Good morning on this, the 17th of May. I returned from Springfield, Missouri, last Thursday evening where I had gone to get our missionary interns, the Joyces, approved as missionaries to Burkino Faso, Africa. There were three rounds in the approval process over a two-day period. First the Joyces met with a small group of pastors and missionaries in an evaluation session where any question could be asked or issue raised by any participant of the group. I have been in some of those sessions where the candidates were severely questioned about their beliefs, doctrines, practices and philosophy of ministry, and I have been in other sessions where the process has been much less grueling. Since you can't know what you will face, you have to be fully prepared for the worst-case scenario. Next, the candidates go before the entire body of Baptist Bible Fellowship International leaders and Missions Committee members to give their testimony and statement of their call as missionaries. Finally, they go before the assembly of all of the pastors and missionaries in the plenary session to be approved. Josh and Lani acquitted themselves well through the entire process and I guarantee you would have been very proud of them and their performance through every phase of their approval. They are now fully-approved missionaries and are ready to begin their deputation in early June. I have every confidence that they will be outstanding missionaries. The highest compliment I could give them is to say that if they were not called as missionaries, I would love to have them as permanent members of the Edgewood pastoral staff. Tomorrow's A.M. sermon is entitled, What Makes A Baptist A Baptist and following the evening service, the church will host a farewell reception for the Joyces. I hope I will see you in all of the services tomorrow.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday, May 10th. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Tomorrow's services will feature a variety of events to honor our Edgewood mothers: recognition of all moms, a gift for some of our oldest mothers, a video tribute to all moms and a Mother's Day message entitled, "The Exemplary Mother." In preparing for the sermon I uncovered the following fact: the typical mother spends 18,000 hours of her life caring for her children in her many roles of motherhood. Needless to say, that is a huge investment of her life, but the dividends of that investment are so important. Someone has said, "An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy." As we honor so many worthy ladies this Mother's Day, please don't forget to pray for these special-needs people:
(1) Those who are grieving because of the recent loss of their mother
(2) Those whose mothers are seriously ill and are enduring suffering and pain
(3) Those who long to become mothers but have no children
(4) Those mothers who have experienced the heart-breaking death of a child
(5) Those who have grown up or are growing up without a mother
(6) Those mothers who are valiantly struggling to keep their families together and make ends meet in spite of very difficult circumstances
Tomorrow's celebrations should be filled with praise and appreciation for our mothers but should include our personal prayerful consideration of those who are hurting.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday the 3rd of May. In last week's blog, I wrote about my daughter and son-in-law's plans to bring our new grandson, Kai, home from China. They are now traveling to Beijing to make this a reality. They have developed a web site to share pictures and progress reports of their journey; the address is: http://www.myadoptionwebsite.com/kai/. If you are interested, please visit this web site for information and updates - I think you'll enjoy it.
This morning our special guest, Dan Brown, will be arriving in the Quad Cities and will be with us throughout the weekend. He will be speaking in both A.M. services tomorrow morning as well as in the youth group meetings during Sunday school and Sunday evening. Dan is a youth pastor and youth pastor's pastor who has had an extraordinary ministry with young people. His LIFT camp program has impacted the lives of so many teens through the years. His ministry this weekend at Edgewood should be a great encouragement to our people and particularly our youth and their sponsors.
Tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM, Edgewood will have an ordination service for our missionary intern, Josh Joyce. It will be great event for Josh's ministry and for the people of our church. It is one of the most important and sacred services in any church because it represents the official setting apart of the candidate for the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Attending this ordination service will be a very worth-while experience, not only for Josh and his family, but for all of the rest of us as well.
I hope to see you in all of tomorrow's services.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday, April 26th. This is an exciting time in our family as a long-awaited event takes place starting next week. My daughter, Cheryl, and her husband, Greg, will be leaving for China to adopt a 22 month-old boy named, Kai. They were notified last January that a little boy with foot problems in an orphanage in Beijing had been matched to them because of their request to adopt a special-needs child who would require the expert care of a foot surgeon. Cheryl and Greg not only wanted to provide a loving home for such an child, but also wanted to correct his disability (Cheryl is a foot surgeon practicing in Chicago) and provide him an opportunity for a healthy normal life. Now after months of waiting, he will soon be part of our family. They will spend several weeks in China completing arrangements and preparing to bring him home. Barb and I hope to be at the airport when they arrive to meet and greet our newest grandson and officially welcome them home. What a thrill it will be to hold him in our arms for the first time! In Scripture children are called an heritage of the Lord (Psa. 127:3) and are blessed by our Lord in a special way; they are blessed by the Lord and in turn are a blessing unto us.
Today as I write this blog, I am reminded that all over the world there are so many homeless and starving children and we can make a difference one child at a time. Barb and I attempted to adopt two homeless children from Vietnam at the end of the war but did not succeed only because they could not evacuate all of the desperate children before the fall of Saigon. It is a blessing to see our children fulfilling our vision to rescue needy children and provide them with a loving family. Believe me there is nothing in life like when they throw their arms around your neck and say, I love you. While many are not in a position to provide a home for needy children, we can make a difference by providing food, clothing and shelter for them through Edgewood's F.O.O.D. and C.A.S.E. programs. Tomorrow evening after the 6:00 service, the C.A.S.E. committee will be meeting to discuss building an orphanage in India for many desperate children. Why don't you join us and experience the joy of making a huge difference in forsaken children's lives.
Pastor Mel Brown
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, April 19th. The brilliant physicist, Albert Einstein, once said, "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." Since the current tax code is now more than 67,000 pages in length, his point is well taken. As distasteful as facing our income tax may be, Jesus commanded that we render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:21). But Einstein was wrong in his opinion that the income tax is the hardest thing in the world to understand; the hardest thing in the world to understand is the nature (mind and heart) of God. If we could fully understand that, we would either be God or exactly like God. Fortunately Jesus Christ came to reveal God as the divine human manifestation and expression of God through his life, words, actions and example. The nature of God is revealed through the word of God and Jesus is the living Word of God. Christ revealed His main mission when He said, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10). So one of God's great purposes in sending Christ to earth was to reach every person with the message of salvation and its corresponding life filled with God's purpose. Thank God so many of us have discovered God's purpose for our lives through the good news of the gospel of Christ, but His desire is that we become channels through which others will find that same meaning and purpose through a right relationship with God. Tomorrow's Sunday school session and A.M. sermon entitled, The Power of Story, are practical guides toward helping us do just that, and I hope you will not want to miss them. Someone's eternal purpose may be hanging in the balance if you do.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, the 12th day of April. Tomorrow marks week two of our "Just Walk Across The Room" campaign which got off to a good start last Sunday and will continue through the month of April. There is still time for you to participate in one of the adult small groups meeting during the Sunday school hour at 9:30 A.M. Participation in one of these groups (most of which are meeting in the main floor of the multipurpose facility) involves reading an accompanying book and participating in discussions generated by a study guide after watching an informative and inspiring video of approximately 15 minutes length. The feedback I have received by some of those participating in the first week of the campaign was very positive with many expressing appreciation for what they were getting from the sessions. The Sunday morning sermons compliment the content of the group sessions but are distinct in their content and application. If you would like to become both a more influential and effective representative of Jesus Christ, I promise that these sessions will be of great help to you. Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Living In 3D. I hope that I will have the privilege of not only seeing you in the church service, but also in the small-group sessions as well. The books and study guides are provided by the church to those who are participating in the small-group sessions. Lord willing I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this the first Saturday of April. The mountain of snow located at the back of the church parking lot outside of my office window finally melted away. It remained until April 1st and was there for many months getting bigger every week until it finally started melting about three weeks ago. Isn't the warmer weather and refreshing sunshine a welcome change from snow, ice, and cold? With the disappearance of the snow and appearance of green on nature's landscape, it indicates a change of seasons and the arrival of spring. The indicators for a change of season are used in Scripture to illustrate the signs associated with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. So with the current change in our seasons, we should be reminded to be watchful and expectant of our Lord's coming. He will come quickly, as a thief in the night, and in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. In the surety of His coming, let us look upward, inward, and outward. Our outward look is to help others be ready for His coming by bringing them to a right relationship with God. Tomorrow we begin the "Just Walk Across The Room" campaign. Each adult Sunday school class will participate in this award-winning campaign and the A.M. sermons will accommodate this theme. We are excited about its theme and content and know you will be too once we get started. Please join in this tremendous effort by being there for this first Sunday. The program will continue throughout the month of April. Tomorrow's message is entitled, The Single Greatest Gift. I hope I'll have the privilege of seeing you in church tomorrow. We'll be observing the Lord's supper, so come prepared to sit at the Lord's table to both remember and relive what Jesus Christ did for us and all it means to us. It is a time of remembrance, reflection. appreciation, meditation, self-examination, repentance, and anticipation of His coming. It is a communion with God and each other at and because of Calvary.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday March 29th. If you were to look up the definition of success in the dictionary, you would find it defined as: favorable or desired outcomes, the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence, and to attain a desired object or end. Note that each of these definitions focuses upon the end result and completely omits the process of getting there. A better definition of success is "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." This definition focuses on the outcome and process. Joshua 1:8 says about success, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. The Hebrew word for success in this verse means: insight, understanding, to act in wisdom, be prudent, and cause to prosper. The Hebrew word incorporates both the process and outcome and elevates success to the possession of qualities such as wisdom, prudence, and insight. Prudence means: the ability to discipline yourself by reason, shrewdness in the management of affairs, skill and good judgment in the use of resources, and circumspection with regard to risk. Those qualities are linked to successful outcomes and prosperity. Joshua was associated with favorable outcomes throughout the book of Joshua, but some of those favorable outcomes were the result of failures and setbacks which produced insight, understanding, prudence and wisdom and ultimately led to success (See Joshua 7 about the battle at Ai). Some of the most successful people have suffered failure but have turned setbacks into success through the insight gained by the experience. In other words, they learn and grow because of their mistakes. Joshua teaches these steps to true success:
(1) The principles of the Bible should be internalized and expressed in our lives
(2) Continual meditation and application of the Bible's teaching in our lives
(3) Obedience to Scriptural principles and practices
These principles are the pathway to "good" success as defined by God. In light of these principles, do you have good success?
Tomorrow morning The Children of The World Choir will be with us. You won't want to miss them.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Easter eve, March 22nd. HE IS RISEN! I've been seeing this emphatic statement throughout the week on church outdoor signs around the area. It summarizes the message of Easter and succinctly presents the teaching of the great resurrection chapter of the Bible found in 1 Corinthians 15. May I suggest that you take the time this Easter to read that great chapter, as I did before writing this blog this morning, to review its marvelous teachings about the importance and doctrinal applications of this climactic event in the life of Christ. The chapter covers the necessity of the resurrection to the gospel message and our salvation, the evidences of the resurrection through many witnesses, the consequences to us if there were no resurrection, the comprehensiveness of future resurrections, the order of the resurrections, the nature of the resurrected body and its relationship to our current bodies, the rapidity of our resurrection and the signs and sounds which will accompany it, the song of triumph of those resurrected, and a concluding admonition to us. That concluding admonition is, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). May we all not only celebrate His resurrection this Easter, but strive to live every day as steadfast, immovable believers who are always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, Something's Missing. I hope to see you in one of our three Easter services tomorrow (8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 A.M.).
Pastor Mel Brown

Good Saturday morn on this, the 15th of March. Last week I wrote about how my plans were abruptly changed when about noon, I received word that our guest speaker, Dan Brown, was snowed in and would not be coming as planned. Because I have to rewrite my blog to reflect the change in plans, I was not able to make the usual printed copies available in the foyer of the church as I usually do. I did post the blog online but I had to post it in the afternoon instead of the morning, so I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay and lack of availibility of a hard copy. Isn't it interesting how one circumstance can change our plans for the day. In fact one circumstance can change our plays for a brief time, a longer time, or even our whole life. The Bible is replete with examples of incidents which altered plans and people's lives. Encounters with Christ completely altered people's lives such as Nicodemus (John 3), the woman at the well (John 4), and Zaccheus (Luke 19), to name just a few. Unexpected situations such as the numerous persecutations and arrests of the Apostle Paul (many passages in Acts and the Epistles), Moses encounter with the people dancing before the idolatrous golden calf (Exodus 32), or Balaam's experience with his talking beast of burden (Numbers 22), changed the trajectory of people's lives by altering plans and outcomes. Proverbs warns us to not boast about tomorrow because we do not know what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1), and James addresses this issue when he advises us, Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (James 4: 13-15). It is therefore always a good idea to make our plans subject to a "Lord willing" or we will experience many frustrations along the way.

Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Powerful Pictures of the Christian Life.

Good morning on this Saturday, March 8th. In Matthew 5:15 and Luke 8:16, Jesus teaches that someone who lights a lamp doesn't cover it up or put it under the bed, but puts it on a lamp stand so that there will be light for those who enter and all who are in the house. The verses are an illustration of His teaching about letting our light so shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify our Heavenly Father found in Matthew 5:16. Note the word "so" to modify the word "shine." That little word "so" is so important because it emphasizes how or how much. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. It tells us how much God loved us and the letting our light so shine tells us how or how much we are to shine our light before others, which is on every occasion we can to light the way for others to see Jesus Christ. What a wonderful opportunity we have in the next two weeks to let our light so shine as we invite others to church for our Easter services. If more people will accept our invitation to attend on Easter than any other occasion, it is a golden opportunity to take advantage of putting this verse into operation in our lives. Will you let your light so shine this Easter?

Tomorrow our special guest was to be Dan Brown who is the moving force for the LIFT camps which are so enjoyed by our young people and youth sponsors. He was to speak in the AM services as well as speak to our youth during Sunday school but is snowed in and will not be able to make it. He will be rescheduling to be with us soon. So, I'll be speaking tomorrow, Lord willing. I hope I'll see you there.

Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday, March 1st, and like most of us I am so glad to see this month arrive as it brings us closer to the end of winter. I've heard more comments this winter than any other in years about folks being tired of the cold, the snow and the ice. The good news is that tomorrow promises to be a great day weather wise and every other "wise" as well. It is Founder's Day at Edgewood - the day we remember the very first meeting of that small group who met on the site of the former Farmall Plant and eventually organized into what became the Edgewood Baptist Church. That meeting occurred in 1901, 107 years ago. Tomorrow's celebration will include the giving of the New Testament on CD to every adult attending and a children's' CD to every child sixth grade and under. You will be blessed by these CDs as you listen to the Bible reading in your car or home. The CDs are provided free by a group of Christian businessmen who have a burden to see the Bible read regularly by every believer. We will receive a special offering to enable the Bible to be available in another of the world's languages. Special envelopes are located in the pews for this offering. We are excited about tomorrow's services which will include a gospel message entitled, The Simplicity of Salvation. It includes a powerful testimony at the end; I hope you won't want to miss it. Lord willing, I'll see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning, today is Saturday, February 23rd. Today's blog will focus on Founder's Day at Edgewood which will be celebrated on Sunday, March 2nd, -now just eight days away. Each adult attending will receive a CD of the New Testament in a MP3 format and every child will receive a CD of the Children's Bible. The MP3 format is a compression system frequently used in the downloading and reproduction of music. Standard audio CDs (WAV format) may be coverted into a MP3 format so as to take up far less space on the CD. This enables the CD to contain more songs or words. The CDs we are providing are manufactured in the MP3 format to allow the entire New Testament to be placed on fewer CD disks. Many CD players will play both the standard audio format and MP3s as well. Please make sure your CD player handles the MP3 format. If it doesn't, you will need to purchase one that does, so you can benefit from the CDs we will be distributing on Founder's Day. Inexpensive MP3 players are available in discount stores or by comparison shopping using the internet. Hopefully you will have no problem using the CDs on your existing player and will be able to enjoy the reading of the Scriptures as soon as you receive them.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, The Choices, which will include some important visual aids.
I hope to see you in church tomorrow.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this the 16th day of February. This winter has been one of the most severe we have had in many years. Snow totals are already past 40 inches and we still have many weeks of winter weather to go. We've been in a pattern with show/freezing rain coming every 4 -5 days with bitter cold temperatures in between. There is a huge mountain of snow outside of my office window - the accumulation from several plowings of the church parking lot. Many people are suffering from low moods as the winter wears on. Sometimes it is from cabin fever which results from being couped up inside too much. Often it is the result of a condition called S.A.D. which is Situational Affective Disorder, a condition where the biochemistry of the brain is altered because of the lack of sunlight. Other times it is simply a case of the old fashion "winter blues." Regardless of the cause, any of us can long for warmth, sunshine, longer days and the good old outdoors. With all of the snow and ice this winter many people are slipping and falling resulting in broken bones and other injuries. As I was exiting my car last night I slipped on an icy parking lot (not at Edgewood where our trustees have done a great job of maintaining our lot) and nearly went down. So please be extra careful in the days ahead when you are driving (auto accidents are way up this year) or walking. Have a diligent hand rather than a slack hand (Proverbs 10:4) as you are out and about.
Also, kudos to our snow removers at Edgewood. We appreciate the great job you are doing. Please take the time to thank them for a job well done if you have the opportunity. Truly they are faithful stewards of the Lord's property (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Tomorrow's sermon is called, Giant Killers which is an inspirating message about how to defeat the giants in our lives.
I hope you'll be there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, February 9th. I was reading in the book of Romans for my personal devotions and was reminded of an recent application for Romans 5:3, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience. Barb and I were returning from Florida last Monday morning when the pilot announced that Moline was fogged in and we were unable to land. We circled the airport until our fuel ran low and then were diverted to St. Louis. Eventually we we allowed to deplane, get something to eat, and wait in the terminal for frequent weather updates. Finally about 4:00 PM we were told the flight was cancelled and that we would be bussed to the Quad Cities because of the continuing bad weather. After waiting for the arrival of the buses and retrieving our luggage, we boarded the buses and headed for home. The fog was sometimes so thick you could barely see the road which slowed our progress and lengthened our trip. We finally arrived home about midnight eastern time and gave thanks to be safely home. All-in-all it made for a very long day. We were so close yet so far as we circled 10,000 ft. above the Moline airport. All of our plans for Monday afternoon and evening were radically changed due to these uncontrollable circumstances. To say the least, the circumstances were frustrating and at times all-consuming, but according to Romans 5:3 - patience producing. Ah, that elusive quality of patience! Why is it so hard to learn and require so many repeated lessons. It is a fruit of the Spirit which Christ possesses and is readily available to us in and through Christ. All we have to do is depend upon Him and let His patience flow through us, or we can handle it on our own in our own strength and wind up struggling with it again and again. Like so many virtues, so easy in Christ but so hard on our own. I often think, why am I sometimes such a slow learner?
Tomorrow's sermon is an inspirational message entitled, Conquering Your Mountain. I'm eager to return to the pulpit and hope I'll see you in church tomorrow.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning on this frosty Saturday, January 19th. Last night my computer showed that it got down to about 17 below zero and the current temp is now 4 below. Every winter we usually get some of these arctic air blasts to put us in the deep freeze and remind us that winter is alive and well on planet earth. This is a great time to head down to the Mississippi river and do some eagle watching. Every year about this time the eagles arrive and settle along the river near the Arsenal Island and put on quite a show as they soar in the bright skies and dive over the water. They are beautiful, strong and magnificent birds. With their massive wings, I love to watch them lift off and soar to heavenly heights because they vividly illustrate the meaning of Isa. 40:31, "But 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." As you enjoy eagle watching, picture God's renewal process and learn the lesson of running without weariness and walking without fainting.
Tomorrow's sermon will be the same sermon I intended to preach last Sunday, Heavenly Living For Life On Earth. Last Sunday A.M. I was smitten with the stomach flu and never made it past my front door. So Lord willing, I'll preach the sermon tomorrow.
I am scheduled to visit my mother-in-law in Florida next week and will be gone for a couple of weeks. I will not write this blog while I'm gone but will resume posting it when I return.
I hope to see you tomorrow in church.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning on this 12th day of January. My blog today will focus on one of the ministries of the church, the Lay Pastor ministry. When we offered the Lay Pastor training program several years ago, we finished with eighteen Lay Pastors who completed the program and now lead various ministries in the church including numbers who organized and direct a number of brand new ministries. Because of the training, many have contributed greatly to both God's kingdom and the church. We have now started a new series of training sessions which began last Thursday. There is still time for you to participate if the Lord is leading you to do so. We're meeting the first and third Thursdays of each month and our next session will be this Thursday, January 17th at 5:00 PM. The classes will soon be closed and the opportunity to take advantage of the training will be past. Join us this Thursday.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, Heavenly Living For Life On Earth. The message title is self-explanatory.
Ron and Jamie Foster, who are candidates for our Singles ministry position, are with us this weekend. Ron will be speaking during the Sunday evening service at 6:00 PM and will be meeting with a number of groups throughout the weekend.
I hope to see you in both services.
Pastor Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday, January 5th. This morning I was reading in Hebrews and was focusing on the passages in chapter 12:1-2, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The phrase, looking unto Jesus, means to look away from one thing so as to concentrate on another. Its tense means to continually keep on looking. Whatever we do; whatever we go through; whatever we feel, we should always keep our eyes concentrated upon Jesus Christ and His example to us of enduring and finishing our God-given course. It is when we turn our eyes away from Christ toward ourselves or our circumstances that we may get "off course." He is our example, our role model, our leader and our completer. We are literally following in His steps a race of endurance to fulfill God's purpose in our lives. When we compare our course to His, it is a great inspiration to our vision-driven living. Since He finished the course and is seated at God's right hand, He ever lives to make intercession for us and assist us as we run our race. Let's keep our eyes on Jesus looking unto Him for support, strength, help, courage, inspiration and victory.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Sins, Sin and Victorious living. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this last Saturday of 2007, December 29th. As we look forward to the start of a new year, I am reminded of the spiritual activities which were part of a new year's celebration in the Old Testament.
(1) It was a time of self-examination during which people carefully inspected their relationship with God and consequently confessed and removed sins from their lives which hindered their relations with the Lord and their spiritual progress.
(2) It was a time of careful examination of their relationship with others which led to their seeking out those whom they had wronged or offended to make things right.
(3) It was a time of celebration of/for the blessings of God in their lives and the lives of their families, especially with regard to their salvation and its benefits.
So introspection, confession, repentance, restoration, reconciliations, praise and thanksgiving were all vital aspects of their new year's celebration and should be part of ours as well. Such a process will surely get 2008 off to a good start in our lives.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Let Us Go On from Hebrews chapter six. I hope I'll see you in church.
Happy New Year,
Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday morning, December 23rd. With only three days until Christmas, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Since this is my pre-Christmas blog, I thought I would take the opportunity to update you on the Brown household. Our daughter, Lori, continues to teach at Filmore school in Davenport where she has taught for more than a dozen years. She and her husband, Kevin, are preparing to adopt their second child to add to their brood with daughter, Kaitlynn, who is five. Daughter, Cheryl, who lives in Lake in the Hills, IL. recently sold her medical practices in Northbrook and Evanston and opened a practice with her husband, Greg, about five minutes from home in Crystal Lake. She was spending many hours every day driving to her offices, hospitals all over Chicago, or surgical centers in the area. Now she spends far less time on the road and has much more time with her three children, Maelynn 9, Ryan 6, and Brendan 5. They are waiting to adopt their fourth child, a little boy with correctable foot problems whom they expect to receive in February. Cheryl, being a foot surgeon, will fix his problems so as to give him a normal life. We can't wait to hold him in our arms as part of our family. Our son, Timothy, recently resigned from the States Attorney's office in Whiteside county and opened his own law practice in Crystal Lake. He is sharing a new office with sister, Cheryl, and her husband. I am looking forward to having all of the members of my family home for the holidays. Lord willing, Timothy is to arrive today and Cheryl and her family late Sunday. We look forward to being together and opening our presents on Christmas eve after we enjoy the Christmas eve services at church and eat the marvelous buffet food Barb cooks each year. Christmas day is filled with fellowship, games, food and celebration at our house. What a wonderful time of the year Christmas is for every one of us. I have SO much for which to be thankful.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Why Jesus Had to Come. I hope to see you there and at the Christmas eve candlelight communion service.
Pastor Brown.

Good morning on this 15th of December snowy Saturday. Usually we think of the wonderful aspects of Christmas as we approach the holiday: gatherings with family and friends, decorations and beautifully lighted trees, lots of great food and fellowship, gifts and giving, and most importantly, the commemoration of Christ's birth. These are all truly wonderful things which make Christmas the favorite time of the year for most people. What is often overlooked is that Christmas can also be a very stressful time for so many people. Pressures associated with preparing, busier schedules, shopping, and hosting can add much fatigue and time pressure to our lives. It can also force us to diminish our time spent with the Lord - a surprising paradox since all of this is supposed to be about Him in the first place. Here are some practical suggestions to help us enjoy the Christmas festivities fully without excess stress.
(1) Don't let the extra demands rob you of spending quality time with Christ each day. You will get more done with God's blessings than without them. Time spent in fellowship with Him will add much joy to each day and make the season more meaningful and joyous.
(2) Diligently organize your schedule and practice planning to get maximum effect of your time and energy. Making a few well planned trips to the store will save considerable time and energy compared to frequent unplanned runs. Make lists of things to do, organize them in order of priority, and follow through with their completion.
(3) Don't over commit. Sometimes we just can't do everything we would like. Budget your time and energy as you would budget your money.
(4) Don't overspend. A huge part of the stress associated with Christmas involves spending too much, then struggling to make ends meet as the bills come due.
(5) Ask for help when you need it. Family members and friends will share the joys and some of the responsibilities when needed if we only ask. So often we have not because we ask not, not only from God but also from others.
(6) Put Christ in the center of your Christmas. Attend the Christmas services at church and spend some time on Christmas day counting your blessings and giving thanks.
(7) Have realistic expectations. If everything goes perfectly, that is the exception rather than the rule. Too often we feel let down because of unmet expectations which may have been too high or unrealistic. People are not perfect and neither is every circumstance. Concentrate on what you have not on what you don't and on the good not the bad. Every situation is not good, but God is always good and we can rejoice in Him always.
Speaking of Christmas services, tomorrow is our Christmas musical drama, I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, December the 8th. During the Christmas season we frequently hear words like merry, as in merry Christmas; joy, as in the joy of the season; jolly, as in tis the season to be jolly; and happy, as in happy holidays. Although with all the festivities and celebrations which are part of the Christmas season, many are going through rough times thinking they have little reason to celebrate this season. Losses of loved ones, jobs or health, and other things, may have dampened their hearts. Christmas should be a time of helping those who need it by showing them the love and caring of Christ. Christmas baskets, visits, sharing and expressions of love should always be a part of our Christmas celebration. So often a kind word, a card with a note of encouragement, a phone call and an offer of assistance can make the difference between someone experiencing Christmas joy or not. Think of someone who needs it and then let God use you as His instrument to make a difference in their life this Christmas. Spread the joy of the Lord in their life and help them to "rejoice in the Lord" this Christmas.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, The Right Life and will focus on the five things Paul gives as necessities for right and joyous living.
Our annual Christmas musical drama will be a week from tomorrow on the 16th of December. Thank you for inviting friends and family members to this special service - they will be blessed by being there and so will you for bringing them.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this icy December 1st Saturday morning. I am looking out my home office window and watching cars slip and slide on the hillside street in front of my house. Regardless of what the calendar shows, it looks like nasty winter weather is here; yet shoppers seem willing to brave the icy roads to do their Christmas shopping in spite of the conditions. Such commitment to this task in service of the sale is commendable and I only hope that Christians will have an equal commitment in service of the Lord. Sunday, December 16th, is the date of our Christmas musical drama and it promises to be an outstanding day. I hope nothing will keep you from attending nor prevent you from bringing family and friends to share this occasion. Keeping Christ in Christmas should be a major goal of every Christian family and our annual Christmas programs, services and projects at Edgewood should help with this important effort. Our traditional Christmas eve communion service will fall on Monday evening this year. We are again providing Christmas baskets for those with special needs and providing food for hungry people at home and abroad. Helping make others' Christmas better will surely make ours better also. Thank you for your caring for those in need; it shows Christ- like compassion and is Christianity in action.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, God's Formula for Stress Relief, and will focus on how God prescribes thanksgiving as a vital ingredient of the three-fold process. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you had as wonderful of a Thanksgiving as I. All of my family was here and we enjoyed a wonderful day together. The last couple of days I've been full-time in the grandfather business with my four grandchildren, Maelynn, Ryan, Brendan and Kaitlynn. What an experience to go fun places with them and soak up the gratification of seeing them so full of glee. Yesterday I took them all to a Disney movie, Enchanted, and it was a delight not only to be with them, but also to enjoy their sheer enjoyment of the experience. Truly children are an "heritage of the Lord" as the Bible proclaims. We are looking forward to our fifth grandchild, Kai, a little guy 16 months old who has serious foot problems. Since my daughter is a foot surgeon, she offered to adopt him and will correct his feet. So if everything goes as planned, we'll have him in our arms sometime in February and that anticipation has made this Thanksgiving even more special. There is one caveat, all of the arrangements have not been completed, so until we have final confirmation, we must remain cautiously optimistic about his coming. During our family Thanksgiving prayer I shared the things for which our family has to be thankful and it again reminded me of how much we take for granted.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, Removing the "In" From Ingratitude. I sincerely hope I'll have the pleasure of seeing you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this the 17th day of November. Thursday is Thanksgiving and like most of us I am counting my blessings. I'm reminded of the chorus of the song, "Count Your Many Blessings." It goes, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done." How often do we actually take the time to stop and count up our many blessings. Most of us do have plenty of them - almost too many to count. There are 365 praiseworthy names of God in the Bible and nearly 200 specific things cited for which to be thankful. Of course, this is just the start because all of our specific personal blessings are in addition to the Biblical list. The Psalms are filled with praise and thanksgiving as examples of how our lives should be filled with both. Take time this Thanksgiving to count your blessings and name them one by one; then give thanks to God for each one of them and I think it will surprise you what God has done.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Keeping Up When You Feel Let Down. I'll look forward to seeing you there. Remember, the Wednesday evening service has been moved to Tuesday evening this week because many will be travelling for the Thanksgiving weekend. Praise and pie will be served during this Tuesday service.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, November 10th. This week's news featured a claim by Iran's leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Iran now possesses 3000 centrifuges which, if true, could put them within a year's reach of having the nuclear bomb. This report led to an immediate response on the part of the Israeli government stating that Iran would not be allowed to have nukes. The tone of the response indicated the Israel seems determined to prevent that scenario at any cost, including launching a preemptive strike against their nuclear sites. The Iranian government has promised retaliation against Israel or the United States if these sites are attacked by either country. Meanwhile the clock keeps ticking toward this inevitable confrontation because Iran is determined to go nuclear and Israel and the U.S. are determined that it cannot be allowed to happen. As mentioned in a previous blog, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has pledged that an attack against Iran would be considered as an attack against Russia. Could this be the world event which will cause Russia, Iran and her allies to attack Israel as predicted in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39? It could be and if so, keep your spiritual seat belts fastened because we are soon to ride the "upward express" to meet the Lord in the air as predicted in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Wow, how exciting it is to watch these events unfold! Keep an eye on these events and keep looking up, "your redemption draweth nigh."
Tomorrow is Anniversary Sunday at Edgewood and the professional drama team, Clear Vision, will be presenting a moving drama in both of the A.M. services which will lead to my short message to follow. Then tomorrow evening the drama team will lead the evening service followed by refreshments in the multi-purpose facility as part of the celebration. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this 3rd day of November. Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight. Time change has recently been pushed from late October to early November, so tonight we get back the hour we lost last spring when we moved our clocks forward one hour.
This weekend we welcome Scott Pethel and his bride to be, Dominique Farruggia, as missionary intern candidates for the next two years. We will introduce them in both A.M. services and Scott will be speaking in the 6:00 P.M. service tomorrow evening. Let's give them a warm Edgewood welcome this weekend.
Next Sunday, November 11th, we'll celebrate my thirty-ninth anniversary as pastor of the Edgewood Baptist Church. Our special guests will be the Clear Vision Drama Team who will be with us all weekend and will be doing dramatic presentations in both the A.M. and P.M. services. As an outreach event, it affords a wonderful opportunity to invite friends and family to our services for this special event. May God's blessings be upon our efforts as we work to introduce others to our Savior through this special day.
Tomorrow is communion and the message is about Jesus as our Passover lamb.
I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this 27th day of October. Nations and their surrounding events are in a constant state of flux and some of them can have major significance in the arena of Biblical prophecy. Such is the case with Russia. Following Russia's revolution under Yeltsin in which they threw off the yoke of communism, they have moved steadily away from democracy under the leadership of Putin. His goal has been to restore Russia to super-power status and once again make Russia a major player in world events. He has succeeded in reviving Russia's economy (mostly through oil revenues when oil went from $20 to $90 a barrel), rebuilding its military, developing new weapons systems, and becoming increasingly oppositional toward the west in foreign policy. He has threatened retaliatory action if the U.S. and its European allies install a proposed missile shield (comparing it to the Cuba missile crisis in the 60s) and stated that an attack by the U.S. on Iran would be considered as an attack against Russia. Since Ezekiel places Iran as an ally of Russia, this could have great prophetic significance. Clearly Russia is moving more and more into position to exercise her role predicted in Ezekiel 38 & 39. Now Turkey, long a U.S. ally, has become increasingly distant toward the western nations. After being rebuffed in its attempt to join the European Common Market, threatening action against the Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq who have menaced their border and attacked their troops and courting religious Muslim leadership instead of secular governance, they have expressed ever-increasing anti-west rhetoric. Keep a close eye on Turkey because Ezekiel places them in alliance with Russia and Iran, not with the western nations. It is wise to carefully study Biblical prophecy and at the same time, scrutinize world events because they can be so interrelated. Remember - PERHAPS TODAY - Jesus is coming again. Will you be ready?
Tomorrow our guest speaker in the A.M. services will be Dennis Jennings, Assistant Missions Director for the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. There will also be special adult Sunday school classes meeting in the auditorium and multi-purpose facility. The Edgewood 2007 Mission's Conference will close on Sunday evening with a candle-light service featuring our former intern, missionary Cory Barker.
I hope you'll be attending all of these services tomorrow.
Pastor Brown

A warm good morning to you on this 20th day of October. The apostle Paul mentioned that we are epistles known and read of all men manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Have you ever heard the comment, "My life is an open book?" Well the idea Paul is sharing is that our lives as Christians are an open book, but the contents of each believer's life should reveal Jesus Christ in/through us to others. Our lives should not only represent Christ but also reveal Him to others around us. We reveal Christ through Christ-like attitudes, values and actions which demonstrate a life committed to Him and His word. Tomorrow begins a week of special focus at Edgewood. Actually, it is a Sunday to Sunday emphasis on missions through our mission's conference. Four missionaries will be our personal guests and others will share with us via video. I have the pleasure of preaching the first message tomorrow morning in both services entitled, The Motives for Missions. It will show how that which was near and dear to the heart of Jesus Christ should be to us also and should be a vital part of our "living epistle" message as representatives of Christ. Our Mission's Committee has planned an extra-special series of meetings for this conference which includes an opportunity for us to share a small-group time together in member's homes with a missionary in attendance to fellowship and share together. Sign up sheets for each group meeting are in the foyer of the church. Please invest the time to participate in one of these groups and plan to attend each of the services during this year's conference. You will be blessed by being there. I'll look forward to seeing you in church tomorrow.
Mel Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday, October 13th. Today is my birthday and I have much to celebrate since last year I was preparing for yet another round of chemotherapy. I would like to thank so many in the congregation for inviting friends and relatives to our annual Friend Day at Edgewood this year. Your efforts made the day an outstanding success with many visitors attending our services last Sunday. In fact, when I looked around the services (especially in the later service) I was pleased with the sea of unfamiliar faces before me. I also appreciate the response to the gospel sermon I preached on The Tests of Life. Seldom have I had so many people seek me out to compliment a message as I experienced this week. I'm glad the sermon was such a blessing to so many. Please pray that the seeds of the gospel which were planted in many lives last Sunday will produce salvation fruit in the unsaved who heard it. Scripture says in Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he who wins souls is wise.
Our next outreach Sunday will be November 11th when we celebrate my anniversary as pastor of Edgewood. Our guests that weekend will be the professional drama team, Clear Vision who will do a special presentation in our services.
Tomorrow's message is called, A Devil of a Time. I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good Saturday morning on this the 6th of October. Have you ever needed direction from the Lord and desperately needed Him to show you what to do? Then you may know that sometimes God does not immediately answer, but causes us to wait upon Him and His leadership. The waiting part can be frustrating, especially if you feel you need to know NOW. In 1 Samuel 10:8 Saul was told, "Seven days shall you tarry, till I come to you, and show you what you should do." The good news was God told Him He would receive direction; the bad news was he had to wait before he would receive it. When the pressure is on to make a decision, it can be a real test of faith to wait upon the Lord's leading instead of rushing into making a decision on our own without His direction. In the end it is always worth the wait to have God work in our life and especially in our decisions. He knows the end from the beginning and not only knows the future but has what theologians call "middle knowledge" which is the knowledge of every possible outcome of every possible decision and course of action. No wonder then that Romans declares that His will is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2). His will is always worth waiting to know and do and so many of our problems in life are because we have done our will not His. If you are making an important decision would you rather go your own way or His?
Tomorrow is Friend Day at Edgewood and the message is entitled, The Tests of Faith.
I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this 29th day of September. Fall is in the air with the cooler morning temperatures, shorter daylight hours and leaves beginning to change their colors. Often when people move to warm-weather climates they mention that they miss the changing of the seasons, particularly the spring and fall with all their beautiful magnificence. God has some interesting things to say about the seasons. After the flood in Genesis 8:22, He promises that the seasons will continue as long as the earth remains, While the earth remains, Seed time and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Solomon reminds us that there is a season for every purpose and proceeds to list those times and purposes. He concludes in verse 11 by telling us that God will make everything beautiful in its time, He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. But today I would like to focus on the seasons as they relate to Biblical prophecy. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, after discussing our being caught up to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture (the coming of the Lord in the air for His own as compared with His later coming when He comes to earth with His own), Paul mentions that He did not need to teach them again about the prophetic times and seasons, but that in the light of the prophetic seasons, we should be watchful, sober, and full of faith, hope and love because Christ will come as a thief in the night and as children of light we should be ready, But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). So as the seasons change around us, we should be reminded of these great prophetic truths and live in the light of His coming. Remember, perhaps today will be the day!
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Avoiding An About Face About Faith.
I 'll look forward to seeing you in church tomorrow.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, the 22nd day of September. I updated you on my recent doctor's visits and lab results last week. If you missed it, please see last week's blog. Today I thought I would focus on the Psalmist's practical resolution in Psalm 108. He determinately states, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Now that is an attitude of heart that we all need to emulate. He has a fixed attitude of heart that he will give praise to God. There are always and will always be things for which to praise God regardless of our circumstances; these are the enduring fruits of our relationship with the Lord which are included in this Psalm: mercy, truth, deliverance, prayer, and help. His mercy endures forever, His truth is everlasting, our deliverance is eternal, He is always a prayer away and He is an ever-present help when we need Him. No wonder the Psalmist said his inner man was so securely determined to praise the Lord. He knew these qualities were always his possessions and that he could have joy because he could always count on them and their benefits. Though there are so many other things for which we may praise the Lord, these should be both the basics and basis of all of our praise. Let's do that regularly in our lives.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, How God's Grace Turns Our Weaknesses into Strength. I hope I'll see you there.
Pastor Brown
P.S. Don't forget Friend Day at Edgewood will be Sunday, October 7th and is only two weeks away.

Good morning on this beautiful sunny Saturday, September 15th. This week I had two doctor's appointments, one with my family doctor and the other with my oncologist. Both examined me and ran some lab work. Both indicated that I'm doing well in my recovery with the various lab tests coming back normal. The recovery from my severe case of shingles continues to ever so gradually move forward with a slight change for the better every month. For the favorable reports, I am very grateful and exclaim a hearty "Praise the Lord!" Your prayers have made a great difference - please keep up the good work. Truly, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16)
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Our Weaknesses Can Produce Great Strength. Also, tomorrow evening at 6:00 P.M. We'll have our "Old Fashion" service with the old songs, an old timer's sermon, an amen, hallelujah. praise the Lord offering and refreshments to follow. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning, it is Saturday September 8th. I returned home on Labor Day from my vacation which took me to Maryland to visit my two brothers for ten days, then to Chicago to visit my daughter, Cheryl for several days. Both trips were thoroughly enjoyable. One year ago I couldn't have even thought of making the trips because I was so weak, but I thank God my strength has gradually increased and my neuropathy is slowly improving as well. Thanks be to God that He heals and gives strength to the weary. The Psalmist recited a long list of God's benefits to us in Psalm 103 and provides this admonition, "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits" (Psalm 103:1-2). So today I ask you to join me in blessing the Lord and His name with all that is within us in the depths of our souls (mind, emotions and will) and forgetting not His many benefits listed by the psalmist: forgiveness, healing, redemption, loving kindness, tender mercies, satisfaction, good things, renewed strength, righteousness, judgment, making known His ways, mercifulness, graciousness, slowness to anger, plentiousness, not dealing with us after our sins or rewarding us according to our iniquities, removing our transgressions, pity, remembering that we are weak, preparing His throne in the heavens and that His kingdom rules over all. Now that gives us a heartful of praise doesn't it?
Tomorrow's sermon is about the one thing we are to continually do to succeed in the Christian life and is entitled, Going for the Gold: Your Past, Present and Future; also we will be observing communion. I hope to see you there.

Good morning, it is Saturday, August the 11th. Last week we looked at the ways Jesus did not think and today we'll look at some of the ways He did think - those things which He purposely focused upon in His mind. They include: humility, gratitude, the Word of God, the will of God, worship, God consciousness, faith, forgiveness, future/prophecy, eternity, others, witness, the kingdom, sharing, prayer, righteousness, peace, discipline, and discipleship. Additionally, He saw that his mother's needs were met, cultivated friendships, and had His material needs met through work and support. Clearly His priorities shined through in every aspect of His life. If we are to have the mind of Christ and let the mind of Christ be in us, we should strive to emulate Him in our priorities and thoughts.
Tomorrow's sermon will focus on Paul's third missionary journey and the giving and receiving of advice. I am looking forward to seeing you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this 4th day of August. Last week we mentioned that we would look at how and what Jesus thought so that we could emulate Him in order to obey the command to "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). This week we will highlight the ways Jesus did not think and next week, the ways He did think. Jesus did not:
1. Worry
2. Dwell on the negative and overlook the positive
3. Dwell on the past
4. Become fearfully minded
5. Personalize and have trouble putting things behind Him
6. Make mountains out of molehills
7. Distort the truth
8. Look at the world through either rose colored or dark colored glasses
9. Avoid life's difficulties and responsibilities
10.Get down on Himself or others
11.Think of a single negative event as a continuing pattern of defeat
12. Dwell on material things and think that material things would bring happiness or fulfillment
Would to God that all of us could order our thoughts so that we would avoid these pitfalls in our thinking; if so, our lives would be so much better. The good news is that by the grace of God we can!
Tomorrow's sermon is about Paul's second missionary journey and focuses on some of his most interesting and important encounters. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this 28th day of July. Often out of life's deepest valleys come mountain-top experiences and vice versa. When King David had gone through the terrible experience of losing his baby son, he comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and she conceived and later delivered Solomon, the future king and wisest man who ever lived. Clearly blessing followed buffeting. The opposite occurred when Elijah faced the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. After routing them in their confrontation and calling fire down from Heaven to consume the sacrifice, he experienced deep despair when threatened by the evil Queen Jezebel and fled for his life. He was so low that he asked God to take him. How can experiences lead to such opposite emotions so easily and quickly. The answer lies in a simple fact of life for most people - when good things happen to us we feel good, and when bad things happen to us we feel bad. But the Bible teaches us that it doesn't have to be that way. Layered in between our emotional reaction to our experiences are our beliefs and thoughts. In fact, our beliefs shape our thoughts. If we are taught to let the mind of Christ be in us, then we will believe, think and even respond as Christ would. The only way we'll be able to accomplish that is to know the New Testament intimately so that we will know and use the mind of Christ and can apply it readily to our lives. Several years ago I preached a series of sermons about the thinking patterns of Jesus, which included an analysis of both the ways Jesus did and did not think. In my next blog, I'll plan to review some of those principles so that we might apply them to our life's needs and circumstances; they are definitely some of the most important principles we will ever use in our every-day lives.
Tomorrow's message is about Paul's first missionary journey during which some very important circumstances developed which changed many lives. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Hello on this Saturday morning, July 21st. My daughter, Lori, and I have been editing the Missionary Intern Manual which we use to train our missionary interns. During the last twelve plus years Edgewood has trained some dozen missionaries who are doing a great work for God building churches in various countries around the world. We are proud of their leadership and accomplishments for Christ. So many of our Edgewood people have had a vital role in their development and should feel much pride in their successes for Christ. As I receive reports about the churches they have started, souls they have won, feeding centers they have established, and lives they have influenced, I am so thankful for our part in their ministries. A number of them will be visiting our church over the next year and we eagerly look forward to seeing them and receiving an update on their ministries. Please continue to keep them in your prayers on a regular basis. Prayer for our missionaries is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. Additionally, sometimes the smallest gesture of concern can make a big difference in their lives. One of our missionaries mentioned in a letter that their daughter missed having pancakes because her favorite pancake mix was unavailable in their country. My wife went out and bought the mix and sent it to them. We soon received a letter of appreciation sharing how their little girl was thrilled with delight when she sat down and ate her first helping of her favorite pancakes in several years. It brought such joy to her little life. Sometimes a short note of encouragement can mean so much when they are going through some difficult or lonely times. A little thoughtful gesture can often make such a difference to a missionary family. Give it a try and see what God can do. God just may use you as the instrument to answer their prayers.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, Double Vision and Overcoming Prejudice. It is about a momentous experience which changed the attitudes of many in the early church. I hope to see you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this beautiful 14th day of July. I've been reading in the book of Romans and have once again been impressed with every advantage that we have as believers who are "in Christ". The Lord certainly anticipated our every spiritual need and saw to it that their provision would be made through our personal relationship with Christ. The list of what God makes available to us is astounding including: salvation, assurance, righteousness, intercession, love, joy, peace of God, peace with God, hope, strength, healing, reconciliation, restitution, relationship(s), restoration, victory, access, ability, spiritual gifts, guidance, counsel, forgiveness, discipleship, fellowship, worship, ministry, witness, growth, faith, encouragement, patience, boldness in prayer, answers to prayer, freedom, help in trouble, companionship, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control, fruitfulness, gladness, gratitude, hospitality, honesty, humility, illumination, understanding, fidelity, influence, instruction, discretion, equity, leadership, loyalty, grace, mercy, mediation, morality, purpose, mission, provision, oneness, opportunities, ordinances, affiliation, forbearance, perseverance, purity, compassion, sympathy, empathy, position, power, recompense, prosperity, refreshment, renewal, revival, respect, reward, satisfaction, contentment, spirituality, steadfastness, stewardship, teaching, testimony, praise, thankfulness, tenderness, thoughtfulness, truth, unity, will of God, wisdom, zeal, sacrifice, celebration, confession, rest, and,of course, a home in Heaven. This is not an exhaustive list!; it is just the beginning of what Christ has done for us and provided to/for us. His blessings and benefits are beyond measure. All of this and more are available in Christ, but it does not mean that we avail ourselves of all of them; we must apply and appropriate the resources He provides making each a reality in our lives. They are wrapped and waiting, but we have to unwrap them. What a Christmas Christ has made available to us - how many of these packages have you personally unwrapped?
Tomorrow's sermon is on the miraculous transformation of Paul. Lord willing, I'll see you there.

Good morning on this extra warm 7th day of July. I have enjoyed talking to the college & career-age young people about a variety of topics during the last several weeks. They submitted a series of questions to me and I have been methodically answering them each Sunday in their class. We've discussed the Genesis account of creation vs. evolution based upon scientific fact and some of the latest research in biology and genetics; the age of the earth as represented by four prominent scholastic views as related to geology and quantum physics; denominations, how and why they developed and what their differences are; the ages of the patriarchs compared to life spans today and reasons for the differences; the Biblical explanation for some of the so-called missing link animal fossils; the Biblical explanation of dinosaurs; and the separation of fact from opinion and the laws of logic in relation to Biblical and secular interpretation. Tomorrow we will cover the principles of Biblical interpretation (hermeneutics or how to interpret the Bible correctly). I have been putting together an interpretative guide to use as a handout to go along with the lesson and have enjoyed the interaction with these fine young people who attend the class. Yet to be covered is an overview of the Biblical explanation of the hominids which are fossils which possess characteristics of both apes and men. This series of lessons came about because so many of our young people have had their faith challenged in secular university classrooms where skeptical professors attacked the Bible as being untrustworthy. I have said many times that believers need not fear such questions or attacks because the Bible will stand the test of scrutiny when all the facts are carefully examined. I'm grateful that through the years many Edgewood young people have been saved from the shipwreck of their faith by being provided expert Biblical and scholarly answers from many reliable sources to some of the secular world's greatest questions. Please pray for our young people as their faith is tested in the arena of the secular world that they will stand for Christ with boldness, knowledge and wisdom.
Tomorrow's sermon will focus on the exciting ministry of Philip in the book of Acts. I hope I'll be seeing you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this last day of June. Soon our adult groups meeting in the multipurpose center during the 9:30 Sunday school hour will begin a new series of studies about prayer. Spurgeon called prayer the power plant of his church and Jesus taught that it was an essential ingredient of an intimate and and meaningful relationship with God. Who among us would not say that our prayer life could use some growth and development. Even the venerable evangelist, Billy Graham, has recently said that one of his regrets as he looks back over his nearly ninety years of life and nearly seventy years of ministry is that he did not pray more. However, it is not merely the how often or how much of prayer that is important, but the how itself. These studies will focus on all of these important points with an emphasis on the practical aspects of successful prayer. I hope you will avail yourself of this opportunity to stoke up the power plant of God in your life. See my wife or call the church office if you are interested in participating.
Thank you again for your continuing prayers for me; they are always so very much appreciated. I've been fighting a sinus infection this week but am now beginning to feel better.
Tomorrow's message is entitled, The Holy Spirit Working Through Men. It will concentrate on how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of four men, Stephen, Philip, Simon the sorcerer and the Ethiopian eunuch. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Pastor Brown

Good morning on this rainy 23rd day of June. I have been studying the Bible for nearly forty-five years. Since I am currently preaching a series from the book of Acts entitled, Acts: Believer's in Action, I have been re-reading and re-studying every chapter of that New Testament book. Even though I have read and studied its pages many times over the yea