Praise and Prayer

Dear Friends,

It is a joy and a privilege to be back at home in Union Center once again. We left Boston yesterday around noon for the 5 hour trip home. The temperature in Boston was a sultry 90 plus degrees - Brown's kind of weather. We drove across Massachusetts on I-90, looking out at the majestic mountains and crystal clear lakes. Even in the Berkshires it was almost 95. We passed the exit for Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Pops. The mountains looked greener, the lakes looked glassier, and the flowers and trees looked brighter. Praise the Lord for His wonderful creation.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge."

As many of you now know, I had my surgery on the afternoon of May 11th. The procedure was robotic laparoscopic surgery. I was in surgery itself for a little over 4 hours. I walked from the waiting room to the surgical prep area. An operating room attendant came down to the family waiting room to get me, and before going upstairs we had a family circle of prayer. The attendant requested to join the circle for prayer. The hospital chaplain also came to pray with me while I was in the surgical holding area. The surgery was delayed by 2 very long hours. (Mind you, this was on Friday afternoon in Boston, when people were getting ready to get away for the weekend.) I felt the presence of Jesus all throughout this event. The chief surgeon and his two resident assistants are Christians - the good hands people. The Lord blessed me and intervened for me. I came through surgery well and I began to come out of the anesthesia in less than one hour. When I woke up I was talking and praying. I thought that I had only been sleeping for an hour - not 6 plus!

I was released on Sunday morning to go "home" to our daughter Janice's house. Janice, Jeremy, and Micah's home in the big city became my place of rest, recovery, and recuperation. The surgery was successful and, by God's amazing grace, the pathology report stated that the cancer was completely contained - so that now I am free of cancer. Thank you, Jesus, my Lord and Savior!!! I am feeling stronger every day. I have been able to walk in excess of a mile in a single day.

Throughout this entire journey I have felt the love and the touch of Jesus, our Savior. Out of His great love and mercy He held me fast, and embraced me with His love and grace.

I thank you all once again for your love and your fervent prayers. I feel loved and blessed. I am a sinful man, saved by His grace.

This morning I was reading from Psalm 30, "I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up . . . O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit . . . Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning . . . Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent."

The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family, a wonderful church family, and a wonderful fellowship of saints around the world. My wife, Alice, became an instant nurse, physical therapist, and personal trainer.

Thank you once again for all of your prayers, e-mails, and cards. Praise the Lord Jesus, for He is alive and well. He saves and heals. He forgives and restores. He reigns upon the throne forever. All is well, and the best is yet to be. It is a wonderful joy and privilege to know the Savior. It is a wonderful honor to serve Him as Lord and King. By God's grace, I plan to be preaching briefly at all services tomorrow.

Sunita and Andy came home in the early hours of this morning . . . Jessica and Tom came in last night as well.

In Christ,

Brown and Alice