Dr. Bubbers, I got a copy of your book Pet Prayers from Amazon. Just wanting to let you know I read it through at one sitting. I found the book to be very inspired by the Holy Spirit. I know I will use it as a reference for years to come. Thanks for writing it! ?
Anton Armbruster’s Blog
A charter member of the Order of St. Barnabas
Brother Anton writes a Blog about practical spirituality for a hectic world. Check it out at https://harriedmystic.com/
Holiday Greetings from two of our favorite Dachshunds
Stella and Claire continue to do well, and they are pleased with their humans for writing “The Legend of the Christmas Dachshund” book!
An Hour With the Lord
In Matthew 26:40, we read of how Jesus invites His disciples to keep watch with Him for one hour. An ancient and precious model for this kind of prayer is known as “The Examen.” Brother Anton Armbruster guides you through this peaceful and profound prayer experience in this Podcast.
Thanksgivings for Gunny – by Fr. Marc Robertson
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)
A little over two years ago, our beloved Great Dane, Gunny, had emergency surgery to remove his spleen. It was a life-and-death operation, and we were blessed that he came through the surgery well. We brought him home, only to encounter Hurricane Matthew 24 hours later!
The picture below was taken around 2:30 a.m., with 100 mph winds battering our home, trees snapping and crashing around us, and the entire house groaning and making noises like it was alive. My wife, Alice, and I were hunkered down, praying the giant live oaks on our property would not find their way to our roof, and that we would survive the night. Our adrenalin was high, our hearts were racing, and we were tense and tight as a piano wire.
Not Gunny. He was flat on his back, displaying his freshly shaven abdomen and sporting his 12-inch long incision. Calm and drowsy, the young dog, just a little over a year, considered this just another night in the Robertson household. It was as if God was saying: “If my creatures can be at peace, can’t you? What will your scurrying around do?” I was amazed at this scene – so much so that I paused in the midst of the chaos and took this photograph.
It remains a reminder of how God calls us to peace at just the moment our minds and hearts tell us to panic. In the very midst of the storm He reveals to us that he is, indeed, “an everlasting rock.”
“O most loving Father, who desires for us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care upon you who cares for us: Protect us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have revealed to us in you Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Modernized from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, Family Prayers, “For Trustfulness” – page 596)
Encouragement Barnabas-Style
We were blessed and bolstered, encouraged and edified, by Brother Anton Armbruster at our gathering on Sunday. His insights, wisdom, and humor knit us all closer to one another and to the Lord. Here is his message as a PodCast:
ATLAS’ First Milestone Celebration Meeting
On Pentecost Sunday, May 20th 2018, ATLAS celebrated our first six years together as a hybrid church/seminary. Students from our local CCS course, members of our Sunday Worship Community, and other ATLAS Partners gathered together for praise music, Certificate Awards, Prayer, and Visioning for the future. We bless the Lord for where we have been, where we are, and where we are going!
Testimonies about the Importance of our Hermeneutics Course
MDiv students from around the world, including China and Korea, study either online from home or by relocating to the US for a few years. These videos are samples of their own self-descriptions and comments about the importance of learning Hermeneutics – the methods for proper biblical interpretation. They share their salvation stories, their hopes, and their visions for ministry.
Thanksgiving for Stella and Claire
Here is a more recent photo of Stella and Claire, who are both dong well, especially now that we have fenced in our big back yard and they can roam freely. Stella is the athletic one of the two and Claire remains the “cuddle bear”. They get along well and we are blessed to have them as part of our family.
And, congratulations to Ed Speare for the publication of his book “The Legend of the Christmas Dachshund” !