Praise the Lord for this fabulous Friday. The Lord has blessed us with abundant sunshine, full of splendor and beauty. Jeremy is away for few days with his work, so Janice, Micah, and Simeon are planning to come down to New York for a few days. Jessie and Tom are also coming for the long weekend. Laureen is getting ready for her mission trip. Sunita and Andy are still in Grand Canyon area, returning to DC on Sunday.
As we celebrate Labor Day here in the States and as we remember the tragedy and the terror of 9/11, I am reminded about the great invitation our Lord Jesus made in Mathew 11:28, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. This is not just an invitation to rest and to be healed, delivered or forgiven; it is an invitation to kingdom living that transforms the world. Jesus’ invitation was for everyone to come and recognize the King of this new kingdom. It was not about floating spirits sitting on clouds but, rather, it was about real people standing on real earth living out the principles of this new way of life. This was an invitation to the religious and non-religious. It was for saint and sinner alike. It was not just a life of sin that Jesus was asking people to leave, although that was certainly a part of it, it was an invitation to leave their directionless and self-absorbed lives of confusion and ambiguity. It was an invitation to be saved from personal sin, it was an invitation to leave a life of futility and stupidity and enter into the God-life he was offering. It was an invitation to leave a life of dysfunction and have a life that worked, because it was a life lived God’s way. I like the way Brian McLaren puts it in his book, "The Story We Find Ourselves In". He says, “For prostitutes, the call of Jesus was to leave their story of men who pay money for love, and to enter the story of God, who in love pays for us with his own life. For Pharisees, it was to leave their story of religiosity and superiority and rigidity and judgmentalism, their story that was exclusively focused on their own narrow little sect, and instead to enter God’s broader and deeper and better story of grace and compassion and mercy and love for all people. For Zealots like Simon, it was to leave the political story of violence, to stop slitting Romans throats, as if that would bring the story to its desired end, and instead to enter God’s spiritual story of peace for all people, to risk persecution for justice and to prefer suffering over causing others to suffer. For tax collectors like Zacchaeus or Matthew, it was to stop collaborating with the Roman Empire, and profiting in the process, and instead to collaborate with the kingdom of God, and sacrifice in the process. For the rich — like that young ruler Jesus met — it was to abandon the hollow story of acquisition, and instead to enter God’s better story of generosity. For farmers and shepherds, it was to realize that there’s more to life than just planting seeds of wheat or tending flocks of sheep; instead, Jesus invited them to enter into the bigger story of planing seeds of truth and seeking lost men and women, every one of whom is loved and counted and missed by God. For fishermen like Peter and Andrew and James and John, it was to trade in the story of catching fish for a bigger story of fishing for men and women, inviting them into God’s story of ongoing creation and redemption. For the middle class, who want nothing more than to create a little social aquarium for their family. . . . it’s a call to care about the families of their neighbors too, especially the poor, to see them as family too, as children of Adam and children of God.” I might add that Jesus invites the atheist to leave his imagined world where God does not exist, and enter a beautiful, new, colorful world where God is the cause of everything that exists. He invites the humanist, who depends on himself in order to discover meaning and ultimate reality in the material world, to enter the story of God where God’s greater purpose is bigger than any one person or group of people — a meaning and purpose which God has built into the universe. He invites nominal church people to leave a life where God only occupies one hour a week, with a passing prayer here and there, to enter fully into his life and teaching, on a moment by moment basis. Instead of inviting God to be a part of your life, accept his invitation to fully be a part of his — to move beyond thinking we need God’s help to realizing how much we need God himself. He invites us to move beyond a list of rules and right doctrine to a life of ongoing relationship with himself. He invites you to understand that he did not die just to bring you to heaven, but to bring heaven to earth through you. Jesus gives an open invitation to a life of fruitfulness. Jesus’ openness to us is not an invitation without cost. It is not merely an invitation into God’s love, although that is a part of it. It is an invitation into God’s kingdom where there is work to be done. Being a kingdom person means accepting kingdom responsibilities. He calls us out of the world and He does His work of grace in our lives. We are changed and transformed. We are " born again". He gives us the authority to be His sons and daughters, and then He sends us into His Kingdom to labor for Him until He comes. He gives us His gifts to be used in the Kingdom enterprise. He anoints us with His grace and fervor. May He make us faithful and may He make fruitful.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Mathew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
In Him
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZr3ExeXUc
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 9/03/09
Good morning,
I’ve been reading Jürgen Moltmann’s book, "The Crucified God". In it, he talks about the “exceptional claim of Jesus” and says, “If Jesus had appeared as a rabbi or a prophet in the succession of Moses, he would have raised no questions. Only the fact that he is, and acts as though he were, someone different from the figures which his age remembered and hoped for raises a question about him. Thus it is he, he himself, who first raises the specific question of Christ.”
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”. Who we understand Jesus to be is all important to how we relate to him. Some people demand answers, and they are usually simple answers. Some people want him to be understandable and manageable, and nearly all want him to meet their expectations of who God should be and what he should do. But it is not Jesus who is being questioned, it is us. Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” How we respond to that question tells us as much about ourselves as it reveals about him. We cannot simply respond with some glib answer. Do we come wanting to discover the real Jesus, or one that has been sculpted by the culture, even though it is the image carved out by the prevailing religious culture of our day? Or do we want the actual Jesus who is revealed in the gospels — the living, breathing, reigning, life-giving bread of the world — the frightening Jesus who is beyond our understanding, beyond our control and demands a radical obedience which is beyond what we think we are capable of giving? In spite of our confusion, disappointment and offense, will we say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” What are we hungry for? Do we seek a god who will meet our needs and help us with all our problems, who will give us every thing we want, or who will soothe and comfort us? Or do we desire to know an uncomfortable God who is bigger than we will ever be able to understand and who challenges us to have faith and live at new levels? Are we hungry for this life to be easier or to discover the life He offers? Some follow Jesus, whatever the cost, in order to be a witness to the lost. Mark Early tells a remarkable story of how truly following Jesus transforms the lives of those who follow him and the lives with whom they come into contact. “For thirteen weeks, former child soldier Ishmael Beah has seen his memoir, 'A Long Way Gone', hover in the top ranks of the New York Times bestsellers list. For a young man whose village and family were burned, who evaded capture amidst the war-torn landscape of Sierra Leone, and finally was given an AK-47 and coerced to join the government army, a best-selling book comes as quite a twist in the road. As a child soldier, Ishmael heard his commanding officer frequently tell him and his comrades, ‘Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you.’ In their drills when they did not properly bayonet a banana tree, the officer reprimanded them by saying: ‘Is that how you stab someone who had killed your family?’ As Beah’s story unfolds, one cannot help but wonder about the fate of such children, suckled on revenge from such a tender age. What is strong enough to overcome that kind of past? The answer does not come as a surprise. It is the power of forgiveness and unconditional love. When UNICEF forces showed up one day and negotiated with Beah’s commander for the release of the children soldiers in his command, Ishmael and others found themselves suddenly transported to a rehabilitation camp. One would think that these children would be grateful for release and embrace these workers for their role in their redemption. But, you’re wrong. It would take months for these children to lose their appetite for brown-brown (cocaine mixed with gun-powder), for violence, and for revenge. Day after day these young kids would lash out at the workers and the other children. Day after day, the workers would respond with forgiveness and love. Beah recounts the story of one of the workers in the rehabilitation compound named Poppay, whom the children beat, stabbed and left unconscious. Several days later, Poppay returned from the hospital, limping, but with a smile on his face. ‘It is not your fault that you did such a thing to me,’ he said. As Beah recalls, ‘Most of the staff members were like that; they returned smiling after we hurt them. It was as if they had made a pact not to give up on us.’ Wittingly or unwittingly, they were displaying the turn-the-other-cheek kind of love that Christ taught. And through their display of grace, they sent a powerful message: Revenge stops here.” Radical grace demands radical obedience. I have been talking with my brother Patel, who was put in the jail, for over a year, unjustly, falsely accused. The Lord intervened in his life. He is free now. He has no grudge or bitterness towards those who accused and conspired to put him in jail. He went to the village where the Hindu extremists burned down our home. He told me that they burned the house three times until it was completely destroyed. He told almost everyone in the village that he had no anger and resentment towards them. He had completely forgiven them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. "The Crucified God", now Risen and triumphant, Alive forevermore, makes it all possible for us to experience His Radical Grace and His extravagant love and live in radical obedience.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMT_kAD6cOg
Who Needs the Better Education?
These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district... (spellings have been left intact.) 1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him. 2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot. 3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33. 4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating. 5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. 6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. 7. Car! lo! s was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part. 8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins. 9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. 10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels. 11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the runs. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out] 12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak. 13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust. 14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. 15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear. 16. ! Pl! ease excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday. 17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral. 18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines. 19. Please excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. [Might be a good thing?] 20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps. 21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover. 22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor. Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids. They too may be parents some day!
I’ve been reading Jürgen Moltmann’s book, "The Crucified God". In it, he talks about the “exceptional claim of Jesus” and says, “If Jesus had appeared as a rabbi or a prophet in the succession of Moses, he would have raised no questions. Only the fact that he is, and acts as though he were, someone different from the figures which his age remembered and hoped for raises a question about him. Thus it is he, he himself, who first raises the specific question of Christ.”
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”. Who we understand Jesus to be is all important to how we relate to him. Some people demand answers, and they are usually simple answers. Some people want him to be understandable and manageable, and nearly all want him to meet their expectations of who God should be and what he should do. But it is not Jesus who is being questioned, it is us. Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” How we respond to that question tells us as much about ourselves as it reveals about him. We cannot simply respond with some glib answer. Do we come wanting to discover the real Jesus, or one that has been sculpted by the culture, even though it is the image carved out by the prevailing religious culture of our day? Or do we want the actual Jesus who is revealed in the gospels — the living, breathing, reigning, life-giving bread of the world — the frightening Jesus who is beyond our understanding, beyond our control and demands a radical obedience which is beyond what we think we are capable of giving? In spite of our confusion, disappointment and offense, will we say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” What are we hungry for? Do we seek a god who will meet our needs and help us with all our problems, who will give us every thing we want, or who will soothe and comfort us? Or do we desire to know an uncomfortable God who is bigger than we will ever be able to understand and who challenges us to have faith and live at new levels? Are we hungry for this life to be easier or to discover the life He offers? Some follow Jesus, whatever the cost, in order to be a witness to the lost. Mark Early tells a remarkable story of how truly following Jesus transforms the lives of those who follow him and the lives with whom they come into contact. “For thirteen weeks, former child soldier Ishmael Beah has seen his memoir, 'A Long Way Gone', hover in the top ranks of the New York Times bestsellers list. For a young man whose village and family were burned, who evaded capture amidst the war-torn landscape of Sierra Leone, and finally was given an AK-47 and coerced to join the government army, a best-selling book comes as quite a twist in the road. As a child soldier, Ishmael heard his commanding officer frequently tell him and his comrades, ‘Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you.’ In their drills when they did not properly bayonet a banana tree, the officer reprimanded them by saying: ‘Is that how you stab someone who had killed your family?’ As Beah’s story unfolds, one cannot help but wonder about the fate of such children, suckled on revenge from such a tender age. What is strong enough to overcome that kind of past? The answer does not come as a surprise. It is the power of forgiveness and unconditional love. When UNICEF forces showed up one day and negotiated with Beah’s commander for the release of the children soldiers in his command, Ishmael and others found themselves suddenly transported to a rehabilitation camp. One would think that these children would be grateful for release and embrace these workers for their role in their redemption. But, you’re wrong. It would take months for these children to lose their appetite for brown-brown (cocaine mixed with gun-powder), for violence, and for revenge. Day after day these young kids would lash out at the workers and the other children. Day after day, the workers would respond with forgiveness and love. Beah recounts the story of one of the workers in the rehabilitation compound named Poppay, whom the children beat, stabbed and left unconscious. Several days later, Poppay returned from the hospital, limping, but with a smile on his face. ‘It is not your fault that you did such a thing to me,’ he said. As Beah recalls, ‘Most of the staff members were like that; they returned smiling after we hurt them. It was as if they had made a pact not to give up on us.’ Wittingly or unwittingly, they were displaying the turn-the-other-cheek kind of love that Christ taught. And through their display of grace, they sent a powerful message: Revenge stops here.” Radical grace demands radical obedience. I have been talking with my brother Patel, who was put in the jail, for over a year, unjustly, falsely accused. The Lord intervened in his life. He is free now. He has no grudge or bitterness towards those who accused and conspired to put him in jail. He went to the village where the Hindu extremists burned down our home. He told me that they burned the house three times until it was completely destroyed. He told almost everyone in the village that he had no anger and resentment towards them. He had completely forgiven them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. "The Crucified God", now Risen and triumphant, Alive forevermore, makes it all possible for us to experience His Radical Grace and His extravagant love and live in radical obedience.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMT_kAD6cOg
Who Needs the Better Education?
These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district... (spellings have been left intact.) 1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him. 2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot. 3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33. 4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating. 5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. 6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. 7. Car! lo! s was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part. 8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins. 9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. 10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels. 11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the runs. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out] 12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak. 13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust. 14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. 15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear. 16. ! Pl! ease excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday. 17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral. 18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines. 19. Please excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. [Might be a good thing?] 20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps. 21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover. 22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor. Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids. They too may be parents some day!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 9-2-09
One of the powerful passages that describes the person and the mission of our Lord Jesus is found in Philippians 2. It declares, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
Sunita and Andy celebrated their second wedding anniversary yesterday, September 1. They have gone to the Grand Canyon, for a week of camping and hiking. Soon after their return to Washington, DC, Sunita will be flying to Bangladesh and India on the 9th of September. The Lord has given her a brave and beautiful heart for the people of various nations. She loves Africa. I call her "out of Africa" and sometimes my wife calls her, "my wild African princess". She speaks about the people of Rwanda with great affection. She tells me about the Church in Africa. David Livingston gave his heart for Africa. Jesus Christ, the Risen one, is alive and well. His Kingdom is eternal and triumphant.
April 6, 1994 marked the beginning of dark and infamous days for Rwanda, a small country in central Africa. For the following hundred days, up to 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia — mostly by clubs and machetes. It was a genocide of monumental proportions, as the rest of the world looked on in silence. A young Christian named Benyoni lived in this world of hate. His name meant “Little Bird” because he was so musical. He graduated with honors and became a school principal, but educated people were suspect and routinely executed in Rwanda. Sometimes just wearing a tie could get you killed. Benyoni was at school with eleven of his friends who were teachers when one day soldiers came and took Benyoni and the teachers out of the school. As they stood together Benyoni asked the soldiers if he could pray for them. He prayed for his friends and for their families, but he spent the most time praying for the soldiers who had come to kill them. Benyoni’s friends were encouraged and were expecting a miracle as a result of his prayer. The soldiers considered freeing them, but they had their orders and knew they would pay with their lives for failing in their mission. They continued their march outside the town, and when they stopped, Benyoni asked the soldiers if he could sing for them. He began to sing a hymn you may know:
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
All the young men began to sing with him. You may remember the last verse of that great hymn:
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
When the last note was sung, the soldiers raised their rifles and shot all of them to death.
You may be wondering how the story got out since all of them were killed. Those soldiers went out to get as drunk as possible that night — all except one. He sought out an old Quaker missionary whom he had met. He asked her, “What kind of God do you serve who could give his followers such courage and joy in the face of death?” She led him to Christ, and soon he was telling anyone who would listen about Jesus and starting Bible studies. It was not long until they shot him as well.
It is now just one year since over one hundred Christian were martyred by the Hindu Extremists. I remember one of those martyrs, whose name was Mathew. He was one my students in the 1960's. He was courageous and compassionate. He was blessed with a beautiful and brave heart. When I think about these servants I remember the words of Jim Elliot, another Christian martyr, who declared, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose". Remembering the joy and courage of these brave servants of Christ, I get provoked to love Jesus more and serve with zeal and relentlessness.
In Hebrew 11, we read about those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength... Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:33-34, 36-38).
In Jesus the Victor,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEjRLlL9iE
Sunita and Andy celebrated their second wedding anniversary yesterday, September 1. They have gone to the Grand Canyon, for a week of camping and hiking. Soon after their return to Washington, DC, Sunita will be flying to Bangladesh and India on the 9th of September. The Lord has given her a brave and beautiful heart for the people of various nations. She loves Africa. I call her "out of Africa" and sometimes my wife calls her, "my wild African princess". She speaks about the people of Rwanda with great affection. She tells me about the Church in Africa. David Livingston gave his heart for Africa. Jesus Christ, the Risen one, is alive and well. His Kingdom is eternal and triumphant.
April 6, 1994 marked the beginning of dark and infamous days for Rwanda, a small country in central Africa. For the following hundred days, up to 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia — mostly by clubs and machetes. It was a genocide of monumental proportions, as the rest of the world looked on in silence. A young Christian named Benyoni lived in this world of hate. His name meant “Little Bird” because he was so musical. He graduated with honors and became a school principal, but educated people were suspect and routinely executed in Rwanda. Sometimes just wearing a tie could get you killed. Benyoni was at school with eleven of his friends who were teachers when one day soldiers came and took Benyoni and the teachers out of the school. As they stood together Benyoni asked the soldiers if he could pray for them. He prayed for his friends and for their families, but he spent the most time praying for the soldiers who had come to kill them. Benyoni’s friends were encouraged and were expecting a miracle as a result of his prayer. The soldiers considered freeing them, but they had their orders and knew they would pay with their lives for failing in their mission. They continued their march outside the town, and when they stopped, Benyoni asked the soldiers if he could sing for them. He began to sing a hymn you may know:
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
All the young men began to sing with him. You may remember the last verse of that great hymn:
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
When the last note was sung, the soldiers raised their rifles and shot all of them to death.
You may be wondering how the story got out since all of them were killed. Those soldiers went out to get as drunk as possible that night — all except one. He sought out an old Quaker missionary whom he had met. He asked her, “What kind of God do you serve who could give his followers such courage and joy in the face of death?” She led him to Christ, and soon he was telling anyone who would listen about Jesus and starting Bible studies. It was not long until they shot him as well.
It is now just one year since over one hundred Christian were martyred by the Hindu Extremists. I remember one of those martyrs, whose name was Mathew. He was one my students in the 1960's. He was courageous and compassionate. He was blessed with a beautiful and brave heart. When I think about these servants I remember the words of Jim Elliot, another Christian martyr, who declared, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose". Remembering the joy and courage of these brave servants of Christ, I get provoked to love Jesus more and serve with zeal and relentlessness.
In Hebrew 11, we read about those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength... Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:33-34, 36-38).
In Jesus the Victor,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEjRLlL9iE
Monday, August 31, 2009
Praise the Lord for the last day of August. I trust that you had a blessed and beautiful weekend with a wonderful day in the house of the Lord yesterday. We proclaim and claim that "Better is one day in your house, O Lord, than a thousand elsewhere".
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from James 1. In James 1:19 we read “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” Here the writer is talking about our willingness to speak and not listen to God. We can’t miss it from the context. (read vv. 19-21) The only “Word planted in you, which can save you” is the Word of God. We need to be more interested in hearing what God has to say to us than telling Him what we think! We need to hear the Word of God.
According to George Barna, a Christian pollster, in a given week about 37% of Americans will read their Bible, but 85% will pray. (source: barna.org) This sounds as if we are quick to speak, but slow to listen to what God has to say.
As we drive in our area we see billboards along the roadways of various ordinary men and women who have accomplished extraordinary things. I have noticed the picture of Erik Weihenmayer. At the age of 33, Erik Weihenmayer is a phenomenal athlete who loves to skydive, snow ski and climb mountains. Mountain climbing is, in fact, his specialty. As a matter of fact, he is on track to be one of the youngest to climb all of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the continents. In 1995 he scaled Mount McKinley, in 1996 El Capitan, in 1998 Mount Kilamanjaro. In 1999 he climbed Argentina’s Aconcauga. On May 25, 2001 he reached the summit of Mount Everest, a peak that 90% of those who begin to climb never finish. Since 1953, 165 people have died trying to climb Everest, but Erik made it. Now that is an extremely significant feat, but you don’t know the half of it. Weihenmayer suffers from a degenerative eye disease, and when he was 13 he became totally blind. All of his climbs have been without the benefit of his eyesight. Weihenmayer is a blind mountain-climber!
If you were to ask him, “How is that possible? How can a guy who can’t see climb the highest peaks in the world?”, he would tell you that He has learned to listen well. He listens as a bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him shows him which way to go. He listens to his climbing partners who shout back to him, "Death fall two feet to your right!" so he knows what direction not to go. He listens to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice, so he knows whether his footing will be secure or not. For Erik Weihenmayer, being a good listener is a matter of life and death. (source: www.touchthetop.com)
According to James the same is true for every one of us too. Active listening is the only way any of us is able to follow the pathway that God has opened up for us. He challenges us to take faith in Christ seriously enough to allow it to change our behavior. James addresses Christian people here, and he says that we have to be willing to listen to what God says to us and then modify our behavior to conform our will to God’s perfect will. In order to do that, we have to do 3 things: Hear God’s Word, Accept God’s Word, and then Do God’s Word. An amazing thing happens when we hear the Word, accept the Word, and then choose to do the word. A transformation occurs.
In the book of Exodus there is an account of when Moses entered into the presence of God. It says that his countenance was changed; you might say he glowed from experiencing the presence of God. When he came back among the people he wore a veil to hide the fact that the glow was growing dimmer. In 2 Corinthians Paul reminds us of that occurrence in Moses' life, and then He tells us that if we hear, accept, and do the will of God, a supernatural transformation occurs in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul wrote, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from James 1. In James 1:19 we read “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” Here the writer is talking about our willingness to speak and not listen to God. We can’t miss it from the context. (read vv. 19-21) The only “Word planted in you, which can save you” is the Word of God. We need to be more interested in hearing what God has to say to us than telling Him what we think! We need to hear the Word of God.
According to George Barna, a Christian pollster, in a given week about 37% of Americans will read their Bible, but 85% will pray. (source: barna.org) This sounds as if we are quick to speak, but slow to listen to what God has to say.
As we drive in our area we see billboards along the roadways of various ordinary men and women who have accomplished extraordinary things. I have noticed the picture of Erik Weihenmayer. At the age of 33, Erik Weihenmayer is a phenomenal athlete who loves to skydive, snow ski and climb mountains. Mountain climbing is, in fact, his specialty. As a matter of fact, he is on track to be one of the youngest to climb all of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the continents. In 1995 he scaled Mount McKinley, in 1996 El Capitan, in 1998 Mount Kilamanjaro. In 1999 he climbed Argentina’s Aconcauga. On May 25, 2001 he reached the summit of Mount Everest, a peak that 90% of those who begin to climb never finish. Since 1953, 165 people have died trying to climb Everest, but Erik made it. Now that is an extremely significant feat, but you don’t know the half of it. Weihenmayer suffers from a degenerative eye disease, and when he was 13 he became totally blind. All of his climbs have been without the benefit of his eyesight. Weihenmayer is a blind mountain-climber!
If you were to ask him, “How is that possible? How can a guy who can’t see climb the highest peaks in the world?”, he would tell you that He has learned to listen well. He listens as a bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him shows him which way to go. He listens to his climbing partners who shout back to him, "Death fall two feet to your right!" so he knows what direction not to go. He listens to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice, so he knows whether his footing will be secure or not. For Erik Weihenmayer, being a good listener is a matter of life and death. (source: www.touchthetop.com)
According to James the same is true for every one of us too. Active listening is the only way any of us is able to follow the pathway that God has opened up for us. He challenges us to take faith in Christ seriously enough to allow it to change our behavior. James addresses Christian people here, and he says that we have to be willing to listen to what God says to us and then modify our behavior to conform our will to God’s perfect will. In order to do that, we have to do 3 things: Hear God’s Word, Accept God’s Word, and then Do God’s Word. An amazing thing happens when we hear the Word, accept the Word, and then choose to do the word. A transformation occurs.
In the book of Exodus there is an account of when Moses entered into the presence of God. It says that his countenance was changed; you might say he glowed from experiencing the presence of God. When he came back among the people he wore a veil to hide the fact that the glow was growing dimmer. In 2 Corinthians Paul reminds us of that occurrence in Moses' life, and then He tells us that if we hear, accept, and do the will of God, a supernatural transformation occurs in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul wrote, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052
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