Out of Order

May 16, 2023May 13, 2023 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Sermons can come in different forms and formats. Today’s came from the First Church of Hollywood. Yep, a movie. It was about a man who followed the rules and insisted others do. He would get upset when they took a “flippant” attitude toward them and dismissed him when he pointed out their misconduct.

Some got annoyed at him. For them, the rules didn’t seem to take on the same importance. The man often got frustrated. I can identify with the man who followed the rules and expected others to do so as well. The man found peace when things were in order and went as ordered. Like for me, it creates a sense of peace. I want to think I get that from my heavenly Father!

For He [Who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. 1 Cor. 14:33 (AMPC)

The man also suffered from the medical condition “Cardiomegaly.” I didn’t know either, but it means an enlarged heart. At one point, when one of his neighbors heard he had a big heart, she laughed. She and her family had been one of his violators.

As the movie played, the man realized that “order” was still good but that people were more important than “order.” He quit judging others as to why they didn’t have order in their lives or struggled to follow the rules. He stopped the condemnation, listened, and sought ways to help them. Perhaps he had a big heart after all.

No spoiler alerts here. I only give away the endings when begged to. I will tell you, though, that the Holy Spirit brought conviction upon me. I want “order” in my life, but instead of giving “orders” as to how others should live, I, too, need to focus on the person. I need to listen and find a way to bring peace into their life.

Prayer: God, help me to identify the needs of others and to have the compassion needed for the situation. Help me take the time to listen and find ways to bring “order” and “peace” into the lives of others. Thank you, Father. Amen

What Do You Say?

April 21, 2023April 18, 2023 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

I have heard it said several times the shortest story is this; For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn. This week, I have witnessed that short story come true. It has broken my heart, yet I am not even related to the child. The sadness has consumed my thoughts. I have prayed for the parents and the family a lot.

What do you say to someone personally connected to this tragic event or any other gut-wrenching life situation? Words are so hard to come by. I asked April for help, and she replied, “You’re the writer!” I admit everything that came to my mind seemed so empty.

I read in Richard Exley’s book, “Blue Collar Christianity,” that sometimes, just being there is enough. Touching their arm, placing yours around their shoulder, or holding their hand if appropriate speaks volumes. It tells the individual walking waist-deep in grief, hurt, or pain that you are there with them and that you wish they weren’t going through this experience, but at least they are not going through it alone.

Of course, God is right there with them as well. And the Holy Spirit is the greatest comforter, but people can’t see them, and some fail to realize they are there. They can see people who care, though, so they find comfort in knowing that people care. Another reason to express your concern the best you can. Some will cook a meal, and others will send a card or flowers. Some might show up in person and give a hug. As I wound up doing, you can always ask God what to say. Regardless of whether the words were correct doesn’t matter; they know I care.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever— John 14:16 (AMPC)

Prayer: “Father God, be with the family that has suffered this traumatic loss. Holy Spirit, comfort them. Help them today and in the days to come. As they search desperately for a reason and for someone to blame, may they not blame you, God, but understand this happened because we live in a world of free will and, therefore, of sin. May they run closer to you, God, and not from you. And God, I pray this for anyone in the world who is struggling, hurting, and needing you. Amen.”

It’s Not Me, it’s You

April 8, 2022March 30, 2022 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Have you ever found yourself in one of those relationships where the other person does something that offends you, or hurts you? And then when you tried to share with them how it bothered you they act out and try to turn things around as if it was your fault. What the heck? Right? It can be extremely frustrating.

I was thinking about this scenario and feeling exasperated. I asked God about it as I do now when I am in need of wisdom and understanding. He is so faithful to provide an answer. He shared with me that when you speak “truth” it can convict. This can make them uncomfortable and they can get defensive. The other thing that may happen is they will distance themselves from you.

It may be they come up with excuses as to why they can’t get together anymore, or stop inviting you to events, or family gatherings. What makes it hard on you is they convince themselves and others that “you” are the problem, but it is NOT you, it’s them!

I know it hurts. It’s not right. It’s an injustice. So how do we handle it? As difficult as it is, we must still love them, and pray for them. Realize you are in good company! Jesus was falsely accused. Some of the people around him, religious leaders of that day, etc. were confronted with Truth. It convicted how they should be living. To push Jesus out of their lives they crucified him. I don’t think your family and friends will go to that extreme so don’t despair.

Keep in mind when Jesus wants to enter a person’s life, heart, He stands at the door and knocks. He waits for an invitation to enter. We cannot force someone to change. Continue to speak the truth in love, and hope that your loving actions will be used by the Holy Spirit to work into their hearts.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. Rev. 3:20 (AMPC)

Were You There?

December 27, 2021December 27, 2021 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

“There has to be aliens, or other beings on the other planets! Why else would they be there?” I thought for a second, and fortunately the Holy Spirit whispered in my soul, “How do you know that the other planets aren’t just weights and balances that keep earth in its place? Like a machine that fills the universe?” My co-worker pondered what I was told to say. Then she yielded, “I don’t know.” The debate ended.

In that exchange I was mindful of when God questioned Job. He said to him,

“Where were you when I created the earth?
    Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!
    Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
    and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
    and all the angels shouted praise?

“And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’
    told Dawn, ‘Get to work!’
So you could seize Earth like a blanket
    and shake out the wicked like cockroaches?
As the sun brings everything to light,
    brings out all the colors and shapes,
The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked—
    they’re caught in the very act! Job 38:4-7, 12-15(MSG)

You see man, who can’t fathom an all-powerful being has to make up his own explanation as to how things came about. Some have said there was a big bang! I simply ask, “If that is so, and it isn’t, then who lit the fuse?” I don’t have a “big bang” theory, I have knowledge of a big God! No man was there when God created the heavens and earth. No one but God decided how big, or how little things should be. He, and He alone put all things in order. He has told us so in his word, the Bible. I believe in God, and therefore what He says! Even Charles Darwin doubted his own theory! Read chapters 6 and 9 in his book, “The Origins of Species”.

So as the New Year approaches, I challenge you to start thinking new. Your old way probably, if you would admit it, isn’t working for you. When you are alone, and lying in bed trying to go to sleep, your mind questions your own theories. You spot holes in what you hope is truth. Read God’s word. There, you will learn everything about life that you absolutely need to know for now. Everything else will be revealed when we die, so don’t waste your time now writing your own theories. Believe in God. And trust in him. He’s got this!

Where Does Real Wisdom Come From?

October 12, 2021October 11, 2021 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

There have been times when I have sat in awe of some of the stuff that comes out of the mouths of the old. I’m talking about those that are supposed to be smart, experienced, and relatively wise in their field. I don’t want to name, names, but some are billionaires, politicians, and one was a renowned theoretical physicist who once said, “There is no God.” Of course the Bible says that only a fool says there is no God. (Psalms 14:1) So really old age, intelligence and certainly not money determines wisdom. So where does real wisdom come from?

“I’m a young man,
    and you are all old and experienced.
That’s why I kept quiet
    and held back from joining the discussion.
I kept thinking, ‘Experience will tell.
    The longer you live, the wiser you become.’
But I see I was wrong—it’s God’s Spirit in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.
The experts have no corner on wisdom;
    getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense. Job 32:6-9 (MSG)

Therefore, honestly, anyone who is filled with the Spirit of God can have wisdom. Ask God questions. Tell him you want understanding of people, and of situations. God wants to tell us things. He is just waiting for people, who will use the knowledge for his purposes to start asking.

I have found this profound truth to be quite useful, and helpful. In a couple of cases where people, who I thought would be the very last people to hurt me, have and I didn’t understand how, or why. I asked, and in one case I was directed to a TV minister for the answer that came in his message. The other, the Spirit of God showed me instantly a picture of how a minister has surrounded himself with others who are deceived in the same manner as he is. Now I know how to pray for these individuals.

Yes, you can learn some things from the old and experienced, if it aligns with the truth from God’s word, but you can also go to God directly and simply ask, but don’t act so surprised when He answers you.

It’s a Spirit

January 19, 2021January 18, 2021 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

A lot is changing in the world, and fast too. I don’t like what I am seeing either. I know there has always been evil in the world, but it seems like it is taking a predominate place in our society. Some other people see it too, and have shared their observations via social media. We are entering, if not there already, in the end times.

It amazes me how people can believe a lie and go to their grave proclaiming it. It astonishes me how a group of people can have a hold of the media, and only their words are heard over the airwaves. It bewilders me how individuals can hear or read something and blindly believe it, just because it was on TV, radio, or social media.

Think for yourselves people!

Is ignoring a lie easier than standing up for truth?

I understand the pressure of being the minority in a group that has a difference of opinion from the others. Jesus understood this kind of pressure as well. His life example and teaching went against the power figures of his day. Yes, it is true, they killed him, but the truth he gave lived on, and empowered by the Holy Spirit was spread by a very small band of believers. What is also true, is they stayed on point and eventually changed a large portion of the world.

Although we hear words coming from people, most of the time we are battling a spirit, an evil spirit. Here is what God says on this subject:

¹⁰Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.

¹¹Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! ¹²Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. ¹³Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all things and will rise victorious.

¹⁴Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. ¹⁵Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace.

¹⁶In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One! ^17–18Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God. Eph. 6:10-18 (TPT)

So take heart, and stand for what is true no matter what. Your solid stance for what is true may convince others to listen to the life giving words coming from your mouth. They might believe in Jesus and find salvation that will put them on the right side of the battle, and even if they die on earth they will live forever in heaven.

Two Can do More Than One

May 12, 2020May 11, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

051220 Considering the challenges, it’s understandable why my wife and I had a difficult time in the beginning adjusting to each other. An American who didn’t understand Filipino culture, and a Filipino who wasn’t used to a man making decisions. My wife’s father left the family when she was young.

We had several, heated discussions to say the least. Many times, either of us wanted to say, “Forget it!” But one thing kept us trying to figure it out. We both had to admit there was no doubt God wanted us to be together. There were too many strong confirmations this marriage was being formed in heaven.

The one line that always got us to stop fighting and take a breath was this,

“We can’t let Satan win!”

It seems as if we were battled by fierce forces unseen, and the truth was, we were! Satan wanted to put asunder what God had joined together. “Asunder”, means interfere.

Today, we are doing great. My wife has only messed up once in the last three months. Did I say, “My wife”? I meant me. The other night we were talking, and I said something about helping others, more than we currently are. It was then, my wife opened up and shared her dream of helping lives in tangible ways ever since she was a little girl. I had no idea. We then dreamed about what that would look like.

The next day I had the opportunity to help a young father, who had relocated to Tulsa from the Covid hot spot of Boston. They arrived in an old vehicle with only the things they could pack in it. After he pulled away I was moved to tears as I thought about the shoes he walks in, and I was thankful I was not wearing them. I don’t have a lot of “extra” right now, as our own budget is tight, but the things he really needed, I had. It was while thinking on what had just transpired, I said to myself, “Two can do more than one.” Walking out my wife’s dream had just begun.

I am thankful to God for his many blessings, and I look forward to seeing what and how God will do more through us together as his Spirit leads.

Identity Thief

April 7, 2020March 25, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

WIYTGIG 1 I have a theory that human spirits are in heaven, with God, and then, the moment a child is conceived a human spirit is installed. It’s just a thought, okay? One reason I believe this is I was in a grocery store and I saw a small child in their mother’s arms. When the child saw me I smiled, and without hesitation the child tried to leap out of the arms of their mother into mine. The child’s spirit wanted to be reunited with God’s Spirit, which dwells in me.

the child saw God

I didn’t encourage the child at all. I simply smiled. I have thought about that moment and I came to realize the child sensed God’s Spirit within me. That led to the question, “how did the child know God?”

I have been reading “Translating God” by Shawn Bolz. He talks about seeing people as the original version of them God intended. This will help you relate to them better when you begin to see them as God does.

So what happens then? How do we get so off course from being the image of God he designed? Life, temptation, sin, and free will. Those are the things that steal our true identity. I know a man, who had a dream about his son before he was ever born. In the dream he got his name and his destiny from God. Sure enough a son was born, but today that son is not living a life anything close to what God intended. The man continues to love his son anyway, and continues to pray for him, and believe that one day the real version will emerge, and his son will be a mighty, spiritual warrior.

It’s like when we are born, our life is perfect, and wrinkled free. Then, as life happens we get wrinkled, but the moment we accept Jesus we go to the cleaners and there, the Holy Spirit, as steam, gets all of the wrinkles out. He restores us to our original design, and purpose. Yes, it takes discipleship, healing of the heart, and spending a lot of time with God getting to know him fully and his nature, but it can be done.

Jeremiah 1:5 (The Message)

“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
that’s what I had in mind for you.”

I encourage you to be hungry to be the person God intended you to be. Ask God to show you his plan, design, and purpose for your life. Then, I encourage you to live it. If you choose to do this you will never be happier!

What the Corona is Going On?

March 7, 2020 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Charlie 0320 105 There is so much going on in our world right now. I’ve thought about taking pain pills before sitting down and watching the evening news. There is so much devastation, sickness, hate, and crime. It’s no wonder people live in fear. People fear the most what they don’t know. Mainly, they don’t know what is going to happen in the future.

What’s going to happen to my 401? Funny in a way, most people in the world don’t even know what one is much less have one. They’re more concerned about catching the Coronavirus. If they don’t contract the virus will it affect their job? The world has for certain become a smaller planet. We are more connected to people in China, South Africa, India, and Europe than ever before.

Then there are problems here at home like politicians not getting along and acting like they are in kindergarten all over again. Wildfires out of control, severe storms that cause flooding, mudslides, and total devastation from wind damage.

You might be saying, “Thanks Captain Obvious! We know!”

What this world needs is climate change! You might be thinking, “We have that too!”

Just a thought: how do we know what the temperature was before the floods of Noah’s days? I’m saying, what if the earth’s temperature is just now getting back to what it was before all that water covered the earth? A lot of the water froze because the ground was covered. Anyway, back to our regular scheduled program already in progress.

The kind of climate change I am writing about is in our in countries, our states or provinces, in our cities, on our street, in our home, in us. You see, a lot of people want things to change. The very people who live in fear, but they either don’t know how, or what to do.

Believing in God is not just a cliché,

but the start of laying a solid foundation upon which to build your life. Accepting Jesus, as God’s son, and asking for the forgiveness of all your wrong doing gets you access to all that God offers his children. Protection, guidance, direction as well as a host of other things, the walls, we need as mankind. Then asking for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us is the roof. Our structure is complete. The Holy Spirit not only brings peace, but power to stand firm anytime, and power to do things for God.

Real life, built and lived out on Godly principles, changes everything. For one, there is perfect peace in God, and perfect peace cast out fear. it changes not just us, but our street, our cities, our states, our countries, our world. Things in our world aren’t going to change for the positive until we, those who know God and act like it, do. Then, as God, through his Holy Spirit leads us, we can change the climate of our world. I’m in! Are you?

I Could Have Been a Murderer!

November 2, 2019November 1, 2019 / Mark Brady / 4 Comments

Charlie 61 I was staying in hotel for a few days. I decided to go out, and at the elevator met up with this older couple. They were dressed in their “Sunday go to Meeting” clothes. That’s what we say here in Oklahoma anyway. They were dressed up very nice for those who don’t understand.

I said, “Wow! You all look like you’re going to church.” It was Thursday. They both gave me a funny look as if I had spoken English to them in Sweden , or something. I went on, “I mean, you two are dressed up so nice.” This time I got a smile from the wife. This encounter was awkward and getting more uncomfortable as we got into the elevator. “Where ya all going?” I asked. I mean, why stop now?

“We are attending a minister’s convention across the highway,” the man informed me in a very stern voice.

“Oh, well, enjoy. Take care,” I replied. I got no response.

As I got into my car, I couldn’t help but replay the encounter. I thought, they didn’t know me at all. Why didn’t they try to share Jesus with me. I could have been a murderer for all they know and desperately in need of Jesus! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to judge them or anything, but I guess if one is a Christian, much less a minister, they should make an attempt to talk about Jesus in some way all the time. A good friend said this recently;

“A disciple of Jesus Christ, is so different from being a Christian.”

What he means is this; a Christian has accepted Jesus as the Son of God, and has had their sins forgiven. A disciple of Jesus Christ tries to replicate Jesus. He does his best to share Jesus with the world in whatever form or words are available in the moment. In some ways you could say, he is useful to God.

Some may be satisfied with only having an “Eternal Life Insurance” policy, but I’m not. I enjoy helping others find God, or grow in their relationship with God. Learning how to be an overcomer and stop living below what God intended for his children. I know it’s hard to speak up, and I certainly don’t always know the right words to say, but I yield my reluctancy to God, and funny thing, with the help of his Holy Spirit, it usually turns out okay. I think most people I talk to aren’t murderers, but then again, you never know.