God is AMAZING!

March 28, 2025March 18, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I have written in many posts that God knows what we are going through and cares, no matter how insignificant it may seem compared to everything else going on in the world. It matters to me; therefore, it matters to God. I have testified that He knows every answer to every question and loves to help us find a solution to our issue if we only ask him. In this post, I will show you.

I am currently working on remodeling the upstairs of our house. Turning it into a small apartment. The floorplan of our home makes this work without interruption to anyone living on the first floor. Why? So, after I leave this Earth, April can rent it out as another stream of income. Until then, we are hoping to use it to minister to people in need. A missionary home for a month or two, a woman who needs a safe place to stay to escape an abusive relationship, etc.

Yesterday, I was trying to screw a shower control to a backer board. The issue is this; you have to put the screws in from the bathroom side. The distance to the holes where the screw goes into is about 4 inches away in the room behind the shower. I was by myself. I got very frustrated after every failed attempt. Nothing was working. I needed someone to help, but there was only God. I stopped trying and mentioned it to April, but she is currently working overtime and was very tired. I understood.

I laid there in bed last night thinking, “How am I going to do this by myself?” Then, I asked God for help. Seconds later, I saw an image of a screw sticking out of a plastic straw. (See photos below.) Then I saw the screwdriver sliding into the straw and turning the screw. I realized the straw would hold the screw and keep it from falling.

Today, I tried it, and of course, it worked! In a couple of minutes, I got both screws put in. I laughed and cried out, “God, you are so amazing!” Then, in full disclosure, I started crying. I know I am not perfect, and I mess up a lot! I don’t deserve his help, his concern, his love, or his Son, Jesus. But if you know God, then you know there is no stopping him from loving us. Some may say, “Why didn’t you use a magnetic screwdriver?” Like Gene Kranz told his team in the movie “Apollo 13”, “We can only use the equipment they have up there.” In other words, I don’t have a magnetic screwdriver.

³⁸And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39 (NLT)

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb. 4:16 (NIV)

What do you need help with? Have you asked God? Go ahead. I dare you! And be prepared to be amazed.

God on the Spot

February 16, 2024February 5, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I have said it before, but here it goes again. “God really does care about the little things in our lives.” The toilet upstairs in our house gets easily clogged if too much toilet paper is used, even if the paper is like that thin restaurant toilet paper.

It happened again, and I had been struggling to unclog it without removing the toilet from the floor. After several attempts using a plunger and a plumber’s snake, I was still defeated. The toilet could handle one but not two, if you know what I mean.

Today, I knew I needed to get it resolved, but we didn’t have the money to call a plumber. I started praying. I asked God, “What do I have in the garage that I can insert in the end of the plumber’s snake that has teeth?” Like a meat-cutting knife. I went into the garage and started looking around. Then I saw my jig saw. It uses small blades. I took the blade out and inserted it into the end of the snake. Then, it was too long to make the bends in the back of the toilet, so I had to break it in half.

Once the blade was where I thought the clog was, I turned the snake around and around and then back and forth. I removed it, and the toilet still didn’t flush smoothly. I heard in my spirit, “Plunger it aggressively.” I did, and it must have finished knocking the clog loose because it worked. The toilet now flushes normally.

Perhaps you are saying, “So what?” To me, it was a big deal and an answer to prayer. I love knowing that God hears us and cares enough to help us. “God knows all the answers to every question if man would only ask.” Bill Johnson from his book “Dreaming with God.”

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Pt. 5:7 (NIV)

I challenge you to tell God what is bothering you. See if, afterward, you don’t sense a loving warmth coming over you. Ask Him how to fix something or solve a problem that you are dealing with. Then, listen for Him to answer. He’s real, He’s alive, and He loves and cares so much about you and what you are going through.

Paper or Plastic?

November 7, 2023March 19, 2025 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Let’s get right to it. I hate carrying groceries into the house! I have owned this disdain ever since I was a kid. I think my mother had a lot to do with the development of my attitude. I would try to carry everything all in one trip. My mother didn’t trust me not to smash, crush, or break things, so she worked hard at controlling how I accomplished this awful chore. I was not too fond of that.

My case for getting it done expeditiously suffered a setback when some glass Coke bottles fell out of their carton and broke on the sidewalk, creating a big, sticky mess. Of course, she blamed me and wouldn’t listen to my defense when I tried to show her that the cardboard carton was wet. Therefore weakening it and allowing the bottles to break through.

Even after escaping her controlling parenting habits, I still found myself hating this chore. I would go grocery shopping as little as possible. Some of the places I lived as an adult did not make this activity any less frustrating.

So why am I boring you with one of my favorite pet peeves? To illustrate a point as to how much God loves us and cares, even about the things we don’t enjoy doing. Prove it? I will. As I was about to retire from AT&T, I studied my options and decided it was best to move back to my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Housing is reasonable, and my father was sick, and I knew he would need help.

I started looking at houses online from Chicago. I found one I liked immediately, as to where it was located and how it looked. I studied the seven photos of the interior and finally figured out the floor plan. My architectural background helped. I got so excited when I realized that the kitchen door opened to the garage. My real estate agent tried to talk me out of purchasing the house because it had a lot of little issues. But something inside my spirit kept bringing me back to it.

When the seller lowered the price $16,000, I told my agent, “I want this house!” I signed a contract without even looking at the house in person. When I did walk through it, I loved it. After I closed, I felt so blessed by God. This house was about to become my favorite home. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, when I come home with groceries, I back the car into the garage. After I open the kitchen door and the trunk, I grab my groceries, turn my body, and place them right into the kitchen. It doesn’t matter if they are in paper or plastic; there are no steps involved! God truly blessed me.

God cares so much about you and your life. Even what may seem like small things. And He loves to give his children good gifts. Even a house that will eliminate your favorite pet peeve!

But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows. Luke 12:7 (AMPC)

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 (MSG)

Don’t Sweat It

February 8, 2020February 13, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Charlie 020820 I went shopping earlier in the week and one of the items on my list, I really needed, was deodorant. The store I buy it from, most often, was out of it, and that store was my last stop for the day. After I got home I had to start a new list with this item at the top.

Today, I had to go to CVS (inside a Target store) to pick up a medication. The young lady who works there is always lecturing me about not letting the $5 off coupons expire. She’s kind of fanatic about it, but I do see her point, it’s free money, and to be honest, the budget is tight these days and any savings helps.

So, before I left the store I thought about my next shopping list and the only thing I could remember, that was on it, was deodorant. I found my brand and noticed it was marked “Clearance”. I bought four of them. The normal price for four would have been $11.96, but since they were a clearance item and I had the $5.00 off coupon, I only paid $3.32.

When I save money like that, I always walk out smiling, because I feel as though I shopped like a woman. That’s meant as a compliment. Now I know, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me I was thanking God. I thanked him for the other store being out of it, and helping me not to complain about it, too much. I thanked him for helping our budget. This may be a little thing, but it shows the God of the universe cares about us, our lives, and even the little things. Either that, or he didn’t want me walking around stinking!

But seriously, think about it, if God cares about the little things in our lives, then how much more does he care about the big things in our lives that need his attention. There is a common phrase, “Don’t sweat the small things.”, but with God, we don’t have to sweat the big things either! Here is what his word promises us:

Matthew 6:31-34 (MSG) “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”