Brown's Daily Word 11-4-11

 

Good morning,

    Praise be to Jesus for this new day full of His promises full of His fresh grace.  Those of you live in the area, please join us for our weekly Television outreach this evening on Time Warner Cable channel 4 at 7 PM.   Plan to gather to worship the Living Lord where ever you might be this coming Lord's day.  Satan trembles when the saints of Jesus gather with grateful hearts  to declare that Salvation belongs to our God, who is upon the throne. 

    We will have a service of Death and Resurrection for Edward Hower who entered the Church Triumphant yesterday.  This service will be held on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 11 AM at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott.  This is the church that Ed Hower loved and served the Lord from.

    Ed Hower lived a life of humility, simplicity and deep joy. though he had some health concerns.  He did not let his health concerns imprison him or confine him in any fashion.  He was free to serve the Lord with selflessness, and self-forgetfulness.  He had a heart of obedience to to Jesus.

     As Paul wrote the book of Philippians he was imprisoned.  Life wasn’t easy at that point in time, yet the book of Philippians is known as the “epistle of joy”.  I am sure it was quite a temptation for Paul to sit in jail and make comparisons. He may have thought about his other preacher friends who were free still to go about and preach, or he may have looked at his guards and envied their freedom.  However, Paul did not get bogged down with comparisons.  Rather, he made clear that he was content with where he was in life.  That is truly significant.
    We love to compare ourselves with others.  We look at their cars, their houses, their things, maybe even their talents or looks and then begin to compare ourselves to them.  We convince ourselves that we are as deserving as they are. Contentment, however, comes from within and not from what happens around us, or our circumstances.  The truth is that we cannot always choose the circumstances, but we can choose our attitude.  I cannot always choose what will happen to me, but I can choose how I will respond.
    During World War II, Dr. Victor Frankl was imprisoned at Auschwitz, where he was stripped of his identity as a medical doctor and forced to work as a common laborer.  His father, mother, brother, and wife died in the concentration camps.  All his notes, which represented his life, were destroyed.  Yet, Frankl emerged from Auschwitz believing that "everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances."
    A 12 year old boy named David was born without an immune system.  He underwent a bone marrow transplant in order to correct the deficiency.  Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria, and viruses that could kill him.  He lived without ever knowing human contact.  When asked what he’d like to do if and when released from his protective bubble, he replied, "I want to walk barefoot on grass, and touch my mother’s hand."
    When I hear stories like that I am humbled and feel guilty that my longings are for such trivial things, when some people long for that which I have and take for granted day in and day out.

 

 Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing... a grateful heart! George Herbert ...

   In Christ,

     Brown

 http://youtu.be/Y1WmzRxBGFY

 Saturday , November 5.2011

                       Praise and worship service:

                        First United Methodist Church , Endicott

                            Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

                        6PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

                        6.30PM  Worship

                         Music:  Laureen  Naik                        

                        Speaker:  Rev William  Turner            

Brown's Daily Word 11-3-11

 

Good morning,

    Praise the Lord for this new day in His kingdom.  All honor and power belongs to Him.  He is the author of our salvation .  He is the author and the finisher of our faith.  The Lord blessed us a beautiful Wednesday Evening gathering. Today our oldest grand daughter, Micah, celebrates her 6th birthday in Boston.  We love Micah to pieces.  She is one of the most beautiful little girls I know all over the world.  She is  bright and brilliant.  Best of all she loves Jesus.  She loves His church.

    We received a news from England yesterday that our dear friend Bruce Henry went to be with Jesus our Lord.  Bruce and Joyce Henry served in India as missionaries for many years. They were Christ's blessing to us and to many many people in the State of Orissa , India.  While I was in Oxford last year I had visited Bruce and Joyce Henry in Worthing, UK.  Joyce was in a nursing home there. Bruce , Susan, and I visited Joyce one afternoon in July last year. We had a beautiful conversation and prayer I prayed with her in our Indian language.  We left Joyce that afternoon, and she died that very same night  and entered the Eternal City.  Bruce kept living in his own house.  He was 93 yers old when he died on all Saints Eve( October 31).  Bruce was a veteran missionary.  He was a Bible translator and lover of people because he was a first and foremost a lover of Jesus.  During of visits to UK we all had stayed with them.  They also had visited us in the USA three times. They were grandparents to our children.  In addition to  being a missionary Bruce was a very accomplished artist.  His works were sold at the Christies of London.   

    In addition to the death of our friend Bruce, we are also praying for home missionary Ed Hower, who suffered a severe heart attack last Saturday and has been on  life support since that time.  The family has made decision to take him of the life support. 

    We praise the Lord for these saints of Jesus, one a missionary in foreign land and one a missionary at home and  around the corner.  The Bible makes the  audacious declaration in Psalm 116:15.  "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints".  WOW!

    Charles Spurgeon, the great English Victorian preacher wrote of the death of Richard Baxter, the great Puritan preacher.  As Baxter lay dying some friends came to see him.  They asked him what we all asked at times like that, “How are you doing?”  Baxter was weak and obviously near death, but with great effort he answered.  “I am almost well”, he said.  Spurgeon explained, “Death cures; it is the best medicine, for they who die are not only almost well, but healed forever.  You will see, then ... the aspect of death is altogether altered from that appearance in which men commonly behold it.  Death to the saints is not a penalty, it is not destruction, it is not even a loss.” 

    Precious is the death of his saints.  We have difficulty understanding that.  While playing in his grandmother's backyard, a small child happened upon some beautiful little blue eggs in a bird’s nest.  It was as if he had discovered a great treasure all his own.  He knew enough not touch them.  When it came time to leave, his Grandmother promised to keep an eye on his precious treasure until he returned.  Several weeks past before the lad came again.  He immediately ran to the backyard to check on his eggs.  Immediately he ran back to the house with tears streaming down his face.  "Grandma," he cried, "Someone has destroyed my beautiful eggs.  Nothing is left but a few pieces of broken shell.  My treasure is gone!"
    Grandma comforted the lad and explained, "Child, there is no destruction.  There were little birds within those eggs.  They have flown away.  They are singing now among the branches of the trees.  The eggs are not wasted, child.  Your treasure is even greater now.  It really is!"
    Precious is the death of his saints.  Psalm is really about life not death.  It speaks of the protection the Lord provides in times of trouble and danger.  It is a reminder about how much God values us in life and death, especially life.  Listen to how the Psalm 116 begins.  “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.  The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!”  The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”
    Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints because God doesn’t take our life or death lightly.  We matter to him.  Humans are the crown of his creation, more valuable than the greatest treasure.  He fashioned us from the dust of the earth, but he made us in his own image.  We bear his likeness.  We are precious to our God in life and in death.
    Our God values us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior by paying the ultimate price for our sins on the cross.  Regardless of who we are, where we live, what we have, or what we have done, he offers us the free gift of forgiveness and life everlasting though faith in Jesus Christ.  “Precious is the death of his saints.”  

    Philippians 1:3

 In Christ,

  Brown
http://youtu.be/KrbU341Y7Y4

 

Saturday , November 5.2011

                       Praise and worship service:

                        First United Methodist Church , Endicott

                            Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

                        6PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

                        6.30PM  Worship

                         Music:  Laureen  Naik                        

                        Speaker:  Rev William  Turner       

Brown's Daily Word 11-2-11

 

Good morning,

    Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of  all creation.  It is going to be one of the ten best days of November.  We will met for our Mid-week gathering with a meal at 6.00 PM.  A young couple, missionaries to Papua , New Guinea, will be joining us  this evening. 

    I spent some time yesterday in a stone quarry located on the top of a mountain.  I know the operator of the quarry. I married him and his wife 31 years ago this month.  It was a glorious day to travel to the quarry.  We saw some dear grazing unhurriedly.  The colors on the  mighty oaks are still brilliant. 

    I was born in a village surrounded by majestic mountains.  Most the villagers worshipped these mountains, offering animal sacrifices to them.  These mountains are located 7000 feet above the sea level.  When we were young wild elephants, wild buffaloes, and tigers roamed there.  My dad was a hunter who, in his lifetime,  killed 33 tigers and scores deer and  other wild animals for meat.  We grew up on  wild meat.  

    While visiting the mountain yesterday I was reminded of the beautiful mountains back in Orissa, India.  Alice and I walked for over 4 miles under the moonlit and starry sky last night.  It was brilliant and the brilliantly starry sky was stunning. 

    I have been reading from Psalm 121 this morning.  This Psalm is called  the “Songs of Ascent”, sung by Jews traveling to Jerusalem for the high holy days. We read in the Gospels how Jesus as a boy of twelve made the pilgrimage with his parents.  It is very likely that He sang these psalms, and later sang them with His disciples.  Today many people continue to recite Psalm 121 at the beginning of a journey.  It has been called the “Traveler’s Psalm” and is an affirmation of God’s powerful and providential protection.
    Isaac Bashevis Singer once confessed, “I only pray when I’m in trouble…but I’m in trouble all the time, and so I pray all the time.”  Where do we turn when we’re in trouble, when life hits us hard?  Where does our help come from?  There have been times in our lives when we can look back at an instance and say, “If it weren’t for God’s protection, I would have been killed.”  What sustains us in our darkest hours?  The reassurance of Psalm 121 brings us from fear to faith.
    Many people are blindsided by the beauty of the opening statement of Psalm 121, and have misunderstood the author’s intent.  We picture someone being inspired by a mountain range, finding strength in the rugged, hilly landscape. Part of the problem that strengthens this misconception is the King James rendering: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”  Yet, the hills are exactly where the psalmist does NOT find strength. He looks higher than the hills. The NIV correctly puts it in the form of a question, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”  Then the answer is immediately given,

 “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” 

    One name for God is El-Shaddai, “the most high God”.  He is above all others; He is our “higher power”.
    Heathen/Gentile nations worshipped and feared the sun and the moon, and people today continue to trust in the stars (astrology/horoscopes).  The psalmist looked beyond the hills, beyond the sun, moon, and stars to the One who stood on the edge of nothing and spoke the universe into existence. We are assured on the text, “the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night” (vs 4).  Wiccan, Native American, and New Age religions continue to worship nature instead of its Creator.  This is known as pantheism.  

    The prophet Jeremiah declared, “Truly the hills are a delusion—the idolatrous commotion on the mountains” (3:23).  Jesus assured us, “I am with you always.”  We don’t need any “supplemental help” from the sun or the moon.
    Though we may worship nature or bow down to idols, yet we are still susceptible to idolatry, trusting in anything other than God.  An idol is anything we love, rely on, and obey more than God.
    Our help is heavenward, not earthbound.  We cry out for help, and our help comes “from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (vs 2).  To look anywhere else ends in futility and disappointment.  Vs 3 declares that God “will not let your foot slip.”  We find our security in God.  Roads in ancient Israel were strewn with dangerous rocks and stones, and robbers were a constant threat.  This was before the time of the New Testament in which protected Roman roads which made travel much safer than it had been previously.  

    The brief book of Jude says that God is “able to keep us from stumbling” (vs 24). Peter assured us that we are “kept by the power of God” (I Peter 1:5).  Though the paths of life are often difficult and perilous, God will not allow our feet to slip.
    Psalm 121 helps us meet straight-on the issue of how to deal with fears and insecurities in a dangerous world.  For instance, when the Israelites made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem their homes were left unprotected.  We are assured in vs 3 that God “will not slumber nor sleep”.  He watches over us every step of the way. He is with us.  Soldiers can rest from battle because guards are placed along the perimeter.  In the same way, we are garrisoned by the eyes of God’s Providence night and day.
    Verse 5 says that God is our “shade” on our right hand.  The desert is an unforgiving place where the sun burns and the unrelenting heat can sap our strength.  In the Middle East it can get up to 120 degrees in the Summer months. Next in the text the Psalmist assured us that the moon won’t harm us by night(?). People have long feared the power of the moon to affect their minds.  People still say all sorts of craziness can happen during a full moon.  Being “moonstruck” is to become unstable, to lose one’s reason.  The word “lunacy” comes from the word Luna, another name for the moon.  If we walk with God, He will guard and renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2).  Verse 7 says that God will keep us from “harm”.  This could be translated “evil” (RSV). The Christian life isn’t a quiet garden of escape where we can walk and talk with our Lord; rather, it’s finding strength in the midst of trying circumstances in a difficult world.

    Phillips Brooks, renowned pastor of Boston’s Trinity Church, stated, “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers.  Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”

   In Christ,

      Brown

http://youtu.be/Wlvb14tiQow

 Saturday , November 5.2011

                       Praise and worship service:

                        First United Methodist Church , Endicott

                            Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

                        6PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

                        6.30PM  Worship

                         Music:  Laureen  Naik                        

                        Speaker:  Rev William  Turner            

Brown's Daily Word 11-1-11

 

Good morning,

    Praise be to Jesus for this new day.  Alice and I walked for about four miles late last evening.  Praise the Lord He gives us the strength to walk almost every evening.  It is getting colder, but it is always invigorating. 

    It is All Saints Day in the church Calendar.  Looking at the wonderful working of our Lord in the lives of His people in Salvation History, we discover that previously God had used “the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night” as symbols of his leading, presence and protection.  God then chose to lead the people in a new way, by the “Ark of the covenant.”  The ark has fascinated people for over three thousand years.  The ark symbolized the presence and power of God with His people.
    The presence of the Ark represented the person and promises of God.  Having it lead the way pointed to the fact that as the people of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, to invade and possess the land, they must do so not in their own strength, but in God’s.  It was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory.
    When we face times of crisis or when we need direction in life, we need to learn to be sensitive to the movement of the Lord in and around us.  When God is at work among us and around us we cannot help but expect to hear the call to go forward.  When God is at work, we are sometimes moved right out of our comfort zones into the path of new opportunities.
    If we  are facing a raging Jordan today, it may be our river of opportunity.  How many times has God called then waited for us to step out in faith?  He waits for us to be willing to get our feet wet.  Most of us, however, are not risk takers.  We don’t like it much when we face the truly defining moments, when God asks us to cross over.  We as humans like to hold on to the familiar, but God wants us to be people who are willing to grow and expand, and claim new territory.
    There are plenty of crossover times in life. Along with hope and joy there are also problems, which we simply have neither the strength nor the wisdom to meet.
In their minds some people consider a particular age to be a crossover point.  Sometimes people think that at some magical age we will be more alive than we are today.  On the contrary, we will never be more alive in this life than we are at this moment.  
    Disease and sickness can be very dramatic crossover events.  Although these can be new and frightening pathways, nothing is new to God.  God has promised to never leave us or abandon us. 

    The most life-changing crossover is the moment we make the spiritual decision to open our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ; to recognize the destructiveness of our lives and to turn to him and receive his forgiveness.
    Death is the ultimate crossover moment.  Death is also the final cross-over moment.  The apostle Paul called it the last great enemy, but the reality is that Christ has promised us that He has taken the sting out of death.  The victory is His. Christ walks with us even through “that” Jordan.
    Again, today is All Saints day in our Church Calendar.  Praise the Lord for all the saints who have gone before us and have crossed the river Jordan and stepped on to the Eternal City, the Promised Land, the New Jerusalem.  Remember as we stand to face our crossover moments whatever they may be, as we are confronted and challenged with what is frightening but also thrilling in terms of opportunity that crossovers create new opportunities and broadened horizons.  The end result of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River was that God was magnified; Joshua was exalted, the people were energized and motivated, and the people of Canaan were terrorized.

 In Christ,

  Brown

    http://youtu.be/3qEjRLlL9iE

 Saturday , November 5.2011

                       Praise and worship service:

                        First United Methodist Church , Endicott

                            Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

                        6PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

                        6.30PM  Worship

                         Music:  Laureen  Naik                        

                        Speaker:  Rev William  Turner          

Brown's Daily Word 10-31-11

 

Good morning,

    The Lord blessed us with a Spirit-filled weekend.  The Evening of music and celebration on Saturday Evening at the Historic First United Methodist Church in Endicott was anointed and powerful.  Various musicians presented numbers on grand piano, grand organ, guitar, and voice.  It was great blessing.  The Lord blessed us with a joyful and celebrative day in His House yesterday.  It is a great thrill and joy to worship the Living Lord. 

    One of the readings for yesterday  was taken from Joshua 3, the story of a group of people who refused to be paralyzed by the dangers of the times in which they lived.  Many people are familiar with the crossing of the Red Sea, but not as many are familiar with this crossing of the Jordan river when the people of Israel came into the promised land.  Yet, it was the dramatic story in their history of God’s deliverance from Egypt and parting the Red Sea that gave them the faith to be able to cross the Jordan.  It was God’s powerful hand of deliverance in the past that gave them the faith to face the challenges in their future.  They knew they were going to face dangers in the future, but they knew they were going to face them with God — a God who makes a way even when there is no way.  There had been no way through the Red Sea, and there was no way through the Jordan during flood season.  In spite of the apparent impossibilities, God made a way.

    Though God made a way, it was not a guarantee that it would be easy. God is always faithful, but doing his will is not always easy.  The Lord says to us what he said to Joshua, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).  He says to us what he said to Isaiah, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3).  There will be high waters and hot fires, but the Lord will be with us and save us.
    Over and over in the book of Joshua we hear the words, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Be strong and courageous.”  God is calling us today to be strong and courageous.  The Israelites of the previous generation passed through the Red Sea after God parted the waters and the dry ground appeared, but in crossing the Jordan the water did not part until the priests actually placed their feet in the water.  Not only was there water in the river, but it was at flood stage.  The water was raging.  The priests came closer and closer to the swirling water’s edge, but nothing happened until they actually stepped into the flood.  God is helping us  to understand that the dangers and difficulties ahead are to be an adventure in faith.  He says to us, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
    One of the hymns we sang yesterday was "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".   There is a strange word " Ebenezer' in the hymn, which refers to "the stone of Help".  Maybe each of us needs to set up an Ebenezer, a “stone of help” as a reminder of the Lord's help for us in our lives.  It could be in the form of a writing, a plaque, a picture, a marking, an object, a trip, a celebration.  Think of some creative way that you can mark a significant event in your life where you say, “This far has the Lord helped us, and we know he will take us the rest of the way.” Let it be a permanent testimony to those who come after us .
    Hudson Taylor was the missionary who founded China Inland Mission.  In his home he kept a plaque with these Hebrew Words on it: EBENEZER, meaning “Stone of help,” and JEHOVAH JIREH: “The Lord is my Provider.”  One of the plaques looked back at what God had done and how he had helped in the past, and the other looked forward to how he believed God would provide in the future. One reminded him of God’s help and faithfulness, and the other helped him to focus on God’s provision and assurance of help in the days to come.
    As we begin this brand new week and (tomorrow) a brand new month, let’s raise an Ebenezer to God’s faithfulness in the past, and let’s believe that God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.

   In Christ,

     Brown

 http://youtu.be/FG5ZhFN1DXk

 

 Saturday , November 5.2011

                       Praise and worship service:

                        First United Methodist Church , Endicott

                            Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

                        6PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

                        6.30PM  Worship

                         Music:  Laureen  Naik                        

                        Speaker:  Rev William  Turner