Brown's Daily Word 9/18/15

Praise the Lord!  It is Friday, and  Sunday is coming.  The Lord blessed us with an amazing week.  Our church prepared and served a very special dinner this past Wednesday.  This was a community/church-wide dinner. The dinner was prepared with much love and served with much grace.  Many people of all ages came and  participated  in the in the banquet with much joy.  It was my birthday yesterday.  I received much love and grace from you all through your birthday greetings and well wishes.  I praise the Lord  for you all.  My grandson, Gabe, who is 2 years old, called and sang, "happy birthday" to me. 

 

    We are getting ready for Sunday.  We will gather for Sunday School at 10 AM and for worship at 11:00.  Plan to be in the in the house of the Lord wherever you might be.

 

    I have lately been having a lot of difficulty with my AOL server, so yesterday I called customer service and was connected to tech support in Manila, Philippines.  After the initial conversation he transferred me to tech support in Rumania.  He worked for some time at diagnosing the problem, then transferred me back to tech support in the States.  So I say, "What a world and what a country!"  Our nephew Bernard had worked on the problem a few weeks ago from his home by himself getting online.    

    

 

   I heard a story, once told by Dr. Claude Edmond, at a conference I attended in 1982.  Dr. Edmund was the District Superintendent in the United Methodist Church

 in the Philadelphia Area.  He was also the pastor for some time of the Tindley Temple United Methodist Church In Philadelphia.  It is a Historic church named after Dr. Albert Tindley.  Dr. Tindley was the Pastor of the church for many years.  He was a great preacher and also a great hymn writer, who wrote hymns like, " We Will Understand It Better By and By" and  "Beams of Heaven As I Go".   There are also several other hymns that are found in our Methodist Hymnal.

 

    Dr. Edmond's story goes like this: There was a woman who lived at the foot of a tall mountain.  Her church was located on the other side of the mountain.  On Sunday mornings, she would have to drive her old car over the mountain.  She was sometimes afraid her old car wouldn't make it.  Then she'd have to drive it back over the mountain to get home.  On Wednesday nights she had to drive her old car over the mountain again for prayer meeting and then drive back.  Every Sunday and every Wednesday she was afraid her old car would not make it every week.  One Sunday her pastor preached a sermon on a saying of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, and you tell a mountain to be moved, it will move.  After the sermon, she said to her pastor, "I have faith the size of a mustard seed and I'm telling this mountain to be moved."  It became her theme.  Every Sunday and every Wednesday evening she said, "Pastor, I have faith the size of a mustard seed, and I'm telling this mountain to be moved."  Her pastor eventually became distressed about this fixation she had on moving the mountain.  He became concerned that, when the mountain didn't move, she might lose her faith.  He tried to explain to her that when Jesus only speaking metaphorically.  He didn't mean that an actual mountain would physically move.  But the woman said, "No, pastor, I have faith the size of a mustard seed and I believe this mountain will move."  One day the pastor went to visit the elderly woman.  When he got to her side of the mountain, he saw some men with surveying equipment at the foot of the mountain.  He stopped and asked the men what they were doing.  "We're from the state department of transportation," a man said.  "A new highway is scheduled to be built across this way.  We're here to move this mountain."   I say, "Ain't our God Cool".  Nothing is impossible for Him.

 

    I hear from lovers of Jesus how He is the answer in their lives, how  He specializes in removing mountains.  Indeed, it is the Lord who makes all rough places plain.  He exalts every valley, and He brings every mountain low.   The world is turmoil.  In essence, a Tsunami has hit the world, but Jesus is the Christ of every  crisis.  He makes the way where there in no way.  The Lord is upon the throne.  Let us keep on praying for the refugee crisis in the middle East and Europe.  I read one of the reports that many of the refugees who are fleeing the inferno in their countries  are accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior.  There are Christians who are welcoming them with loving hearts.  May Jesus Christ be praised.

  In  Christ,

Brown

https://youtu.be/dy9nwe9_xzw

   

Brown's Daily Word 9/17/15

Today is one of the ten best days.  It is my birthday.  I share this birthday with many other friends.  Praise the Lord for special days in our lives.  We pause and ponder and praise the Lord for His great love and for His tender mercies.

    "But God commends his own love toward us,in that while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 Love is a gift, pure and simple.  You can't earn it, manufacture it, manipulate it or coerce it in any way.  All you can do is receive it humbly and graciously when it's offered … and be thankful.  This morning I slept late.  When I woke up I spent some listening to wonderful hymns of the church.  I feasted on the blessings of the Lord.  It has been a very sunny and brilliant day.  It was cloudless, abundant, and beautiful.  I walked along Main Street for some time this morning and met some people who were conversing and greeting.  Later I got some natural wild honey, unadulterated and un-pasteurized, from some people who live in the farms and woods not far from us. 

 I have received so much love expressed and extended to me with words of grace and kindness this day  from around the corner and around the world.  I am so blessed and so loved.  I thank the Lord for each and every one of you.  The journey that we are on together is worth taking .        As I walked today I received so many smiles  from people.  One of the best birthday gifts I receive is a smile and some laughter.  I  call them simple gifts.  They are  free, yet very profound.  A genuine smile is one of the simplest gifts we have to share.  Mother Teresa said it best when she said, "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."  "If you see a friend without a smile, give him one of yours."

    Add to smiling the gift of laughter.  Mary Waldrip says, "A laugh is a smile that bursts."  I like what Victor Borge said, "Laughter is the closest distance between two people."  It refreshes us, clears out the toxins and brings us together, as one.  A Yiddish proverb says, "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." A good belly laugh is one of the best ways I know to relieve stress.  Praise the Lord for these simple gifts.  Of course, we all know the old adage, "Laughter is the best medicine," but there's more to it than merely a catch phrase. Researchers link laughter to all sorts of medical benefits.       There's no end to the simple gifts for which we have to be thankful, but allow me to add to the list the gifts of faith, hope and love.  Make no mistake about it – they're gifts, pure and simple.  They can only be received freely – as gifts – and not obtained by any other means.

In Christ,

 Brown

https://youtu.be/29myH7xXI4M  

Brown's Daily Word 916/15

Praise the Lord for this wonderful Wednesday.  It is going to be stunning and brilliant.  They are predicting that we will have several more summer like days here in  beautiful central New York, with summer continuing through September.  Our church will be hosting a community wide dinner this evening starting at 4:30 PM.  It will be a very special dinner with a special menu prepared with much love and  served with joy.  Starting next Wednesday we will begin our Mid- week - Wednesday evening gathering for fellowship and Bible Study that will start with a light supper at 6:00 PM, followed by Bible study, and concluding at 7:30 PM.

 

    When we were young we played the game of hide and seek.  It is a game which actually began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  In fact the history of mankind has been a history of "Hide and Seek."  When we  were in Australia, few  years ago, our guide told our group that it was best to be back inside when the sun went down, because that's “when all the creatures come out and begin eating each other.”  The outback creatures were playing "Hide and Seek" with survival as the prize.  So do you and I each day.

    The sun is going down over the world.  What was forbidden a few years ago, now is accepted and defended in spite of God’s manual for how to live (the Bible) saying these things are abominations, unnatural and sinful in passages such as Romans 1.  Everything on Earth  decays and become decadent.  It is written, "The Grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of our Lord endures for ever".

    Safety is found anytime it is needed by hiding under the wings of Almighty God. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge” (Ps. 91:4).  What a picture of warmth and protection we find in His availability and commitment to us.  Only the Holy Spirit can bring the comfort and security we need.  Only the Spirit of God was given by the Father and the Son to comfort us with the peace that has an eternal quality (John 16: 26; 14:26-27).

    Safety is found in a relationship with the One who controls life, the Creator.  He controls life, the environment and the forces of nature.  When we are told, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord: He is their stronghold in time of trouble…because they take refuge in Him,” we have found where we are to hide: in Him.  Safety comes from a personal relationship with God Almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.  The gospel of salvation is the gate into safety that is guarded by the Good Shepherd whose rod and staff comforts His fearful sheep.

    "Finding the Place Where I Should Hide"

    Taking refuge in Jesus, I find peace.    I become a little child whose trust is near.
    He stands between me and what I fear.

    Taking refuge in Jesus, I am safe.
    I become calm; I’m now found.
    He holds me above shifting ground.

    Taking refuge in Jesus, I am strong.       He sets me free and abides with me.

    Taking refuge in Jesus,
    I have found where I should hide.
    It’s the same place where I abide."

  In Christ the Solid Rock.

    Brown

https://youtu.be/GswGE6rQhmE

Brown's Daily Word 9/15/15

Praise the Lord for this new day... fabulous and beautiful.  It has been one of the ten best days of September.   This morning I walked down Main Street and met some beautiful people.  One woman, who is the librarian of the town library, told me that hikes almost every day on her family owned property and prays for  people.  By praying for others she gets her wellness and sanity she said.  She hikes faithfully and rigorously.  She shared with me that there are so many walking trails in our surrounding area, surrounded by natural beauty and tranquility.  I also  stopped by the senior citizens center during their lunch hour and met some of the sweet people there.  The staff down there does a marvelous ministry of caring and serving. 

    

    I have been talking with our daughters this afternoon.  Our little newborn granddaughters are gaining day by day and doing very well. 

 

    We can see from our picture window the beautiful Cortland apple tree at our neighbor's house, bearing an abundance of large, beautiful, apples.  I picked almost half a bushel of pears from one of our pear trees this week.  Praise the Lord for the abundance of His love and grace all around us. 

 

    The world is in turmoil and chaos all around us.  In the midst of it we are invited turn our eyes upon Jesus. The Church of Jesus Christ our Lord is at work around the corner and around the globe serving the Lord of lords and the King of kings.  The Church is engaged in reaching out to people all over the world with the good news of Jesus in word and deed.  The church, through its manifold witness, is standing at gap as the "First Responder", bringing the light of Jesus and the grace of Jesus into dark, desperate, despicable places. The church is out there on the front lines offering  even "a cup of cold water" in the Name of Jesus.  

 

    I watched one of the representatives of World Vision in Europe being interviewed by BBC about the work of the Gospel among the refugees fleeing to Europe.  It is an exciting time for the church to reach out to the hurting world.   One of our friends who is a retired orthopaedic surgeon has gone to Congo, Africa to serve the Lord there.  Friends and colleagues of our daughters are all over the world serving Christ.  Praise the Lord; He has called us to be His people for such time as this. 

 

    Our church will host a community wide dinner tomorrow beginning at 4:30 PM.  It is a wonderful opportunity to welcome our neighbors and friends into the church premises to share with them a very special meal, to celebrate the grace and the  love of the Lord.

 

    I preached from Psalm 46 last Sunday.  The famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" by Martin Luther, is based on this hymn.  When we reflect on this wonderful Psalm, we realize that when trouble comes God is a Refuge for His people.  We further realize, according to verse five, that God is Resident among His people.  Furthermore, we  realize that, according to verse four, God sends a River of blessing to His people.  It is the understanding of these three things that equip people to cope with the trouble that either will come, or has come, or is still here.
 God is a Refuge for His people.  

 

    All of this suggests to us this idea of something like the Cities of Refuge that they had in the Old Testament, which we can read about in Numbers chapter 35.  In the Cities of Refuge, there was a touch of mercy.  This is the picture that we have of God being a Refuge who is continually available to His people.  We must realize that God our Refuge is not only continually available, but He is thoroughly adequate, for it says in this verse, God is our Refuge, but also our Strength.  I love that it says in verse one that not only is God our refuge and our strength, God is "a very present help" in trouble.  

 

    We are reminded lucidly that God is resident among His people.  Verse 4: "There is a river, the streams whereof, make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is in the midst bf her; she shall not be moved."  The term "The City of God," as far as the psalmist was concerned, was a picture that he loved to use of Mount Zion -- his favorite place. 

     We realized that as far as the Old Testament people were concerned, this was the site of the City of God.  However, further on in the New Testament, we discover that the City of God is another term given for the Church of Jesus Christ.  In the Old Testament, the City of God on Mount Zion, ancient Jerusalem, was a picture of the fact that God in His Tabernacle was resident among His people. So then, we should understand that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is the "City of God", and God is resident in our midst.

    What is to be done in the day of trouble?  First, we must recognize and realize that God is our own Refuge.  Secondly, we reckon that God is very much alive in the fellowship of His people.  In the fellowship of His people there is support; in the fellowship of His people there is concern and compassion, not because they are special people but God is resident in those people.

    I further believe one of the great things we must do in the time of trouble is to realize, not only, that God is a Refuge continually available; but we must also realize that God is resident in the fellowship of His saints, and very much alive here on earth.  He is Emmanuel... God with us.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  In the latter part of Psalms 46:4, David said, "The City of God is a holy place where the Most High dwells."  He is the Most High!  In other words, He is the One who is seated on the Throne above all thrones as the One who is ordering the universe.  Therefore, He is a God of power and purpose.  What an exciting thing it is to be a Christian.  It doesn't mean that you are immune from trouble.  It doesn't mean that you won't have problems.  It actually may indicate that you will have more, but the exciting thing about this is that in the midst of trouble we know what it is to have a God alive and alert  and with us, and  who is seated on the Throne of the Most High.

    God is characterized by overflowing grace and overruling serenity, and He is therefore a God of power and purpose, very much alive with us.  He is our refuge . He is  a resident  among us and in our midst and He is like a River to us.
Psalms 46:4, "There is a river, the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God."  God is the One who sends a river of blessing to His people.  As I look at this Scripture, I see a remarkable thing in Psalms 46:10, which surely, is a great favorite with a lot of people: "Be still, and know that I am God!"  Its context is the context of trouble.  "Be still, and know that I am God."  The words, "Be still" mean literally "relax."  So, Relax!

  In Christ,

   Brown

https://youtu.be/AhlnProP8o0