GOD CAME TO THE RESCUE

THIS LAST SUNDAY MY WIFE GOT UP I CHURCH AND GAVE A TESTIMONY OF HOW THE FATHER HAD COME TO OUR RESCUE THIS LAST WEEK. OUR 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAD KNEE SURGERY AND ON SUNDAY THE 21ST SHE HAD A BLOOD CLOT COME LOOSE FROM HER KNEE AND WOUND UP IN HER LUNG. SCARED THE BEEJEEBERS OUT OF US AND SHE WAS A PRETTY SICK LITTLE GIRL FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. LOTS OF PRAYER FROM MOM, DAD FAMILY AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF FRIENDS AND SHE IS DOING MUCH BETTER. I KNOW HOW COMPLETELY HELPLESS A DAD CAN FEEL AND MY CRY THAT FIRST NIGHT IN THE DARK OF OUR HOUSE WAS FATHER TAKE CARE OF MY BABY GIRL. I KNOW THAT SALLY WAS TELLING GOD THE SAME THING AT THE HOSPITAL AS THEY WERE DOING TESTS ON CHEYANNE. WELL LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL CHOIRS AND I GOT TO WATCH HER SING WITH THAT WONDERFUL SMILE ON HER FACE THAT JUST LIGHT UP A ROOM WHEN IT IS ON HER FACE. JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND THANKS BE TO GOD FOR TOUCHING OUR BABY GIRL AND MAKING HER WELL....AMEN

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE

It has been a long time since i posted anything here and i removed a couple of the later ones just cause i wanted to. Things have been busy as of late and i wanted to just put a few feelings on the page so if you ever read this you would know what is going on. This last Monday evening was spent at Luckenbach for their appreciation get together for all their friends, familys, neighbors, pickers and employees. it was a great time and it was beautiful night out under the Texas fall sky...cool but not cold and the sky was so clear you could see stars God was just starting to create. still a blessing just to be part of the group taht they call family out there. God is GOOD.....ALL THE TIME....ALL THE TIME....GOD IS GOOD!!!!!
BLESSING TO YA.

Lifes ups and downs.

It seems that things have been real tough lately and my heart has not really been in keeping everything up to date or posted on this blog. So if you don't hear much here don't worry. God bless. Joe

Not much to say!

Well it seems that i have been pretty quite the last month or so...my mom always said that if you don't have something good to say be quite. Not much to say except God is still on the throne and i can still be a knot head to God, family and friends. pray that all is well with you.

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

About 18.5 years ago my wife and i were blessed with our first child. a beautiful little girl who would cry if you said that word "radical" around her. this garnered much entertainment time for her dad. now that baby girl is getting ready to spread her wings and to take flight on the "radical" life that the Father has set before her. there have been some good times, some great times and also even times when the tears flow or the voices get raised. The Father above gave us a gift in Marissa and now that she is graduating high school and going off right after her graduation to work at a christian camp this entire summer. as i father i must tell you that i am very pround of her and i have been blessed to have her as my daughter. i am sure her mom shares all of the above feelings with me. her furture plans are still being made and i am looking forward to see what God has planned. this is the blessing her mom put in the paper this week.

Marissa,
You are Beautiful and Amazing!
A new life is open before you, so step out onto the path that God has planned for you.
Go out and be a blessing to others, just as you have been a blessing to us!
We are very proud of you.
Love, Mom, Dad and Cheyanne

Easter Sunrise Service

Would like to invite you all to a sunrise Easter service at Luckenbach on Sunday morning April 12, 2009. It will take place at 7:00 in the morning. Casual dress is welcome. Will have some music, a short message and communion. will have breakfast tacos after the service.

WINDOWS

A good friend from the Junction area sent out this story to several people this morning and I thought ath it was so good i had to post it here. I hope that it will bless you or convict you if not both. Blessings, Joe

The Window Through Which We LookA young couple moved into a new neighborhoodThe next morning while they were eating breakfast,The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,The young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see aNice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.I wonder who taught her this.'The husband said, 'I got up early this morning andCleaned our windows.'And so it is with life. What we see when watching othersDepends on the purity of the window through which we look.I hope that you have a very blessed day!

BEST WALK EVER AND HUG IN TIME

This last weekend i worked as chapel/prayer team on a walk to Emmaus #1480 in Junction, TX. The last time I had done a walk was in 2001. It was alot of work but as usual it was "THE BEST WALK EVER." It was neat to see some old friends and make new ones. Last night as I was down in the bedroom unpacking and putting stuff up I got a phone call from one of the team members just to say thank you....I think that one call would have made my tired body jump with glee if it hadn't been so sore.....but it made my evening.

Now on to this next weekend. This weekend Feb 13-15, 2009 is the Hug In at Luckenbach. They have stuff going on all weekend long some are free and some cost some cash just check out their web site. On Sunday morning at 10:30 we will have our yearly HUG IN service. all are welcome and you can bet that there is no dress code so come on out. This picture gives a whole new message to HUG IN

Never Tell the Lord....no!!!!!

As the new year gets started I am doing something that I haven't done in about six years. I am on a team for a Walk to Emmaus. The last walk I worked was way back in the summer of 2001 and I thought that part of my life was done. Well God had another plan and Ted Morgan from Junction called and asked for me to be on his outside team....after about two weeks of arguing with God I said ok. I got to attend my first team meeting last weekend and it was amazing. Great to see old friends and start making some new ones....I guess that we should never tell God...Never, No or I don't want to.....he will rearrange your plans and he truly enjoys rewriting our scripted plans.

This picture was taken in the summer of 2002 just before one of our Outrider services at Luckenbach. Two of the men in this prayer circle were at that team meeting last Saturday morning. Ted Morgan and Todd D'Spain...what a neat reunion we had. so if a door opens up and if the Lord says go ahead...don't argue...it will get you no where....say yes and be blessed. Amen

THANKSGIVING TIME

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
1 thes 5:17-19 says pray with out ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. do not quence the spirit.

this is a time of thanksgiving. this year things look alittle scary but keep the spirit of being thankful alive in your heart, spirit, and in all those around you. give thanks!!!!!! amen

Next Service and a prayer request.

Our next service will be on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 8:30 in the morning at Luckenbach.
Any questions give me a call at 830/456-3450.

My prayer request is for the wife of one of the men i work with. Her name is Lori Baker and she has been battling cancer for several years. She is going through some real tough times and I would ask for you to keep her and her family in your prayers.

thanks, Joe

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

This has been a real interesting and testing month for me and I imagine for a lot of people. Around the first part of the month Kit Patterson sent out an email to several of his employees and one of them forwarded it to me. I would like to share it with you.
We’ve heard some discouraging financial news recently. Scripture says that when we face trials, God will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4).
I’d like to encourage you today by reminding you:
- Don’t lose perspective.- Don’t get discouraged.- Don’t quit. - Remember the Lord.
Let’s look at some comparisons between the perspective of the world versus God’s perspective as revealed in the Bible.
The world says...
But God says…

We have one trillion dollars of debt.
I will supply all your needs according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19 NASB)

We have a slowdown.
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled. (John 14:27 NASB)

It looks like a meltdown.
I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6 NIV)

We’re on the verge of financial ruin.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom. 8:37 NIV)

We’re facing a financial Pearl Harbor.
Neither the present nor the future, nor any powers… will be able to separate us from the love of God. (Rom. 8:38 NIV)

We could see another crash like 1929.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. (Isa. 43:5 NIV)

There’s panic on the street.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. (Isa. 43:2 NIV)

I stand to lose everything.
I am your refuge, your portion in the land of the living. (Ps. 142:5 NIV)

My retirement has been wiped out.
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Prov. 23:18 NIV)

My portfolio is down 70%.
I gave and I have taken away. Blessed be My name. (Job 1:21 NASB)

My situation looks bleak.
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:35 NASB)

Keep your hope in the Lord that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love is everlasting, His mercies new every day, and His faithfulness to you eternal. Walk by faith, not by sight.

My pastor has been sharing about John 16:33 the last couple of weeks and that has been one of my favorite verses for a number of years.
John 16:33 says “I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace. In THIS WORLD you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.”
The weekend of October 10-12 we had a real neat conference at Journey church it was called “Establishing His Name in the Earth” and that is exactly what the scripture in John is telling us to do. You see it says that we have the choice to live IN HIM or in the world. You can impact your life, your family, your job, your marriage…just about anything you wish to touch if you do it in him. If you choose the other route in this world you get what you get…trouble, fear, doubt, distrust, lies….which place would you rather live in right now….IN HIM you have truth, security, trust, assurance and life….I will let you read this and make your own choice…..choose wisely for it can impact your life for a long time
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Pray for our leaders, our candidates running for office, for our banking and securities sectors. Things are being shaken right now and we need to pray for these areas.
2) Pray for our pastors and their families. October is pastor appreciation month but you need to continually lift these folks up in prayer. They need a constant covering of prayer and intercession for them and their families. They are constantly under attack from the enemy and they need for us to remember them daily in our prayers.
3) I have a friend at work who just lost his mother last week and I know he would appreciate us lifting his family up in prayer. Pray for David and Janet Brown and his family in the passing of his mother.
4) In our body there are several ladies who are expecting babies and are on bed rest please remember them in prayer Shelley Stephens and Alexis Whitaker are the ones I know of.
5) Remember to lift up all the folks who were in the middle of the hurricanes this year. My wife and daughters have been talking to a lady here in Fredericksburg who lost it all and is living in a tent now. So please remember these folks as they are still in need of so many things as well as just friends to help them out.

Earlier I mentioned that October is pastor appreciation month and I would like to encourage you to tell your pastor and his wife just how precious they are to you and to give them a word of encouragement. They do a job that is very hard to do. They minister to hurting people, they touch so many people whose lives seem to be falling apart, they touch families when love ones have been lost…and most of the time we as their congregations have no idea what is hurting or falling apart in their lives…..BE INVOVLED in their lives and keep them in your prayers as often as the Father brings them to mind. I am not telling you to be nosey about their business but be there if they need someone to confide in and above all honor their confidence and trust if they share things with you. I would like to say thank you to my pastor and his wife for all that they are and all that they do for Journey Church. Michael and Lori we honor today and thanks for all the great years. Outriders for Christ is an outreach of Journey Church here in Fredericksburg.

LIVE BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT

THINGS WE NEED TO REMEMBER!!!!!

A friend from Luckenbach sent this real neat thing to me. The blessing was that her boss sent it out to them. In these trying times we MUST remember who is in control. Please read the following and remember HE IS IN CONTROL!!!!!

Let’s look at some comparisons between the perspective of the world versus God’s perspective as revealed in the Bible.

The world says...
But God says…

We have one trillion dollars of debt.
I will supply all your needs according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19 NASB)

We have a slowdown.
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled. (John 14:27 NASB)

It looks like a meltdown.
I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6 NIV)

We’re on the verge of financial ruin.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom. 8:37 NIV)

We’re facing a financial Pearl Harbor.
Neither the present nor the future, nor any powers… will be able to separate us from the love of God. (Rom. 8:38 NIV)

We could see another crash like 1929.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. (Isa. 43:5 NIV)

There’s panic on the street.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. (Isa. 43:2 NIV)

I stand to lose everything.
I am your refuge, your portion in the land of the living. (Ps. 142:5 NIV)

My retirement has been wiped out.
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Prov. 23:18 NIV)

My portfolio is down 70%.
I gave and I have taken away. Blessed be My name. (Job 1:21 NASB)

My situation looks bleak.
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:35 NASB)
Keep your hope in the Lord that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love is everlasting, His mercies new every day, and His faithfulness to you eternal. Walk by faith, not by sight.

a special thanks to Bobbi and Kit for this great word. love and blessings to you both.
Joe

THOUGHTS FROM MY HEART

Well this morning as I sit here and ponder the events of the weekend I am amazed at the things God can do when we allow him to. My pastor was in Washington state for a conference and was dearly missed but things must still go on while he is away....church, memorial services and just taking care of business if you know what I mean. Steven K. the other elder at Journey church and I got to divide up a couple of things in Pastor Mike's absence but things went well. Scott Windrum from San Antonio came up to Fredericksburg and blessed us with his music and a wonderful word from the Lord that set somethings off in my heart. Sott shared about our words are they good reports or bad reports...you all know what i mean...you get up on Monday and say oh God do I have to go to work today or do you say Thank you God that I get to go to work this morning. Well yesterday afternoon I had agreed to do a memorial service for the friend of one of our church's members. After I left church I really didn't want to go back and have to be spiritual this afternoon...as my wife and I were eating lunch I made some comment along the lines well i guess I have to go home and go back to church. well I got back to the house and the Lord just nudged me and about things....thankfully I didn't have to go to the woodshed. I went to church and I was still working on things in my heart and my mind but i was still in a funky place. just after I went in the door i was met by one of the ladies helping set up and she could tell that things were in turmoil....she asked are you ok...quickly followed by no your not I can tell then she asks me like Scott had said that he had started asking people that he really wanted an answer and he asks "how are you being"? So being faced with that question i had to say my being is in a struggle right now but it is going to be alright. Well I got ready for the service and it was a very laid back memorial service but God was there. now my heart at the start was still kind of down but as I got to start things my spirit started to get pretty fired up. it was a real neat service and as all preachers I was blessed to get to share about God's word and his grace and salvation. people shared great stories and we had a good time....so I had to say to the Father on the way home....Thank You for allowing me to do Gene's service....are there things in your life where you need to say thanks. A frined of mine made me some really neat stickers for my truck window with the cowboy neeling at the cross and underneath the picture the line says "don't forget to say Thank you" right there in my face, rear view mirror hang out there for all to see...DUH!!!!!!!... Thank You Lord, Amen

A COUPLE OF WEEKS

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me and the family. two weeks ago the girls went to camp for one more time this summer. then we picked them up and went to a fifty year wedding celebration for Dan and Joann Davis at Hope Chapel in Austin. Dan was the pastor of Hope Chapel several years ago and he married Sally and me way back in 1982. It was great to see lots of old friends that we hadn't seen in a long, long time. Then we loaded up and went on vacation to Cancun Mexico. It was great to be gone but getting home was nice to. the girls have started school now.
the service the Sunday before we left Kit Patterson and his son Kit Russell and daughter Emma made pancakes for us at Luckenbach. It was an awesome time and we had a real neat service after the great breakfast. Want to say thanks to the Patterson family for such a great blessing.

A Phone Call

Last week on Thursday morning I was sitting at my desk at work and my phone rang...that is not an odd thing to happen. the person on the other end of the phone asked if this was Joe Brown and i said that yes it was. Then they asked if I knew who this was....i said that this sounds like my Aunt Teen....i guessed correctly...now she doesn't usually call me at work so I was concerned. she and my uncle have gone through some tough heath problems the last couple of years but God has answered so many prayers for them....i asked what was wrong....you know the feeling..take a deep breath....heart sinking to the floor,...beating much faster than it was a minute ago. She said all was ok and that they got a good rain and my uncle shut down his wells and they came down to Fredericksburg for a couple of days....had a real good visit with them that evening. I got to thinking which can be a real dangerous thing in my case and I was wandering why when we get an unexpected call we immediately think the worst...she could have just been calling to say hi, she loved me and my family or something special. As believers in Christ we can often get the same feelings when a preacher or friend starts to read our mail...the idea is that this has to hurt for me to grow in him....well to that i want to say...BULL...you see even God can send us his children words of encouragement, words of love, words of caring and he never goes back on those words. You see God can also give us words of correction but he never does it with loud embarassing yells, screams, and temper tantrums. he might take us out to the wood shed but we are the only ones who know about it unless we tell others around us you know folks that we trust to keep our words in confidence but to also hold our feet to the fire if we start acting goofy again. Must we always look at the dark side of what is going on in our lives....there is usually a brighter side if we just poke around alittle bit.
Another quick thought about things we hear. Last week on Sunday morning during praise and worship one of the men at church walked up to me and asked me to pray for him. He told me that the week before he had some cancer removed and he was waiting to get the biopsy report back. Well we prayed for him and then before my pastor got up to share we prayed again. well this last Sunday morning I went up to him and asked if he got his report back. he said yes and grinned great big and said it was a GOOD REPORT.....FREE OF CANCER.....NOW THAT IS A REASON TO SHOUT!!!!!!!!! I read from the Psalms Sunday morning about the Lord's SHOUT but we to need to shout every once in awhile....SO SHOUT UNTO GOD WITH A VOICE OF TRIUMPH,,,,LETS GIVE IT A TRY AND SEE IF WE SEE THE GOOD SIDE MORE OFTEN THAT THE BAD SIDE.......BLESSINGS JOE

KIND WORDS

My pastor's daughter has one of the funniest blogs that I have ever read. She is also probably one of the few people who read my ramblings or at least leave a comment about my ramblings. If you ever get a chance go to http://blogglingbrooks.blogspot.com/ and read her great stuff. Sarah is a wonderful young lady I guess that I have had the pleasure of knowing her for 20 years of her life....now as she shares about Bella, Buddy and Hoss and N (her husband) I am blessed by them. Sarah, just want to say thanks for the "kind words" you are truly a gift from God. Thanks, Joe

FEW WORDS

Well it has been almost a month since I last put some thoughts down here it just seems that everything that has taken place is just for my family and me. I pray that if you read this blog you can understand. My wife has told me that a couple of times lately when I have shared at church that I might have shared some to close to the family stuff. As i think about it I am sure that she was correct. Well we had our service at Luckenbach yesterday morning and we were blessed by having Debbie Hadaway there to share some music with us. In a short note I want to say thanks to the wonderful people that have been such a blessing to this preacher over the last five or six years. I am truly a blessed man. blessed by my wonderful family, my friends at Luckenbach, friends from all over the place that I have been honored to meet and walk beside, pastors who have seen things in me that i have never seen....just sort of a introsepective look from my heart today.....BLESSINGS

NEXT SERVICE

OUR NEXT OUTRIDER SERVICE WILL BE THIS NEXT SUNDAY MORNING JULY 13, 2008 AT 8:30 A.M. AT LUCKENBACH. ANY QUESTIONS CALL 830/456-3450. BLESSINGS, JOE

FATHER'S DAY

This last Sunday was Father's day and mine was very special. one of our daughters got hme Saturday night from a work project in Pittsburgh, PA. Our other daughter is working as a Team Servant at a camp on Lake Travis for a couple of weeks. After church we picked her up and we went to Austin and had lunch and did some shopping....you say that isn't such a great Father's day...i would have to disagree...I got to spend some wonderful time with my girls and see them blessed by the things we did....that was what I wanted to do on Father's day. I pray that all you dads had a wonderful day. Several years ago i wrote a poem about my biological father and the fact that I never knew him...he left before I was born. years later I got a box of his things from my Aunt and i was blown away by the things in the box. He was a man who had served in WW 2 and served in Germany and had won a purple heart and a Silver Star....maybe as I was growing up I didn't think much of the man but I found out that there was some real neat things that had happened in his life and at times I wish I had been one of those neat things. Dads I encourage you to be there for your kids. I would also like to let you read what I wrote the first Father's day after I got the box of things.

The Father I never knew

The man who gave me life is a father I never knew,
As the day of birth came close away he flew.
Not sure of the reason of why or when,
What had I done to him?
Another man stepped in to his place
When I think of dad I see his face,
Things might not have been all fixed and right,
But he tried to be my dad with all his might,
As I got older from that man I rebelled,
Almost made his life a living hell,
In beer and pride we grew far apart,
Later God gave us a brand new start,
As my twenty first birthday drew near
The voice of another father I started to hear,
God the father started to speak to my heart,
Told me that he had been there from the start,
He also swore he would never depart,
Well now as I close in on my fiftieth year,
He is still so very close and so near,
In a box of things I will hold dear,
I also found out something of the father I never knew
Not a whole lot just a few,
His mom and dad thought I was pretty neat,
In heaven I pray we will get to meet,
The man that gave me life wasn’t as bad as I thought,
Medals proved that for his country he valiantly fought,
A smart man he was from his army record I learned,
New feelings in my heart grew for the man to know I yearned
He is gone to heaven I pray,

Now there was a man who came into my life and married my mom and adopted me and was my Dad that I knew and was a good man and I probably will never know what I owe to him till I get to heaven and Share with him.
Keep the Faith,
Joe