Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day, the last Friday of January. Sunita returned to Washington yesterday. She called me from her connection in Philly on her way to Washington. It was great to hear her sweet voice. She had a very blessed and fruitful time in Israel.
We will gather for an evening Italian fest tomorrow, Saturday evening at 6 PM at Union Center Fellowship Hall. It will be a time of great refreshing and fellowship. There will plenty of sumptuous foods prepared with much love. Those of you who live in the vicinity, please come and join us. Every time we gather in the Name of our Lord He shows up there with His mercy and grace. Praise the Lord for our lives in Jesus Christ. We are so blessed. Somebody said, "I am too blessed to be depressed". One newcomer to our church said after last Sunday's worship that we are too anointed to be disappointed. Praise be to Jesus.
C. S. Lewis wrote, "When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in? This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side."
Some day God, the author of all life, will walk onto the stage of planet earth and time will be no more. What has been done, will be. As Lewis said, "It will be too late to choose your side."
But, thanks be to God, He has chosen us and He has given us His grace to choose Jesus to be our Savior, our deliverer! Ephesians 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."
In Ephesians 1:11-12 we read, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 1-28-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. We had a very blessed Wednesday evening of fellowship and Bible study. I have shared before that my grandfather was the first Christian in my village. He did not know how to read or write, but he loved the Lord with all his heart, and he was man of prayer. He knew the stories of the Old Testament heroes, and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I heard about Jacob from my grandfather and my uncle when I was very young. I remember the stories about Jacob and Rebekah the way they were told to me by my grandfather and my uncle.
In Genesis 24:10-24:27 you can read about how Abraham sent out his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. It was a monumental task. The servant decided to choose a woman who not only would give him a cup of water, but who would water his camels as well. He wanted to find a woman who would add value to him on his journey. Such a woman would make a good life partner for Isaac. You might call this the Rebekah Principle. Rebekah went the extra mile. Her generosity stands in stark contrast to the prevailing attitudes today. Her life seemed to say, I’ll do what you ask me to do, then I’m going to do something more.
Today, people seem to say, I’m going to do the least that is expected of me. To be more like Rebekah, we need to keep in mind that we cannot be generous and legalistic at the same time. Rebekah did more than what was required or expected. Her generous spirit was unusual. In the end, legalism always leaves people feeling miserable, either unbearably arrogant or incurably insecure. Rebekah teaches us not to keep score, but rather just keep giving.
One principle that is true in our lives is that we cannot walk the second mile until we have walked the First. It’s easy for people to talk about the great and generous things they intend to do in the future, but if they are not being generous with what they have now, it is unlikely they will suddenly change in the future. Rebekah started her service by first doing the task that was asked of her, to give the servant a cup of water. Only when she finished that task did she take care of the camels. Rebekah's generosity teaches us that we will become what we are becoming right now.
Sometimes it is more difficult to walk the “first mile” than the second mile. Just getting started gives us the impetus to continue. Let us remember also that extra blessings result grom extra effort.
How easy it would have been for Rebekah to give the stranger a drink, and then lower her jar and continue on to her home. That would have been both fair and nice. It also would have been convenient. Before she offered to be generous—she must have considered the time and effort it would take to water the stranger's camels. That team of camels might have taken a couple of hours to care for, carrying buckets of water back and forth.
Why do we merely do that which is asked of us. Why do we not go the extra mile and do the unexpected? When We Give Generously, the impact of our generosity often outlives us. At the moment of giving, you cannot imagine how your actions will impact the lives of others in the future. Rebekah had no idea that her generosity that day would open the door for a marriage to Isaac, and she became part of the line of Christ! Because generously adding value to others is rare—the impact of that generosity lingers long after we’re gone. Sometimes, it outlives us both now and in eternity.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuLr5rQmp0
Praise the Lord for this new day. We had a very blessed Wednesday evening of fellowship and Bible study. I have shared before that my grandfather was the first Christian in my village. He did not know how to read or write, but he loved the Lord with all his heart, and he was man of prayer. He knew the stories of the Old Testament heroes, and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I heard about Jacob from my grandfather and my uncle when I was very young. I remember the stories about Jacob and Rebekah the way they were told to me by my grandfather and my uncle.
In Genesis 24:10-24:27 you can read about how Abraham sent out his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. It was a monumental task. The servant decided to choose a woman who not only would give him a cup of water, but who would water his camels as well. He wanted to find a woman who would add value to him on his journey. Such a woman would make a good life partner for Isaac. You might call this the Rebekah Principle. Rebekah went the extra mile. Her generosity stands in stark contrast to the prevailing attitudes today. Her life seemed to say, I’ll do what you ask me to do, then I’m going to do something more.
Today, people seem to say, I’m going to do the least that is expected of me. To be more like Rebekah, we need to keep in mind that we cannot be generous and legalistic at the same time. Rebekah did more than what was required or expected. Her generous spirit was unusual. In the end, legalism always leaves people feeling miserable, either unbearably arrogant or incurably insecure. Rebekah teaches us not to keep score, but rather just keep giving.
One principle that is true in our lives is that we cannot walk the second mile until we have walked the First. It’s easy for people to talk about the great and generous things they intend to do in the future, but if they are not being generous with what they have now, it is unlikely they will suddenly change in the future. Rebekah started her service by first doing the task that was asked of her, to give the servant a cup of water. Only when she finished that task did she take care of the camels. Rebekah's generosity teaches us that we will become what we are becoming right now.
Sometimes it is more difficult to walk the “first mile” than the second mile. Just getting started gives us the impetus to continue. Let us remember also that extra blessings result grom extra effort.
How easy it would have been for Rebekah to give the stranger a drink, and then lower her jar and continue on to her home. That would have been both fair and nice. It also would have been convenient. Before she offered to be generous—she must have considered the time and effort it would take to water the stranger's camels. That team of camels might have taken a couple of hours to care for, carrying buckets of water back and forth.
Why do we merely do that which is asked of us. Why do we not go the extra mile and do the unexpected? When We Give Generously, the impact of our generosity often outlives us. At the moment of giving, you cannot imagine how your actions will impact the lives of others in the future. Rebekah had no idea that her generosity that day would open the door for a marriage to Isaac, and she became part of the line of Christ! Because generously adding value to others is rare—the impact of that generosity lingers long after we’re gone. Sometimes, it outlives us both now and in eternity.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuLr5rQmp0
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 1-27-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Wednesday. We will gather for our Mid-week service this evening with a meal at 6 PM and with Bible Study at 6:30 PM. We are studying the Gospel According to Matthew. Today we will focus on Chapter 3.
We received an e-mail from Sunita this morning. Andy returned back to Washington on Sunday. Sunita had to stay a little longer with her work project in Jerusalem. She shared with us that she was given very special permission to visit Gaza Strip, the most densely populated piece of land per squire mile on earth. The Gaza Strip is the epicenter of all the clamor, and the turmoil in the Middle East. Our oldest daughter, Janice, sent us a note saying that she is planning to go to Haiti with a medical mission for a week. Praise the Lord that we can all be part of His healing and saving purposes on earth. It is a wonderful and extraordinary joy to serve our Lord and Savior in the world that is need of His healing grace and love.
Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing. He said, "I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am not depressed." Christians are called to be joyful in all circumstances. Christian concepts of joy are different from the world's. The Joy of the Lord is the result of God’s work in our hearts (Galatians 5:22). Christ did not come that you might have sadness, but He came that you might have a full life. (John 10:10)
The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Nehemiah 8. The book of Nehemiah records a time when Israel was coming back into their homeland after spending 70 years in exile. They began to rebuild their home in the ‘land of promise’. Israel was regaining her homeland and returning to faith. The book of the law had been discovered and Nehemiah called together the people in order for Ezra to conduct a public reading of God’s law. The Israelites had different stages of reaction to the law. First, they fell into repentant sorrow. Second, they began to praise and worship the Lord. Third, they celebrated the “Feast of Booths” as the law commanded. The result was great joy! Nehemiah told them, “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Israelites learned three things in their understanding of the Word and their subsequent experience of joy in their hearts and life together. First, joy comes through experiencing God’s forgiveness in your life. Second, joy comes from relationship with God, not only knowing who we are but whose we are. Third, joy comes through knowing and living your life purpose and mission.
Joy can be found today for all Christians! It is found in the Word of the Lord, in the Worship of the Lord, and in the Will of the Lord!
In His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeY3XEJFGdw
Praise the Lord for this Wednesday. We will gather for our Mid-week service this evening with a meal at 6 PM and with Bible Study at 6:30 PM. We are studying the Gospel According to Matthew. Today we will focus on Chapter 3.
We received an e-mail from Sunita this morning. Andy returned back to Washington on Sunday. Sunita had to stay a little longer with her work project in Jerusalem. She shared with us that she was given very special permission to visit Gaza Strip, the most densely populated piece of land per squire mile on earth. The Gaza Strip is the epicenter of all the clamor, and the turmoil in the Middle East. Our oldest daughter, Janice, sent us a note saying that she is planning to go to Haiti with a medical mission for a week. Praise the Lord that we can all be part of His healing and saving purposes on earth. It is a wonderful and extraordinary joy to serve our Lord and Savior in the world that is need of His healing grace and love.
Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing. He said, "I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am not depressed." Christians are called to be joyful in all circumstances. Christian concepts of joy are different from the world's. The Joy of the Lord is the result of God’s work in our hearts (Galatians 5:22). Christ did not come that you might have sadness, but He came that you might have a full life. (John 10:10)
The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Nehemiah 8. The book of Nehemiah records a time when Israel was coming back into their homeland after spending 70 years in exile. They began to rebuild their home in the ‘land of promise’. Israel was regaining her homeland and returning to faith. The book of the law had been discovered and Nehemiah called together the people in order for Ezra to conduct a public reading of God’s law. The Israelites had different stages of reaction to the law. First, they fell into repentant sorrow. Second, they began to praise and worship the Lord. Third, they celebrated the “Feast of Booths” as the law commanded. The result was great joy! Nehemiah told them, “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Israelites learned three things in their understanding of the Word and their subsequent experience of joy in their hearts and life together. First, joy comes through experiencing God’s forgiveness in your life. Second, joy comes from relationship with God, not only knowing who we are but whose we are. Third, joy comes through knowing and living your life purpose and mission.
Joy can be found today for all Christians! It is found in the Word of the Lord, in the Worship of the Lord, and in the Will of the Lord!
In His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeY3XEJFGdw
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 1-26-10
In Dr. Sandra Wilson’s book, “Hurt People Hurt People,” although victimized herself in her childhood, she shares the wisdom of her years as a professional counselor when she writes, “The reasoning behind this (the victim becoming a victimizer) seems to follow this premise: If I overpower, dominate, and abuse you today, it temporarily numbs the pain I still have because I was overpowered, dominated, and abused yesterday. Apparently victims gain a sense of inner strength and personal mastery by dominating someone even more powerless than themselves.” (Page 33) When we live out our broken-heartedness, it is destructive to us and to those around us. We alienate ourselves if we do not allow Jesus to heal our broken hearts.
The reading for last Sunday was taken from Luke 4:14-21, "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.' (Isaiah 61:1-2) Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21 (NKJV)
This passage is known as THE NAZARETH MANIFEST". In fact, this passage from Luke is the Mission Statement of Lord Jesus. Our Lord came to earth, preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. Yet, we often overlook in this Scripture, that Jesus went into the synagogue, the Jewish house of worship at that time, “as His custom was.” Jesus made it a habit in His life to go to the house of God at the appointed time and day.
The Mission of our Lord Jesus included the healing of the broken hearted. One of the ways this healing takes place is in the context of the community that is called by Jesus as His body, the church. People who interact in close community with others have their broken hearts healed more quickly. When a group of people gather together and love one another sacrificially the way that Jesus loves us there is healing power in that environment! When we gather together we know that the other Christ followers around us have been issued a directive from our Lord and Savior to love us and we to love them. Love is the greatest healing tool available to any of us and when we miss out on gathering with other Christ followers we miss out on the great potential for healing that it brings!
Jesus the Head and the Lord of the church ,designed the local church family as a place for Christ followers to discover, develop, and deploy their spiritual gifts. "Encourage one another daily…so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) "If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back." James 5:19 (The Message) Satan loves detached believers. He loves to isolate us so that when our hearts are broken we’ll mistakenly conclude that no one cares. Thus, it is vital to keep coming back into the community of the faithful.
The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ. It’s a commitment to other Christ followers! "First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God’s will, they gave themselves to us as well." 2 Corinthians 8:5 (TEV) If I stay close to Jesus and close to His followers my broken heart will mend much more quickly and effectively than if I try to "go it alone"!
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQ-jjhlyFM
The reading for last Sunday was taken from Luke 4:14-21, "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.' (Isaiah 61:1-2) Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21 (NKJV)
This passage is known as THE NAZARETH MANIFEST". In fact, this passage from Luke is the Mission Statement of Lord Jesus. Our Lord came to earth, preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. Yet, we often overlook in this Scripture, that Jesus went into the synagogue, the Jewish house of worship at that time, “as His custom was.” Jesus made it a habit in His life to go to the house of God at the appointed time and day.
The Mission of our Lord Jesus included the healing of the broken hearted. One of the ways this healing takes place is in the context of the community that is called by Jesus as His body, the church. People who interact in close community with others have their broken hearts healed more quickly. When a group of people gather together and love one another sacrificially the way that Jesus loves us there is healing power in that environment! When we gather together we know that the other Christ followers around us have been issued a directive from our Lord and Savior to love us and we to love them. Love is the greatest healing tool available to any of us and when we miss out on gathering with other Christ followers we miss out on the great potential for healing that it brings!
Jesus the Head and the Lord of the church ,designed the local church family as a place for Christ followers to discover, develop, and deploy their spiritual gifts. "Encourage one another daily…so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) "If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back." James 5:19 (The Message) Satan loves detached believers. He loves to isolate us so that when our hearts are broken we’ll mistakenly conclude that no one cares. Thus, it is vital to keep coming back into the community of the faithful.
The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ. It’s a commitment to other Christ followers! "First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God’s will, they gave themselves to us as well." 2 Corinthians 8:5 (TEV) If I stay close to Jesus and close to His followers my broken heart will mend much more quickly and effectively than if I try to "go it alone"!
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQ-jjhlyFM
Monday, January 25, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 1-25-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a bountiful and beautiful weekend. Jessica came home for the weekend to care for wedding related matters. Jessica, Laureen, and their mother spent the weekend planning and orchestrating for the wedding. The rooms in the parsonage are quickly filling up with wedding decorations and paraphernalia. Jess returned to Philadelphia yesterday, arriving safely. Praise the Lord!
Our gathering on Saturday evening at the Grace Cafe at Wesley was a huge blessing. Food was abundant and sumptuous, the fellowship was sweet, and the preaching was anointed. The Lord blessed us during the worship events yesterday. Blessed be His Name.
I read about a comedy skit called “The 2013 Year Old Man”. In the skit, Rob Reiner interviews Mel Brooks, who is the old gentleman who has lived for over 2000 years. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?” Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Harry, and for a time we worshiped him.” Reiner: “You worshiped a guy named Harry? Why?” Brooks: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!” Reiner: “Did you have prayers?” Brooks: “Yes, would you like to hear one? ‘O Harry, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.’” Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?” Brooks replied: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Harry. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s somthin’ bigger than Harry!’”
This humorous skit is more than comedy; it tells us something very important about ourselves. It tells us that we are all in search of something bigger and greater than ourselves, something transcendent. We were made to worship and seek something beyond ourselves. It is interesting that in our culture, which has rejected the obvious truth that it is God we are seeking, we have turned to other things. For some it is paranormal experiences. I think this is why we as a nation have such an extraordinary and amusing interest and belief in aliens — from books, to television, to movies. We are looking for something beyond ourselves, something bigger than ourselves. We are searching for an experience of awe and mystery. We are searching for answers, and the meaning of the universe and life itself. But, as in the case of the 2000 year old man worshiping Harry, just because something or someone is bigger and more powerful than us is not enough reason to worship. Fear alone is a poor motivator, even if it is directed toward God — it never lasts long. It is the wrong motive, even if it ends in the worship of God, because it is not how God desires to relate to us. It is not what he wants from us. He beckons us to come to Him in love and trust.
At the end of "Prince Caspian", one of the books in "The Chronicles of Narnia", there is a great dialogue between Lucy and Aslan, the Lion who is the Christ-figure in the book. They had not seen each other in over a year when Lucy said, “Aslan, you’re bigger.” Aslan responded, “That is because you are older, little one.” She went on, “Not because you are?” Aslan replied, “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” So it is with our relationship with God; the more we grow in Him, the bigger He gets.
In Psalm 34:3, David said, “O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together.”
As Augustine said, "O Lord Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee."
In Jesus the Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTxZAl7ceU&feature=related#
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a bountiful and beautiful weekend. Jessica came home for the weekend to care for wedding related matters. Jessica, Laureen, and their mother spent the weekend planning and orchestrating for the wedding. The rooms in the parsonage are quickly filling up with wedding decorations and paraphernalia. Jess returned to Philadelphia yesterday, arriving safely. Praise the Lord!
Our gathering on Saturday evening at the Grace Cafe at Wesley was a huge blessing. Food was abundant and sumptuous, the fellowship was sweet, and the preaching was anointed. The Lord blessed us during the worship events yesterday. Blessed be His Name.
I read about a comedy skit called “The 2013 Year Old Man”. In the skit, Rob Reiner interviews Mel Brooks, who is the old gentleman who has lived for over 2000 years. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?” Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Harry, and for a time we worshiped him.” Reiner: “You worshiped a guy named Harry? Why?” Brooks: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!” Reiner: “Did you have prayers?” Brooks: “Yes, would you like to hear one? ‘O Harry, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.’” Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?” Brooks replied: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Harry. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s somthin’ bigger than Harry!’”
This humorous skit is more than comedy; it tells us something very important about ourselves. It tells us that we are all in search of something bigger and greater than ourselves, something transcendent. We were made to worship and seek something beyond ourselves. It is interesting that in our culture, which has rejected the obvious truth that it is God we are seeking, we have turned to other things. For some it is paranormal experiences. I think this is why we as a nation have such an extraordinary and amusing interest and belief in aliens — from books, to television, to movies. We are looking for something beyond ourselves, something bigger than ourselves. We are searching for an experience of awe and mystery. We are searching for answers, and the meaning of the universe and life itself. But, as in the case of the 2000 year old man worshiping Harry, just because something or someone is bigger and more powerful than us is not enough reason to worship. Fear alone is a poor motivator, even if it is directed toward God — it never lasts long. It is the wrong motive, even if it ends in the worship of God, because it is not how God desires to relate to us. It is not what he wants from us. He beckons us to come to Him in love and trust.
At the end of "Prince Caspian", one of the books in "The Chronicles of Narnia", there is a great dialogue between Lucy and Aslan, the Lion who is the Christ-figure in the book. They had not seen each other in over a year when Lucy said, “Aslan, you’re bigger.” Aslan responded, “That is because you are older, little one.” She went on, “Not because you are?” Aslan replied, “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” So it is with our relationship with God; the more we grow in Him, the bigger He gets.
In Psalm 34:3, David said, “O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together.”
As Augustine said, "O Lord Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee."
In Jesus the Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTxZAl7ceU&feature=related#
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
