Praise the Lord for these wonderful summer days. Today they are forecasting for one of the hottest days of July. Praise the Lord for the seasons that the Lord does send upon the earth. Praise the Lord for the way He leads us through various seasons in our life's journey on earth. My daughter Sunita frequently reminds me of the special seasons of our lives. Jesus is the Lord in every season; He is the Lord of all seasons. Blessed be His Name.
I have decided by the grace of the Lord to celebrate in all seasons and in every season. In his new book, Erasing Hell, Francis Chan, counters Rob Bell’s recent work, Love Wins. Bell acknowledges hell’s existence on earth but finds it difficult to believe that it is forever and that God can punish non-Christians for all eternity. Chan, on the other hand, says that while most people wouldn’t want to believe in the reality of hell, the Bible clearly speaks about it.
Our Lord Jesus is the Master Storyteller. He told parables to elucidate Kingdom Princples. The seventh parable in the great parable chapter (Mathew 13) of the Bible is the fifth parable similitude in the chapter. This parable, like the previous two, begins with “Again” (Matthew 13:47; cp. Matthew 13:44, 45). It is the lesson that says we need repetition in the learning process. The flesh does not like the “again” business, but if you are going to learn anything well or do anything well, “again” must be part of the process. In studying the Scripture, you must study “again” and “again”.... Christ taught the people parables to help instruct in spiritual matters. Matthew 13:48 notes that when the net was full/filled, it would take a large number of men several hours just to drag it ashore/up on the beach. Then they sat down. The parable shows the deliberation of the sorting in judgment by the fact that the sorters “sat down.” This deliberation ensures an accurate judgment. No one will be cast away who is saved, and all unsaved will be rejected. The Angels sorted/gathered the good fish into containers, but threw away the bad. The fish to be carried to a distant market would be put in containers with water to keep the fish alive, and those that were to be sold nearby were placed in dry containers, usually baskets.
The world is a vast sea (Psalm 104:25). People, in their natural state, are like the fishes of the sea that have no ruler over them, (Habakkuk 1:14). The preaching of the gospel is the casting of a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for God’s glory who has the sovereignty of the sea. This parable, like the one of the wheat and tares, avoids a separatism which prevents the people of God from associating with the people of the world. We are to be in the world but not of the world. The parable is not dealing with any transition from good to bad, or bad to good, but speaks to the fact that both exist together in the same world. Jesus is not creating a sectarian Israel to stand over against the rest of the world. Just as He ate with publicans and sinners, so His disciples will move among people who disbelieve,
The comparison of the kingdom of heaven to a fishing scene reminds us of the calling of the disciples to “fish for people” in 4:19. The focus seems to be on catching people for salvation rather than, here, as in Jeremiah 16:16, for punishment. Though the disciples’ “fishing” ministry belongs to the establishment of God’s kingship, this parable adds the thought that there is a negative as well as a positive aspect to it. Their net is cast over a wide cross-section of people, and while the message saves some it will leave others unconvinced; those who have failed to respond to it are presumably among the “bad fish” of this parable. The fishermen of v. 48 are of course identified as the angels, not as the disciples, but it is the prior announcement of the kingdom of heaven (with which the disciples have been entrusted, 10:7) which forms the basis of the separation between good and bad. Those who have received the kingdom with appropriate response in the form of discipleship—would survive; the evil would go to their punishment. In His interpretation of the parable of the weeds Jesus stated the same truth He gives here: At the end of the age [His] angels shall come out/come forth, and separate/take out. The action here is “to discriminate” or make distinctions, and in Greek, krisis literally means “to divide.” In our day there is an overwhelming disdain of discrimination or judgment. Yet by our actions we make countless numbers of personal judgments every day. We drink water and not battery acid. We drive on a green light and not a red. We eat fresh food instead of rotten. Discrimination and judgment are basic common factors of life. Perhaps there is such a disdain of them because of a underlying realization that this common occurrence is pointing to a final reality that people fear and repress.
During the present era, which is the Church age, God permits unbelief and unrighteousness, but the time is coming when His toleration will end and His judgment begin. The net of God’s judgment moves silently through the sea of humanity and draws all people to the shores of eternity for final separation to their ultimate destiny-believers to eternal life and unbelievers to eternal damnation.
People move about within that net as if they were forever free. The net may touch them from time to time, as it were, startling them. But they quickly swim away, thinking they have escaped, not realizing they are completely and inescapably encompassed in God’s sovereign plan. The invisible web of God’s judgment encroaches on every human being just as that of the net encroaches on the fish. Most people do not perceive the kingdom, and they do not see God working in the world. They may be briefly moved by the grace of the gospel or frightened by the threat of judgment; but they soon return to their old ways of thinking and living, oblivious to the things of eternity. But when humanity’s day is over and Christ returns to finalize His glorious kingdom, then judgment will come.
The sorting process will be accurate. It will be clearly distinguished between the good and bad. Over and over Jesus warns about the horrors of hell and pleads with people to avoid it by coming to Him for salvation. He warned:
Matthew 24:38-41 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. (ESV)
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23) and does not desire that anyone perish (2 Pet. 3:9). The Lord wept over Jerusalem because the people would not come to Him and be saved (Luke 19:41). He warned about hell not to put people in agony but to save them from it. Hell was not created for humanity, but for the devil and his fallen angels (Matt. 25:41), but it is the very real destination of those who fail to surrender to Him.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/vO_bKR2Wzhk
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 7-11-11
Praise the Lord for summer days. Yesterday, the Lord blessed us with a beautiful day in His House with His people. It is always a great blessing to gather before Jesus the Risen Lord in worship, in witness, and in fellowship. Some of our young leaders organized an Ice Cream fest Saturday afternoon. It was a great time of sharing and fellowship. Some of our young leaders are gearing up for our upcoming Vacation Bible School, August 8-12.
Alice, with our niece Sharon, spent last few days in Boston, caring for the Micah, Simeon, and Ada. They drove back home yesterday afternoon.
It is expected to be a very hot day today here in New York. It will be in the low nineties. It will also be in the nineties in Bhubanswar, Orissa, India today.
Sunita called last Friday. The Lord is blessing their time in the Balkan States. She has posted some of pictures on her Face Book page. You can visit them via their post. The photos are brilliant. Sunita and Andy will be flying to New Delhi , India this Wednesday. They will be staying in New Delhi for a few days. They will be staying in the house that belongs to one of their friends, an attaché for the US Embassy in New Delhi. They will have use of a car and driver for their visit in Delhi. Their friends Rob and Jen from Washington, DC will be flying to Calcutta this Wednesday. They will be staying at the Monica House in Calcutta and working at the Mother Teresa mission for few day before flying to Bhubaneswar this Saturday to meet up with Sunita and Andy there. Laureen and I will be flying to India this Friday evening. Jess and Tom will be joining us. Thank you for praying for us.
We love to sing the hymns of the church, and we love to sing songs of worship and praise. I also love to listen some classical music. One hymn I love is, "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's vein". It was composed by the English Poet William Cowper. The story and testimony of William Cowper is a remarkable and compelling story of a man coming to the end of his rope and finding God. Cowper found himself so deep in discouragement and despair that he tried to put an end to it all, first by drinking poison. But God graciously led someone to find him. His stomach was pumped, and he was spared.
As soon as Cowper recovered, the despairing writer hired a carriage to take him down to the Thames River in which he intended to plunge himself into the dark, swirling waters. The driver of the carriage, however, would have none of it.
He restrained Cowper, got him back into the carriage, and drove him home.
Frustrated with that attempt, he found a knife in the privacy of this house and attempted to fall upon it, but the blade broke. Still not deterred, he rigged up a rope in the basement, put his neck in the noose, and dropped into thin air.
But someone found him before he strangled and took him down. He couldn’t even kill himself. Finally, in the depth of sorrow, he turned to the Bible, to the book of Romans. In the pages of that book, he found a passage that brought him to his knees and to faith in Jesus Christ. It was Romans 3:23-25: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Years later, as a mature man of God, Cowper penned the now familiar hymn:
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines, Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sov’reign will."
Cowper wrote many other hymns including, “Oh for a Closer Walk with God”. The Lord, our Lord, is stubborn and obstinate in loving us. He is the "Hound of Heaven, always in Holy Pursuit towards us. James wrote "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/JoC1ec-lYps
Alice, with our niece Sharon, spent last few days in Boston, caring for the Micah, Simeon, and Ada. They drove back home yesterday afternoon.
It is expected to be a very hot day today here in New York. It will be in the low nineties. It will also be in the nineties in Bhubanswar, Orissa, India today.
Sunita called last Friday. The Lord is blessing their time in the Balkan States. She has posted some of pictures on her Face Book page. You can visit them via their post. The photos are brilliant. Sunita and Andy will be flying to New Delhi , India this Wednesday. They will be staying in New Delhi for a few days. They will be staying in the house that belongs to one of their friends, an attaché for the US Embassy in New Delhi. They will have use of a car and driver for their visit in Delhi. Their friends Rob and Jen from Washington, DC will be flying to Calcutta this Wednesday. They will be staying at the Monica House in Calcutta and working at the Mother Teresa mission for few day before flying to Bhubaneswar this Saturday to meet up with Sunita and Andy there. Laureen and I will be flying to India this Friday evening. Jess and Tom will be joining us. Thank you for praying for us.
We love to sing the hymns of the church, and we love to sing songs of worship and praise. I also love to listen some classical music. One hymn I love is, "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's vein". It was composed by the English Poet William Cowper. The story and testimony of William Cowper is a remarkable and compelling story of a man coming to the end of his rope and finding God. Cowper found himself so deep in discouragement and despair that he tried to put an end to it all, first by drinking poison. But God graciously led someone to find him. His stomach was pumped, and he was spared.
As soon as Cowper recovered, the despairing writer hired a carriage to take him down to the Thames River in which he intended to plunge himself into the dark, swirling waters. The driver of the carriage, however, would have none of it.
He restrained Cowper, got him back into the carriage, and drove him home.
Frustrated with that attempt, he found a knife in the privacy of this house and attempted to fall upon it, but the blade broke. Still not deterred, he rigged up a rope in the basement, put his neck in the noose, and dropped into thin air.
But someone found him before he strangled and took him down. He couldn’t even kill himself. Finally, in the depth of sorrow, he turned to the Bible, to the book of Romans. In the pages of that book, he found a passage that brought him to his knees and to faith in Jesus Christ. It was Romans 3:23-25: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Years later, as a mature man of God, Cowper penned the now familiar hymn:
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines, Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sov’reign will."
Cowper wrote many other hymns including, “Oh for a Closer Walk with God”. The Lord, our Lord, is stubborn and obstinate in loving us. He is the "Hound of Heaven, always in Holy Pursuit towards us. James wrote "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/JoC1ec-lYps
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 7-5-11
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord gave us a wonderful day yesterday to give thanks to Him for America, the beautiful, and for the freedoms we cherish and with which we are blessed. I have observed over the years that many nations of the world during their national days of celebration they parade their military might and the display their weapon of mass destruction. Only in America during July 4th celebrations do people gather for family celebrations end up with fireworks in the night.
During the July 4th weekend worship services we turn our hearts to the Lord, the "author of liberty". We are mandated to "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land to all inhabitants" ( Leviticus 25).
We were blessed to have Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada come home for the weekend. Laureen, Jess, and Tom came for the weekend, along with our family friend, Meredith, from Washington. It was a grand family gathering. Micah and Simeon are staying with us for next few days. We praise Jesus for all His blessings. Sunita called us from Istanbul, Turkey. We had a very long conversation. I am including her letter from Turkey, land of the early church, where St. Paul traveled and proclaimed the Good News of great Liberty in Jesus.
From time to time I get to read about the great revival that took place across the lands and across the seas. In 1904 a young ministerial student named Evan Roberts, began to feel that God was sending an urgent message that He was going to pour out a mighty spirit of revival on Wales, which is now a part of Great Britain. Roberts began attending various revival meetings and during one he was deeply moved by the Spirit. As he prayed at the altar he cried out to God, “Bend me o Lord!” This was a complete and total surrender of his will to God’s will.
Roberts soon returned to his home church to preach the message of revival but his pastor was reluctant to allow him to speak. In a compromise, the pastor announced that Roberts would be speaking following the regular prayer meeting and any who wished to stay were welcome. Only 17 people stayed to hear Evan speak and most of them were teenagers and young adults. Evan Roberts spoke in that church for nearly two hours with a simple 4 point message that he was convinced could help God bring revival.
1. Confess all known sin to God
2. Deal with and get rid of any “doubtful” area of your life
3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly
4. Confess Christ publicly
When Roberts was finished speaking all 17 young people were at the altar on their knees crying out to God. They prayed until 2 AM that night and it was the beginning of one of the greatest movements of God in all history. By the end of the week, over 60 people were won to Christ and over the course of the next year and a half revival swept through the nation of Wales. Over 1,000,000 people were led to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The revival was so great that the national culture changed dramatically.
• A rage of bankruptcies took place - All of the taverns and liquor stores went out of business
• Work at the coal mines was brought to a near standstill - The mules who pulled the wagons were so accustomed to hearing foul language from the workers that after the men were saved the mules no longer recognized their voices or commands
• The entire police force was dismissed for almost 18 months due to a complete lack of crime
• One of the few court cases that was actually brought before a judge was unusual. The defendant came into the court and admitted his guilt, the judge led the man to Christ and the jury closed the case by singing a hymn.
The revival eventually made its way across the Atlantic and swept through parts of New York and New Jersey. There was even a daily column in the New York Times called “Today’s Converts” that listed those who were being saved.
Times seem to have totally changed and we have to admit that our world is nothing like that of 1904. I would have to agree our world is a darker and more sinister place where revival seems almost impossible.
2 Chronicles 7:14 states, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/N7Wt4XlXUrc
Some thoughts/happenings from the last week in Albania and our weekend in Instanbul:
· We were spoiled with some beautiful evenings while visiting World Vision projects. It included a night dining in old castle ruins listening to an old man play the most beautiful Russian music on the violin, traditional folk dancing and fireworks bursting over our head---all courtesy of the students who had their prom there the same night. We also had an incredible sunset over clear blue water and white rocky cliffs our second night. I now know why my colleague who served in the Peace Corps in that town called it the Posh Corps J
· Erisa and Gerta (the two sisters who work for World Vision and have a heart for India) invited us to their family summer home in Durres, about 40 minutes from Tirana, on Wednesday night while on our way back from a project visit. We stayed up until 1am that night fellowshipping and praying together with Gerta, Erisa and Ina (sisters), and Gerta’s husband and son, Tim & Isaiah. In just a few short evenings together, we felt a deep familial bond that can only be attributed to Jesus. We all felt the Lord weaving our hearts together and sensed that this was just the beginning of a friendship together. They welcomed us into their family and I think we all felt the uniqueness of the depth of fellowship and friendship we shared so quickly.
· At the end of March, the World Vision staff in Albania had suffered a huge loss when a number of staff and community volunteers were involved in a terrible car accident while on an exchange visit between two of our programs. Several people died, including a young woman my age, Sulima, married with two children, who was the disability coordinator for the program, advocating in families and communities for inclusion of people with different abilities. Sulima was beloved by her colleagues and the communities in which she worked and the staff were still really hurting 3 months later from the loss. They also had another staff member, the education coordinator, who had been critically injured in the accident. I really wanted to meet this woman, Eri, and be able to pray for her if she was open to it. Our last night there, Andy & I were able to meet up with Eri, along with our new friend Erisa, and listen and pray for her. We had an incredible time together. I know the Lord ministered deeply to her but we were so ministered to as well. Eri has metal rods in her leg from the accident and may not be able to walk for another year. She shared how she used to wonder why Sulima had been so passionate about people with disabilities/different abilities, but that her own experience of becoming disabled has transformed her understanding and is firming a commitment in her heart to work on these same issues. From what I heard while being there, Albania is much further behind other countries in Eastern Europe in terms of policies and attitudes towards people with different abilities. Traditionally, children with different abilities have been kept at home hidden and out of sight, as it’s considered shameful in many ways. While this still happens some, even in better cases children are educated separately and still treated second class.
· Andy & I REALLY enjoyed our time in Albania. We feel like we’ll be back for a longer period (I’m thinking in weeks and months versus years just to clarify). It feels a little bold and perhaps premature to say, as we were only there for a week and that can often correspond with a honeymoon feeling in a new place, but it seemed deeper than that. We feel like we have family there now that we need to go back to visit. I also really connected with the staff there. There were also striking connections to us between Albania and India…seriously, it was weird. J
· We had the weekend in Istanbul before heading on to Romania. It has been restful and fun to be here, and also marked by multiple graces. There seems to be only one other couple in our guesthouse and they are American. The wife is studying international education and the husband is embarking on his doctorate in theological and religious studies. They are Catholic, though the husband grew up evangelical, we’ve had some great conversations with them. The husband, Josh, did a DTS with YWAM in Calcutta and was deeply impacted by his time volunteering with Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity.
· The man who served us breakfast the first day, Fehmi, saw me reading my Bible and told me that he read my religion’s book. He said he loves 1 Corinthians 13. Later, before he left, he came up to me and said he would like to correspond and talk about faith. He said he is confused about what he believes. He really wants to believe in Jesus because he sees Christianity as being about love and it’s really appealing to him. He used to attend a Lutheran church here in Istanbul. Would you take a moment to pray for Fehmi today? I did nothing to initiate this conversation and it’s so clear the Spirit is at work. Also, if you know of any good Christian literature in Turkish we’d love to know about it so we can look at sending some to him. He is hungry. He just came up to me telling me that he had found a Turkish Bible in the hotel and wants to discuss 1 Corinthians 13 with us before we leave :)
· We couldn’t have better views than from the guesthouse we’ve stayed at in Istanbul. It’s been a great place to pray, meditate on scripture and soak in Jesus’ love while staring out at the sea and over the city. I had a great time on Saturday and the Lord was opening up a lot of Scripture and connecting ideas and prayers. I spent time in the first five of the Psalms and then in Isaiah 55. There were a number of things the Lord showed me in these Scriptures, pertaining both to a heart for the nations that He has placed in me and renewed sense of calling around that, and some preparation for the ministry and preaching we’ll be doing in Orissa. We’ll send out a draft schedule to you all before we leave for India of what we think our time will look like. So far, it seems like most days will involve ministering in churches or visiting various ministries we’ve been connected with.
· In our prayer time Wednesday night/Thursday morning with Gerta, Tim, Erisa and Ina (referenced above), Gerta sensed we were going to need perseverance in these coming weeks. The Lord gave her a Psalm about our God who sits on the throne and reigns. Erisa was given 3 images during our prayer time from the Old Testament, which she didn't share until afterwards when I shared a bit about our upcoming trip to India: (1) Moses' trepidation to go before Pharoah, asking God to send someone else, and the Lord telling him He would be with him and give him the words to say; (2) a picture of David having hesitation and fear before facing Goliath and the Lord strengthening him with courage; (3) the time when Elisha & his servant were surrounded and the servants eyes were opened to see the angel armies that far outnumbered the enemy. In her prayer for us she exhorted us that nothing could touch us; that we were safe and under divine protection; that He would give nations for us (Isaiah 43); she also saw His seal on our foreheads. The third image is one that I have also had as I’ve prayed about our upcoming trip to India. The Lord keeps reaffirming that He has us in His care, and He is watchful and mindful over our trip. It’s so encouraging, especially for me as I am prone to wrestle with fear. Jesus is continuously working to strengthen me in His perfect love that drives out fear.
If you’ve made it this far in this email, I’m very impressed! Thanks for bearing with my bulleted, meandering thoughts.
We’re thinking of you all on this 4th of July and celebrating with you from afar.
Love,
Sunita & Andy
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord gave us a wonderful day yesterday to give thanks to Him for America, the beautiful, and for the freedoms we cherish and with which we are blessed. I have observed over the years that many nations of the world during their national days of celebration they parade their military might and the display their weapon of mass destruction. Only in America during July 4th celebrations do people gather for family celebrations end up with fireworks in the night.
During the July 4th weekend worship services we turn our hearts to the Lord, the "author of liberty". We are mandated to "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land to all inhabitants" ( Leviticus 25).
We were blessed to have Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada come home for the weekend. Laureen, Jess, and Tom came for the weekend, along with our family friend, Meredith, from Washington. It was a grand family gathering. Micah and Simeon are staying with us for next few days. We praise Jesus for all His blessings. Sunita called us from Istanbul, Turkey. We had a very long conversation. I am including her letter from Turkey, land of the early church, where St. Paul traveled and proclaimed the Good News of great Liberty in Jesus.
From time to time I get to read about the great revival that took place across the lands and across the seas. In 1904 a young ministerial student named Evan Roberts, began to feel that God was sending an urgent message that He was going to pour out a mighty spirit of revival on Wales, which is now a part of Great Britain. Roberts began attending various revival meetings and during one he was deeply moved by the Spirit. As he prayed at the altar he cried out to God, “Bend me o Lord!” This was a complete and total surrender of his will to God’s will.
Roberts soon returned to his home church to preach the message of revival but his pastor was reluctant to allow him to speak. In a compromise, the pastor announced that Roberts would be speaking following the regular prayer meeting and any who wished to stay were welcome. Only 17 people stayed to hear Evan speak and most of them were teenagers and young adults. Evan Roberts spoke in that church for nearly two hours with a simple 4 point message that he was convinced could help God bring revival.
1. Confess all known sin to God
2. Deal with and get rid of any “doubtful” area of your life
3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly
4. Confess Christ publicly
When Roberts was finished speaking all 17 young people were at the altar on their knees crying out to God. They prayed until 2 AM that night and it was the beginning of one of the greatest movements of God in all history. By the end of the week, over 60 people were won to Christ and over the course of the next year and a half revival swept through the nation of Wales. Over 1,000,000 people were led to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The revival was so great that the national culture changed dramatically.
• A rage of bankruptcies took place - All of the taverns and liquor stores went out of business
• Work at the coal mines was brought to a near standstill - The mules who pulled the wagons were so accustomed to hearing foul language from the workers that after the men were saved the mules no longer recognized their voices or commands
• The entire police force was dismissed for almost 18 months due to a complete lack of crime
• One of the few court cases that was actually brought before a judge was unusual. The defendant came into the court and admitted his guilt, the judge led the man to Christ and the jury closed the case by singing a hymn.
The revival eventually made its way across the Atlantic and swept through parts of New York and New Jersey. There was even a daily column in the New York Times called “Today’s Converts” that listed those who were being saved.
Times seem to have totally changed and we have to admit that our world is nothing like that of 1904. I would have to agree our world is a darker and more sinister place where revival seems almost impossible.
2 Chronicles 7:14 states, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/N7Wt4XlXUrc
Some thoughts/happenings from the last week in Albania and our weekend in Instanbul:
· We were spoiled with some beautiful evenings while visiting World Vision projects. It included a night dining in old castle ruins listening to an old man play the most beautiful Russian music on the violin, traditional folk dancing and fireworks bursting over our head---all courtesy of the students who had their prom there the same night. We also had an incredible sunset over clear blue water and white rocky cliffs our second night. I now know why my colleague who served in the Peace Corps in that town called it the Posh Corps J
· Erisa and Gerta (the two sisters who work for World Vision and have a heart for India) invited us to their family summer home in Durres, about 40 minutes from Tirana, on Wednesday night while on our way back from a project visit. We stayed up until 1am that night fellowshipping and praying together with Gerta, Erisa and Ina (sisters), and Gerta’s husband and son, Tim & Isaiah. In just a few short evenings together, we felt a deep familial bond that can only be attributed to Jesus. We all felt the Lord weaving our hearts together and sensed that this was just the beginning of a friendship together. They welcomed us into their family and I think we all felt the uniqueness of the depth of fellowship and friendship we shared so quickly.
· At the end of March, the World Vision staff in Albania had suffered a huge loss when a number of staff and community volunteers were involved in a terrible car accident while on an exchange visit between two of our programs. Several people died, including a young woman my age, Sulima, married with two children, who was the disability coordinator for the program, advocating in families and communities for inclusion of people with different abilities. Sulima was beloved by her colleagues and the communities in which she worked and the staff were still really hurting 3 months later from the loss. They also had another staff member, the education coordinator, who had been critically injured in the accident. I really wanted to meet this woman, Eri, and be able to pray for her if she was open to it. Our last night there, Andy & I were able to meet up with Eri, along with our new friend Erisa, and listen and pray for her. We had an incredible time together. I know the Lord ministered deeply to her but we were so ministered to as well. Eri has metal rods in her leg from the accident and may not be able to walk for another year. She shared how she used to wonder why Sulima had been so passionate about people with disabilities/different abilities, but that her own experience of becoming disabled has transformed her understanding and is firming a commitment in her heart to work on these same issues. From what I heard while being there, Albania is much further behind other countries in Eastern Europe in terms of policies and attitudes towards people with different abilities. Traditionally, children with different abilities have been kept at home hidden and out of sight, as it’s considered shameful in many ways. While this still happens some, even in better cases children are educated separately and still treated second class.
· Andy & I REALLY enjoyed our time in Albania. We feel like we’ll be back for a longer period (I’m thinking in weeks and months versus years just to clarify). It feels a little bold and perhaps premature to say, as we were only there for a week and that can often correspond with a honeymoon feeling in a new place, but it seemed deeper than that. We feel like we have family there now that we need to go back to visit. I also really connected with the staff there. There were also striking connections to us between Albania and India…seriously, it was weird. J
· We had the weekend in Istanbul before heading on to Romania. It has been restful and fun to be here, and also marked by multiple graces. There seems to be only one other couple in our guesthouse and they are American. The wife is studying international education and the husband is embarking on his doctorate in theological and religious studies. They are Catholic, though the husband grew up evangelical, we’ve had some great conversations with them. The husband, Josh, did a DTS with YWAM in Calcutta and was deeply impacted by his time volunteering with Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity.
· The man who served us breakfast the first day, Fehmi, saw me reading my Bible and told me that he read my religion’s book. He said he loves 1 Corinthians 13. Later, before he left, he came up to me and said he would like to correspond and talk about faith. He said he is confused about what he believes. He really wants to believe in Jesus because he sees Christianity as being about love and it’s really appealing to him. He used to attend a Lutheran church here in Istanbul. Would you take a moment to pray for Fehmi today? I did nothing to initiate this conversation and it’s so clear the Spirit is at work. Also, if you know of any good Christian literature in Turkish we’d love to know about it so we can look at sending some to him. He is hungry. He just came up to me telling me that he had found a Turkish Bible in the hotel and wants to discuss 1 Corinthians 13 with us before we leave :)
· We couldn’t have better views than from the guesthouse we’ve stayed at in Istanbul. It’s been a great place to pray, meditate on scripture and soak in Jesus’ love while staring out at the sea and over the city. I had a great time on Saturday and the Lord was opening up a lot of Scripture and connecting ideas and prayers. I spent time in the first five of the Psalms and then in Isaiah 55. There were a number of things the Lord showed me in these Scriptures, pertaining both to a heart for the nations that He has placed in me and renewed sense of calling around that, and some preparation for the ministry and preaching we’ll be doing in Orissa. We’ll send out a draft schedule to you all before we leave for India of what we think our time will look like. So far, it seems like most days will involve ministering in churches or visiting various ministries we’ve been connected with.
· In our prayer time Wednesday night/Thursday morning with Gerta, Tim, Erisa and Ina (referenced above), Gerta sensed we were going to need perseverance in these coming weeks. The Lord gave her a Psalm about our God who sits on the throne and reigns. Erisa was given 3 images during our prayer time from the Old Testament, which she didn't share until afterwards when I shared a bit about our upcoming trip to India: (1) Moses' trepidation to go before Pharoah, asking God to send someone else, and the Lord telling him He would be with him and give him the words to say; (2) a picture of David having hesitation and fear before facing Goliath and the Lord strengthening him with courage; (3) the time when Elisha & his servant were surrounded and the servants eyes were opened to see the angel armies that far outnumbered the enemy. In her prayer for us she exhorted us that nothing could touch us; that we were safe and under divine protection; that He would give nations for us (Isaiah 43); she also saw His seal on our foreheads. The third image is one that I have also had as I’ve prayed about our upcoming trip to India. The Lord keeps reaffirming that He has us in His care, and He is watchful and mindful over our trip. It’s so encouraging, especially for me as I am prone to wrestle with fear. Jesus is continuously working to strengthen me in His perfect love that drives out fear.
If you’ve made it this far in this email, I’m very impressed! Thanks for bearing with my bulleted, meandering thoughts.
We’re thinking of you all on this 4th of July and celebrating with you from afar.
Love,
Sunita & Andy
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