Strength

I love you, Lord; you are my strength.--Psalm 18:1, NLT

This was my daily bible verse on the computer this morning...don't really need to say much more than that.blessings, joe

MY HOW THEY GROW UP!!!!!!

My, my, my it seems like they were just a baby last week. My oldest daughter went to her first prom this last weekend with one of her friends as a proud dad i just had to brag. yes for those of you who know i cried...not to much couldn't embarass her to much.

UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS & HEARTBREAKS

Having just worked two real long days due to the bad weather here in central Texas I am finally getting to sit down and put some thoughts on here again...you know we all have our real jobs and then we have things that we play at. i guess being a minister and church is one of the greatest things i could ever do but just taking care of the coops business and outages is my "real" job. I think that tonight is hopefully going to be a quite one around the Brown household. When things have been real busy you know how just a small thing can really make your day. This morning i checked my email and i had an email from Jeff Davis. his dad is the pastor that married Sally and me back 26 years ago. Jeff was letting us know about his folks 50th wedding anniversary in August....but you talk about bringing back memories from so many years ago...before marriage, before kids, before Fredericksburg.....wow. It was such a great blessing to hear from him. if you have somebody on your heart and they may need something to lift them out of the tough place...CALL...EMAIL....TEXT....THEM....you may be a lifeline sent from heaven. Thanks
Jeff.
A couple of years ago our church lost one of our elders and one of our dearest friends in this world in a motorcycle accident. Michael was a person that was always there for friends and family and right after we lost him I wrote a poem about being loyal and I would like to add it here just in honor of my friend...Michael we bless you
Fiercely Loyal

They stood around the table that day and their allegiance did swear,
This is where we belong and we will not leave, not even on a dare.
The first left with in a week I believe,
Most of the rest moved away or sort of floated out to sea.
But there were a group of men, who stood their ground,
When the battle came they could still be found,
From the fray they would not run or stray,
They stood beside their leader each and every day,
He led them into places most would fear to tread,
Places of trouble, danger and dread.
For many years they had walked stride for stride,
Their love and care for each other they could not hide,
Then came the time one of the best was gone
In the blink of an eye his life was done,
Now with the Father above he stands,
One of the heavenly warrior band,
The leader spoke of a man, who was loyal and true,
Walked a path that would put most to shame.
Now as we bid our friend a final adieu,
I wander if the same could be said of me and you,
Will we be the one who stands beside our leader through thick and thin,
Will we be one of the mighty men,
Will the leader speak of us as a faithful friend,
Will we be fiercely loyal to the very end,
You have a choice in covenant to stay,
No matter what men might say,
Yes no matter how hard the work and toil,
May we always be found like Michael, fiercely loyal!!!!!!!!!
Amen


Written 5/22/06
AMEN, JOE

Stand Strong

Hudson Taylor was probably one of the greatest missionaries of his time and i read one of his quotes the other day that made me think real hard. he said "At the timberline where storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found. as i sat there and pondered that awesome quote i thought of several men that i know are on the front lines of what the Father is doing in this world. They have touched and are touching lives around the world and sending out followers who are just as fired up over the gospel as these men have been for years...there however are men who are not known world wide that are doing just as great a job on the front lines as these great Apostles....think about the Pastors that oversee the churches that we attend or the folks who lead the Friday night bible study in their apartment building, the young mother and father who are raising their kids in the way of the Lord. i think on these things and i know that we all think that we can do it just as well as the next guy...but where are we standing....have we been tried by the storms or are we just getting drizzled on. i think back a couple of weeks ago and my pastor and his wife were out of town and i was blessed to try to fill his shoes that morning....that will never happen,...why...because he is who he is and i am what's i am as Popeye would say. Michael is a great teacher..he loves to dig and search the word for all of its special meanings, he studies the Greek and Hebrew to find out exactly how a verse should be translated, he takes meticulous notes....i have tried to copy him...but in my case that just doesn't work...my notes are sloppy, short and given to just a couple of thoughts and verses that i want to bring out. i have seen my pastor standing on the top of the mountain and being pressured by some pretty tough storms over the last twenty years and i see him standing stronger, more solid but maybe alittle more weathered over the years...he has show me the heart of a great warrior. Many men would love to be a John Hagee, Bishop T. D. Jakes...you can fill in the names that come to your heart but you are you and they are who they are. we all have to take up roots somewhere during the storms that rage in our lives...are we going to be the stable tree or the weeping willow. there is a scripture in Ephesians that talks about when have done all....stand.
it is talking about having on the armor of God and when the storms come having done all you can do STAND...to stand firmly in your place, to hold your ground...if you happen to read this and you are going through some tough times i encourage you to stand.
Blessings, Joe

NEXT SERVICE

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Writing Stuff

This seems to be a busy week as it goes by and really nothing has been accomplished this week as far as I am concerned. I spent one evening visitng out at Luckenbach and that was a really laid back time. Somefolks know that I like to write poems every once in a while...i try but I am not near as good as Walt Perryman from Luckenbach or Pete Davis from Junction but I try. thought i might just share one with you to see what you think about them...well here goes.

THE COST
BY JOE BROWN

GOD’S LOVE IS AN AWESOME THING,
KIND OF MAKES US ALL WANT TO SING,
YET IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND,
THERE ‘S A GNAWING QUESTION, AN ANSWER TO FIND
JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ALL OF US,
HE REALLY DIDN’T MAKE A GREAT BIG FUSS,
THE SINLESS ONE CAME FROM GLORY AND GRACE,
TOOK ON ALL OUR SIN DIED IN OUR PLACE,
HIS FATHER ABOVE HAD TO TURN HIS FACE AWAY,
SO THAT CHRIST COULD GO TO HELL FOR US THAT DAY,
HE WENT THERE THE FINAL SACRIFICE TO MAKE,
SO THAT THE DEVIL OUR SOUL WON’T TAKE,
WELL CHRIST BEAT THE DEVIL AT HIS OWN GAME,
SAVED OUR BUTTS FROM THE FLAME
HE TOOK AWAY THE STING OF DEATH THAT DAY,
KICKED WIDE THE GATES AND LED THE SAINTS OUT HORAY!
NO MORE SACRIFICES NOW NEED TO BE MADE,
BUT HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF THE PRICE HE PAID,
HE GAVE HIS ALL THAT IS SO EASY TO SEE,
AND YET WE DARE ASK WHAT DID HE DO FOR ME,
WELL FOR SIN DEATH IS PRICE PAID FOR THE LOST,
YES HE PAID FOR US THE ULTIMATE COST!
AMEN

Blessings, Joe

FITTING IN

It seems that one of our goals in life is to "fit in". Over the last few years as I have gone to Luckenbach to minister I have wanted to fit in...not by drinking too much or doing things that would make people ask is this man really a minister. Well one thing that always sticks out is that I usually have a soda water usually a coke in the can in my hand instead of something stronger....the other day one of my friends out there took care of that for me...you see they now have a bottled root beer out there and it looks just like a long neck bottle...in fact unless you read the label you wouldn't know the difference. Danny got me one of those designer root beers and brought it over to the table. i thought one person was going to have a fit cause i had a bottle sitting in front of me...he laughed so hard when he found out it was a beer....root beer that is....so i fit in....is it a good thing or a bad thing i am not sure of yet...would hate to steer somebody into a wrong thought of who i am. I have been blessed to be able to go to Luckenbach and meet and make friends of so many people...you see ole' Hondo had it right...everybody can be a special somebody at Luckenbach, Tx. To show how neat it can be the same day i am talking about there was a couple from Lousiana there and they were talking to Danny Terry one of the pickers at Luckenbach and they wound up knowing lots of the same people...you see Danny is from Mississippi and not far from where these folks are from. Well there was another couple there who had ridden their bike in to town and were sitting at a table....the guy wound up working at a motor cycle shop with the lady's brother....this is somthing that happens out there all the time.
AIN'T IT AMAZING. Be Blessed, Joe