Brown's Daily Word 11/6/15

Praise the Lord for the Harvest and Thanksgiving season.  The Lord of the harvest always lavishes upon us a bountiful harvest of blessings, seen and unseen, earthly and heavenly, mundane and majestic, earthy and ethereal.   We are so blessed to live in a land of such bountiful blessings.  The stores and market places are stocking up all the new produce and harvest items as they get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We live in a country where the people of the Lord open their hearts and their hands to strangers, as well as to neighbors, with gladsome spirit. 

 

    I was talking to a woman a few days ago who shared with me that on the farm where she lives with her family they raise turkeys. . . big ones.  Last year they cooked for the family Thanksgiving banquet a turkey that weighed 60 pounds.  WOW!  A few years ago one of our farmer friends raised turkeys for us and we cooked a turkey that dressed out at over 40 pounds.  It is all of His blessing and grace.

 

    He blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening gathering this week.  The day was a very warm, almost summer-like, day.  Yesterday, Thursday, was another wonderful gift from the Lord.  It was sunny, warm, and balmy.

 

    Praise the Lord for children and grandchildren.  Jesus loves them dearly and deeply.  I have been thinking of our oldest granddaughter, Micah, who celebrated her 10th birthday this week. She loves to embroider, sew, and knit like her mom and her grandmom.  She loves Indian foods and she is learning to cook.  She tells her friends that she is 1/4 Indian.  She told me that she is going to go to fiddle camp.  She has been playing fiddle for less than a year, but is already "jamming" with other instrumentalists from time to time.

 

    Yesterday we had Release time at the church where the children from the public school come to learn about Jesus.  It was thrilling. The children were very courteous and eager to learn and wanted to listen and share.  The children make me feel young and invigorated.  It was great experience. The kids are smart, courteous, and inquisitive.  We praise the Lord for each one of them. 

 

    Since it is getting dark earlier and earlier, Alice and I have changed our walking route for a season.  In the evening Alice and I walked around the "Village Green" and the "Town Park" near the Civic Center.  People were out and about , enjoying another summer-like day.  We saw young boys and girls playing soccer on the soccer fields and young parents walking with their young ones, enjoying another good day in God' Kingdom.  Flocks of Canadian geese were hovering over the river banks and ponds, singing melodious sonnets, praising the Lord for another day. 

 

    As we all begin our pilgrimmage towards Thanksgiving season and day let's look at a verse from 1 Thessalonians.  Be joyful always; pray continually;  Give  thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Writing over one hundred years ago, Professor James Denney of Scotland called these three commands “the standing orders of the gospel.” They are “standing orders” because they always apply to every Christian in every situation.  In the Greek it is very clear because these imperatives are all in the present tense.  You could translate it, “continually rejoice, continually pray, and continually give thanks.”  This is a great challenge for all of us. 

 

    Most of us would have no problem if the text said, “Rejoice sometimes”, “Pray occasionally”, “Give thanks when you feel like it."  We are invited, we are challenged,  and we are given a command, “Always.”  "Continually.”  “In all circumstances.”  This suggests that the real impact of the gospel will be seen when we don’t feel joyful, when we don’t want to pray, and when we can’t think of a reason to be thankful.  These simple commands reveal the true life-changing power of Jesus Christ.  When he enters a life, he changes it from the inside out so that we have both the power and the desire to rejoice, to pray, and give thanks even in the worst moments of life.

 

    We know from our childhood and our days in Sunday school that the shortest verse in the Bible is, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).  However, this is only the shortest verse in the English version.  When we look at the Greek text we see that the shortest verse is, "Rejoice always".  When the angel told the shepherds about the birth of Jesus he called it, "good news of great joy that will be for all people" (Luke 2:10).

 

    Years ago we used to sing a gospel song that began with the words, “We have heard the joyful sound.  Jesus saves!  Jesus saves!”  Whenever the gospel is preached, it is a “joyful sound” to those that hear it.  If the gospel is truly good news, then we ought to rejoice and be glad.  The  evidence  of the gospel’s power for most people will be what they see in us. 

 

    Jesus said, These things I have spoken to  you, that my joy may be in you" (John 15:11).  Jeremiah wrote, "From them shall proceed the voice of thanksgiving and the sound of those who make merry and I will multiply them and they will not be diminished" (Jeremiah 30:19).  Let us consider what this means when we gather for worship this coming Sunday In His House.  "Majesty, worship His majesty"

In Christ,

  Brown

https://youtu.be/PnWKehsOXu8

Brown's Daily Word 11/4/15

    Praise the Lord for this new day.  It is going to be balmy and brilliant, and promises to be a true day of "Indian Summer".  Praise the Lord for the sweet rest He gives us.  Praise Him for the strength with which He infuses us with to meet the tasks of every day that we might live and serve Him and glorify His glorious Name.

 

    The Lord blessed us with a summer like day yesterday.  It was heart warming .   We will gather for our midweek fellowship and study gathering for a very special meal at 6:00 PM, followed by Bible study at 6:30 PM.

 

    Our oldest granddaughter, sweet Micah, turned 10 years yesterday.  She was born in Boston and still lives in Boston.  The day she came home from the hospital after her birth she had a smile.  She lives with a smile (and she always makes us smile).  She loves the Lord and loves to serve Him.  She is very gregarious and very friendly, tender, and compassionate.  She knows all the neighborhood children by name.  She knows all of their parents by name.  She knows people at the neighborhood cafes and bakeries by name.  She  is helpful and very caring.  She is blessed with the heart of a servant.  She is gracious and kind.  We praise the Lord for Micah.

    Some years ago Philip Yancey wrote a mega-bestseller called "What’s So Amazing About Grace?", in which he called grace “the last great word.”  He meant that it is one of the last of the “great words” that has retained some of its original meaning: “free and undeserved bounty.”  For instance, when we pray, we “say grace” to thank God for our food.  We are “grateful” for a kindness done by another person. To show our thanks we offer a “gratuity.”  Something offered at no cost is said to be “gratis.”  And when we have overdue books from the library, we may return them at no charge during a “grace period.” 

 

    It is commonly said that Christianity is supremely a religion of grace.  This is certainly true.  We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name  churches and children after grace.  As Christians, we certainly believe in grace, but outside of the worship services, the word is rarely on our lips.  Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself.  Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive.  For instance, we all have a certain skepticism when a telemarketer tells us, “I’m not trying to sell you anything.  I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii.”  Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we have all been taught that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch."

 

    Yancey goes on to say that grace shocks us in what it offers.  It is truly not of this world.  It frightens us with what it does for sinners.  Grace teaches us that Jesus our Lord does for others what we would never do for them.  We would save the not-so-bad, but Jesus  starts with prostitutes and then works up from there.  Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver.  It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.

 

    As I pondered all of this, I suddenly realized that Jesus  is more gracious than I am.  He saves people whom I wouldn’t save if I were God.  He blesses people I would not choose to bless.  He uses people in his service I wouldn’t use.  This is why I’m glad He is God and I am not.  The Bible says that He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," (Exodus 34:6) and that’s good news for sinners everywhere.

In Christ,

 Brown

https://youtu.be/jDdENxO6HVo

Brown's Daily Word 11/3/15

  Jesus is the author of our salvation.  He is the pioneer and the finisher of our faith.  His name is glorious.  He gave us a marvelous Monday yesterday.  It was warm and friendly.  I took a ride around the countryside The autumn leaves are falling briskly.  I saw brilliant one colorful foliage Island across the hills and mountains that looked golden.  The cattle in the pastures and on the hillside were grazing gratefully.  One of my friends reminds me that when ever she sees the  Holstein cows grazing on the hillside her heart becomes jubilant.  I saw innumerable cattle of divergent colors and shapes, not striving but peaceful and unhurried in the pastures that are still luxuriant.  I paused beside one field to watch a newborn calf that was just learning to stand and walk.  I also saw countless Canadian geese lingering by the lakes and ponds and in the corn fields, pondering whether to migrate to the warmer Southern lands for the winter or to make the local region their habitat for now, if not for the winter.

 

    This is especially for my friends overseas... We are blessed to have over 60 Amish families around us here in our town.  Amish people do not use electricity.  They do not drive automobiles. They ride in horse-drawn buggies.  They use  centuries old techniques to farm the land.  They have strong work ethics.  They are resourceful, with great imagination.  I talked to  an Amish man yesterday, who shared with me that he has built log homes with his father.  His dad has built over 60 log houses in this region.  He himself is a  farmer, a  builder a  roofer and a logger.

 

    I also stopped in one of the large department stores.  The store is decked out with all Christmas merchandise, including lit Christmas trees and all other accessories.  The month of November is here.  This festive and celebrative season of Thanksgiving  is here once more, paving the way for the Advent and Christmas seasons.  What a way to live and what a way to celebrate.  My wife is busy planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She is exploring how to decorate our new home with 25 Christmas trees (not quite). She has started listening to Christmas Music and started sewing and knitting for our Grandchildren.  She has started watching Christmas Marathon Movies.  She has even written the first edition of our family Christmas letter.  Sunday morning I was caught a glimpse of "Little House on the Prairie... Christmas Edition"  The Episode ended by the words of the youngest in the family, Carrie, as she said, "Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus".  May Jesus, the fountain of all blessings, be praised.

 

    I was reading from Ephesians chapter one this morning.  When Eugene Peterson translated the last part of this passage for The Message, he included this unique sentence, “At the center of all this, Christ rules the church.  The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church." There are two radically different ways of looking at things.  Either the world is at the center and Christ is at the periphery or Christ is at the center of life and the world is off at the edges.  So many  have bought into the notion that this world is all that matters.  They’ve pushed Christ to the periphery of life.  But when Christ comes to the center, the world is seen for what it really is–something on the edges.   

 

    Someone shared about his conversation with a friend who is struggling with this very issue.  He explained that living for Christ is like a football game." You’re either on the bench or you’re in the game.  Your problem is, you’re sitting on the bench goofing off when you ought to be in the game serving the Lord.  Bench warmers sit around, goof off, laugh, cut up, and trade jokes while the game is going on.  If you ever decide to get in the game, you won’t have time to do the things you do now.”  

 

    Our God has given us all we need.  Oh, that we might know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, and the amazing power of God.  It’s all ours and it’s all wrapped up in one Person, Jesus Christ.  Oh, that we might know him better.  Oh, that our eyes might be opened to see things clearly.  Oh, that we might love him and serve him and make him the center of life.

  In Christ,

  Brown

https://youtu.be/PANiveIKVX0

Brown's Daily Word 11-2-15

    Praise the Lord for the month of November.  The seasons and the days are marching onward and forward according to the designs and desires of the Lord of all seasons.  Indeed, season, time, and tide wait for none.  I spent last week visiting some of our grandchildren and their parents and auntie in Washington and Philadelphia.  It was a great thrill and gift for me to be able to travel and spend time with our grandchildren.  Each one is precious.  I have posted some pictures of our grandchildren on Facebook. 

    Alice drove to Philadelphia Friday afternoon to spend some time with Jessica and her family.  We both drove home together Saturday afternoon, leaving Jess, Tom, and Lindy at 3:30 in the afternoon.  We decided to take the scenic route home, following through business districts, past historic homes, and through the countryside.  We passed through gorgeous Bucks County and, after a bit more time, found ourselves following along the "scenic Delaware River", which was separated from us by a canal and tow path.  We could not have made a better choice and, even after making a 15 minute gas stop, arrived home exactly at 7:00 PM.  Soon after we got home the doorbell rang and we were visited by dozens of teens and children.  We gave them apples and granola bars.  It was a great evening.  

    The Lord blessed us with a wonderful day in His house yesterday.  We celebrated the baptism of two beautiful children.  Praise the Lord for children and grandchildren.  Indeed, children are the domain of Jesus and His kingdom.  He said, "let the children come to me and do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.  He still embraces children, keeps them close to His heart, and blesses them.  Jesus is still indignant against those come between Jesus and children.  We become more like Jesus when love children.  The church exemplifies the heart of Jesus when it welcomes children in His name and ministers to them in His name. 

    It was a spectacular afternoon yesterday, cloudless , tranquil and serene.  I drove to visit one of the sweet servants of Jesus.  The Lord has blessed her wonderful and spacious abode.  All her children have grown and have moved out on their own.  She was invited by an elderly couple from the church to move in to share their home with her.  They all love the Lord and they serve  Him together They share Jesus and do life in Him.  While I was there the only sibling she has, her sister, was visiting her.  They also share a deep bond and great love between sisters.  They go out on long distance travels just be together.  The sister who was visiting shared with me that she attends a Methodist Church in foothills of the Catskill Mountains..  Their pastor has been there for 19 years.  The church has been serving the Lord proclaiming the Good News for years and years.

    I love to read Judges 6:12 from to time, as an angel said to Gideon, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."  When I read this verse I get excited and provoked to press on.  This  is one of the most ironic verses in the Bible, because the angel was talking to a trembling coward when he said that.  God wanted Gideon to go forward and meet invaders of Israel and defeat the enemies of the people of God, just as God wants us to defeat problems that otherwise would sabotage us or our loved ones or the Kingdom in some way.  Gideon didn't want to join in the battle. He was just a farmer trying to save some food from his enemies so that he and his family would not starve.  He was scared to death. So, when the angel said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior" he must have felt a new courage rise within him because Gideon then trusted that God was with him.  He let God help and guide him, and he became that which the angel said he was, a mighty warrior.

    God wants for each of us to becom a mighty warrior for the Kingdom.  As we surrender to His will, by His strength and power our life becomes victorious.

    We read in the Book of Revelation, "He will make you a pillar in the temple of God."  He will make us a part of the very presence of God.  He won't just put us in His presence.  He is going to make each of us a pillar, a part of God's presence.    He puts himself within us.  He gives us His heart and suddenly we  become new.  We find the courage we  need.  As we let God put a new "heart" within us, we  may still be scared in many ways, but we  find a courage that is beyond ourselves.  No matter where we are, no matter how scared or alone or defenseless we might  feel, let us allow Jesus our Lord  put His heart within us.  Let us listen to Him, follow Him, let Him make us  a part of Himself.

In Christ,

 Brown

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