Brown's Daily Word 10-09-10

Praise the Lord for the beautiful autumn day today, when the colors are bursting forth all around, telling the glory of their Creator. Praise the Lord for Christopher Columbus, one of the first to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the shores of the Americas. Praise the Lord for the Church of Jesus Christ, which has been under the same Management for over 2,000 years. The glorious future belongs to those who belong to Jesus Christ and to His Church.
Happy 71st birthday to Jim Geer.
Happy 25th anniversary to Debbie and Rodney Haines.
Happy 61st wedding anniversary to Ray and Betty Fowler, who are celebrating today.
We extend Christian sympathy to Becky and Dave Maney on the death of Becky's brother Steve.
We also extend Christian sympathy to the family of Guil Woodward. Guil was one of the Woodward boys, born in the area, raised in this valley, and a very active part of this church. Guil was 91 years old at the time of his death. He passed into the Church Triumphant on October 1.
Please continue to pray for Evvie Binder, who is still in the nursing home, where she had a fall and sustained a head injury.
Continue to pray for Gordie Glover, who is still in the cardiac intensive care.
Continue to pray for Bill Van Wormer, who is still at Sloane Kettering.

As we come to the closing months of this year, we are excited for the open doors the Lord has placed before us to serve Him and worship Him. We will gather for worship tomorrow at Union Center UMC at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM, and at 9:30 AM at Wesley UMC. Sunday School for all ages will be held at UCUMC will be at 9:50 AM.
Our youth group will be going to El Rancho DePaz today.
Our choir has begun rehearsing for the Christmas Cantata on Wednesday evenings. Choir practice begins at 7:30 PM.
We are also preparing for the children's Christmas Musical, "Inside the Outside Inn", which will be presented on Sunday, December 5.
Make a note that the Russians are coming . . . and will be with us on Saturday, December 4, with the program to be presented at First UMC on McKinley.

One of our very special upcoming events will be a Concert of Prayer, a gathering to pray and to learn about prayer. Our seminar will be led by Kelly Johnson, a gifted speaker and godly young woman who has learned to give everything over to the Lord in prayer.
We first met Kelly Johnson through our daughter Sunita. Both were working in Baltimore, MD, and Kelly was the executive secretary to the President of World Relief. From the beginning, Kelly struck us as a woman of faith and grace, a faithful servant of our loving Lord who regularly knelt at the feet of Jesus.
We are privileged to have Kelly with us during the first week of November. She will be leading the Concert of Prayer, which will open with a time of fellowship and food on Friday, November 5 at 6 PM at the Union Center UMC. We will gather back at the Union Center UMC on Saturday morning at 8 AM for breakfast, followed by another workshop on prayer, which will continue through noon.
At 5 PM we will be gathering down at First UMC in Endicott for our annual Thanksgiving Banquet, followed by a service of worship and praise at 6:30 PM. The menu will include Turkey and all the trimmings, homemade rolls, pies, etc. Chef Lou Pasquale will prepare the meal. A $10 donation per adult is requested, with children under 12 eating for free. A sign-up sheet is located in the Narthex at Union Center UMC. You may also sign up by calling the church office at (607)748-6329 or be replying to umcgospel@aol.com .
The Saturday evening service will feature Aric Phinney as the music leader, a message by Kelly Johnson, and activities for children and youth. We will then gather on Sunday morning for worship services at Union Center, and Kelly Johnson will be speaking to a combined adult Sunday school. There will be a meal following the second service, prepared with love by the "Smith boys" (Al and Hannah's two sons).

Brief Bio: Kelly Johnson-

Who is Kelly Johnson?

Kelly Johnson is a lover of Jesus and a woman of prayer. She has a hunger for unity of the Bride of Christ. Kelly firmly believes, as Jesus tells us in John 17, when we reach a place of unity as believers then the world will come to know Him. She also believes this unity must cross racial, economic and denominational barriers to truly reflect Jesus’ heart and create an “irresistible influence” in cities across the nation.

Kelly received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science/Pre-Law from Liberty University in May of 1990. Since that time she’s worked in ministry at churches, inner-city youth organizations, World Relief and currently is the Executive Director of Two by Two, a prayer movement based in Memphis, TN. She’s a catalytic leader, an excellent communicator and has a gift for networking.

Kelly has a heart to make disciples and has personally witnessed the transforming power when as few as two people wholly commit themselves to Jesus and to prayer.

Kelly also has a love for the local church and believes that the Church will transform the world if we come together for Jesus.

Why Memphis?

Memphis, Tennessee is the origination point of. Back in March of 2007, Kelly was burdened to ‘Pray for the City of Memphis!’ and as she prayed, her heart fell in love with this city. She also was increasingly burdened with a heart for racial reconciliation and felt called to ‘bring hope to the City of Memphis.’

Through 1 ½ years of waiting on God and many research visits to learn about the city, Kelly noticed that although there were some amazing ministries in Memphis, there were still some dire problems that only God and prayer could solve.

In May of 2008, Kelly began a prayer partnership with an African American in Memphis. The friendship that ensued and the amazing things they learned about one another as they prayed together spawned the idea for.

God often chooses the least-likely of places to show up and show off. As the ‘Distribution Center of the World’, Kelly believes God wants to use Memphis, TN as the starting point of a prayer movement that will move from city-to-city across the globe reconciling people to God and to each other and transforming our nation.

If you have the chance to ask her about the idea for she’ll be quick to tell you – it’s not her idea it’s God’s. But she is excited to watch Him show up and transform the City of Memphis and cities across the globe just two people at a time!

Saturday Evening worship services
at : First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Ave., Endicott.
Sponsored by Union Center United Methodist Church.

Schedule for the remainder of October:
October 9, 2010
Music by Rev. William Pucky and his team
Preacher: Brown Naik
October 16, 2010
Music: Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Dave Hettinger
October 23, 2010
Music by Aric Phinney and team
Preacher: Rev Earle Cowden
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 Pasquel 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.

Brown's Daily Word 10-08-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Friday. It is going to a bountiful, beautiful day. Praise the Lord, for He has called us to be His people - redeemed, restored, and forgiven. He calls His people to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
Please join us those who live in the area for our weekly TV outreach this evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 4. We will gather for our Saturday evening worship at First United Methodist Church in Endicott tomorrow at 6 PM for coffee and fellowship and we will gather for worship at 6:30 PM. Rev. William Pucky and the band will minister in music and I will be preaching from Acts 3. Join us. We will gather for worship on Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11:00 at Union Center UMC and at Wesley at 9:30. I will be preaching from Luke 17:11 ff, "Thanksgiving Before Thanksgiving".
Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church, has called His Church to be a revolutionary force in the world. We are "revolutionary" because the church is to infiltrate the forces of darkness and bring the kingdom of the Lord to those around us in a world which often fights and resists such endeavors. We are revolutionary servants of Jesus carrying forth the mission of the Lord in the world.
Dr. William Willimon, who used to be a professor at Duke University, is one of my favorite preachers. He is now the Bishop in our United Methodist Church in Alabama. He co-authored a book years ago called, "Resident Aliens". The premise of the book is that you are and I are resident aliens, in that we are called to live in the world without being like the world. As resident aliens we are called to offer an alternative way of life to the world, one that is so attractive that the world would be attracted to living for Jesus. In other words, we are to be salt in a bland world and light in a world filled with darkness in order to show the world that there is a better way.
Second, we are servants. Most religious people suffer from a fortress mentality. We build luxurious church buildings and, because we really enjoy these buildings, we spend most of our time and our money taking care of them. We hang out together and have dinners and bazaars. There’s just one problem, and that is that Jesus did not die for buildings, potlucks, or bazaars. Have you ever noticed that when Jesus, God incarnate, came in the flesh the confrontations and assaults against him took place inside the fortress of religious institutions? From the traditional religious standpoint, Jesus often hung out in places that you would not want your children to hang out in today. If Jesus were here today, he would be probably go into bars and clubs to reach out to the same kind of friends like he had then - prostitutes and sinners. Those people didn’t see a problem in having Jesus hang out with them, but the church leaders did! It seems that the only place Jesus got into trouble for breaking the rules was in church, the religious institution.
Jesus doesn’t want us to stay in the church. He’s wants you to move out to infiltrate the territory of darkness with the light of the kingdom of God. We see that in Acts 8:1, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." The Apostles were religious professionals. Look at verse four, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Is the truth of God going to get out into the world by all of you us., Serving the is the measure of faithfulness. When you walk in a cemetery, the graves are marked this time of the year with a flag and an emblem for all of the folks who served in the military. It’s amazing because they’re identified by not only their service, but when they served. You can go through and see folks who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War Vietnam, and even Desert Storm. Each marker has a name, birth date and death date but most of all, they were remembered for their military service. What a thing to be remembered by: our service. As followers of God, that’s our identity. Can you imagine on your tombstone some day it will say, “ servant of Jesus.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoYdQa6Cprc

Saturday Evening worship services
at : First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Ave., Endicott.
Sponsored by Union Center United Methodist Church.

Schedule for the remainder of October:
October 9, 2010
Music by Rev. William Pucky and his team
Preacher: Brown Naik
October 16, 2010
Music: Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Dave Hettinger
October 23, 2010
Music by Aric Phinney and team
Preacher: Rev Earle Cowden
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 Pasquel 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.

Brown's Daily Word 10-7-10

Good morning,
It looks as if today will have some residual rain, but the sunshine is coming. The rain has been refreshing and needful for replenishing the earth. Our last truly sunny day was last Saturday, when we moved most of Laureen's belongings to her new apartment - a duplex, actually. Last night she spent her first night in her new place (and we miss her already, though she isn't really far away). The parsonage is quiet again, waiting for weekends and holidays when various ones of our daughters grace us with their presence and the walls ring with laughter, love, and joy. Pray for Laureen as she leaves for vacation this weekend, traveling to see Jessica and Tom, Sunita and Andy, and some of her other friends in points south.
We have already had a phone call this morning from our grandson, Simeon, who, in his sweet voice, tells us about his bike riding on Cape Cod, breakfast the Mommy is about to fix, his plans to run around outside today, and how he is enjoying his upper bunk on the bunk bed. Having exhausted those topics, he asked for Grandpa. (Grandmom was not offended.)
Mike Bowie tells the story of when he and his family were placed in a precarious situation. They had a financial crisis and it felt like they were going to lose everything. He thought, "Lord, how are you going to do this?" They were at the end of their money and did not know how they could possibly stay afloat. At this time of great need He heard the voice of God say, "Michael, just trust me." Not yet able to fully trust God, he opened God’s promises (the Bible) and read, "If you ask anything in my name, it shall be given by my Father in heaven." Then he began to pray about this looming financial crisis, "I started putting in my name in those promises, 'Michael, I will supply all of your needs according to your riches and glory in Christ Jesus.' Then I heard another promise, 'I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or begging for bread.'" He began connecting to God’s promises and had a sense of peace that surpassed all human understanding. He didn’t have time to worry any more because he was trusting God’s promises. The situation didn’t change, but God’s word began to change his heart in the midst of the situation. A sense of peace fell on him, not knowing how God was going to do it and yet knowing it was now in God’s hands. Just as he finished praying and reading scripture, and the phone rang.
He relates, "I picked it up fearful that it was a bill collector." It turned out to be his insurance company. The person said, "Mike Bowie." Mike replied, "Speaking." They said the name of the insurance company and he thought, "Oh, Lord, they are going to cancel my insurance." Still he was trusting in God’s promise. "Mike, we’ve been looking for you and want to see if we have the correct address because we have a check for you for $721." He gave them his address, his mom’s address, he even gave them the church’s address! He writes, “It was amazing how right there in the midst of that perplexing moment, I was connecting to God’s promise and God gave me a provision. Even when you are down to nothing, God will always provide.”
When you take time to refocus on God’s promises and provision, He will provide. His provision may not come when you want it, but it always comes at the right time.
In Christ,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcjDoMJBbu4

Brown's Daily Word 10-6-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. It has been raining here for last few days, and will probably rain, with possible thunderstorms, today. The fall colors are still beautiful, despite the rain. It is apple season in New York. We picked up a bushel of Jonagold apples from one of the local fruit stands, and are really enjoying them. Praise the Lord for the fruits of the season.
We will gather for our midweek gathering for food, fellowship, study, and the children's ministry, beginning this evening at 6 PM. The Adult Choir will practice at 7:30 PM.
The people of Nehemiah's day celebrated the Feast of Booths ( Nehemiah 8-9). It was a reminder of God's provision and protection for the people of Israel as they endured their wilderness days. Before crossing Jordan and occupying the Promised Land they had wandered for forty years in the Sinai desert, and in all that time they did not plant food; God gave it anew every day. They didn't make clothing or shoes; God made it all last for forty years. They were protected and provided for by the Lord. In fact, they were totally dependent on God alone for everything for four decades in a hostile wilderness.
Every year, in the seventh month of the year, they left their homes and stayed in makeshift shelters (booths) for ten days. It reminded them they were still dependent on God. We need that; mentally, each of us needs a booth. We need to continually remember how dependent we are on God. God's providence and grace are more certain than all the things of the world which are transitory and fleeting.
One way to reclaim our joy is to remember the Lord's grace. The Word of God provides an accurate picture of life as it was for Nehemiah's people. The effectiveness of that Word is still as sharp as a two-edged sword even today!
We had a service of death and resurrection for Guilford Woodward, one of the senior saints of the church, who went to be with the Lord at the age of 91. Part of the readings for the service were taken from 2 Corinthians 5:1, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands". Paul, who himself was a tent maker, compared life on earth to living in the booths, living in the tents. We are blessed to know that we can be fully dependent upon our Lord, who is our Creator, provider and Redeemer. He is faithful and trustworthy. Once we capture the truth and the beauty of living our lives in utter trust in Him, we will cease from freaking out and living in freedom and joy of serving the Lord and worshipping Him faithfully and obediently. In Christ and because of Christ we have been given the best of both worlds.
In Him,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60o3UP4Kjwg
Saturday Evening worship services
at : First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Ave., Endicott.
Sponsored by Union Center United Methodist Church.

Schedule for the remainder of October:
October 9, 2010
Music by Rev. William Pucky and his team
Preacher: Brown Naik
October 16, 2010
Music: Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Dave Hettinger
October 23, 2010
Music by Aric Phinney and team
Preacher: Rev Earle Cowden
October 30, 2010
Music by Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Jeff Vansyckle

November 4, 2010 - There will be a Thanksgiving banquet. At 5 PM a traditional Thanksgiving menu will be served, including home made rolls and pies. Chef: Lou Pasquel 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.

Brown's Daily Word 10-5-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day in His Kingdom. The Lord has given another day to serve Him and to enjoy His blessings and grace. I often like to quote the saying, "Volunteer is the language of the club and servant is the language of the Kingdom". The word “servant” in one form or another is used over 1,000 times in the Bible. There’s a world of difference between a volunteer and a servant. A volunteer picks and chooses when and even whether to serve. A servant serves no matter what. A volunteer serves when convenient; a servant serves out of commitment. 1 Peter 2:16 challenges us to “…live as servants of God.” As we look at Scripture, you and I are called first to be servants, and second to serve. We must settle the fact that we are called to a life of servanthood that leads to loving acts of service. Serving flows from the heart of a servant.
Fred Craddock, in a message to ministers, once said: “To give my life for Christ appears glorious. To pour myself out for others…to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom – I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory…it would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.” He then told a story about a wealthy man who handed his pastor a check for fifty thousand dollars. The pastor looked at it and then handed it back to the man and said, “Go cash it in for quarters or dollars and spend fifty cents or a dollar at a time doing the Lord’s work.” The man was flustered and said, “But that will take the rest of my life!” “Precisely,” replied the pastor. “That’s the point.”
A servant’s service never ends ( Luke 17:7b-8). After working all day, the servant came back to the Master’s house. He was probably tired and hungry but it still had no time to relax. The principle is that a servant’s service may change locale and the specific job description may be in flux but service never ends. Actually, the job description for a servant is very simple and straightforward: “Do everything your Master commands.” Look at what Jesus said in the second half of verse 7 and verse 8: “Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’”?
The servant moves from outdoors to indoors, from day to evening, and from hard labor to home life. He goes from the fields to fixing food. A servant serves whenever, wherever, for whomever, and doing whatever it takes. We could say it this way, “It’s not break time yet.” We talk a lot about opportunities for service within the church, but we’re actually to be serving all the time. Matthew Henry has said that we must make “the end of one service the beginning of another…when we have been working for God, we must still wait on God…continually.”
I heard about a little girl who finally learned to tie her shoes. Instead of being excited, she was overcome with tears. Her dad bent down and asked her why she was crying. “I have to tie my shoes,” she said. Her dad responded, “You just learned how. It’s not that hard.” The little girl started wailing and said, “I know, but now I’m going to have to do it for the rest of my life.”
I suspect that some of us feel as if we have already put in our time. We have done the hard labor and now we feel as if it's time to sit and relax a bit. While we live, we are still servants. The location and intensity of our serving may change as the seasons of our lives change, but no Christ-follower has the option of sitting down to have his or her needs met, when there are still things to do.
One of the best biblical images of a single-minded resolve to deflect devotion from self to the Savior is found in Psalm 123:2, “As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God…”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_4EjXlLOIA

Brown's Daily Word 10-4-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with great weekend of gathering for fellowship and worship services, including the luncheon ministry Saturday noon at the First UMC in Endicott, Saturday Evening worship at the First UMC, and worship gatherings yesterday at Union Center UMC and The Wesley UMC.
Praise the Lord that He alive and well; He is upon the throne. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Luke 17. Jesus recognized that this is a sinful world in which we live, and that temptations come, but we do not have to be the channel for someone’s downfall. Jesus very bluntly told the disciples how serious this situation is. Jesus said in verse two, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” The point is that it is such a grave offense that it would be better to end their lives, than to be the cause of someone else stumbling in their spiritual walk or possibly even turning away from Jesus and thus missing Heaven.
What does he mean by this reference to "little ones" in verse two? I think there is an application to children; every parent here has felt the awesome responsibility in realizing that their children are going to reflect their lives and their values.
”World War II produced many heroes. One was Butch O’Hare, who was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. One day, while on a mission, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. Unable to complete his mission, he turned around and headed back for the aircraft carrier. As he headed back, he saw a squadron of Japanese Zeroes heading straight for the American fleet. All the American fighter planes were out on a sortie, leaving the fleet virtually defenseless.
He dove his plane into the formation of Japanese planes in a desperate move to divert them away from the fleet. After a frightening air battle, the Japanese airplanes broke off their assault on the fleet. Butch O’Hare’s tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. He was recognized as a hero and given one of the nation’s highest military honors. Later, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago was named after him.
Some years earlier, there was a man in Chicago called Easy Eddie. In those days, Al Capone virtually owned the city. Capone’s mob was involved in bootlegging booze, murder, and prostitution. Easy Eddie was Al Capone’s lawyer who kept Big Al out of jail. In return, Easy Eddie earned big money and lived like a king on an estate that filled an entire city block. However, Easy Eddie had one soft spot, and that was for a son whom he loved dearly. Eddie always saw to it that his son had the best of everything: clothes, cars, and a good education. Despite Eddie’s involvement with the mob, he tried to teach his son right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. There were, however, two things Eddie could not give his son — a good name and a good example.
Deciding that giving his son these two things was more important than lavishing him with riches, Eddie had to rectify the wrong he had done. He went to the authorities and told them the truth about Al Capone. Easy Eddie eventually testified in court against Al Capone and the mob. He knew the cost would be great, but he wanted to be an example to his son and leave him with a good name.
Within a year of testifying against the Mob, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. He had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer at the greatest price he would ever pay.
What do these stories have to do with one another? Butch O’Hare was Easy Eddie’s son. [Source: Bruce Cecil, Coachella, California] Easy Eddie realized that he was going to have an influence upon his son one way or the other, and he decided to do whatever was necessary to be a good influence.
The phrase “little ones” in Luke 17 probably has a wider application, also referring to spiritually young believers since they are the ones most likely to be negatively influenced by other’s actions and attitudes. Every one of us has an influence other Christians, for good or for ill. Thus we need to follow Jesus' words as stated in verse three, "Take heed to yourselves or Watch yourselves!" (v.3a)


In Christ,
Brown


Saturday Evening worship services
at : First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Ave., Endicott.
Sponsored by Union Center United Methodist Church.

Schedule for the remainder of October:
October 9, 2010
Music by Rev. William Pucky and his team
Preacher: Brown Naik
October 16, 2010
Music: Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Dave Hettinger
October 23, 2010
Music by Aric Phinney and team
Preacher: Rev Earle Cowden
October 30, 2010
Music by Laureen Naik and team
Preacher: Jeff Vansyckle

November 4, 2010 - There will be a Thanksgiving banquet. At 5 PM a traditional Thanksgiving menu will be served, including home made rolls and pies. Chef: Lou Pasquel 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.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVD53598hWI