Michael B Brown

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each has his own way of telling the Story of stories--an account of the arrival of the Messiah into our world. Each author writes to a unique audience with a specific purpose in mind for addressing them as he does. But in every case, the author's message connects not only with his specific readers back then, but also with us personally here and now. The Story becomes our story. A Long-Ago Birth in a Right-Now World brings the meaning of Bethlehem from a manger to our doorsteps, where it intersects with our personal needs and fears, hopes and dreams, guilt and grief, priorities, relationships, and spiritual journeys in an oftentimes challenging world.

The great Christian thinker and author C. S. Lewis said that often it is not teaching that we require; occasionally what we need is a reminder of what we already know. In this collection of meditations, my son, Nathanael, and I hope to remind you of what you already know--that we belong to a God that seeks a relationship with us. God is not content with our admiration. God desires a relationship in which we are eager to know more and to experience more of God's power, love, and strength for the challenges that we must confront each day. Intentional time each day engaging God's word in the Bible provides fresh inspiration and increases our desire to reach the next concentric circle in our relationship with God.

The great Christian thinker and author C. S. Lewis said that often it is not teaching that we require; occasionally what we need is a reminder of what we already know. In this collection of meditations, my son, Nathanael, and I hope to remind you of what you already know--that we belong to a God that seeks a relationship with us. God is not content with our admiration. God desires a relationship in which we are eager to know more and to experience more of God's power, love, and strength for the challenges that we must confront each day. Intentional time each day engaging God's word in the Bible provides fresh inspiration and increases our desire to reach the next concentric circle in our relationship with God.

Michael was a top recruited high school football player who received a full athletic scholarship to Virginia Tech in 2003. It was during this time that he began a downward spiral which led to his incarceration. Although he shied away from being viewed as a role model prior to his incarceration, it became apparent throughout the years that he was destined for leadership. This humbling experience led him back to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God continued to put him in leadership roles where young men would look to him for guidance and direction. He would pray with them and advise them in a way that he believed God approved of. This led to him becoming a lead minister at one of the correctional institutions and the 'go to' guy when someone needed encouragement. This is Michael's story - a story of a young man's journey from Sonship to Kingship, a story of humble beginnings, missteps, courage, and perseverance. Mostly, it is a story of faith that hopefully will empower you and guide you to a stronger faith of your own.

Sometimes the Christian journey is a stroll along quiet shores. Other times it is an uphill climb on narrow, snow-covered mountain paths. Usually, it is simply walking in the direction of wholeness, one step after another, sometimes even two steps forward and one step back.Learning what we believe about God and what God expects from us is an ongoing journey. In A Five-Mile Walk, Michael B. Brown considers paths our journey takes, exploring our attitudes, emotions, expectations, community, and faithfulness. Though these are not the only paths we travel on our Christian journey, they are indispensable if we are serious about living faithfully as followers of Jesus.

"There is a simple formula for sermon preparation that creates messages that apply and engage whether your parish is rural or urban, young or old, rich or poor, five thousand members or fifty," writes Michael Brown in the preface to Making the Timeless Word Timely.The other part of the task, of course, involves being creative and insightful enough to know how to take the general formula for sermon preparation and make it particular in its impact on a specific congregation. Michael Brown guides the reader though the formula and the skills to employ it with excellence and integrity. He also offers twelve examples of sermons that illustrate the approaches and do indeed "make the timeless Word timely."Michael B. Brown is an author, motivational speaker, adjunct professor, and for ten years was the Senior Minister at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, America's oldest existing Protestant congregation. A graduate of High Point University and Duke University Divinity School, Dr. Brown received his Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from Drew Theological Seminary. All across America in civic arenas, at corporate events, on college and university campuses, and for Chautauqua Institutes, Dr. Brown carries the mantle of positivity to audiences of all ages, teaching a proven approach to discovering meaning, healthy relationships, and joy in life. He is a frequent lecturer and preacher at colleges, universities, and Chautauqua communities across America. Dr. Brown is married to Page Plummer Brown, a native of Richmond, Virginia. The Browns are the proud parents of four children: Adam, Alison, Zachary and Katharine, and the delighted grandparents of Anderson Haile.Praise for Making the Timeless Word Timely"Most how-to sermon books use dry, uninspiring writing to encourage dynamic, inspiring messages. Not this one. This is a work that actually practices what it preaches. It is a joy to read and a jewel to share. Thank you, Dr. Michael Brown, for showing us by example how to make the timeless timely." -Susan Sparks, Senior Minister, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, and Author of Laugh Your Way to Grace and Preaching Punchlines

Though the title sounds like a promotional campaign for the U.S. Army, that's not its intent. Instead, what is contained in this book are road marks for the journey into a new and stronger sense of what it means to be fully alive. All people are created with inherent purpose, promise, and potential. All are endowed with abilities to do more and be more than we sometimes dare imagine. Herein are sermons intended to help readers and listeners discover their own powers and possibilities, to own them, to cultivate them and to live within them. The chapters do not form an exhaustive list of human potentials. They do, however, provide an important inventory of what we all were created to become and can become, if we choose. Chapter titles include: - You Can Be Articulate -- Based upon Mark 7:31-37 - You Can Be Intelligent -- Based upon 2 Chronicles 1-11 - You Can Be Like Children -- Based upon Mark 10:13-16 - You Can Be Beautiful -- Based upon Hosea 14:1-7 - You Can Be Well Fed -- Based upon 1 Corinthians - You Can Be Eternal -- Based upon 2 Corinthians Readers will sense their own calls to be more than they have been thus far and the extraordinary power of One who promises to make the journey with them. Michael B. Brown has a masters of divinity from Duke Divinity School and a doctor of ministry degree from Drew University Theological School. His previous books include It Works For Us and Ordinary Sins, both from CSS. His work has appeared in the Abingdon Preacher's Annual 1993 and 1994 and in 1990 he received the "Circuit Rider Certificate of Merit" and the "Circuit Rider Sermon-of-the-Year."