Bishop C.L. Shaird

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.  She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.  She told her boyfriend, ‘If I could only see the world, I will marry you.’

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, WILL YOU MARRY ME?’

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.  The sight of  his closed eyelids shocked her.  She hadn’t expected that.  The thought of  looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: ‘Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours,  they were mine.’

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.  Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word -
Think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food -
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife -
Think of someone who’s crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life -
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children -
Think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn’t clean or sweep -
Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive -
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job -
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -
Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
Put a smile on your face AND THANK GOD YOU’RE ALIVE AND STILL AROUND.

GOD BLESS YOU.

He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help.  So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out.  His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried.  No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so..  was he going to hurt her?  He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold.   He knew how she felt.  It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am.  Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough.  Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.  Soon he was able to change the tire.   But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him.  She told him that she was from St.  Louis and was only just passing through.  She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.  The lady asked how much she owed him.  Any amount would have been all right with her.  She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.  Bryan never thought twice about being paid.  This was not a job to him.  This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in
the past.  He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they  needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”
He waited until she started her car and drove off.  It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.  She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.  It was a dingy looking restaurant.  Outside were two old gas pumps.  The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.  The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.  she had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase.  The lady noticed the waitress  was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.  The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.  Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.

The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door.  She was gone by the time the waitress came back.  The waitress wondered where the lady could be.

Then she noticed something written on the napkin.  There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything.  I have been there too.

Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you.  If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you…”  Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.  That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what  the lady had written.  How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it?  With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard..

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s gonna be all right.  I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

There is an old saying “What goes around comes around.”

Bishop Shaird

The Bird Cage

A man was on the side of the road with a large bird cage.  A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds.  “Where did you get those birds?” he asked.

“Oh, all over the place,” the man replied.  “I lure them with crumbs, pretend I’m their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage.”

“And what are you going to do with them now?”

The man grinned, “I’m going to prod them with sticks, and get them really mad so they fight and kill each other.  Those that survive, I will kill.  None will escape.”

The boy looked steadily at the man.  What made him do such things?  He looked into the cruel, hard eyes.  Then he looked at the birds, defenseless, without hope.

“Can I buy those birds?” the boy asked.

The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right.  “Well,” he said hesitantly, “The cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’ll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for 50 dollars and that jacket you’re wearing.”

The boy paused, 50 dollars was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special, in fact it was his prized possession.  Slowly, he took out the 50 dollars and handed it over, then, even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too.

And then (well, you’ve guessed it) he opened the door and let the birds go free.

The Moral of the Story

The enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life’s road with a very large cage.  The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation.  “Where did you get these people?” the man asked.

“Oh, from all over the world,” Satan replied.  “I lure them with drinks, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money and all manner of things.  I pretend I’m their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I’ve hooked them, into the cage they go.”

“And what are you going to do with them now?” asked the man.

Satan grinned.  “I’m going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I’ll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I’ll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless.  It’s easy.  People will always listen to what I offer them and (what’s better) blame God for the outcome!”  “And then what?” the man asked. “Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy.  None will escape me.”

The man stepped forward.  “Can I buy these people from you?” he asked.

Satan snarled, “Yes, but it will cost you your life.

So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan’s trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary.  The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

(Hebrews 11:17 – 12:2) (10-31-10 @ SRCBC)

Turn to your Neighbor and say:  Neighbor, On Your Mark, Get Set, Go; But not right now!

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us!”

What Keeps You From Consistently Running The Christian Race? Do you understand the rules? Are you following the instructions in the Rule Book?  Are your old habits resisting your desire to live righteously? Do you listen to people you believe know more than you?  Are you led astray by what others tell you?

What Slows Down Or Stops Your Forward Progress In The Lord? Is it the tests which comes into every life?  Testing is a necessary part of life!  Cars, toasters, medicines, etc.,  are all tested before they are perfected.  God’s Testing is allowed both to prove us and to improve us.

Thus We Are Instructed To Cast Off The Weigh Which So Easily Hinders Us! Whomever or whatever it is, cast it off.  We cannot succeed while it prevents us from God’s plan for our life.  Runners do not compete with training weights on their bodies.

“Let us run with patience [endurance] the race that is set before us!” Here’s How One Becomes An Endurance Runner!

First: Know The Course And The Obstacles You Will Face! The Caddies of professional golfers walk each golf course their player will be competing on.  They record distance, hazards, and other information and obstacles, which will help them in their challenge against the golf course.  Likewise, we are expected to know the course we are travelling on, and to be aware of the challenges it presents.

Second: Prepare To Win By Having A Winners Attitude! Boxers, etc..  “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Third: Be Faithful To Your Training And To Your Trainer! Consistency must be a part of our lives.  Consistent in our prayer life, our living, giving, worship, praise, and service.  Consistency molds ones character!  Look at the evidence and the testimony of the “Cloud of Witnesses” found in Chapter 11.

Remember, If Noah had not been obedient, if he had not ignored the ridicule of others, if he had given up preaching righteousness because no one believed, if he  had not built the Ark on time, he would have drowned in the flood, we would not be here, mankind would have been a distinct memory on the Eternal Mind of God.

If Moses had not showed up on his shepherds job that day, he would have missed the burning bush and would have remained a caretaker of his father-in-laws sheep, instead of the Shepherd of God’s Flock.  There would have been No plagues on Egypt, No Red Sea, No Manna from Heaven, No Mt. Sinai, No Israelite victories in the Wilderness, and No Promised Land.  Moses would be remembered as sheep watcher instead of a Deliverer!

If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not been consistently faithful in their service to the Lord, they would not have learned that God will be with you in the fires of life and will deliver you through them all.  David said: “Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.

I Came To Tell You, The Devil Wants To Show The World What He Can Do “To” You, But God Wants To Show The World What He Can Do “With” You!

Through Joseph, HE Showed Us, HE can both deliver you and exalt you.

Through Joshua, HE Showed Us, HE can stop the sun.

Through Gideon, HE Showed Us, HE can win with just a hand full.

Through David, HE Showed Us, HE will forgive the basest sinner.

Through Daniel, HE Showed Us, HE will always be there.

Through Paul, HE Showed Us, HE can change and use anybody and  everybody.

Through Us, HE Shows the World, HE is still God and HE is still able.

In The Movie “Forrest Gump,” Forrest, had a medical condition which required him to wear metal braces on his legs.  These braces restricted the complete free movement of his legs.  One day some boys who were riding bikes, threatened Forrest.  His friend, Jenny, told him to “Run Forrest, Run.” As Forrest began to run, the braces began to break and fall off.  Under Jenny’s “Run Forrest, Run,” he out ran the boys on the bikes and got away.  Forrest said, from that day on, wherever he went, he ran.  He said, “I became a running fool.”

Well, I Came To Encourage You Today, To Run Forrest Run! For, the race is given to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but unto he who endureth to the end.

Run Forrest Run, (John 3:16; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:13).

Run Forrest Run: Out-run your circumstances; Out-run paralyzing trials; and Out-run disappointments.

Run Forrest Run: Out-run sickness; Out-run loneliness; and Out-run lust.

Run Forrest Run: Out-run envy; Out-run anger; and Out-run bitterness.

Run Forrest Run: Out-run empty pockets; Out-run your abusers.

Run Forrest Run: Out-run your inconsistency; Out-run your quitting; and if you do, you will outrun the demons of despair!

Run Forrest Run:  “Looking unto Jesus [for motivation]; the author [Conceiver] and finisher [Achiever] of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him [the temptation of the devil], endured the cross [bore the sins of all], despising the shame [of our sins], and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I Heard Him Cry Out On A Hill Called Calvary:  “It Is Finished.”  The path to Redemption, Is Finished.  The path to Forgiveness, Is Finished.  The path to Grace, Is Finished.  The path to Eternal Life, Is Finished. The path to a Right Relationship with God, Is Finished.  Sinners, On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

When This Life’s Race Is All Over, When You’ve Crossed The Finish Line, Will Your Testimony Before Almighty God Be:  “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for my a Crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing!”

I Came To Encourage You To: Keep Your Eyes On The Prize.  Run Your Race, Run It Straight, And Run It Strong!

Turn To Your Neighbor And Say:  Run Neighbor, Run!  I’m right there with you!  Run Neighbor, Run!  Don’t Fall Behind!  Run Neighbor, Run.  Run to Bible Study, Run to Sunday School, Run to Worship and Praise.  Run to give God glory.

Everybody,  On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Run Forrest,

(Author Unknown)

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.  Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had.  But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere.  At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.  This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship.

Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.  This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.  But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to.  But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there.  He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a  bench warmer all four years.  His faithful father was always in the stands, with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on.”  Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did.  The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father.  His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a telegram.  The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent.

Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning.  Is it all right if I miss practice today?”  The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son.  And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well.  In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.  As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon.  “Coach, please let me play.  I’ve just got to play today” said the young man.  The coach pretended not to hear him.

There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game.  But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in.  “All right,” he said.  “You can go in.”

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right.  The opposing team could not stop him.

He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star.  His team began to triumph.  The score was soon tied.  In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.

The fans broke loose.  His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders.  Such cheering you never heard!

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone.  The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it.  You were fantastic!  Tell me what got into you?  How did you do it?”

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?’  The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

Like the athlete’s father, God is always there cheering for us.  He’s always reminding us to go on.  He’s even offering us His hand for He knows what is best and is willing to give us what we need and not simply what we want.

God has never missed a single game.  What a joy to know that life is meaningful if lived for the Highest.  Live for HIM for He’s watching us in the game of life.

I didn’t want to go.  Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child.  But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis.

I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case.  I wheeled around and headed back.  I found Nettie sleeping peacefully.  I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay.  But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again.  When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram.  I ripped open the envelope.

Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.

People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out.  I rushed to a phone and called home.

All I could hear on the other end was “Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.”

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy.  I swung between grief and joy.   Yet that night, the baby died.  I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket.  Then I fell apart.

For days I closeted myself.  I felt that God had done me an injustice.  I didn’t want to serve Him any more or write gospel songs.  I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well.  But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis.  Something kept telling me to stay with
Nettie.
Was that something God?  Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.  From that moment on, I vowed to listen more closely to Him.  But still I was lost in grief.

Everyone was kind to me, especially a friend, Professor Fry, who seemed to know what I needed.  On the following Saturday evening he took me up to Malone’s Poro College, a neighborhood music school.  It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows.  I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys.  Something happened to me then.  I felt at peace.  I felt as though I could reach out and touch
God.  I found myself playing a melody, one I’d never heard or played before, and the words into my head – they just seemed to fall into place:

Precious Lord, take my hand,
lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn,
Through the storm, through the night
lead me on to the light,
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

As the Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit.  I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.  And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

- Thomas A. Dorsey
It’s not over, scroll down.

Sometimes our greatest and most accurate observations about God come in moments of utter despair and desperation, when life seems futile and God seems silent.  Such was the case for Tommy Dorsey.  Such was the case for the Psalmist.  Perhaps this is your experience as well.

God is never gone.  He is always present, ready to render aid to those who will seek and accept His type of help.  Our problem, perhaps, is that when we are out of options with only one hope left – God, we seem to tell him exactly how He should get us out of the mess we got ourselves into.
We need to let God be God.  Let Him, from His eternal perspective and heavenly vantage, choose the solution to our woes.  He will never let you down or leave you.  Remember the poem “Foot Prints”?  When you see only a pair of footprints in the sand, don’t assume that they are yours.  In fact, at the times you called out to God and let Him help you, those footprints are the Lord’s as He carries you.

I pray that your week will be blessed.  Reach out to someone in pain or sorrow this week. Let them know how very much our Lord loves them.  Be a visible reminder of the compassion and mercy that God has for us.

Be encouraged!!

P.S. (Author Unknown)

(Ezekiel 3:17; 33:30-33) (Preached on 10-12-08 @ Zion Baptist Church, Everett, MA, on the occasion of the 27th Pastoral Anniversary of Bishop Robert G. Brown)

The Los Angeles Times Headline Read: “Father kills family and himself, despondent over financial losses.”  The 45-year-old Porter Ranch financial manager who once made more than $1.2 million in a London-based venture fund had lost his job.  His luck playing the stock market ran out.  It goes on to say, he killed his wife, two children, his mother-in-law, and himself.  Oh what a sad commentary on the power of money and sin in our times!  Oh How He Needed A Good Word From A Watchman Of God!

My Brothers And Sisters, this month, we have seen the world’s house of cards, it’s shining example of wealth and prosperity, and for some, their churches, the banks and stocks markets of the world, fall from the shaky, get rich at any cost, foundation, on which they were built.  At this moment in time, the world is spiraling directly onto a course which leads to a One World Order, One World Economy, and One World Leader!  This man whom the Bible calls the son of perdition, the Antichrist, It says, will, for a little while, bring peace and prosperity, then death and destruction!  Oh How The World Needs A Word From A Watchman Of God!

Among Some Around Us, fear, anxiety, helplessness and hopelessness consumes their every moment.  Many people have lost some or all of their savings, investments and retirement funds and they don’t know what to do.  Yet, while the world wallows in despair, We are instructed to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thy own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”  In these economic hardtimes the Psalmist reassures us: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Old Folks would say, “The Lord will make a way, somehow!”   Oh What A Precious Word From Them And The Watchman Of God!

Yet I Submit to You, all of the ills of today, the actions of the Banks and Wall Street, of drug dealers, gangs, thugs and thieves, crooked politicians, preachers, pimps, prostitutes, pornographers, movie stars, recording artists, rapists, and murderers, all contribute to the fear, anxiety, and degradation of our quality of life, yet they are not the reason for the despair among us.  The real reason is, that far too many Church Folk, come to Church to feel good and to be entertained rather than to be instructed and equipped in the ways of righteous living.

In Some Churches, the people are not taught the Word of God, but rather a caffeine free, social word, which will not wake them, keep them up, nor send them up when they die.  Thus, God’s Word is not having its intended affect in the World, because it is not having its intended affect on Us, the Body of Christ.  You See, We All Need A Strong Word From A Watchman Of God!

OUR SCRIPTURAL TEXT SAYS: “they come, and they sit, and they hear, but they will not do them: with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.  And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.”  In Other Words, they come, hear, feel good, look pious, pretend to worship God,  but they reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ which calls us to repentance, confession, salvation, regeneration, righteous living and biblical giving!

The Apostle Paul Warned:  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”  Bishop, That Time Is Upon Us, And They Need A Strong Word From A Watchman Of God!

Some Churches have even abandoned their called position as the light of the  world, and have adopted a politically correct, Biblically reprehensible, so-called “new thing.”  People come seeking an easy listening station, Hershey bar type of Church, where they can receive something soft, smooth and sweet.  These people are addicted to religious sounding, melodious, easy to consume, junk food, and we all know, that junk food destroys an otherwise healthy body!  Oh I Tell You, They Need A Strong Word From A Watchman Of God!

Yet, They Do Not Want To Hear: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Their hearts cry out, Preacher, that’s too hard, serve me something that’s soft, taste good, and doesn’t require much effort to swallow!  Preacher, please feed my sweet tooth.  I Submit To You, they want a Dunkin Donuts Church, not the Bread of Life Church!  They want a Sunday Morning, Church Sounding Crack House and not a Deliverance and Rehabilitation Center.  They want a Waiter to “Tell Them Something Good”, But they need a Watchmen to tell them Right from Wrong!

Let Me Say To All Who Claim To Be Saved, You cannot simply come to Church on Sunday, sit in the pew and in essence say: Now, Sing to me, and Preach to me, make me feel good, but, don’t ask me to change my ways.  I am what I am, It is what it is, Now tell me something good or I’ll find a Preacher that will!  You too, in essence, want mindless mediocrity, not the Master’s Medicine!  You Really Need To Receive The Strong Word Coming From The Watchman Of God!

Bishop Brown, We Came From Springfield To Congratulate You , For you are celebrating your (27th ) Pastoral Anniversary at the same Church.  Think about it: Since you became Watchman here at of Zion Baptist Church, there have been: (7) Presidential Elections; (4) Presidents; (2) Popes; (7) Massachusetts Governors; (4) National Baptist Presidents; (5) Mayors of Everett; (2) Church locations, and the Red Sox won the World Series.  We, at Solid Rock, Congratulate You!

Our Scriptural Text Concludes With These Words:  “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” Oh I Need to Tell You, that a Watchman is to understand the signs of impending danger and sound a warning to the wicked and the righteous about the approaching threat.

Bishop, I Came To Encourage You, for I know, the nights are sometimes lonely, the road ahead looks rough and rugged, the mission seems imposing and impossible,  moments when no friends can counsel you, no family members can comfort you, and no song can soothe you.

Bishop,  when you feel like no one is listening to you, when you feel like giving up, then remember that God called you, sent you, appointed you and mankind needs to hear through you, a Word from God.  Then, get prayed up and prepared, for God is about to shower forth in your life!  And then preach yourself happy for I read that: “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God!”
And when you’ve finished preaching to yourself, then stand on the watchtower, and “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”  Stand Boldly in the city, and declare to all, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Stand Boldly, for it was just a short distance from here, over two hundred and thirty years ago, some men stood boldly in the face of adversity and a revolution took place.

Stand Boldly, hold up the Word of God and watch as He sends forth, the second “Shot heard round the world.”

Stand Boldly, for it was a short distance from here, some declared, “No taxation without representation.”  Declare, that in the judgment, there will be “No representation without Salvation!”

Stand Boldly, declare as one phrase of the revolution did, “Join or Die.”  You Don’t Have To Change That One.

Stand Boldly, but unlike Paul Revere and others who rode that night, don’t declare “The British are coming”, tell them, it’s Jesus that’s Coming and He’s Coming Real Soon!

Don’t Tell Them about the Battle at Lexington, tell them about Battle at Gethsemane!

Don’t tell Them about the British Massacre at Boston, But, Tell Them about the God’s Sacrifice, not on Bunker Hill, but on Calvary’s Hill, One death, burial and resurrection!

Bishop, Continue To Be The Watchman Of God For This Time, At This Place, For This Reason!