path

Crossroads

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Are you stuck? Lost? Find yourself in the middle of nowhere or at an intersection, and you have no idea which way to go? It happens to all of us at one time or another. Life was going good as if on cruise control and then one day you woke up and thought, “What am I doing?” Or you may be at a juncture in your life you didn’t expect. Like after getting divorced, losing a job, or the death of a family member.

Newsflash: You do not have to navigate life alone! There is one who is ready and able to help you, guide you, point the way, and give you the encouragement and strength to get there. And his name is JESUS!

The word of God has scriptures that say He will lead us:

The very steps we take come from God;
    otherwise how would we know where we’re going? Prov. 20:24 (MSG)

By your words I can see where I’m going;
    they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back
    from living by your righteous order.
Everything’s falling apart on me, God;
    put me together again with your Word.
Adorn me with your finest sayings, God;
    teach me your holy rules.
My life is as close as my own hands,
    but I don’t forget what you have revealed.
The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
    but I don’t swerve an inch from your course.
I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever—
    what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
I concentrate on doing exactly what you say—
    I always have and always will. Ps. 119:105 (MSG)

The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. Ps. 37:23 (AMP)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

No Way!

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I was sitting here at my desk waiting on direction from God on what to write, while looking out the window.  We have a lot of snow right now in my city, and the sun is out.  It looks beautiful outside, like you would want to be there, but it is only 5 degrees with a negative degree wind-chill. A couple of thoughts came to mind:

  1. When we are forgiven of our wrong doing, our souls are as white as snow.

“Take away my sin, and I will be clean.
    Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
Psl. 51:7 (Int. Children’s Bible)

2. How on the outside of a person, everything may look beautiful, but once you enter into their world, you discern the flaws, or hurts behind the public image.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Sam. 16:7 (NIV)

But what really got my attention, was a squirrel going out to the very limits of a tree limb.  There was another tree that looked to be several feet away.  I was in the process of thinking, “There is no way he will try to jump.  It’s way too…” and before I could finish he started running and leaped into the thin, cold, air and landed on a limb, on the other tree.  Now his form was excellent.  I gave him a “9.5”, but the Russian judge only gave him a “6”.  Perhaps because he wasn’t a “Red” squirrel. Witnessing this “leap of faith” triggered another thought:

  1. The squirrel knew he would make it.  He was so confident that he ran vigorously with no plan “B” in mind.  There was no backup plan.

If only we, who walk with God, could be so bold and sure of Him that we live with astounding assurance.  We can, by knowing the God we serve.

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
Phi. 1:6 (NKJV)

God has a purpose, a plan, and a path for each one of us.  We can, via several means, determine what God has for us and then walk it out with confidence.  As George Zimmer would say, of “The Men’s Warehouse”, “I guarantee it!”  So go ahead and take that leap of faith!  The Russian judge may not give you a good score, but the angels will and that great cloud of witnesses in heaven will root you on.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Wife of the Month

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

090120I would like to nominate April for “Wife of the Month”.  For the month of September, she can use the special parking space.  That is, if she was here in America, and if she could drive.  She has completed the immigration process, but can’t take the final step because her country is still in “lock down” mode, so the U.S. Embassy isn’t doing interviews.  Being separated is difficult, but I can see how God has used it for His glory thus far.

Last week, I sent her the following message, and though it is personal, she agreed to let me share it:

Baby, I love you! I simply love you, because you have God’s DNA in you, and it shows. In you is peace, joy, faith, hope and love. Of course the greatest of these is, love. Because love, never fails! Baby, when you look back over our short marriage, you can see a trail of love that has dripped over the mountains we have overcome, and across the ocean that separates us now. Without love, God’s love, we would not have come this far. The story of “Mark and April” would have been a short one, but as it is, our story, is still being written.

I couldn’t wait any longer Baby April. I know our 18 month anniversary isn’t until next week, September 1st, but I just had to let the words above out. I was unable to contain them any longer. So Happy Anniversary, April. I am so happy to be known as the American, who married April Joy Santiago Cruz, and has so far, survived.  I am a lucky man who is blessed by God. He loved me so much that He hid you from the eyes of others, for such a time as this. I know two, maybe three of those men looked your way, but because of your wonderful faithfulness to God they gave up in their pursuit.

Our story, feels like it is taking forever to be written, but I know we are steadily moving every day toward his destination for our lives. Baby April, each day it gets easier to love you, because you, like God, are love.

To you April, the love of my life,
Mark

I am grateful for God’s love, and for his tender nudge to try marriage again, after checking the “Divorced” box for 24 years.  April struggled with her singleness a lot, and most who knew her started believing  “marriage” had passed her by.  But God had a plan that took years to connect two individuals who were 8,149 miles apart.  It’s like He set her on a shelf, so she would be available for me that one Friday afternoon, in October 2018, when I first saw her face on a Filipino dating site.

It’s hard to trust God, who doesn’t always share what He is up to, but when you do, it’s worth it!  God is so amazing, and I am so grateful, He first loved us.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.