Good morning on this last Saturday of March. This week has been a very special one for all of the members of our family. On Thursday evening our daughter, Lori, and her family arrived at the airport in the Quad Cities carrying our new grandson, Aiden Michael. We have been anxiously awaiting meeting him since last fall when we saw his picture and received confirmation about his adoption. Many members of Kevin's family and family friends were waiting with us for them to arrive home. We had cards, balloons, and some special welcome home gifts to share and had a great celebration when we met them in the terminal. Aiden has been in an orphanage for his two plus years and we were all so pleased to now be his forever family. He is a shy boy with a big smile and a devious laugh. His Aunt, Cheryl, says she can't wait to get to work to correct his foot and I can't wait to introduce him to the "Grandpa Game," a catch me if you can game that I play with all of my grandsons (they usually beat me but that is another story). On Easter Sunday in the 11:00 a.m. service, I'll have the privilege of dedicating both Aiden and his cousin, Kai, who became part of our family several months ago. Children are an heritage of the Lord and we thoroughly enjoy everyone of our heritages!
Tomorrow's sermon is power-packed message called, Amazing Grace. Hopefully, you won't want to miss it.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, March 21st. Yesterday was officially the first day of spring. I looked over the long-term weather forecast to see if we could expect another blast of snow before the end of the month and was pleased to see highs forecast to be mostly in the 40s and 50s for the next 10 days. Most people are glad to see this winter come to an end because it, together with last winter, have been particularly harsh. Now we have buds forming on the trees, grass beginning to turn and tulips ready to make their early spring appearance. Spring is about signs of life everywhere. It is the evidence of resurrection in plants and foliage, but technically speaking it is not a true parallel to Christ's resurrection because the plants are merely dormant not dead. When Christ died, his body was devoid of life completely and God brought life out of death, a resurrection not a reemergence. Having made that important distinction, here are some points of similarity between spring and Easter:
(1) Easter and spring reveal a recrudescence (breaking out afresh) of life
(2) Easter and spring represent an end to that which was lost
(3) Easter and spring bring both relief and hope
As we prepare to celebrate Easter which is now only three weeks away, may all of the meaning of our Savior's resurrection fill our hearts with joy and may every sign of renewed life around us this season remind us of His resurrection. HE LIVES! Let's celebrate His resurrection every day, enjoy the victory it brings to us and share our faith and its benefits with others.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Vision - 2009. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this beautiful sunshine-filled day, Saturday, March 14th. Last night I talked to my daughter, Lori, and her family in Beijing via video phone through Skype on my computer. We not only saw each other live on the screen as we talked, but also saw details of their hotel room in the background. Isn't modern technology wonderful to see and hear each other half a world away on a toll-free basis. They arrived in China on Friday and will get their new son on Sunday. I'm sure they can't wait to hold him in their arms for the first time and meet the little guy they have dreamed of for so long. Last week I mentioned their travel web site, www.adoptionwebsites.net and recommended that you visit the site periodically to check on their progress by clicking on the name, Aiden Michael, on the right side of the screen. Lori is regularly updating the site with pictures, video clips and written progress reports of their adoption journey. There is also an opportunity for you to leave them a message on the site through the guestbook tab on the left side of the screen. Barb and I can Skype them each evening to see how they are doing and plan to introduce ourselves to Aiden shortly after they get him when they put him in front of the computer camera. We are probably as excited about that moment as they are.
Tomorrow's message is The Vision Of Christ For His Church: Evangelism. I sure hope I'll have the joy of seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this the first Saturday of March. Let me begin with a reminder to turn your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed tonight for the beginning of daylight savings time.
Our family is anxiously anticipating a journey which will begin this Thursday morning. My daughter, Lori, her husband, Kevin, and granddaughter, Kaitlynn, will leave for China to meet their new little boy and brother, Aiden. He is a two year old who suffers from a treatable foot problem who will soon be arriving at his new home with our family. They will leave on March 12th and return on March 26th. Our daughter, Cheryl, will treat his foot problem and we anticipate that he will soon be like his cousin, Kai, who suffered from foot problems when he joined our family and is now good as new after his mother successfully treated his feet.
Lori has established a web site to chronicle her journey and will keep us posted about the day-to-day details of the trip and post pictures as they go. The web site address is www.adoptionwebsites.net and if you look on the right side of the screen under Aiden-Michael, you'll access their pages. We'll also keep in touch on a regular basis by Skype on the Internet where we will be able to see each other as well as talk for free, I'll keep you posted.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, The Vision Of Christ For His Church: Serving. I hope you'll be able to be there.
Mel Brown