What Day is This?

June 12, 2020June 12, 2020 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

061220 I notice patterns. I also see common denominators. I can’t help it. It’s the way I am made. I think I could have that disorder: Denoterns. Anyway, perhaps many others have it as well, but I have noticed several times in the Bible where it took three days to change someone, or something.

Take Jonah. God gave him direct instructions to go to Nineveh and share whatever message God told him to. I think Jonah took it upon himself to judge the people there, and he boarded a ship going the opposite direction. Perhaps his heart was full of hurt he associated with the people there and he wanted God to wipe them off the map. You can read the whole story for yourself in the book of Jonah in the Bible, but after he was thrown overboard and spending three days in the stomach of a great fish, his heart changed.

Three days!

There are many other instances whether they journeyed, stayed or not ate for three days. Three days can seem like eternity when you are hungry, thirsty, hurting, or desperate for an answer from God.

Jesus in the tomb is probably the most famous story of a three day ordeal in the Bible, but after his third day, anyone in the world can have their wrong doing forgiven, just by accepting Jesus.

On a personal note, three days after my wife gave up on hoping, asking, and believing God to send her a husband I sent her a message. On the fourth day, her life changed. It seems as if it takes three days to work out the flesh. In other words, it takes that long to realize that when your situation changes it wasn’t you, but had to be God.

I don’t like going through a three day ordeal, but I hang on, because I love the fourth day.

If you are going through something, and you have turned it over to God, realizing you can’t do anything about it otherwise, then know this; your forth day is coming!

CONFESSION: I made up the disorder Denoterns.

Protest Hell

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

060920 2 Throughout this whole COVID-19 ordeal, I have been sad as the numbers climbed, but the impact did not land on my front porch, until now. Ten days ago, my friend, Chris called and informed me he caught the disease from work. Chris is 65. Today, I called to see how he was doing, but he did not answer the phone. About an hour later I received a text message letting me know he was now in the ICU.

I prayed for Chris and his wife, who also has it, but I felt as if I needed more people to agree with me in prayer on his behalf. We needed to pray and protest hell! You see, sickness, death, hate, and disease is of the devil. There is power when people gather, agree, and pray. Picture hundreds, or thousands marching against the gates of hell, pushing back evil.

^“Again, I give you an eternal truth: If two of you agree to ask God for something in a symphony of prayer my heavenly Father will do it for you.” Matthew 18:19 The Passion Translation (TPT)

I posted in Facebook the need, and right away people started telling me they were praying. At first, three, then 20, and at last check over 90 people have said, “I will stand with you Mark, in the gap for your friend Chris.” I even heard from people 8000 miles away.

My heart was touched, and to be honest, my eyes started leaking at the out pouring of concern, and love. This is the kind of action we need to take right now for our world as well. I would say, not one of those who said they would pray, knows Chris, but they took time to pray anyway.

I didn’t know George Floyd, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, or the others who have died when they shouldn’t have. I didn’t know the five police officers ambushed in Dallas either.

My point is this; we, who do know God, should be praying more now than ever for all people affected by the recent events and for our country. This cannot be the story of America. We don’t have to know them first, like those praying for Chris don’t know him, but prayed anyway, expecting results.

Thank you to all who have prayed for Chris, or will after reading this post. People of God cannot give up hope, grow weary, get discouraged, or turn to fear, because we know God is bigger than all things, and he is more powerful than evil.

Love Laws

June 5, 2020June 5, 2020 / Mark Brady / 3 Comments

060520 Last week I mentioned how my new life with my Filipino wife wasn’t easy in the beginning. There were obvious things to overcome. Cultural differences being a big one, and even though she can speak English, our language has enough quirks to rattle anyone. I’m glad I don’t have to learn English. A friend once told me she had ESL and I asked her if it was terminal. (English, Second Language)

I knew if our marriage was going to survive, it had to be built on love. I got the bright idea to post the characteristics of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a all over our apartment in the Philippines. I thought seeing the Post-it Notes would always remind us to be loving.

In the midst of one heated battle I went around and removed, ripped, and threw the Post-its away. I thought, “Love isn’t working!” But the honest truth is this, I wasn’t working love.

God’s word tells us that love never fails, so the problem wasn’t love, but me. I had the love laws in my head, but they had not made their way into my heart. Once things are in your heart they come out of your mouth. The words that come out of your mouth affects how you live, because they are based on what you believe to be true.

In practical terms, once the laws of love were in my heart it caused me to act and react, then say things to my wife in a loving way more consistently. That made all the difference in the world. One thing that also helped was believing she really loved me unconditionally. Reminds me of God. Her love to me has replaced past hurts. I’m still learning to let my first reaction be love, but it’s getting easier. My wife gives me lots of opportunities to practice. Kidding. (Well sort of.)

I encourage you to learn the love laws for yourself, and then place them into your heart. Life is better when you love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NET Bible)

⁴Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.

⁵It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.

⁶It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.

⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never ends.

Simply Love

June 2, 2020January 7, 2021 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Racism. Injustice. Hate. Protest. Peace rallies turned into riots. You know what I am talking about, or referring to. It’s sad to see so many unhappy, hurting, people. They can’t take it anymore, and their hearts are crying out for something to believe in that won’t cause anymore pain. Ever since Adam and Eve, mankind has been saying, “I know what is good and what is evil.” You see, before they ate the fruit God told them what was good, and He told them what was evil, but they were deceived.

Today, mankind is still being deceived, thinking “they” know what is right, and that “they” know what is evil. Like Adam and Eve, they won’t be told by anyone else, especially by God. Can we all agree on the fact each man defining good and evil, on his own terms, isn’t working?

So what’s the solution?

Love. It’s the only answer. You see, love, love for others helps you listen to someone else. It empowers you to understand their views, their values. Not adopt them, but listen to them. People just want to be heard. When I was doing church security, we sometimes had someone come in and interrupt the service. After I escorted them out, I would always give them a chance to say what they wanted us to hear. I didn’t care, or really listened, but it was amazing how it calmed them down.

Love says, I accept you no matter where you are from, what color your skin is, or what you believe. Love helps you not get angry if their views are a lot different than yours. Love strengthens you to not remember what one might say that hurts you. Love empowers you to be kind, patient, and not to become easily angered. Love allows you to want the best for someone else.

The truth is this; love works and will work, because it never fails. That’s why God puts a big emphasis on accepting love and in fact, God is love.

Can we all try love? Please?

Good, But Best

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

good, better and best word written by 3d hand “The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough.” (Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest – May 25)

Confused? Let me explain.

We can be confident, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]”. 2 Tim. 1:7 (AMP)

Therefore, with our free will, we should be able to make good, sound, decisions for our own lives. I felt like I had done that. I retired from AT&T, at the age of 55, and instead of buying an RV and traveling, I decided to move back to my home town to take care of my father, to write, and occasionally speak publically. I was happy with these good, sound decisions.

Not my will, but thine be done.

Life was, and would have remained good, but I always yield my choices and decisions to God. Before my father passed, not long after I had moved back, we had some great moments fishing again. (Not to tell a fish story, but we managed to “keep” 167 fish in only 3 outings.) I bought a house I really enjoyed living in. I was getting used to my new, good life, but God wanted “his best life for me”. (Kind of sounds like something Joel Osteen would say.)

You see, I had been divorced for 24 years. I kind of wanted to be married again, but was content being single. Looking back, I see all the people God had put in front of me to work on my heart toward marriage. One Friday I found myself filling out a profile on a dating website. I submitted it and there she was. From all of the women presented, the one, who would later become my wife, stood out. I could see the love of God radiating from her postage stamp size photo.

To make a long story short, I contacted her, we texted, then talked, and then video chatted via Messenger. I went to the Philippines to visit her and the family. One month after returning home from the trip, I put everything in storage, rented my house out, and moved there to marry her. It has not been a “cake walk”, but we always had love to build on.

While waiting for her immigration process to be completed, we have grown together, and lately started dreaming about our future. There are several things beginning to open up, and reveal to us the will of God, for us, as a couple. I love it!

You see, I could have continued to be single and have a good life, but because I surrendered my will to God, I am now living the best life I could ever have. I thank God for loving me so much. And ya know what? He loves you too, just as much!

How Much More?

May 26, 2020May 25, 2020 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

052620 How do you convince someone you love them? You could tell them over and over perhaps. You could show them in every way possible. You could do everything you can think of. You could even learn their love language, and speak it fluently. After all the effort you would expect them to accept you, to accept your love, but what if they don’t? Can you imagine the frustration you would feel? Then, what if you told them, “In order to prove how much I love you, I’ll die for you.” They might still reject your offer, and even say, “You’re crazy!”

Choose Love!

The truth is, God did this very thing, but He even went one step further. He gave us his only son to die for us. It is never right for a child to die before the parent. It’s not natural. To think this was God’s plan, ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed him in the Garden of Eden. I mean, how much more can God do to prove how much He loves us?

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” John 3:16-18 (MSG)

In these days we are living in, everyone who hasn’t, should run to God and accept his free gift. Are you afraid of being obligated of loving God back? Are you concerned you might have to live in a way you would rather not? You know it doesn’t matter what you have done in your past, his forgiveness will cover it. If you disagree then you are listening to the one, Satan, who wants you to die for eternity. Living for eternity is better, and there is only one way, God’s. How much more can He do?

False Advertising?

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

052220 I attended a funeral this week. My aunt. She was the last sibling to pass on, from my father’s side. There were 10 of them. After the grave side service I walked over to my father’s grave. I cleaned it off and told him I missed him, even though he was a handful to deal with in the last years of his life.

My father was 82 when he passed away. As I was looking at his tombstone, I saw his favorite photo attached to it. (See photo) I laughed as I recalled teasing him, before he passed, about ripping it off of there, with a crowbar. He’s the one who glued it on there in the first place. It dawned on me, toward the end of his life, this is how he saw himself, still 21 and a, “Lady’s Man”. At 70, divorced, he even had wallet size copies made up with his phone number written on the back of them. He would hand them out to women he met at the dance halls. I would say to my father, “That’s false advertising!” He didn’t see the humor in it.

This brings me to a point: Is how you see yourself, the same as others see you? Do you think more highly of yourself than you should? Do you consider yourself to be a better person than others would say you are? Or, would others say more good things about you than you would say about yourself? What about when you are at home? Are you the same person others see in public? At church? Ouch! I’ll admit, at times my wife sees my temper when it takes a lot for it to show up in public. Reminds me of the book, “Who You Are (When No One is Looking)”. The title alone was convicting.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,…” Romains 12:3a (NKJV)

Having an accurate, positive, balanced, and God focused image of yourself is very healthy. I think it helps you relax, as well as those around you. Anything more could be considered, “false advertising”.

I Hope I’m A Nobody!

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

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Where’s the Love

May 15, 2020May 14, 2020 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

051420 There once was a lady, no, not from Nantucket, who was a daughter, a friend, a wife, a mother, a worker, and a church goer. Yes, she seemed to once have a strong love for God, family, people in general, and especially children.

I thought I knew her, but after being separated off and on over the years, it took me a while to notice it, but after being around this lady again, I could tell something had changed.

I suspected many things, which I won’t go into, but it wasn’t until today, as I was talking about her that I labeled the problem correctly. Love had leaked out over the years. Perhaps even unnoticed by her, but she had changed. To friends, family and fellow church goers it’s got to be obvious.

So how did this happen? I think she had gotten hurt over the years and never dealt with it. Hurt by her husband, her children, friends, work situations, other family members, and yes, even by those at her church. You see, there seems to be a connection between getting hurt, not dealing with it in a proper manner, like going to God with it, and love. Also, if one is not getting filled back up on love by spending time with God then a person runs low. It’s not obvious, because there is no internal dip stick for our love tanks.

When love leaks out, others get hurt. A lack of love can cause many problems, so it is very important to know if you are leaking love, and why. If you have experienced great pain from a conversation or situation last week, last year, or several years ago, please deal with it. Either try to go back to the person who hurt you, and if that is not possible then definitely go to God with it, and ask him to help you overcome the pain.

I found myself going to God, because when I confronted the women mentioned above and shared how she had hurt me she replied, “Well just get over it!” I was stunned, and now hurt worse. A wounded person may come across as cynical, judgmental, critical, hateful, difficult, controlling, and even as a racist. When love runs out it is replaced with these, and other negative attitudes.

I wonder if, after sinning, she tells God, “just get over it!”

It’s hard to love these type of people. In my case, I now stay away to protect my heart and I pray for her. I hope God will bring her, and others like her to a situation where they one day see how low on love they are. It’s not too late for them. God can easily love them back to full, but they need to get close to him, know him, converse with him and read his word. You see, living with love shared takes two. If only one sided, it is simply, love given.

Two Can do More Than One

May 12, 2020May 11, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

051220 Considering the challenges, it’s understandable why my wife and I had a difficult time in the beginning adjusting to each other. An American who didn’t understand Filipino culture, and a Filipino who wasn’t used to a man making decisions. My wife’s father left the family when she was young.

We had several, heated discussions to say the least. Many times, either of us wanted to say, “Forget it!” But one thing kept us trying to figure it out. We both had to admit there was no doubt God wanted us to be together. There were too many strong confirmations this marriage was being formed in heaven.

The one line that always got us to stop fighting and take a breath was this,

“We can’t let Satan win!”

It seems as if we were battled by fierce forces unseen, and the truth was, we were! Satan wanted to put asunder what God had joined together. “Asunder”, means interfere.

Today, we are doing great. My wife has only messed up once in the last three months. Did I say, “My wife”? I meant me. The other night we were talking, and I said something about helping others, more than we currently are. It was then, my wife opened up and shared her dream of helping lives in tangible ways ever since she was a little girl. I had no idea. We then dreamed about what that would look like.

The next day I had the opportunity to help a young father, who had relocated to Tulsa from the Covid hot spot of Boston. They arrived in an old vehicle with only the things they could pack in it. After he pulled away I was moved to tears as I thought about the shoes he walks in, and I was thankful I was not wearing them. I don’t have a lot of “extra” right now, as our own budget is tight, but the things he really needed, I had. It was while thinking on what had just transpired, I said to myself, “Two can do more than one.” Walking out my wife’s dream had just begun.

I am thankful to God for his many blessings, and I look forward to seeing what and how God will do more through us together as his Spirit leads.

brady, mark a.

Words to inspire you

Author: Mark Brady