Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9.

Pruning

I was outside today trimming a HUGE out-of-control ornamental grass that grows in our front yard.  Those who drive past our house know exactly what I am talking about.  ;)

I forgot to cut it back last year like I do every fall and what the plant had become this Spring is really unexplainable.   It was just huge stalks of dead leaves and barely any new growth was able to make it through.  I had to cut back the big huge tall dead stalks and then get down to the middle of the plant and rake out all the dead and rotted (from all of the rain) dead grass that had become stuck and tangled up in the plant.   

WOW - is this not exactly how God works on us if we allow him?    We often forget to run to our Savior for confession and repentance and eventually get covered up in our sin to the point that we are just one big stuck and tangled mess with nothing "living" growing from our lives.  So, my experience is that we eventually get bogged down by all the dead growth in our life, which produces nothing and give us no joy, and realize that we must do some personal pruning in order to truly live again - to produce the fruits that God would have us produce.   God is so faithful to prune us if we honestly go to Him with a realization of our sin, see the sin for what it is and bring it to His feet, lay it down and ask him "Lord, prune me."    Not that this has every been an enjoyable experience in my life - no, in fact, it is painful, but on the other side of it, God brings us joy, peace and is then able to work through us to give us new green growth!   

Love to you all and I would ask for your prayers for our upcoming trip to South Dakota in 10 days.  

Melissa

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Can you believe the year is almost halfway over???  Time seems to fly by these days.  

Want to wish all a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.   We are headed to Nashville for a couple of days to celebrate Hudson's 2nd birthday and to do a little swimming.   Bring on the sun!

Turn up the Music

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸  One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"  ²⁹  "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  ³¹  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."   Mark 12: 28-31

Well, folks, it doesn't get much clearer than that.  The greatest commandment of ALL is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.   After that, we are to love our neighbors (friends, family, all......).  Bottom line - there it is.  The greatest commandment from God to his followers.

Here is my question to you - if you have given your life over to Christ and professed belief in him, are you following this commandment?  Are you loving the Lord with everything you have?   ALL of your heart, mind and soul?   My friends, we are commanded to - it is not a suggestion.   And guess what?  God commands this to us for our own good.  For you see, after giving him ALL of ourselves, we are in a position of humility, love and obedience for him to bless us and show His favor to us.   I encourage you this day, week, weekend, whenever, to go the Lord and confess any areas where you are not loving Him with everything you have.  I know that I need to continually ask the Lord where I can be loving Him more.   Then, let's commit to making some steps to spending more time in His Word and in prayer.   He will take care of the rest.  All we have to do is be willing and He will empower you.  Then we can begin living the abundant life He came to give! 

It All Comes Down to Love

I am sure that most of us are probably very familiar with this passage of Scripture, but today I wanted to introduce it out of "The Message". Hopefully, it will stand out to you in a fresh way and define more clearly the love God calls us to.  


   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end.    (from I Corinthians 13)


I know that personally there are a few of these statements about love that I am not living out daily nor truthfully living out in my heart.  Do I really try to "put up with anything"?   Am I pushing forward and "not looking back".   It seems, I struggle the hardest with these things in my marriage and family life.   The people whom I really do love the most don't seem to get these attributes of love shown to them outwardly every day.   


Let's read these words, pray for the Lord to humble us, cleanse our hearts and help us put into action the love the Lord wants us to show to "everyone", yes even when those who are on our very last nerve!  :)     "Lord, I pray that I look deep into the Scriptures for your instruction on how to love people today and Lore, please help me put it into practice.   Amen."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!

12 years ago today Miss Emma Elizabeth Brown came into this world.  Happy Birthday to my baby girl!  I am so proud of her and can't wait to see the young lady she becomes.  She is quiet and thoughtful by nature, but very smart and so beautiful.   I am so thankful for her and hope today is the best 12th birthday EVER!   And guess what, she even cleaned her room for 4 hours last night to prepare for her slumber party!  For anyone that knows Emma, that is HUGE!  Way to go girl!

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Mission 2010

Our family will be serving this year on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. We travel with a group out of people from Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. This will be our second year serving and just as we did in 2008 we are raising money for our travel expenses to the Rez and this year also car rental, as Chris' new company vehicle will not accomodate our needs. I have been asked to direct the VBS this year and will be having to carry supplies with me also. If we have any money left over from what we raise (hopefully), we will be leaving that with Pastor John Lovelace to use as winter propane money for the people on the Rez. They suffer very cold winters there. We will be heading out on June 10th for the 20+ hour drive and then returning on the 18th. We ask for your prayers for safe travel, guidance in my VBS role, and that God use our family to plant a seed of faith while we are there.

If you feel led to help us with travel expenses and the cost of the mission trip, please mail any contributions to:

Winchester Cumberland Presybterian Church
200 2nd Avenue NW
Winchester, Tennessee 37398

Note on your check that the contribution is for Brown Family Mission Trip and your donation will be tax deductible.

Our church will also be taking up a love offering on May 23rd.


Here is some information about the community we will be serving (third world country statistics - hidden away in the land of plenty):

* Median income is $2,600 per year with 85% to 95% unemployment
* Infant mortality rate 300% higher than the U.S. national average
* Diabetes and Tuberculosis rates 800% higher t than the U.S. national average
* Elderly die each winter from hypothermia (freezing)
* At least 60% of the homes are severely substandard, without water, electricity, adequate insulation, and sewage systems
* School drop-out rate is 70%
* Recent reports state the average life expectancy is 45 years old while other reports state that it is 48 years old for men and 52 years old for women.
* With either set of figures, that's the shortest life expectancy for any community in the Western Hemisphere outside Haiti, according to The Wall Street Journal.
* And the list goes on and on….

How He Loves Us

I am sitting here with Jacob at my office and he is playing a song called "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band. My son is such a blessing to me. Thought I would share....

David Crowder*Band - "How He Loves" OFFICIAL Music Video