Brown's Daily Word & India update11-21-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this Friday. We are a just a week away from the beginning of the Advent Season. This coming Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. We also are in the midst of preparing for the Thanksgiving celebration. The Christian liturgical calendar culminates this coming Sunday, proclaiming Jesus Christ as the King of kings and the Lords of lords. We declare that Jesus is Lord. He is King. He is the mighty Warrior. It is written in Revelation 17 and 19 that He is the mighty Warrior, dressed up for battle. He fights the battles for His own. He is in control. He is in charge. We live lives that are surrendered to Him. There is a wonderful peace in the hearts of those who yield their lives to His authority and dominion.
The longest sermon on record was preached by Rev. Robert Marshall, minister of the Birmingham Unitarian Church, Michigan, in 1976. He preached for 60 hours and 31 minutes. The previous record holder was Robert McKee who preached for 52 hours. Rev. McKee said that it took him two-and-a-half years to write the 500,000-word sermon, "HAVE NO FEAR". (Not from this preacher). What about short quotes?
- Ralph Waldo EmersonAll diseases run into one - old age.
- William ShakespeareLove all, trust a few.
- Lewis CarrollEverything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.
- Malcolm ForbesThe dumbest people I know are those who know it all. - Tom PetersIf you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention. Some good short quotes follow: Pray much. Sing praise. Fear not. Rejoice greatly. Gripe less. Bless others. Commend often. Give thanks. Worship joyfully, Tithe Faithfully, serve with gladness, practice extravagant hospitality, Give hilariously, See good. Stop evil. Praise God. Sin not. Count blessings. Be quiet. Speak less. Listen more. Drink wisely. Eat less. Fast more. Call often. Care much. Love strongly. Hug often. Be friendly. Walk more. Think deeply. Laugh loudly. Smile broadly. Cleanse daily. Work hard. Hold children. Love babies. Live holy. Admire goodness. Speak softly. Exercise often. Share generously. Compliment quickly. Breathe deeply. Be courteous. Open doors. Express gratitude. Remember others. In Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 5 likewise gives us several short, but powerful pieces of advice.
1- Be joyful
2- Pray continually
3- Give thanks
4- Build fire
5- Test everything Join us for our television outreach on Friday evening on Time Warner Channel 4 at 7 PM.
Also, join us on Sunday evening, here at the Union Center UMC, for our Thanksgiving service of praise and worship. The service will begin at 7 PM.

Jesus is Lord,
Brown
Indian-Americans fear Sonal's VHP link may influence US policy
Washington, PTI:
The letter has expressed "dismay and disappointment" that at no time during the 2001 was there any statement from her dissociating herself from dreadful acts of VHP and RSS.
Concerned over reports of President-elect Barack Obama's Transition team member Sonal Shah's links with rightwing Hindu parties, some Indian- Americans have expressed fear that it might possibly influence the US policies towards India.
"... We are legitimately concerned about reports of your personal links with the VHP - whose social values, politics and actions are antithetical to Obama's message of hope and inclusiveness - and how those links might possibly influence your role in the transition team and the new administration's policies towards India and Indian-Americans," a letter written to Shah by the community members said.
The letter welcomed her recent statement that personal politics have nothing in common with the views espoused by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and said: "we fully expect that your actions on the transition team will be faithful to that assertion."
But, it said that her statement does not allay all of their concerns.
The letter has expressed "dismay and disappointment" that at no time during the 2001 was there any statement from her dissociating herself from dreadful acts of VHP and RSS.
"... We are not aware of any assistance from you or by IndiCorps to the thousands of families affected by the 2002 communal pogroms (in Gujarat), nor are we aware of your speaking out against the funding of organisations implicated in these hate campaigns by charities in the US, with some of whom you have been partnering.
"And, more recently, we have not heard any condemnation from you of the spate of violence against Christian Adivasis being orchestrated by VHP, for which the BJP-partnered government in Orissa has been indicted by the National Commission for Minorities," the letter said. "In the face of these facts, your bold assertion that you have 'always condemned any politics of division, of ethnic or religious hatred, of violence and intimidation as a political tool' is deeply troubling," the letter by the Coalition Against Genocide said.
The 1500-world letter dated November 20 said that the Coalition understands her comment that she had been the subject of "ridiculous tactics of guilt by association."
"Your family's connections with the Sangh Parivar have been long, deep, well documented, and presumably continue to this day. So we must respectfully reject any parallels drawn between attempts during the campaign to find President-elect Obama guilty by association and legitimate questions about your past affiliations," it added.
"... Obama set a high standard of openness and personal accountability for himself during the campaign. We note from recent events that he is setting a similar standard of transparency for the transition team. In that spirit, we hope that you too will take personal responsibility for your undeniable past links with the Sangh Parivar and reconcile your recent statement against the VHP and the RSS with your silence amidst the most egregious human rights violations by them in Gujarat and elsewhere," it said.
"We hope that you will unequivocally disown and repudiate your and your family's past and current associations with the VHP and all other Sangh Parivar organisations.
"We have no doubt that you will bring your expertise to bear upon the many difficult decisions that the transition team will have to make in the next few weeks. But we also sincerely hope that your actions on the team will be mindful of the welfare and aspirations of all Indians, including minority communities, which are under unprecedented attacks by Hindu nationalist groups," the letter said.
About 30 community leaders signed the letter.