Good morning,
Here we are just two months away from Christmas, as my wife reminded me yesterday. Thank you Jesus. My wife is mentally getting ready for the Christmas music and the decorations. We are getting ready for our Prayer Conference weekend that begins on Friday, November 5, with gathering for food and fellowship at 6 PM. Our friend, Kelly Johnson, from Memphis, Tennessee will be with us for the entire weekend. The added blessing will be to have Sunita and Andy with us for the entire weekend also. It now appears that we will have our grandchildren, Micah and Simeon, with us for that weekend by ourselves.
The Lord blessed us with a beautiful weekend of worship, fellowship, and celebration. There are many who are praying for us for Saturday Evening worship services. The Lord is blessing us wonderfully. He is faithful and very gracious. This past Saturday we had present in the evening gathering a woman who is 90 years old. She attended the worship with her daughter and gave testimony to the wonder working of Jesus in her life. She and her husband are celebrating their 68th wedding anniversary. She thanked the Lord for His grace and mercy through all these years of worshipping and serving the Lord. The youngest in attendance was a baby who is 5 months old. Another woman testified that she learned ply piano as a little girl. The Lord got hold of her life and now she plays the songs of the Redeemer. What a blessing it has been serving the Savior with her gifts and talents! One of people who testified that the Lord is faithful and trustworthy is a man who is a contractor. He had a slow season in his business, but remained obedient to the Lord, giving his time and talent to the Lord. One evening he received an e-mail that his bid was selected for a large contract for his business. He praising the Lord for His unfailing love and faithfulness.
Every person’s life is like a power tool with an electrical plug. When we’re plugged into the Risen Lord and his resources, those resources flow into our lives to empower us to do that which we could not do on our own. The love we need in order to care about people, the patience we need when we’re frustrated, the courage we need in the face of fear…all these things come from being plugged into God’s grace. Lives that don’t plug into God’s grace won’t have the resources to leave a very significant mark.
Lives that refuse to plug into God’s grace are self-sufficient lives that rely on self and ego. It takes humility to admit that we have sinned against God and to trust in Christ for our salvation, but until we do that we cannot plug into God’s grace. Instead, we find that we are like a power saw trying to cut wood without a power supply.
Only lives empowered with God’s resources will leave a mark that lasts. I think of the names of Christians who have made a difference in the past, such as Augustine, John Wesley, Mother Teresa, John Wycliffe, and Galileo.
I want to live a life that is meant to last for ever. If we want to live that kind of life we must find our strength in God’s resources and multiply our influence through other people. We must be willing to pay the price, centering our lives around the good news of Jesus, and not give up no matter what.
In the 1800s a man named Alfred Nobel woke up on morning and opened the newspaper, only to see his own obituary printed. Imagine the shock of seeing your own obituary printed in the paper. You see, Alfred’s brother had died, and the newspaper mistakenly printed Alfred’s obituary instead of his brother’s. Alfred was a very wealthy person who had made his fortune by inventing dynamite. As he read his own obituary, he wondered if he really wanted to be remembered as Alfred Nobel, creator of a weapon of mass destruction.
Alfred decided he wanted his life to count for more than that. He decided he wanted to live a life that was built to last. He wanted to leave a legacy, so he started making changes. When Alfred died, he left most of his immense wealth gained from his invention of dynamite to a foundation designed to honor people who made a positive difference in the world. Thus was born the Nobel foundation, with prizes each year in five areas, including peace. Winners of this prize would include Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Albert Schweitzer.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E_kTQssB0I
October 30, 2010
Music by Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Jeff Vansyckle
November 6, 2010 - ( Saturday) There will be a Thanksgiving banquet. At 5 PM a traditional Thanksgiving menu will be served, including home made rolls and pies. Chef: Lou Pasquale and team. (Reservations: Call the Church office (607)-748-6329 or email at umcgospel@aol.com
The banquet will be followed by 6:30 PM Worship
Music: Aric Phinney and the team
Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Nashville, TN.
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