Month: July 2020

How Did it Come to This?

/ Mark Brady / 8 Comments

073120I haven’t said much concerning the attitudes of the people protesting everything these days.  To be honest, I have a hard time relating to them, or even beginning to understand them.  While watching the news this last week, I think I had some revelation to where they are coming from, but first, we have to look back.

In 1983 I visited a reproduction of the “Mayflower” ship in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where I saw a sign that stated, “In pursuit of religious freedom.”  So America was founded in having a deep belief, and relationship with God, and our society was established on His principles of living.

Back then, most people went to church.  If a husband passed away, the church community would support the widow, and if children lost their parents, the orphans would be looked after until they were adopted into another family.  There were other benefits as well, for if one had a sickness, or other life event their immediate needs would be taken care of.  Doing life together with people you knew is what Jesus taught and the disciples lived out in the early church.  This meant there was no need for social security, welfare, or other government involvement.

But at one point, some Americans begin to determine what was good and evil for themselves.  Others formed another brand of religion because they didn’t agree with the one they were in.  Before they knew it, there were at least 150 different kinds of churches and most lost sight of the importance of having a relationship with God and put an emphasis on rules, made up by them, trying to be good enough (works) to make it into heaven.

More and more got tired of failing on the “rules” and became disillusioned with God and turned away seeking happiness in making money, and spending it.  Those individuals had children who never had the opportunity to know God the way He intended, and they grew up not seeing a need for Him.

Several years later, like June 25, 1962 they even got prayer removed from school.  And on January 22, 1973 made it legal to kill babies still in the womb.  Their religion was, “Do whatever feels right to you.”  These days, it’s also “I have rights!”  There were a lot of other issues where people departed from God’s word.  As the years went on people who were not part of a church family still needed help and the government stepped in.  Now, government is too big with people who do not have a relationship with God, or don’t even know God and churches are too small and being too quiet, most likely too afraid of offending someone.

So you see, the people protesting and like wanting to defund the police, aren’t stupid or ignorant, but totally deceived by Satan.  Now people are a god to themselves, and don’t want to hear about the one true God and the wages of sin, because to them, there is no sin.  Everything they do is right in their own eyes.  None of this is a surprise to God, for it is in his word, the Bible:

3 But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce and difficult for the people of God. 2 People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly.

3 They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. 4 With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. 2 Tim. 3:1-4 (TPT)

These days, true believers are being separated from pretend ones.  The current times are making one reveal what, and who they believe in.  It is important if your life is based on God, and his words, then continue to focus on him, and talk to him more now than ever. Doing so, you will be found a good and faithful servant and endure till the end.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Naked Prayer

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Last week, I mentioned crying out to God, but today I want to share a little more about prayer.  Oh, and “Naked Prayer” is bearing your soul to God, so there is nothing left unseen.  He knows it anyway, but it’s as if He wants you to reveal it and give, or surrender it to him, like a child, who doesn’t know to hide their heart truth.

In John 10:10, where it says, “Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy…” the Greek word for “kill” doesn’t mean, “take your life”, but it actually indicates you “giving your life, or surrendering something to the devil.” That means you give up hope.  It indicates you are giving up on God, and when you are convinced God is not going to answer your prayer then Satan can sweep in and gain a stronghold into your life.

“Prayers don’t expire,” says Robert Madu

Your prayers don’t have an expiration date on them, or have a statute of limitations with God.  He can answer your prayer anytime He wants to, and He knows when the answer will work out best for you.  Also, there could be a good reason, to God, for not answering your prayer, and that is when faith is the most difficult.

A miracle, is still a miracle, no matter how long it takes.

Perhaps God knew if he answered a couple of my prayers before now, I would not have meditated on this subject and have written these words to hopefully help you, or encourage you.  The truth is; I don’t know, but that is where my faith and trust in him comes into play.  I am confident that God knows best, He has heard me, and will work in my life, and through my life, regardless of an answer to my request.  For that I say, “Thank you, God, and thank you for loving me.”

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

The Best Four Letter Word

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072420 3There are lots of four letter words, and when we say, “four letter word” some go to a dark place and think of the ones that have a dirty meaning.  (No, I’m not going to give you an example.)

The best four letter word is: agape

You see, agape is so profound it knows no limits or boundaries in how far, wide, high, and deep it will go to show itself to its recipient. If necessary, agape will even sacrifice itself for the sake of that object or person it so deeply cherishes.

Agape is the highest form of love,
a self-sacrificial type of love that moves the lover to action.

“Agape is a love that has no strings attached. It isn’t looking for what it can get, but for what it can give . Its awe of the one who is loved is so deep that it is compelled to shower love upon that object or person regardless of the response. This is the profound love God has for the human race, for He loved man when he was still lost in sin with no ability to love Him back. God simply loved mankind without any thought or expectation of receiving love in return.

When you love with such a pure love that you expect nothing back in return, it is impossible for you to feel hurt or let down by the response of the recipients of your love. You don’t love them for the purpose of getting something in return; you shower them with love simply because you love them. This kind of love is much higher than eros love that is based on selfishness; stergo love that is restricted by limitations; or phileo love that is rooted in mutual satisfaction. These three types of love are what I call low-level love, but agape is high-level love. It is a love that has no strings attached, a love that loves simply and purely –

– the God-kind of love.

Further explaining the role of agape in our lives, John said, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and in truth” (John 3:18). The word “love” is again the word agape, which tells us that when agape is at work, it is a force so strong that it demonstrates itself with deeds and actions. This is not an empty love that talks but does nothing. It is a love that does something, just as God loved us and then did something to save us from our lost and sinful condition.

This is the love that Paul urged us to follow after when he wrote in First Corinthians 14:1, “Follow after charity [agape love].…” The word “follow” is the Greek word dioko , which means to hotly pursue . It was a hunting term that pictured a hunter following the tracks of an animal until he finally gets his game. This means that attaining this high-level love doesn’t come easy. If we want to attain agape love and regularly walk in it, we must hotly pursue it! It must be the focus and the aim of our lives.

If agape is the basis of your sexual relationship with your spouse instead of eros , you will always seek to serve and please your spouse rather than being self-centered and focused only on your needs.

If agape is the basis of your family relationships rather than stergo , you will always remain devoted to your family, regardless of the disappointments that may occur along the way. And if agape is the basis of your friendships rather than phileo , you will be a faithful, immovable friend for life rather than a come-and-go friend who is faithful only as long as you get what you want out of the relationship. In fact, if agape is the driving motivation of your life and the force behind all your relationships, it will make you to be the best, most devoted, faithful, and reliable friend anyone has ever known.” (From, “Sparkling Gems From The Greek 1” Rick Renner)

Therefore, the best four letter word is: LOVE  the agape kind.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Kiss it!

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

072120Remember going to your mother, or father, and asking them to kiss your boo boo?  To make it go away?  Or do you remember your own child asking you?  My son, when he was about one year old, fell on some hard plastic toys, and hurt his bum.  He cried as he climbed up on the sofa, laid back holding his legs up in the air and said, “Mommy, kiss my butt.”  We know a kiss from a loving parent didn’t do anything, but there is something comforting knowing one who loves you, knows you are hurting.

Technically, I’m okay, but there is a something going on in my life right now, and it hurts.  I don’t like it, and whether it is my fault or not I have blamed myself.  I want to fix it, and have tried everything I can, to do just that, but the issue is still there.  My wife responded with accuracy, “All we really need is help from God, not from anybody else.”  So that leaves me with only one thing to do, cry out to God.

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, but you may be aware of only three of them.” John Piper

It’s okay to cry out to God.  It’s okay so tell him how much it hurts, how much you don’t like it and how bad you want it gone, or over. God loves spending time with you and hearing from his children, because it gives him the opportunity to hug you, to comfort you, to kiss it, and make it go away.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Be the Movie

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

A month ago I was the guest speaker at a writer’s group meeting.  It was an honor, but this speaking engagement was different.  You see with Covid-19 still a great risk, the group currently meets on-line.  I had never done that before.

I was using my phone to attend the meeting, and the way it was set up, whoever was speaking is the person I viewed.  The president of this group introduced me, so she was the last person I saw.

About 20 minutes into my talk, she gets up and goes elsewhere, leaving me with no one to look at while I was speaking.  Normally, a speaker will scan the attendees, making eye contact, and looking for positive feedback at what is being said.

A few minutes later, she came back with a bowl of what looked like popcorn, and a drink.  I thought, wow! now I know what it feels like to be a movie.

The truth is this; if you are open and outspoken about your faith, your relationship with God, then people are watching you.  They listen to what you say, about current issues, our government leaders, and others around us.  They watch how we respond to troubling times.

Would the people watching you give a positive review on “Rotten Tomatoes”?  What if we had “Yelp” for humans?  Would you, would I, receive a thumbs up, or down?  Would people want to visit us after reading an accurate review on one of these platforms?  Probably not, if it was negative.

“So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”
John 13:34-35 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Jesus knew people will watch us, for they watched him.  He was ever aware that he could only display the qualities of his father, God.  Those would be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

So be aware of this no matter where you are, whether at work, out and about, or at home.  You want your life to be a movie people want to see over and over again.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

The Other Tree

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071420 3Most people recall Adam and Eve ate of the, Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil, but there was another tree.  It was the Tree-of-Life.

“God said, “The Man has become like one of us, capable of knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never—this cannot happen!”

So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they’d been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.” Genesis 22-24 (MSG)

The garden disappeared, and so did the Tree-of-Life, but because mankind disobeyed God, and sinned when he dies he would be dead for eternity.  This was never what God intended, so He knew a sacrifice needed to be provided, so man could live for ever with him.

Because of this, Jesus is now, The Tree of Life, and we can partake of him after accepting his free gift of salvation.  His love for us lead him to the cross and because he was without sin, his death became the sacrifice, or payment for our sins.

So what God wouldn’t let us have in a sinful state, eternal life, he now freely gives us through his son, who became the Tree of Life.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

What Color is Your Faith?

/ Mark Brady / 4 Comments

071020CARALYN, a popular blogger at, beautybeyondbones.com who has shared her testimony of recovering from anorexia with God’s help, also shares her day to day life while living in the big apple (New York City).

The other day she shared how she has not gone to mass in person for about four months, due to Covid-19, and how she started noticing her faith waning.  She realized how she had been relying on other places to do the work that was needed to increase her faith.  Meaning, she wasn’t creating an environment on her own that would do the job.  She admitted she was developing “Good Person Christianity”. (She explains that term in her blog post.)  I suggested, via my comment, that perhaps God was using this time to show her how strong her faith was without any props holding her up.  She went on to describe her plan to change things.

It is in times, like our current days, faith is not formed, but displayed.  These days our faith may be tested or challenged, but at the end of it all, you will know how solid your faith is.

In these times, what you believe in, or who,
begins to show, or starts to go.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
James 1:2-4 (MSG)

So, you got this.  Stand firm on what you know to be true despite what you hear and see.  The days preceding these have prepared you for this hour, and like time, this will be over before you know it, and we will move on to sharknadoes, or something else.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Healing River

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What would it take for you to say, “I’ll never forgive them!”?

This past weekend I watched a great movie titled, “Healing River”.  Here is my (un)professional review:

In a world, where it is easier to hate, than to love, where it is easier to give up, than to accept, comes the movie “Healing River”.  An amazing story, of amazing grace.  “Healing River” will not only touch your heart, but tug at it as well.  Mitch Teemley, and his crew, did an awesome job of allowing the movie to flow naturally as real life does.

You will be glad you watched “Healing River”, a powerful story you will not forget as the credits are rolling, but a story which will stay with you for a long time.  It’s a movie everyone needs to see, especially in the current days we are living.  “Healing Rivers” demonstrates the strength, and guts it takes to let go of the past, accept the present, and look forward to a brighter future.  In the difficult act of forgiveness, one finds the beginning of healing.

Forgiveness doesn’t set them free, but you.  Holding onto un-forgiveness keeps you locked up in a cell of your own making.  Jesus died a painful death, to provide forgiveness, for everyone, no matter what they have done, if they only ask him to.  Yes, even those man considers the worse.  Not fair?  They deserve the same kind of forgiveness you do.  “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Go for forgiveness, for you and for others.

Living life healed is the best way to live.

Delve further into the creative, talented, funny mind of Mitch Teemley at: https://mitchteemley.com/

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Let Me Introduce You

/ Mark Brady / 3 Comments

070320 (4)If God called you on your cell phone, right this minute, would your caller ID know it was God?  Would you?  Or would it read, “Unknown”?

When the Apostle Paul visited Athens, he came across an alter which had the inscription, “To an unknown god”.  It seems as if the locals wanted to cover all of their bases. (Acts 17:23)

Paul went on to introduce them to God by saying:

24-29 “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

30-31 “God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he’s calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:24-31 (MSG)

And now you have been introduced to God.  Know this, He loves you so very much.  More than any of us deserve, yet He does, all the time.  If you have not accepted him then know this, He will never stop pursuing you.  That’s how crazy God is about you.  Accepting God doesn’t promise you a perfect life, but He does promise to get you through it.

God can be known.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.