On this Resurrection Sunday, I share the message I gave at last year’s sunrise service at our church.
He is risen! Just as he said he would! Praise the living God! 
Happy Easter! It was my privilege to share for a few minutes this morning at our early morning sunrise service on this Resurrection Sunday. I share below a recording of the message which I hope you enjoy. May you be eternally blessed this Easter weekend! A message from Andy on Easter Sunday morningA message from…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/04/17/just-as-he-said-he-would/
As we begin this new year, there are a couple of areas in which God is speaking to me about. I share one here today in case you feel He is guiding you in a similar direction.
God is Good
I know that this seems a fairly basic premise, yet I wonder how often I (and others) forget this simple truth.
When I worry, I am not remembering how good God is. When I try to meet my own needs, instead of relying on Him, I am forgetting His goodness towards His children. When I neglect to pray, because I am trying to solve my own problems, I am not actively bringing to mind His genuine and constant love towards me.
A proper revelation and understanding of God’s goodness will result in me living quite differently.
Properly understanding the goodness of #God will result in a life of #trust and defeat #worry – #Bible #Jesus #Christianity
I know that God is indeed good, all of the time, and yet I often forget this fact and rely too heavily on myself. This is a form of pride, and something I need to work on. “I need…” or rather need to get out of God’s way and let His Spirit change me! A lot of bad things happen in this world, which cannot be denied, but this does not deter from God’s goodness. There are countless examples of His loving-kindness towards us, specifically and in common grace.
I plan to meditate on God’s goodness, and try to keep it at the forefront of my mind. That way, when something happens, I can turn my thoughts and prayers to something positive and powerful. Instead of grumbling, I can call to mind all the good things He has done, and seek Him for the answer.
Some Scriptures to help me, and hopefully you too:
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 103:8 ESV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 NIV
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:8 NIV
Taste and see that the Lord is #good #Psalm 34:8 #Bible
Imagine what would happen if we spent a lot of time digesting these verses. If we were to memorise them, recite them, internalise them, then how different might our life look in the next twelve months?
If we are not stunned by God’s goodness, then I am not sure we properly perceive it. In and of ourselves, we are sinners who have rejected God’s ways and rebelled against Him. Yet, while we were still far off, He sent His One and Only Son to die a terrible death on our behalf. Because of what Jesus did at the cross, we are free from sin and can approach the Father, enjoying life for all eternity. God is indeed good!
Whatever you are facing right now, spend some time focussing on the goodness of the Lord. Even if everything in this life were to fall apart, you have an eternity in heaven to look forward to. That alone is worth praising Him for! Chances are, there is much in your life to be thankful for, and the ever-good God is willing to listen to your prayers and act on your behalf in this life. Do not waste your time and energy worrying, instead put whatever the issue is before the Lord and let Him show you His goodness. Not every problem will be solved, and rarely in the way you expect, yet it is far better to endure trials with Him than without.
Think back over last year, and remember the good things God has done for you. If He was good last year, He will be good this year too.
Join me in rejoicing in His goodness, and I would love to hear your comments on the good things He is doing in your life. If you are struggling, then I would be honoured to pray for you too.
For my final best of the year series of posts, I want to share one from the UK Christian bloggers.
Over the last year, a group of UK-based bloggers have been getting together regularly to pray and swap stories. It’s been a tremendous encouragement. I want to publicly thank each and everyone of them today.
If you are looking for something to read or watch, do check out their blogs. There is some wonderful material there and you will not be disappointed.

Hi! My name is Andy Brown, you may remember me from such blogs as andy-brown.org…! It has indeed been some time since my last proper post, although I have tried to share some older material and some great posts from friends and fellow bloggers. Life has gotten rather busy and my writing has suffered. I…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/06/18/uk-christian-bloggers/
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2021/05/25/thankful-christians-psalm-100-5/
Today brings you to a group post produced by UK Christian Bloggers on the subject of thanksgiving. When we think of thanksgiving we automatically think of the annual holiday celebrations that take place in the USA, which remembers the first Thanksgiving in 1621 by the early pilgrims. It was a harvest thanksgiving thanking God for His provisions for their community. The fact that Thanksgiving is originally men thanking the Almighty should be a universal theme, practiced by people of all countries and races. So here today are some British thoughts on thanking our God.
Wherever you travel in the world, learning to say “thank you” in the native language is one of the most important words to learn. I’ve been to the Spanish Island of Lanzarote this week and my Spanish is very limited but I soon learnt that a “Gracias” goes a long way. People really appreciated it. In some languages I have discovered that there are in fact many different words to express thanks and also different types of thanks depending on the situation. We may only learn one expression of thanks in a language but a grateful heart to God and others can and does express itself in many different ways. Some ways we don’t all understand or recognise but God does. It’s not just the words of thanks that we speak with our mouths but the language of our hearts. A grateful heart.Thanksgiving is a varied language of love which I believe is only fully awakened by a true revelation of who and how good God is.The eyes of our hearts are opened and we are taught a new language which expresses itself in us and through our actions. God is a good, good God and a good Father who has given us, in and through Jesus everything for true life. The knowledge and truth of who God is transforms us by the power of the Holy Spirit.My words may sometimes be inadequate but I hope my heart sings thank you Lord.
I was working away on a video that needed editing, although this wasn’t one destined to be used by our own ministry, but another ministry that I regularly help out. And the computer I was using was a direct gift from an anonymous supporter of our ministry – the BerryBunch.family. God is good; that one gift blesses many!
‘Feeling’ thankful is a great feeling, but ‘being’ thankful is much more sustaining and requires action – because we should always be in a perpetual state of expecting to be thankful at the goodness of God!
It’s really easy to think of being thankful in relation to what we get from something/someone. Ultimately, though, our thankfulness is more than just being glad of something happening, or not. Because the sort of thankfulness we should be experiencing needs to be rooted in our actions, and our demeanour towards life and, more importantly, towards God.
Lord I’m grateful for your promises and all you’ve done for me. You’re the way the truth the life and through your son you’ve set us free. From my lips I utter praise and I will share my testimony; the name of Jesus shall be raised as I pray for rest for many. Lord I’m grateful for your kindness and the love that you’ve shown. I thank you for my family and a place I can call home, I thank you for your comfort in those times I feel alone. You gave a heart of flesh and removed my heart of stone, Lord I’m grateful for the cross and my future that’s secured. I pray that multitudes will come to know You precious Lord, I give you all my praise and pray you open heavens door. Pour your Holy Spirit out upon the world and save us all, Amen.
Gratitude is an attitude. This is something I tell my children often! It is one thing to say the words, but quite another to demonstrate thanksgiving with words and actions. For example, I give my daughter a gift and she says, “Thank you.” But then tosses it aside without opening it, then I know for sure she is not grateful for it.
Colossians 3:17 says: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
It is easy to do things with a grumbling attitude. We do it, whatever it may be, making sure those around us know we aren’t joyful about it. That is not how we ought to conduct ourselves. Instead, we are to do all things as if God had asked us to do them Himself – and to do so “giving thanks.”
The command to “give thanks” is an ongoing one – not “give” but “giving…” We thank God, and keep on thanking Him. We give and keep on giving, heaping gratitude on gratitude. There is no shortage of things to thank the Lord for, and the well of thankfulness should never run dry.
Thanksgiving may be only a single day, but let the Christian live a life of thanksgiving.
When I reflect on the history of traditions I am saddened by how over time men have changed them; sadly Thanksgiving is no different in this respect. It primarily was God fearing men and women thanking the Almighty for His many provisions and blessings. Sadly nowadays such a celebration of our God is frowned upon and maybe even mocked in this woke world; it would be deemed offensive to many. As children of His Kingdom we are called to heed and live out His Word; we have a choice to either be mocked by men or be judged by God – I personally prefer the temporary discomfort in this world so I can praise God in Heaven! Thus each Thanksgiving my Father God is the only focus of all my thanks; be it in speech, song or in prayer. After all such festivals are great opportunities to share His Good News of Salvation!
Lord God, we pause to give You thanks and praise this Thanksgiving. Lord God, even in the midst of the darkness and chaos that surrounds us, may Your people never cease to marvel at the blessings that You have given to us. Lord God, remind us that we are to bless others, because You have blessed us. Thank You and praise You Lord for our salvation that we have by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. Lord God, may we feast and crave Your Word more than our Thanksgiving meal and leftovers. Thank You Lord that in Christ filled, yet wired to long and desire You more. Thank You Holy Trinity for the gift of community. Praise You Lord for those whom You allow to journey with us. Lord God, thank You for this reader. May this reader grow closer to You this Thanksgiving. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
It has been a while since my last Testimony Tuesday post and this fairly minor event came immediately to mind when I sat down to write. Sometimes only in hindsight do we see the Lord’s hand.
I cannot remember exactly when this was, but certainly sometime in the last dozen years! I was at work, and my phone rang so naturally I answered. It was my wife. She had gone out for the day and when returning to the car, had found the tyre completely flat. Neither my wife or I are particularly mechanical, so even if I had been with her, I probably wouldn’t have been much help!
“What are you going to do?” I asked, trying to recall if I had sorted out a car recovery service or not.
“I’m going to try and change it,” she said.
“Have you ever changed a tyre?” I asked, adding it to the list of things I didn’t know about my wife but perhaps should have.
“No, but I don’t have much choice. My only worry is being strong enough to undo the wheel nuts.”
I would like to tell you that I prayed then and there, but I did not for two reasons. Firstly, I was stood in the middle of my quite busy office and generally prayer is frowned upon.
Secondly, and perhaps more pertinently, I heard another voice on the phone.
“Do you need any help love?” it was a man’s voice I did not recognise. “Yes please!” I heard my wife reply. I thought it best not to point out that in normal circumstances she would be somewhat irritated by being called “love,” by a stranger.
And right then and there, he picked up the tools and swapped out the defective tyre for the spare. To this day, I don’t know his name or where he came from. He just showed up in my wife’s hour of need and helped her out.
Looking back, I realise that God was watching over us. I am not suggesting this man was some kind of angelic being specialising in auto-mechanics, but a kind passer-by who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I am reminded that as much as I like to think I am in control, and am the one to protect my wife and family, that is not always the case. I cannot be ever-present with them, but God can.
for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
Hebrews 13:5b (AMP(
He will never leave us without support. Thanks be to our God who ever watches over us!
This day is not only my 41st birthday, but I’ve just realised that I have surpassed more views in 2022 than I had in 2021, and it’s only June!
Given my rather erratic posting habits, this is something of A miracle!
I wanted to take a very brief moment to thank every single one of my readers and followers, as it is truly humbling that you would take the time to digest my words.
It may not be a particularly significant milestone, like a 41st birthday, but I think it is so important to pause and thank God (and all of you) for these little moments.
On this Sunday in June, perhaps like any other Sunday, what can you pause to give thanks for today?
God is indeed good, all of the time! And here’s to the rest of 2022! May you be outrageously blessed!
I enjoyed reading this post over lunch today, so I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy it too rejoice always and give thanks! Praise the Lord!
God our Father’s will for us is that we partake in joy everlasting, pray to Him always and praise Him in thanksgiving. By doing these things, we are …
Andy Brown 