Excerpt from HOLY HANDS, Chapter 1...

"Jesus prayed three times - each time saying the same thing - in the garden of Gethsemane. He was preparing to face the greatest ordeal of His life. After praying for the third time, He was ready for the Father's will to be done (Matthew 26:46). The apostle Paul prayed three times concerning his "thorn in the flesh" until he came to the point where he accepted the Lord's will (2 Corinthians 12:8). God's response shifted his focus from seeing the situation as a problem to discerning the Lord's strength perfected in his weakness. Sometimes, it takes praying repeatedly to get us to the point where we can receive and accept God's answer."

A CLEANSE...

Jesus said these profound words to His disciples: "NOW YE ARE CLEAN through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3).

These words kind of hit me this morning as I was driving on my way to church. "NOW...THROUGH THE WORD which I have spoken..." It's like this: He speaks the word; we get clean. Isn't that amazing? The disciples could interact with the Lord, secure in the knowledge that they were clean in His presence, ONLY BECAUSE HE SAID SO. Christ's words cleanses and liberates us from condemnation to "serve the living God."

Everyday we need a wash. Our environment, negative thoughts, words, attitudes, and behaviors all cause contamination of soul and/or spirit. Things we see and hear on a daily basis - sometimes unavoidably - makes us spiritually unkempt and in need of a washing. Only the Lord can wash us. And He is ready and willing to do it. 

Do not walk in condemnation. Even the prophet Isaiah confessed he was a man "of unclean lips." Let us come before the Lord and surrender ourselves to His washing. The apostle wrote that the Lord "sanctifies and cleanses the church with the washing of water by the word." That He might present it to himself a GLORIOUS [sparkling] church! Wow. Thank You, Jesus. That's wonderful news.

A Healing..

I sat in the church pew almost gritting my teeth, trying to ignore the discomfort I felt. A searing pain in my right shoulder made it difficult for me to pay attention to all that was happening in the service. I had had that pain before but tonight it was bad. My friend Pauline sat next to me, unaware of my distress.

The pastor began to address the congregation and at one point said, "Anyone who was in the service this morning should be able to lay hands on the sick and they receive healing."

I turned to my friend sitting next to me."Were you in the service this morning?" I asked. I knew very well that she was in the morning service as we had both attended together.

She turned and looked at me, "Yes."

"Please put your hand on my shoulder and pray," I said, "It hurts."

She placed a hand on my shoulder and prayed quietly. I had no idea what she said, but, by the time she removed her hand from my shoulder there was NO MORE PAIN. I had suffered for quite some time with that joint pain but since that day only once did I feel it trying to return. At that time the Lord allowed me to stand in a position of FAITH and declare that I was healed already. I have had no further trouble with it.

I wrote this testimony to help someone to keep on believing. God wants to heal you. Ask, and then stay in a position of faith and look at Him - He has the answer.

Matthew 7:9; "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"

Stay blessed. I love you.

Like a river...

It's invaluable, irreplaceable, precious. There is no substitute for it. And only One can give it.

"Great peace have they that love Thy law; and nothing shall offend them" (Psalm 119:165).

The king who wrote these words was familiar with the stressful demands of life in high-level leadership, yet obviously found a place of rest in the midst of all the turbulence. The secret was, HE KNEW WHERE TO FIND PEACE. It was not in a pill nor a mantra. It was not even in his security forces. It was in God.

Jesus offered us peace with His arrival on earth: The message of the angels rang clear, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." We all need it. And He knew we would. So, to His followers He said: "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you...let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

As it gets closer to the anniversary of my mother's home-going, I find myself reflecting on the incredible peace the Lord gave us during that time. No stress, no arguments, no undue grief. He gave us peace like a river - quiet and enduring. I will always remember the morning of the home-going service: As I stirred awake, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Sweet peace, the gift of God's love."

Yes, it is a gift. And He longs to give it to all of us. We can all come to Him in repentance and faith to get it. What are you waiting for?

Girl Stuff

"So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: For he is thy Lord; and worship thou him."

Psalm 45:11

A woman was asked to write her desire for her inner spiritual life and this is what she wrote; I thought I might share it.

I think that my desire for my inner spiritual life is expressed in the prophetic song of

Psalm chapter 45.  In my meditation of this particular passage, the Lord has spoken to my

heart many times of His will for me.   

As represented by this princess in the text, He wants me to be wholly His—forsaking all others if need be--and to be presented to Him solely for His purpose.  His desire is my heart’s desire, that He alone will occupy that special place in me, and that I will truly know Him as my Love and my King and will live for His glory.

Profile of A Worshipper

I imagine her walking into the room, eyes searching, until they came to rest on Jesus. She walked over, knelt down, and opened a box of perfume. Oblivious to everyone watching, she poured out the most precious thing she had - on His feet. Then, reverently, she kissed His feet.

Mary epitomizes the true worshiper. Her person, possessions, reputation - nothing mattered except the One whom she loved above all else.

Four things characterize a worshiper:

1. Focus. Her attention was riveted on Jesus. She worshiped Him like there was no one else in the room. Whole-hearted devotion always captures the heart of God.
2. Humility. Mary positioned herself at the feet of Jesus - the posture of humility.
3. Motivation. Devotion and gratitude was the reason for Mary's astounding worship. The Lord notices when we offer praise to Him for all He's done for us.
4. Selflessness. This was not about the worshiper. It was about the One who is worthy of all glory. Mary gave to Jesus without looking for anything in return.

Jesus will respond when we approach Him in the spirit of true worship - and give our all in love.

Kingdom Trees

  KINGDOM TREES

“It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches” (NRSV).

Where I grew up in rural Jamaica, trees were like old friends. Fruit trees of all kinds grew in my backyard. My friends and I knew every nook and cranny in them as we would often climb up and sit in their branches. 

One tree we never tried to climb, though. It was the Methuselah of trees. The big almond tree stood about 200 feet from the house and had towered over everything for as long as anyone could remember. Its trunk was so big that five or six of us held hands to circle it. We kids would play house under its wide branches anytime we got a chance.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a huge tree in which kinds of birds make a home. (Luke 13:19)  This is a picture of how the kingdom receives people of all cultures and backgrounds. The arms of our heavenly Father are open to all who are willing to come to Him.  

And when all earthly kingdoms are dissolved, He will welcome us into His everlasting kingdom. Heaven will be our home. The Bible speaks of people celebrating in heaven “from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) And the tree will still be there. “…On each side of the river grew the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine and to heal the nations. (Revelation 22:3)

© Phillippa Brown

To All Worry warts:

I sat at my desk struggling to find faith. I could not pray. Not even tears brought relief.

Reaching for the small calendar off to my right, I wrote down the lines of a song I’d heard my mother sing often. It was all I felt I could do.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near

Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear

I was waiting for the delivery of the office payroll. Sales had been down for me recently and I knew not to expect any pay. However, I needed the equivalent of two months rent as I was moving and that amount was required by the renter.

When the checks arrived, I opened my envelope and almost gasped. Inside was a check for about ten times the amount I needed. I gave my head office a quick call to explain that they had made a mistake. They had. They informed me however, that they could not recall the check but I could reimburse them over a period of time! What a God!

We cannot tell our future one minute from now. Because of that, we worry when things look like they are not going to work out well. But Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow….” (Matthew 6:34 NLT) He does not forget us or our needs. He does not even forget one sparrow—and we mean so much more to Him. Be encouraged. Our stories might not be the same, but our God is.

A little something to tickle your funny bone....

My 8-year-old daughter Sofia sometimes sees things a little differently from most of us.  One day while visiting a family friend, my friend remarked how much Sofia resembled her sister, Jewel.  Sofia seemed surprised at this. 
“You don’t know how much you look like Jewel?” Mona asked.

“Well, I can’t see my face,” Sofia replied, “‘cause my eyes are on it.”

Well, well.

LOVE AND SERVANTHOOD

Base Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 20:28: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

These verses set up our understanding of God’s attitude to servanthood: Love serves. Without reservation. Jesus gave the ultimate service to mankind when He gave His life. "And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16. According to John’s epistle, we perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we, in turn, should "lay down our lives" for the brethren. Hmmm.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle details the futility of acts of service done without love. No matter how greatly we use our gifts, or how sacrificial our actions, they are of little value without love.

The Greek word used for love in this passage indicates “a selfless concern for the welfare of others that is not called forth by any quality of lovableness in the person loved, but is the product of a will to love in obedience to God’s command.” (Zondervan Study Bible, 2002)

Now this brings us to a great truth. To love and serve others, we must first love God. Jesus reminds us of the first and great commandment in Matthew 22:37-40. Our love for God will motivate us to serve others in love.

First requirement for servanthood:

Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Second requirement for servanthood:

Love our neighbor as ourselves.

(This is an excerpt from a Bible Study lesson I recently taught.)

HEAVEN ANYONE?

I just finished reading (again) Mary K. Baxter’s A Divine Revelation of Heaven and A Divine Revelation of Hell. I cannot read these books without feeling compelled to take time and to reflect on my eternal destination and the implications of living my life for God or simply ignoring His existence.

These days I ponder deeply about the times we live in and my future in the light of eternity. (Maybe because the birthdays keep adding up—no matter how I try to stave them off!) Seriously though, times are uncertain and to ignore eternal matters is foolhardy at best.

Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36)  Said another way it's, pay attention to what’s around you, and pray all the time!

I feel heaven closer than it has ever been. And a revival. And persecution of the church. To everyone, I implore you in the name of Jesus, Be ready. Heaven awaits.

A Little Song the Lord gave me....

If I would just love Him with all of my heart

If I would just give all - not just a part

If I would just praise Him, and thank Him enough

He'd give me more blessings than I ever dreamed of 

I started to sing this one day while in prayer. Never heard it anywhere before. The Lord does things in amazing ways, doesn't He? I pray that this is a blessing to you today and will inspire you to love Jesus more!

A funny thing happened on my way to church….

A friend’s church; wasn’t mine. My newly-acquired hubby and I usually met on Friday evenings to attend our local youth service, but tonight my girlfriend had an idea. (Be careful of girlfriends with ideas.)

“One of our friends is preaching tonight in St. Catherine. Why don’t you come with us? Should be fun. Just leave hubby a note and let him know where you are. He won’t mind.”

Having recently married, and still used to going out with my friends at a moment’s notice, that seemed harmless enough.

So leaving a message for Andre with a smirking friend, five of us piled into the little blue Peugeot and headed toward St. Catherine. We stopped on the way to put gas in the car then resumed our journey. After about two minutes on the road, the car began to backfire and rock back and forth as if it were having spasms.

“Oh, man,” our driver lamented, “The gas attendant must have put in petrol instead of diesel fluid. We have to go back.”

As he began to turn the car around, my girlfriend remarked in an annoyingly smug voice, "There is a Jonah on board this car.”

No one had to look around to figure out who that fit. I felt like Jonah. Like I had run away from my responsibility to be accountable to my husband and, instead of checking in with him first, I had simply gone off with my friends without much regard for what he might think. 

And, like Jonah, the Lord didn't allow me to get away with it.

As I bashfully returned to meet with my husband, I realized the Lord had taught me a valuable lesson, and one that I needed  to pay attention to in the future: To show respect to my mate at all times and in all circumstances.

“The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife” (1^st Corinthians 4:7)

  

Hold My Hand

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.”  Isaiah 41:3

I was walking by the side of the road holding the hand of my happy three-year old daughter.  She was quite content to hold my hand until she saw a car approaching.  As the car came closer, she began to tug at my hand in an attempt to run although the oncoming vehicle posed no threat.  I held on to her hand and explained that we were in no danger from the passing car and that I would never knowingly place her in harm’s way.

We continued down the street but my heart felt a little sad as I reflected on the incident.  How was it that she did not know that I would take care of her?  After all, I am her mother, I thought.

Sometimes in our walk with God we become fearful because of difficult circumstances and we forget Who is walking beside us. We react to what we see or feel instead of trusting God to take care of us.  Jesus said that He would never leave or forsake us.  What a wonderful promise.  He is there when we need Him and we can be secure knowing that He will never, ever let us go.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember that You hold our hand, and will guide us always.

© Phillippa Brown

Like John

His arms

comforting

embracing

His touch

quietly soothing

and, like John

we lean

His eyes

loving

forgiving

His gaze

serene, compelling

and, like Peter

we surrender

His presence

holy

amazing

His glory

radiant, breathtaking

And, we, His Bride

worship

Jesus, Your love is better than wine. (Song of Solomon 1:2 KJV)

© Phillippa Brown

Impossibility Thinking

“Is anything too hard for the LORD….?”

Genesis 18:14

                                                                               

How many times, when faced with a difficult situation, have we muttered to ourselves, “This is impossible?” And we shoved whatever it was aside, hoping it would somehow resolve itself as there was absolutely nothing we could do to fix it.

Human efforts have their limitations. Jesus’ disciples confronted their limitations many times, even while the Master was with them. When a storm threatened their lives, they panicked and woke Jesus up, asking Him to help. When Jesus told them to feed the five thousand, they said, “We can’t.”  When a tearful father implored them to cure his demon-possessed son, they just stood by helplessly.

Jesus, Himself, acknowledged our limitations when He said, “The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 KJV). And therefore in Mark 11:22, He instructs us to, “Have faith in God” (KJV). God alone has unlimited power. Faith is absolute confidence in God’s ability and willingness to help us with our needs. Faith links our impossibilities and His omnipotence. Faith makes anything possible. 

Remember the disciples’ storm at sea? Jesus rebuked the raging of the wind and the waves. Remember the hungry crowd? Jesus fed five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread and two fishes. Remember the demon-possessed boy? Jesus cured him, much to the joy of his father.

When you have done all you can, and decided that something is impossible, think again. For all things impossible, only believe. Directing our faith toward God allows Him to help us and bring about solutions that ultimately bring Him glory. 

© 2012 Phillippa Brown

When We Cry....

TEARS

They hovered, tremulous

Suspended only for a moment

Waiting, questioning

Heavy with hurt

They fell, translucent

And I could see your heart

Bruised and broken

Shattered even

They spoke, eloquent

Of pain, and loss, and fear

Transparent, without shame

Craving understanding

They flowed, uncontrollable

Crystal rivulets curved

Turbulent, unstopping

Intense with passion

They subsided, spent

A story told, a faucet emptied

Your anguish eased

The past closed

 

They healed, miraculously

Restoring lucid hope

Tentatively revealing

Tomorrow's promise

And then you smiled.

IT’S HARVESTIME!

A colorful display of fruits and vegetables lined the steps of the old concrete building. The annual Harvest Festival of the Bethlehem Church signaled an exciting time for me. I looked forward to doing the once-a-year march up the church aisle with my friends; all of us carrying fruits picked from our very own backyards!

Clutching an over-sized bunch of grapefruits, I solemnly marched up the steps of the building, down the aisle, and then laid the grapefruits on the altar along with pineapples, bananas, breadfruit, coconuts, and a plethora of other fruits. One at a time, we all placed our gifts on the altar until it overflowed with fruitage.

After the ceremonial march ended, the concert began. One indispensable item was the solo rendition of “Reapers Are Needed”—a song highlighting the need for Christian workers. The same lady sang it every year. She did so with great gusto and upon reaching the line, “Rouse ye, O sleepers,” she would yell so loudly that I felt somehow I was the one asleep being woken up.

Apparently I was. Years later, I became aware of the call of the Lord to the ministry. The knowledge came slowly—almost imperceptibly. At 9 years old, I made a commitment to serve the Lord and at 12 years old found myself weeping in a service after a message on missions—to the amazement of my parents. I felt inescapably destined to work for God.

Those years of hearing “Reapers Are Needed” helped shape my life. Today, serving as a minister in my local church, I still appreciate its message. And I appreciate those times in the Harvest Festival where I came to realize that I could do more than bring in a harvest of grapefruits and pomegranates—I can bring in a harvest of souls.

I Got This

(I shared this before but felt directed to post it again as someone may need it.)

Susie (not her real name), a teenager in my local youth group, came to see me one day. As she poured out her story, it became clear that she needed a lot of help, but not the kind of help that we, as a church, could offer. When she finished her story, her eyes bored into mine, desperate for some sign of hope.

"What am I going to do, Phillippa?" she asked.

I had no answer. Days after the meeting, I was still thinking; trying to come up with some kind of solution to her dilemma. Nothing. I began to worry.

While standing next to the kitchen sink one evening, I suddenly felt the urge to pray. I went over to my bedside, knelt down and waited, sensing that the Lord was about to speak. I received the impression He wanted me to talk to Him about what was on my mind, so I expressed my concern about Susie.

Quietly and unmistakably, He said, "(her real name) is not your problem, she's Mine."

Completely taken off guard, I responded, "Oh."

Relief replaced surprise as I understood that He was saying, "I got this." (Actually, He's "got" everything and everyone that we bring to him in prayer, but sometimes we need a reminder.)

I watched Suzie's life turn around. I congratulated her as she happily graduated from college some years later. And I praised the amazing God who cares so deeply for all His children and knows us all by name.

Do not worry about those in your life that belong to the LORD. He is working all things out for their good. Hang in there, change is coming!

Blessings!




   

Who's Tired?

I was having one of those days. You know, those days when you realize that much of your attempts at doing things were unsuccessful and you have a long list of "Maybe I should've done this" or "Why didn't I do that?"  A sense of weariness with my life settled over me as I contemplated my failures. I felt that I could not be worth much to God. In frustration, I muttered, "Lord, aren't you tired of me?"

Initially, I had no idea where this was going, but His word came to me like a gentle whisper, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."

What a great God we serve! He would never get weary of me. Instead, He would give me strength when I grew weary of myself.  "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength....they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31)

We can be encouraged today. At times when the vicissitudes of life drain our emotional, spiritual, or physical energy, remember this: God is not tired of us. In fact, he is not tired at all. He has an abundance of strength, grace, and power. And as the song reminds us, "Out of his infinite riches in Jesus, he giveth, and giveth, and giveth again."