The Fisherman’s Net
“Catch the Spirit”
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
On Highway 83
North Lake, WI 53064
Helen Ackley, Sr. Warden Website: StPeteNorthLake.com
Pete Buerosse, Jr. Warden Phone: (262) 966-7312
Newsletter Editor: Mary Buerosse (262) 691-3549 E-Mail: Mbread@att.net
MAY 2013
Pastor’s Pen Fr. David Couper
Living a Life Worth Living
D.H. Lawrence once said, "If only one could have two lives. The first in which to make one's mistakes… and the second in which to profit by them." A wise reflection, but we know that in this life there are no dress rehearsals, no second chances . We are on stage immediately. Nevertheless, the good news is that while we may be in the last scene of the third act of life's play, God has not given up on us nor is the abundant life Jesus promised us outside of our reach.But what is this kind of a life? For me, it is striving to live a life of integrity; that is, wholeness. By that I mean an "uprightness" of character; honest living, being complete. I believe there are five necessary characteristics in living that kind of a life:
1. VISION. Having a positive vision for the future helps us live a life with a sense of purpose; a picture of where we are headed. We should be able to clearly answer these three questions: Who am I? Where am I going? And who is going with me? Without vision we perish; without vision, our life can quickly become aimless.
2. RELATIONSHIPS. Being in a loving relationship with others; sharing our life with another. Being able to go outside of ourselves and engage in the ups and downs of the relationship process -- being able to both give and receive love.
3. INTROSPECTION. The ability to process and learn from things that happen to us – good and bad -- along life's journey. Being able to see the "big picture" and direction of our lives. Gaining introspection is a process involving self-examination, prayer, meditation and being able to be quiet.
4. HOPE. The ability to "let hope float up." It is more than being optimistic about life; it is keeping hope alive through the our experiences of adversity, pain, and loss. There are things that will tend to "sink" hope in us -- the unwillingness to forgive, a poor self-concept; fear, jealousy, and anger.
5. BALANCE. Without balance, life can quickly become negative. Balance enables us to even out things that happen to us. Exercise, work, study and even prayer, must be balanced in our life. Achieving balance in life is also knowing and controlling the things which cause addiction in us.
Each of these five characteristics of a worthwhile life -- VISION, RELATIONSHIPS, INTROSPECTION, HOPE and BALANCE -- has a strong biblical base. They are mentioned again and again in the Bible and culminate in the person of Jesus.
When we look at his life, we see all of these characteristics in operation. Jesus was a visionary. His focus and his eye was always on the will of the Father. He knew his calling and what he had to do.
Jesus modeled complete, loving and whole relationships. He was a teacher, an encourager, a healer. He was able to both give and receive ministry. He knew when to work and when to rest. He was a person with great introspection. After his baptism, he went into the wilderness and learned how to resist temptation and fight evil.
There was no one with more hope than Jesus. The Bible uses the word "hope" more than 200 times. As Christians, we are to be a people of hope; a solid hope in God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus led a life of balance. Yes, he could have healed the world and everyone in it with a sweep of his hand. Yet his three years of ministry on this earth was a time of balance; the demands of his followers, his mother, the crowds, and his intimate friends. Biblical accounts of the life of Jesus reveal a life well balanced.
As Christians, the model for us to emulate is Jesus. His is the life to which we are not only to aspire, but to follow and act upon.
May God give us the strength and serenity to do this.
“GodSpirit”
“I am transitioning out of my “police” phase promoting my book, ‘Arrested Development’ and being on the author circuit that I committed to do for a year. My next phase (now at the ripe age of 75) will be to work more on my inward spiritual journey. Along with this, I will be sharing my journey on the blog “GodSpirit” (http://christinyouchristinme.blogspot.com) and ask you to join me in what I hope will be a conversation on living a more spiritual (and abundant) life. Please join me by clicking on "Follow this Site" on the bottom of the “GodSpirit” page and you will receive email alerts when there are new postings -- and hopefully you will want to engage in the discussion.” Fr. David
Ed. Note: Fr. David began this blog in May 2010. He wrote then “”God, I have enough to do, and I can’t lead a parish and take care of Sabine!’ Then a thought, a nudge, of God’s Spirit came and reminded me that I had been given a gift—I could write.”
**Of all creation, only man can say yes or no to God.
Calendar & TimesScheduled Reader Altar Flowers
May 5, Sunday9:30 am Holy Eucharist Rick Luedke Ackley
11.00 am RiverWalk for Cancer
May 12, Sunday 9:30 am Holy Eucharist Jamie McKay ___________
May 19, Sunday Pentecost!
8:00 am Vestry Meeting
9:30 am Holy Eucharist Steve Marks ___________
May 26, Sunday Trinity Sunday
9:30 am Holy Eucharist Mary Buerosse ___________
Lessons for May
1 Lesson Psalm 2nd Lesson Gospel
May 5 Acts 16:9-15 67 Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 John 14:23-29
May 12 Acts 16:16-34 97 Revelation 22:12-21 John 17:20-26
May 19 Acts 2:1-21 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:14-17 John 14:8-17
May 26 Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15
Remember in Your Prayers
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (1John 5:14-15)
*Pray for those who died in the recent Boston Marathon bombing and those who were seriously injured and their families.
*Pray for those who died in the explosion in West, Texas. Pray for those who were injured and
whose homes have been destroyed.
*Pray for sunny weather for those along the flooding rivers of the Midwest.
*Pray for those who died in the recent earthquake in China.
*Pray for peace and justice in all the world. Pray for our service men and women.
*Pray for the hungry, the jobless, the homeless and those who see no hope in their lives.
*Pray for our leaders, both national and local, to make good decisions.
*Pray for the Millennium Goals, especially to eradicate hunger and poverty by 2015.
*Pray for St. Peter’s and its families, for the present and the future, that we may grow in Christ and be his light to the world.
Let’s Celebrate!
Happy Birthday May 27 Susan Medd
ICONS in Transformation
All Saints’ Episcopal Cathedral in Milwaukee is sponsoring a two month run of Icons in Transformation, a stunning international art show by acclaimed abstract expressionist Ludmila Pawkowska. It will be at All Saints’ from April 12 through June 9, 2013. A wide range of speakers will be featured at the Cathedral during the run of the exhibit. For detailed information on the exhibit including times/dates/special events/classes) go to: http://ascathedral.org/iconexhibit.html or check the bulletin board in the Narthex.
The Spirit at Work!
*Thanks to Pete Buerosse for repairing the ceiling in the furnace room and cleaning and organizing its contents. Many items that had not been utilized in many years were donated to Goodwill. Take the tour! You won’t believe your eyes!
*Join us on Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 am for the RiverWalk for Cancer.
*Take a look at the flower chart in the Narthex and sign-up to place flowers on the altar.
Summer is coming when fresh flowers abound in our gardens! And maybe even in the “garden of St. Peter’s!
Honoring Mother in All Stages of Life
Honoring our parents is the first obligation toward humans given in the Ten Commandments. How we best honor our mother may be determined by her age in life. Life changes, and the following are suggestions as to how we can best honor her changes.
*We need to honor her in our youth by obeying and respecting her.“Obey your parents” (Ephesians 6:1). One can be obedient without being respectful; that does not show honor.
*We need to honor her as we enter adulthood. “Do not forsake your mother’s teachings” (Proverbs 1:8). When we leave home, we need to take our mother’s teaching with us. That honors her. Honoring her at this stage of life might involve our apologizing for some of the pain we gave her as we grew up.
*We need to honor her as she becomes a grandmother and great-grandmother. “Do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22) We have our own families, but we are not to forget to honor our mothers. And that honor is defined as providing what we can do to meet her needs. Honor at this point might come to mean helping her adjust to new living
arrangements, treating her with dignity, accepting responsibility for her, patience and understanding. It may mean communicating to her, “I will honor you by doing what is best for you” even if these decisions are difficult ones — for her or us.
*We need to honor her even if she has already died by being honest and by being obedient to God. - Gary Grady, Bulletin Digest
A Gardener’s Prayer
O Lord, grant that in some way it may rain every day, say from about midnight until three o’clock in the morning, but, you see, it must be gentle and warm so that it can soak in; Grant that at the same time, it would not rain on campion, alyssum, helianthus, lavender and others which You in Your infinite wisdom know are drought loving plants—
I will write their names on a bit of paper if you like—
And grant that the sun may shine the whole day long, but not everywhere (not, for instance, on the spirea, or on gentian, plantain lily and rhododendron) and not too much, That there may be plenty of dew and little wind, enough worms, no plant lice and snails, no mildew, and that once a week guano may fall from heaven. Amen. By Karel Capek, via Anglican Digest, Pentecost, 1997
When I Say, “I Am A Christian”
When I say, “I am a Christian” When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I’ve been saved!” I don’t think I know it all
I’m whispering, “I get lost sometimes I submit to my confusion
That’s why I chose this way.” Asking humbly to be taught
When I say, “I am a Christian” When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak with human pride I’m not claiming to be perfect
I’m confessing that I stumble My flaws are all too visible
Needing God to be my guide But God believes I’m worth it
When I say, “I am a Christian” When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong I still feel the sting of pain
I’m professing that I’m weak I have my share of heartache
And pray for strength to carry on Which is why I seek His name
When I say, “I am a Christian” When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of the success I do not wish to judge
I’m admitting that I’ve failed I have no authority
And cannot ever pay the debt I only know I’m loved
Used by Permission
Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer
Congratulations to Tyler Naze
Ty is all excited! He is on the Hartford Union High School Prom Court being held on May 4. Their theme is "Viva Las Vegas" and as a member of court, Ty has to help sell tickets and decorate. A wonderful experience for a deserving young man and Ty is “wound up” for the occasion! Have a wonderful time, Ty!!!
True Worship
Be a gardener, Continue this laboar
Dig a ditch, And make sweet floods to run
Toil and sweat, And noble and abundant fruits
And turn the earth upside down To spring,
And seek the deepness
And water the plants in time.
Take this food and drink
and carry it to God
as your true worship.
— Julian of Norwich
Reflections on the Easter Journey
by Andy Marks
I can only imagine
Many of us want to believe in life after death, especially when someone we dearly love passes from this visible world. We hope with all our heart that we will see them again, and be with them again. But how can that hope be transformed into faith, a faith so strong that it becomes truth?
Most Christian scholars will proclaim the core of the Christian faith lies in the belief of the Resurrection. Many will go further to say if one can’t embrace the risen Lord they are not true Christians. Christmas, representing the birth of Christ, is an easy one. We witness the birth of children all the time. The virgin birth might be a bit more challenging to accept for some but not nearly as challenging as the rebirth of Christ, his resurrection. Now this is something we don’t see everyday! Obviously that’s the point, but it doesn’t make it any easier to comprehend. So does my faith in the Easter miracle have to be a “blind” faith based on a few passages from the Bible written so many years ago? Does my wanting to believe in the story make it true? Perhaps it might be helpful if we try to see the whole picture through their eyes.
Can you imagine being a part of a spectacle so grand that it defies words? Witnessing something so amazing that you just have to tell everyone you know about it. Perhaps you were at a dramatic sporting event or you witnessed an unbelievable act of kindness. Now imagine that event was so profound that you can’t seem to get it out of your head. Each day you feel more and more compelled to spread the story. You were there! Perhaps that’s what it was like for the apostles. After watching their beloved teacher and friend taken from them, humiliated, tortured, and finally crucified, the apostles must have felt broken and abandoned. All that they had known, believed, and hoped for, was in one unbelievable moment, crushed. The despair and emptiness had to have engulfed them to the depths of their very souls and left them with so many unanswered questions. The biggest one, perhaps, was what do we do now? Was it time to return to their previous lives, to simply go home? The promise, unfulfilled as it seemed, was over.
Then it happened!
An event so unbelievable and uplifting occurred that made sense of all that had transpired over the past few years. It all became perfectly clear and the story had to be told. The miracle was so profound that the apostles spent the rest of their lives, risking torture and death so that all would know the truth. Death had been conquered!
The Easter Journey at St. Peter’s
Thanks to Fr. David, Sabine, Julie, and Mary, for putting together such a phenomenal Easter program. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday were very moving and spiritual!
**Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. - T. S. Eliot
What We Sing
Hymn 513 “Like the murmur of the dove’s song”
Carol P Daw, Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1944, the son of a Baptist pastor. During his youth, he moved frequently with his father throughout Tennessee. He obtained his B.A. at Rice University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He taught English at the College of William and Mary for eight years before entering the seminary for his Master of Divinity at the University of the South. After three years as assistant rector of a parish in Petersburg, Virginia, he served for nine years as Vicar-Chaplain of St. Mark’s Episcopal Chapel at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. He served various parishes throughout the Eastern United States before he began work on hymns. He was a member of the Standing Commission on Church Music for the 1982 American Episcopal hymnal. From 1996-2009 he was the Executive Director of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. He has served as a retreat leader, speaker, workshop leader and guest lecturer at many conferences and seminaries throughout the United States. His texts have appeared in most denominational and ecumenical hymnals published in the United States and Canada as well as in England, Scotland, Australia and have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. In May 2011, he was named a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music. He is Curator of Hymnological Collections and Adjunct Professor of Hymnology at Boston University School of Theology. “Like the murmur of the dove’s song” was written in 1969.
Like the murmur of the dove's song, To the members of Christ’s Body,
like the challenge of her flight, to the branches of the Vine,
like the vigor of the wind's rush, to the Church in faith assembled,
like the new flame's eager might: to her midst as gift and sign:
come, Holy Spirit, come. Come, Holy Spirit, com.
With the healing of division,
with the ceaseless voice of prayer,
with the power to love and witness,
with the peace beyond compare:
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
God Does Nothing in Vain
God has created me to do some definite service;
He has committed some work for me which he has not committed to another.
I have a mission . . .
Therefore I will trust him.
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him.
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him.
My sickness, perplexity or sorrow
May be necessary causes of some great end,
Which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain.
—John Henry Newman
Mama’s Birthday
Four brothers left home for college, and they became successful doctors and lawyers.
One evening, they chatted after having dinner together. They discussed the 95th birthday gifts they were able to give their elderly mother who moved to Florida.
The first said, “You know I had a big house built for Mama.”
The second said, “And I had a large theater built in the house.”
The third said, “And I had a Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her.”
The fourth said, “You know how Mama loved reading the Bible and now she can’t see very well. I met this preacher who told me about a parrot who could recite the entire Bible. I had to pledge to contribute $50,000 a year for five years to the church, but it was worth it. Mama only has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it.”
The other brothers were impressed. After the celebration, Mama sent out her “Thank You” notes. She wrote:
“Milton, the house you built is so huge that I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway.”
“Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home. I never use the Mercedes. The thought was good. Thanks.”
“Michael, you gave me an expensive theater and it can hold 50 people, but all of my friends are dead and I’m nearly blind. I’ll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same.”
“Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you so much. Love, Mama
