Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this fabulous Friday. It is going to be bright, brilliant, and beautiful. Thank you Jesus. Plan to be in the Lord's House on this coming Lord's day with Lord's people to worship the Risen Lord. Alice is going down to Philadelphia to spend some time with Jessica. Jessica told me yesterday that it will be 90 degrees in Philadelphia this Saturday. (That will be a temperature shock to my wife.)
I love to read the Resurrection accounts of our Lord and Savior as they are recorded in all the four Gospels. Mark 16 begins much like the rest of the gospel accounts of the resurrection. Early on Sunday morning a group of women gathered up some spices and headed off to anoint the body of Jesus. Then there was the prerequisite question: "Who will roll away the stone?" The story continues as they approached the tomb and, lo and behold, the stone is rolled away! An angel appeared with the good news of the resurrection. Everything seems to be going according to the common Gospel account, but then Mark’s Gospel account diverges from the rest. Notice that little footnote in the NIV - "The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20." Mark’s gospel originally ended, not with the appearances of Jesus to the women and disciples, not with great commission, not with Jesus’ ascension into heaven, but Rather with these disturbing words: "They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid."
What kind of ending to Easter would this be? Yet, the great and glorious news of the resurrection has been proclaimed. Death has been defeated, Satan subdued, and Sin squashed. The witnesses have been commissioned.
Yet, for Mark, Easter ends with the words, "They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." Someone has noted that it is "...not an ending that inspires confidence." Not only does the story end on a down note, but even grammatically the gospel ends peculiarly. In the Greek the last words in the text are "ephobounto gar", literally "they were afraid for..." This is very strange. Every Greek writer (and English student, for that matter), knows that you don’t end a sentence like that. One commentator has noted, "Gar is a small, transitional word that leads into something else. It serves as a kind of hesitation, getting us ready for the next statement." Yet,in Mark, that next statement never comes. Where we would expect to see the story neatly wrapped up with a post-resurrection story of Jesus - all we hear is silence. Easter seems to have an incomplete ending in Mark. In general we are people who don’t like things left hanging. We want our stories neat and tidy. That’s just human nature. So, as we can see, other people began providing the "rest of the story" [ala Paul Harvey] to the resurrection account in Mark’s gospel. They were not entirely wrong in doing this, for we have the evidence to "prove" that what is recorded in the additions to Mark are true, and the other gospels bear this out. Jesus did appear to the disciples; the message of salvation did go out into the world and indeed Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead.
Still, the original intended meaning of Mark has as its purpose anything but making us feel safe and comfortable. Mark intended his gospel to end with that little word gar. Eugene Peterson explains: "The gar leaves us in mid-stride, of balance. The other foot has to come down someplace. Where will it come down? In belief or unbelief? Will the invasion of new life that completely rearranges reality for us, confronting us with more life than we ever imagined and so calling our minimal lives into question, send us scurrying in anxious fear for cover or venturing in reverent fear into worship?" By ending his gospel with that little word gar, Mark in a sense is saying to each of us, "How does the resurrection story end in your life?" We have been entrusted with that good news that He is Risen. What do we do with that news? Mark’s resurrection account leaves the women and us with a promise; the promise of Jesus himself. Listen to verse 7 again: "But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." That is the message that the women take to the disciples: "He will meet you in Galilee." Galilee is of course a real physical location. But it meant more than that. Galilee was the place where they had lived out their daily existence. Galilee is where they fished; where they had families; where the mundane little things of their life were located. By promising to meet them in Galilee Jesus was promising to be there in their everyday experience; to be with them in the little things as well as the big ones.
That is the Easter promise - that Jesus will meet us as we live out our lives in the "real" world. "He is risen...he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." So as we live out the ending of Easter in our own lives we just need to keep filling in the locations of our own "Galilees - our own unique situations: "He is risen…he is going before me to my every life situation, there I will see him, just as he said."
He is Risen.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 4-23-09
Good Morning
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. Praise the Lord for the Good News that our Lord God omnipotent reigns ( Rev 19.6). The Risen Savior is the Christ of every crisis. He is the Lord in every situation.
We have a friend who is a dog lover. She thinks some baptized dogs go to heaven. She bases her hope on “No eye can see; no ear can hear; no mind can comprehend the good and beautiful things that God has prepared for those who love him.” No ear can hear, no eye can see, no mind can comprehend the beauty of God’s future.
There are some times in life when the word, “surprise,” is not strong enough and there is a need for stronger words. Sometimes words like astounded, astonished, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded are more appropriate, so you need a much stronger constellation of words.
The lead article in TIME magazine a few years ago was entitled, “Miracles.” It was a story about a family from North Carolina including a mom, a dad, and a grandpa who has been a surgeon for thirty-nine years. When their child was born some years ago, the child had droopy eyelids, but no one said anything to the parents so as not to upset them. As time went by the condition became apparent to the family, so they made an appointment with the neurologist. A scan was taken, which revealed a brain tumor. The family was devastated. The doctor performed the preliminary surgery and discovered a type of malignancy that no human being had ever survived. The prognosis was the future development of paralysis and then inevitable death. The family went down on their knees in prayer. The grandfather, who was a surgeon, prayed that the family would have good doctors. The father, a young attorney, prayed that the will of God would be done. The mother prayed that somehow she would be able to endure this tragedy.
Seven days prior to the scheduled surgery, and a friend came to visit. He was an Episcopal priest who prayed for a miracle, a healing, and he anointed the child with oil. Forty-eight hours before surgery, the surgeon drew fluid from the child’s brain and it was decided to postpone the surgery for two more days. The doctor drew out more fluid the next day, and when he examined it there was nothing amiss. Nothing. There were no lesions, no cancer, no tumor. According to the article, “He was …baffled. He was…bewildered.” The mother was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded, and overwhelmed. The mother then said, “If you ever see my thirteen year old Elizabeth running around, with the drooping left eye, do not feel sorry for her. I am astounded that my child is alive! I don’t understand it but my child has experienced a miracle.” - TIME Magazine.
In the world crammed with bleak news I will continue to dwell on the glorious news of Easter. Women approached the limestone graves, prepared to grieve Jesus’ death. Mary Magdalene, Mary, and her sister Salome approached the burial chamber and exclaimed, “Oh no, someone has rolled away the stone.” They went inside that vault and there were two angels, two messengers who said, “He is not here. He has been raised from the dead by the powers of God, just as he told you it would happen.” The women were astounded and astonished, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded, to say the very least. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them to report the news to Peter and John, who was, himself, the eyewitness among the four gospel authors. Only John’s gospel, written by an eyewitness, tells us so many juicy historical details. The women found Peter and John and told them about the empty tomb. Peter and John ran as fast as they could to the burial crypt. Young John arrived first and then older Peter, but Peter walked into the crypt first and then John followed. The linen shroud and the napkin that had covered Jesus’ face were there, all neatly folded. The disciples must have looked at each other, astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded.
As Mary Magdalene stood there, weeping, crying, perplexed, she thought that she was speaking to the gardener and asked where he had put the body of Jesus. Jesus spoke one word, “Mary.” She knew the voice. She knew his voice. It was the voice of Jesus. She turned around and was the first person on earth to see the resurrected Christ. She was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded at his presence. He said, “Do not touch me because I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
A short time later, a similar event took place. The disciples had heard that in three days, Jesus would rise from the dead (Jesus had told them that three times). They had heard the words, “today you will be with me in paradise,” and the saying, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.” They had heard the story, but they weren’t yet ready for the reality of it all. Suddenly Jesus appeared to them, and the disciples were astounded by what they saw. The encounter with Thomas a short time later resounded with the same theme. He said, “Unless I touch the wounds in his hands and the wound in his side, I will not believe.” Jesus said, “Touch my hands. Touch my side.” Thomas was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded.
In many ways, we are like those first disciples. We are like the women coming to the grave, who had heard the promise of Jesus that on the third day, the Son of Man would be raised from the dead by the Powers of God. They had heard his promise to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” They had heard Jesus teach, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.” Nevertheless, on that morning when they came to the grave, they came expecting death. You and I are like those women. Even though we have heard the promises of God, deep down in everyone’s soul is a pessimism that believes that this life is all there is... that when you die, you will be put into a box, entombed in a grave, and in time the box and the vault will decay, and your body will decay like all the others.
I participated in grave side burial yesterday, of a dear and beautiful woman, who died at the age of 90. I was called yesterday to conduct a service of death and resurrection next Saturday, for another dear man, who had a fall in church and died next day. Why do we have this inner feeling, this inner pessimism concerning death? Sigmund Freud calls it the “death instinct.” Common to all human beings and all animals, and human beings are part of the animal kingdom, we have this instinct. Deep down inside is this fear that this is all there is, as we come to the gravesides of our mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas. We ultimately come to our own deathbed and we quietly pray, “I believe, help my unbelief.” And then we die.
In death we sleep, and then we awake and say…” It is so incredibly beautiful!!! Stunned. Breathless. And we are astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded the beauty that God has prepared for you and me. The Apostle Paul was right when he said, “No eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind can imagine the good and wonderful things that God has prepared for us.”
When we see Jesus face to face, it will take strong words to describe the good and beautiful things that He has prepared for those who love Him and having not seen Him we serve Him with Joy and great abandon on earth.
He is Risen.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCDa8XorgNM
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. Praise the Lord for the Good News that our Lord God omnipotent reigns ( Rev 19.6). The Risen Savior is the Christ of every crisis. He is the Lord in every situation.
We have a friend who is a dog lover. She thinks some baptized dogs go to heaven. She bases her hope on “No eye can see; no ear can hear; no mind can comprehend the good and beautiful things that God has prepared for those who love him.” No ear can hear, no eye can see, no mind can comprehend the beauty of God’s future.
There are some times in life when the word, “surprise,” is not strong enough and there is a need for stronger words. Sometimes words like astounded, astonished, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded are more appropriate, so you need a much stronger constellation of words.
The lead article in TIME magazine a few years ago was entitled, “Miracles.” It was a story about a family from North Carolina including a mom, a dad, and a grandpa who has been a surgeon for thirty-nine years. When their child was born some years ago, the child had droopy eyelids, but no one said anything to the parents so as not to upset them. As time went by the condition became apparent to the family, so they made an appointment with the neurologist. A scan was taken, which revealed a brain tumor. The family was devastated. The doctor performed the preliminary surgery and discovered a type of malignancy that no human being had ever survived. The prognosis was the future development of paralysis and then inevitable death. The family went down on their knees in prayer. The grandfather, who was a surgeon, prayed that the family would have good doctors. The father, a young attorney, prayed that the will of God would be done. The mother prayed that somehow she would be able to endure this tragedy.
Seven days prior to the scheduled surgery, and a friend came to visit. He was an Episcopal priest who prayed for a miracle, a healing, and he anointed the child with oil. Forty-eight hours before surgery, the surgeon drew fluid from the child’s brain and it was decided to postpone the surgery for two more days. The doctor drew out more fluid the next day, and when he examined it there was nothing amiss. Nothing. There were no lesions, no cancer, no tumor. According to the article, “He was …baffled. He was…bewildered.” The mother was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded, and overwhelmed. The mother then said, “If you ever see my thirteen year old Elizabeth running around, with the drooping left eye, do not feel sorry for her. I am astounded that my child is alive! I don’t understand it but my child has experienced a miracle.” - TIME Magazine.
In the world crammed with bleak news I will continue to dwell on the glorious news of Easter. Women approached the limestone graves, prepared to grieve Jesus’ death. Mary Magdalene, Mary, and her sister Salome approached the burial chamber and exclaimed, “Oh no, someone has rolled away the stone.” They went inside that vault and there were two angels, two messengers who said, “He is not here. He has been raised from the dead by the powers of God, just as he told you it would happen.” The women were astounded and astonished, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded, to say the very least. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them to report the news to Peter and John, who was, himself, the eyewitness among the four gospel authors. Only John’s gospel, written by an eyewitness, tells us so many juicy historical details. The women found Peter and John and told them about the empty tomb. Peter and John ran as fast as they could to the burial crypt. Young John arrived first and then older Peter, but Peter walked into the crypt first and then John followed. The linen shroud and the napkin that had covered Jesus’ face were there, all neatly folded. The disciples must have looked at each other, astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded.
As Mary Magdalene stood there, weeping, crying, perplexed, she thought that she was speaking to the gardener and asked where he had put the body of Jesus. Jesus spoke one word, “Mary.” She knew the voice. She knew his voice. It was the voice of Jesus. She turned around and was the first person on earth to see the resurrected Christ. She was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded at his presence. He said, “Do not touch me because I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
A short time later, a similar event took place. The disciples had heard that in three days, Jesus would rise from the dead (Jesus had told them that three times). They had heard the words, “today you will be with me in paradise,” and the saying, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.” They had heard the story, but they weren’t yet ready for the reality of it all. Suddenly Jesus appeared to them, and the disciples were astounded by what they saw. The encounter with Thomas a short time later resounded with the same theme. He said, “Unless I touch the wounds in his hands and the wound in his side, I will not believe.” Jesus said, “Touch my hands. Touch my side.” Thomas was astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded.
In many ways, we are like those first disciples. We are like the women coming to the grave, who had heard the promise of Jesus that on the third day, the Son of Man would be raised from the dead by the Powers of God. They had heard his promise to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” They had heard Jesus teach, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.” Nevertheless, on that morning when they came to the grave, they came expecting death. You and I are like those women. Even though we have heard the promises of God, deep down in everyone’s soul is a pessimism that believes that this life is all there is... that when you die, you will be put into a box, entombed in a grave, and in time the box and the vault will decay, and your body will decay like all the others.
I participated in grave side burial yesterday, of a dear and beautiful woman, who died at the age of 90. I was called yesterday to conduct a service of death and resurrection next Saturday, for another dear man, who had a fall in church and died next day. Why do we have this inner feeling, this inner pessimism concerning death? Sigmund Freud calls it the “death instinct.” Common to all human beings and all animals, and human beings are part of the animal kingdom, we have this instinct. Deep down inside is this fear that this is all there is, as we come to the gravesides of our mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas. We ultimately come to our own deathbed and we quietly pray, “I believe, help my unbelief.” And then we die.
In death we sleep, and then we awake and say…” It is so incredibly beautiful!!! Stunned. Breathless. And we are astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded the beauty that God has prepared for you and me. The Apostle Paul was right when he said, “No eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind can imagine the good and wonderful things that God has prepared for us.”
When we see Jesus face to face, it will take strong words to describe the good and beautiful things that He has prepared for those who love Him and having not seen Him we serve Him with Joy and great abandon on earth.
He is Risen.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCDa8XorgNM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 4-22-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the Good News of Easter. The Lord gave us a very brilliant day yesterday. The daffodils are in full bloom. The forsythias are in brilliant bloom. Praise the Lord the way he makes the earth colorful and magnificent. Praise the Lord for the way He brings about the cosmic transformation. The manifold witness of it all testifies to His greatness and majesty. Our Lord uses emptiness to prove His fullness. He uses death to demonstrate life eternal.
I read the story of an Illinois man who left Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him the next day. When he reached his hotel he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor dead. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Your Loving Husband. P.S: Sure is hot down here. What could be more powerful than news from the other side of death? Easter is that and more. It is not an email message, but a living message. It is not from man, but from God. OUR STORY DOES NOT BEGIN IN THE LIGHT OF DAY. IT BEGINS AT DAWN, WHEN IT’S STILL DARK… A PLACE FAR LESS CLEAR. It begins with an individual, Mary. It is, perhaps, as fascinating and encouraging as anything God chooses to do. He focuses the greatest events, events of cosmic proportions, and on ordinary individuals. Mary was not what you would ordinarily call a traditionally religious person. She was from the city of Magdala along the sea of Galilee, and when Jesus came to town He looked into her soul. He clearly saw the wretched state she was in, under demonic power and authority, and He cast out those seven demonic powers. He did something for her that no one else could ever do, and she could never forget the greatness of His saving grace. Jesus, the Christ, spoke into her life with power. He looked her in the eyes, confronted the powers and set her free.Perhaps no one ever had so much reason to love Jesus as Mary Magdalene. The part that love plays in the story of Easter is extraordinary. It was Mary, who loved Jesus so much, who was first at the tomb. Jesus came to Mary because she needed him. We all need him. He knew better than she did that we all need a risen savior. She was only the first. She wasn’t to cling to his bodily appearance, for the hope that was alive was not in the limited presence of his body, but his unlimited presence, which would now transcend time and space as a living hope for all the world. In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great explorer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," make it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond." The world could never be understood in the same way again. Likewise, Christ proved the was “more beyond” and life can never be understood the same. Recently was told the story of a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given three month to live. Her doctor told her to start making preparations to die -- something we all should be doing all of the time. She contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There’s one more thing," she said excitedly. "What’s that?" came the pastor’s reply. "This is very important." The woman continued, "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say. "That shocks you, doesn’t it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained, "In all my years of attending church socials and functions where food was involved, and let’s be honest, food is an important part of any church event, spiritual or otherwise, my favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say ’you can keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn’t Jell-O or pudding. It was cake or pie - something with substance. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, ’What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them, ’Something better is coming, so keep your fork too."
The Best is yet to be.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LoqXUX8olo
News Regarding the Persecuted Christians of Orissa, India
Tue, 21/04/2009 - 9:11am Elections in Orissa rigged as extremists force Christians to vote for Hindu parties
By Nirmala Carvalho
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=15028&size=
In Kandhamal villages BJP supporters kept an eye on polling stations, threatening Christian voters. Global Council of Indian Christians Chairman Sajan George says no violence took place but “these elections cannot be said to have been peaceful and calm.”
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) – “Mark the lotus!” Christians in the village of Gujapanga, northern Kandhamal District, were repeatedly told on 16 April, first day of India’s election, or else. The lotus is the symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters have kept villages in this Orissa district under a watchful eye in order to intimidate Dalits and Christians.Global Council of Indian Christians (GCII) Chairman Sajan George told AsiaNews that he received reports from villages like Gujapanga with similar stories of intimidation.
“Extremists standing outside polling stations told Christians to vote for the ‘lotus’ if they wanted to avoid threats to their life.” Although no incident was recorded, “these elections cannot be said to have been peaceful and calm.”
Fr Ajay Singh, who heads Jan Vikas, a social organisation in the diocese of Bubhaneswar, visited several polling stations to “see the situation in person.”
“I left Gajapati District early morning for Kandhamal. Along the road trees had been uprooted to block the road. No one was around. When I got the polling station in my village I found out that I was the first voter to show up. Two hours after it had opened no one had come to cast a ballot. Only later, when villagers heard that someone had actually gone to vote, did a few others come out to vote.”
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Mon, 20/04/2009 - 9:00am Bajrang Dal activists vandalise Church in Maharashtra town
Nearly two dozen activists of the Hindu right-wing organisation Bajrang Dal allegedly attacked and vandalised a church in a Mahrashtra town Sunday morning( April 19th, 2009)‘Nearly two dozen activists, armed with sticks, barged into the Douglas Memorial Church here around 11 a.m. when the late Sunday morning prayer service was in progress,’
As the scared churchgoers - nearly 100 attending the service - dispersed, the Bajrang Dal activists went on a rampage and destroyed several chairs and tables inside the church.The priest of the church, Fr. Ramred Paul M. Sakhardevkar (53), who recognised some of the attackers, later lodged a complaint with the police, naming some of them including Sonu Bharaiya, Trambak Nanere, Bharadwaj and Dube, according to Gavi.Savner, with a population of around 35,000, including 1,500 Christians, is located in Nagpur district in eastern Maharashtra.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Sun, 19/04/2009 - 6:46pm Unfair elections at Kandhamal ??? Voting denied to Christians
Dear Friends,
There had been questions raised by some concerned citizens to know the reality of elections held in Kandhamal. As one who participated in the election and cast my vote in Kandhamal I would like to share with you what I have seen, perceived and experienced.
I reached Kandhamal from Gajapati in the early hours on the Election Day. Along the way in six places, trees were felled down and roads were blocked. Hardly there was any movement of the people. My colleagues and I were scared of the situation. We somehow managed to reach Kandhamal. As I decided to cast my vote I reached the polling booth of my village. Even after two hours the booth was literally empty. We were the first ones to cast our votes. Hearing that we have casted our vote, some people came out for voting.
Later I visited almost a dozen polling booths: in villages, small towns, camps and market places.
* In a village, Sikermaha, there were enthusiasm among the voters as their village leader is standing for G.Udayagir MLA constitution.* In Dharampur (Phirigada), Raikia block; Kattingia, near Tiangia in G.Udayagiri block where 8 persons have been killed and Lingagada the affected communities were threatened with dire consequences if they do not vote for BJP. In Kattingia and Lingagada at the booths itself the voters were threatened.* In Betticola village of G.Udayagiri, where a Church was demolished and grounded and a temple being built nearby the people were on the market verandah. Not a single family of the 38 families was allowed to stay in their village. Among them seven members could not vote as they did not possess voter identity card. When they went to the booth they were asked to produce driving license or bank book or ration card. The people had answered, “We do not have bank accounts. Our ration cards, old voter ids and driving licenses were destroyed in the violence”. No id no vote! Rule is same for everyone and they were sent back by the officers.* Then I went to Nilungia, 7 kilometers from G.Udayagiri, a small village where a tribal Christian was killed. People told me that their relatives numbering about 40 had not been able to cast their votes as they feared that returning to the villages is not safe and preferred to stay back outside the district.* The way the district administration was making arrangements I thought that there would be 100 % polling at least in the camps. No one questions why there was only 90% voting in the closed door camps?* One must remember that thousands of affected people who are still living in Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Maharastra, Gujurat had not exercised their franchise. I hope at least on this there is no dispute among the civil society organizations. Is it their fault? Who is responsible? Are these not citizens? It looks to me that even some civil society groups do not want to raise these important issues?* To see whether the situation is normal or not, one should visit Phirigada, Gunjibadi, Badabanga, Dodingia, Raikola, Betticola, Chanchedi, 43 families living in a pitiable condition in G Udayagiri market area, and scores of villages and then make a statement.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sat, 18/04/2009 - 12:40pm Extremists threaten Christians outside polling booth in Kandhamal district, Orissa
Extremists threaten Christians outside polling booth in Gujapanga village of Raikia Taluka, Kandhamal district, Orissa
Even as information of a peaceful polling in Kandhamal, GCIC has received information of threats and intimidation to the Christians in this mountainous village who went to caste thier vote on 16th April.
Outside the polling booths, extremists were warning people to chose for the LOTUS (Lotus is the election symbol of BJP).
The Christians were warned, that failure to vote for the LOTUS would invite serious life-threats, moreover, the christians were also warned that- the extremists would also know, if they did not vote on the LOTUS.
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, East India
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Praise the Lord for the Good News of Easter. The Lord gave us a very brilliant day yesterday. The daffodils are in full bloom. The forsythias are in brilliant bloom. Praise the Lord the way he makes the earth colorful and magnificent. Praise the Lord for the way He brings about the cosmic transformation. The manifold witness of it all testifies to His greatness and majesty. Our Lord uses emptiness to prove His fullness. He uses death to demonstrate life eternal.
I read the story of an Illinois man who left Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him the next day. When he reached his hotel he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor dead. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Your Loving Husband. P.S: Sure is hot down here. What could be more powerful than news from the other side of death? Easter is that and more. It is not an email message, but a living message. It is not from man, but from God. OUR STORY DOES NOT BEGIN IN THE LIGHT OF DAY. IT BEGINS AT DAWN, WHEN IT’S STILL DARK… A PLACE FAR LESS CLEAR. It begins with an individual, Mary. It is, perhaps, as fascinating and encouraging as anything God chooses to do. He focuses the greatest events, events of cosmic proportions, and on ordinary individuals. Mary was not what you would ordinarily call a traditionally religious person. She was from the city of Magdala along the sea of Galilee, and when Jesus came to town He looked into her soul. He clearly saw the wretched state she was in, under demonic power and authority, and He cast out those seven demonic powers. He did something for her that no one else could ever do, and she could never forget the greatness of His saving grace. Jesus, the Christ, spoke into her life with power. He looked her in the eyes, confronted the powers and set her free.Perhaps no one ever had so much reason to love Jesus as Mary Magdalene. The part that love plays in the story of Easter is extraordinary. It was Mary, who loved Jesus so much, who was first at the tomb. Jesus came to Mary because she needed him. We all need him. He knew better than she did that we all need a risen savior. She was only the first. She wasn’t to cling to his bodily appearance, for the hope that was alive was not in the limited presence of his body, but his unlimited presence, which would now transcend time and space as a living hope for all the world. In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great explorer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," make it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond." The world could never be understood in the same way again. Likewise, Christ proved the was “more beyond” and life can never be understood the same. Recently was told the story of a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given three month to live. Her doctor told her to start making preparations to die -- something we all should be doing all of the time. She contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There’s one more thing," she said excitedly. "What’s that?" came the pastor’s reply. "This is very important." The woman continued, "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say. "That shocks you, doesn’t it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained, "In all my years of attending church socials and functions where food was involved, and let’s be honest, food is an important part of any church event, spiritual or otherwise, my favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say ’you can keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn’t Jell-O or pudding. It was cake or pie - something with substance. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, ’What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them, ’Something better is coming, so keep your fork too."
The Best is yet to be.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LoqXUX8olo
News Regarding the Persecuted Christians of Orissa, India
Tue, 21/04/2009 - 9:11am Elections in Orissa rigged as extremists force Christians to vote for Hindu parties
By Nirmala Carvalho
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=15028&size=
In Kandhamal villages BJP supporters kept an eye on polling stations, threatening Christian voters. Global Council of Indian Christians Chairman Sajan George says no violence took place but “these elections cannot be said to have been peaceful and calm.”
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) – “Mark the lotus!” Christians in the village of Gujapanga, northern Kandhamal District, were repeatedly told on 16 April, first day of India’s election, or else. The lotus is the symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters have kept villages in this Orissa district under a watchful eye in order to intimidate Dalits and Christians.Global Council of Indian Christians (GCII) Chairman Sajan George told AsiaNews that he received reports from villages like Gujapanga with similar stories of intimidation.
“Extremists standing outside polling stations told Christians to vote for the ‘lotus’ if they wanted to avoid threats to their life.” Although no incident was recorded, “these elections cannot be said to have been peaceful and calm.”
Fr Ajay Singh, who heads Jan Vikas, a social organisation in the diocese of Bubhaneswar, visited several polling stations to “see the situation in person.”
“I left Gajapati District early morning for Kandhamal. Along the road trees had been uprooted to block the road. No one was around. When I got the polling station in my village I found out that I was the first voter to show up. Two hours after it had opened no one had come to cast a ballot. Only later, when villagers heard that someone had actually gone to vote, did a few others come out to vote.”
posted in: Current Issue, , East India
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Mon, 20/04/2009 - 9:00am Bajrang Dal activists vandalise Church in Maharashtra town
Nearly two dozen activists of the Hindu right-wing organisation Bajrang Dal allegedly attacked and vandalised a church in a Mahrashtra town Sunday morning( April 19th, 2009)‘Nearly two dozen activists, armed with sticks, barged into the Douglas Memorial Church here around 11 a.m. when the late Sunday morning prayer service was in progress,’
As the scared churchgoers - nearly 100 attending the service - dispersed, the Bajrang Dal activists went on a rampage and destroyed several chairs and tables inside the church.The priest of the church, Fr. Ramred Paul M. Sakhardevkar (53), who recognised some of the attackers, later lodged a complaint with the police, naming some of them including Sonu Bharaiya, Trambak Nanere, Bharadwaj and Dube, according to Gavi.Savner, with a population of around 35,000, including 1,500 Christians, is located in Nagpur district in eastern Maharashtra.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Sun, 19/04/2009 - 6:46pm Unfair elections at Kandhamal ??? Voting denied to Christians
Dear Friends,
There had been questions raised by some concerned citizens to know the reality of elections held in Kandhamal. As one who participated in the election and cast my vote in Kandhamal I would like to share with you what I have seen, perceived and experienced.
I reached Kandhamal from Gajapati in the early hours on the Election Day. Along the way in six places, trees were felled down and roads were blocked. Hardly there was any movement of the people. My colleagues and I were scared of the situation. We somehow managed to reach Kandhamal. As I decided to cast my vote I reached the polling booth of my village. Even after two hours the booth was literally empty. We were the first ones to cast our votes. Hearing that we have casted our vote, some people came out for voting.
Later I visited almost a dozen polling booths: in villages, small towns, camps and market places.
* In a village, Sikermaha, there were enthusiasm among the voters as their village leader is standing for G.Udayagir MLA constitution.* In Dharampur (Phirigada), Raikia block; Kattingia, near Tiangia in G.Udayagiri block where 8 persons have been killed and Lingagada the affected communities were threatened with dire consequences if they do not vote for BJP. In Kattingia and Lingagada at the booths itself the voters were threatened.* In Betticola village of G.Udayagiri, where a Church was demolished and grounded and a temple being built nearby the people were on the market verandah. Not a single family of the 38 families was allowed to stay in their village. Among them seven members could not vote as they did not possess voter identity card. When they went to the booth they were asked to produce driving license or bank book or ration card. The people had answered, “We do not have bank accounts. Our ration cards, old voter ids and driving licenses were destroyed in the violence”. No id no vote! Rule is same for everyone and they were sent back by the officers.* Then I went to Nilungia, 7 kilometers from G.Udayagiri, a small village where a tribal Christian was killed. People told me that their relatives numbering about 40 had not been able to cast their votes as they feared that returning to the villages is not safe and preferred to stay back outside the district.* The way the district administration was making arrangements I thought that there would be 100 % polling at least in the camps. No one questions why there was only 90% voting in the closed door camps?* One must remember that thousands of affected people who are still living in Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Maharastra, Gujurat had not exercised their franchise. I hope at least on this there is no dispute among the civil society organizations. Is it their fault? Who is responsible? Are these not citizens? It looks to me that even some civil society groups do not want to raise these important issues?* To see whether the situation is normal or not, one should visit Phirigada, Gunjibadi, Badabanga, Dodingia, Raikola, Betticola, Chanchedi, 43 families living in a pitiable condition in G Udayagiri market area, and scores of villages and then make a statement.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sat, 18/04/2009 - 12:40pm Extremists threaten Christians outside polling booth in Kandhamal district, Orissa
Extremists threaten Christians outside polling booth in Gujapanga village of Raikia Taluka, Kandhamal district, Orissa
Even as information of a peaceful polling in Kandhamal, GCIC has received information of threats and intimidation to the Christians in this mountainous village who went to caste thier vote on 16th April.
Outside the polling booths, extremists were warning people to chose for the LOTUS (Lotus is the election symbol of BJP).
The Christians were warned, that failure to vote for the LOTUS would invite serious life-threats, moreover, the christians were also warned that- the extremists would also know, if they did not vote on the LOTUS.
posted in: Current Issue, Religion, East India
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 4-21-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the glorious Good News of Easter. Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. He came, He saw, and He conquered death. He is alive for- evermore. Because of His victory we are more than conquerors through Him who loved and who loves us still.
We had a very special Easter celebration. Jeremy, Janice, Micah, and Simeon joined us for Easter, coming in on Good Friday. Janice and the children stayed a few days past Easter with us. I call Micah and Simeon our Fresh Air children from Boston. We are blessed with a very large yard - almost 7 acres around the church and parsonage. We have lots flowers in bloom, especially daffodils. When Micah wants to go outside to play she says, "Let's go to the park." Even Simeon looks at the swings, points, and says, "park".
The November, 2001 Sports Illustrated magazine covered the baseball World Series in which the Arizona Diamondbacks recovered from a slump to defeat the New York Yankees in the last inning of the final game. It started the editors thinking about the greatest comebacks in history. So, they produced their list of the "TOP TEN COMEBACKS OF ALL TIME." It was quite a broad list. Elvis Presley was on it, as a result of his TV special in 1968 that revived his sagging career. Muhammad Ali made the list when he returned from his forced seven-year exile from boxing, to reclaim the world championship. Harry Truman made the cut, owing to his 1948 victory over Thomas Dewey when all the polls had him losing by a large margin. When Michael Jordan gave up baseball and returned to his first love of basketball, he found a spot on the top ten comebacks in history. Even humanity was on the list - after recovering from the Black Plague of the 14th century, in which 25 million Europeans died. Number two among the all-time comebacks was a tie between Japan and Germany, both of which were devastated during the Second World War but became world economic powers within a generation. Number one - as named by the editors of Sports Illustrated magazine in the November 12, 2001, issue - the greatest comeback of all time ... Jesus Christ. AD 33. We can place our hope and trust in the greatest comeback of all time: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Through Him we can experience victory. Death could not keep Jesus Christ, down. Jesus came, He saw, and He conquered sin and death. He is alive for evermore. May the Risen Savior infuse us with His Resurrection power as we worship Him and serve Him day by day.
I am enclosing a testimony written by the daughter of a man we have been praying for.
Have a blessed and wonderful day. He is Risen. Alleluia!
Brown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCAhKDZRlo
UPDATE On Jack Hoppes:
Good Monday evening to you all:Please forgive the long string of recipients. There are many who need to hear this message. As I write this email I am listening to beautiful worship music with Tim, my mom AND MY DAD! A week ago today, my father was released from the hospital with Hospice and given three days to live. Tim, my cousin Pat and I went to the funeral home to make final arrangements. I have never cried so much in such a short period of time. Not because of my own sense of loss, but for the deep love I have for my father and wanting to see him set free from the torment of body and soul. On a beautiful, sunny Easter morning my father awoke saying he felt great mentally, physically and spiritually. To say it was a week of sorrow, reminiscing and strong prayer would be an understatement. We would be crying one minute, then laughing the next as we reminisced and shared our love with and for each other. God's presence was almost too much to bear at times it was so strong. My sister Debbie shared with all of our family and some friends the day before Easter a letter she had been given in which the Lord told her that we kept giving dad to the Lord then taking him back. He said to her STOP PROJECTING WHAT HAS NOT HAPPENED! She reminded us all that the miracle has already occurred. My dad was diagnosed in October 2007 and given six months. He has beaten the odds by 12 months already! A neighbor came over and in a house full of people sang "It Is Well With My Soul". Easter Sunday morning Tim told me it was as if the Lord was waiting for everyone to let him go so he could begin to do HIS work. He is still weak, but improving and although he must watch his food intake at present, he has an appetite. He continues to tell us he is hungry and has moved from clear liquids to soft foods. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you would like to. Many have been thinking of and praying for my father as well as the whole family. To say "thank you" would not be sufficient to express our gratefulness to God for all of you. Please continue to pray as it is something we all still need. My father is the strongest witness to God's grace in the midst of severe trial that I have ever experienced. My mother's strength and grace as his caregiver is beyond description. The lives they have touched for the Lord, and will continue to touch, may not be fully known until they both stand before the Throne.I must also say that God brought Tim, me and my sister Sandy here for another purpose as well. My dad asked Tim to look at a sump pump they have in the basement (a northern thing). It was days before failing. Tim was able to make all the repairs as well as take care of other things for them. Also, their refrigerator died today. Tim and I were able to take my already frazzled mother to get another one while my sister stayed with my dad. Tim has been a rock, helping my father in numerous ways including staying with him at night so my mother can get the rest she needs. He has been a tremendous support to them as well as a comfort and strength to me that I have needed. I am so grateful for him.God is great and able to do far above anything we can even imagine! What happens from this day forward is God's business. We have witnessed a miracle! God bless all of you!much love to you all, TM
Praise the Lord for the glorious Good News of Easter. Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. He came, He saw, and He conquered death. He is alive for- evermore. Because of His victory we are more than conquerors through Him who loved and who loves us still.
We had a very special Easter celebration. Jeremy, Janice, Micah, and Simeon joined us for Easter, coming in on Good Friday. Janice and the children stayed a few days past Easter with us. I call Micah and Simeon our Fresh Air children from Boston. We are blessed with a very large yard - almost 7 acres around the church and parsonage. We have lots flowers in bloom, especially daffodils. When Micah wants to go outside to play she says, "Let's go to the park." Even Simeon looks at the swings, points, and says, "park".
The November, 2001 Sports Illustrated magazine covered the baseball World Series in which the Arizona Diamondbacks recovered from a slump to defeat the New York Yankees in the last inning of the final game. It started the editors thinking about the greatest comebacks in history. So, they produced their list of the "TOP TEN COMEBACKS OF ALL TIME." It was quite a broad list. Elvis Presley was on it, as a result of his TV special in 1968 that revived his sagging career. Muhammad Ali made the list when he returned from his forced seven-year exile from boxing, to reclaim the world championship. Harry Truman made the cut, owing to his 1948 victory over Thomas Dewey when all the polls had him losing by a large margin. When Michael Jordan gave up baseball and returned to his first love of basketball, he found a spot on the top ten comebacks in history. Even humanity was on the list - after recovering from the Black Plague of the 14th century, in which 25 million Europeans died. Number two among the all-time comebacks was a tie between Japan and Germany, both of which were devastated during the Second World War but became world economic powers within a generation. Number one - as named by the editors of Sports Illustrated magazine in the November 12, 2001, issue - the greatest comeback of all time ... Jesus Christ. AD 33. We can place our hope and trust in the greatest comeback of all time: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Through Him we can experience victory. Death could not keep Jesus Christ, down. Jesus came, He saw, and He conquered sin and death. He is alive for evermore. May the Risen Savior infuse us with His Resurrection power as we worship Him and serve Him day by day.
I am enclosing a testimony written by the daughter of a man we have been praying for.
Have a blessed and wonderful day. He is Risen. Alleluia!
Brown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCAhKDZRlo
UPDATE On Jack Hoppes:
Good Monday evening to you all:Please forgive the long string of recipients. There are many who need to hear this message. As I write this email I am listening to beautiful worship music with Tim, my mom AND MY DAD! A week ago today, my father was released from the hospital with Hospice and given three days to live. Tim, my cousin Pat and I went to the funeral home to make final arrangements. I have never cried so much in such a short period of time. Not because of my own sense of loss, but for the deep love I have for my father and wanting to see him set free from the torment of body and soul. On a beautiful, sunny Easter morning my father awoke saying he felt great mentally, physically and spiritually. To say it was a week of sorrow, reminiscing and strong prayer would be an understatement. We would be crying one minute, then laughing the next as we reminisced and shared our love with and for each other. God's presence was almost too much to bear at times it was so strong. My sister Debbie shared with all of our family and some friends the day before Easter a letter she had been given in which the Lord told her that we kept giving dad to the Lord then taking him back. He said to her STOP PROJECTING WHAT HAS NOT HAPPENED! She reminded us all that the miracle has already occurred. My dad was diagnosed in October 2007 and given six months. He has beaten the odds by 12 months already! A neighbor came over and in a house full of people sang "It Is Well With My Soul". Easter Sunday morning Tim told me it was as if the Lord was waiting for everyone to let him go so he could begin to do HIS work. He is still weak, but improving and although he must watch his food intake at present, he has an appetite. He continues to tell us he is hungry and has moved from clear liquids to soft foods. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you would like to. Many have been thinking of and praying for my father as well as the whole family. To say "thank you" would not be sufficient to express our gratefulness to God for all of you. Please continue to pray as it is something we all still need. My father is the strongest witness to God's grace in the midst of severe trial that I have ever experienced. My mother's strength and grace as his caregiver is beyond description. The lives they have touched for the Lord, and will continue to touch, may not be fully known until they both stand before the Throne.I must also say that God brought Tim, me and my sister Sandy here for another purpose as well. My dad asked Tim to look at a sump pump they have in the basement (a northern thing). It was days before failing. Tim was able to make all the repairs as well as take care of other things for them. Also, their refrigerator died today. Tim and I were able to take my already frazzled mother to get another one while my sister stayed with my dad. Tim has been a rock, helping my father in numerous ways including staying with him at night so my mother can get the rest she needs. He has been a tremendous support to them as well as a comfort and strength to me that I have needed. I am so grateful for him.God is great and able to do far above anything we can even imagine! What happens from this day forward is God's business. We have witnessed a miracle! God bless all of you!much love to you all, TM
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