It was barely 4:00 AM, and the early birds could not but
burst forth with morning praise songs to Jesus with sweet melodies of praise
and joy. I woke early along with the birds, who know their Heavenly
Father cares for them; as a result of that conviction they live unworried and
unhurried. I love all seasons that the Lord of all seasons and the Lord
in all seasons bestows His perfect gifts on us. Praise the Lord for sweet
and stunning summer season that is upon us. Here in Central New York we
are so blessed to be living in the epicenter of all beauty and
blessing. We live in the vicinity of the Finger Lakes, the Great Lakes,
rivers, lakes, hills and mountains, farms, ranches,
orchards and vineyards. Along with all of that we are in relatively
close proximity to iconic world cities like Washington, New York, Boston,
and Philadelphia. We are also not so far from the foothills of such
Canadian cities as Toronto and Quebec. We also live within driving
distance of some of the beautiful beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.
"Wish you were here". I am praying that all will
take time to enjoy the matchless beauty of Jesus that is glistening all
around us, singing, "How Great Thou Art". The sizzling summer
with the blazing sun is blanketing the North East of America the
beautiful, causing the temperatures to be soaring into the 90s by Sunday.
The farmers, the gardeners, the ranchers, and the keepers of the
vineyards are jubilant and thrilled for the time another great season of
farming... sowing seeds.
This is just a gentle reminder: We are gathering
for a special festive occasion to honor grads, dads, and Moms on
Saturday the 17th of June. The banquet will begin at 6:00 PM. The menu does consists of Prime
Rib, homemade rolls, salads, and decadent desserts.
The big event for July is the gathering to
celebrate the retirement of my wife,Alice M Naik. As you all know, it
will be held the Marathon Civic Center, located at the end of Brink
Street (16 Brink Street) along the banks of the Tioughnioga River, on Saturday, July 1, 2017. There is ample parking at the
village parking lot on Brink Street, along with parking across from the Civic
Center. The parking is free. There a is beautiful playground for
children, behind the Civic Center. There are also Basketball courts,
baseball fields, and soccer fields behind the Civic Center.
There is a boat launch across from the civic center. There are even two
hookups for campers, a couple of picnic tables, and hibachis. We will
gather at 4:00
PM for fellowship, greeting and meeting. The
Buffet dinner will be served at 5:00 PM. The menu for the
banquet will include: Bbq Chicken, Pig Roast, Beef and Mutton curries,
lemon rice, vegetables, salad, rolls, Italian and Indian Cuisine, along
with "sinful, yet sanctified desserts" (for they are made with holy
hands). I have many friends who are the sweet servants of Jesus who are
in charge of this event. I am grateful to Jesus for them. Please be
praying that this gathering will honor Jesus and bring blessings to everyone
who will be joining us.
Robert Bellah in his book "Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life", a sociological study of modern America, and probably the most important book written in the eighties, quotes one of the people in his case study as saying, “I don’t think there are answers in life. I think there are only really good dialogues.” When Bella asked what a good dialogue might be like, the person said it would be one where “there’s just no one right.” Bellah continued, "How typical! That person is like so many in our culture today. The problem we are faced with is that there is Someone who is right, and until we learn to submit our minds and hearts to him, until we learn to follow him and seek for his truth, we will miss the whole point of life. It is that crucial. Dr. Richard Lenski, a great Bible teacher and writer, once said, 'The Gospel is not. . . an argument, a piece of reasoning that is gauged to convince [people]; it is only an announcement. And the astounding thing about this announcement is the fact that it meets our hearts square on, in a direct clash, that it aims to reverse them completely, to set them going in the very opposite direction.'”
When we meet Christ in this “direct clash” He makes us winners. It is written, " We are more than conquerors through Him loved us" (and still loves us). We come to Him in obedience and yielding our total being to Him. Our will is surrendered to him, and We surrender our puny minds to His fathomless wisdom, and eternal purposes. We come as those are waiting - waiting for great commands, great direction and great purposes for our lives. We not only believe in a God Almighty, but we can believe in a God who is our Father. He is irresistible Joy. He is eternal, inexhaustible Love. He is rapturous Beauty. And he comes to us and opens himself to fellowship with us — Hie creation and His New Creation.
In Him,
Brown
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