Good Morning,
Praise Jesus - it is Friday. Praise the Lord! Sunday is coming. Praise the Lord for summer.
Jesus is the Man of all seasons. He is the Lord in every season. He is our eternal contemporary. John Milton said it best: “The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make a Heaven out of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” That’s so true, isn’t it? All of us know people who can find something good to focus on even in the worst of circumstances. All of us also know someone who can find something bad to focus on even in the best of circumstances. There is a universal principle at play here: that we tend to see what we’re looking for. I think there are two basic types of people in the world: complainers and worshippers. Complainers can always find something to complain about. Worshippers can always find something to praise God about. Each of us is almost constantly in the process of developing hypotheses about the world around us. Then we look for evidence to support our hypotheses, and we tend to ignore evidence to the contrary. For example, if you decide you don’t like someone you’ll notice everything that is wrong with that person. You will probably also ignore anything you could potentially like about them. The flip-side is true as well. If you are head-over-heels in love with someone you tend to only notice those things you love about them. In other words, we see what we’re looking for. A worshipper makes a pre-decision to look for something to praise God about even in the direst of circumstances. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were in a prison cell in Philippi. Paul cast a demon out of a fortune-teller. Her master did not like it because she lost the ability to predict the future, so he had Paul and Silas arrested.
Acts 16:22 says, “A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So he took no chances but put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.” I think that when we read a story like this it’s tough to put ourselves in their shoes. I’ve had bad days before, but nothing like this. If I were Paul or Silas, I would be emotionally, physically, and spiritually spent . . . drained to the last drop, with got nothing left to give. Their backs were bleeding from their beating. They were black and blue all over. And they had to be angry. I have never had a mob form against me, but I’m guessing that it would set you off emotionally. To top it off they landed in the maximum security cell in stocks! It just doesn’t get much worse than that.
That’s why the next verse is so amazing to me. Acts 16:25 says, “Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” When I get into a spiritual or emotional slump, it’s usually because I’ve focused on a problem. I’m fixing my mind on something that is wrong. Nine times out of ten, the solution is "zooming out" so I can get some perspective and see the bigger picture. So, how do we zoom out? Worshipping is taking our eyes off of our external circumstances and focusing on God. We need to stop focusing on what’s wrong with us or with our circumstances, and begin to focus on what’s right with God. Paul and Silas could have taken the narrow view of their circumstances and complained about them. They could have said something like, "God, we cast out a demon and this is what we get? We’re on a missionary journey and we get beaten and thrown in jail? Instead of “watching our back” our backs are bleeding from a beating!" They could have complained till their voices were hoarse, but they made a choice to worship God despite their external circumstances. Here’s what worship does. It restores spiritual equilibrium. It helps you regain perspective. It enables you to find something right to praise God about even when everything seems to be going wrong. Worship is zooming out and refocusing on the big picture. It’s refocusing on the fact that two thousand years ago, Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. It’s refocusing on the fact that God loves me when I least expect it and least deserve it. It’s refocusing on the fact that God is going to get me where God wants me to go. It’s refocusing on the fact that I have eternity with God to look forward to in a place where there is no mourning or sorrow or pain. Worship is refocusing on the fundamentals of our faith. Here is what happens when we correct our focus: God restores the joy of our salvation. We regain our spiritual equilibrium. Nothing is more difficult than praising God when everything seems to be going wrong. However, one of the purest forms of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it because it shows God that your worship isn’t based on circumstances. Worship is based on the character of God. One of my all time favorite books is Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor who wrote about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. Everything was taken away from these prisoners. They were stripped of their clothing, their pictures, and their personal belongings. They even had their names taken away and replaces by numbers. Everything was taken away except one thing. Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Paul and Silas were in prison, their bodies in chains, but you can’t chain the human spirit. That’s what Victor Frankl discovered in the concentration camp. That’s what Paul and Silas modeled two thousand years ago. Their bodies were chained, but their spirits soared. There is one recording I would love to hear - that of Paul and Silas singing. I think they sang with a conviction that caused their fellow prisoners to listen. They praised God at the top of their voices! That choice to worship set off a chain reaction. I don’t think Paul or Silas could have planned their miraculous jailbreak. To make a long story short, there was an earthquake. Though the prisoners are set free, but they didn't leave! The jailer who was about to kill himself was saved, along with his entire family, and they were baptized in the middle of the night. This isn't the kind of thing you would put in a novel - no one would find it remotely feasible. You can’t plan miracles. However, when you worship God in the worst of Circumstances you never know what is going to happen. Worship sets the stage for miracles! Worship causes spiritual earthquakes that can change the your life. Worship is the way we stay positive in negative circumstances. No matter how bad things get, because we are followers of Christ, we have eternity in heaven to look forward to! Our pain is real, but it is temporary. Heaven is also real, and it is for eternity. Paul gives some priceless advice in Philippians 4:8. It’ a list of eight premeditated commitments. He says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Worshippers always find something to praise God for. Worship is a premeditated commitment. It was worship that set Paul and Silas free physically. It is also worship that will set us free emotionally and spiritually. Worship sets off a chain reaction. The prison doors fly open. The chains break free.
Hebrews 10:22 "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Pray for our television outreach this evening on Time Warner Channel 4 at 7 p.m.
Tomorrow - there will be a Saturday evening worship service at 6:30 p.m. The music team will consist of Jeff and Keisha Blaine and Laureen Naik.
Sunday morning -
Worship at Wesley UMC - 8:30
Sunday school (UCUMC) - 9:00
Worship (UCUMC) - 10:00
Our annual pilgrimage to the Christmas Extravaganza at Radio City Music Hall will be on Monday, December 8. The total cost for the ticket and bus is $75.00. We still have limited seats available. Please contact us at brownnaik@aol.com
Congratulations to
Tom and Lenka Maynard on the birth of their daughter, Esther.
Diedre and Jeremy Rapp, on the birth of their son, Caden.
Chad and Jessica Lucas, on the birth of their son, Cody.
Mike and Deborah Eckhardt, on the birth of their daughter, Cassidy.
Happy birthday to
Bruce Henry, who recently turned 90
Etta Schaffer, 81
Dave Griffiths, 81
Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
In His Love and Mercy,
Brown
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 8-7-08
Good morning,
This has been a beautiful and blessed summer though we have had some trying times and difficult moments in our family back in India. Thank you for praying for us. Please keep on praying for my younger brother Patel, whose wife died on June 16, 2008. One of the huge blessings of the summer was that our grandson Simeon turned one year on July 8. Jeremy and Janice, Micah and Simeon came down to Endicott for a great birthday party for Simeon. All the family joined the celebration. Alice preached on the 13th of July. Jeremy took his Bar exams in August. He is going to start his new job on the 2nd of September in Boston. Our nephew Arnold has an interview in September with an agency with the Federal Government.. Please pray for him.
In the 1993 movie, In the Line of Fire Frank Horrigan was a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President. Horrigan had protected the life of the President for more than three decades, but he was haunted by the memory of what had happened thirty years before. Horrigan was a young agent assigned to President Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas in 1963. When the assassin fired, Horrigan froze in shock. For thirty years afterward, he wrestled with the ultimate question for a Secret Service agent: Can I take a bullet for the President? In the climax of the movie, Horrigan does what he had been unable to do earlier: he throws himself into the path of an assassin’s bullet to save the President. Secret Service agents are willing to do such a thing because they believe the President is so valuable to our country and the world that he is worth dying for. Obviously they would not take a bullet for just anyone. At Calvary the situation was reversed. The Creator of the Universe actually took a bullet for us. At the Cross we see how Jesus died in our place. And he did that while we were still sinners. As one of the modern song writers pens "He took the fall and thought of me above all". There are many blessings of justification for those who have been justified by faith. Praise the Lord for the extravagant blessing of peace with God, standing in grace, rejoicing in hope, and rejoicing in suffering. The amazing love of Jesus is supremely demonstrated at the cross of Calvary. It is difficult to put into words the greatness of His love for his own. Someone once tried to express the greatness of God’s love by printing on a little card a special arrangement of John 3:16, with certain descriptive phrases added. The twelve parts of the verse were arranged down one side of the card, and the added phrases were printed across from them. It went like this:
God. . . . . . . . . . .the greatest Lover
so loved. . . . . . . . the greatest degree
the world. . . . . . . .the greatest company
that he gave. . . . . . the greatest act
his one and only Son. . the greatest gift
that whoever. . . . . . the greatest opportunity
believes. . . . . . . . the greatest simplicity
in him. . . . . . . . . the greatest attraction
shall not perish. . . . the greatest promise
but. . . . . . . . . . .the greatest difference
have. . . . . . . . . . the greatest certainty
eternal life. . . . . . the greatest possession
The title for this card was: “Christ—the Greatest Gift.”
One of the greatest expressions of the love of God is in the words of a hymn written by F. M. Lehman. The first time I heard this hymn was in the summer of 1969. After my graduation from University, I spent the summer of 1969 with OM( Operation Mobilization)". It was one of the crucible summers of my life. I saw the Lord at work performing miracles, answering prayers and being available to His own 24/7. Lehman wrote most of this hymn, but the final stanza was added to it later, after it had been found scratched on the wall of a room in an asylum by a man said to have been insane. The first and last verses of the hymn and the chorus, go as follows:The love of God is greater farThan tongue or pen can ever tell;It goes beyond the highest star;And reaches to the lowest hell.The guilty pair, bowed down with care,God gave his Son to win:His erring child he reconciledAnd rescued from his sin.Could we with ink the ocean fill,And were the skies of parchment made;Were every stalk on earth a quill,And every man a scribe by trade;To write the love of God aboveWould drain the ocean dry;Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.Chorus:Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!How measureless and strong!It shall forevermore endure –The saints’ and angels’ song. And yet I feel that I have not even begun to fathom the greatness of God’s love. So, let us remind ourselves, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
In Christ,
Brown
This has been a beautiful and blessed summer though we have had some trying times and difficult moments in our family back in India. Thank you for praying for us. Please keep on praying for my younger brother Patel, whose wife died on June 16, 2008. One of the huge blessings of the summer was that our grandson Simeon turned one year on July 8. Jeremy and Janice, Micah and Simeon came down to Endicott for a great birthday party for Simeon. All the family joined the celebration. Alice preached on the 13th of July. Jeremy took his Bar exams in August. He is going to start his new job on the 2nd of September in Boston. Our nephew Arnold has an interview in September with an agency with the Federal Government.. Please pray for him.
In the 1993 movie, In the Line of Fire Frank Horrigan was a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President. Horrigan had protected the life of the President for more than three decades, but he was haunted by the memory of what had happened thirty years before. Horrigan was a young agent assigned to President Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas in 1963. When the assassin fired, Horrigan froze in shock. For thirty years afterward, he wrestled with the ultimate question for a Secret Service agent: Can I take a bullet for the President? In the climax of the movie, Horrigan does what he had been unable to do earlier: he throws himself into the path of an assassin’s bullet to save the President. Secret Service agents are willing to do such a thing because they believe the President is so valuable to our country and the world that he is worth dying for. Obviously they would not take a bullet for just anyone. At Calvary the situation was reversed. The Creator of the Universe actually took a bullet for us. At the Cross we see how Jesus died in our place. And he did that while we were still sinners. As one of the modern song writers pens "He took the fall and thought of me above all". There are many blessings of justification for those who have been justified by faith. Praise the Lord for the extravagant blessing of peace with God, standing in grace, rejoicing in hope, and rejoicing in suffering. The amazing love of Jesus is supremely demonstrated at the cross of Calvary. It is difficult to put into words the greatness of His love for his own. Someone once tried to express the greatness of God’s love by printing on a little card a special arrangement of John 3:16, with certain descriptive phrases added. The twelve parts of the verse were arranged down one side of the card, and the added phrases were printed across from them. It went like this:
God. . . . . . . . . . .the greatest Lover
so loved. . . . . . . . the greatest degree
the world. . . . . . . .the greatest company
that he gave. . . . . . the greatest act
his one and only Son. . the greatest gift
that whoever. . . . . . the greatest opportunity
believes. . . . . . . . the greatest simplicity
in him. . . . . . . . . the greatest attraction
shall not perish. . . . the greatest promise
but. . . . . . . . . . .the greatest difference
have. . . . . . . . . . the greatest certainty
eternal life. . . . . . the greatest possession
The title for this card was: “Christ—the Greatest Gift.”
One of the greatest expressions of the love of God is in the words of a hymn written by F. M. Lehman. The first time I heard this hymn was in the summer of 1969. After my graduation from University, I spent the summer of 1969 with OM( Operation Mobilization)". It was one of the crucible summers of my life. I saw the Lord at work performing miracles, answering prayers and being available to His own 24/7. Lehman wrote most of this hymn, but the final stanza was added to it later, after it had been found scratched on the wall of a room in an asylum by a man said to have been insane. The first and last verses of the hymn and the chorus, go as follows:The love of God is greater farThan tongue or pen can ever tell;It goes beyond the highest star;And reaches to the lowest hell.The guilty pair, bowed down with care,God gave his Son to win:His erring child he reconciledAnd rescued from his sin.Could we with ink the ocean fill,And were the skies of parchment made;Were every stalk on earth a quill,And every man a scribe by trade;To write the love of God aboveWould drain the ocean dry;Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.Chorus:Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!How measureless and strong!It shall forevermore endure –The saints’ and angels’ song. And yet I feel that I have not even begun to fathom the greatness of God’s love. So, let us remind ourselves, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
In Christ,
Brown
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 8-5-08
Good Morning.
One of the most frequently used words in the Christian church is the word ‘Gospel’. It is, of course, the ‘Good News’ of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the gospel that brought the church of God into being. Anything which is preached as something less is what the apostle Paul would condemn as “another gospel” (Gal 6:8). There is a verse in I Thessalonians that stood out vividly as I was reading it one day, “For our Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1:5). He did not claim proprietary rights as if it was his version of the Gospel. In many other references to the Gospel he calls it “the gospel of God” (2:2,8,9) because it was God who had revealed himself in it as a God of love. It is also referred to as “the gospel of Christ” (3:2) because the good news focused on Him.
It has been wisely said: ‘If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior!’
I think about the missionary Helen Roseveare who went to the Congo in Africa during the uprisings of the sixties. She was held captive for months and brutally beaten. She was finally released and sent back to England where she was given an opportunity for healing. Ultimately, she went back to the Congo and started a medical clinic right there among those who had been her captors. Some of you are familiar with the movie, "End of the Spear," in which five missionary men were killed by the Auca Indians. Nate Saint was one of them. Despite the loss of his father in the brutal attack, son Steve and his family went back to that same tribe and introduced them to Jesus. In fact, the very man who killed Nate Saint traveled the United States with Nate’s son Steve telling the story of redemption. I read a fascinating story this week concerning a couple whom I don’t know and never have heard of before, by the names of Louie and Janette. They are a couple in their 80’s with a 55-year old son, Lewis. Their son, who was severely mentally handicapped all of his life, was cared for in an institution. As Christian parents these two prayed diligently that somehow he would come to know something about Christ in spite of his limitations. About the time Lewis was 50 years old an amazing thing happened. The family was together on a car ride when all of a sudden without warning, without prompting, Lewis began to speak. By the way, he had never done that before. He said, you know, mom, you know, dad, Jesus was born, Jesus died to save us from our sins, he rose again, yes, he did. This was the only complete sentence he ever spoke in his entire life. Louie and Janette were greatly touched by hearing those words from their son. It turns out that someone had conducted a catechism class for a group of people that included Lewis, and apparently Lewis absorbed more of the material than anyone could have anticipated. The man who tells this true story ends it by saying that God can reach any heart and any mind with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never underestimate his ability nor his determination to do so. He can reach anyone. Never underestimate his willingness nor his determination to do so.
During my recent visits to Orissa, India I met a man who came and spent a week with us. His brothers are Hindu Monks. One of his sisters is a Hindu priestess. This man who came to visit us had come to know Christ, and surrendered his life to him. The man, who has a PhD and was a professor has been completely changed. Jesus transformed his life. He now spends his time, talents, and treasures in sharing about Jesus.
I also visited a village which, in the past, was full of Hindu Priests. There are big Hindu festivals once a year on a grand scale. I inquired about the festivals. The people told me that there are no more Hindu festivals now because the Hindu priests came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. They renounced their idols and their gods. The whole village is Christian. The Lord is at work around the corner and around the globe.
In Christ,
Brown
August 3, 2008 5:15PM
Archbishop Affirms Ban on Gay Bishops, Same-sex Unions
As historic Lambeth closes, Williams admits communion remains in 'grave peril.'
Timothy C. Morgan
Canterbury at the end of the Lambeth conference has become the land of many statements and restatements. But as predicted, there was no definitive action.
In summary, here are some of the things that did and did not happen:
1. Bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson did not gain official entrance to Lambeth. But he was frequently on site at the University of Kent, to the joy of some and the disgust of others.
2. Lambeth's 600 plus bishops (no official count or list has been released) did not approve an Anglican Convenant. Much discussion was held and more meetings on the covenant are expected lasting into 2009.
3. The Anglican Communion did avoid a formal split or schism. Yet even Rowan Williams admits the communion is still at 'gravel peril.'
4. Lambeth-attending conservative bishops and primates did voice much criticism of liberals and revisionist theology. But as yet the rhetoric of conservatives has not resulted in all revisionists clearly agreeing to bans on same-sex unions and gay ordinations.
The word stalemate still seems to fit this situation.
According to the Press Association (UK):
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on North American churches to abide by agreements not to consecrate gay bishops or carry out blessings on same-sex couples. On the final day of the Lambeth Conference, Dr Rowan Williams put forward the idea of a "Covenanted future" involving a "global church of inter-dependent communities". The once-a-decade meeting of worldwide bishops has been dominated by the issue of gay clergy and same sex unions, which has threatened to tear the Church apart. Disharmony has seen 200 bishops - a quarter of those invited - stage a boycott. Some Anglican churches in North America have carried out blessings for same sex couples, in contravention of agreements not to do so, or moratoria. "If the North American churches don't accept the need for moratoria then to say the least we are no further forward," Dr Williams said. "The idea of a Covenant which includes as many of them as possible becomes more fragile and that means that as a Communion we continue to be in grave peril." He said it was often assumed that the blessing of same sex marriages or the ordination of gay bishops was simply a human rights issue. "That's an assumption I can't accept because I think the issue about what conditions a church lays down for a blessing have to be shaped by its own thinking and its own praying."
Click here for the sermon text for the final Lambeth service at Canterbury Cathdral. This seems more significant for what Rowan Williams doesn't say. He seems to place an unusually high value on the fact of conversation, not the results of conversation, debate, and dialog.
The Indaba process resulted in a lengthy reflections statement. Click here for the final Aug. 3 text.
Reporter Steve Waring (Living Church) indicates that once again many important conversations will be taken up months from now. Something sure to frustrate conservatives, liberals, and rank and file church-goers.
Continue for:
1. Steve Waring's dispatch.2. Statement from Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori3. Additional comments from conservative Bishop of Egypt Mouneer Anis.
The final “Lambeth Indaba” reflections document suggests that “a season of gracious restraint” may be the best way to resolve disagreement over the scope and duration of a moratorium on the consecration of partnered homosexual persons as bishop, the celebration of public rites of same-sex blessings and cross-border incursions by overseas bishops. The document was released Aug. 3, the final day of the 20-day gathering of Anglican bishops.
“The moratoria can be taken as a sign of the bishops’ affection, trust and goodwill towards the Archbishop of Canterbury and one another,” the 42-page reflection paper suggests. “The moratoria will be difficult to uphold, although there is a desire to do so from all quarters. There are questions to be clarified in relation to how long the moratoria are intended to serve.”
The section of the reflections document titled “The Windsor Process” also notes clear majority support for creation of a “Pastoral Forum” to resolve serious disputes.
“Many felt strongly that the forum could operate in a province only with the consent of that province and in particular with the consent of the primate or the appropriate body,” the document states. “It is essential that this should be properly funded and resourced if it has any chance of being productive. There was some support for an alternative suggestion: to appoint in any dispute, a pastoral visitor, working with a professional arbitrator and to create in the Communion a ‘pool’ of such visitors.”
Questions as to the nature and length of a proposed moratorium and the proposal to establish a pastoral forum will be referred to the Windsor Continuation Group. Last February, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams announced appointment of a six-member group which includes Bishop Gary Lillibridge of West Texas. The Windsor Continuation Group will prepare a document for consideration by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which meets next May in Jamaica.
How bad is the current crisis?
Mark Galli July 31, 2008 12:09PM
While the media keeps reminding us of the bad news--which is one of its jobs--I keep reading stories that try to put our current economic woes into perspective. Here is a paragraph from an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal ("Where's the Outrage? Really. By Arthur C. Brooks.)
In some countries, a depressed economic climate means mass unemployment, political instability and large-scale deprivation. In America this decade, we have reached the point at which even in a down economy, our unemployment rate does not reach 6% (lower than the rates in Canada and the European Union, let alone those in the developing world). Any unwanted unemployment is terrible; but it is worth remembering that this stability especially benefits the economically vulnerable
One of the most frequently used words in the Christian church is the word ‘Gospel’. It is, of course, the ‘Good News’ of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the gospel that brought the church of God into being. Anything which is preached as something less is what the apostle Paul would condemn as “another gospel” (Gal 6:8). There is a verse in I Thessalonians that stood out vividly as I was reading it one day, “For our Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1:5). He did not claim proprietary rights as if it was his version of the Gospel. In many other references to the Gospel he calls it “the gospel of God” (2:2,8,9) because it was God who had revealed himself in it as a God of love. It is also referred to as “the gospel of Christ” (3:2) because the good news focused on Him.
It has been wisely said: ‘If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior!’
I think about the missionary Helen Roseveare who went to the Congo in Africa during the uprisings of the sixties. She was held captive for months and brutally beaten. She was finally released and sent back to England where she was given an opportunity for healing. Ultimately, she went back to the Congo and started a medical clinic right there among those who had been her captors. Some of you are familiar with the movie, "End of the Spear," in which five missionary men were killed by the Auca Indians. Nate Saint was one of them. Despite the loss of his father in the brutal attack, son Steve and his family went back to that same tribe and introduced them to Jesus. In fact, the very man who killed Nate Saint traveled the United States with Nate’s son Steve telling the story of redemption. I read a fascinating story this week concerning a couple whom I don’t know and never have heard of before, by the names of Louie and Janette. They are a couple in their 80’s with a 55-year old son, Lewis. Their son, who was severely mentally handicapped all of his life, was cared for in an institution. As Christian parents these two prayed diligently that somehow he would come to know something about Christ in spite of his limitations. About the time Lewis was 50 years old an amazing thing happened. The family was together on a car ride when all of a sudden without warning, without prompting, Lewis began to speak. By the way, he had never done that before. He said, you know, mom, you know, dad, Jesus was born, Jesus died to save us from our sins, he rose again, yes, he did. This was the only complete sentence he ever spoke in his entire life. Louie and Janette were greatly touched by hearing those words from their son. It turns out that someone had conducted a catechism class for a group of people that included Lewis, and apparently Lewis absorbed more of the material than anyone could have anticipated. The man who tells this true story ends it by saying that God can reach any heart and any mind with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never underestimate his ability nor his determination to do so. He can reach anyone. Never underestimate his willingness nor his determination to do so.
During my recent visits to Orissa, India I met a man who came and spent a week with us. His brothers are Hindu Monks. One of his sisters is a Hindu priestess. This man who came to visit us had come to know Christ, and surrendered his life to him. The man, who has a PhD and was a professor has been completely changed. Jesus transformed his life. He now spends his time, talents, and treasures in sharing about Jesus.
I also visited a village which, in the past, was full of Hindu Priests. There are big Hindu festivals once a year on a grand scale. I inquired about the festivals. The people told me that there are no more Hindu festivals now because the Hindu priests came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. They renounced their idols and their gods. The whole village is Christian. The Lord is at work around the corner and around the globe.
In Christ,
Brown
August 3, 2008 5:15PM
Archbishop Affirms Ban on Gay Bishops, Same-sex Unions
As historic Lambeth closes, Williams admits communion remains in 'grave peril.'
Timothy C. Morgan
Canterbury at the end of the Lambeth conference has become the land of many statements and restatements. But as predicted, there was no definitive action.
In summary, here are some of the things that did and did not happen:
1. Bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson did not gain official entrance to Lambeth. But he was frequently on site at the University of Kent, to the joy of some and the disgust of others.
2. Lambeth's 600 plus bishops (no official count or list has been released) did not approve an Anglican Convenant. Much discussion was held and more meetings on the covenant are expected lasting into 2009.
3. The Anglican Communion did avoid a formal split or schism. Yet even Rowan Williams admits the communion is still at 'gravel peril.'
4. Lambeth-attending conservative bishops and primates did voice much criticism of liberals and revisionist theology. But as yet the rhetoric of conservatives has not resulted in all revisionists clearly agreeing to bans on same-sex unions and gay ordinations.
The word stalemate still seems to fit this situation.
According to the Press Association (UK):
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on North American churches to abide by agreements not to consecrate gay bishops or carry out blessings on same-sex couples. On the final day of the Lambeth Conference, Dr Rowan Williams put forward the idea of a "Covenanted future" involving a "global church of inter-dependent communities". The once-a-decade meeting of worldwide bishops has been dominated by the issue of gay clergy and same sex unions, which has threatened to tear the Church apart. Disharmony has seen 200 bishops - a quarter of those invited - stage a boycott. Some Anglican churches in North America have carried out blessings for same sex couples, in contravention of agreements not to do so, or moratoria. "If the North American churches don't accept the need for moratoria then to say the least we are no further forward," Dr Williams said. "The idea of a Covenant which includes as many of them as possible becomes more fragile and that means that as a Communion we continue to be in grave peril." He said it was often assumed that the blessing of same sex marriages or the ordination of gay bishops was simply a human rights issue. "That's an assumption I can't accept because I think the issue about what conditions a church lays down for a blessing have to be shaped by its own thinking and its own praying."
Click here for the sermon text for the final Lambeth service at Canterbury Cathdral. This seems more significant for what Rowan Williams doesn't say. He seems to place an unusually high value on the fact of conversation, not the results of conversation, debate, and dialog.
The Indaba process resulted in a lengthy reflections statement. Click here for the final Aug. 3 text.
Reporter Steve Waring (Living Church) indicates that once again many important conversations will be taken up months from now. Something sure to frustrate conservatives, liberals, and rank and file church-goers.
Continue for:
1. Steve Waring's dispatch.2. Statement from Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori3. Additional comments from conservative Bishop of Egypt Mouneer Anis.
The final “Lambeth Indaba” reflections document suggests that “a season of gracious restraint” may be the best way to resolve disagreement over the scope and duration of a moratorium on the consecration of partnered homosexual persons as bishop, the celebration of public rites of same-sex blessings and cross-border incursions by overseas bishops. The document was released Aug. 3, the final day of the 20-day gathering of Anglican bishops.
“The moratoria can be taken as a sign of the bishops’ affection, trust and goodwill towards the Archbishop of Canterbury and one another,” the 42-page reflection paper suggests. “The moratoria will be difficult to uphold, although there is a desire to do so from all quarters. There are questions to be clarified in relation to how long the moratoria are intended to serve.”
The section of the reflections document titled “The Windsor Process” also notes clear majority support for creation of a “Pastoral Forum” to resolve serious disputes.
“Many felt strongly that the forum could operate in a province only with the consent of that province and in particular with the consent of the primate or the appropriate body,” the document states. “It is essential that this should be properly funded and resourced if it has any chance of being productive. There was some support for an alternative suggestion: to appoint in any dispute, a pastoral visitor, working with a professional arbitrator and to create in the Communion a ‘pool’ of such visitors.”
Questions as to the nature and length of a proposed moratorium and the proposal to establish a pastoral forum will be referred to the Windsor Continuation Group. Last February, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams announced appointment of a six-member group which includes Bishop Gary Lillibridge of West Texas. The Windsor Continuation Group will prepare a document for consideration by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which meets next May in Jamaica.
How bad is the current crisis?
Mark Galli July 31, 2008 12:09PM
While the media keeps reminding us of the bad news--which is one of its jobs--I keep reading stories that try to put our current economic woes into perspective. Here is a paragraph from an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal ("Where's the Outrage? Really. By Arthur C. Brooks.)
In some countries, a depressed economic climate means mass unemployment, political instability and large-scale deprivation. In America this decade, we have reached the point at which even in a down economy, our unemployment rate does not reach 6% (lower than the rates in Canada and the European Union, let alone those in the developing world). Any unwanted unemployment is terrible; but it is worth remembering that this stability especially benefits the economically vulnerable
Monday, August 4, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 8-4-08
Good Morning,
In his book, "Letters to Malcolm", C.S. Lewis wrote these words, "Last week in prayer, I discovered, or at least I think I did, that I suddenly was able to forgive someone that I had been trying to forgive for over thirty years."
There is a universal longing, a hunger in every human soul for forgiveness, both to be able to give it, and to receive it. In one of his stories, Ernest Hemingway told about a young man who wronged his father and he ran away from home to Madrid. Out of great love for his son, the father took out an ad in the Madrid newspaper, 'Paco, meet me Hotel Montana, 12 noon Tuesday. All is forgiven. Papa.' Paco is a rather common name in Spain, so when the father arrived at the hotel, he found eight hundred young men waiting for their fathers.
Since we long for forgiveness, why, then, is it so hard to forgive? It wasn't any easier for the first followers of Jesus, including the apostles. We live in a "get even" world. Forgiveness, on the other hand, reflects and requires God’s redeeming love.
There are different ways in which we communicate with others. One way, of course, is verbally, through the spoken word. Another way in which we communicate with others is through what is called nonverbal communication, or body language. The face, perhaps, is the most important part of the human anatomy that we use in nonverbal communication. By using facial expressions, we communicate feelings of joy, sadness, grief, disbelief, anger, contentment, questioning, fear, sorrow, displeasure, excitement, disappointment, etc. In biblical language the face can communicate either a "blessing or a curse". The face may reveal the very presence of God, as when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, with the Ten Commandments in his hand. His face was ablaze with the light of the glory of God.
In Genesis 33. we read about the meeting of Jacob and Esau, after they had been away from each other for 20 years. Prior to this meeting Jacob met the Lord Himself and wrestled with Him all night long. Jacob was afraid to meet Esau. He devised an elaborate plan of to appease Esau, whom he had deceived. He had stolen the blessings and the birthright that belonged to Esau. Esau now has forgiven his brother. This is a wonderful account of unconditional love and forgiveness. It was in the face of Esau that Jacob saw the image and likeness of God, revealed through his act of forgiveness. Jacob said, “... to see your face is like seeing the face of God”( Genesis 33:v. 10). The image and likeness of God is never more readily reflected in the face of another person as it is in the act of forgiveness.
When is the image of God most revealed/reflected in the human face? We see three principles in Genesis 33:1-11, that reveal when the answer to this question.
1. WHEN THERE IS ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS TOWARD THE PERSON WHO HAS WRONGED YOU. As seen in our text, there was acceptance and forgiveness shown toward Jacob, by his brother, Esau. Jacob, in turn, was moved deeply by Esau’s forgiving kindness. He saw in his brother’s face, “the face of God.” In response to the question, “When is the image of God most revealed in the human face?", we have an answer like this, “The forgiveness and acceptance which people see in another’s face may remind them of God.” You and I are reminded of God’s forgiveness toward us when Jesus cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”(Luke 23:34). If we could have seen Jesus’ face as He spoke these words of forgiveness from the cross, we would have beheld the face of God.
2. WHEN THE UNNATURAL ACT OF FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED ON THE PART OF THE OFFENDED. The Bible says, “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept” (Gen. 33:4). You might ask, “What is wrong with this picture?” What is wrong with this picture is that forgiveness is unnatural. Esau had been offended twenty years earlier by his brother, Jacob, and the natural thing to do would have been to kill him. In fact, that is what Easu had threatened to do immediately after Jacob had stolen his blessing and birthright some twenty years earlier. It was unnatural for Esau to forgive Jacob because of what he had lost. The Bible tells us that not only had Jacob robbed Esau of his birthright, but he had stolen his blessing as well. In the light of all that had gone before, the most natural thing for Esau to do to his brother, Jacob, would have been to get even.
It was natural for Esau to get even, but he chose to do the unnatural thing. He chose to forgive his brother, Jacob. Again the Bible says, “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him”(v. 4). This was the Godlike thing to do. The thing which he did was more Godlike than human. It was in this act of forgiveness on the part of Jacob’s brother, Esau, that Jacob saw the likeness of God, in the face of his brother. He said, “For to see your face is like seeing the face of God”(v. 10).
Have we done the Godlike thing toward the person who has wronged us, or have we done what comes naturally? When we do the unnatural thing, forgiving those who have wronged us, we are reflecting God’s redeeming love to others.
3. WHEN NOTHING IS EXPECTED IN RETURN FROM THE ONE WHO IS SEEKING FORGIVENESS. Esau did not expect anything from his brother Jacob. He said to him, “I already have plenty, my brother, keep what you have for yourself” (Gen. 33:9). One writer has said, “The best way to reflect God to others is to forgive them freely, expecting nothing in return.” True forgiveness does not demand “tit for tat”, “eye for eye”, “tooth for tooth”, or “I owe you’s”, nor does true forgiveness demand a “pound of flesh.” After all, according to Paul, love “keeps no records of wrongs”(I Corinthians 13:5). Esau, in his behavior toward Jacob, had not kept a list of wrongs suffered.
Have we been reflecting God to others by forgiving them freely? Jacob discovered that he could not earn, nor did he deserve, his brother’s forgiveness. The same is true of the lost person. He or she cannot earn God’s forgiveness, nor deserve it. God offers it freely with no strings attached.
In Christ ,
Brown
In his book, "Letters to Malcolm", C.S. Lewis wrote these words, "Last week in prayer, I discovered, or at least I think I did, that I suddenly was able to forgive someone that I had been trying to forgive for over thirty years."
There is a universal longing, a hunger in every human soul for forgiveness, both to be able to give it, and to receive it. In one of his stories, Ernest Hemingway told about a young man who wronged his father and he ran away from home to Madrid. Out of great love for his son, the father took out an ad in the Madrid newspaper, 'Paco, meet me Hotel Montana, 12 noon Tuesday. All is forgiven. Papa.' Paco is a rather common name in Spain, so when the father arrived at the hotel, he found eight hundred young men waiting for their fathers.
Since we long for forgiveness, why, then, is it so hard to forgive? It wasn't any easier for the first followers of Jesus, including the apostles. We live in a "get even" world. Forgiveness, on the other hand, reflects and requires God’s redeeming love.
There are different ways in which we communicate with others. One way, of course, is verbally, through the spoken word. Another way in which we communicate with others is through what is called nonverbal communication, or body language. The face, perhaps, is the most important part of the human anatomy that we use in nonverbal communication. By using facial expressions, we communicate feelings of joy, sadness, grief, disbelief, anger, contentment, questioning, fear, sorrow, displeasure, excitement, disappointment, etc. In biblical language the face can communicate either a "blessing or a curse". The face may reveal the very presence of God, as when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, with the Ten Commandments in his hand. His face was ablaze with the light of the glory of God.
In Genesis 33. we read about the meeting of Jacob and Esau, after they had been away from each other for 20 years. Prior to this meeting Jacob met the Lord Himself and wrestled with Him all night long. Jacob was afraid to meet Esau. He devised an elaborate plan of to appease Esau, whom he had deceived. He had stolen the blessings and the birthright that belonged to Esau. Esau now has forgiven his brother. This is a wonderful account of unconditional love and forgiveness. It was in the face of Esau that Jacob saw the image and likeness of God, revealed through his act of forgiveness. Jacob said, “... to see your face is like seeing the face of God”( Genesis 33:v. 10). The image and likeness of God is never more readily reflected in the face of another person as it is in the act of forgiveness.
When is the image of God most revealed/reflected in the human face? We see three principles in Genesis 33:1-11, that reveal when the answer to this question.
1. WHEN THERE IS ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS TOWARD THE PERSON WHO HAS WRONGED YOU. As seen in our text, there was acceptance and forgiveness shown toward Jacob, by his brother, Esau. Jacob, in turn, was moved deeply by Esau’s forgiving kindness. He saw in his brother’s face, “the face of God.” In response to the question, “When is the image of God most revealed in the human face?", we have an answer like this, “The forgiveness and acceptance which people see in another’s face may remind them of God.” You and I are reminded of God’s forgiveness toward us when Jesus cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”(Luke 23:34). If we could have seen Jesus’ face as He spoke these words of forgiveness from the cross, we would have beheld the face of God.
2. WHEN THE UNNATURAL ACT OF FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED ON THE PART OF THE OFFENDED. The Bible says, “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept” (Gen. 33:4). You might ask, “What is wrong with this picture?” What is wrong with this picture is that forgiveness is unnatural. Esau had been offended twenty years earlier by his brother, Jacob, and the natural thing to do would have been to kill him. In fact, that is what Easu had threatened to do immediately after Jacob had stolen his blessing and birthright some twenty years earlier. It was unnatural for Esau to forgive Jacob because of what he had lost. The Bible tells us that not only had Jacob robbed Esau of his birthright, but he had stolen his blessing as well. In the light of all that had gone before, the most natural thing for Esau to do to his brother, Jacob, would have been to get even.
It was natural for Esau to get even, but he chose to do the unnatural thing. He chose to forgive his brother, Jacob. Again the Bible says, “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him”(v. 4). This was the Godlike thing to do. The thing which he did was more Godlike than human. It was in this act of forgiveness on the part of Jacob’s brother, Esau, that Jacob saw the likeness of God, in the face of his brother. He said, “For to see your face is like seeing the face of God”(v. 10).
Have we done the Godlike thing toward the person who has wronged us, or have we done what comes naturally? When we do the unnatural thing, forgiving those who have wronged us, we are reflecting God’s redeeming love to others.
3. WHEN NOTHING IS EXPECTED IN RETURN FROM THE ONE WHO IS SEEKING FORGIVENESS. Esau did not expect anything from his brother Jacob. He said to him, “I already have plenty, my brother, keep what you have for yourself” (Gen. 33:9). One writer has said, “The best way to reflect God to others is to forgive them freely, expecting nothing in return.” True forgiveness does not demand “tit for tat”, “eye for eye”, “tooth for tooth”, or “I owe you’s”, nor does true forgiveness demand a “pound of flesh.” After all, according to Paul, love “keeps no records of wrongs”(I Corinthians 13:5). Esau, in his behavior toward Jacob, had not kept a list of wrongs suffered.
Have we been reflecting God to others by forgiving them freely? Jacob discovered that he could not earn, nor did he deserve, his brother’s forgiveness. The same is true of the lost person. He or she cannot earn God’s forgiveness, nor deserve it. God offers it freely with no strings attached.
In Christ ,
Brown
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