Welcome to the St. Martin's Prime Timers Web Page!

You are invited to join us each Sunday in the Payne Education Center from 10:10am to 10:50 in rooms 207-209. We serve coffee, breakfast treats and currently Paul's pastoral sermons to Timothy. It won't be the same without you.

Would you like to make a float?

All the St. Martin's A.B.F. groups are making "floats" for the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Caroline Maryan is leading our group project to decorate our float. Our new mentor, newly appointed Vice-Rector the Rev. B. Massey Gentry, will get to parade the float around. If you would like to help decorate it call Caroline at 713/974-1490.

Prime Timers Good News!

At the beginning of our class members can contribute to our chicken Henny Penny and report on good things in their lives.

Max Kech was our sole contributor this week, thanking Caroline Maryan for leading our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper "float" effort. I can't wait to see their creation.

The Marks of a Helpful Mentor

Today we read the last part of our series on Pauls pastoral letters to Timothy. The vocabulary word this week is mentor. This comes from the Greek by way of Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Mentor is a character who is a loyal advisor to Odysseus and a teacher of his son.

The reading breaks down into three parts, the first gives us some insight into Paul's role as a mentor. He reviews some of his trials and persecutions.

Second Paul suggests that everyone who wants to live a Godly life will be persecuted! Skip asked the class if this meant literally persecuted. Or rather as in John 21:18  Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

In other words, we as Christians should react to some of the horrors and suffering we see every day on TV and sometimes right in front of us. Thanks to our electronically shrunk world there is lots to be concerned about.

Skip suggested that our faith can:

• challenge our humanity
• run counter to character defects
• require bearing a cross sometimes
• require that we don't look away from hunger, poverty, chronic pain and illness

Third, Paul previews his own end, using terms like "fighting the good fight." This is very similar to what he said in Acts 20:22-24  "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Asking about mentors, George Laigle lamented that more young people don't seek out mentors, while Dr. Bill Moore recalled his Roman Catholic mentor, Father Dan.

Skip Maryan then gave the class a preview of what's to come. You can read the passage from Titus in the column to the right, while in weeks to come we go back to the Old Testament with a month of the Psalms, followed by some weeks with the trials of Job.

Max Kech then led the class in our healing prayer and Skip Maryan did the benediction prior to closing the session.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leader

Skip Maryan (l) is the Prime Timers leader and current teacher, Dr. Bill Moore is one of our spiritual leaders.

This is our new mentor, the Rev. B. Massey Gentry. Make sure you come the the St. Martin's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper to see what the Prime Timers have cooked up for him to wear!

Max Kech has a dollar to give thanks.

The Sky is Falling, the Sky is Falling. Oops, wrong story. Henny Penny was missing today, but Caroline Maryan tells us that if you come to the St. Martin's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper  everything will become clear!

The Lesson for Sunday, February 19th is titled "Teach Sound Doctrine by Example"

Key Verse:  Titus 2:7-8a

Focus of the Lesson:  People often learn through the life experiences of others. How can we be trained to live as the people of God? Paul instructed Titus to teach only sound Christian doctrine so that others could learn the attitudes and actions appropriate for Christians.

The reading is Titus 2. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

   3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

   6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

   9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

   11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

   15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

NIV®