Good morning on this last Saturday of May. Two weeks ago I wrote in this blog about cyber-spies hacking into our computer systems in many realms related to the security and services of the United States (see blog for May 16th posted in the archives). This week the news media were filled with reports of our government creating a new agency headed by a cyber czar assigned the task of protecting these computerized systems from spying and interference. It turns out that the cyber invasions have been much more extensive than previously known with 1000s of incidents cited every day mostly by hackers but some mounted by foreign governments. The new military command for cyberspace is proposed to be under the auspices of either the NSA or the Pentagon and will prepare to conduct both offensive and defensive cyber warfare. Additionally, the new agency will help protect private sector operations such as stock markets and banking systems. I have been preparing for the series on prophecy updates to be delivered later this year by researching the latest developments in light of Biblical prophecy and am fascinated by how easy the coming one world government and reign of the Antichrist will be when viewed in the light of advancing technology. I hope you are as anxious to hear the details as I am to share them.
Tomorrow's message is the third in the series on relationships and is entitled, Predicting Failure In Relationships. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day was formally called Decoration Day and was established in 1868 to honor those who had died during the Civil War. The formal declaration read in part, " The 30th day of May is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades, who died in defence of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit." It was expanded after WWI to honor all soldiers who died in any war or military action and is observed on the last Monday of May each year as a federal holiday.
It is a day to do the following:
(1) Remember those who gave their lives for our country to preserve our freedoms
(2) Honor their memory through ceremonies, parades, and other expressions of recognition and appreciation
(3) Decorate the graves of the fallen
(4) Thank God for their sacrifice
May we all honor them and the price they paid. Let freedom ring!
Tomorrow's sermon is the second part in the series, Everything I Needed To Know About Relationships, I Learned In Scripture. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, the 16th of May. Have you noticed that gas prices are creeping up at the pump? They are up thirty cents in a matter of days and looking to go higher in the weeks to come. It is not unusual for gas prices to go up during the summer driving season because of increasing consumption, but this year experts are saying the supply and demand equation should help keep prices from rising strongly because world demand is weaker. Russia is clearly feeling the effects from the price of oil falling nearly $100 a barrel as they are one of the world's largest producers and have used the windfall profits from their oil to rebuild their military and stock of armaments. This has led Putin to warn that oil may lead to war. Russia appears to have its eye on some of the smaller countries in the region which either have supplies of oil or pipelines necessary to transport it. Last winter they engineered a cut off of some supplies to a number of European countries during the critical heating season. It is a fact that some of the large oil-producing countries are hostile to the United States and many European countries, e.g., Russia, Venezuela, etc. The world must rely on this oil for the foreseeable future because mass produced suitable sources of alternative energy is many years in the future. It is important to keep a close eye on the haves and have-nots in the supply of oil because many Biblical prophecy experts believe it could be a primary catalyst in the predicted conflicts the Bible presents. Lord willing, we'll deal more extensively with this topic when we do our prophecy update series later this year.
Tomorrow's message is the first of several in the series, Everything I Needed To Know About Relationships, I Learned In Scripture. I'll see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday before Mother's Day. Last week I wrote about cyber-spying and shared how many of our computerized systems have been compromised. I thought I would write one final article further focusing on one aspect of this subject. CNET News reported this week that the air traffic control mission-support system of the Federal Aviation Administration has been hacked by hackers (persons who illegally gain access to and sometimes tamper with information in a computer system) several times in recent years. Up until now the attacks have primarily disrupted the mission-support systems rather than the operational networks, but security experts warn that the nation's critical infrastructure is increasingly at risk and reported that last year the FAA critical network servers fell under the control of hackers who could have shut them down. Now that is a sobering revelation. Imagine a scenario where our enemies could interfere with our air traffic control systems. The nation is facing more frequent attacks from sophisticated nation-sponsored cyber attacks. The stage is being set more each day for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Tomorrow's message will focus on what it means to honor our mothers as the Ten Commandments teach in the Old Testament and Jesus reiterated in the New Testament. We will be recognizing all mothers and honoring a select group with a special gift. I hope you'll be there and be bringing mom with you.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this first Saturday of May. In last week's blog, I related the technological progress we have made to the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, particularly focusing on how computerization has created certain vulnerabilities to the security of both Europe and America. The Times of India quoting National Counterintelligence Executive, Joel Brenner, reported that cyber spies have penetrated deeply in the US systems in a wide variety of areas including the secure defense network, banking system, electricity grid, and even the chips in our defense planes. He said, "We're also seeing counterfeit routers and chips, and some of those chips have made their way into US military fighter aircraft ... its done to degrade systems, or to have the ability to do so at a time of one's choosing," He added, "Do I worry about those grids, and about air traffic control systems, water supply systems, and so on? You bet I do. America's networks are being mapped." Now that really makes you think. The book of Revelation indicates that the Antichrist will control commerce and certain military and surveillance systems in the future and that water systems will be contaminated and communication systems controlled. Cyber realities are making these forecasts more viable every day. It pays to be ready to meet the Lord!
Tomorrow our special guest, Steve Carrier, of Mega Force will be having World Record Day whereby he will break the ESPN record with an amazing demonstration of strength. You won't want want to miss his exciting demonstration and message.
Mel Brown