Play Ball!

February 11, 2025February 7, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

On any spring Friday afternoon in a small town in Iowa, there is a baseball game. It is for anyone who wants to play, who used to play, or who wants to sit, watch, and root for their favorite team. As for me, I used to play pee-wee ball. I was never very good compared to the other boys my age. I had severe allergies, so, therefore, my muscles were not as developed as theirs were. Since I couldn’t play like they did, the coach would have me run bases after he hit the ball in different locations on the field. Since that is what I practiced, I became good at base running.

But this story isn’t about me. However, I will add the fact that on game day, when we were wearing our jerseys, they would make me “Brady” sit to the left of the other bench warmer, whose last name was “Bunch.”

No, this story is about Harry Stamford. He played second base on the team opposing mine. Harry was good. Actually, he was an outstanding player. He seemed to be gifted in knowing where to put the ball in play.

In one particular game, I made it to second. Harry got mad because he barely missed the tag that would have thrown me out. Seeing his disappointment in himself, I began teasing and harassing him when I happened to look down, and I saw a tear in the base. I went on to score, but our team still lost. After the game, I asked my coach about the rip in second base. I asked, “What damaged second base, and why hasn’t it been replaced?” He immediately shushed me as he quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard me.

He leaned into me and said, “During a game about twenty years ago, Harry was on second base when all of a sudden, there was a flash of light, and something hit the bag, tearing it. Harry fell, and so the umpire called “time” to see if he was alright. He said something scraped the back of his leg. We raised his pant leg, and there was a bleeding scratch, so we bandaged it. Harry said he was okay with staying in. After the game, when I was gathering the bases, I saw the rip and reached in. I found a rock. I took it to the community college here in town, where the science professor identified it as a small meteor. Ever since that day, we have noticed that Harry’s baseball skills have improved, and he plays like a young man in his late twenties, but we don’t talk about it.” “Would you believe Harry is 79 years old?”

“Wow! That’s an amazing story, and no, I certainly had no idea he was that old.” After that day, I stopped heckling Harry anytime I was on second base. And I started watching him closer.

One afternoon, before the end of the season, I noticed Harry getting out of his car. He was moving very slowly, although he still had on his uniform as if he was going to play. I walked over to him and apologized for all of the times I had heckled him when on second base. He said, “It’s okay. Just part of the game.” I then took his arm to help him to his team’s dugout. I asked, “Harry, are you okay?” He sat slowly on the bench and replied, “I saw my doctor on Monday. He said I have a fast-moving cancer. He told me to get my affairs in order.” I knelt and said, “Harry, I am so sorry to hear that.” He looked into my eyes and said, “I will miss my wife, family, and grandchildren. I will also miss playing baseball, and maybe you.” I laughed and then told him I would be praying for him.

The other players showed up, and the game was about to start when one player on Harry’s team noticed Harry’s eyes were shut, and he was slumped over. One of the doctors in our small town came to the dugout and, after a few minutes, announced that Harry was gone. A silence grew over the ballfield as word got out. They laid Harry down on the bench, and his best friend went over the flagpole. He lowered the flag but then removed it and used it to cover Harry’s body. He told everyone that Harry was a veteran.

“Now what?” asked one of his teammates. His coach said, “I think Harry would want us to play ball, so let’s go out there and win this one for Harry,” and they did.

The following week, Harry’s funeral was held. There were a lot of people in attendance, and many spoke publicly of Harry’s life and how he had not only helped them in one way or another but also talked to them about God and always asked if they wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many of them said they did.

Some may look back and say that the meteor gave Harry Stamford some extra strength that day while he was playing second base. I would say that it was God who was so pleased with Harry’s life and witness that He blessed him with what he needed to do the things that he enjoyed.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ, know that you can. He is waiting for you to accept his offer of forgiveness for your sins. With that begins a relationship that brings hope, encouragement, comfort, and guidance with the added bonus of eternal life. Along the way, you can ask for help with anything. Problems in life, relationships, and healing. Having a relationship with Jesus is the best thing you will ever do with your life. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are real. So are heaven and hell. There are no other alternatives. Accept Jesus and truly live life.

Free to Be Me

January 24, 2025January 20, 2025 / Mark Brady / 3 Comments

I suppose my childhood started like most little boys. Hanging around my father, watching him work the family business as his father had taught him. Watching Dad was okay, but I got a little bored with it. As I got older, and my father would trust me, I would wander away from the shop. It was at those times that my curiosity would get me into trouble. I began stealing things to see if I could get by with it.

Yeah, sometimes I would get caught, but I usually didn’t. My father would scold me, but so what? This was nothing. Everything he would say went in one ear and out the other.

We lived on the side of the Sea of Galilee. The side where “the other people” lived. You see, we weren’t Jews. In fact, to the Jews, we were pigs. They really hated pigs. Something about the God they worshiped wouldn’t allow them to eat them. That pigs were unclean animals. Umm, I guess they considered us “unclean” as well.

As time went on, I got into more and more mischief. I became an avid gambler. I loved to bet on anything. Because I learned how to cheat, I usually won most bets and gambling games. Really, my life had become nothing but a game to me. What could I get into next?

I also became a lover of wine. It seemed as if when I was drunk, my life was tolerable to me. I really enjoyed hanging out with people like me. That was always the best. As you can probably figure out by now, I had lost interest in learning about the family business. I needed money, though, and found out there were people who were willing to pay me to do their dirty work. By dirty work, I mean they would ask me to put their competitors out of business. There were a lot of ways to do this. One way was to steal their inventory. Another was to set fire to their place of business. If that didn’t do it, you would send them a more personal message, like killing a family member.

Yes, I killed people. There was a weird sense of power after I would take the life of a human being. I sometimes thought of myself as a god. I became a pretty horrible person. I soon had a bad reputation in town. I wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything, and unscrupulous men in town knew I would do anything for the right price. That fearless attitude would someday be my downfall.

I also started dabbling in what was known then as the dark arts. I am talking about sorcery and the work of mediums. I thought it was cool that these people could communicate with the dead. In fact, I started telling them to teach me how to do it. It wasn’t long before I began to really get the hang of it. I wanted to do more, though. I felt powerful whenever I delved into these practices. After a while, those who taught me became afraid of me. They said I was going way too far into this and opening myself up to darkness. I liked it, craved it. I wasn’t afraid of it at all. I liked knowing things that others didn’t. I enjoyed them, thinking I was so powerful. At the time, I didn’t care where the power came from. All I cared about was getting more.

At first, everything was fine with me possessing this new power. I didn’t sense any harm in using it. Women were drawn to me as well. They liked being seen with such a strong, powerful, knowledgeable man. When a women wasn’t around when I wanted one, I would send for a prostitute to come to me. Then, one day, the owner of this power came to collect the cost of my using his power. I actually thought I could argue with him and win. Boy, what an eye-opener! One day, I thought I was at the top of the world, but the reality was that my soul now belonged to Lucifer, and when I couldn’t pay, I found myself in utter darkness.

He owned every part of me. I no longer had control of my mind or my body. He had me going around hurting anyone I saw. The people in town were now even more afraid of me. They would run in sheer terror. I was burning anything. I would kill anyone I could get my hands on. I would steal and destroy anything I wanted to. I had become hell on earth. What I thought I once possessed, I realized now possessed me.

The people in town even tried to overpower me so they could chain me down, but this proved to be a worthless endeavor as I could break the chains they attempted to use. Funny, now that I think back, I could free my body, but I couldn’t free my mind or soul. I really wanted to die, but after removing all of my clothes and cutting myself several times, I realized I couldn’t even control whether I lived or died. Some god I turned out to be.

To try to make things better, I moved out of town and into the cemetery. At least there, I couldn’t hurt anybody. The stench was fitting for what I had become. My life stunk. It was hell. One of the tombstones was for my father. I know when he died, he was ashamed of me. He was embarrassed for what I had become. At least he couldn’t see to what depth I had sunk. You know, I think every son, no matter what, wants their father to be proud of them. I never gave my father a reason to be.

Then, one day, I saw a boat heading toward me. I couldn’t believe it because no one ever came from the other side. And why would they come here? Hadn’t they heard about the evil man that lived in the cemetery? “Are they crazier than me?” I thought. They must have wanted trouble. Well, that’s certainly what they were about to get, and a lot of it.

I ran towards the boat as it landed. I was stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw the face of the first one out of the boat. I knew I had never seen this man before, yet something inside me knew him all too well, and with one look into his eyes, I could tell he knew me. I also got the distinct feeling he knew I had become possessed by many demons.

Those who were traveling with him jumped out of the boat with fury when they saw me approaching him. They yelled, “Jesus, no! Back away from that man!” I guess they thought I was going to hurt him, but I wasn’t, for before me stood a man who was not afraid of me or the demons inside me. I had never witnessed such confidence and peace from another individual. For the first time in a long time, I felt as though somebody had control of the situation. There was calmness in the air, but at that time, I had no idea it would soon come to me.

He asked me my name, but I was unable to speak for myself. The head demon inside of me spoke for me and said, “I am Legion. For there are many of us inside of him.” It was weird to me that I had no clue who was speaking to me, but the demons knew him. I could feel their fear swelling up inside of me. I think they knew their time had come to an end.

Jesus then began to call them out of me, but as he did, Legion quickly spoke up. He said to Jesus, “Wait! Don’t just send us out of him and back to hell. There is a group of pigs over there. At least allow us to enter those pigs.” I’m not really sure why he agreed, but he did. He commanded the demons out of me and allowed them to go into the pigs. I fell to my knees immediately. I felt so weak. Jesus commanded those with him to get a blanket, start a fire, and prepare dinner. As for the pigs, as soon as the demons entered them, the pigs began to squeal and took off, running for a high cliff that overlooked the sea. I thought for sure the pigs would stop as they approached, for they are relatively smart animals, but they didn’t. Right over the cliff, they went. Their handlers took off running for the town out of fear from what had just happened.

I guess those pig ranchers got to town pretty fast because the next thing I knew, a lot of people were coming upon us. When they arrived, they saw me sitting by the fire, eating and laughing with Jesus and his disciples. They couldn’t believe I was so calm. When they overcame their disbelief, they told how the pig ranchers came running into town and told them all that had happened. I think the townspeople were relieved I was acting like a human being again instead of like a demon, but then they had the nerve to get mad at Jesus for killing a large group of pigs. In fact, they were so angry that they asked him and his followers to leave immediately and never come back to their side of the sea again.

I would have thought they would have accepted him and begun to worship him as I had. It’s funny to me how people want the miracles of Jesus but not the lifestyle of Jesus. I enjoyed my new freedom. I had such a peace within me. It took me a long time to understand that by surrendering my life, I actually found life. I stayed on that side of the sea for the rest of my life. I knew that the others who lived there needed Jesus as well, and as badly as I had, even if they didn’t realize it. When those who knew me saw the change, it was easy to give them the reason for my conversion. I’m so glad that on the day of my transformation, Jesus told his disciples, “Let’s go to the other side.” I hope what I tried to do for him after that day made it worth it. I know it was for me.

(The actual account can be found in the Bible. Mark 5:1-20)

If you have never had your own encounter with Jesus Christ, know that you can. He is waiting for you to accept his offer of forgiveness for your sins. With that begins a relationship that brings hope, encouragement, comfort, and guidance with the added bonus of eternal life. Along the way, you can ask for help with anything. Problems in life, relationships, and healing. Having a relationship with Jesus is the best thing you will ever do with your life. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are real. So are heaven and hell. There are no other alternatives. Encounter Jesus and change your life.

Power Over Death

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

The first time I saw him, he was standing near the temple. There was such a crowd around him that he couldn’t even get inside. They were asking him questions about the law and what Moses taught them, and of course, they wanted to see another miracle. How many miracles does one have to see before you choose to believe that this man was who he said he was – the Son of God?

I believed right away, and it didn’t take a miracle to make me a believer. Perhaps it was a miracle? The miracle of a man displaying such love. I had never witnessed such peace and love flowing from anyone, much less a carpenter. Of course, I had my doubts, as everyone does at first. Can this be? Can God be walking among us as a man? I guess I managed to let my faith overpower my doubts. Sure, I still had questions, but did they really matter? All I knew was this man was different than anyone else I had ever encountered. Whenever he spoke something inside of me came to life, like a flame that I never wanted to go out ever again. It was a good feeling. It was also a good feeling meeting him in person and becoming friends with him.

I about died when I learned Jesus was going to come to our house for dinner and retire for the night. My sister Martha made a special trip to my office to tell me the news. I closed up early that afternoon to hurry home and to help clean and get the place ready. Martha was cooking feverishly in the kitchen, and Mary was making sure the place smelled nice. I’m not really sure how that helped. After all, when you filled the place with Jesus and his disciples, who would even notice? Martha got mad at Mary, but that was normal. I made sure the comfortable bed was ready to go for Jesus would be sleeping there. Of course, Martha felt she had to remind me to put out the guest towels. The ones that the family was never allowed to touch! I assured her I had done everything just the way I had seen her do it several times before. Even the folds of the towels were facing the door. According to Martha, this gave guests a more pleasant feeling when they entered the room.

The evening went well. It was nice not having to compete with everyone else to get Jesus to answer our questions. I asked him questions about his power. He explained to me that it came from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had baptized him with the power to minister, teach, know someone’s heart, pray to his father, and heal. Jesus assured us that someday, all of us could have this power. I asked if that meant women, too, and he said, “Yes!” Wow, women could have power like Jesus. “Okay, if he says so,” I thought. We retired late, but I thought being tired the next day was so worth it. I felt a little funny when I lay down that night, but I thought maybe it was something I ate, like that new fish recipe that Martha tried out. I believe she got it from “Jewish Home & Garden.” I asked her not to try it that night, but she said it would be fine, and after all, it sounded so good.

The next day, I still felt funny, but I got up to see Jesus and his disciples off. I believe he said they were off to Capernaum. Of course, Martha got up and prepared their breakfast and sack lunches. Shortly after they left, I went to my office.

Several days went by, and I couldn’t shake whatever it was I had. I began to lose my appetite, and it didn’t take long for me to start losing weight. Not that losing weight was a bad thing. I was definitely over the weight limit, but my sister said I was worth keeping anyway. After a couple of weeks, I finally went to see our local physician. He pressed on my stomach, and thought he could feel a lump. That is why men don’t like to go to the doctor. We’re afraid they will find something wrong with us! The doctor suggested that I try to change part of my diet. So I took his advice, but the pain only got worse.

Everything eventually got so bad that I could no longer go to the office. I tried working from home, but no matter what room I was in and no matter what position I tried to sit in, I couldn’t get comfortable. Martha was getting really scared. As the days went on, I got a lot worse. Mary came up with the idea of sending word to Jesus. Martha fussed about this at first because she felt he was too busy to be bothered, but she quickly changed her feelings as I began to slip in and out of consciousness. I told Martha I believed we had better get my affairs in order, so we did in the midst of a lot of tears.

Then, in the middle of the night, I slipped away. You know, the actual act of dying doesn’t hurt. I remember waking up in a strange place. I saw a lot of people. Most looked lost as they just wandered around aimlessly. But then others seemed very different. Walking around smiling. I approached one of these people and asked them where I was. They informed me I was in the place of the dead. I asked, “What does that mean?” They went on to tell me that it was like a holding place until our eternities would be determined. I asked about those who weren’t smiling, and he told me that from what he could make out, they had no hope of a bright future. He said they had denied the existence of God while on earth.

It was on my fourth day in this place when it happened. I was starting to get used to being there. One could say comfortable. I was in no pain and had no more suffering, which is a good thing.

Then, in the midst of the regular atmosphere of this place, I heard a voice that I recognized, yelling, “LAZARUS!” I turned my head back and forth fast! I wanted to find the face that this voice belonged to. For with this voice came power and love. This voice reminded me of home. To my surprise, the voice was calling my name. Then I realized this was the voice of Jesus, and he was speaking into death to set me free from its sting. Then I heard it again, “LAZARUS, COME FORTH!” and I quickly responded. I opened my eyes, got up, and went hopping out of my grave. The sunlight was blinding, but as I squinted, I could see through the shroud in which I had been wrapped. The first person I saw was Jesus. He was standing there with his arms wide open. Standing behind him were Mary, Martha, and a huge host of people who wanted to see how Jesus was going to handle the situation. There were cheers, gasps of awe and disbelief, but there were tears from my closest friends, including Jesus, and family members. My family came running up to me, hugging me as they began to unwrap me. I had just experienced the most incredible healing one can on earth!

We left the cemetery and went back to the house. I was so hungry! I hadn’t eaten in days. Jesus came back with us, as did the crowd, who roared and applauded all the way. It was after we settled in and began eating when Jesus looked over at Mary and asked, “So Mary, are you still mad at me?” She put her head down as that smile I had seen when Mary gets embarrassed came across her face, and she responded, “No. I’m not. Jesus, I’m so sorry. I knew you could heal, and that was why we sent news to you six days ago that Lazarus was very ill. However, I had no idea there was no limit to your power. I mean power over death! Wow! Who knew?” “I did,” Jesus replied.

(The actual account can be found in the Bible. John 11:1-44)

At Death, I Found Life

January 14, 2025January 10, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I was a common thief, a professional criminal. I didn’t want to work, and because my father passed while I was still at a young age, I didn’t learn the family trade. Here I was uneducated and had no skills, so I felt I was forced to steal from anyone I could in order to get by. I stole food. I stole tools that I could sell to buy things I needed. I could get water, and I managed to sleep just about anywhere, but it was food that didn’t come easily.

I soon learned to create distractions while I stole from shop owners. I also learned a useful technique of bumping into people and then stealing their bag of money while at the same time asking, “Are you okay?”

Yeah, sometimes I would get caught, mainly by trying to steal from other thieves out there. Occasionally, I would get beaten and thrown in jail, but not that often. I knew stealing was wrong, but what choice did I have?

I traveled around a lot. That is how a professional thief survives! If you steal from too many in one place, word can get out and you are watched more closely. If you are new in town and the town is relatively large, you tend to blend in as just another visitor or businessman who belongs there.

It was in my travels that I first heard of the man named Jesus. Supposedly, he was the Son of God. I didn’t know for myself and really didn’t care. I mean, what could he do for me? I liked it, though, when he happened to be in the same town as me. He would draw these large crowds, and they would all be straining to get a look at this man who was performing miracles. Everybody just had to see a miracle!

I usually took in a good amount with him around distracting people. I mean, you really couldn’t ask for a better distraction than that. Umm, now that I think about it, maybe that was my miracle? Yeah, I heard his claims and his teachings about living for God and doing good, but I couldn’t see how to make money doing that! One time, I bumped into Jesus himself. We both just stood there for a moment and gazed at each other when, all of a sudden, Jesus said to me, “See you later.” At the time, I had no idea what he meant by that.

A few years went by with Jesus drawing the crowds in when it was time to go back to Jerusalem. A Jewish holiday was approaching. I knew I had to be careful, for I had been arrested there many times, but I just couldn’t resist the crowd! The place would be packed!

I got to Jerusalem early, but it wasn’t long before the crowds started coming in. I wanted to get there so I could claim a somewhat nice place to sleep in an alley. I had come across it on a previous stay in Jerusalem. It was a little remote, but I felt safe, and there were a couple of places I could hide my loot.

The holiday was upon us. The pickings were good. Then I heard that Jesus had ridden into town a few days ago on a donkey being highly celebrated, kind of like a king. I thought, “Wow! Once again, Jesus is here, so I can work the crowd as he does his thing.” But midweek, something happened, and the crowd, slowly began to turn on Jesus.

I then started to hear around town that the religious leaders were plotting against Jesus. Apparently, they were tired of his claims and teachings, but mostly his healings! They were upset that Jesus was getting so popular. They felt as though their power and authority over the regular folks was slipping away. They felt the only way to stop it was to make Jesus disappear for good.

As I was listening to this talk about doing away with Jesus, I was spotted in the crowd. I was instantly arrested and thrown in jail. There were two others already there. I’m not sure what the one man was in there for, but the other man, Barabbas, I believe, was accused of starting a riot and of murder. He seemed to me like a very violent man.

You can imagine my shock when I heard they had arrested Jesus. I mean, in my opinion, he was a good man. He went around teaching about how to live life in a way we had never heard before. He performed many miracles. One miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding after the host family ran out. People who were there said the wine they served at the end of the party was better than the first wine they had served. Usually, hosts would serve the cheaper wine toward the end of a party, thinking most wouldn’t notice. He also healed a lot of people. He healed the crippled, the lame, the blind, the sick, and some with a skin disease. He even raised a couple of people from the dead. His claim to be the Son of God was probably true after all because who else could have done all of that? There seemed to be a peace and calmness in my heart when I was around him.

I didn’t understand the action taken by the top religious leaders until it dawned on me he was a threat to them. Often, he would challenge their religious rules, which they thought pleased God, by showing a life that was based on a relationship with God. Perhaps they thought he would cast a demon out of them! I guess they couldn’t understand God coming here, as a child of an ordinary family, as rumor had it, to walk among us, especially in the manner in which he did. They thought their king of kings would come into town with trumpets blaring and in a chariot of the finest gold anyone had ever seen. No matter what they were thinking, Jesus certainly didn’t deserve to be beaten! I mean, I didn’t see it, but he was tortured!

He only went about doing good things for people. He didn’t cause storms, he calmed them! He didn’t cause death but raised people from it! He didn’t inflict disease on people, he healed them of it! God being among the people is the greatest thing that could ever happen! I mean, he played with the children, and children were “nothing” back then. He also respected women. He gave time to those most considered “unimportant.” You know, after thinking about what I heard him teach and seeing how he lived, I guess I had concluded that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. He was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

It was customary at this particular festival for the people to choose someone who was in jail, to be released. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the people shouting for Barabbas to be set free. “Were they nuts?” I thought. I mean, do they really want to have a known killer walking among them? After that, the people were asked what they wanted done with Jesus. Again, I was shocked when I heard them screaming, “CRUCIFY HIM!” I guess when people don’t like being confronted with how they live, they want the person telling them the truth to go away. In Jesus’ case, they wanted him to go away forever!

We walked slowly to the hill they call “Golgotha,” meaning “The place of the skull.” Our pace was slowed by the fact that Jesus could barely walk, much less carry a cross. They finally pulled some guy out of the crowd and made him help Jesus.

Even when we got there, and the three of us were hanging on our crosses, the crowd continued to persecute Jesus. The other guy hanging on the cross on Jesus’ left was getting in on it, too. I couldn’t take it anymore! I yelled at him and said, “Hey, that is the Son of Almighty God you are disrespecting! We are criminals and deserve death, but this man has done nothing wrong! Leave him alone!” Then I turned to Jesus and asked him to remember me when he came into his kingdom.” My heart broke when, with all that was left in Him, he turned to me, and with the most loving look, he said, “I tell you the truth. You will be with me in Paradise this very day!”

I spent my whole life wondering around, drifting from here to there and doing nothing good. I never helped anyone! Life was always about me and what I could get for me!

Ironically, at the end of my life, after witnessing the greatest “giver” ever, I was ready to do something for someone else. I guess that was my motivation for standing up for Jesus. I’m glad I did.

(The actual account can be found in the Bible. Luke 23:39-43)

My Bleeding Heart

January 10, 2025January 8, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

My name isn’t important. His name is! You see, I was sick. Very sick! I had been bleeding for eleven years. Most women bleed once a month for only a few days, but mine was all the time. It wouldn’t stop flowing.

Yes, I have been to the doctor! Several different doctors! I would see another doctor when one’s treatment didn’t work. Second opinion? I got third, fourth, and fifth opinions! No matter how ridiculous it seemed, I did everything they told me to do. I just wanted what I began to call a plague to stop.

My friends, what few I still had, accused me of all kinds of things. From being cursed to possessed! They kept thinking that I must have done something wrong to deserve this calamity that had fallen upon me.

I don’t understand that kind of thinking because we all live where bad things happen, even to good people. After all, sin has entered the world. The worst thing about having this condition is that in my culture, a woman is considered “unclean” when experiencing that time of the month! I hated that title more than anything! Being called “unclean” hurt me so badly. It wasn’t fair!

I wasn’t dirty, but when word got out from the doctors and began spreading throughout my community, people started avoiding me. I understood the expression “avoid like the plague!” I lived it! It was also challenging to be the recipient of their stares and their mean whispers. They probably thought I couldn’t hear them, but I could.

I wanted nothing more than to be healed! I just needed to find the right physician. I would do anything pay anything. Although I had already spent all that I had seeking a cure. I had cried out to God more than I can count for healing, a touch. I wanted out of my misery. Year after year, I was misunderstood, suffering, and being rejected for a total of eleven.

I don’t know how, but I managed to maintain a sliver of hope. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I never blamed God for my despair. No matter what I faced, I knew that healing was somewhere. I just had to find it or him.

Then, one day, I heard about this man coming to town. Rumor had it he was able to perform miracles, even healings. That sounded too good to believe, but what if? What if it was true? What if this man was a great physician? Could the end of my plague be days away? My faith began to grow.

The day he was supposed to arrive finally got here. I figured the crowd would be great to see such a great man, but I had no idea it would be that large. I decided to put on a cloak that had a hood. I used it to cover my head and to help hide my presence in such a crowd. According to my culture, it was wrong for me to even be there with my condition. I didn’t care. I needed to see this great physician who could help people with illnesses worse than mine.

Allegedly, he brought a man back to life from death. I would say death is a pretty severe illness! Another thing people were saying about him is that he forgave people of their sins if they believed in him. How can a man forgive sin? Forgiveness requires the spilling of blood. I don’t know about that, but if he can heal me of my affliction, I will be willing to listen to what he teaches.

I heard a great commotion coming my way. Everyone around me was getting excited and, thankfully, looking for their chance to get a glimpse of him. I just wanted to touch his robe. I thought that if this individual had the kind of power that others claim he does, then that should be all I need. Just one touch! He was heading in my direction. I pressed in, as did the others. My cover was working. No one had even noticed me in the crowd. As he got near me, I forced my way to the point where, at the moment he passed me, I could reach out and touch him. I didn’t like being pushy, but I had no choice, no more money, and no one else to turn to.

As he passed by and I realized this was it, I reached out. I felt my heart pound with excitement, with anticipation, but mainly with hope! The ones who were his followers were directing him, and I almost missed my opportunity, but at the last second, I touched the hem of his garment. Instantly, I felt a heat go through my body! Oh my goodness! It was like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life! At that moment, I knew! I knew without having to check that I was healed. I knew that my plague was over!

I was so overwhelmed. I was beginning to plan my exit when Jesus stopped. He turned around and asked, “Who touched me?” His followers said, “Master, there are so many pushing against you! Everyone is touching you!” I wanted to hide, for if the people saw me, they would be so mad, for I had broken the law, but I just had to turn and kneel before the man who healed me. I told him the whole story of my ailment. He listened, and then he said, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, and live blessed! Be healed of your plague.” He not only healed my plague but even more importantly, he healed my heart! I told you in the beginning that his name is important. His name was Jesus.

(The actual account can be found in the Bible. Luke 8:43-48)

Christmas Hangover

January 3, 2025January 3, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I know Christmas is over, and most are probably wondering if they can continue another day with their New Year’s resolutions, but I’m still thinking about Christmas. Perhaps I didn’t get enough of the goodwill or cheer? Maybe I want the spirit of Christmas to continue because people, in general, were nicer. I would hope it is because I am still focusing on the reason for the season, Jesus. Yeah, let’s say it’s that last one because it sounds holy!

Did I do enough to show God’s love to the world? After all, He showed us the ultimate love by sending his only Son, Jesus, to the world to fulfill our greatest need, saving us from our sins. That would be a hard decision, knowing that your Son was going to die a horrible death. I mean, there are times when I struggle to decide if I want to get involved in helping someone or not. I ask myself, “How long is this going to take?” Or “What is this going to cost me?”

Demonstrating the love of God isn’t something we should only do at Christmas but all the time. Meeting someone’s physical needs is a great way to start a conversation that can lead to sharing about God’s love.

I had an opportunity to do that this morning. April and I went to a restaurant to have breakfast while waiting for our car to be repaired at a nearby “Complete Auto Care” facility. A homeless man asked me if I had some change so he could purchase a sausage biscuit. He still smelled of his last cigarette. My flesh wanted to judge him. My mind was arguing, “If he can afford cigarettes, then he can buy his meal.” God’s Spirit, which dwells within me, won, and I met his physical need of hunger. That led to a conversation about God and his love and the importance of accepting Jesus into our hearts. I’m not a religious hero; I’m just mindful of others’ need for Christ.

“Christmas Hangover?” I’m not sure, or perhaps it is hanging on to Christ for help in spreading the love of God to a dying world. Either way, I hope it continues all year.

“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)

Putting it All Away

December 27, 2024December 6, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Christmas was two days ago. At my house, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that Christmas took place. All the debris, decorations, and disruptions are cleaned up and put away. I think I got that attitude from my mother.

People get so excited about Christmas. The buildup, the gatherings, the presents, it all stimulates us. And most seem to be nicer. There are a few Grinches, but overall, people behave for December.

But what happens after December 25th? How do you feel while cleaning up and putting things away? Does a normalcy come over you? Does life resume to its regular scheduled program already in progress? It doesn’t have to.

If you celebrate the One that Christmas is all about, then you still have that spirit and attitude in your heart. You might put away the things that come out because of the holiday, but you don’t pack up Jesus. You don’t put him away until Easter. I know some do, and those are the only two times a year they enter a church. Other than for weddings and funerals.

You can have that excitement and feeling inside you all year by knowing and having accepted Jesus into your life. You can experience the joy and peace year-round. I have said several times before that just because you have accepted Jesus, your life isn’t magically better. Jesus helps you get through the things in life that “happen” to us.

So, this Christmas, as you are cleaning up, packing up, and putting up, don’t pack away Jesus as if He is only a nativity scene. Leave him out and in your heart all year! If you haven’t accepted Jesus, do so. Ask him into your life and to forgive you of your sins. He is the best present you will ever unwrap your whole life.

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Eph. 3:17 (NLT)

Who Is It For?

December 24, 2024November 29, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

After watching a good movie, or at least one that is well-written, I want to go to my computer and write. Either one inspires me. That happened today after watching “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

“Based on the beloved book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever centers on the Herdmans — absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. But this Christmas, they’re taking over their local church Pageant — and they just might unwittingly teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas.”

If you haven’t seen it yet, then I highly recommend it. There is one line in the movie that goes something like this. “The Herdmans are the very people Jesus came for.” As the people in the church judged and despised them, I was sitting there thinking about the people Jesus said he came for.

Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the misfits?”

Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.” Mark 2:15-17 (MSG)

Jesus also said about himself, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT)

I would word it like this: Jesus came for the oppressed, for the brokenhearted, for the disappointed, for the sick, for the sinners, for those who are realizing their way doesn’t work. For those despised and rejected. And for the unlovable. The Herdmans, me, and for you.

We all need Jesus. We all need saving, and that is why God sent us a Savior. He didn’t send us an accountant, an educator, or anyone else but his only Son. God sent us love in the form of a human to show us all a better way. If you have accepted Jesus, then you need to show the world “Love,” God’s Love! Not only at Christmas but every day of the year. Be a walking Christmas pageant. Let your life share the reason for Christmas.

Why it’s so Wrong

December 20, 2024November 22, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I looked up again and saw—surprise!—a book on the wing! A book flying!

²The Messenger-Angel said to me, “What do you see now?” I said, “I see a book flying, a huge book—thirty feet long and fifteen wide!”

^3-4He told me, “This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies. I launched it”—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—“and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones.” Zec. 5:1-4 (MSG)

Zechariah 5 is a chapter in the Bible that presents a message of hope and a reminder of God’s intolerance of sin and His divine judgment on those who transgress His laws.

Lying and stealing are so bad they both made the list of God’s Top 10. And David Letterman thought he was the first one to do a Top 10 list. Why does God hate both of these?

Lying is so deceptive! It misleads people. It can also confuse individuals because they may not know what or whom to believe. But ultimately, it breaks down “trust.” Trust is hard to earn and even harder to earn back. I always told my children, “Just tell me the truth. No matter what it is, I can deal with the truth.” I’m not convinced they believed me, but it was a true statement nonetheless.

Stealing, well, it is also wrong! It is taking something that is not yours. You didn’t work for it or earn it. Or it wasn’t given to you by someone else. You have no right to it. It’s cheating! It causes the rightful owner to have to replace it if they can afford to. When someone steals, it usually has a monetary cost to it.

This is why God detests both of these sins. They hurt people. And God doesn’t like to see people in pain. He will deal severely with those who practice such things. It is also why God is such a champion for truth! The truth sets people free.

Another reason God sent His Son, Jesus to be born as a child. (Hence, Christmas.) Who dares question His delivery method? He knew His Son would grow up and do the work of his Father in heaven, which would show the freedom we can have in life if we don’t lie or steal, amongst other things that are wrong. God wants His people to live good lives.

Thankful?

November 26, 2024October 19, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Are you ready for Thanksgiving this coming Thursday? Do you have the turkey and all of the trimmings? A pastor’s wife once asked me if I was going to join them for Thanksgiving. I replied, “Sure. I’ll be there.” She then said, “Oh good. Now we’ll have a turkey!” Hahaha, right?

A lot of people spend a lot of time preparing for the holiday. They prepare the menu, invite the guests, and make sure the house is presentable. Others begin packing their suitcases if they are going to be traveling far to celebrate with friends and or family.

I have to ask, though, “How many prepare their heart?” For the one who has been forgiven of their sins, through Jesus Christ, has a lot to be thankful for. Even if this life isn’t perfect and there are trying times, you still have God on your side. One of the best sermons I have ever heard lasted about ten seconds. The minister was sitting on a newspaper machine in Chicago. While the “Do Not Walk” sign was lit, he preached. He said, “I don’t care how bad life is. As long as you have God on your side, it will be okay!”

Because I am daily mindful of how much God has done for me and continues to do for me, I am always thankful! When I walk through the house, I feel blessed. This home has been a big blessing to me and April, and it will continue to be one after I am gone. (I am older than April by several years.) This house has the ability to rent out the second floor with no intrusion for whoever is living on the first floor. This will provide another stream of income for April.

Thanksgiving isn’t just an American holiday. It’s an ever-present attitude of the heart. Maybe you will be asked what you are thankful for this coming Thursday as you sit around the table. If you have a roof over your head, peace in your country, food on the table, good friends, and a family that loves you, a job that meets your needs and God, then you have more than most to be thankful for. And if you don’t have all of those things I listed, then turn to the God who loves you. Tell him. He’ll listen! And who knows, perhaps by the following Thanksgiving, you will.

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? Mat. 7:11-20 (MSG)