This Old House

May 27, 2025May 23, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

When I bought this house almost eight years ago, I started fixing it up on the outside. It really needed the attention. I started with making repairs on the old wood siding, hoping it would last another four years or so. It didn’t! I had new energy-efficient windows installed. That helped me save money on utilities. I started fixing items on the inside, but I had to have new siding put on after two years of ownership.

So the outside looked great, but the inside still needed a lot of work. I eventually got brave and learned how to remove “popcorn” ceilings. Then I started painting walls and installing “beadboard” wood in the bathrooms. New toilets, faucets, and towel bars, so the old ones had to go. Everything must be color coordinated, you know. And if you have ever remodeled a house, then you know you find surprises when you remove things.

I poured myself into making this old house nicer, especially after marrying April. I wanted her to pick out colors and things so this place would no longer be mine but ours. I literally have put my blood, sweat, and tears into this place—tears for when things were not fitting like they should or when I was struggling and couldn’t get something to work out.

I have leaned on God for a lot of help. There were times when I needed to know how to do something or needed some muscle to help get something to fit. One time, he nudged me to look it up on the Internet. I was shocked that God knew about the Internet. (I know. I shouldn’t have been surprised.) He has helped me with electrical, plumbing, and, well, everything!

Some people look great on the outside. As if they have it all together, and as if there is nothing wrong in their life or family. But if you were to look on the inside of them, what would you see? Perhaps the demons they face on a daily basis? The emotional scars from their past? Their weaknesses? Most people have a side of themselves they would rather others not see. I know I do. I have a temper that, at times, can get out of control.

The house is only a shelter. The home is about people. A home and a life are places for God to come and fill with His presence. A place for the fruit of the Spirit to be manifested. Love, joy, peace, self-control…. I’m glad God doesn’t get tired of working on us, or in my case of “this old man,” give up!

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. Phi. 1:6 (MSG)

Counterfeit

June 14, 2022June 11, 2022 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Life is hard sometimes. Lately, it seems like, for April and me, things have been more difficult than usual. Perhaps I had gotten too used to God pouring out his blessings regularly because life was easy. Direction came easy, and so did His provisions.

I know what the scriptures say about trials and patients but that doesn’t mean I have to like them! It can be extremely challenging to wait on God. To accept the idea that it is better to live according to the watch that He wears. Some people give up hope and decide to settle for Satan’s substitutes. Their “knock-offs” of God’s original designs. “Counterfeits.”

“Satan can’t give you the fruits of the Spirit!”
Sadie Robertson Huff of Duck Dynasty fame.

He can’t give you love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, gentleness, or self-control. If you think he can, examine it thoroughly because it’s a fake!

You know, perhaps God’s pouring out His blessings from a higher dimension, and that is why it is taking longer to get here but when it does it will be abundant, more than enough, overflowing. “Okay, God. I’ll wait for your originals in my life. Thanks and I love you!”

How do You Measure it?

June 8, 2022 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Growing up, a lot of children’s parents mark their bedroom door jambs and date it as to how tall their child is. This is a way to measure their physical growth. A child’s maturity growth is measured by the fact that they can make sound decisions in life situations. But how does one measure spiritual growth? Paul gives us the answer:

“However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as to spiritual people, but [only] as to worldly people [dominated by human nature], mere infants [in the new life] in Christ! ²I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready. ³You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?” 1 Cor. 3:1-3 (AMP)

In other words, one displays spiritual maturity in Christ Jesus when they react to world situations and relationships the way Jesus would. And that is with one or more of the fruits of the Spirit. You know them; love, joy, peace, kindness, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I like how Paul says, “unchanged by faith”. When you have known someone for a while who you know claims to be a Christian, a Christ-follower, and you have yet to see spiritual growth in them, then you know for sure that their faith in God has not changed them. Most likely, they are not reading their Bible, talking to God other than to make a request for something, and while in the church are probably making out their shopping list!

A true, mature, developed, and strong relationship with God will change us. Why? Because we see, feel, and experience his love and we begin to desire to imitate his character in our own lives. It’s all part of being made in his image.

Post-it

February 18, 2022February 12, 2022 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Post-it notes are great! I depend on them and use them all the time for several different things. Not only are they good for jogging your memory, which I need a lot, but I have also used them as bookmarks amongst other things.

Another thing they are good for is to post a message in front of you that you see every day! I know some will post messages to encourage themselves every morning, or to help them remember just how important they are to God, and if He loves them, then they should love themselves as well. Others might write out scriptures to memorize.

Lately, as I have mentioned before, I am trying to renew my mind so it will change how I react to people with one or more of the fruits of the Spirit. A Post-it wasn’t going to be big enough, so I used the magnetic letters on our refrigerator. Messages to ourselves should be posted where we go often, hence the refrigerator! We only have two sets of letters, so April and I had to get creative on how to list most of the 9 fruits. The last one in the list is “patience”.

It’s working. I see and am reminded of the different fruits and I do think of them when I have the occasion to operate in them, which when dealing with people is often. So let me encourage you to take the time to post in front of you the words, the message you need to see as much as it takes until they become a part of you, and live within you. Words, written or spoken are powerful, even the ones on Post-its!

brady, mark a.

Words to inspire you

fruits of the Spirit