The blog focuses on a variety of topics concerning Christian living in this world. I will discuss the variety of issues Christians encounter while seeking to live godly lives in this world. http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/05/54608/how-is-your-vision
Like so many others, the recent lottery jackpot buzz had me daydreaming of the things I’d do with that money. New cars, early retirement, world trips, and zero debt would be a tremendous experience…but Solomon says, “All that glitters isn’t gold!” Fame, fortune, and the admiring envy of others would be ego-massaging…but Solomon says, “It’s not what it’s cracked up to be!” Of course, there is the amassing of academic degrees and the prestige that this brings. Once again, Solomon warns that this is nothing more than chasing after the wind. He tells us from experience that there is no earthbound pursuit that has lasting meaning. What clarity we gain on New Covenant living from an Old Covenant character!

I think we do well to hear Solomon afresh on a regular basis. There’s nothing in this life that has meaning without being driven from the perspective of our next life. Eternity does impinge on time – counseling us to enjoy this life with a life-to-come perception. Solomon has me keeping my eternity-prescription glasses with me at all times. It’s the only way for me to see and enjoy life in a truly meaningful way. By the way…how’s your vision these days?

Stay Faithful!

Doc B.
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 06:38:57 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/05/54608/how-is-your-vision http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/05/54314/visit-your-caverns
Like many of you, I have had occasions to make this painful trip. I lost my father in 1999, and I lost my wife in 2009. Words cannot adequately describe the pain of those days. Such losses leave caverns in life that can never be filled – but nor should they be. These remain as beautiful monuments to the marvelous ways in which God has blessed our lives.

Visiting the cavern left by my father, I see amazing and loving experiences that evoke lasting internal and external smiles. Visiting the cavern left by my wife, I am constantly warmed by the memories of the woman who made my life complete and who made me want to be a better man.

We have often heard the saying, “Earth’s loss is heaven’s gain.” However, there is something more for us to consider. While the loss of a loved one is indeed earth’s loss, it can also be earth’s gain. Our loved ones have made invaluable deposits in our lives that continue to enrich us. The sparkling gems in the caverns of loss crystalize in moments of clarity for the ones left behind. We allow the tears to flow. We cherish the memories. We warm ourselves reflecting on the good times. We experience the Lord slowly moving us on in life. We rest in the hope of the joyous, eternal reunion. So, as you face the loss of your loved ones, keep visiting your caverns…and keep living!

Doc B.
]]> Tue, 8 May 2012 08:41:10 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/05/54314/visit-your-caverns http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53936/timelessly-connected
Second generation Christians are those that had no first-hand, experiential knowledge of the Christ. Their faith was based upon the testimony of those who came to faith shortly after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The Gospel of John, the Letters of John, and the Revelation each have a largely second generation audience as the original recipients. Each of these texts attempts to sure the faith of Christians. This fact has major implications for contemporary Christians. If Christians living approximately 60 years after the time of Jesus struggled to maintain faith, then faith struggles for Christians living 2000 years later should be of little surprise.

Second generation Christians faced challenges to the faith that their predecessors didn’t. Satan hammered away at them – seeking to create doubt concerning the person and power of Jesus. “Why do you believe fairy tales about a crucified man being raised from the dead?” “Why are you denying yourself earthly pleasure in hope of a mythical afterlife?” “If this God of yours is real and powerful, then why are you suffering persecution?” Today, we are hearing related satanic questions…but with the added sting of our contemporary issues.

The passing of time and the changes in the world are a given. Satan continues to devise ways to destroy our faith. A reflection on the changes in societal mores over a 10-year span is enough to reveal satanic activity. As the saying goes, “The devil is busy!” Thankfully, we are never left alone. God has provided the written word, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to equip us for battle – no matter what age, era, or time- distance since the Christ came into the world to save us.

Therefore, as we cling to faith in the person of the nearly 2000 year old story…the ancient but modern gospel of Christ, let’s never lose our divine connection. We are loved by and serve a God who is beyond time. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Therefore, let’s not allow the time-distance between 33 AD and 2012 AD dull our connection with the risen Lord. He is as much of a very present help in the time of need in 2012 AD as He was in 33 AD.

Stay Faithful!

Doc B.
]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:48:27 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53936/timelessly-connected http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53698/minister-farrakhan-comes-to-town
Much of the speech focused on the need to gain an education that can develop one to make a significant contribution to the welfare of others. Of particularly focus was the need for African Americans to positively contribute to our people’s present and future. Other things were powerfully mentioned in this vein, and Christian preachers were challenged to boldly and prophetically meet the needs of parishioners. It’s the challenge to Christianity that I found most interesting.

Farrakhan offered challenges to African Americans that are not commonly presented from some Christian pulpits. Such things as God’s demands for sexual purity, sexual abstinence until God-ordained marriage, modest attire, and freedom from substance abuse were championed by the speaker. Of course, the opposites of such behaviors were presented as rooted in the injustices of America’s sordid racial history. There is not much room for disagreement with this assessment.

While the controversies surrounding Minister Farrakhan will remain, the moral decay that he points to should never be ignored. We are in trouble in this country, and the rot of our collective behavior is surely a stench in the nostrils of God. However, I think that there’s an even greater message to be heard. It’s the message of God’s solution for our moral, ethical, and spiritual decay. Christian pulpits need reverberate with calls to moral living, ethical practices, and social justice. Our pulpits need to identify the root of such ills – the fallen nature of man. Most importantly, our pulpits need to ring out the message of the risen Christ whose sacrifice ushered in God’s power to transform persons of every race. There is no mere human effort that can lift us from the muck and mire of our fallen state. Black, yellow, red, white, and brown – we are all in need of that Divine, transcendent healing that allows us to live together as human family. The only other choice is to die together as fools!
]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:35:23 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53698/minister-farrakhan-comes-to-town http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53481/starting-off-right
The inspired writer expressed thoughts of speaking with God in the morning and waiting in anticipation for the Lord’s response. What a wise approach to every day of our lives! Mornings tend to be quite hectic for many of us. They are filled with concerns for covering all of our bases, trying to get where we have to go on time, and battling with thoughts of whether or how we could be doing better in life. There are the daily concerns for handling the mundane things of life. Some have the additional worries of caring for those dependent upon them for getting their day off to a proper start. No wonder we are a society seemingly hooked on coffee and 5-hour energy drinks! We need a better way to start.

I think we’d do well to schedule in a daily conversation with God sometime before the wheels of the day begin to spin. Setting that alarm clock to allow for this time can work wonders. Such time with the Lord should include specifics about our “issues.” Are we battling with the stress of job expectations? Are we wrestling with relationship issues? Are we strapped with money and debt problems? Are we fighting with lust for persons or things? Is life seemingly overwhelming? Is there some troubling health issue? Are we simply lacking the “want to” to do what we ought to do? Whatever the case, we do well to frankly, openly, and honestly speak with God about it. It is in this time of thanking Him, petitioning Him, expressing our deepest concerns and fears to Him, and praising Him that we can have new perspective and encouraging expectation for the day ahead.

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (NIV)

Stay Faithful!

Doc B.
]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:00:57 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53481/starting-off-right http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53236/parental-refreshing
Some six years ago I attended a worship service where I witnessed an older pastor of this church sitting with his family. I watched the family – parents, children, and grandchildren – sit together and enjoy the worship experience. Watching these adult children enjoying the worship experience along with the patriarch of the family presented a warming scene.

I once heard an interview concerning the Cosby Show. Mr. Cosby was defending the reality of the Huxtable family’s life as depicted in the sitcom. It seems that some critics considered this a “far stretch” – especially for African American families. Yet, there I was at that worship service witnessing an African American family genuinely enjoying an in-tact, tight-knit relationship guided by the principles of Christ. I doubt if they had “Huxtable” money, but what they had was worth much more.

My recent special moment was simple but memorable. I was invited to speak at a faith conference some 5 hours away. Upon hearing of the event, my two sons were more than ready to accompany me. One drove us there, and the other drove us back. Both were my constant companions throughout the entire trip – making sure I had what I needed, that I was professionally treated, and that I was well-supported. No father can be more proud of his sons than am I of mine!

I think it worth reminding us that Christian principles for family are not pie-in-the-sky teachings. If we are patient with our children and consistent in our admonishing and nurturing, we can expect to enjoy the gracious reward of our parental diligence. This recent experience is but one of many that God has graciously granted our family, and I know that He has sent these times of refreshing to many more. Parents – never allow the difficulty of the mundane to strip you of the future experience of the extraordinary.

As for me…the rental car was about $160. The hotel rooms were about $125. The high cost of gas was about $110. The meals were about $80. But the time spent with my boys-who-have-grown-into-Christian-men…absolutely priceless!
]]> Thu, 5 Apr 2012 12:14:55 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/04/53236/parental-refreshing http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52977/cornbread-earl-and-me
When first hearing of this case, I thought of the 1975 movie, "Cornbread, Earl, and Me." It was a movie depicting classic racial bias in the death of an innocent Black youth. It moved me to think of my own experiences. As a Black man, I shudder at the thought of being profiled by anyone. I’ve lived long enough to remember being followed around the five and dime store while innocently looking for something to buy. I’ve been pulled over for DWB (Driving While Black). I’ve had to deal with racial slurs. I’ve experienced and witnessed several instances of racial bias that have given me a heightened awareness of this throughout my professional career – and my experiences pale in comparison with those of so many others.

I recently drove down a neighborhood street and passed by a group of young Black males. They looked to be between the ages of 13 and 15. It’s spring break, and the group was walking down the street tossing a football around. I had immediate fears of the trouble they might be heading toward. Recent home invasions heightened those fears. It didn’t help that my week for community watch is coming around soon, and we’ve been asked to be more sensitive to anything looking suspicious. I soon personally sensed the other side of the Martin tragedy.

It seems that our perspective on this case can change depending on what glasses we are wearing at a given moment. We don’t want to be the victims of injustice – no matter the perspective. No one can easily step back from this horrible tragedy, and finding objectivity is proving to be nearly impossible. I really think we are going to need some “Jesus 101” here. I think we are going to have to have a strong mixture of agape-justice that forces us to turn over every stone to ensure all the pertinent evidence is revealed and due process takes place. We have to make sure that extraneous things don’t cloud the fact that a young life is tragically lost…and several others – including Zimmerman’s – will be permanently altered. This is a time for fervent prayer for all involved…and for communities near and far.

Seek Justice, Peace, and Healing!

Doc B.
]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:48:37 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52977/cornbread-earl-and-me http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52683/battle-of-the-sexes
I find it remarkable that our understanding of male and female relationships is so indelibly tied to our theology. Though most are not cognizant of it, our thoughts on gender issue reveal how we understand ourselves as God’s human creation. We often “do theology” without thinking theologically…and it tends to confuse things.

How we treat one another and how we expect to be treated by one another is birthed from our understanding of how God made us. Whether the issue is racial, cultural, or gender conflict, this fact remains true. Conflicts in marriage, couples dealing with pre-marital skirmishes, gender debates in churches, and even battles between the sexes on the job all connect to the common thread of what we think God had in mind when He took some dirt and formed Adam…and then took from the formed dirt to form Eve. Here is a theological framework that I think can give us a better way forward.

Most believers would accept that God is Trinity. Another way of referring to this is the term, “Godhead.” In the Godhead there is unity, equality, and diversity. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit – yet God is one. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit operate in different roles – yet God is one. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share relational peace – because though diverse - God is one. Humanity was created out of this divine unity, equality, and diversity to be one. Sadly, sin works against God’s creational intent and has us fighting for our individuality and self-affirmation…sometimes at any cost. Thankfully, in the church, God is working in us…reeducating us, and transforming us to function in oneness despite our diversity of gender, race, culture, and even roles in the church and the home (Galatians 3:26-28).

So as we deal with one another as husband and wife, as pre-marital couples, as male and female church members, and even as male and female coworkers, lets allow this understanding of our creator be the arbiter in our fallen-nature disputes. We don’t have to be “the same” in order to be equal. Our roles don’t have to be “the same” in order to be equal. We don’t have to have “the same” abilities in order to be equal. All of this means that we can have relational peace…because we are diverse…yet equal. This can help our understanding of the biblical narrative concerning God’s instruction for the functioning of husbands and wives, non-married Christian men and women, and of genders in the local church. It can help in making the church a beacon of light to a dived world in search of relational peace.

Just a Thought!

Doc B.


]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:56:50 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52683/battle-of-the-sexes http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52424/its-about-life
This is just another reminder to me of the preciousness of life and the need to be prepared for the next life. It is so easy to get caught up into the things of life that we forget about…well…life! Taking advantage of moments to cherish family and friends, developing and following a sensible diet, keeping our bodies moving with regular exercise, taking regular vacations…even those of the 15-minute variety, and of top priority…getting and remaining in communion with our Lord all constitute life. Unfortunately, life often gets crowded out by the things of life.

I hope that you are being mindful of life. I hope that you are not allowing the things of life to choke out that which is most important. Jesus’ words to Martha are really worthy of our constant reflection (Luke 10:38-41). We cannot live by “serving life.” We can only live by serving the Lord.
]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 06:43:52 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52424/its-about-life http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52151/making-investments
My late Father was a man of great wisdom. Like many of his ilk, he was very careful with money. He and my Mother provided our family with an environment of love sadly missing in many contemporary homes. My siblings and I enjoy a rich heritage from our parents – one that is measured in ways that money cannot buy. I thank God for the investment our parents made in us.

My late wife and I were blessed with three tremendous children. God blessed us with a fourth one in the person of our daughter-in-law. We reared our children with the same objectives as those of our parents…seeking to invest all that we could in their lives. We both lived to see this investment earn remarkable dividends.

Incredibly I have reached into my 37th year of ministry. Throughout these years I’ve sought to make investments into the lives of those I’ve served. Not each investment has been good, and a few have been clear losses. Still, the overwhelming majority of these investments have been wonderfully profitable.

As we are still early into 2012, I encourage you to think of the investments you are making in the lives of others. Be it your spouse, your children, your extended family, your fictive kin, your church members, or even your co-workers, these investments can be most rewarding. Yes, there are times when the “market will be down” and you will lose some sleep and even some patience, but in the long run, most of these investments will pay off. Perhaps this is a slight twist on the parable of the talents. I don’t know how many the Lord has placed into your care, but making proper investment into that number is good use of your time, your efforts, and His gifts!
]]> Wed, 7 Mar 2012 06:23:21 PST http://michaelbrown.authorweblog.com/articles/2012/03/52151/making-investments