Brown's Daily Word 6-8-12

Praise the Lord for this Friday. Sunday is coming. Just got a note from Sunita ans Andy. They are in Corfu , Greece, spending a week there. Praise the Lord for summer ministries as the Lord deploys His church around the corner and around the globe. Summer is not slumbering. It is for tilling the ground, planting the seeds, and getting ready for the harvest in His Kingdom. There is a verse in Hebrews which our friend warren Ayer brings to mind from time to time: Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."

I praise the Lord for the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord. I have been part of Family of God from my birth. I am so blessed .. beyond belief to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord. Whenever I think about the Church of Christ around the corner and around the globe I get excited. May the Lord continue to pour upon His church His grace, His anointing, and His power afresh in all seasons. May He provoke us to love Him and serve Him in season and out of season, for He is worthy.

What kind of contribution does one church make to its local community? More specifically, what’s one church worth—in purely financial terms? According to a 2009 survey, on average, every year one inner-city church contributed $476,663.24 to the local economy. That’s based on research by Ram Cnaan, a University of Pennsylvania professor who considers himself nonreligious. His 2011 survey concluded that one church alone, First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, contributed over $6,000,000 a year to the local economy (more than ten times its annual budget). Based on Cnaan’s research, some of First Baptist’s financial contributions include:
• Volunteer hours worked: $94,770 (weekly hours x 52 weeks x $20.25)
• Reduced crime rate: a reduction of $64,416 (crimes within neighborhood compared with surrounding neighborhoods x $2,210)
• Getting people off drugs and alcohol: $78,750 ($15,750 per person helped)
• Building enhancements/Capital campaign: $60,000 (estimates that half of expenses are spent locally)
• Helping people gain employment: $725,000 ($14,500 per arranged employment)
• Suicide prevention: $58,800 ($19,600 per person saved through clergy intervention)
• Divorces prevented: $22,500 ($900 per couple)
• K-12 School: $3,489,926 (# of students x $9,666)
In 2011 New York Times editorialist Nicholas Kristof wrote a column praising the work of many evangelical Christians. Kristof began by noting that at times evangelical leaders act hypocritically and don’t reflect Christ. However, he also went on to write: "But in reporting on poverty, disease and oppression, I’ve seen so many others. Evangelicals are disproportionately likely to donate 10 percent of their incomes to charities, mostly church-related. More important, go to the front lines, at home or abroad, in the battles against hunger, malaria, prison rape, obstetric fistula, human trafficking or genocide, and some of the bravest people you meet are evangelical Christians (or conservative Catholics, similar in many ways) who truly live their faith. I’m not particularly religious myself, but I stand in awe of those I’ve seen risking their lives in this way—and it sickens me to see that faith mocked at New York cocktail parties." Nicholas D. Kristof, "Evangelicals Without Blowhards," The New York Times (7-30-11)

Let us plan to be in the House of the Lord this coming Sunday, the Lord's day, in worship, praise, witness, and service. When the saints march in to battle, Satan trembles. Let us pray for the ministry of Jesus Christ around the world and around the corner. Let us invest our time, our talents, and the treasures the Lord has entrusted to us in His Kingdom to work in such a way that the gates of hell can not prevail against it.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/DSKnkqAOhpA

Super Summer Music Festival

Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 6:30 PM

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Musicians include: Aric Phinney, Yancey Moore,

David Berry, Emma Brunson, DianneGlann.

Weekly Television outreach:

Friday 7: PM

Time Warner Cable channel 4.

Brown's Daily Word 6-7-12

Thanks be to Jesus our Lord for another day in His Kingdom. He blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday gathering, with good food, sweet fellowship, and inspiring Bible study. We looked at Acts 2. The word "devoted" occurs twice in the chapter. There were devoted people gathered in Jerusalem. After the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, Peter preached the first sermon to the crowd. The Holy Spirit began to work in the hearts of those who listened the Good News. Three thousand put their faith in Christ. The believers devoted themselves to the fellowship, teaching, and mission of the church. The disciples, who became galvanized by the Spirit, went on to turn the world upside down. The disciples gave themselves up totally to the Lord and to His global cause. In the Old Testament we read about Elijah, who gave all to serve God and to be His prophet to a lost generation. His story reminds us of how adversity drives each of us deeper into God and develops us into the man or women God wants us to be.
Bill Hybel wrote in his book, "The Power of a Whisper", wrote, "Throughout history God has spoken. For millennia, he has forged his children’s faith by promising parted waters, empowering unlikely leaders, declaring world-changing prophecies - and imparting last-minute sermons to pastors who questioned whether he really would deliver. In short, our God is communicating God. Always has been, and always will be. And if there is one story in Scripture that goes to great lengths to prove this point, it’s the story of Elijah, the prophet described in 1 Kings as a man who was ‘zealous for God.’ There comes a point in Elijah’s remarkable ministry when his zealotry has fizzled to zero. He is ready to call it quits. “I’ve been working my heart out,” he says to God, and for what? “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me. Elijah felt undone, and perhaps the only thing that could improve his mood was a firsthand encounter with God. As the story goes, Elijah trekked into the desert and eventually collapsed from exhaustion under the shade of a tree…but eventually he ended up at Horeb…On Mount Horeb that day, Creator convened with creation, and one man’s life was forever changed. Regardless of what else Elijah might have later told his friends about this encounter - and about God himself - undoubtedly he had been a witness to two attributes at the very core of who God is: he’s relational and he is near. He is all-powerful, yes. He is righteous and holy too. He is sovereign, he majestic, he is magnificent, he is just. But what stunned Elijah on the side of the mountain-and what will stun you somebody if it hasn’t already-is that the same God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all everything, yearns to be in relationship with us. The God of the Scriptures is irrepressibly communal, hopelessly familial, and his whispers are still ours to hear” (Hybels, page 40-42).

We have heard the whisper of the Lord in the midst of the storms of life. That still quiet voice in the midst of a horrendous day. Life is crashing in all around us but our Lord is there. That quiet whisper in the midst of despair that says, “I am here!” Just rest and I will take care of you! In the midst of overwhelming grief that quiet voice blows into our ears and into our hearts and says, "All is well".
Maybe we hear it in the midst of a busy street with all the traffic rushing by. We walk by countless people with faces expressing, stress, tiredness, happiness, hurriedness, fear, hopelessness, business-like and emotionless. Maybe it’s in the moment of praise and worship on a Sunday morning. Sometimes, our Lord's whispers come to us in the middle of the night.
Elijah paid attention when his quiet encounter with the Lord occurred. Elijah was renewed. He went back to do as the Lord instructed him and once again confronted Ahab over the stealing of the vineyard from Nabal. He pronounced the Lord's judgment on Ahab that day. Elijah had become a different person because of his encounter that day and, encouraged by a vision of the Lord, he returned to confront the king and queen again over their evil doings. He did not run and hide, because he learned to completely trust in God’s provision.

The Lord, through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, galvanizes us to press on to finish it well. Blessed be His Name.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/C-lY8VQpSTY

Super Summer Music Festival

Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 6:30 PM

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Musicians include: Aric Phinney, Yancey Moore,

David Berry, Emma Brunson, Linda Glann,

and others.

Brown's Daily Word 6-6-12

Praise the Lord for this new day. We will gather for our Wednesday Evening fellowship and study beginning with supper at 6 PM. We will be looking at Acts 2. We will meet for the meal at 6 PM and for the study at 6:30 PM. Alice and I walked for three miles last evening. We are getting ready for sweet summer. We have heard from Sunita and Andy. They are blessed to be in Albania. This week they are traveling to Greece for a week.

Praise the Lord, for He is the maker of heaven and earth. It is a beautiful world. He makes all things glorious in His time. We are so blessed to be living close to the Finger Lakes and the great Lakes. It is such a blessing to be living close to the Atlantic Ocean. I have also been so blessed to have been able to the sea of Galilee several times. A few days ago we spent an afternoon at one of the Finger Lakes. It was brilliant. There were so many people with boats at lake resting and relaxing.

Our Lord spent considerable time with His disciples by the Lake and in the lake (the Sea of Galilee). We see Jesus and His disciples at the Sea of Galilee as it is recorded in Mathew 14. Peter and the disciples were struggling across the lake on a stormy night. They were tired, worn out, from rowing. In that moment of fatigue they saw something walking on the water coming to them. Terror and fear gripped their hearts. Jesus saw this and cried out, “Take Courage – it is I – Do not fear!” Peter, who became energized at this low point, asked to come meet Jesus. Then he got out of the boat and literally for a moment walked on the water. He experienced a miracle!
Jesus says come all of you who are burdened with life for I can lighten the load. JESUS says come - come - you are invited to be with me - I want you by my side, I want you to come - come on - come away with me. Leave the fear and take courage; it is I! Come be a part of a miracle!
We all at times find ourselves in difficult circumstances on the journey of life, struggling to move forward. We fight, we row against the wind of the world, we get tossed around like rag dolls, and we become tired and fatigued. Yet, in these moments we can see Jesus. We can if we take the time to listen so that we may hear his voice, “Take courage – It is I – Do not be afraid!”
Jesus sent the disciples on ahead of Him in the boat, telling them that he would meet with them on the other side. He dismissed the crowd that he had just miraculously fed - over 5,000 people. He told them all to go home!
Jesus was never one to be a crowd pleaser or one to hang onto the crowds. His wisdom and understanding, which transcends ours thought pattern, were so different. His priorities were not focused on pleasing the crowd. Jesus caught up with the boat as he walked atop the water. think about this sight for a moment - He was walking on the water, the lake was unfrozen, defying gravity. He was super-naturally walking on water and not sinking. Beyond this amazing feat, the text tells us that the boat was being beaten by the waves and the winds so that the skilled fishermen were not making much headway in the sea. The wind was beating against the front of the boat; they were struggling but Jesus came to them, walking right toward them on the water and the waves, heading right for the disciples. The disciples, consumed with fear, cried out, "It’s a ghost! It’s a coming to get us!" Jesus yelled out to them, "Take courage!"

We find ourselves in those places and moments, when a dark windy and stormy night and fear take hold of our hearts and minds. The journey of life is hard. It’s dark sometimes and sometimes we feel tossed around, fighting against the winds of the world. The boat of life seems to be going nowhere. We become tired and worn out, and it is then that Satan always likes to torment our minds with fear. Then we see something moving toward us that looks like a ghost - a demon - a tormentor - so we panic - we scream - we cry out because we are so tired and exhausted!
Then we hear a voice saying, "Take courage. It is I Don’t be afraid. I have come to you. Jesus can be heard and seen in the darkness of the night - in the midst of fear and fatigue!

When Peter responded to Jesus' voice and saw him walking on the water, he responded with a request: "Jesus can I come to you?" Only Peter, among the disciples, knew the shame of the public failure. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on water. He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own, then feeling euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it. Once you walk on water, you will never forget it, not for the rest of your life!

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/jagoM0WSSu4

Super Summer Music Festival.

Saturday, June 30,2012

6:30 PM

Location: First United Methodist Church,

53 McKinley Ave., Endicott Ny 13760

Sponsored b:y the Union Center United Methodist Church.

Musicians include:

Aric Phinney,

Yancey Moore,

David Berry

Emma Brunson,

Linda Glann and others.

Brown's Daily Word 6-5-12

Praise the Lord for the gift of faith the Lord bestows on us. Faith is a common denominator among all persons. Every one alive daily expresses faith in something or somebody. No one can live a single day without exercising faith – at least faith in the physical world. Faith is also expressed in the spiritual realm. Each of us, regardless of our background, or education, social status or talent can express faith. ,The difference between the faith we exercise in our daily routine and our spirtual faith is the object of that faith. Again, everyone places their faith in something or someone. The humanist put his faith in himself. The follower of religion puts faith in his own good works. vNone of these can save, because in each case the object of faith is wrong.v Our faith is only as good as the object in which we place our faith. vThe Bible insists that we personally put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I love to read the " Faith Chapter " in Hebrews 11. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
True faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances or consequences. Faith is described in a two-fold way. It is the “substance of things hoped for,” and “the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the foundation that gives the believer the confidence to stand. In other words, “faith is the confidence of things hoped for.” This confidence was well illustrated in the life of the missionary to China, Hudson Taylor. “When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was caught in a calm., and it was slowly drifting toward the shore …and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast. The captain came to Mr. Taylor and sought him to pray for the help of God. ‘I will,’ said Taylor, ‘provided you set your sails to catch the breeze.’ The Captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling the sails in a dead calm. Taylor said, ‘I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails.’ And it was done. While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom. “Who is there?” The captains voice responded, ‘Are your still praying for wind?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Well,’ said the captain ‘you better stop praying for we have more wind than we can manage.’” [Paul Lee Tan. Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations. (Rockville, Maryland: Assurance Publishers, 1979). # 1493]
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” The story of Noah’s generation is the story of the degeneration of humanity into sin. (Gen 6:5-7). “The wickedness of man was great… every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen 6: 5, 11) It is also the story of the marvelous grace of God, in saving Noah, who believed, and his family. Noah stood alone against the whole world. Jesus used the “days of Noah” as representative of the condition of the world before his own second coming (Matt. 24:37-39). He indicated that his followers should be prepared to face the same kind of scornful hostility that Noah met day after day.
Noah built an Ark because he believed God. Every tree he felled shouted faith. Every board he sawed shouted faith. Every swing of his hammer was an exercise in faith. Every seam to which he applied pitch evidenced his faith. Do our works reflect our faith? Faith will make us work. Only Noah's steadfast belief in God kept him faithful for the 120 years cutting the trees and planning the construction of the Ark.
The ark was 450 feet long, 75 ft wide and 45 ft. high, which means that it was one and a half times the length of a football field and more than four stories high, it could hardly hide from the ridicule of the scoffers. Imagine the mockery and jeering that Noah must have faced on a daily basis as he built this huge ship. It was a hundred miles from the nearest ocean and far too large to move closer to water. Though all the people around him refused to believe Noah’s witness concerning the coming flood he, in faith, went right on working and witnessing, building the ark and warning of the coming judgement. Then, as a final act of faith, he and his family stepped into the ark and closed the door.
Noah was a man of faith and his life continually showed his faith. Can the same be said of us? Noah worshiped God faithfully as Abel had, he walked with God faithfully as Enoch had, and he worked for God faithfully.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/9YMtxD7N9ks

Brown's Daily Word 6-4-12

Praise the Lord for this new day. Last week I attended the annual conference of our church that was held in the Oncenter in Syracuse. The theme for the conference was, "Called to till". Praise the Lord for the Church of Jesus Christ . He has built His church upon His Rock; the gates of hell can not prevail against it. The Church is the only body on earth under the same management for over 2000 years. I am so blessed to be loved by Jesus and called to be part of His Church. It is a high honor to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

I have been watching a portion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the queen of England. The English know how to celebrate with great grandeur and pomp. The monarch of England is traditionally known as the defender of the faith. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is at work through the work of the Holy Spirit around the corner and around the globe reconciling the world unto Himself. He is in the business of restoration and reconciliation. He calls us to be partners in His miracles.

I was reading from Joel 2 as part of the celebration of Pentecost in the life of the church. “I will repay you for the years the Locust have eaten — the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.” “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.”
I can not think of a better promise to claim either as an individual Disciple of Jesus Christ or collectively as His Body than this one as we enter the summer season. The image “have eaten” paints a literal picture of something that has been completely, totally destroyed.

God speaks again through the prophet Amos in Amos 4:9 and says, “‘Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew.
Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,’
declares the LORD.”

The fruit of those fig and olive trees were totally destroyed in the same vein
as in the 1870's when the Great Plains were “utterly barren, with only holes in the ground where wheat or range grasses had been.” The Lord promises, “I will repay you,” meaning nothing less than “I will restore, I will bring the gardens and the vineyards back to their original productive state."
Often our lives seem to be devastated from years of destruction because the locusts have consumed. We all experience disappointments, we all have regrets, and we all have made mistakes and experienced neglected opportunities. Each of us has made wrong decisions that can not be reversed. Perhaps there is even sin that remains unconfessed. Whatever the locusts have destroyed, God is able to restore. The past cannot be reversed, but in Christ we all can have a new beginning.
I appreciate Nicky Gumbel’s observation in one of his awesome Alpha talks. He reminds us that we all wish we could have a dress rehearsal for life. In a dress rehearsal you can make all the mistakes possible, but you then have the opportunity to “get it all right” in the actual performance. Nicky says, “Unfortunately that is not possible; from the moment we are born, we are all on stage.” We can not reverse the mistakes of our past, but Jesus promises us a new beginning, “I will restore the years the locust have devoured.”
Oswald Chambers once said it so well in a devotional from "My Utmost for His Highest": “Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”
He is always there to “restore our years the locusts have eaten.”

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/itUNSwS4q9E