No Barriers

July 5, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I work for a global company, and they force us to take training courses. These courses range from safety to customer information, to company standards. But last year they started making us listen to some motivational speeches. This past week I listened to one such speech that really moved me. It was given by Erik Weihnenmayer. It’s okay. I didn’t recognize his name either until he was introduced as the first blind man to climb Mt. Everest. I recalled hearing about him on the news.

Erik’s speech was truly amazing just as he and his life is. Here he is blind, but has adopted this mentality of “No Barriers”. In other words there really is nothing holding you back from obtaining your goals but you. He described being blind and climbing Mt. Everest as “reaching out into the darkness”.

We live in a very dark world. Perhaps you are facing a mountain in your life and you don’t see how you are going to get around it or through it. Has it dawned on you to go over it? Maybe you just lost your job, or you are now taking care of an ailing parent. Or maybe God has called you to do a certain task. The one thing Erik said about reaching the top of a mountain is this, “It takes a team.” Team up with others who are facing the same mountain as you. Do life together. Encouraging each other. Team up with God who can help you with any mountain, if only you believe there are no barriers.

Mat 17:20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” (MSG)

God’s Man

June 28, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I wait for the light to turn green. I just wanted to get home, so I could sit outside and write. Yesterday was one of those days Chicagoans dream of in the midst of winter. In front of me was a vehicle that had the license plate you see in the photo. Obviously placed there by a man, for few women would declare to the world that her husband is a man of God. How do I know he was married? It was on a minivan type of SUV.

As the day went on I could not get way from this man’s statement concerning hims Gods Man elf. Then I realized it’s not a statement of achievement, but of faith. For this isn’t who he is, but more of who he is striving to be. This takes guts to declare to the world: “This is who I am trying to be.” I don’t drive patient enough of others to dare put this on my vehicle. (Not yet I’m sad to say.) Not to mention the many times I fail those who know me.

Phi 1:6 There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. (MSG)

I receive hope from this verse. Being God’s man is certainly a worthy goal to have. This world, but also those who know me, needs me to continue to strive to obtain this declaration as truth. I desire to be known by all (and that includes those closest to me) as “A Man of God”. Maybe one day my tombstone will read, “Here lies a man of God, but only till Jesus returns to take him home.” That even my death would proclaim the hope of eternal life we have in accepting Jesus. Whose man or woman are you? I hope God’s.

Who’s Your Daddy?

June 22, 2015 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

With today being Father’s Day I naturally started thinking about my earthly father. He is very funny. He can be extremely generous, and he is absolutely the best fisherman I know. When he goes fishing at the lake he catches so many when he gets done the water level is lower. Seriously he has been known to catch 95 sand bass in one outing by himself. I am definitely like my earthly father in several ways.

Then my thoughts turned to my heavenly Father. I was made in His image, but am I like Him? I feel God has a sense of humor, but I know for sure He is loving, He is kind, He is longsuffering, He remembers no wrongs, and He is patient, as well as other perfect qualities. Out of my two fathers I desire mostly to be like my heavenly Father.

In Romans 8:15 it says we cry out to God by saying, “Abba Father”, which translates as “Daddy God”.

Some people have a pretty bad earthly father. In no way should our heavenly Father be compared to our earthly fathers. Earthly fathers, at least on this side of heaven, can let you down, say things that hurt, or do other things we don’t like. If you have been hurt by your earthly father you can certainly turn to your Daddy God. He can heal you, help you understand things. He is always there for you. On this day and everyday remember your heavenly Father.

Boo-boos

June 14, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

My son was playing when he fell and landed on one of his toys which hurt him. boo-boos He started whimpering as he climbed up on the sofa next to his mother. He laid on his back, pulled his legs up and said, “Mommy, kiss my butt.” Yes. We had taught him when he gets a boo-boo mommy and daddy can kiss it and make it all better.

Last Friday morning I read an email from my daughter. Her pain was so great I could feel it leap from the phone and into my heart. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, kiss her cheek and tell her, “It will be okay.” When our children become young adults it seems as if their boo-boos cut deeper, and hurt worse than when they were toddlers. Because we are separated by many miles I couldn’t be there in person to hold her in my arms, but my concern for her and the situation is there none-the-less.

Jesus sees our struggles, our pain, our hurts, and even our boo-boos. Hebrews 5:2 says, “(Jesus) should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience.” Hebrews 5:8 “Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.” (MSG)

We can go to Jesus at any time with anything, but definitely turn to him when you get hurt. Turning to anything, or anyone else just isn’t the same. Jesus knows how to guide you, heal you, or teach you to make it all better.

The Final Edit

June 7, 2015 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

As I mentioned last week I was going to a writer’s conference. I did. As a result the mechanics of writing is in the fore front of my mind. As I was walking around the campus, and thinking on what those that have “been there and done that” taught me, I was also searching God concerning a host of thoughts. One of those was about you.

One of the nice things about writing is the fact there is usually time to re-write. This act creates many drafts of our first words. Even up to this point I have hit the backspace key seven times. During my walk God reminded me life is different than writing. In life we only get one draft. No rewrites, and there is no backspace key! Wouldn’t it be nice if there was? You could take back what you said, or did.

You only get this one time, now, to live life. This is why life is so precious. How you choose to live your life is important. For there will be a day when you stand before God to give an account of how you chose to live your life. It is at that time God will perform the final edit. As it says in Hebrews 9:27 “Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.” (MSG)

The Word

June 1, 2015 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

This week I am going for the third year in a row to a Christian Writer’s conference. I have been asked why do I write, and their other question was what qualifications do I have to write about Christian living? Well, I haven’t gone to school to learn how to write, but it does seem as if there has been an emphasis on writing in my education. Also I enjoy the process of creating something with words that wasn’t there before. After all, we are made in God’s image and He gave us the ability to create. To answer the second question it seems as if a lot of people won’t read the Bible, but God still wants to communicate His truths and love to them, so He directs individuals to write as He so leads.

I feel as if I am one of those individuals. I always ask God what He wants to say this week. After all He knows who will be reading the blog that particular week. I pray for those readers that somehow the words they read will encourage them, lift them up, and help them know God.

So you see each week this blog is for you, the reader, and it’s not just words, but it comes with thoughts and prayers about you and for you. So I go to the conference to learn how to communicate better “The Word.”

Running Out of Bread

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

It’s Sunday morning. After getting out of bed and opening up my eyes Bread I realized, “I’m hungry!” I proceeded into the kitchen to make breakfast when I became aware, “I had run out of bread”. I hate that feeling of realization when you are all set to do something and you don’t have what you need to do it, and you have to go get it. This morning’s alternative was to cook cheeseburgers, (which I almost did) or go hungry, so I went to the store. Even if I had made the cheeseburgers I would still be out of bread.

It was on the drive back home I had the realization that some people run out of bread all the time. They run out of the “Bread of Life”. Jesus said in John 6:48, “I am the Bread of Life”. How do they do this? They stop going to church. They stop reading their bible. They stop hanging out with their Christian friends. Not all at once of course, but little by little. Satan’s deceptions don’t happen overnight! It is a slow process of time that he works on you in order to take over your mind. You see all he wants is to kill, steal, and destroy anything, or anyone that God has made or loves, and that includes you.

The hard to believe part of this is when these people get hungry, they don’t run to the store meaning to the church, but they start trying to satisfy their hunger with the things of the world which satan has now convinced them is okay.

So go get some bread. It’s free, because Jesus has already paid the price for you by dying on the cross. Partake of the Bread of Life all you want. It does a body good.

A Conversation with God

May 17, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I said unto the L 052012_47JB ord, “God I love you so much. I will do anything you ask me to. I will go anywhere in your name. God I’ll even go to Iraq if you want me to.” But God said, “I want you to go next door and speak to your neighbor. Maybe you don’t think they care about me, but you don’t know their heart like I do”

I then said, “God I will give everything I have for your Glory!” He replied, “Thanks but I would rather you look around and give to those you see in need. Whether their need is food, clothing, or shelter – give.”

“God I could start a great foundation for you. What do you think of that?” Then God said unto me, “Go visit the sick, and not just for 5 minutes either! Sit with them. Attend to them. Let them know they are not going through this alone. Then when you are done with that go visit someone in prison, or at least sit down and take the time to write them a letter. Let them know that though they are locked up they are not forgotten. Show them there is hope.”

“But God I want to do something great for you” Then God spoke to me this, “If you want to do something great then give what I did; give your heart, give your time, give your life.”

Mat 25:40 Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me–you did it to me.’ (MSG)

If God Only Answered One Prayer

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

One thing I just learned is don’t writ 072912TB 230 e a blog about contentment. This past week I had the hardest time remaining content! Every morning I would wake, and get mad because I’m not getting to live the life I really want to. I felt bad about this, because I just wrote in my blog how important it is to be content with the life you have.

While I was riding the commuter train I was praying and I begin to run down my list of, “God it sure would be nice if you would answer this prayer request concerning one, two, three, and four.” Then the thought hit me, “What if God promised to answer only one of those request? Which request would I pick?” As I picked one in my mind I then realized this, “Does that make the other request not important? Could I do without them? Should I not really be praying about those things?”

The truth is we are to bring ALL of our request to God. “Phi 4:6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” (MSG)

This verse coming to my mind helped me get through the rest of the week. It’s okay for me to tell God the desires of my heart. The real miracle is when my desires align with God’s desires for my life. “God, until then, help me not to lose focus of you.”

Another thought: “When you are intently focused on your life, others who desperately need to know God might walk right by you unnoticed.”

The Life You Should Really Want

May 3, 2015May 3, 2015 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I was talking this past week with someone and it didn’t take long before I realized they were depressed. I asked them why, and they responded they weren’t sure. I asked them if they were happy with their current situation concerning life. They replied, “No.” Then the question of all questions came to me, so I asked, “If your world looked like you wanted it to what would it look like?” I mean this is the kind of question my friend Steve usually comes up with, but not me, so it had to come from God! The person I was talking to said that was a really good question, but wasn’t sure how to answer it.

What if you were asked that question? Would you be able to answer it? Would you have a different job? Live somewhere else? I hate to ask, but would you be in a relationship with someone else? If your world could look like you wanted it to would that world be the result of making better decisions? Have you really learned from the life you have lived in the past?

You can’t live in the past, and you shouldn’t live with regret. Whatever it was, it happened. Okay? So get over it with God’s love, help, and power. Learn from it. Give it to God, and allow him to use it to help someone else who is about to do the same thing. Paul tells us:

(Phi 4:11) Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.

Contentment is a powerful thing to say, but even a more powerful thing to practice in your own life! I think once you learn to accept and relax in your current situation it is then that God can begin to lead you to the life He wants for you, and I assure you, this is the life you should really want.