Yesterday, Sept. 29th I finished my fifth round of chemotherapy. I am always glad to complete the weeks when treatment is administered, but then must prepare for the next period where while the medications are attacking the cancer cells, they are also attacking other types of cells in the body which can result in a whole host of unpleasant symptoms or possible complications. I am grateful for the medical advancements made during recent years which have provided better management of nausau, hiccups, cramping,, fatigue, infection, discomfort, etc. I find it to be very helpful to focus on optimal thinking, which is knowing and facing the reality of any circumstance while factoring in God, faith, prayer, hope, Biblical solutions and practices, Biblically-focused attitudes and thinking (things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report with virtue and praise - we are told to continue to think on these things (Phil. 4:8). It is so important because as a man THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE (Prov. 23:7). Letting Christ live and flow in/through you is critical to this process, especially when the struggles or problems are the greatest or the circumstances the hardest because when our strength is ending His is only beginning. Praise is always the ingredient for finding access to and filling of God's presence because God promises that "He inhabits the praises of His people" (Psm. 22:3). The Hebrew word for inhabits in that verse has the idea of remaining, abiding, dwelling or staying put in a mindset of praise and gratitude. Focusing on the roses instead of concentrating on the prickly thorns helps lift the heart instead of further weighing it down. Once when I was complaining to an insurance representative about escalating costs of the church's health care premiums, he mentioned that years ago when Drs. preformed a surgery they would put a piece of rawhide in the patient's mouth, pour some preparation on the wound and proceed to cut while the patient was fully awake. He suggested that if we returned to that state of practice, costs would decrease dramatically and become quite cheap. He then mentioned some of the advances made in recent years in modern medicine including diagnostics (CAT, PET, SPECT scans, MRIs etc.), treatments (laproscopic, micro, computer assisted surgeries, delicate and intricate arterial catherization procedures, etc.), state-of-the-art hospital facilities and treatment centers, well-trained Drs. in numerous specialities and sub-specialities with ever-increasing knowledge and expertise), the proliferation of specialized drugs and procedures to control and cure diseases and infections as well as manage pain and suffering, and the ongoing research which offers such hope for future successful treatments to improve both the quality and length of our lives. After saying that, he asked if I would like to go back to the rawhide or have the benefits of modern medicine and then added, "If so we will have to pay for it and all of these things are expensive." Believe me I have thought about his words during my diagnosis and treatments and am glad we are where we are today. It makes it so much easier to look at some of the roses instead of the thorns and focus on an attitude of gratitude and praise.
Recently I have been reading the book of 2 Corninthians with great profit both as a source of encouragement and understanding. Though I have read/studied it many times - God has provided so many fresh insights as I have studied it in the light of my current circumstances. God's word is like mining for gold. The greater we dig, the greater the find of the richness of the ore. The truths of God are like the multi-facets of a diamond with a reflection and application for every situation in our lives. How gracious God is to bring them into our lives at the times we need them most and reveal them in such a meaningful way. Paul said to follow him as he followed Christ and added that the same comfort we find in/through the Lord, God passes on through us by enabling us to pass it on to others. it includes human example, experience, understanding, empathy, sympathy, guidance and strength as the ingredients of genuine comfort from God (1 Cor. 4:16; 2 Cor. 1:4).
Pastor Tim will be preaching tomorrow morning and Pastor Ed the next week. Lord willing, I'll I will be preaching the following week and have the privilege of delivering the final message of the two I began last Sunday on Paul's Principal Mindset and Paul's Mindset Principles.
How about this, Barb mentioned that when I'm finished with my chemo, maybe I should keep my hair (or lack thereof) the way it is! See God does work in mysterious ways.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this 23rd day of September. This has been a good week with my body strengthening day by day following my most recent round of chemotherapy administered during the Labor day week earlier this month. I am scheduled for my next round of chemo beginning Monday morning next week. Lord willing I'll be in the pulpit tomorrow and I am eagerly anticipating bringing the message. I plan to preach the first of two sermons on the topic, The Apostle Paul's Principal Mindset And The Apostle Paul's Mindset Principles. The first message of the two will deal with his principal mindset and the second message will deal with his mindset principles. The idea for these messages came to me as I was meditating on some of the epistles written by the Apostle Paul and I thought about the frequently recurring themes which are mentioned so many times in so many different ways which were Paul's constant mindset. His continual concentration on these themes enabled him to face every difficulty, confront every problem, strengthen himself through every experience and to always stay on course throughout his many up and down experiences in life. So I went through all of the writings of Paul and made a list of all the mindset issues he revealed, then organized them in a systematic way and discovered they could be distilled down into six mindsets which is the subject of Sunday's message. The second message will deal with how Paul adjusted his focus including his thinking and actions to constantly establish and maintain these mindsets regardless of what he faced during his life. By knowing and following these same mindsets and using his methods to maintain them in our lives, we should all be helped to have maximum effectiveness as we strive to be what Christ wants us to be and do what He wants us to do regardless of the circumstances in our lives. Since a mindset is defined as a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind, it seems evident that our state of mind as we go through the various and sundry experiences in life makes a tremendous difference in shaping our responses and reactions as well as our attitudes, emotions, and outlook.
So Lord willing, I'll see you all tomorrow in church and have the privilege of personally thanking you for your prayers and encouragement. You are the very best!
Love in Christ,
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, the 16th day of September. This week has involved handling the usual effects of the chemo administered last week and the antibiotics given to clear the sinus infection I recently contracted. I'm now finished with the course of the antibiotics which seem to have done their job effectively in clearing the infection and am nearing the end of what I call the "down" cycle caused by the chemo. Usually by the end of the second week of the treatment cycle, the body begins what I like to think of as the "up" cycle during which you get stronger and feel better. When I think of this cycle of "downs" and "ups," I am reminded of what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:14, In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. Here Solomon is observing that both prosperity and adversity are a part of life and particularly every life. He also teaches us what attitude each should produce in us, enjoyment and appreciation (rejoicing) during the times of prosperity and consideration (discernment, finding out, learning about/from) in times of adversity which includes the ideas of distress, misery, injury and evil. Why? because both are appointed (prepared, produced, or worked) by God and inevitably will occur in our lives to the stated purpose that man will not find out any thing that shall be after him (his future, what will befall him as he lives out the days ahead). The Hebrew for appointed the one as well as the other means juxtaposition, close by, side by side, or parallel to. So in the good times fully enjoy them and make the most of them and in the bad times realize and learn from them as a teacher that God will bring or allow both in our lives; that when one occurs the other is always close by; that each has a part in our personal and spiritual growth and development; and we can't and won't know until they unfold what we will experience and when. It is so easy to take the times of prosperity for granted, not really appreciating them and not completely enjoying them, but it is equally easy to not learn from times of adversity the important lessons of endurance, dependence, humility, obedience, correction, trust, sanctification, prayer, reliance on God's Word, discipline, direction, and resting in the Lord - all of which are Scriptural purposes/benefits of our adversities. Also, in times of adversity, it is helpful to anticipate the times of prosperity as a generator of hope in our lives because, Faith is the substance of things hoped for... (Hebrews 11:1).
Pastor Dan will be speaking in the services tomorrow morning and because of the ice cream social tomorrow night, the brief evening service will begin at 5:00 PM.
Since a number of you have tried to convince me that I look younger, better, more handsome and more erudite (scholarly and learned) without my hair, I've been contemplating permanently keeping the skin-head look. Now if I can find a way to prevent all of the screaming from Barb whenever I mention it to her, I'll have it made. :-)
I have now learned that a bald head is a happy head because we no longer have to face the hairy side of life and we are relieved of the following worries: turning gray, bald spots, root color, hair care products, and producing/preserving a lock of hair. So baldness is prosperity not adversity!
I am eternally grateful for your prayers and support.
Mel Brown

It is early morning, Saturday, Sept. 9th. This week marked the completion of my fourth chemotherapy treatment cycle. The treatment regimentation which I completed yesterday went well but began with one complication, a sinus infection which my doctor began treating early in the week. The sinus condition is improving and I am grateful for the progress and relief.
I continue to feel the unflagging support and benefit of your faithful prayers on my behalf which together with the fruit of the Spirit, i.e., love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control, and faith, made available through being "in Christ' and having "Christ in me," are a great resource to me. So for instance, it is not my peace I need, but Christ's peace flowing in and through me. Did you notice the extent of Christ's peace when He was alive on earth - He could sleep through the powerful storms while on a small boat, on the night before going to calvary when betrayed, arrested, deserted, denyed, and falsely accused and abused, He displayed an amazing inward peace through it all. He referred to this peace as my peace and said, my peace I give unto you. Since Christ is in us, that same peace of His is readily available to us at all times. In our lives we may experience many troubles, but His peace is always available to us if we will only depend on Him and allow Him to flow like living water through/in/out of us. Is it any wonder that it is called the peace of God that passes all understanding which will keep our hearts and minds in Philippians 4:7? Ultimately, the same peace that Christ had and has, the very peace of God (peace that God has), can keep us in any circumstance if we realize its availability to us through our vital union with Christ, yield ourselves to Him and His control, and allow Him to live and flow through us.
It is the same with the other fruit of the Spirit (each fruit is a character quality of and manifested in Jesus Christ). We don't "rejoice in ourselves" but we are to "rejoice in the Lord." It is not a matter of your joy but of His, so the joy of the Lord (becomes) is our strength.
The realization and experiencing of these truths is the essence of living the Christ-like Christian life and is what we must learn and practice constantly as we face the struggles of life.
Pastor Ed will be speaking tomorrow morning, Pastor Dan will speak the following Sunday, and Lord willing, I'll be in the pulpit the next Sunday, August 24th.
Thanks for demonstrating the love of Christ to me in so many ways.
Pastor Brown

Good Morning on this beautiful Saturday morning of September 2nd. I arrived home from Omaha, Nebraska, about 8:00 PM yesterday evening after being evaluated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center by Dr. James Armitage last Thursday. The trip went very well. After reviewing my biopsy slides, CAT and PET scans, and all other pertinent reports, he examined me and evaluated my condition and treatment progress. His conclusion was that my treatment is progressing well and the prognosis is very positive with a high probability of complete remission. In a nutshell, my treatment is on course and we should stay the course. After a thorough review of my condition, he answered all of my questions and discussed further treatment and monitoring after treatment is completed. It was an excellent session in every way.
I handled the trip as well as I could have expected and was accompanied by Barbara, my daughter, Lori, and granddaughter, Kaitlynn, which made the trip much more enjoyable than it might have been.
I thank the Lord for my progress as I have reached the half-way point in my chemotherapy and request that you continue to faithfully pray for me during my further treatments that God will restore me to health and strength and that future treatments will go well in everyway. I cannot thank you enough nor express all of my appreciation for your love, care and concern, especially your many prayers on my behalf.
I resume my chemotherapy next week for my fourth sessions of treatment.
Pastor Tim will be speaking tomorrow in both AM services.
Love in Christ,
Mel Brown