Brown's Daily Word 6-28-10

Good morning,
The Lord blessed us with a super, sunny Sunday yesterday. Micah and Simeon, our grandchildren, came in last night, and are spending a few days with us here in New York. It is a blessing, a privilege, and a challenge to watch these wonderful, lively children who bring so much joy to our lives. They look so grown up - even since we last saw them over Memorial Day weekend. They played in our "park" - on the lawn, swinging on the swings (out on the trees), riding their scooters, and having a great time. Their Grandma and Auntie Laureen have been planning activities for this week (thinking about taking them to the zoo, the Discovery Center, the carousels...) Sunita and Andy will be coming in toward next weekend to escape the scorching heat of Washington, DC, and spending several days here. Jess and Tom will also be coming in on Friday night, from Philadelphia. Janice and Jeremy are spending a week hiking in the mountains of New Hampshire.
It was a great blessing to be in the house of the Lord worshipping Him with His people. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from 2 Kings 2. Elijah and Elisha. The Lord God almighty used these ordinary men to accomplish great things for His glory in His Kingdom. Elijah and Elisha were fearless prophets. Elijah finished his journey with the Lord well. He was taken up wonderfully into heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire.
People of the Lord serve Him with passion and when their end comes they go home in triumph. While on earth they serve with deep passion. The Lord is looking for a people full of passion. Christ's followers are passionate people.
Christ's followers are people who burn with a passion to serve God and others.
Too often we take very lightly the life changing grace that has come to us, allowing ourselves to rest in the comfort of the grace of God that provides us salvation but not allowing it to touch others around us.
Serving the Lord is much more than an emotional experience. Serving the Lord is more than great worship and good music. Serving the Lord is more than reading our bibles and praying everyday. Serving the Lord is more than keeping ourselves unspotted from the culture around us. Serving the Lord is always about extending His grace and mercy to others. The Lord is calling us to it to keep the fire of our passion burning for Him.
Erwin McManus in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moment, relates the following story: “It was a combination family vacation and a speaking engagement. The location was the beautiful beaches of Florida’s northern peninsula. My wife, Kim and our kids, Aaron and Mariah, were looking forward to enjoying the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. My assignment was to call several thousand singles to a life of sacrifice as we basked in soothing tranquility. A tropical storm had just hit the area and left the waters basically unswimmable, but my little boy, Aaron, insisted on going down to the beach. So we walked from our beachside hotel down four or five steps right onto the beach. To my right there were perhaps a hundred or so singles enjoying the Florida sun.
"And then I saw him. He had somehow managed to find his way to the water, and now he had begun to find his way back. I had not seen him before, and he did not appear to be a part of the retreat. In fact, it seemed as if no one was even aware of him. He appeared alone in the middle of the crowd. He was a double amputee who had worked his way, with the use of specialized crutches, through the sandy beach. Just as I had noticed him, one crutch slipped, and he fell hard to the sand. Undaunted, he pulled himself back up and began again, only to fall a second time. It all happened in what seemed an instant, long enough for me to see him to my right and choose to turn to my left.
"I wish I could say I simply wasn’t thinking, but the problem was that I was. I knew if I turned to my right, I would have to do something. So I turned to my left. I gently placed my arm on my son’s shoulder, turned him away, and began talking to him to distract him from the scene below. We went a few feet, and I felt sure we were free from any responsibility—until my son stopped me. To my surprise, he said, “I have to go help that man.”
"No explanation was needed. I knew exactly what he meant. His words pierced through me, and I stood there paralyzed in my hypocrisy. I could only look at him and say, “Then go help him.” Several thoughts were racing through my mind. I had been caught, was one of them. Yet at that point, it wasn’t that I was unwilling to go; it was just clear that this was Aaron’s moment. I had missed mine. His compassion had moved him to heroism. While Aaron seized his divine moment, I was stuck in a moment I couldn’t get out of.
"I watched my ten-year-old son run across the beach and, without explanation, begin to pick the man up. I had to wonder what the man was thinking when this little boy grabbed him and his crutch and tried to pull him up. I watched as the crowd turned and saw Aaron’s futile effort to help the man back to the hotel deck. Almost immediately I watched the crowd move toward Aaron and the man. Someone picked up the crutches, while others reached down and picked up the man. The group moved as if they were one unit, committed to helping the man complete his journey.
"After the group helped him return to the hotel deck, Aaron came running back to me, and there were tears in his eyes. He looked at me with his innocent conclusion: “I couldn’t help him I wasn’t strong enough.” He couldn’t see that no one would have helped the man if he had not taken the initiative. My sense of shame was overwhelmed by my deep sense of pride in who my son was becoming. I explained to Aaron that his strength carried the man. It was because of him that others came to his aid.”
The Lord wants us to turn that passion into ministry which will give us a sense of destiny as we serve Him. He wants our dedication.

Praise the Lord for all who are summer missionaries in service of the Lord, deployed in various places around the world. Two of our college students, Cody and Rebekkah, are serving in France this summer. Dave and Jean, missionaries to Indonesia, will be with us this coming Sunday.
Please pray for the following: Linda Geer, Evvie Binder, Stacie Wolfe, Gordon Glover.
Praise the Lord for our friends who are retiring after many years of active teaching: Gail Chase, Rhonda Emmons, MaryLou Krause, Barb Pitcher.
May the Lord bless us with a wonderful summer of sowing seeds and harvesting in His kingdom.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoYdQa6Cprc