Praise the Lord for
the sweet month of June. Traditionally it is one of the most
popular months for weddings. It is also the month of High School
graduations, Baccalaureate services, and Graduation parties. Alice
is getting ready for the year end classes and exams of her
students. We are planning and preparing for a mega party and
reception for "Dads and Grads" this coming Sunday after the
morning worship. Our Church has invited all the graduates from the
local high school, the Class of 2016. The church is preparing all kinds
of exotic foods to share and celebrate with Graduates and all the dads.
Our young friend Shawn is in charge of cooking the BBQ chicken over
a wood fire. It will be aromatic, exquisitely and
exclusively delicious. Praise the Lord that we get to celebrate
His ineffable love and marvelous, extravagant grace and above all "His
Goodness and Tender Mercy".
I
read with great thrill and delight that a couple that I know and
love has gone to Russia to adopt a young boy. Another
young couple whom I joined in marriage have been blessed with two handsome
sons and they adopted a lovely daughter from China. I have been blessed
to know so many who have been blessed with special hearts by the Lord and have
adopted children. Dear friends and good neighbors of Sunita and Andy
have adopted a lovely girl. Sunita and Andy's pastor and his wife have
adopted two lovely girls. Sunita and Andy have adopted a boy and girl.
These precious little ones were both preemies. They both are
growing up like weeds. They are loved, cherished, and adored. We
praise the Lord for them.
In
the prologue to his book, Max DePree tells this story: “Esther, my wife, and I have a granddaughter named Zoe, the Greek
word for life. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven
ounces, so small that my wedding ring could slide up her arm to her
shoulder. The neonatologist who first examined her told us that she had a
5 to 10 percent chance of living three days. When Esther and I scrubbed
up for our first visit and saw Zoe in her isolette in the neonatal intensive
care unit, she had two IVs in her navel, one in her foot, a monitor on each
side of her chest, and a respirator tube and a feeding tube in her mouth.
To complicate matters, Zoe’s biological father had jumped ship the month before
Zoe was born. Realizing this, a wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave me
my instructions. 'For the next several months, at least, you’re the surrogate
father. I want you to come to the hospital every day to visit Zoe, and
when you come, I want you to rub her body and her legs and arms with the tip of
your finger. While you’re caressing her, you should tell her over and
over how much you love her, because she has to be able to connect your voice to
your touch.' It was the experience of connecting the voice of love and
the touch of love that saved her."
When God came in Christ he had already spoken his love to us in his Word, then
he came to love us with his touch. Jesus was always touching
people. Touch is essential for human life. People all around us
need us to speak the words of love and encouragement. We need to build up
instead of tear people down. They also need to connect our voice
with our touch. There are so many people dying for the touch of love. It
is what makes life real and worthwhile. We can do it for each
other. The church can be an intensive CARE unit where we are loved to
health and life.
Let all love with kindness. Let us love with word and touch.
Let all love with kindness. Let us love with word and touch.
In Christ,
Brown
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