Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this last Friday of October. Today is All Saints Eve, so tomorrow is All Saints Day. All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas, often shortened to All Saints, Today is also Reformation Day. On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which Luther nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. Also, the theses were written in Latin, the language of the church, and not in the vernacular. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran tradition was born. This, in turn, would later ease the creation of the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions.
As we get ready for worship on this coming Lord's day I would draw our attention briefly to Psalm 100. Of all The PSALMS after PSALM 23, this [PSALM 100] is perhaps the best known among faithful Christian people! It’s appeal spans the thousands of years of Hebrew worship and into two millennia of the Church! This is no wonder, for as Spurgeon says, “It is ablaze with grateful adoration, and has for this reason been a great favorite with the people of GOD ever since it was written.” Indeed, this PSALM is often sung to the tune of “The Old Hundredth,” a song of the faithful Church, unto GOD for His great love and blessings showered upon we His people!...
PSALM 100 – “A PSALM OF PRAISE” TO THE LORD! 1 Make a joyful noise unto The LOD, all ye lands. 2 Serve The LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. 3 Know ye that The Lord He is GOD: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. 5 For The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations. Many of The PSALMS indicate who wrote them in their title line, but this is not the case with PSALM 100. We don’t know who wrote this PSALM, but we certainly know its purpose, for it is titled simply “A PSALM of Praise.” The Hebrew Text gives this title as – MIZMOR LETODAH... - meaning literally “A melody for thanksgiving.” The MIZMOR... - is a technical Hebrew word for a melody designed for the PSALMS. TODAH - is a noun which means to “give praise to…, praise rendered by acknowledging and abandoning sin; thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship; [a] thanksgiving choir [or a worship] procession…” Thus the purpose of PSALM 100 is a call to the faithful servants of GOD to “Praise Ye The LORD!”
Verse 2 is a command and an invitation to serve the Lord with Joy and Gladness. As we worship the Lord and serve Him, may He infuse in us His extravagant Joy, inexpressible Joy... Joy unspeakable and full of glory.
John Piper offers 15 Biblical things we must do to fight for joy in his book, When I Don’t Desire God). This list reminds me that faith does not produce inactivity, but God-centered activity: 1) Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift 2) Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly 3) Resolve to attack all known sin in your life 4) Learn how to fight like a justified sinner 5) Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see God for who he is 6) Meditate on the word of God day and night 7) Pray earnestly and continually for an inclination 8) Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself 9) Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the good fight 10) Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence 11) Get the rest, exercise, and diet your body needs 12) Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature 13) Read great books about God and biographies of great saints 14) Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others—witness and mercy 15) Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached When Jonathan Edwards was accused of promoting emotionalism in God’s people, he wrote (Some Thoughts Concerning the Revival in the Great Awakening): “I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of my hearers as high as I possibly can, provided they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of what they are affected with.” In God’s presence is the fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. If worship is truly the uniting of the human soul with the divine presence (which is promised in the Bible) then should we not feel his pleasure? C. S. Lewis told his friend Sheldon Vanauken: “It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.”
Please share about the following upcoming event with your congregation. The Continental Singers will be appearing in concert on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 7 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Endicott, located on 29 Grand Avenue. They will be presenting a powerful program based on the life of Joseph. Please invite your congregation to join us for a night of entertainment geared toward the whole family. The following gives more details about the program and the Continentals ministry.
First premiered in 1983, the musical “DREAMER” won the coveted Dove Award that year for Best Musical. Our 25th Anniversary Revival brings this popular musical based on the life of Joseph into the 21st century with lavish costuming, choreography and technical effects. It is all a part of our ministry’s theme for 2008, “NEW BEGINNINGS”. The concert will also feature great standards and songs that have been the hallmark of The CONTINENTALS since 1967. It is a concert event for the whole family not to be missed!
The CONTINENTALS are an empowered, enthusiastic, evangelical group of young people (ages 16-28) communicating the Truth of Jesus Christ as the only absolute, in an ever-changing world. In 2008, The CONTINENTALS continue their 40-year tradition of cutting edge music ministry with the very best of contemporary Christian music, energizing choreography and personal testimony. This group of 25-30 vocalists, dancers and technicians, will challenge and inspire audiences with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Please also share that the Russian Men’s Ensemble will be in concert on December 13, 2008 at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott.
In Christ,
Brown
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update10-30-08
Good Morning, I heard a story recently that left me so inspired. A lady was filling up her tank at a gas station when another woman came out of the gas station, tripped, and fell. The first woman walked over to help this lady stand up. As she did some things fell out of the other woman's purse. She helped her put those things back. She discerned that the woman was more than a little distraught, and asked, “What’s wrong?” The woman said, “We’re leaving.” She and her boyfriend had just broken up. Her life seemed to be crumbling around her. She said, “We’re trying to get out of here. I don’t want my daughter to see me this way.”
The first lady put two and two together that this woman had come to gas up her car, but didn’t have enough money for the gas. She continued to have a conversation with her and, as she did, she walked over to the gas pump and stood between the mother and her daughter, who was in the car. She took out her own credit card put it in. She helped her get gas. I though it was a beautiful picture of real time, in life, helping someone who was in a helpless moment. She was just bringing some encouragement to her. That’s what we are called to do. In Matthew twenty-five Jesus told a story in which it’s the end of times. As people are all called before God, He says, “Come and enter into my kingdom because when I was thirsty you gave Me something to drink. When I was hungry, you fed Me. When I was naked you clothed Me. When I was in prison you came and saw Me. When I was in the hospital you came and visited Me. Now enter into your reward.” All the people looked around at each other thinking, “What? Lord, we never saw You in the hospital. You are God. We never went to prison, why would You be there? What?” In Jesus’ story He continued, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of Mine you did for Me.” I love one particular story of Mother Theresa in Calcutta. She was cleaning out the wounds of a person who was sick and dying. The scene was grotesque. While she was attending to the dying person, a rich American tourist walked by. He was authentic and honest as he said to her, “I don’t think I could do that for a million dollars.” Mother Theresa replied, “I couldn’t do it for a million dollars either, but I’ll do it for Jesus.” The smallest acts, a cup of water in Jesus’ name, a dollar bill, a hand -- all of it counts and God remembers. Many of you may know the story of a pianist who was playing a recital -- a very important one in his career. It was to be a launching pad for him. When he was done the people went absolutely nuts. Everyone was standing in ovation except for one guy on the front row. A reporter from the Times could tell that the pianist was a little bothered that this guy on the front row wasn’t standing, clapping, and applauding. The reporter wanted to encourage him because it was an unbelievable performance, so after it was over, he went backstage and said, “Son, that was amazing. You need to know that tomorrow you will be famous.” The reporter from the Times is raving. The reporter from the Washington Post was raving. In the New York Times you are going to have an amazing article. You will be famous and your whole life is going to change. That was the performance of a lifetime. It was unbelievable. Don’t let one guy get you down. That was amazing. The pianist said, “That one guy was my teacher. I was only playing for him.” `In our lives we play for an audience of one. He is Jesus, the Risen One, our Savior and Lord.
In Christ,
Brown
"If you've never meet the devil, it's because you and he have been going the same direction. You just change direction by turning to Jesus and start obey him in life and you will meet the forces of hell head on!" - Adrian Rogers "No physician ever weighed out medicine for his patients with half so much care as God weighs out to us every trial. Not one gram too much does He ever permit to be put on the scale." -- Henry Ward Beecher
Thu, 30/10/2008 - 2:16pm The mortal remains of Rev Fr Bernard will be laid to rest on Oct 31st 2008
The mortal remains of Rev Fr Bernard will be laid to rest on Oct 31st 2008 at the St Vincent's Church Bhubaneshwar at 10.AM.
Fr Bernard now lives in heaven, interceding for the Kandhamal Christians. Fr Bernard a native ofFr Bernard a native of Tiangia village, Kandhamal district, suffered the violence and humiliation inflicted upon this helpless Christian community by the radical extremists.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 30/10/2008 - 12:00pm More SAFFRON TERRORISTS are deatined in connection with bomb blast
Mumbai-30th OCTOBER 2008
The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday night arrested retired Major of Territorial Army Ramesh Upadhaye and RSS worker Sameer Kulkarni for their alleged role in the Malegaon blast case. Both were produced before a Nashik court, which remanded them to custody till November 11.
Upadhye, who was a BJP worker till 2002, alleged before the court that he had been beaten by the ATS officers during questioning. He told the court, “You can see the marks on my body. I am a patriot and have no role in the blast. I am ready to co-operate with the police and even undergo narco tests.”
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, West India
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Thu, 30/10/2008 - 8:52am Indian Church remembers Fr. Bernard Digal, martyr of the faith in Orissa
by Nirmala CarvalhoArchbishop Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar emphasizes his "tireless" work on behalf of "persecuted Christians," and his devotion to the Virgin Mary. His fellow religious stress his "virtues and ability to forgive his persecutors." Tomorrow, the community's last goodbye to the slain priest.
The first lady put two and two together that this woman had come to gas up her car, but didn’t have enough money for the gas. She continued to have a conversation with her and, as she did, she walked over to the gas pump and stood between the mother and her daughter, who was in the car. She took out her own credit card put it in. She helped her get gas. I though it was a beautiful picture of real time, in life, helping someone who was in a helpless moment. She was just bringing some encouragement to her. That’s what we are called to do. In Matthew twenty-five Jesus told a story in which it’s the end of times. As people are all called before God, He says, “Come and enter into my kingdom because when I was thirsty you gave Me something to drink. When I was hungry, you fed Me. When I was naked you clothed Me. When I was in prison you came and saw Me. When I was in the hospital you came and visited Me. Now enter into your reward.” All the people looked around at each other thinking, “What? Lord, we never saw You in the hospital. You are God. We never went to prison, why would You be there? What?” In Jesus’ story He continued, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of Mine you did for Me.” I love one particular story of Mother Theresa in Calcutta. She was cleaning out the wounds of a person who was sick and dying. The scene was grotesque. While she was attending to the dying person, a rich American tourist walked by. He was authentic and honest as he said to her, “I don’t think I could do that for a million dollars.” Mother Theresa replied, “I couldn’t do it for a million dollars either, but I’ll do it for Jesus.” The smallest acts, a cup of water in Jesus’ name, a dollar bill, a hand -- all of it counts and God remembers. Many of you may know the story of a pianist who was playing a recital -- a very important one in his career. It was to be a launching pad for him. When he was done the people went absolutely nuts. Everyone was standing in ovation except for one guy on the front row. A reporter from the Times could tell that the pianist was a little bothered that this guy on the front row wasn’t standing, clapping, and applauding. The reporter wanted to encourage him because it was an unbelievable performance, so after it was over, he went backstage and said, “Son, that was amazing. You need to know that tomorrow you will be famous.” The reporter from the Times is raving. The reporter from the Washington Post was raving. In the New York Times you are going to have an amazing article. You will be famous and your whole life is going to change. That was the performance of a lifetime. It was unbelievable. Don’t let one guy get you down. That was amazing. The pianist said, “That one guy was my teacher. I was only playing for him.” `In our lives we play for an audience of one. He is Jesus, the Risen One, our Savior and Lord.
In Christ,
Brown
"If you've never meet the devil, it's because you and he have been going the same direction. You just change direction by turning to Jesus and start obey him in life and you will meet the forces of hell head on!" - Adrian Rogers "No physician ever weighed out medicine for his patients with half so much care as God weighs out to us every trial. Not one gram too much does He ever permit to be put on the scale." -- Henry Ward Beecher
Thu, 30/10/2008 - 2:16pm The mortal remains of Rev Fr Bernard will be laid to rest on Oct 31st 2008
The mortal remains of Rev Fr Bernard will be laid to rest on Oct 31st 2008 at the St Vincent's Church Bhubaneshwar at 10.AM.
Fr Bernard now lives in heaven, interceding for the Kandhamal Christians. Fr Bernard a native ofFr Bernard a native of Tiangia village, Kandhamal district, suffered the violence and humiliation inflicted upon this helpless Christian community by the radical extremists.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Thu, 30/10/2008 - 12:00pm More SAFFRON TERRORISTS are deatined in connection with bomb blast
Mumbai-30th OCTOBER 2008
The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday night arrested retired Major of Territorial Army Ramesh Upadhaye and RSS worker Sameer Kulkarni for their alleged role in the Malegaon blast case. Both were produced before a Nashik court, which remanded them to custody till November 11.
Upadhye, who was a BJP worker till 2002, alleged before the court that he had been beaten by the ATS officers during questioning. He told the court, “You can see the marks on my body. I am a patriot and have no role in the blast. I am ready to co-operate with the police and even undergo narco tests.”
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, West India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Thu, 30/10/2008 - 8:52am Indian Church remembers Fr. Bernard Digal, martyr of the faith in Orissa
by Nirmala CarvalhoArchbishop Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar emphasizes his "tireless" work on behalf of "persecuted Christians," and his devotion to the Virgin Mary. His fellow religious stress his "virtues and ability to forgive his persecutors." Tomorrow, the community's last goodbye to the slain priest.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update10-29-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Deuteronomy 34:1-12, in which Moses had vision, and not just good eyesight. People of vision can see beyond seeing.
Several years ago Robert Fulghum wrote a #1 bestseller, All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten. Most of what he really needed to know about how to live and what to do and how to be he learned not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but in the sand pile at Sunday School. We can learn the following from the life and testimony of Moses the servant of God.
When people say you are all wet, remember that Moses began his life in a basket in the river.
Stay fit. When you're 80 years old, God might ask you to do something REALLY big.
Be nice to your brother; some day he may be your spokesman.
Let God deal with your critics.
Listen to your father-in-law; he may have good advice.
The majority is not always right.
Giants may not be as big or as bad as people say.
Speed isn't always an advantage. It took forty years to get to the Promised Land, (because it took forty years to get Egypt out of the people).
When you see fire and earthquakes on the mountain, it just might be God giving directions.
Remember that God gives just enough manna for today.
Of all the lessons we learn, the most important one is to see Christ. His work accomplished for us our need to rest in Him. That truth is borne out in this final chapter of Moses's life. As Israel is about to take possession of the Promised Land, our final glimpse of Moses is his ascending Mt. Nebo, seeing the Promised Land, but not going there himself. The ending to this long journey is surprising, even tragic. The great mouthpiece of God and Israel’s mediator, after triumphantly leading the people to their new life in the Promised Land, is suddenly taken from the scene. The irony is severe, as Moses, God's instrument of Israel's deliverance, dies without ever setting foot in the Promised Land.
As we reach the end of Deuteronomy, the end of Moses’s life, we realize that this is the end of a chapter, but not the conclusion of the story. There is so much more to come. This is the commencement, the dawning of something far more. Having concluded the second reading of the Law, having finished the listing of blessings and curses and the Covenantal obligations down on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, Moses ascended Mt. Nebo to Pisgah. Moses, at 120, climbed the mountain. In verse 7, we are told his eyes were not weak so, with undimmed eyes, God showed him all that He would give to him. The land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the land for which they waited 500 years and traveled for 40, was now before them. His vista is described in a counterclockwise direction.
However, as Moses saw all this Promised Land, there is a statement which, to us, appears tragic. In verse 4 it the Lord told Moses, "I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." If anyone were to go into the land, it should have been Moses. This is tragic. He spent 120 years being groomed for this event and he stayed but a few steps shy. Still, by looking at the land Moses had been given the unique privilege of legally taking possession of the entire country on behalf of its new people. It is for this reason that he was told to look out as far as he could see in every direction and discern the geographical features of its extensive territory.
You and I have this same type of mountain top view today, seeing what is ours in the world to come. Ephesians 1:18-23 reminds us of what is ours in Christ, our inheritance that is reserved for us. 1 Peter 1:4 – "we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you." This is what the author of Hebrews is speaking of when he writes in Hebrews 11:13-16. There is hope of heaven.
Sometimes we forget this future orientation to our faith. We want what we want now. We imagine that heaven should be our possession immediately. We want victory now, completeness today, wholeness immediately. Heaven lies before us, not in us today. God shows us those things, but often from a distance so that we do not find our satisfaction in obtaining what we desire, but that we find our satisfaction, our joy, our happiness in the God who supplies what we need.
Further, not everything given is immediately acquired. We are heirs to a rich inheritance, but some of our assured possessions belong to a land we have yet to enter. It’s sad when we insist on heaven now; we become depressed when we still wrestle with sin, when our health fails, relationships crumble. But God’s Word is clear: the best is yet to come.
In Christ,
Brown
Wish I’d Said That!
The class distinctions proper to a democratic society are not those of rank or money, still less of race, but of age.W. H. Auden
Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.Groucho Marx
Our whole life is in three – we have our Being, then our Increasing and finally our Fulfilling. The first is Nature, the second is Compassion, and the third is Grace.Julian of Norwich
Wed, 29/10/2008 - 12:42am Fr. Bernard Digal (48) dies, GCIC mourns another martyr of Orissa
1-GCIC mourns the death of Fr. Bernard Digal- He is the First Priest of,Tiangia village in Kandhamal who was battered for the Faith.
Nearly 2 months after being brutally battered by the radical elements Fr. Bernard Digal succumed to his injuries in St. Thomas Hospital in Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13606&size=AINDIAFr. Bernard Digal dies, India mourns another martyr of Orissaby Nirmala CarvalhoThe religious was attacked on the night of August 25, by a crowd of Hindu fundamentalists who beat him and left him in the forest for an entire night. Yesterday, his lungs collapsed and he fell into a coma. At his deathbed, Archbishop Raphael Cheenath.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Tue, 28/10/2008 - 1:36pm Sadhvi(hindu saint) to undergo lie-detector test today for terror plot
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, (New Delhi)Sadhvi Pragya Thakur from Madhya Pradesh, charged with plotting the Malegaon blasts, will be put under narco analysis on Tuesday.
A Nashik court has granted permission to the Maharashtra Anti-terror squad to do brain mapping and polygraph tests on the Sadhvi.
But the police say that they are still looking for the main force behind the plot. The mastermind is believed to be a man from Indore.
They say Shashikala is not the main person; she is at best an ideologue. They have also clarified that there have been no further arrests.
posted in: Current Issue, Beliefs, West India
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Tue, 28/10/2008 - 1:12pm India: Bishops issue joint statement on Orissa-Christians are afraid
BIRMINGHAM - Orissa:27 October 2008 -
The Catholic Bishops of Orissa along with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, (CBCI) the apex body of the Catholic Church in India have expressed their deep anguish and pain "that even after 54 days of attacks on Christians in Kandhamal, the situation in the district and in other parts of Orissa is still tense and insecure" in a joint statement.
The bishops said that Christians are afraid to return to their villages as threats of death have forced many of them to flee in to the forest or to live in dehumanizing condition in State-run relief camps. The camps have become half-sized - not because the people have returned to their respective villages, but because they have migrated to other districts and other states in search of safety. Christians of Kandhamal have lost faith in the State Government and they feel that their fundamental right to live has been totally taken away by the constitutionally elected Government.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Mon, 27/10/2008 - 2:48pm Church burnt in Belgaum, Karnataka
On 26th October 2008 around 1.30 a.m., Telugu Brethren Christian Assemblies Church was set on fire in R.A. Line Camp Belgaum. This Church about 18 years old consisting 150 members. Mr. Yabu and A Paul are the elders of this Church. Petrol was used to burn the Church.
Complaint is given at Camp Police Station but FIR is not filed.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:33am Statement made by Sr. Meena to the media at the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, on October 24, 2008.
On 24th August, around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8.30 p.m. we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentle man who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around 1.30 p.m., the mob entered the room where I was staying in Prahald's house, one of them slapped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head. Others told them to take me out to the road, I saw Fr. Thomas Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Jan Vikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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ATM
A new sign in the Bank Lobby reads:
"Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.
After months of careful research, MALE and FEMALE procedures have been developed.
Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender:
MALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to the cash machine.2. Put down your car window.3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.6. Put window up. 7. Drive off.
FEMALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to cash machine.2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.3. Set parking brake, put the window down.4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.6. Attempt to insert card into machine.7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.8. Insert card.9. Re-insert card the right way.10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.11. Enter PIN.12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.13. Enter amount of cash required.14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.15. Retrieve cash and receipt.16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.18. Re-check makeup.19. Drive forward 2 feet.20. Reverse back to cash machine.21. Retrieve card.22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.25. Redial person on cell phone.26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.27. Release Parking Brake.
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Deuteronomy 34:1-12, in which Moses had vision, and not just good eyesight. People of vision can see beyond seeing.
Several years ago Robert Fulghum wrote a #1 bestseller, All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten. Most of what he really needed to know about how to live and what to do and how to be he learned not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but in the sand pile at Sunday School. We can learn the following from the life and testimony of Moses the servant of God.
When people say you are all wet, remember that Moses began his life in a basket in the river.
Stay fit. When you're 80 years old, God might ask you to do something REALLY big.
Be nice to your brother; some day he may be your spokesman.
Let God deal with your critics.
Listen to your father-in-law; he may have good advice.
The majority is not always right.
Giants may not be as big or as bad as people say.
Speed isn't always an advantage. It took forty years to get to the Promised Land, (because it took forty years to get Egypt out of the people).
When you see fire and earthquakes on the mountain, it just might be God giving directions.
Remember that God gives just enough manna for today.
Of all the lessons we learn, the most important one is to see Christ. His work accomplished for us our need to rest in Him. That truth is borne out in this final chapter of Moses's life. As Israel is about to take possession of the Promised Land, our final glimpse of Moses is his ascending Mt. Nebo, seeing the Promised Land, but not going there himself. The ending to this long journey is surprising, even tragic. The great mouthpiece of God and Israel’s mediator, after triumphantly leading the people to their new life in the Promised Land, is suddenly taken from the scene. The irony is severe, as Moses, God's instrument of Israel's deliverance, dies without ever setting foot in the Promised Land.
As we reach the end of Deuteronomy, the end of Moses’s life, we realize that this is the end of a chapter, but not the conclusion of the story. There is so much more to come. This is the commencement, the dawning of something far more. Having concluded the second reading of the Law, having finished the listing of blessings and curses and the Covenantal obligations down on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, Moses ascended Mt. Nebo to Pisgah. Moses, at 120, climbed the mountain. In verse 7, we are told his eyes were not weak so, with undimmed eyes, God showed him all that He would give to him. The land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the land for which they waited 500 years and traveled for 40, was now before them. His vista is described in a counterclockwise direction.
However, as Moses saw all this Promised Land, there is a statement which, to us, appears tragic. In verse 4 it the Lord told Moses, "I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." If anyone were to go into the land, it should have been Moses. This is tragic. He spent 120 years being groomed for this event and he stayed but a few steps shy. Still, by looking at the land Moses had been given the unique privilege of legally taking possession of the entire country on behalf of its new people. It is for this reason that he was told to look out as far as he could see in every direction and discern the geographical features of its extensive territory.
You and I have this same type of mountain top view today, seeing what is ours in the world to come. Ephesians 1:18-23 reminds us of what is ours in Christ, our inheritance that is reserved for us. 1 Peter 1:4 – "we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you." This is what the author of Hebrews is speaking of when he writes in Hebrews 11:13-16. There is hope of heaven.
Sometimes we forget this future orientation to our faith. We want what we want now. We imagine that heaven should be our possession immediately. We want victory now, completeness today, wholeness immediately. Heaven lies before us, not in us today. God shows us those things, but often from a distance so that we do not find our satisfaction in obtaining what we desire, but that we find our satisfaction, our joy, our happiness in the God who supplies what we need.
Further, not everything given is immediately acquired. We are heirs to a rich inheritance, but some of our assured possessions belong to a land we have yet to enter. It’s sad when we insist on heaven now; we become depressed when we still wrestle with sin, when our health fails, relationships crumble. But God’s Word is clear: the best is yet to come.
In Christ,
Brown
Wish I’d Said That!
The class distinctions proper to a democratic society are not those of rank or money, still less of race, but of age.W. H. Auden
Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.Groucho Marx
Our whole life is in three – we have our Being, then our Increasing and finally our Fulfilling. The first is Nature, the second is Compassion, and the third is Grace.Julian of Norwich
Wed, 29/10/2008 - 12:42am Fr. Bernard Digal (48) dies, GCIC mourns another martyr of Orissa
1-GCIC mourns the death of Fr. Bernard Digal- He is the First Priest of,Tiangia village in Kandhamal who was battered for the Faith.
Nearly 2 months after being brutally battered by the radical elements Fr. Bernard Digal succumed to his injuries in St. Thomas Hospital in Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13606&size=AINDIAFr. Bernard Digal dies, India mourns another martyr of Orissaby Nirmala CarvalhoThe religious was attacked on the night of August 25, by a crowd of Hindu fundamentalists who beat him and left him in the forest for an entire night. Yesterday, his lungs collapsed and he fell into a coma. At his deathbed, Archbishop Raphael Cheenath.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Tue, 28/10/2008 - 1:36pm Sadhvi(hindu saint) to undergo lie-detector test today for terror plot
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, (New Delhi)Sadhvi Pragya Thakur from Madhya Pradesh, charged with plotting the Malegaon blasts, will be put under narco analysis on Tuesday.
A Nashik court has granted permission to the Maharashtra Anti-terror squad to do brain mapping and polygraph tests on the Sadhvi.
But the police say that they are still looking for the main force behind the plot. The mastermind is believed to be a man from Indore.
They say Shashikala is not the main person; she is at best an ideologue. They have also clarified that there have been no further arrests.
posted in: Current Issue, Beliefs, West India
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Tue, 28/10/2008 - 1:12pm India: Bishops issue joint statement on Orissa-Christians are afraid
BIRMINGHAM - Orissa:27 October 2008 -
The Catholic Bishops of Orissa along with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, (CBCI) the apex body of the Catholic Church in India have expressed their deep anguish and pain "that even after 54 days of attacks on Christians in Kandhamal, the situation in the district and in other parts of Orissa is still tense and insecure" in a joint statement.
The bishops said that Christians are afraid to return to their villages as threats of death have forced many of them to flee in to the forest or to live in dehumanizing condition in State-run relief camps. The camps have become half-sized - not because the people have returned to their respective villages, but because they have migrated to other districts and other states in search of safety. Christians of Kandhamal have lost faith in the State Government and they feel that their fundamental right to live has been totally taken away by the constitutionally elected Government.
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Mon, 27/10/2008 - 2:48pm Church burnt in Belgaum, Karnataka
On 26th October 2008 around 1.30 a.m., Telugu Brethren Christian Assemblies Church was set on fire in R.A. Line Camp Belgaum. This Church about 18 years old consisting 150 members. Mr. Yabu and A Paul are the elders of this Church. Petrol was used to burn the Church.
Complaint is given at Camp Police Station but FIR is not filed.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:33am Statement made by Sr. Meena to the media at the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, on October 24, 2008.
On 24th August, around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8.30 p.m. we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentle man who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around 1.30 p.m., the mob entered the room where I was staying in Prahald's house, one of them slapped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head. Others told them to take me out to the road, I saw Fr. Thomas Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Jan Vikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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ATM
A new sign in the Bank Lobby reads:
"Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.
After months of careful research, MALE and FEMALE procedures have been developed.
Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender:
MALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to the cash machine.2. Put down your car window.3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.6. Put window up. 7. Drive off.
FEMALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to cash machine.2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.3. Set parking brake, put the window down.4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.6. Attempt to insert card into machine.7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.8. Insert card.9. Re-insert card the right way.10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.11. Enter PIN.12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.13. Enter amount of cash required.14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.15. Retrieve cash and receipt.16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.18. Re-check makeup.19. Drive forward 2 feet.20. Reverse back to cash machine.21. Retrieve card.22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.25. Redial person on cell phone.26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.27. Release Parking Brake.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
India update 10-28-08
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Samaja: 42,000 Hindus converted to Christianity in the last decade
Breaking News! Orissa's oldest independent newspaper without any political affiliation, The Samaja reported that Christian population in Kandhamal has grown by 66% in the last decade. The Samaja quoted the data of the district administration in Kandhamal to publish the report.
According to the data, around 42,353 Hindus have illegally converted to Christianity between 1991 - 2001. However, the official records put the conversion figure at just 2. That clearly indicates that the Church officials are violating the 1989 Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, which makes it mandatory for the converted people to register themselves with the district administration.
In 1991, the number of Christians in Kandhamal was 75,597. However, the figure reached 117,950 in 2001. There is no doubt that the number of Christians in Kandhamal may have grown to more than 150,000 in the past 7 years. In that case, Christians can no longer be considered as a minority in Kandhamal.
According to The Samaja, District Collector Krishan Kumar has confirmed the report. The surge in violence in Kandhamal and growing bitterness between Hindus and Christians has been attributed to the rampant conversion activities prevailing in the district.
India: Political, religious tensions fuel anti-Christian violence
The Samaja: 42,000 Hindus converted to Christianity in the last decade
Breaking News! Orissa's oldest independent newspaper without any political affiliation, The Samaja reported that Christian population in Kandhamal has grown by 66% in the last decade. The Samaja quoted the data of the district administration in Kandhamal to publish the report.
According to the data, around 42,353 Hindus have illegally converted to Christianity between 1991 - 2001. However, the official records put the conversion figure at just 2. That clearly indicates that the Church officials are violating the 1989 Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, which makes it mandatory for the converted people to register themselves with the district administration.
In 1991, the number of Christians in Kandhamal was 75,597. However, the figure reached 117,950 in 2001. There is no doubt that the number of Christians in Kandhamal may have grown to more than 150,000 in the past 7 years. In that case, Christians can no longer be considered as a minority in Kandhamal.
According to The Samaja, District Collector Krishan Kumar has confirmed the report. The surge in violence in Kandhamal and growing bitterness between Hindus and Christians has been attributed to the rampant conversion activities prevailing in the district.
India: Political, religious tensions fuel anti-Christian violence
GURINDER OSAN / Associated Press Dubiga, a Christian woman, stands amid the damaged remains of her house in Bujulimendi, India, on Oct. 14.
By TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press 10/26/2008
TIKKABALLI, India — They still worship in what remains of the little Baptist church not far from this forest town. The church is empty except for the rubble swept neatly into the corners. The sun comes through ragged holes where the mob smashed in the window frames.Here, prayers are said in secret. “We do it without making any noise,” said Subhash Digal, holding his 4-month-old son on his hip as he stood outside the church, where the smell of burned timber lingered on a warm autumn afternoon. “We don’t want these people to know we are inside.”In this corner of the eastern state of Orissa, it’s hard to find a Christian who isn’t afraid.Bloody anti-Christian riots broke out here in late August, rampages by Hindu hard-liners that since then have left at least 38 people dead, as many as 30,000 homeless and dozen of churches destroyed.The worst of the violence ended after a week or so, when authorities finally deployed soldiers to set up checkpoints and relief camps.But nearly every day since then, the trouble has continued: a house burned, a carload of people beaten, a soldier hacked to death. Repeatedly, Christian villagers say, they have been told they must convert to
Hinduism. The anti-Christian violence has also flickered across other parts of India, with churches vandalized and Christians attacked in the high-tech hub of Bangalore, the city of Mangalore and the coastal state of Kerala.In a country desperate to be seen as a stable, democratic world power, the violence is a window into India’s hidden fragility, its sometimes dangerous political climate and the fierce historical divisions buried in its vast diversity.India is more than 80 percent Hindu, but its 1.1 billion people include all of the world’s major religions, a caste system of near impossible complexity, colossal divides of wealth and poverty, and, by some estimates, more than 2,000 ethnic groups.Trouble can seem inevitable. In just the past couple of weeks, violence has ranged from the northeastern state of Assam, where at least 50 people have died in ethnic clashes, to the central state of Madhya Pradesh state, where three people were killed in religious riots after a Hindu procession passed through a Muslim neighborhood.Then there is Orissa’s Kandhamal district, where widespread trouble began after the Aug. 24 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a hard-line Hindu leader who rose to prominence in the area by advocating that Christian converts return to Hinduism.Police blamed Maoists for the killing, though it’s unclear why they would have targeted him.But Hindu militants quickly turned on local Christians, setting fire to a Christian orphanage and attacking churches and Christianowned shops and homes. A nun, who accused a Hindu mob of raping her, said local police later stood by as she was paraded naked, accompanied by a priest. At least 32 people have been killed, tens of thousands have fled their homes and thousands are believed still to be hiding in Orissa’s thick forests. Kandhamal has long been a battleground over Christian missionary work among low-caste Hindus and the indigenous people known in India as “tribals.” While Christians account for just 2.5 percent of India, their population in Kandhamal has risen sharply in recent decades, reaching nearly 20 percent by the last census in 2001.Hindu militants say the reason for this is obvious: Missionaries are forcing or bribing people to convert.“This is a kind of cultural invasion,” said Gauri Shankar Rath, a top o.cial in the Orissa state VHP, the umbrella organization of Hindu nationalists. “Our culture is being attacked.”Missionaries dismiss such accusations. Many of the attacks, victims say, were carried out by the Bajrang Dal, a militant group closely allied to the Bharatiya Janata Party, a Hindu nationalist political party that is part of Orissa’s coalition government. The Hindu rightwing has long stirred up religious resentments as a way to shore up its voter base.
By TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press
Monday, October 27, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update10-27-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with an awesome weekend. The gathering this past Saturday, for my birthday, was fantastic as they say it in England. All my family except Janice and company were here. Thank you all for e-mail greetings thoughts. I am so blessed. All the beautiful women in my life planned for the party and prepared tons of food. Santosh, the best Indian Chef in southern tier New York, and his dear wife Kim fixed all the delicious, spicy, aromatic authentic Indian Dishes. So many came to share in the fellowship -including many seniors saints and even many newborns. We all had a great and blessed time.
We had a great day of worship and celebration yesterday, including the baptismal service and celebration of Cassidy. Cassidy has been in the church every Sunday since her birth. She missed only one Sunday as did not have a ride for that day. She hasn't gotten her driving licence yet. It is a wonderful blessing to be in the house of the Lord to declare the glorious things of our God and our Lord. When we exalt the Name of Jesus Satan trembles and the demons flee. We keep on marching to Zion, the City of God.
Our Lord is faithful. He provides for His own. He has the whole world in His hands. One of the saints of the church shared gave her testimony, that her brother-in-law is going to New York Presbyterian Medical center for a major brain surgery. Her sister needs a place to stay in Manhattan close to the hospital. They do not have much money to care for the lodging situation, so the Lady from our church prayed and a put a note in the Craig List, asking for help. Many offered a place with reduced rent., but one person replied and offered an entire apartment in Manhattan, free for all days they need for surgery and recovery. The person further said that he will supply all the groceries while they are there. Our Lord lavishes on us His love and provisions so freely.
It is exciting to trust the Lord. It is awesome to serve Him. It is a high honor to witness for Him.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Psalm 90. This is the only Psalm written by Moses, the Servant of God.
Psalm 90:1-6, 9-17 – paraphrased by Jim TaylorNote: This paraphrase is of verses 1-12.1 Lord, your lantern hangs before our tent.2 Its circle of light illuminates this brief stopping place. We do not know where we are going; We barely know where we have been. We keep our hats handy, always ready to move on.3 Perhaps the next campsite will be like this one; perhaps it will not. Only you have an overview of our journey.4 We are here such a short time. We arrive, we unpack, we explore our environment, And then we are gone again.5 May the good earth be not harmed by our passage. May we be no more dangerous to our planet than a dream6 that flits across the mind and leaves no mark. Like a firefly, bright and brief, we flicker against the darkness, and then vanish into your warm and holy night.9 Like clouds driven before a storm wind, our days scud by; Without a sigh, the last light of the sun winks out in the west; You drive the wind, you scroll the sun; You govern the going of our lives.10 What does it matter how long we live? Sometimes it seems too long; Sometimes it seems as short as the flit of a butterfly's wings...11 And then we are judged.12 It's not how long we live that matters. But how well.13 Do not leave us alone in the darkness. Lord. Take pity on us in our pathetic emptiness.14 Light up our days with love, and let us frolic in the sunshine of your smile.15 Make our summers as long when we were children; make the long winter nights as brief as a memory.16 Let us see your inner nature; lead us into the warm circle of your arms.17 Be good to us; shape our attitudes as a potter forms clay. Help us become what you envisioned, when you first thought of us.
Please share about the following upcoming event with your congregation. The Continental Singers will be appearing in concert on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 7 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Endicott, located on 29 Grand Avenue. They will be presenting a powerful program based on the life of Joseph. Please invite your congregation to join us for a night of entertainment geared toward the whole family. The following gives more details about the program and the Continentals ministry.
First premiered in 1983, the musical “DREAMER” won the coveted Dove Award that year for Best Musical. Our 25th Anniversary Revival brings this popular musical based on the life of Joseph into the 21st century with lavish costuming, choreography and technical effects. It is all a part of our ministry’s theme for 2008, “NEW BEGINNINGS”. The concert will also feature great standards and songs that have been the hallmark of The CONTINENTALS since 1967. It is a concert event for the whole family not to be missed!
The CONTINENTALS are an empowered, enthusiastic, evangelical group of young people (ages 16-28) communicating the Truth of Jesus Christ as the only absolute, in an ever-changing world. In 2008, The CONTINENTALS continue their 40-year tradition of cutting edge music ministry with the very best of contemporary Christian music, energizing choreography and personal testimony. This group of 25-30 vocalists, dancers and technicians, will challenge and inspire audiences with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Please also share that the Russian Men’s Ensemble will be in concert on December 13, 2008 at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple drive, Endicott.
Mon, 27/10/2008 - 2:48pm Church burnt in Belgaum, Karnataka
On 26th October 2008 around 1.30 a.m., Telugu Brethren Christian Assemblies Church was set on fire in R.A. Line Camp Belgaum. This Church about 18 years old consisting 150 members. Mr. Yabu and A Paul are the elders of this Church. Petrol was used to burn the Church.
Complaint is given at Camp Police Station but FIR is not filed.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:47am Terror trail: Another Hindu extremist detained
NDTV CorrespondentMonday, October 27, 2008, (Bhopal)As the police embark on the saffron terror trail, one more person has reportedly been detained for questioning this time from Bhopal.
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, East India
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Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:33am Statement made by Sr. Meena to the media at Ithe Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, on October 24, 2008.
On 24th August, around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8.30 p.m. we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentle man who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around 1.30 p.m., the mob entered the room where I was staying in Prahald's house, one of them slapped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head. Others told them to take me out to the road, I saw Fr. Thomas Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Jan Vikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 26/10/2008 - 11:04pm Pope decries Christians' killings in India
Sunday, October 26, 2008, (Vatican City)Pope Benedict XVI has decried the killing of Christians in Iraq and India and appealed for political and religious leaders to defend them.
The Pope reiterated a call for "religious leaders and to all men and women of good will about the tragedy that is developing in some Asian countries, where Christians are victims of intolerance and cruel violence, killed, threatened and forced to abandon their homes and wander about in search of refuge".
"I am thinking above all of Iraq and India," Benedict told pilgrims in St Peter's Square.
"I am sure that the ancient and noble peoples of those nations have learned, through centuries of respectful coexistence, to appreciate the contribution that the small, but hardworking and qualified, Christian minorities contribute to the growth of their common countries," pope Benedict said.
Pope Benedict called on leaders to "spare no effort" so that "honest and loyal citizens can count on adequate protection" from national authorities.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
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Sun, 26/10/2008 - 6:54pm NCM holds Bajrang Dal, VHP(world Hindu council) responsible for Indore riots
NCM holds Bajrang Dal, VHP responsible for Indore riotsNew Delhi,Holding the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad responsible for the July riots in Indore, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has demanded action against both organisations in its report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a few days back.
Copies of the report have also been submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Ministry for Minority Affairs A R Antulay, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and some other Union ministers.
"We have in our report said that proper action should be taken against Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad," NCM Chairman Md Shafi Qureshi said.
On being asked whether the Commission has sought a ban on them, Qureshi quipped, "action includes ban as well."
Earlier a three-member NCM team led by Qureshi visited the affected areas including Pandrinath, Chhatripura, Khajrana and Malharganj to take stock of communal violence that erupted in and around Indore during the 'Bharat Bandh' call given by VHP over the Amarnath land transfer issue.
Violence had mainly centered at Khajrana and Juhi Risala near Indore then. According to the report, a total of eight persons were killed in the violence. Seven among them were from the minority community.
Sources said the Commission has rubbished the contention of Madhya Pradesh PWD Minister Kailash Vijay Vargiya that SIMI was behind the riots and categorically said that it was aimed at diverting the attention of the country from real culprits of violence.
"Blaming SIMI for violence at Khajrana is a blatant lie," the Commission said in the report.
Taking strong exception to the use of licensed firearms by a section of people during the clashes, the Commission pulled up the state government for making "no efforts" to get such weapons deposited in police stations in time.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with an awesome weekend. The gathering this past Saturday, for my birthday, was fantastic as they say it in England. All my family except Janice and company were here. Thank you all for e-mail greetings thoughts. I am so blessed. All the beautiful women in my life planned for the party and prepared tons of food. Santosh, the best Indian Chef in southern tier New York, and his dear wife Kim fixed all the delicious, spicy, aromatic authentic Indian Dishes. So many came to share in the fellowship -including many seniors saints and even many newborns. We all had a great and blessed time.
We had a great day of worship and celebration yesterday, including the baptismal service and celebration of Cassidy. Cassidy has been in the church every Sunday since her birth. She missed only one Sunday as did not have a ride for that day. She hasn't gotten her driving licence yet. It is a wonderful blessing to be in the house of the Lord to declare the glorious things of our God and our Lord. When we exalt the Name of Jesus Satan trembles and the demons flee. We keep on marching to Zion, the City of God.
Our Lord is faithful. He provides for His own. He has the whole world in His hands. One of the saints of the church shared gave her testimony, that her brother-in-law is going to New York Presbyterian Medical center for a major brain surgery. Her sister needs a place to stay in Manhattan close to the hospital. They do not have much money to care for the lodging situation, so the Lady from our church prayed and a put a note in the Craig List, asking for help. Many offered a place with reduced rent., but one person replied and offered an entire apartment in Manhattan, free for all days they need for surgery and recovery. The person further said that he will supply all the groceries while they are there. Our Lord lavishes on us His love and provisions so freely.
It is exciting to trust the Lord. It is awesome to serve Him. It is a high honor to witness for Him.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Psalm 90. This is the only Psalm written by Moses, the Servant of God.
Psalm 90:1-6, 9-17 – paraphrased by Jim TaylorNote: This paraphrase is of verses 1-12.1 Lord, your lantern hangs before our tent.2 Its circle of light illuminates this brief stopping place. We do not know where we are going; We barely know where we have been. We keep our hats handy, always ready to move on.3 Perhaps the next campsite will be like this one; perhaps it will not. Only you have an overview of our journey.4 We are here such a short time. We arrive, we unpack, we explore our environment, And then we are gone again.5 May the good earth be not harmed by our passage. May we be no more dangerous to our planet than a dream6 that flits across the mind and leaves no mark. Like a firefly, bright and brief, we flicker against the darkness, and then vanish into your warm and holy night.9 Like clouds driven before a storm wind, our days scud by; Without a sigh, the last light of the sun winks out in the west; You drive the wind, you scroll the sun; You govern the going of our lives.10 What does it matter how long we live? Sometimes it seems too long; Sometimes it seems as short as the flit of a butterfly's wings...11 And then we are judged.12 It's not how long we live that matters. But how well.13 Do not leave us alone in the darkness. Lord. Take pity on us in our pathetic emptiness.14 Light up our days with love, and let us frolic in the sunshine of your smile.15 Make our summers as long when we were children; make the long winter nights as brief as a memory.16 Let us see your inner nature; lead us into the warm circle of your arms.17 Be good to us; shape our attitudes as a potter forms clay. Help us become what you envisioned, when you first thought of us.
Please share about the following upcoming event with your congregation. The Continental Singers will be appearing in concert on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 7 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Endicott, located on 29 Grand Avenue. They will be presenting a powerful program based on the life of Joseph. Please invite your congregation to join us for a night of entertainment geared toward the whole family. The following gives more details about the program and the Continentals ministry.
First premiered in 1983, the musical “DREAMER” won the coveted Dove Award that year for Best Musical. Our 25th Anniversary Revival brings this popular musical based on the life of Joseph into the 21st century with lavish costuming, choreography and technical effects. It is all a part of our ministry’s theme for 2008, “NEW BEGINNINGS”. The concert will also feature great standards and songs that have been the hallmark of The CONTINENTALS since 1967. It is a concert event for the whole family not to be missed!
The CONTINENTALS are an empowered, enthusiastic, evangelical group of young people (ages 16-28) communicating the Truth of Jesus Christ as the only absolute, in an ever-changing world. In 2008, The CONTINENTALS continue their 40-year tradition of cutting edge music ministry with the very best of contemporary Christian music, energizing choreography and personal testimony. This group of 25-30 vocalists, dancers and technicians, will challenge and inspire audiences with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Please also share that the Russian Men’s Ensemble will be in concert on December 13, 2008 at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple drive, Endicott.
Mon, 27/10/2008 - 2:48pm Church burnt in Belgaum, Karnataka
On 26th October 2008 around 1.30 a.m., Telugu Brethren Christian Assemblies Church was set on fire in R.A. Line Camp Belgaum. This Church about 18 years old consisting 150 members. Mr. Yabu and A Paul are the elders of this Church. Petrol was used to burn the Church.
Complaint is given at Camp Police Station but FIR is not filed.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:47am Terror trail: Another Hindu extremist detained
NDTV CorrespondentMonday, October 27, 2008, (Bhopal)As the police embark on the saffron terror trail, one more person has reportedly been detained for questioning this time from Bhopal.
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Mon, 27/10/2008 - 10:33am Statement made by Sr. Meena to the media at Ithe Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, on October 24, 2008.
On 24th August, around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8.30 p.m. we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentle man who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around 1.30 p.m., the mob entered the room where I was staying in Prahald's house, one of them slapped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head. Others told them to take me out to the road, I saw Fr. Thomas Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Jan Vikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 26/10/2008 - 11:04pm Pope decries Christians' killings in India
Sunday, October 26, 2008, (Vatican City)Pope Benedict XVI has decried the killing of Christians in Iraq and India and appealed for political and religious leaders to defend them.
The Pope reiterated a call for "religious leaders and to all men and women of good will about the tragedy that is developing in some Asian countries, where Christians are victims of intolerance and cruel violence, killed, threatened and forced to abandon their homes and wander about in search of refuge".
"I am thinking above all of Iraq and India," Benedict told pilgrims in St Peter's Square.
"I am sure that the ancient and noble peoples of those nations have learned, through centuries of respectful coexistence, to appreciate the contribution that the small, but hardworking and qualified, Christian minorities contribute to the growth of their common countries," pope Benedict said.
Pope Benedict called on leaders to "spare no effort" so that "honest and loyal citizens can count on adequate protection" from national authorities.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
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Sun, 26/10/2008 - 6:54pm NCM holds Bajrang Dal, VHP(world Hindu council) responsible for Indore riots
NCM holds Bajrang Dal, VHP responsible for Indore riotsNew Delhi,Holding the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad responsible for the July riots in Indore, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has demanded action against both organisations in its report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a few days back.
Copies of the report have also been submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Ministry for Minority Affairs A R Antulay, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and some other Union ministers.
"We have in our report said that proper action should be taken against Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad," NCM Chairman Md Shafi Qureshi said.
On being asked whether the Commission has sought a ban on them, Qureshi quipped, "action includes ban as well."
Earlier a three-member NCM team led by Qureshi visited the affected areas including Pandrinath, Chhatripura, Khajrana and Malharganj to take stock of communal violence that erupted in and around Indore during the 'Bharat Bandh' call given by VHP over the Amarnath land transfer issue.
Violence had mainly centered at Khajrana and Juhi Risala near Indore then. According to the report, a total of eight persons were killed in the violence. Seven among them were from the minority community.
Sources said the Commission has rubbished the contention of Madhya Pradesh PWD Minister Kailash Vijay Vargiya that SIMI was behind the riots and categorically said that it was aimed at diverting the attention of the country from real culprits of violence.
"Blaming SIMI for violence at Khajrana is a blatant lie," the Commission said in the report.
Taking strong exception to the use of licensed firearms by a section of people during the clashes, the Commission pulled up the state government for making "no efforts" to get such weapons deposited in police stations in time.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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