Whew! Sundays Over!

May 26, 2018May 25, 2018 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Photo by Michael Wall of Wall2Wall Foto

A girl in my 11^th grade English class once said, “I love being Catholic! I can have my sins forgiven Saturday night, and then live like hell the rest of the week.” Now, I’m just quoting her and not saying a thing about the Catholic faith, so please, no emails. I’m not Catholic, but being honest, have had similar thoughts. Only mine are more like, “Ok. I got the Sunday thing done. Now, I can indulge my flesh.”

A fight, a struggle. I want to do the right thing. I want to please and obey God, but I find no matter how long I have been doing this, I still struggle with thoughts of wanting to do what I want to do. Some are just down right thoughts of being lazy.

The great apostle Paul struggled as well.

Rom 7:18 I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it.
Rom 7:19 I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. (MSG)

So how, or what are we to do then? 1) Of course ask God to help us. We will never be able to do it on our own. 2) Bring every thought into captivity. Be honest about the thought, and if it is a bad thought then start looking for the door that has a sign above it that reads, “EXIT”. God promises to make a way of escape. Sometimes that exit may be praying. Have you ever sinned while praying? I haven’t. Leave the room. See what your family is doing, or call a friend. And if they are a trusted friend, tell them you are struggling.

My classmate, I mentioned in the beginning, was married. Her husband shoved a shotgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger before that school year was over. I have often wondered what God thinks when people live like she did on a regular basis. I yield my opinions to God. This one thing I know for sure: I can overcome, because Jesus overcame first, and so can you.

5 Gifts I Received From My Father

May 19, 2018May 18, 2018 / Mark Brady / 3 Comments

Jerry R Brady After my father passed away, recently, I reflected on his life, and realized there were a lot of gifts, “life lessons” he gave me, but today I want to share the 5 biggest ones.

5. My father taught me how to fish. You see, he is the greatest fisherman I have ever met. I realize I will never be as good as him, but I learned the sport of it, the joy of being in nature, and taking on the challenge. Go fishing, and take a young person with you.

4. My father taught me how to be a good worker. I can only count maybe 10 days my father missed work, other than weekends and vacations. He taught me; at work, look around, there is always something to do. Be loyal, and work hard.

3. My father showed me, you can talk to anyone. My father was funny, and even a few seconds after meeting a stranger, a friend, or a loved one they would be smiling. Spending time with someone is a gift. Be generous.

2. My father taught me how to plan, be organized, and resourceful. A greater gift than I ever realized when I was young. This lesson, has saved time, helped me be prepared, and in general, made life easier. Be ready for your next event.

1. My father (and mother) took me, and my sister, faithfully to church where I fell in love with the most amazing God. I accepted his free gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. I grew in knowledge of God, and dedicated my life to living for him. I have not always gotten it right, but my loving Heavenly Father has understood, has forgiven me, and has helped me to move on. This was the greatest gift my father and mother ever gave me. It’s the greatest gift you could ever give anyone. Share God.

Dad was ready for his final event as well. Dying. I hope you will be too. I pray if you have never made that decision to accept God’s greatest gift, you will right now. Just say, “God, I accept your Son, Jesus. I ask him to forgive me of my sins, my wrong doings in life, and to come into my life and show me how to truly live.”

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. (Phi 1:3 AMP) I love you Dad!

Stumble or Build?

May 12, 2018May 11, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

stone 1 There it is. Right there in front of you. It is unwelcomed, and even now, is unwanted, but there it is. A situation has developed in your presence. One that activates emotions. They seem to come out of nowhere, and they arrive so fast.

Immediately, you are forced to answer the question; “Am I going to stumble, or am I going to build?” You’re interacting with someone when all of a sudden you find yourself in the middle of a misunderstanding, or someone acting ugly. What do you do? Do you match their level of intensity? Lobby similar words?

One way of reacting will most likely cause you to “stumble”. Your relationship could break down, or fall apart. Over what? A situation? But what if you took a moment, breathed, and responded in a way that would “build” your relationship? That would cause you to grow closer to the individual, or grow and mature inwardly.

AND [Jesus] said to His disciples, Temptations (snares, traps set to entice to sin) are sure to come, but woe to him by or through whom they come! (Luk 17:1 AMP)

Satan casts the first stone. He definitely wants you to stumble. Hoping you will fall, and get hurt. Jesus hands you a hammer in hopes you break up the stone and build a stronger relationship.

God’s Top Ten List

May 5, 2018May 4, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

The Ten

No other Gods before me.
I’m to be your first priority.
Nothing should be your idol.
Keep your life pure.
Don’t use my name when cussing.
Understanding this can bring humility.
Keep Sundays Holy.
Resting one day a week is a wonderful thing.
Honor your father and mother.
Doing so will bless your life.
Killing is not good.
Love is a much better way.
Committing adultery tears people apart.
Learning intimacy will bring people together.
Don’t take what isn’t yours.
If you do, you’ll never learn to trust.
Lying is a bad idea.
Honesty is always the way to go.
You shouldn’t want what isn’t yours.
Contentment brings peace to your life.

God didn’t come up with these 10 commandments to make your life miserable. He didn’t do it so we would become “religious”, and start a bunch of denominations with a list of “rules” to live by. He gave us these principles, to live by, so we could relate to him better, and with each other.

How Much Do You Charge for Your Love?

April 28, 2018April 27, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Cost of Love_FREE What do you charge for your LOVE? Is that by the ounce, gallon, hour, or some other form of measurement? Do people, or your family, feel you can’t be bothered? Your friends never ask for a favor, because they know you won’t help for whatever convenient excuse you flip to in your “excuse Rolodex”? LOVE is more than words. It is action. It does. It does whatever it takes. It does, whatever it can, for others.

Jesus, gave premium LOVE, free! He didn’t require any form of payment, or reimbursement. No one had to be “good” enough, or had to earn it. They may not even have deserved it, but he LOVED anyway. Jesus, only did what he saw his heavenly Father do. We should do the same. As Jesus has freely given LOVE to us, we should freely give LOVE to others. LOVE can overcome anything when there are no limits put on it.

Real LOVE, is felt. Authentic LOVE, saves people. Mature LOVE, looks for opportunities to be expressed. Premium LOVE fills you up!

God’s Favorite Part

April 21, 2018April 20, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Torn011 My favorite part, of Jesus’ death on the cross is this; the very moment he exhaled his last breath the thick, tall, heavy curtain that separated man, from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. It’s my favorite part, because now, we have direct access to God’s presence.

Yes, I am so grateful to have my sins forgiven, but I love it when I sense God’s presence coming down, and lighting upon me. When I sense the Holy Spirit enter me, I feel such a tremendous amount of love, peace, joy, and security. Feeling God’s embrace is unbelievable. I hope you know what I am talking about. It is in those moments, I sometimes receive instruction, correction, words of knowledge, secrets, or my favorite, the keys to someone’s heart. Jesus had the keys when he spoke to the woman at the well. When you hold those keys, and unlock the secret chambers of one’s heart, real, authentic ministry can take place.

There are times when God just loves on me. The other night, my Heavenly Father took me out for an ice cream cone. While I was enjoying the ice cream, I all of a sudden had the realization that the curtain ripping into, in the temple, was God’s favorite part of the story as well. Why? Because now, when He enters the temple, He is entering us. We, are the temple of God.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.” (1Co 6:19-20 AMP)

Your First Thought

April 14, 2018April 13, 2018 / Mark Brady / 4 Comments

20180412_200110 It happened again. The explosive temper from one I am supposed to love, and I do, but the pain. I left their presence, but I was a “walking wounded”. I kept rewinding the scene and playing it over and over in my mind. Why? This didn’t need to happen. I begin seeking comfort.

I went to one of my favorite pizza places and ordered a pizza. Sad, I know, but I tend to turn to favorite foods for comforting. Later in the evening God whispered, “Why didn’t you turn to me for comfort?” I searched for the truth and then had the realization, so my reply was, “It wasn’t my first thought. God… (tears) I’m so sorry! Help me loving Father to make you my first thought.”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement) 2Co 1:3-6 (AMP)

But I turned to pizza instead of God. The very pizza pictured in the photo. It was extremely windy, and as I was taking my second step out of the restaurant a gust of wind blew the box right out of my hand. I went back in, ordered another one, and then cleaned up the parking lot. To be honest I looked both ways to see if anyone was watching. You know, that five second rule. I decided it didn’t apply to asphalt! My turning to food first, instead of God, made for a very expensive medium pizza. Lesson learned, I hope!

Dump or Garden?

March 31, 2018March 30, 2018 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

CtS21ft CamH3' 35mm 0001 Mankind’s first address was inside Garden Grove Estates. God gave Adam and Eve a home there, but they wanted more. They wanted to know what God knew, even though he told them that kind of knowledge wasn’t for them. They disobeyed, and got evicted.

Do you live in a garden? I don’t live in a perfect one yet, but things are growing. And I don’t even have a green thumb either! My neighbor one day saw me trying to plant some flowers. She said, “You don’t know what you are doing!” I said, “I know, but I am having a great time.” I desire, ache to live where God intended, meaning the kind of life, but since I don’t know what I am doing I need him. I need him to design it. I need him to remove the weeds, remove the trash, move boulders, and dig trenches for the living waters to flow in my garden.

I look around, and I see very few people living in gardens. Instead, they have, like Adam and Eve, believed the lies of the devil, and have paid the consequences. They have gotten hurt, down, defeated, or have settled. Some have given up. They act like “hope” is a four letter word, so they accept life in a dump. It stinks! It’s dirty, toxic, hazardous to your health, but they accept it. More and more broken, ugly, bent, faded, rusty things of life, gets dumped on them day after day, and they take it. They call it life, and just assume, it can’t get any better.

This is not the kind of life God intended for you. It hurts him to see pile after pile of trash dumped upon you. Guess what? You don’t have to live there! You can move out of the dump, and into a garden, but you will need the help of the Gardner. The One who loves you like you can’t even imagine. Will you accept his invitation? Will you change your address? Come live in the garden God wanted you to live in. Oh, and the cost? Free, for his Son, Jesus paid it for you.

Mark Brady 1962 – 2018

March 24, 2018March 23, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

my tomb stone 2 We are gathered here today to pay our respects to Mark Brady. In this grave, six feet below us, lies his body, his flesh. Living by his flesh caused him to hurt a lot of people. Wife, children, friends, sibling, coworkers, and even his mother and father. Being led by his flesh opened the door to enter into a sin, where the result cast him out of the will of God.

Mark wondered around his own Mt. Sinai for 30 years. After getting tired of the heat, of the desert, and the sand, he said, “oh the gritty, annoying sand got everywhere”, he begin looking for the exit ramp.

The act of dying doesn’t hurt, but killing your flesh does. It goes against everything you know. We’re afraid, if we do, we won’t be comfortable with ourselves, or others won’t, but is that more important than having Jesus comfortable with us? It’s completely living the way Jesus showed us how to live. Meaning, how to respond to others in our world. An old man once said, “Life isn’t hard. It’s all the freakin people that make it hard.”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. (Mat 16:24 AMP)

Jesus told us to take up “our” cross and follow him. The cross being an instrument of death. So why would one want to? It’s hard to describe unless you begin to experience it, but there is such joy in becoming intimate with God. Becoming a son, like Jesus is. God loves his Son, Jesus so much! With that said, when you begin to walk in son ship with God, there is more peace, more joy, more faith, and definitely, more love than you could ever imagine! It’s living life more abundantly!

FLOW

March 10, 2018March 10, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

080412 335 A river flows downstream. Life in a boat, doing nothing, on that stream, comes easy, natural. It takes no effort, but to go upstream is another story. The mightier the current, the harder one must paddle, or use external power. You stop for one instance, or turn off the engine, and you begin going back down.

We can’t get to our destination upstream on our own. We must have the power from the One who has been in the boat. From the One, who has walked on the water. From the One who has made it to the other side. From the One who said, “It is finished!”

I desire to FLOW with God. I will do my part, but I will rely on Him for the power I don’t have in and of myself. Following His FLOW will take me where He wants me. The more I make this my life practice it will get easier, and become more natural.

Keith Hector, recently preached a message at my church on FLOW. He said flow is:

F aith
L ove
O bedience
W isdom

Flowing with God, and in God takes all of the above. It requires trusting Jesus. It demands following the Holy Spirit. God asks us to do things that are not natural to our flesh, so we cannot boast in and of ourselves. He also knows the joy we experience when we FLOW with Him. He knows the confidence we experience, and He knows it encourages us to go further.

Check it out: “My main attempt in this short life is to deeply love humankind. I long to love like Jesus: intentionally, authentically, and with no boundaries. So here I am, a messy 14 year old making art, learning to love, and writing.” Click: ~ ava lucia ~