Good morning on this last Saturday of August. Last week I wrote about Iran starting their first nuclear reactor using enriched uranium provided by Russia. I also mentioned the processes required to transform the nuclear material used in a nuclear power plant into a nuclear bomb, namely using plutonium from the spent fuel from the reactor or enriching their own nuclear material to the level required for a weapon. Here's some data which will spell out the differences of enrichment which would be necessary. The required level of nuclear enrichment for a nuclear power plant used to generate electricity is 3 1/2 percent. The level required for use in some processes of nuclear medicine is up to 20 percent. But the level of enrichment required for a nuclear bomb is 90 percent or more; therefore, Iran would need to enrich the level of their nuclear material to that level to become a serious nuclear weapon threat to its enemies. That's why estimates of that happening range from as short as a few months to as long as a few years with the average credible estimate being up to one year. The fact that they are building 10 sites for nuclear enrichment located in highly protected mountainous regions makes their claims to merely seeking to have a peaceful nuclear capability highly unlikely, and an Iran with nuclear weaponry would make the description of their involvement in the future warfare described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 very plausible. Take the time to read these chapters and see for yourself. That's why we are watching this drama unfold with a careful eye and so should you!
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Hindrances To Worship. I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, August 21st. Last week I wrote about Iran's activation of its nuclear reactor. Today is the day that with Russia's provided nuclear fuel, the actual fueling is to begin. It will take approximately two weeks to complete the fueling and two months for the nuclear power plant to begin generating electricity. There has been much speculation that Israel or the U.S. would do what was required to "kill" this nuclear site because of the risk of Iran taking the next step of developing a nuclear warhead to attack its enemies. The New York Times reported this week that the United States had dissuaded the Israelis from launching an attack on the reactor site because our best intelligence indicates that Iran is at least one year away from being capable of delivering a nuclear attack. In order to complete the process of making of a nuclear bomb, one of two paths would need to be followed. Either the Iranians would need to extract plutonium, which could be used to make atomic weapons, from the spent reactor fuel, or they would have to enrich enough uranium on their own to make a nuclear weapon. The Russians have insisted that as part of their agreement to provide the fuel to Iran, that they will retrieve all of the spent nuclear fuel so plutonium may not be extracted. But there are serious doubts about the certitude of this process. Additionally, there is great concern that the Iranians intend to build 10 enrichment sites within protected areas of the mountains. If either through the extraction of plutonium from spent fuel or its own enrichment process, Iran obtains the essentials for a nuclear weapon, they will be capable of a nuclear strike soon. They are now much closer to that reality than before. Future developments could unfold quickly and could be of critical importance to our understanding of future events.
Tomorrow's sermon is a tutorial about how to have meaningful personal worship. I hope you'll be able to be there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, August 14th. We have been anticipating it for the last two years and now it looks like it will become a reality within the next few weeks. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency has announced that Iran's nuclear power plant will go online seven or eight days after Russia delivers its nuclear fuel supply. The fuel supply is scheduled for delivery on August 21st. In fact Russia has declared that it will begin loading fresh nuclear fuel into the reactor as soon as it is delivered. Some news sources estimate that it will take a little longer and place the activation date in mid-September. Israel's leadership has unequivocally said they will not allow Iran to become nuclear which could precipitate a possible confrontation which might have far-reaching and devastating consequences. When asked if the United States has a contingency plan to take out Iran's nuclear capability, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said yes. So we seem to be moving closer to a serious conflict which could involve various Arab states, Russia, Israel, and the United States. Numerous attempts to persuade Russia not to supply the fuel for the reactor have been unsuccessful. We are carefully monitoring these events because of the possible relevance to fulfilling Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39. Each of us should be keeping a watchful eye for further developments.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, An Example of Worship from Psalm 96. I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this first Saturday of August. We are now seeing kids returning to school after their summer break. Some schools started this week and many more will be resuming within the next two weeks. In spite of school schedules, we still have a few weeks left in the "dog days" of summer, the hottest days of the summer season. One of the complaints often heard during the summer (in addition to complaints about how hot and humid the weather is) relates to how many re-runs are on television during the June through August months. Comments like, "I've already seen these programs" or "there's not much to watch on T.V." are frequently heard. When it comes to television shows, repeats may be frustrating, but in the Bible, God frequently repeats instructions, commandments, and messages to us. Some are repeated many many times throughout the Bible to make sure we get the message. Obviously, God wants these reiterated reminders to keep these messages before us so we will be sure to heed the warnings or put into practice what He is prescribing. Since the most often repeated commandment in Scripture is "PRAISE THE LORD," it is a certainty that God expects this to be a constant practice in our everyday lives. There are some very practical benefits to following this command including: experiencing God's presence (according Psalm 22 He inhabits the praises of His people), creating more joy in your life, generating attitudes of gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving, elevating your mood, and creating the lasting habit of genuine worship. How are you doing in putting this most often repeated commandment into constant practice in your life? Let's make every day an example of what it means to obey that commandment and see the difference it will make! Tomorrow's message will be another on the theme of worship. I hope you'll be in church.
Mel Brown