Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, His wonderful grace, and His marvelous mercy. I had a call at 7:00 this morning from India. I spoke with my brother, Patel, who was acquitted and exonerated, and has been released from jail. He was in jail for 12 1/2 months, after being falsely accused by Hindu extremists. Our Lord is sovereign and He is mighty to save.
I had my last of 38 treatments this morning. Thank you for praying fervently and faithfully. Many of you have written personally but I am unable to respond to each individually, so please accept this as my heartfelt gratitude for your love, caring, and praying.
I was reading this morning from Revelation 7. It is one of the most thrilling and explosive passages in all of Scripture. "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!' And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.'" (Revelation 7:9-12)
This amazing passage speaks of the fact that in victory the Lord's faithful stand before God and the Lamb. As we read, they have come through great tribulation, trials, and tears. The miracle of the event is that the redeemed of the Lord do not appear to be weary, battered, bloody, beaten, or worn. They arrive conquering and victorious. Their garments are white robes, symbolic of victory and purity. For the Christian who endures to the end, the end is victory. The jubilant shout of the triumphant faithful ascribes salvation to our God. It is our God who has brought them through their trials, their tribulations, and their distresses. It is His power which has upheld and undergirded them. Our Lord God is a great Savior, wonderful Rescuer, and awesome Deliverer of His people. The deliverance He gives is the greatest deliverance of all, for it is not the deliverance of escape, but of conquest. It does not save man from trouble, but it brings him triumphantly through trouble. It does not make life easy, but it makes life great. Through triumph the Lord gives us great joy.
May Jesus be praised.
"No heart is pure that is not passionate, and no virtue is safe that is not enthusiastic." - Paul Henry Thiry d'Holbach
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCQnwn2hIQ
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-30-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He is faithful, powerful, and always merciful. One very familiar verse of Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I have been reflecting on this passage lately. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ’My Grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong."
From the moment we are born into this world, life happens. Sometimes it happens to bring us through the valleys of life. Sometimes it happens to carry us to the mountaintops of life. The bottom line is that no matter what, whether peaks or valleys, life happens!
The story is told of a pastor who was taking a morning walk. He came across a woman pushing a baby carriage up a hill. She was struggling with it a bit, so he offered to push it up for her. It was a rather unwieldy baby carriage, so it was no easy job to get it to the top. Once they had reached her house, the woman thanked the pastor for his help. The pastor replied, "Do you mind if I take a little peek at the precious baby that I have been pushing all this time?" The woman laughed and said, "Pastor this isn’t a baby that we have been struggling with, it’s my husband’s weekly beer supply." Life happens.
Recently we have read about tragedy and death that have visited some well known "celebrities". I read about American actress, Mary Tyler Moore (Born: 1936). She was, at one time, America’s sweetheart! It would be easy to believe that her life was always charmed, but the truth of the matter is that it wasn’t! She was married as a teenager and then divorced. Her sister, in college, overdosed and died. Then Mary got married a second time and divorced. She remarried the same man and got divorced again (three marriages with two men). Then, her son accidentally shot and killed himself. In her despair, she turned to "booze" and became an alcoholic. She got off it but, contracted Diabetes as a result of her drinking. Now, the Diabetes has affected her eyes; and, there is a good chance that she will be blind by the end of her life. She was America’s sweetheart, but not without deep, deep heartaches! She summed up her life experiences like this, "None of us gets out of here without pain."
The Apostle Paul gave an interesting expression in our Holy Scripture when he said, "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh." Many of us have had the experience of reaching for a rose and drawing back when our finger or hand has been pricked by a thorn, but that is not what the Apostle Paul is talking about!
According to one authority, the Greek word here for thorn is "stake." Then it is not referring to a tiny thorn such as those found on a rose, but a shaft of wood sharpened at one end to be used in battle to impale someone. In other words, the Apostle Paul felt that he was stabbed by a sharpened wooden stake, by a messenger of Satan, "to torment me, to keep me from being too elated."
The Holy Scriptures do not describe for us the nature of the Apostle Paul’s thorn (or, "stake") though some have speculated that he had epileptic seizures. Others think that it was an acute pain or chronic sickness. Whatever his thorn was, the Apostle Paul knew "None of us gets out of here without pain!" The Apostle Paul knew better than most of us that life does not always go the way that we plan, but he also knew that pain is not God’s last Word on the human condition! There is hope for the sufferer. There is victory for the anguished of heart! We are Almighty God’s people as the followers of Jesus Christ, and with the help of Almighty God we can deal with any thorn, any obstacle, or any heartache!
Notice that the Apostle Paul called his thorn in the flesh "a messenger of Satan." It did not come from Almighty God! Almighty God was not seeking to get his attention through his discomfort, whatever that "thorn" might have been! Yet, Almighty God could use his pain and his suffering to make him a stronger man, and to make him a blessing to others!
How can the weaknesses, the insults, the hardships, the persecutions, and the difficulties be a blessing? How can these "thorns of the flesh" be turned into blessings, or "thorns of Grace!" For one thing, thorns can give us empathy for others and so can help others relate more easily to us!
The late great conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990), once said, "The painful process of growing up is simply the constant, ever-widening realization that you are not the center. It’s painful. That’s why adolescence is painful. Maturing is a painful process."
Let us then understand that thorns can give us a special sensitivity to Almighty God! The same pain that drives some people away from God, draws other people closer to Him! Those who are drawn closer to Him understand that He shares their suffering! Pain can ultimately bless us. It may cause us to have empathy for others, to be more approachable, and to experience a new sensitivity to God Almighty!
A note from a long-time friend in the UK
Hallo Brown, I too am rejoicing in a new grandchild !! No 3 born yesterday, 28th at 9.15 am. I had the priveledge of looking after Oliver and Poppy while Mother gave birth and then welcoming Matilda and Zoe, my daughter, with Julian the proud Dad back to their home. How good is the Lord and mighty in all his wonderful creation.
With love, prayer for your final treatments and blessings on you and Alice.
Sue ( UK)
A note about Sue( Sue was born in Orissa, India. Her parents were Dr. and Mrs. Stan Thomas. Dr Stan Thomas was a renowned medical missionary and a great surgeon. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He served the Lord at the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital for 30 years. After returning to England in 1968, he became a full time pastor. Mrs. Joyce Thomas was my 6th grade English teacher.)
Orissa,India Update
Some 30,000 Christians are still homeless, living day to day in refugee camps. They have spent summer, winter, and monsoon seasons in the refugee camps. They cannot return to their homes, which have been completely destroyed. There is no such thing as homeowners insurance there, so rebuilding is out of the question for most, if not for all. My brother, Patel, remains in jail. His incarceration began on July 18, 2008, and we still await the results of the court hearing - his trial is underway currently. My mom, niece Lisa, and nephew Kenny live in a rented apartment in Bhubaneswar, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, located about 175 miles from the village. The family is not able to cultivate the farm and the fields that belonged to my grandfather and my father.
We serve an amazing and awesome Lord, who is, and shall remain, upon the Throne. He is the same Lord who parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross on dry land. He is the one who provided manna and quail to sustain His people in the wilderness for 40 years - and neither their clothing nor their shoes wore out in that time! He made iron float. He cast out legions of demons. He raised the dead. He set the prisoners free. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The 14 Hindu extremists who were the accusers of my brother, Patel, have come before the judge and refuted their previous testimony against him. They now concede that they had falsely accused him. The primary accusation was brought by a business owner whose business went bankrupt over the past 11 months. This has led him to believe that the Christian God has come down upon his business to destroy it. Thus, he was led to confess to the false charges. We are trusting that Patel will be released in the next couple of weeks. Please keep praying for the Lord to have His way.
We praise the Lord for His majesty and power. He speaks and Satan trembles. My mom, who is about 82 years old, finds that for her living in the city is like a fish living out of water. She spends much time in prayer and worship every day. Her health remains good. I am able to talk to her by telephone a couple of times a week, and she is very encouraging.
A couple of weeks ago a man drove by here on a rainy day and handed me an envelope. He said that its contents were to help rebuild Mom's house back in Muklingia. I opened the envelope and found that its contents were $1000 cash. I was in tears. Another dear brother wrote a beautiful e-mail of encouragement, stating how the Lord has used my life to bless his family. He offered to help my mom to rebuild her house, and to support the Lord's work in Orissa. Praise the Lord for the way He provides for us in ways both small and great.
In spite of intense persecution continuing in Orissa, the Lord has blessed us to be able to continue to send support for His ongoing work there. Currently part of our support goes to the Mooreshead Memorial Christian Hospital in G. Udayagiri, Orissa, where 150 nurses are being trained and health care is now being provided. The student nurses attend chapel every morning before classes and clinical work begin, and gather every Sunday for corporate worship and praise. They live in the hostel there. Dr. Harashita Naik, MD is the lead doctor on site, specializing in surgery. Praise the Lord for the way that we can be part of God's mighty deeds in faraway places.
Presently the children's home is open with 15 girls on a very limited basis.
Praise the Lord for the way He is faithful, powerful, and always merciful. One very familiar verse of Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I have been reflecting on this passage lately. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ’My Grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong."
From the moment we are born into this world, life happens. Sometimes it happens to bring us through the valleys of life. Sometimes it happens to carry us to the mountaintops of life. The bottom line is that no matter what, whether peaks or valleys, life happens!
The story is told of a pastor who was taking a morning walk. He came across a woman pushing a baby carriage up a hill. She was struggling with it a bit, so he offered to push it up for her. It was a rather unwieldy baby carriage, so it was no easy job to get it to the top. Once they had reached her house, the woman thanked the pastor for his help. The pastor replied, "Do you mind if I take a little peek at the precious baby that I have been pushing all this time?" The woman laughed and said, "Pastor this isn’t a baby that we have been struggling with, it’s my husband’s weekly beer supply." Life happens.
Recently we have read about tragedy and death that have visited some well known "celebrities". I read about American actress, Mary Tyler Moore (Born: 1936). She was, at one time, America’s sweetheart! It would be easy to believe that her life was always charmed, but the truth of the matter is that it wasn’t! She was married as a teenager and then divorced. Her sister, in college, overdosed and died. Then Mary got married a second time and divorced. She remarried the same man and got divorced again (three marriages with two men). Then, her son accidentally shot and killed himself. In her despair, she turned to "booze" and became an alcoholic. She got off it but, contracted Diabetes as a result of her drinking. Now, the Diabetes has affected her eyes; and, there is a good chance that she will be blind by the end of her life. She was America’s sweetheart, but not without deep, deep heartaches! She summed up her life experiences like this, "None of us gets out of here without pain."
The Apostle Paul gave an interesting expression in our Holy Scripture when he said, "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh." Many of us have had the experience of reaching for a rose and drawing back when our finger or hand has been pricked by a thorn, but that is not what the Apostle Paul is talking about!
According to one authority, the Greek word here for thorn is "stake." Then it is not referring to a tiny thorn such as those found on a rose, but a shaft of wood sharpened at one end to be used in battle to impale someone. In other words, the Apostle Paul felt that he was stabbed by a sharpened wooden stake, by a messenger of Satan, "to torment me, to keep me from being too elated."
The Holy Scriptures do not describe for us the nature of the Apostle Paul’s thorn (or, "stake") though some have speculated that he had epileptic seizures. Others think that it was an acute pain or chronic sickness. Whatever his thorn was, the Apostle Paul knew "None of us gets out of here without pain!" The Apostle Paul knew better than most of us that life does not always go the way that we plan, but he also knew that pain is not God’s last Word on the human condition! There is hope for the sufferer. There is victory for the anguished of heart! We are Almighty God’s people as the followers of Jesus Christ, and with the help of Almighty God we can deal with any thorn, any obstacle, or any heartache!
Notice that the Apostle Paul called his thorn in the flesh "a messenger of Satan." It did not come from Almighty God! Almighty God was not seeking to get his attention through his discomfort, whatever that "thorn" might have been! Yet, Almighty God could use his pain and his suffering to make him a stronger man, and to make him a blessing to others!
How can the weaknesses, the insults, the hardships, the persecutions, and the difficulties be a blessing? How can these "thorns of the flesh" be turned into blessings, or "thorns of Grace!" For one thing, thorns can give us empathy for others and so can help others relate more easily to us!
The late great conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990), once said, "The painful process of growing up is simply the constant, ever-widening realization that you are not the center. It’s painful. That’s why adolescence is painful. Maturing is a painful process."
Let us then understand that thorns can give us a special sensitivity to Almighty God! The same pain that drives some people away from God, draws other people closer to Him! Those who are drawn closer to Him understand that He shares their suffering! Pain can ultimately bless us. It may cause us to have empathy for others, to be more approachable, and to experience a new sensitivity to God Almighty!
A note from a long-time friend in the UK
Hallo Brown, I too am rejoicing in a new grandchild !! No 3 born yesterday, 28th at 9.15 am. I had the priveledge of looking after Oliver and Poppy while Mother gave birth and then welcoming Matilda and Zoe, my daughter, with Julian the proud Dad back to their home. How good is the Lord and mighty in all his wonderful creation.
With love, prayer for your final treatments and blessings on you and Alice.
Sue ( UK)
A note about Sue( Sue was born in Orissa, India. Her parents were Dr. and Mrs. Stan Thomas. Dr Stan Thomas was a renowned medical missionary and a great surgeon. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He served the Lord at the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital for 30 years. After returning to England in 1968, he became a full time pastor. Mrs. Joyce Thomas was my 6th grade English teacher.)
Orissa,India Update
Some 30,000 Christians are still homeless, living day to day in refugee camps. They have spent summer, winter, and monsoon seasons in the refugee camps. They cannot return to their homes, which have been completely destroyed. There is no such thing as homeowners insurance there, so rebuilding is out of the question for most, if not for all. My brother, Patel, remains in jail. His incarceration began on July 18, 2008, and we still await the results of the court hearing - his trial is underway currently. My mom, niece Lisa, and nephew Kenny live in a rented apartment in Bhubaneswar, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, located about 175 miles from the village. The family is not able to cultivate the farm and the fields that belonged to my grandfather and my father.
We serve an amazing and awesome Lord, who is, and shall remain, upon the Throne. He is the same Lord who parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross on dry land. He is the one who provided manna and quail to sustain His people in the wilderness for 40 years - and neither their clothing nor their shoes wore out in that time! He made iron float. He cast out legions of demons. He raised the dead. He set the prisoners free. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The 14 Hindu extremists who were the accusers of my brother, Patel, have come before the judge and refuted their previous testimony against him. They now concede that they had falsely accused him. The primary accusation was brought by a business owner whose business went bankrupt over the past 11 months. This has led him to believe that the Christian God has come down upon his business to destroy it. Thus, he was led to confess to the false charges. We are trusting that Patel will be released in the next couple of weeks. Please keep praying for the Lord to have His way.
We praise the Lord for His majesty and power. He speaks and Satan trembles. My mom, who is about 82 years old, finds that for her living in the city is like a fish living out of water. She spends much time in prayer and worship every day. Her health remains good. I am able to talk to her by telephone a couple of times a week, and she is very encouraging.
A couple of weeks ago a man drove by here on a rainy day and handed me an envelope. He said that its contents were to help rebuild Mom's house back in Muklingia. I opened the envelope and found that its contents were $1000 cash. I was in tears. Another dear brother wrote a beautiful e-mail of encouragement, stating how the Lord has used my life to bless his family. He offered to help my mom to rebuild her house, and to support the Lord's work in Orissa. Praise the Lord for the way He provides for us in ways both small and great.
In spite of intense persecution continuing in Orissa, the Lord has blessed us to be able to continue to send support for His ongoing work there. Currently part of our support goes to the Mooreshead Memorial Christian Hospital in G. Udayagiri, Orissa, where 150 nurses are being trained and health care is now being provided. The student nurses attend chapel every morning before classes and clinical work begin, and gather every Sunday for corporate worship and praise. They live in the hostel there. Dr. Harashita Naik, MD is the lead doctor on site, specializing in surgery. Praise the Lord for the way that we can be part of God's mighty deeds in faraway places.
Presently the children's home is open with 15 girls on a very limited basis.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7/29/09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the beautiful day the Lord has given us - to live, to love, to serve, and to glorify His name. I read an article yesterday in USA Today dealing with how, in times of recession and economic hardship, more and more people are focusing not on themselves, but on caring for others. They find great joy in centering themselves in serving and blessing others.
The late Mother Teresa demonstrated the love and grace of Jesus both visibly and tangibly in Calcutta, India. Her missionary organization, the Sisters of Charity, serve the sick and dying in India with great love and compassion. A few years ago her missionary order bought two crumbling town houses in New York City, with a plan to renovate them and use them as a place to serve the sick and the homeless. They obtained private funds to support this mission. This was not going to cost the government a single cent. The nuns of the order were accustomed to facing the obstacles of disease and poverty, but they were completely unprepared for the obstacles thrown into their path by the NYC bureaucrats. Buried deep within the fine print of a city ordinance was a regulation requiring that a facility of that nature must have an elevator, which would cost in excess of $50,000. For the nuns, who are as poor as the people they serve, it was a bewildering situation. They did not need an elevator. They promised to carry the sick in their arms just as they always had. The bureaucrats stood firm. In the end, Mother Teresa's nuns had to give up the dream of starting the mission in NY, and so they returned to India where they could serve the sick and needy without an elevator. This speaks volumes concerning the bureaucratic approach to compassion.
The Lord has called the Church and empowered the Church to offer mercy and compassion to the hurting world. A government which is morally and spiritually bankrupt cannot provide a true ministry of caring and compassion. From the very beginning it has been the Church which has opened hospitals and orphanages. It is the Church which has offered hope to the hopeless, and life abundant to those who are dead in sin.
May Jesus propel us to come alongside those who are in need of His mercy and His touch today.
I spoke with Sunita and Andy, who just returned from a week of prayer retreat in Jacksonville, FL. They have returned with a renewed zeal for Jesus, to serve Him.
Thank you for upholding me in your prayers. I have just two more treatment sessions - tomorrow and Friday. I am planning to teach the Bible Study from Revelation 6 tonight at 6 PM. On Sunday I plan to preach from Ephesians 4. Our dear friend, Mike Wingard, preached at Wesley UMC all during the month of July. My wife will be preaching there on next Sunday.
We praise the Lord for many answered prayers, and for all His blessings and gifts. We praise the Lord for Howard and Emily 's grand daughter, Jaelynn who was born yesterday at 2:05.Weighed 6 lbs. 12 ozs. 19 inches long.
We praise the Lord for Wilbur , who had quadruple bi-pass and double valve replacement - He has had a good report from the doctor and is coming along well.
Pray for Beth, a beautiful servant of Jesus. I am enclosing a prayer request from her.
Have a wonderful day.
In His Grace,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ
Dear Pastor Brown,
I just want to tell you how much your email from yesterday means to me. It is the perfect word from God for me today. I found out yesterday that I broke my back. I am still walking but in some pain. I have to have a bone biopsy this morning because they want to make sure the broken vertebrae isn’t because my cancer has come back. How well you know that fear,Pastor.
I am facing a giant today, that’s for sure. I am printing out your email and taking it with me to Lourdes. I’ll read it over and over while I wait to go in.
Your emails are always helpful, they mean a lot to so many people. Yesterday, you challenged us to remember how God has brought us through in the past. I really needed to hear just that! Thanks again for all you do. Love, Beth
(Please add me to your prayer list)
Praise the Lord for the beautiful day the Lord has given us - to live, to love, to serve, and to glorify His name. I read an article yesterday in USA Today dealing with how, in times of recession and economic hardship, more and more people are focusing not on themselves, but on caring for others. They find great joy in centering themselves in serving and blessing others.
The late Mother Teresa demonstrated the love and grace of Jesus both visibly and tangibly in Calcutta, India. Her missionary organization, the Sisters of Charity, serve the sick and dying in India with great love and compassion. A few years ago her missionary order bought two crumbling town houses in New York City, with a plan to renovate them and use them as a place to serve the sick and the homeless. They obtained private funds to support this mission. This was not going to cost the government a single cent. The nuns of the order were accustomed to facing the obstacles of disease and poverty, but they were completely unprepared for the obstacles thrown into their path by the NYC bureaucrats. Buried deep within the fine print of a city ordinance was a regulation requiring that a facility of that nature must have an elevator, which would cost in excess of $50,000. For the nuns, who are as poor as the people they serve, it was a bewildering situation. They did not need an elevator. They promised to carry the sick in their arms just as they always had. The bureaucrats stood firm. In the end, Mother Teresa's nuns had to give up the dream of starting the mission in NY, and so they returned to India where they could serve the sick and needy without an elevator. This speaks volumes concerning the bureaucratic approach to compassion.
The Lord has called the Church and empowered the Church to offer mercy and compassion to the hurting world. A government which is morally and spiritually bankrupt cannot provide a true ministry of caring and compassion. From the very beginning it has been the Church which has opened hospitals and orphanages. It is the Church which has offered hope to the hopeless, and life abundant to those who are dead in sin.
May Jesus propel us to come alongside those who are in need of His mercy and His touch today.
I spoke with Sunita and Andy, who just returned from a week of prayer retreat in Jacksonville, FL. They have returned with a renewed zeal for Jesus, to serve Him.
Thank you for upholding me in your prayers. I have just two more treatment sessions - tomorrow and Friday. I am planning to teach the Bible Study from Revelation 6 tonight at 6 PM. On Sunday I plan to preach from Ephesians 4. Our dear friend, Mike Wingard, preached at Wesley UMC all during the month of July. My wife will be preaching there on next Sunday.
We praise the Lord for many answered prayers, and for all His blessings and gifts. We praise the Lord for Howard and Emily 's grand daughter, Jaelynn who was born yesterday at 2:05.Weighed 6 lbs. 12 ozs. 19 inches long.
We praise the Lord for Wilbur , who had quadruple bi-pass and double valve replacement - He has had a good report from the doctor and is coming along well.
Pray for Beth, a beautiful servant of Jesus. I am enclosing a prayer request from her.
Have a wonderful day.
In His Grace,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ
Dear Pastor Brown,
I just want to tell you how much your email from yesterday means to me. It is the perfect word from God for me today. I found out yesterday that I broke my back. I am still walking but in some pain. I have to have a bone biopsy this morning because they want to make sure the broken vertebrae isn’t because my cancer has come back. How well you know that fear,Pastor.
I am facing a giant today, that’s for sure. I am printing out your email and taking it with me to Lourdes. I’ll read it over and over while I wait to go in.
Your emails are always helpful, they mean a lot to so many people. Yesterday, you challenged us to remember how God has brought us through in the past. I really needed to hear just that! Thanks again for all you do. Love, Beth
(Please add me to your prayer list)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7/28/09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is going one of the ten best days of July. It is going to be very warm and wonderful. Praise the Lord for the way He performs
miracles on earth even today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In February of 1980 we were living in Gibson, Pennsylvania. A group of 12 American amateur hockey players took the ice to face the toughest and best hockey team in the world, Russia’s national team. This game was during the Olympic Games and two weeks prior to this game, the young American team was beaten by the mighty Russians 12-2 in Madison Square Garden. But we all know what happened that night. The USA defeated the Russia’s 4-2 in one of the most stunning upsets in all of sports history. Most of us have seen the clip of the end of the game when as the clock winds down, the USA players began their on-ice celebration, and Al Michaels, the announcer who called the game for ABC yelled- “Do you believe in miracles?” The Bible gives an account of 2 opponents that faced off in 2 Samuel 17. There were giants in the land… These were not simply large people, BUT RATHER – I’m talking about HUGE ones. In some ways they were not unlike problems, issues, hang-ups, hurts, habits and obstacles that stand in the valley and taunt us, intimidate us, and frighten us. A giant is something that stands in your way, it’s something that keeps you from living the life that God has called you to live. A GIANT is something that keeps you from living a life that is abundant and full, radical and satisfying. GIANTS paralyze us and they keep us from living and running free. THEY keep us from experiencing the mighty hand of God moving in our lives.
3,000 years ago a young man by the name of David stepped into the valley and, in one incredible moment, took out the giant in his life. His story is recorded in 1 Samuel chapter 17. David was facing someone a lot bigger and a lot stronger than himself. AND as he kept going (further & further down into the valley) Goliath seemed to get bigger and bigger. David confronted the giant and shouted , "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty -- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!" As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. David’s faith was in God; it wasn’t in the armor, it wasn’t in the army, and it wasn’t in his own ability. As David headed down the hillside, he had confidence that God was going with him. To David what really mattered was not the size of his giant but the size of his God. SO OFTEN when we face our own giants, we forget what we ought to remember and we remember what we ought to forget. We remember our defeats and we forget our victories. Most of us can recite the failures of our lives in vivid detail, but we are hard-pressed to name the victories that God has pulled off in our past. David, however, remembered how the Lord had given him victory over a lion and a bear and claimed victory over Goliath, too. Though King Solomon thought David was helpless in the fight and that Goliath would kill him, David's confidence was where it belonged - in the Lord. David fought the fight and won. Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. What do you keep choose to remember when you are facing your own giant? Do your thoughts rush past your victories and forget them? God doesn’t want you to waste HIS victories. WHEN he pulls off something that only He can do, He says to us, “Now don’t you forget that.” WHEN - David stepped into the valley… God moved in a supernatural way in his life
The giant fell Nations trembled.
His Name is glorious.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr4vZWcynss
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is going one of the ten best days of July. It is going to be very warm and wonderful. Praise the Lord for the way He performs
miracles on earth even today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In February of 1980 we were living in Gibson, Pennsylvania. A group of 12 American amateur hockey players took the ice to face the toughest and best hockey team in the world, Russia’s national team. This game was during the Olympic Games and two weeks prior to this game, the young American team was beaten by the mighty Russians 12-2 in Madison Square Garden. But we all know what happened that night. The USA defeated the Russia’s 4-2 in one of the most stunning upsets in all of sports history. Most of us have seen the clip of the end of the game when as the clock winds down, the USA players began their on-ice celebration, and Al Michaels, the announcer who called the game for ABC yelled- “Do you believe in miracles?” The Bible gives an account of 2 opponents that faced off in 2 Samuel 17. There were giants in the land… These were not simply large people, BUT RATHER – I’m talking about HUGE ones. In some ways they were not unlike problems, issues, hang-ups, hurts, habits and obstacles that stand in the valley and taunt us, intimidate us, and frighten us. A giant is something that stands in your way, it’s something that keeps you from living the life that God has called you to live. A GIANT is something that keeps you from living a life that is abundant and full, radical and satisfying. GIANTS paralyze us and they keep us from living and running free. THEY keep us from experiencing the mighty hand of God moving in our lives.
3,000 years ago a young man by the name of David stepped into the valley and, in one incredible moment, took out the giant in his life. His story is recorded in 1 Samuel chapter 17. David was facing someone a lot bigger and a lot stronger than himself. AND as he kept going (further & further down into the valley) Goliath seemed to get bigger and bigger. David confronted the giant and shouted , "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty -- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!" As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. David’s faith was in God; it wasn’t in the armor, it wasn’t in the army, and it wasn’t in his own ability. As David headed down the hillside, he had confidence that God was going with him. To David what really mattered was not the size of his giant but the size of his God. SO OFTEN when we face our own giants, we forget what we ought to remember and we remember what we ought to forget. We remember our defeats and we forget our victories. Most of us can recite the failures of our lives in vivid detail, but we are hard-pressed to name the victories that God has pulled off in our past. David, however, remembered how the Lord had given him victory over a lion and a bear and claimed victory over Goliath, too. Though King Solomon thought David was helpless in the fight and that Goliath would kill him, David's confidence was where it belonged - in the Lord. David fought the fight and won. Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. What do you keep choose to remember when you are facing your own giant? Do your thoughts rush past your victories and forget them? God doesn’t want you to waste HIS victories. WHEN he pulls off something that only He can do, He says to us, “Now don’t you forget that.” WHEN - David stepped into the valley… God moved in a supernatural way in his life
The giant fell Nations trembled.
His Name is glorious.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr4vZWcynss
Monday, July 27, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7/27/09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for His sufficiency in every situation. He blessed us with His abundance during the past days. The Continentals Brass and Voices concert was brilliant and anointed. The theme of the concert was hope. The voices of the young people were strong and true, and the desire of each one to serve the Lord was evident. Hosting 3 of the girls was a pleasure, and it is a great joy to give family and home to these young people as they tour around the country, blessing the Lord with their daily concerts The theme of the concert was" Hope".
Yesterday the Lord blessed us with His very presence and grace. The worship hour was full of testimonies and praise. Our friend Dr. Warren Ayer, Jr. preached from John 10 "One Flock and One Shepherd".
Jessy and Tom came home on Friday night, and spent the weekend with us. It was a delight to go with them around the countryside to look at possible reception sites on Saturday. Our home was filled with life as we housed our friends, Warren and Linda Ayer, along with having Jessy, Tom, and Laureen home. Yesterday afternoon all went back to their homes, and all is quiet once again.
In Psalm 25:3 David declared, “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame” and in 62:5 he pleaded, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him” (NIV). The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you who acts on behalf of those who wait for (or hope in) him” (64:4). God’s name is even characterized by hope. He is the “God of hope” in Paul's benediction to the Romans, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Hope is, though perhaps not expected, often the fruit of suffering. “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us (or ESV: “put us to shame”), because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).
The author of Hebrews wrote, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” Hebrews 6:19. “This hope” is Jesus Christ, who has reconciled us to God and anchored, or intimately attached us, to Him. Like an anchor in a storm, Jesus holds us securely and keeps us from losing our way. French philosopher Gabriel Marcel wrote that when we place our trust in someone, it is as if to say, “I am sure that you will not betray my hope, that you will respond to it, that you will fulfill it.” Perhaps he had Hebrews 11 in mind—“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for’’— “faith” and “trust” are synonyms in French as well as in the biblical languages. Church historian Martin Marty cited Marcel in his volume, The Place of Trust. Marty began his introduction with these thought-provoking words:
Trust is at the root of healthy human life. Psychologist Erik Erickson speaks of “basic trust” as the most profound need and outlook. The child, dependent upon elders, grows in confidence to the degree that parents and others provide reasons for trust. We base our marriages on ways of life that extend the wedding vows, which promise trust. Where trust is stretched we prop it up with contracts, documents that make possible some security. Where trust breaks down there can be no mental health….
Trust is also at the root of healthy spiritual growth. Gabriel Marcel related trust to belief in someone. “To believe in someone,” which means, “to place confidence in him, is to say ‘I am sure that you will not betray my hope, that you will respond to it, that you will fulfill it.’” To feel confident enough to say that and to have reasons for meaning it is close to the heart of what Christians call faith. They may flesh out the idea of faith by connecting it with contents: “I believe that God made me, that Christ saves me …” Yet such understandings of faith are hollow unless they are grounded in the rich notion of trust: “I believe in the God who made me, the Christ who saves me…”
This very important concept in the Bible gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of “faith.” … At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith, expressing the basic concept of support, in the sense of the strong arms of the parent supporting the helpless infant. "Faith" reflects the concepts of certainty and dependability. "Amen" also carries with it the same ideas of certainty. Jesus used the word frequently (Matthew 5:18, 26 etc.) to stress the certainty of a matter. The term so used in our prayers ought to express certainty and assurance in the Lord to whom we pray.
God has revealed Himself as trustworthy and true to his Word, so it is not surprising that the Scriptures underscore that our trust (or hope or faith) in Him is foundational to our well being. Over and over we read, “Blessed in the one who trusts in God” (Psalm 40:4, 84:12; Proverbs 16:20; Jeremiah 17:7). Likewise, we are repeatedly warned about unbelief and its consequences. Indeed, though the Israelites neared the Promised Land, “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19).
God has “truly promised” Himself, for as Scripture tells us, “there is no one greater.” So “hope anticipates that he will ever show himself to be a Father toward us.” We can come to him expectantly, asking Him to guide us and trusting Him to steady and reassure us like an anchor and a parent’s arms in a storm.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyWOIKCtjiw
Praise the Lord for His sufficiency in every situation. He blessed us with His abundance during the past days. The Continentals Brass and Voices concert was brilliant and anointed. The theme of the concert was hope. The voices of the young people were strong and true, and the desire of each one to serve the Lord was evident. Hosting 3 of the girls was a pleasure, and it is a great joy to give family and home to these young people as they tour around the country, blessing the Lord with their daily concerts The theme of the concert was" Hope".
Yesterday the Lord blessed us with His very presence and grace. The worship hour was full of testimonies and praise. Our friend Dr. Warren Ayer, Jr. preached from John 10 "One Flock and One Shepherd".
Jessy and Tom came home on Friday night, and spent the weekend with us. It was a delight to go with them around the countryside to look at possible reception sites on Saturday. Our home was filled with life as we housed our friends, Warren and Linda Ayer, along with having Jessy, Tom, and Laureen home. Yesterday afternoon all went back to their homes, and all is quiet once again.
In Psalm 25:3 David declared, “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame” and in 62:5 he pleaded, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him” (NIV). The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you who acts on behalf of those who wait for (or hope in) him” (64:4). God’s name is even characterized by hope. He is the “God of hope” in Paul's benediction to the Romans, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Hope is, though perhaps not expected, often the fruit of suffering. “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us (or ESV: “put us to shame”), because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).
The author of Hebrews wrote, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” Hebrews 6:19. “This hope” is Jesus Christ, who has reconciled us to God and anchored, or intimately attached us, to Him. Like an anchor in a storm, Jesus holds us securely and keeps us from losing our way. French philosopher Gabriel Marcel wrote that when we place our trust in someone, it is as if to say, “I am sure that you will not betray my hope, that you will respond to it, that you will fulfill it.” Perhaps he had Hebrews 11 in mind—“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for’’— “faith” and “trust” are synonyms in French as well as in the biblical languages. Church historian Martin Marty cited Marcel in his volume, The Place of Trust. Marty began his introduction with these thought-provoking words:
Trust is at the root of healthy human life. Psychologist Erik Erickson speaks of “basic trust” as the most profound need and outlook. The child, dependent upon elders, grows in confidence to the degree that parents and others provide reasons for trust. We base our marriages on ways of life that extend the wedding vows, which promise trust. Where trust is stretched we prop it up with contracts, documents that make possible some security. Where trust breaks down there can be no mental health….
Trust is also at the root of healthy spiritual growth. Gabriel Marcel related trust to belief in someone. “To believe in someone,” which means, “to place confidence in him, is to say ‘I am sure that you will not betray my hope, that you will respond to it, that you will fulfill it.’” To feel confident enough to say that and to have reasons for meaning it is close to the heart of what Christians call faith. They may flesh out the idea of faith by connecting it with contents: “I believe that God made me, that Christ saves me …” Yet such understandings of faith are hollow unless they are grounded in the rich notion of trust: “I believe in the God who made me, the Christ who saves me…”
This very important concept in the Bible gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of “faith.” … At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith, expressing the basic concept of support, in the sense of the strong arms of the parent supporting the helpless infant. "Faith" reflects the concepts of certainty and dependability. "Amen" also carries with it the same ideas of certainty. Jesus used the word frequently (Matthew 5:18, 26 etc.) to stress the certainty of a matter. The term so used in our prayers ought to express certainty and assurance in the Lord to whom we pray.
God has revealed Himself as trustworthy and true to his Word, so it is not surprising that the Scriptures underscore that our trust (or hope or faith) in Him is foundational to our well being. Over and over we read, “Blessed in the one who trusts in God” (Psalm 40:4, 84:12; Proverbs 16:20; Jeremiah 17:7). Likewise, we are repeatedly warned about unbelief and its consequences. Indeed, though the Israelites neared the Promised Land, “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19).
God has “truly promised” Himself, for as Scripture tells us, “there is no one greater.” So “hope anticipates that he will ever show himself to be a Father toward us.” We can come to him expectantly, asking Him to guide us and trusting Him to steady and reassure us like an anchor and a parent’s arms in a storm.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyWOIKCtjiw
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