're interested in being part of this group to prepare for confirmation, reception, or the reaffirmation of your baptismal vows on Sept. 26, please sign up on the sheet on the back bulletin board. These classes are also appropriate if you simply want to know more about the Episcopal Church.

 

 

 

Jeannie+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July “Greenings” from Environmental Stewardship
Courtesy of “It’s Easy Being Green” by Crissy Trask

Haute Hot

Don’t put lamps with incandescent bulbs near your air conditioner thermostat. The heat given off by them will cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

If you are heating an outdoor pool, cover it at night to keep from losing heat during the cooler hours.

Close windows and drapes during the warmest part of the day to cut down on radiant solar gain. Run heat producing appliances, such as washers, dryers, and dishwashers during the cooler evening hours.