Saturday, October 6, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
Brown's Daily Word 10-5-12
Praise the Lord for this First Friday of October. We learned yesterday
about the death of my wife's first cousin, Peter Maynard, who died after a brief
illness. Peter was the first of the Maynard cousins in her generation to pass
out of this world and into the arms of Jesus. Peter and his wife Linda were
married for 41 years. Peter was a farmer, and on the farm he was a tractor
technician. When I first came to the USA in Septmber, 1974 Peter and Linda
welcomed me into the family with much kindness and grace. Peter was soft spoken
with a beautiful heart. He loved the Lord, he loved the land, and he loved to
farm. He was a believer in Jesus Christ. We know He is with Jesus our
Lord.
Sunita flew back to Washington, DC yesterday after being away for
almost two weeks in Rumania. The Lord blessed her visit and He granted her
great favor with the people of Rumania.
We are planning for our annual prayer conference starting next Friday.
Those of you live in the area,please join us. This will be a great time of
praise and prayer. We have seen the Lord perform many miracles during the past
prayer conferences. We are trusting the Lord for His continuous
miracles.
Peter Kreeft, a Roman Catholic theologian, says, “We have time and prayer backwards. We think time determines prayer, but prayer determines time. We think our lack of time is the cause of our lack of prayer, but our lack of prayer is the cause of our lack of time. When a little boy offered Christ five loaves and two fishes, he multiplied them miraculously. He does the same with our time, but only if we offer it to him in prayer. This is literally miraculous, yet I know it happens from repeated experience. Every day that I say I am too busy to pray, I seem to have no time, accomplish little, and feel frazzled and enslaved by time. Every day that I say I’m too busy not to pray, every time I offer some time-loaves and life-fishes to Christ, he miraculously multiplies them and I share his conquest of time. I have no idea how he does it, I know that he does it, time after time. And yet I resist sacrificing my loaves and fishes to him. I am an idiot. That’s one of the things original sin means: spiritual insanity, preferring misery to joy, little bits of hell to little bits of heaven. We must restore our spiritual sanity. One giant step in that direction is to think truly about time.”
One Christian leader kept a sign on his desk that read, “Beware of the Barrenness of a Busy Life.” Our lives can be extremely shallow and barren as we get caught in the rush of things to do. Some call it the “tyranny of the urgent” — the urgent replaces the important and our lives become drained as a result. The Bible says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
From the book "Springs in the Valley" comes this story which occurred during African colonial history: “In the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler was making a long trek. Workers had been engaged from a tribe to carry the loads. The first day they marched rapidly and went far. The traveler had high hopes of a speedy journey. But the second morning these jungle tribesmen refused to move. For some strange reason they just sat and rested. On inquiry as to the reason for this strange behavior, the traveler was informed that they had gone too fast the first day, and that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies.”
We need to take Christ seriously when he said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.( Mathew 11). Again it is written “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
Joni Eareckson tells a story of how prayer works. She wrote, “It all began when I received a letter from a quadriplegic in China. He had recently come to Christ and now saw his disabled friends as his mission field. He couldn’t use his hands, and so he needed a power wheelchair to get around. He wrote, asking for help. I thought, ‘Where am I going to get such a chair, and how will we get it to China?’ At the same time, I received a late-night call from John, a friend in Ohio. His disabled wife had recently passed away. ‘We just purchased a new $20,000 power chair. My wife hardly used it. Think you can find someone who needs it?’ Remembering the quadriplegic in China, I blurted, ‘Of course!’ Then I wondered, ‘How are we going to get a hold of this wheelchair? There’s crating and shipping and...’ Before I could say another thing, John added, ‘We received some financial gifts at the funeral... I’d love to cover the costs of sending this chair to whoever needs it, no matter how far away.’ I was breathless. I told John about the man in China. We rejoiced together, utterly amazed at how the eyes of the Lord were on a quadriplegic on the other side of the earth... his eyes were on a widower in Ohio with a slightly used wheelchair, too. And the Lord wanted to strengthen the hearts of both! It happens in China. It happens in Ohio. And it can happen to you. Of all the places in the earth, God has his eyes on you.”
Peter Kreeft, a Roman Catholic theologian, says, “We have time and prayer backwards. We think time determines prayer, but prayer determines time. We think our lack of time is the cause of our lack of prayer, but our lack of prayer is the cause of our lack of time. When a little boy offered Christ five loaves and two fishes, he multiplied them miraculously. He does the same with our time, but only if we offer it to him in prayer. This is literally miraculous, yet I know it happens from repeated experience. Every day that I say I am too busy to pray, I seem to have no time, accomplish little, and feel frazzled and enslaved by time. Every day that I say I’m too busy not to pray, every time I offer some time-loaves and life-fishes to Christ, he miraculously multiplies them and I share his conquest of time. I have no idea how he does it, I know that he does it, time after time. And yet I resist sacrificing my loaves and fishes to him. I am an idiot. That’s one of the things original sin means: spiritual insanity, preferring misery to joy, little bits of hell to little bits of heaven. We must restore our spiritual sanity. One giant step in that direction is to think truly about time.”
One Christian leader kept a sign on his desk that read, “Beware of the Barrenness of a Busy Life.” Our lives can be extremely shallow and barren as we get caught in the rush of things to do. Some call it the “tyranny of the urgent” — the urgent replaces the important and our lives become drained as a result. The Bible says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
From the book "Springs in the Valley" comes this story which occurred during African colonial history: “In the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler was making a long trek. Workers had been engaged from a tribe to carry the loads. The first day they marched rapidly and went far. The traveler had high hopes of a speedy journey. But the second morning these jungle tribesmen refused to move. For some strange reason they just sat and rested. On inquiry as to the reason for this strange behavior, the traveler was informed that they had gone too fast the first day, and that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies.”
We need to take Christ seriously when he said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.( Mathew 11). Again it is written “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
Joni Eareckson tells a story of how prayer works. She wrote, “It all began when I received a letter from a quadriplegic in China. He had recently come to Christ and now saw his disabled friends as his mission field. He couldn’t use his hands, and so he needed a power wheelchair to get around. He wrote, asking for help. I thought, ‘Where am I going to get such a chair, and how will we get it to China?’ At the same time, I received a late-night call from John, a friend in Ohio. His disabled wife had recently passed away. ‘We just purchased a new $20,000 power chair. My wife hardly used it. Think you can find someone who needs it?’ Remembering the quadriplegic in China, I blurted, ‘Of course!’ Then I wondered, ‘How are we going to get a hold of this wheelchair? There’s crating and shipping and...’ Before I could say another thing, John added, ‘We received some financial gifts at the funeral... I’d love to cover the costs of sending this chair to whoever needs it, no matter how far away.’ I was breathless. I told John about the man in China. We rejoiced together, utterly amazed at how the eyes of the Lord were on a quadriplegic on the other side of the earth... his eyes were on a widower in Ohio with a slightly used wheelchair, too. And the Lord wanted to strengthen the hearts of both! It happens in China. It happens in Ohio. And it can happen to you. Of all the places in the earth, God has his eyes on you.”
In Christ,
Saturday October 6,
2012
5:30 PM October
Festival with Food, Fellowship, Testimonies, and Hymn Sing
at
Wesley UMC,
1000 Day
Hollow Road, Endicott.
Sunday October 7,
2012
Family Breakfast at
7:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Gary
Smith, Ph D, from Binghamton University
Location:
Union
Center United Methodist Church. 128 Maple Drive Endicott
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,
2012
- Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
- Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather in the sanctuary of the Union Center United Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
- Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
- 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for a NEW YORK PIZZA Party
- 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
- Sunday, October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
- 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
- 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference
are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN,
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob
Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington,
DC).
The leaders and members of the
Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen
Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Brown's Daily Word 10-4-12
Praise the Lord
this new day. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening gathering
for fellowship and study. The food prepared by new cooks was fantastic. The
fellowship was sweet and the Study, "A Life God Rewards", was very provocative
and powerful.
In light of the
last night study I was reflecting on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
found in Mathew 20. In this parable Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is
like a landowner that went out and hired workers for his vineyard. Some he hired
early in the day, telling them that he would pay them the usual daily wage. He
went back at various times of the day and found more workers waiting to be
hired. Each time he hired those that were there, telling them that he would pay
them what was right. We are not told why some had not found work or if they had
shown up at the marketplace late or any other details. At the end of the day
came to pay the workers. He began with the ones most recently hired and he paid
them the usual daily wage. That excited the ones who had been there all day.
They thought that surely if he paid the late ones that much he obviously would
pay them even more for all their hard work. Their excitement was short lived. In
fact, they were pretty upset when they got the same pay working all day as what
people got who only worked an hour. When the landowner heard them grumbling, he
tried to explain that he wasn’t unfair at all. He gave them what they had agreed
upon, but it was his money and he could be generous if that is what he chose to
do. What the landowner did know about is grace. The workers that came at the end
of the day didn’t get what they deserved they got grace .
Of course in the parable the landowner is God; the workers are us. First of all, the parable says that grace is to be received, not deserved. For all of us who are people of faith, we know that we do not deserve God’s grace. Nothing that we can do will put us in a position of deserving God’s grace. All we can do is receive the gift that God offers to us.
David Seamands, who spent in India as missionary along with siblings for many decades, ends his book Healing Grace with this story. For more than six hundred years the Hapsburgs exercised political power in Europe. When Emperor Franz-Josef I of Austria died in 1916, his was the last of the extravagant imperial funerals. A processional of dignitaries and elegantly dressed court personages escorted the casket, which was draped in the black and gold imperial colors. To the accompaniment of a military band’s somber dirges and by the light of torches, the somber group descended the stairs of the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna. At the bottom was a great iron door leading to the Hapsburg family crypt. Behind the door was the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna.
The officer in charge followed the prescribed ceremony, established centuries before. “Open!” he cried. “Who goes there?” responded the Cardinal. “We bear the remains of his Imperial and Apostolic Majesty, Franz-Josef I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Defender of the faith…” the officer continued to list the Emperor’s thirty-seven titles.
“We know him not,” replied the Cardinal. “Who goes there?” The officer spoke again, this time using a much abbreviated and less ostentatious title reserved for times of expediency. “We know him not,” the Cardinal said again. “Who goes there?” The officer tried a third time, stripping the emperor of all but the humblest of titles: “We bear the body of Franz-Josef, our brother, a sinner like us all!” At that the doors swung open, and Franz-Josef was admitted.
No matter who we are, what titles we have, or how much we have, none of it can open the way to God’s grace. Grace is given freely, what is left for us is to openly receive that grace.
Of course in the parable the landowner is God; the workers are us. First of all, the parable says that grace is to be received, not deserved. For all of us who are people of faith, we know that we do not deserve God’s grace. Nothing that we can do will put us in a position of deserving God’s grace. All we can do is receive the gift that God offers to us.
David Seamands, who spent in India as missionary along with siblings for many decades, ends his book Healing Grace with this story. For more than six hundred years the Hapsburgs exercised political power in Europe. When Emperor Franz-Josef I of Austria died in 1916, his was the last of the extravagant imperial funerals. A processional of dignitaries and elegantly dressed court personages escorted the casket, which was draped in the black and gold imperial colors. To the accompaniment of a military band’s somber dirges and by the light of torches, the somber group descended the stairs of the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna. At the bottom was a great iron door leading to the Hapsburg family crypt. Behind the door was the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna.
The officer in charge followed the prescribed ceremony, established centuries before. “Open!” he cried. “Who goes there?” responded the Cardinal. “We bear the remains of his Imperial and Apostolic Majesty, Franz-Josef I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Defender of the faith…” the officer continued to list the Emperor’s thirty-seven titles.
“We know him not,” replied the Cardinal. “Who goes there?” The officer spoke again, this time using a much abbreviated and less ostentatious title reserved for times of expediency. “We know him not,” the Cardinal said again. “Who goes there?” The officer tried a third time, stripping the emperor of all but the humblest of titles: “We bear the body of Franz-Josef, our brother, a sinner like us all!” At that the doors swung open, and Franz-Josef was admitted.
No matter who we are, what titles we have, or how much we have, none of it can open the way to God’s grace. Grace is given freely, what is left for us is to openly receive that grace.
In
Christ,
Brown
Saturday October 6,
2012
5:30 PM October
Festival with Food, Fellowship, Testimonies, and Hymn Sing
at
Wesley UMC,
1000 Day
Hollow Road, Endicott.
Sunday October 7,
2012
Family Breakfast at
7:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Gary
Smith, Ph D, from Binghamton University
Location:
Union
Center United Methodist Church. 128 Maple Drive Endicott
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,
2012
- Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
- Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather in the sanctuary of the Union Center United Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
- Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
- 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for a NEW YORK PIZZA Party
- 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
- Sunday, October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
- 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
- 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference
are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN,
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob
Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington,
DC).
The leaders and members of the
Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen
Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Brown's Daily Word 10-4-12
Praise the Lord
for this first Wednesday of October. It is going to be very brilliant and
colorful day. Last night Alice and I walked for over 2 1/2 miles. It was a very
warm evening and the breeze was gentle. While coming home after our walk we came
across a small herd of deer running carefree on the highway. The autumn colors
are getting more colorful and brighter by the day. I have been reporting to
Sunita while she is Rumania on a regular basis about the progression of the
changing of the leaves. It is so beautiful. It is indeed full of splendor.
We will gather for
our Wednesday Evening Food Fellowship at 6 PM. We are looking forward to a good
evening in the Word.
I woke up early morning by 3 AM and have bean reflecting how
the Lord our God in Jesus Christ meets us at all hours of the day and night.
Jesus met His disciples early morning by the Sea of Galilee. He met the woman of
Samaria during the midday. He met with Nicodemus bt night. He met Jacob by
night. We read in Genesis 32 about Jacob wrestled with our God.
“Why did God want to wrestle with Jacob?” It was not for fun
but to teach him some important truths. Further, we do know it is something God
WANTED to do. We need to understand that God wants to be actively engaged in our
lives. This wrestling match was not only something that God wanted, but it was
something that Jacob needed. More interesting yet is the question, "How could a
man possibly hold his ground with God in a wrestling match?” Clearly God let
Jacob prevail.
Whenever Simeon, our grandson, comes to visit us he and I
wrestle. I let me him win. It is clear from the text that Jacob didn’t “prevail”
in the wrestling match in the sense of defeating God. They wrestled all through
the night and it appeared that it was going to be a draw until God dislocated
Jacob’s hip with a simple touch. It was as if God allowed Jacob to take his best
shot and then showed He was still in control with a single touch. That night
Jacob found out that he couldn’t push God around and do things the way he’d
always done them. That is why the Bible says, “...the weakness of God is
stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Though there was no fight left in Jacob, he still held on to God for all he’s worth. God told Jacob to let go, but Jacob could not. He was still grabbing hold of things but for a different reason. Jacob held on to ask for his most basic need - a blessing. Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” These were words God had waited forty years to hear!
God had told Rebekah before Jacob’s birth that he would receive a blessing, but Jacob had schemed for it, instead of getting it from God Himself. Still, Jacob was right in desiring God’s blessing, for being blessed by God is no trivial matter. Life without God’s blessing was a nightmare.
Jacob had met his match and he knew it. His confidence was shot. He did not feel so conniving anymore. Jacob’s arrogance removed, He desperately grabbed one last time. He took hold of God, and it was the God of love, the God of compassion, the God of forgiveness who changed his grasp to an embrace.
God, who once had been unimportant to Jacob, who was not needed by Jacob to get by in life, suddenly became indispensable. Jacob realized he was nothing without God. He realized that no matter how big or strong he might be, no matter how sneaky he might be, there was One greater than himself. Jacob, the wounded wrestler, would then be reminded of this by the pain that would shoot up and down his leg as a reminder for the rest of his life.
Jacob became a broken man, physically and in spirit, and for this reason he was then exactly where God could use him. Furthermore, when we are broken, we are also right where God can use us. (Psalm 51:17) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Jacob's struggle is a metaphor both spiritually and emotionally. Yet it is also physical in nature. All of us have wrestled with God at times as we struggle to do our things our own way. We wrestle with God over problems we don’t understand. We wrestle with God over the things he has asked us to give up for Him. We wrestle with God and his call on our lives. Sometimes we wrestle with God because of a deep desire for blessing.
Each of us can think of nights when sleep eluded us and we have tossed and turned, struggling over decisions to be made. We can remember being physically exhausted in the morning from the struggle we endured the night before. Although we may not enjoy these times, we all have our wrestling matches with God and we NEED these times because God wants us to engage with Him and yes, even wrestle with Him for blessings. Somewhere during the long hours of fruitless wrest-ling, Jacob realized that this “man” was no mere man. He was really the “angel of the Lord.” That’s the same thing as wrestling with God himself, holding on for dear life. If he could not win the fight, he was not going to give up until he received a blessing.
Though there was no fight left in Jacob, he still held on to God for all he’s worth. God told Jacob to let go, but Jacob could not. He was still grabbing hold of things but for a different reason. Jacob held on to ask for his most basic need - a blessing. Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” These were words God had waited forty years to hear!
God had told Rebekah before Jacob’s birth that he would receive a blessing, but Jacob had schemed for it, instead of getting it from God Himself. Still, Jacob was right in desiring God’s blessing, for being blessed by God is no trivial matter. Life without God’s blessing was a nightmare.
Jacob had met his match and he knew it. His confidence was shot. He did not feel so conniving anymore. Jacob’s arrogance removed, He desperately grabbed one last time. He took hold of God, and it was the God of love, the God of compassion, the God of forgiveness who changed his grasp to an embrace.
God, who once had been unimportant to Jacob, who was not needed by Jacob to get by in life, suddenly became indispensable. Jacob realized he was nothing without God. He realized that no matter how big or strong he might be, no matter how sneaky he might be, there was One greater than himself. Jacob, the wounded wrestler, would then be reminded of this by the pain that would shoot up and down his leg as a reminder for the rest of his life.
Jacob became a broken man, physically and in spirit, and for this reason he was then exactly where God could use him. Furthermore, when we are broken, we are also right where God can use us. (Psalm 51:17) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Jacob's struggle is a metaphor both spiritually and emotionally. Yet it is also physical in nature. All of us have wrestled with God at times as we struggle to do our things our own way. We wrestle with God over problems we don’t understand. We wrestle with God over the things he has asked us to give up for Him. We wrestle with God and his call on our lives. Sometimes we wrestle with God because of a deep desire for blessing.
Each of us can think of nights when sleep eluded us and we have tossed and turned, struggling over decisions to be made. We can remember being physically exhausted in the morning from the struggle we endured the night before. Although we may not enjoy these times, we all have our wrestling matches with God and we NEED these times because God wants us to engage with Him and yes, even wrestle with Him for blessings. Somewhere during the long hours of fruitless wrest-ling, Jacob realized that this “man” was no mere man. He was really the “angel of the Lord.” That’s the same thing as wrestling with God himself, holding on for dear life. If he could not win the fight, he was not going to give up until he received a blessing.
So it is that when our greatest energies are surrendered to God, our lives are radically redirected. That which was used for evil now is used for good. That which was used for trivial pursuits now is used for the kingdom of God. That which was used for earthly gain now is used for eternal profit.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/SZ-fghqc8Oo
Saturday October 6,
2012
5:30 PM October
Festival with Food, Fellowship, Testimonies, and Hymn Sing
at
Wesley UMC,
1000 Day
Hollow Road, Endicott.
Sunday October 7,
2012
Family Breakfast at
7:00 AM
Speaker: Dr. Gary
Smith, Ph D, from Binhamton University
Location:
Union
Center United Methodist Church. 128 Maple Drive Endicott
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,
2012
- Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
- Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather in the sanctuary of the Union Center United Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
- Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
- 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for a NEW YORK PIZZA Party
- 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
- Sunday, October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
- 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
- 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference
are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN,
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob
Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington,
DC).
The leaders and members of the
Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen
Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Brown's Daily Word 10-2-12
Praise the Lord
for all the days the Lord gives us on earth to live and to love. He gives the
days on earth that we might bear much fruit in His Kingdom. We are called out
from the world and we are sent out into the world to worship and serve Him. The
Christian life is a marvelous adventure, an exciting journey that is meant to
last an entire life-time! Yet, we are most often content to float in a sea of
mediocrity, settling for second best or less.
Praise the Lord
for the seasons that Lord does give us. I love Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". I was
talking to my young nephews the other day and asked which is their favorite
season. Both said the Fall season. I like to call it "Autumn". Humans tend to
focus on just 1 or 2 seasons of our lives, and neglect that rest. Too often, we
live active and fruitful Spring & Summer seasons and then act like life is
over. We never really adjust to or accept Autumn and/or Winter. Instead of
thriving during those seasons, we sometimes prefer to spend our time
proverbially locking ourselves indoors and wistfully remember the Spring and
Summer that no longer exist.
Within the span of our lives, God has appointed us many seasons - a right time for everything and a purpose for every time. The way of discipleship, love and worship of the Risen King is to accept His schedule and plans for our whole lives - and to order them accordingly!
Within the span of our lives, God has appointed us many seasons - a right time for everything and a purpose for every time. The way of discipleship, love and worship of the Risen King is to accept His schedule and plans for our whole lives - and to order them accordingly!
Some time ago I
read about a study done by a Harvard professor, a study on attitudes of aging in
Africa. He found that 100-year-old tribal men who were actively swimming in cold
waters, riding horses, and extremely active in their community. In that culture,
aging did not mean deteriorating or even slowing down. The mind-set was that the
older a person become, the more they grow in wisdom, respect, ability, value and
even glamour. If fact, it was found that this positive attitude about aging
seemed to produce healthy physiological effects on the cellular makeup of their
bodies!
Yet, in our culture, we collectively perceive aging as “bad.” We see as becoming less useful, able or purposeful. Unfortunately, too many of us have bought into this negative concept of aging. There is a tremendous and sad trend in this country that no matter how good a person’s health or how sharp their mind, Americans tend to quit life when they retire. We must live with the perspective that our best years are never in the past. . . Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light".
When you feel like quitting on life, consider this devotion by Charles Swindoll:
“ Every achievement worth remembering is stained with the blood of
diligence and scarred by the wounds of disappointment. To quit, to
run, to escape, to hide - none of these options solve anything. They
only postpone the acceptance of, and reckoning with, reality.
Churchill put it well, “Wars are not won by evacuations.” . . .Are you giving thought to giving up? Considering the possibility of quitting?. . .
Don’t! . . The only time the Lord ever used the word “easy” was when He referred to a yoke.”
Psalm 1:3 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
The most Meaningful, Purposeful, Productive, and Fruitful life, one that truly counts and makes a difference, is NEVER over for those who know Jesus!
Yet, in our culture, we collectively perceive aging as “bad.” We see as becoming less useful, able or purposeful. Unfortunately, too many of us have bought into this negative concept of aging. There is a tremendous and sad trend in this country that no matter how good a person’s health or how sharp their mind, Americans tend to quit life when they retire. We must live with the perspective that our best years are never in the past. . . Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light".
When you feel like quitting on life, consider this devotion by Charles Swindoll:
“ Every achievement worth remembering is stained with the blood of
diligence and scarred by the wounds of disappointment. To quit, to
run, to escape, to hide - none of these options solve anything. They
only postpone the acceptance of, and reckoning with, reality.
Churchill put it well, “Wars are not won by evacuations.” . . .Are you giving thought to giving up? Considering the possibility of quitting?. . .
Don’t! . . The only time the Lord ever used the word “easy” was when He referred to a yoke.”
Psalm 1:3 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
The most Meaningful, Purposeful, Productive, and Fruitful life, one that truly counts and makes a difference, is NEVER over for those who know Jesus!
In Christ the Lord
of all seasons and the Lord in every season.
Brown
Saturday October 6,
2012
5:30 PM October
Festival with Food, Fellowship, Testimonies and Hymn Sing,
at
Wesley UMC,
1000 Day
Hollow Road, Endicott.
Sunday October 7,
2012
Family Breakfast at
7:00AM
Speaker: Dr. Gary
Smith, Ph D, from Binhamton University
Location:
Union
Center United Methodist Church. 128 Maple Drive Endicott
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October
12-14,2012
- Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
- Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather in the sanctuary of the Union Center United Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
- Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
- 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for a NEW YORK PIZZA Party
- 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
- Sunday, October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
- 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
- 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference
are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN,
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob
Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington,
DC).
The leaders and members of the
Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen
Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Brown's Daily Word 10-1-12
Praise the Lord for the first day of October. The Lord blessed us with a full and abundant weekend of ministry, witness, and worship. We prepared and served dinner Saturday Evening at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott, followed by praise and worship. The Lord blessed us yesterday in His house as we gathered for worship and service. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from James 5:13-20. This passage deals with doing life together in Christ in the context of the Church, His Body.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was martyred in 1945 at the hands of the Gestapo when he was only 39 years old. He was a Lutheran pastor and theologian who was blessed with a very keen mind and a very brave heart, He loved the Lord and he loved His church. Bonhoeffer's ideas have continued to live through several popular theological books that he wrote. My favorite is a little book of only 100 pages entitled, Life Together. Life Together is a passionate call to Christian community. The book arose out of Bonhoeffer's experiences during the Nazi years. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The book talks about very simple things like singing together, living together, reading together. The role of personal prayer, worship , everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, yet profound words.
I have always been intrigued by the idea that life together in the church is the very essence of what the Gospel of Christ is all about. Personally, I can't imagine life without church. For me, church really is "life together." It is not just a matter of sharing time in the same building, but it is sharing all of life with other people who are vividly aware that life is to be lived under the boundless grace of our Lord Jesus.
The passage from James 5:13-20 is about life together in a typical local church. It's about praying, sickness, sin, and confession. "Is any among you sick?", James asked. Then he responded, "Let them call for the elders." We must reach out, asking others to care for us. James said, "Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (5:16). He ended by saying, "Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (5:20).
Fred Craddock said about this passage, "Everyday needs are addressed in this text. It pictures a community in which people suffer and pray, rejoice and sing, become sick and get well, sin and are forgiven. This picture reflects congregational life as we know it. People looking to the community of faith for help. And the church offers help in ways that are genuinely appropriate and effective."
A little girl got lost one day. "The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn't find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, 'You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.'"
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,2012
• Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
• Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather at the sanctuary of the Union Center Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
• Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
• 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for NEW YORK PIZZA Party
• 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
• Sunday October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
• 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
• 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington, DC).
The leaders and members of the Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/-ay18-7eOQw
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was martyred in 1945 at the hands of the Gestapo when he was only 39 years old. He was a Lutheran pastor and theologian who was blessed with a very keen mind and a very brave heart, He loved the Lord and he loved His church. Bonhoeffer's ideas have continued to live through several popular theological books that he wrote. My favorite is a little book of only 100 pages entitled, Life Together. Life Together is a passionate call to Christian community. The book arose out of Bonhoeffer's experiences during the Nazi years. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The book talks about very simple things like singing together, living together, reading together. The role of personal prayer, worship , everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, yet profound words.
I have always been intrigued by the idea that life together in the church is the very essence of what the Gospel of Christ is all about. Personally, I can't imagine life without church. For me, church really is "life together." It is not just a matter of sharing time in the same building, but it is sharing all of life with other people who are vividly aware that life is to be lived under the boundless grace of our Lord Jesus.
The passage from James 5:13-20 is about life together in a typical local church. It's about praying, sickness, sin, and confession. "Is any among you sick?", James asked. Then he responded, "Let them call for the elders." We must reach out, asking others to care for us. James said, "Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (5:16). He ended by saying, "Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (5:20).
Fred Craddock said about this passage, "Everyday needs are addressed in this text. It pictures a community in which people suffer and pray, rejoice and sing, become sick and get well, sin and are forgiven. This picture reflects congregational life as we know it. People looking to the community of faith for help. And the church offers help in ways that are genuinely appropriate and effective."
A little girl got lost one day. "The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn't find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, 'You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.'"
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,2012
• Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
• Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather at the sanctuary of the Union Center Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
• Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
• 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for NEW YORK PIZZA Party
• 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
• Sunday October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
• 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
• 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington, DC).
The leaders and members of the Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/-ay18-7eOQw
Sunday, September 30, 2012
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