The Lulu Bush

There's a rose bush in our garden that I've affectionately dubbed the "Lulu Bush." It doesn't produce a lot of flowers, but the ones that do blossom are extraordinarily beautiful.

There's now a new "push on the bush" for blossoms, with innumerable buds almost ready to give it a try. Will they make it? Time will tell.

Whatever the outcome for the rose buds, Lulu gives us something to ponder, spiritually speaking. There are a few times in our life during which we can become extraordinarily beautiful, in terms of our willingness to love both God and man as He would have us do.

Whether or not we do so is totally up to us. God is our Gardener, our Waterer who feeds and cares for us, so that we might blossom to our fullest capabilities.

If our buds fall short, it's not because the Gardener took a week or two off; rather, it's because we've decided not to blossom.

If we're attuned to the Lord, we'll set aside fears, worldly anxieties, past experiences and the like, and get on with being what God calls us to be - bright, shining and beautiful examples of what it is to be God's child in Christ Jesus.

We give thee thanks, O Lord, for Lulu's beauty, and for giving us things to ponder through the beautifulness of one of your creations!

Yup, this is the week of the first of several "two night" weekend concerts in the Sedona Jazz at the Church series.

Tonight (Friday) it's vocalist extraordinaire Renee Patrick singing "A Night of Jazz Ballads" with Steve Sandner accompanying her on piano.

Tomorrow evening it's the Billy Mitchell Trio performing, with Billy on piano, Zirque Bonner on bass and Adam Clark on drums.

Tickets can be purchased online HERE, or at the door on the night of each concert, if it's not a "sell out" beforehand. So, since it's an intimate setting, don't put off getting your tickets!!!

We hope we see YOU at the Sedona Jazz at the Church concerts this weekend, and if you want to know more about Renee and Billy, HERE's the page with more information!

Brethren, Pray...

Each week we will publish a prayer list of folk for whom prayers have been requested.

E-mail your prayer requests to us at Prayers@episcopalnet.org, and we will add them to the list, praying for the individual(s) for a period of two weeks - both in our private prayers and those offered at the Altar of Saint Luke's Church, Sedona AZ.

"And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succour all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity... especially:

Sean, David, Kristen, Steve, Caroline, John, Gretchen, Charles & Michelle, Robert, Harry & Marcia

Questions on the daily Bible readings

Are you reading Morning and Evening prayer? If so, check out our "Bible Study: Readings & Questions" - found HERE and/or in the weekly bulletins.

Both include links to the lessons AND questions which will help in your study of Holy Writ and its application to life in our day and age.

After having read the day’s lessons and answered the questions, meditate and make a spiritual resolve for change, in response to what you have read.

“Resolves” should be done daily, and on Saturday a weekly resolve should be done for the entirety of the week's readings.

Sedona Jazz at the Church AND Jazz on the Rocks in September '09

Have you marked your calendar for our two concerts in September?

They'll take place the last weekend of the month, on Friday and Saturday evenings, September 25 & 26.

Renee Patrick and Billy Mitchell headline the two nights, and it promises to be a GREAT time for all who attend! Click HERE for details and tickets.

And, as a musical "warm-up," consider the Jazz on the Rocks day concert the weekend before - a free event up on the Sedona airport mesa, billed as "Music on the Mesa - A Bridge to Jazz on the Rocks!" For details of that gathering, click HERE.

Finally, and as a musical treat, here's Billy with his "The Billy Mitchell Group" at Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series-2008, featuring Munyungo Jackson on "Barimbau"

"Post" or "Anti" Christian Culture?

Sunday's Mass Propers (13 Trinity)

Today's gospel narrative contains the parable of the Good Samaritan, the collect tells what the sole gift is we can give God, and the epistle from Galatias contrasts the law and the promises of God.

Before you go to mass be sure to read and ponder the propers, which are found HERE. And if you can't attend mass today, here is the meditation for the 13th Sunday after Trinity...

Purchase Sedona Jazz at the Church tickets online

We've entered the 21st Century, electronically speaking. What's that mean? You can now purchase our Sedona Jazz at the Church tickets online!!! Wonder of wonders, eh?

Yes, I know, we started out with all of the concerts being FREE, so what's up?

The reason for the change is simple: we've expanded our artists to include innumerable folk from out of town and out of state, we've had to revisit that "free" beginning and now charge admission to the concerts (wait 'til you hear who's coming next year... we'll tell you at our September concerts!!!).

Even with our having to charge, we're still probably the least expensive venue for Jazz in town... and, without a doubt, the prettiest!!!

So, with that as the background, each concert's tickets will be sold both online (picked up at "Will Call" the day of the Concert) and also at Saint Luke's on any Sunday during the month that the specific concert takes place.

And if you want to pick up your tickets on another day during the week, call the church and talk with me and I'll make arrangements for you to do so.

And please remember: since we do our concerts in the Church, our venue is not only beautiful, awe inspiring and intimate, it's also "limited" in space: so be sure to secure your tickets as soon as possible!!

Tickets are available HERE!

We've made two changes regarding our Jazz at the Church Concert series, so be sure to check it out on the HOME PAGE of Sedona Jazz at the Church for the details.

First of all, we've moved much of our information onto other pages, leaving the home page of Jazz at the Church dealing solely with the current month's Concert(s).

Second, we've come to the point of having to "ticket" our concerts. Therefore, you can now secure tickets for the concerts both online and at Saint Luke's Church. The necessity for this change is covered on the page entitled "Background and history of Sedona Jazz at the Church Concerts."

So, with these posted changes/additions we now look forward to this month's two concerts - by Renee Patrick and Billy Mitchell.

See you at the concerts!

September's Bible Readings/Questions posted

The Daily Office (Morning and Evening Prayer) Bible reading questions are now posted online, and can be found at the link to the right entitled "Bible Readings/Questions."

The lessons for September cover the 13th Sunday after Trinity through the 16th Sunday after Trinity, and the PDFs contain links to each day's readings. Do avail yourself of this offering, and join countless others as we all grow in God's grace through the reading of the Sacred Scriptures.