Praise the Lord that we can trust Him and walk by faith. We can wait on Him with confidence, knowing that He works for good in all things with those love Him and are called according to His purposes.
Not long before his death, Henri Nouwen wrote a book called "Sabbatical Journeys", in which he wrote about some friends of his, the Flying Roudellas, who were trapeze artists. They told Nouwen that there is a special relationship between the flyer and the catcher on the trapeze. This relationship is governed by important rules, such as, “The flyer is the one who lets go, and the catcher is the one who catches.” As the flyer swings on the trapeze high above the crowd, the moment comes when he must let go. He flings his body out in mid-air. His job is to keep flying and wait for the strong hands of the catcher to take hold of him at just the right moment. One of the Flying Roudellas told Nouwen, “The flyer must never try to catch the catcher.” The flyer’s job is to wait in absolute trust. The catcher will catch him, but he must wait.
Nouwen said, “Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait, the more we hear about him for whom we are waiting.” Waiting is not a static state, it is a time when God is working behind the scenes, and the primary focus of his work is on us. I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Romans 8:24: “Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting” (The Message). God is creating his life within us, and we must wait for it to come to full term.
It is possible to fail in our waiting and get ahead of God. We wait and nothing seems to happen, so we panic and start to work things out on our own. Waiting is an art, and timing is everything. We wait expectantly. God is busy bringing about his full plan for the world and for us. In his perfect timing he will birth that plan. I suppose that an expectant mother sometimes thinks, “Is this baby ever going to come?”, especially if she is past her due date. But all you have to do is look at her and you know that it is impossible for the baby not to come.
When Jesus was delivered into the world, the world was enlarged with its waiting. The Bible says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4). Before it was time, the birth of Christ would have been premature, but when the time came, nothing could hold him back. When it is time for Christ to return, nothing will be able to hold him back.
Gary Preston tells a story in his book, "Character Forged from Conflict", that illustrates how we are to wait. He writes: “Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man completed his form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this man been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily disqualified for the job. Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, ‘Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man.’ The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, ‘Wait a minute! I don’t understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair.’ The employer responded, ‘All the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: “If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.” None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. So the job is his.’”
The young man got the job because he was not just waiting — all of the other men were waiting — but he was waiting expectantly. We are all sitting in the waiting room. But it is how we wait, and what we do with the waiting, that is important. The young man in that office was listening, and because he was, he was rewarded. Waiting does not mean just sitting down and doing nothing. You have to be watching and looking for God to fulfill his promise. We have to believe he is going to do it. It is possible to get ahead of God when we try to work things out ourselves, but it is also possible that we could miss what he is doing because we are just waiting without expecting God to really come through.
We wait faithfully. To be faithful means to be full of faith — faith full — faith that completely trusts and depends on God. It is active faith, not passive. It is a faith that delights in doing the Master’s will. It is love that results in action. It is a faith that keeps doing the right thing even when the waiting becomes long. In His parable Jesus says, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers” (Luke 12:42-46). Waiting in faithful obedience is essential in our walk with God.
Gordon McDonald writes about an experience in high school. He says, “Running track in my prep school days taught me a valuable lesson. I was at the Pennsylvania Relays, a famous Eastern track meet, and our relay team was going to run in the championship race. I was the lead-off man and in the second lane. The man in the first lane held the 100-meter dash record for prep school runners. He also held a record for arrogance. . . . When I got to the line and we were putting our starting blocks down, he said, ‘May the best man win. I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line.’ We went into the blocks. The gun sounded. He took off, and the other seven of us settled in behind him. We went around the first turn and down the back stretch. About 180 meters into the race, I suddenly saw the record holder in front of me, holding his side, bent over, and groaning as he jogged along. We all passed him like he was standing still. Because I’m such a gentleman, I waited for him at the finish line. At the end of the race my coach took me aside. ‘I hope you’ve learned a lesson today. It makes little difference whether you hold the record for the 100-meter dash if the race is 400-meters long.’”
The race we are in is a long one, and it calls for endurance, not speed. It’s not how you begin the race, but how you finish that counts. As the Bible says, “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints” (Revelation 13:10). When McDonald was running that race, he could have given up. He could have said, “This is useless, I’m not going to win the race anyway.” He could have let what others said discourage him, but he ran the race with his whole heart. He did not give up. He did not quit. He did not run half-heartedly. He gave it all he had. His coach commended him for it, and reminded him at the end that it was because he was a long distance runner that he finished the race well. The Bible says, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The race is to those who have learned to endure. They wait with patience. They wait expectantly. They live in faithfulness to God whether their faithfulness seems to be noticed and rewarded or not. As we read, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV).
In Christ,
Brown
I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are very wise and very beautiful; but I never read in either of them, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden."
- Saint Aurelius Augustine (Augustine of Hippo)
"And whatsover ye do in word or deed--all in the name of the Lord Jesus." "Do" does not belong there. There is more than doing in life. Thinking, speaking, hoping, planning, dreaming--all are to be in the name of the Lord Jesus. His love and life are to color and shape our ambitions and accomplishments. In Him, as a plant in soil, in rain and sunshine, we are to live, growing up by Him and into Him. In His name we are to work, to pray, to suffer, to rejoice, and at last to go home. It is only another way of saying, "For me to live is Christ."
- Maltbie Davenport Babcock
God be thanked for that good and perfect gift, the gift unspeakable: His life, His love, His very self in Jesus Christ.
- Maltbie Davenport Babcock
A note :
Hi Pastor Brown,
I just have to take a minute to tell you how meaningful your email was today. Earlier today, I absent-mindedly left my purse in the cart at the Giant. I returned my cart to those holding areas for carts outside and took my groceries but forgot to grab my purse. Well, upon returning home, I realized I must have left my purse at the Giant and headed back. I kept praying that someone would turn it in and not keep it. I was afraid if someone looked inside,they would be too tempted.You see, I had hundreds of dollars from my just cashed paycheck, all my credit cards, my prescription, an uncashed money order and other items. Thank God, someone turned it in and everything was intact. It made me cry.
Then I got home and checked my emails. There was your email about the Samaritan and the kindness of strangers and I just started crying again. It is amazing to me how in sync with my life your emails can be! It makes me know God hears us and is involved in our everyday lives. Thanks for your emails, Pastor Brown..they encourage me and give me much to think about.
Congrats on the new baby,too!!! Have a wonderful day, Beth
In 1923, Who Was . . .
1. President of the largest steel company?
2. President of the largest gas company?
3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?
4. Greatest wheat speculator?
5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?
6. Great Bear of Wall Street?
These men were considered some of the worlds most successful of their days.
Now, 82 years later, the history books tell us what ultimately became of them.
The Answers:
1. The president of the largest steel company. Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
2. The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.
3. The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home
4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
5. The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.
6 The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.
However, in that same year, 1923, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen.
So, what became of him?
He played golf until he was 92, and died in 1999 at the ripe old age of 95! He was very financially secure at the time of his death.
The moral here: Forget work. Play golf!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 7-18-07
Good Morning,
One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Luke 10. This is story of the Good Samaritan. The story of the Good Samaritan was part of the text for my High School English curriculum along with the Parable of the Prodigal son . These texts were in the King James Version.
In the story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 we are immediately introduced to a lawyer. He poses a question to Jesus as a "test" - "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers this question with one of His own. "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" The answer comes back, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Good answer. And Jesus agrees. But the lawyer, not satisfied with that, still wishes to be noticed, so he asks another question "And who is my neighbor?" In other words, "OK, Jesus, I understand I am supposed to CARE, but what are the limits of my caring? When can I quit?" And here Jesus tells His famous story.
The first person to which we are introduced is the poor traveler. He had taken the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, which was notoriously dangerous. It descended nearly 3,300 feet in 17 miles, running through narrow passes at points. The terrain offered easy hiding for the bandits who terrorized travelers. This unfortunate man had been stripped, beaten, and left for dead. Jesus’ audience that day knew how easily it could happen and I would suspect that today we could easily identify by glancing quickly through the newspapers or watching the news on television.
Suddenly who should come along but a priest? If anyone could be expected to stop and help it would be a priest. But wait. The priest does not come over to help; he passes by on the other side. No reason is given. Perhaps it was fear. Those who beat the man in the ditch might be lying in wait to beat him as well. Have you ever come upon someone after an ugly accident? And simply passed by for fear of becoming involved." Next there came a Levite...an "assistant" priest. As the text has it, "he came to the place and saw him, [and] passed by on the other side." Another hero!
Enter character number three - a Samaritan. The GOOD Samaritan! Nowhere in the Bible will we find the words "Good" and "Samaritan" next to each other. For those folks who first heard this story, the phrase "Good Samaritan" would have been an oxymoron, (oxymoron is the putting together of words which seem to contradict each other) anyway - the only GOOD Samaritan would have been a DEAD Samaritan.
Why such depth of feeling? The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was hundreds of years old. By the time of Jesus, the animosity toward Samaritans was so great that some Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid even walking on Samaritan soil The hatred between Jew and Samaritan in Jesus’ day was at least as deep as the feeling Jews and Arabs have towards each other today. After all, if Jesus were just trying to say we should help the helpless, supply the needs of the needy, he could have talked about the first and second men who passed by and the third one who stopped and cared for the half-dead guy in the ditch. If Jesus were also making a gibe against religious establishment, we would expect the third man to be a layman - an ordinary Israelite - in contrast to the professional clergy. If Jesus were illustrating the need to love our enemies, then the man in the ditch would have been a Samaritan who is cared for by a loving Israelite. Of course, that is NOT the way the story goes. We will deal with, ”WHY A SAMARITAN”? The Samaritan sees the man, but instead of distancing himself just as the priest and the Levite had earlier, he comes closer. As the text has it, "when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them --oil to keep them soft, wine to sterilize. Then he put him on his own animal, bought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii -two days wages, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ’Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend."’ Not an insignificant amount, not lavish either, but enough to do the job. The story is over. Jesus has responded to the lawyer’s question about the limits of neighborliness with his story and now turns the question back to the lawyer: "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" And the answer, "The one who showed him mercy." Amazing, isn’t it? The concept of a GOOD Samaritan is so distasteful that the lawyer cannot bring himself to even speak the name. Perhaps the answer to that question we raised earlier, "Why a Samaritan?" is that Jesus did not want his hearers to identify with this generous caregiver. As attractive and winsome is the behavior of this man, as much of a helper/hero as he obviously was, that WOULD be the temptation. But no good Jew could do that. He would not want to be like the Priest or Levite either, so the only character left with which to identity would be the man in the ditch.
Now Jesus concludes, "Go and do likewise." What? Be the guy in the ditch? Perhaps that is not so far-fetched as we might think. We never hear if this poor victim recovers, but my assumption is that he does. That being the case, what would the effect have been on him that a Samaritan had rescued him? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world’s victims. There would be less callousness, less inclination to lay blame for getting into such a fix in the first place, less temptation to "pass by on the other side." If Jesus’ story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the rest of his world than he would have ever dreamed possible. On several occasions when I have thought about the story of the Good Samaritan, I have wondered about the rest of the story. What effect did the charity have on the man who was robbed and beaten and taken care of...Did he remember the cruelty of the robbers and shape his life with that memory? Or did he remember the nameless generosity of the Samaritan and shape his life with that debt? What did he pass on to the strangers in his life, those in need he met? "Has anyone ever helped you? ---
A Few years ago when our daughters were young, we were in Florida. We are traveling from Daytona Beach, on the highway. Our van ran out of gas . We got stranded there by the highway. We signaled for help. There were many Christians traveling that road that particular day. No one stopped . They all passed by. We kept praying for the Lord intervene. Finally a man stopped and gave us a ride to get gas in a nearby gas station in his gas can. He stopped and gave up his time to care and share. He was a Jehovah witness. The Lord can use strangers who become good neighbors.
Alice and Laureen came home yesterday. They're getting ready for the wedding shower for Sunita on Saturday. Thank you for praying for Janice. She's doing really well. Jeremy's mom is there to help for the next few days. I'll be away for a few days next week, attending a conference in Birmingham, AL at Beeson Divinity School on Samford University's campus. This is my annual summer event. Pastors from around the country attend. One of the main speakers for this event is Dr. Richard Bewes, from Cambridge, England.
Have a wonderful day.
Brown
One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Luke 10. This is story of the Good Samaritan. The story of the Good Samaritan was part of the text for my High School English curriculum along with the Parable of the Prodigal son . These texts were in the King James Version.
In the story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 we are immediately introduced to a lawyer. He poses a question to Jesus as a "test" - "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers this question with one of His own. "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" The answer comes back, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Good answer. And Jesus agrees. But the lawyer, not satisfied with that, still wishes to be noticed, so he asks another question "And who is my neighbor?" In other words, "OK, Jesus, I understand I am supposed to CARE, but what are the limits of my caring? When can I quit?" And here Jesus tells His famous story.
The first person to which we are introduced is the poor traveler. He had taken the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, which was notoriously dangerous. It descended nearly 3,300 feet in 17 miles, running through narrow passes at points. The terrain offered easy hiding for the bandits who terrorized travelers. This unfortunate man had been stripped, beaten, and left for dead. Jesus’ audience that day knew how easily it could happen and I would suspect that today we could easily identify by glancing quickly through the newspapers or watching the news on television.
Suddenly who should come along but a priest? If anyone could be expected to stop and help it would be a priest. But wait. The priest does not come over to help; he passes by on the other side. No reason is given. Perhaps it was fear. Those who beat the man in the ditch might be lying in wait to beat him as well. Have you ever come upon someone after an ugly accident? And simply passed by for fear of becoming involved." Next there came a Levite...an "assistant" priest. As the text has it, "he came to the place and saw him, [and] passed by on the other side." Another hero!
Enter character number three - a Samaritan. The GOOD Samaritan! Nowhere in the Bible will we find the words "Good" and "Samaritan" next to each other. For those folks who first heard this story, the phrase "Good Samaritan" would have been an oxymoron, (oxymoron is the putting together of words which seem to contradict each other) anyway - the only GOOD Samaritan would have been a DEAD Samaritan.
Why such depth of feeling? The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was hundreds of years old. By the time of Jesus, the animosity toward Samaritans was so great that some Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid even walking on Samaritan soil The hatred between Jew and Samaritan in Jesus’ day was at least as deep as the feeling Jews and Arabs have towards each other today. After all, if Jesus were just trying to say we should help the helpless, supply the needs of the needy, he could have talked about the first and second men who passed by and the third one who stopped and cared for the half-dead guy in the ditch. If Jesus were also making a gibe against religious establishment, we would expect the third man to be a layman - an ordinary Israelite - in contrast to the professional clergy. If Jesus were illustrating the need to love our enemies, then the man in the ditch would have been a Samaritan who is cared for by a loving Israelite. Of course, that is NOT the way the story goes. We will deal with, ”WHY A SAMARITAN”? The Samaritan sees the man, but instead of distancing himself just as the priest and the Levite had earlier, he comes closer. As the text has it, "when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them --oil to keep them soft, wine to sterilize. Then he put him on his own animal, bought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii -two days wages, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ’Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend."’ Not an insignificant amount, not lavish either, but enough to do the job. The story is over. Jesus has responded to the lawyer’s question about the limits of neighborliness with his story and now turns the question back to the lawyer: "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" And the answer, "The one who showed him mercy." Amazing, isn’t it? The concept of a GOOD Samaritan is so distasteful that the lawyer cannot bring himself to even speak the name. Perhaps the answer to that question we raised earlier, "Why a Samaritan?" is that Jesus did not want his hearers to identify with this generous caregiver. As attractive and winsome is the behavior of this man, as much of a helper/hero as he obviously was, that WOULD be the temptation. But no good Jew could do that. He would not want to be like the Priest or Levite either, so the only character left with which to identity would be the man in the ditch.
Now Jesus concludes, "Go and do likewise." What? Be the guy in the ditch? Perhaps that is not so far-fetched as we might think. We never hear if this poor victim recovers, but my assumption is that he does. That being the case, what would the effect have been on him that a Samaritan had rescued him? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world’s victims. There would be less callousness, less inclination to lay blame for getting into such a fix in the first place, less temptation to "pass by on the other side." If Jesus’ story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the rest of his world than he would have ever dreamed possible. On several occasions when I have thought about the story of the Good Samaritan, I have wondered about the rest of the story. What effect did the charity have on the man who was robbed and beaten and taken care of...Did he remember the cruelty of the robbers and shape his life with that memory? Or did he remember the nameless generosity of the Samaritan and shape his life with that debt? What did he pass on to the strangers in his life, those in need he met? "Has anyone ever helped you? ---
A Few years ago when our daughters were young, we were in Florida. We are traveling from Daytona Beach, on the highway. Our van ran out of gas . We got stranded there by the highway. We signaled for help. There were many Christians traveling that road that particular day. No one stopped . They all passed by. We kept praying for the Lord intervene. Finally a man stopped and gave us a ride to get gas in a nearby gas station in his gas can. He stopped and gave up his time to care and share. He was a Jehovah witness. The Lord can use strangers who become good neighbors.
Alice and Laureen came home yesterday. They're getting ready for the wedding shower for Sunita on Saturday. Thank you for praying for Janice. She's doing really well. Jeremy's mom is there to help for the next few days. I'll be away for a few days next week, attending a conference in Birmingham, AL at Beeson Divinity School on Samford University's campus. This is my annual summer event. Pastors from around the country attend. One of the main speakers for this event is Dr. Richard Bewes, from Cambridge, England.
Have a wonderful day.
Brown
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 7-17-07
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for all of God's promises. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20. We live by faith and not by sight and we stand on His promises. We read in Matthew 5:13-16 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We are called, chosen, anointed and empowered by the Lord to be partners in His miracles. He uses the least, the lost and the last to accomplish extraordinary things in His Kingdom in His power. He used a slave girl from Israel to bring about healing to a Syrian army General. He used a little boy in feeding 5,000 men alone. He desires to use us now as good Samaritans, with tender hearts in a tough world. When Rosina Hernandez was in college, she once attended a rock concert at which one young man was brutally beaten by another. No one attempted to stop the beating. The next day she was struck dumb to learn that the youth had died because of the pounding. Yet, neither she nor anyone else had raised a hand to help him. She could never forget the incident or her responsibility as an inactive bystander. Some years later, Rosina saw another catastrophe. A car driving in the rain ahead of her suddenly skidded and plunged into Biscayne Bay. The car landed head down in the water with only the tail end showing. In a moment a woman appeared on the surface, shouting for help and saying her husband was stuck inside. This time Rosina waited for no one. She plunged into the water, tried unsuccessfully to open the car door, then pounded on the back window as other bystanders stood on the causeway and watched. First, she screamed at them, begging for help; then cursed them, telling them there was a man dying in the car. First one man, then another, finally came to help. Together they broke the safety glass and dragged the man out. They were just in time -- a few minutes later it would have been all over. The woman thanked Rosina for saving her husband, and Rosina was elated, riding an emotional high that lasted for weeks. She had promised herself that she would never again fail to do anything she could to save a human life. She had made good on her promise. (Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 20-21.)
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Edward Everett Hale, the distinguished poet and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, while speaking of Americans eloquently captured the essence of every believer’s duty: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, that I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do." There is a story of an Atlantic passenger laying in his bunk in a storm, deathly sick--seasick. A cry of "Man overboard" was heard. The passenger thought, "God help the poor fellow--there is nothing I can do." Then he thought that at least he could put his lantern in the porthole, which he did. The man was rescued, and recounting the story next day he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a port-hole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in a lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for our not putting forth all the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will use it? Habakkuk 3:19 "The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."
Psalms 118:6 "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Thank you for praying for Janice and her family. They are all doing well. I did send some of the pictures of them, I hope you can access them.
Congratulations to our friend Julie in Oklahoma on the birth of her grandson, Joseph.
I'm enclosing a prayer request from our friend Senie from Virginia, please do remember them in prayer.
Have a wonderful day filled with His grace and His power.
In Him,
Brown
Allan went to the surgeon today to see about much needed knee replacement surgery on his right knee and before we knew it, the date was set for August 9th. They had just had a cancellation and didn't have anything until weeks after that, so we took it as a sign! What that means, unfortunately for us, is that he is not allowed to travel for at least a month, maybe more, partly because of the inability to function easily but also because of a fear of blood clots. And so we will not be able to make it to Sunita's wedding. Drat!!! He has been very uncomfortable recently so we felt that he needed to go ahead and get it done, putting several things aside to make that a priority. So please keep him in your prayers, that he will remain healthy and sail through the surgery and be back at it by later in September. Maybe we'll take a trip to NYS to celebrate!
Also, my longtime friend Betty Boyer in PA's 24 year old granddaughter was killed in an auto accident about 3 weeks ago. Would you please pray for her, her daughter and son-in-law, and the other 2 children that they will be able to get all of this in the right perspective. They are all Christians but the 21 year old sister is having a very difficult time and has become involved in things that she shouldn't be, has a non-Christian boyfriend that she is considering moving in with and feels she should have been killed and not her older, perfect sister. She has always had low self-esteem apparently. Anyway, at a time when the parents need to be dealing with their own grief, everything has become very complicated because of the actions/mindset of Katie. The son, about 10, was also in the vehicle, though he is doing okay, so that is another whole situation to deal with. They know that the Lord can meet their needs but just don't know the best way to handle Katie. She refuses to talk about counseling - a very complicated situation all the way around!
Thanks so much for your note, Brown, and for your willingness to pray for us.
Love to all the family. Do you know how to respond to a little boy? Get practicing soccer and baseball, Grandpa?
Senie, and Allan too
Praise the Lord for all of God's promises. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20. We live by faith and not by sight and we stand on His promises. We read in Matthew 5:13-16 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We are called, chosen, anointed and empowered by the Lord to be partners in His miracles. He uses the least, the lost and the last to accomplish extraordinary things in His Kingdom in His power. He used a slave girl from Israel to bring about healing to a Syrian army General. He used a little boy in feeding 5,000 men alone. He desires to use us now as good Samaritans, with tender hearts in a tough world. When Rosina Hernandez was in college, she once attended a rock concert at which one young man was brutally beaten by another. No one attempted to stop the beating. The next day she was struck dumb to learn that the youth had died because of the pounding. Yet, neither she nor anyone else had raised a hand to help him. She could never forget the incident or her responsibility as an inactive bystander. Some years later, Rosina saw another catastrophe. A car driving in the rain ahead of her suddenly skidded and plunged into Biscayne Bay. The car landed head down in the water with only the tail end showing. In a moment a woman appeared on the surface, shouting for help and saying her husband was stuck inside. This time Rosina waited for no one. She plunged into the water, tried unsuccessfully to open the car door, then pounded on the back window as other bystanders stood on the causeway and watched. First, she screamed at them, begging for help; then cursed them, telling them there was a man dying in the car. First one man, then another, finally came to help. Together they broke the safety glass and dragged the man out. They were just in time -- a few minutes later it would have been all over. The woman thanked Rosina for saving her husband, and Rosina was elated, riding an emotional high that lasted for weeks. She had promised herself that she would never again fail to do anything she could to save a human life. She had made good on her promise. (Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 20-21.)
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Edward Everett Hale, the distinguished poet and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, while speaking of Americans eloquently captured the essence of every believer’s duty: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, that I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do." There is a story of an Atlantic passenger laying in his bunk in a storm, deathly sick--seasick. A cry of "Man overboard" was heard. The passenger thought, "God help the poor fellow--there is nothing I can do." Then he thought that at least he could put his lantern in the porthole, which he did. The man was rescued, and recounting the story next day he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a port-hole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in a lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for our not putting forth all the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will use it? Habakkuk 3:19 "The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."
Psalms 118:6 "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Thank you for praying for Janice and her family. They are all doing well. I did send some of the pictures of them, I hope you can access them.
Congratulations to our friend Julie in Oklahoma on the birth of her grandson, Joseph.
I'm enclosing a prayer request from our friend Senie from Virginia, please do remember them in prayer.
Have a wonderful day filled with His grace and His power.
In Him,
Brown
Allan went to the surgeon today to see about much needed knee replacement surgery on his right knee and before we knew it, the date was set for August 9th. They had just had a cancellation and didn't have anything until weeks after that, so we took it as a sign! What that means, unfortunately for us, is that he is not allowed to travel for at least a month, maybe more, partly because of the inability to function easily but also because of a fear of blood clots. And so we will not be able to make it to Sunita's wedding. Drat!!! He has been very uncomfortable recently so we felt that he needed to go ahead and get it done, putting several things aside to make that a priority. So please keep him in your prayers, that he will remain healthy and sail through the surgery and be back at it by later in September. Maybe we'll take a trip to NYS to celebrate!
Also, my longtime friend Betty Boyer in PA's 24 year old granddaughter was killed in an auto accident about 3 weeks ago. Would you please pray for her, her daughter and son-in-law, and the other 2 children that they will be able to get all of this in the right perspective. They are all Christians but the 21 year old sister is having a very difficult time and has become involved in things that she shouldn't be, has a non-Christian boyfriend that she is considering moving in with and feels she should have been killed and not her older, perfect sister. She has always had low self-esteem apparently. Anyway, at a time when the parents need to be dealing with their own grief, everything has become very complicated because of the actions/mindset of Katie. The son, about 10, was also in the vehicle, though he is doing okay, so that is another whole situation to deal with. They know that the Lord can meet their needs but just don't know the best way to handle Katie. She refuses to talk about counseling - a very complicated situation all the way around!
Thanks so much for your note, Brown, and for your willingness to pray for us.
Love to all the family. Do you know how to respond to a little boy? Get practicing soccer and baseball, Grandpa?
Senie, and Allan too
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Word from Alice 7/16/07
Dear praying friends,
Good morning from Jamaica Plain (Boston). I'm just letting you all know
that at this moment in time Janice is feeling much better. Though we
don't with certainty know the cause of her abdominal pain the other
day, she is feeling much stronger. This morning Janice, Micah, and
Simeon went on a 3 mile walk with Aunti Laureen and Grandma. It was
great! Thank you to one and all who have been lifting Janice in prayer.
Micah is adjusting quite well to her new role as big sister. She is
very tender with her baby brother, showering him with kisses and lots
of love. She is gradually adjusting to the squeaks and cries of a
newborn, learning that all babies cry - and she is no longer helping to
make a chorus of crying when the baby is upset.
Simeon is loving his life. He does all the baby things - eats, sleeps,
cries, etc., and has a wonderful raspy little baby voice. Last night he
had his best night yet. He had only a mild day-night switch-up from
about 9 to 10 PM, then slept to midnight. After the midnight feeding
(midnight snack would probably not be an adequate term) he slept until
after 5:30 am. It was wonderful for one and all, giving everyone
much-needed rest.
All is well, and we praise the Lord for His marvelous hand. We are
reminded constantly of God's providence for His people by setting us in
families. What an amazing process it is!
Enjoy your day wherever you are in God's great creation. Blessings on
one and all.
In Christ
Alice
Good morning from Jamaica Plain (Boston). I'm just letting you all know
that at this moment in time Janice is feeling much better. Though we
don't with certainty know the cause of her abdominal pain the other
day, she is feeling much stronger. This morning Janice, Micah, and
Simeon went on a 3 mile walk with Aunti Laureen and Grandma. It was
great! Thank you to one and all who have been lifting Janice in prayer.
Micah is adjusting quite well to her new role as big sister. She is
very tender with her baby brother, showering him with kisses and lots
of love. She is gradually adjusting to the squeaks and cries of a
newborn, learning that all babies cry - and she is no longer helping to
make a chorus of crying when the baby is upset.
Simeon is loving his life. He does all the baby things - eats, sleeps,
cries, etc., and has a wonderful raspy little baby voice. Last night he
had his best night yet. He had only a mild day-night switch-up from
about 9 to 10 PM, then slept to midnight. After the midnight feeding
(midnight snack would probably not be an adequate term) he slept until
after 5:30 am. It was wonderful for one and all, giving everyone
much-needed rest.
All is well, and we praise the Lord for His marvelous hand. We are
reminded constantly of God's providence for His people by setting us in
families. What an amazing process it is!
Enjoy your day wherever you are in God's great creation. Blessings on
one and all.
In Christ
Alice
7-16-07 A short word from Brown
Janice is doing much better, The Lord has answered the prayers of His people. I am going to be in New York today, taking some friends from India to Niagra Falls.
Have a blessed day.
With much love,
Brown
Have a blessed day.
With much love,
Brown
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