Pastor Brad’s Notebook

09 Mar

Posted at 10:43h in Devotionals
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"These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14 It's not what I expected. I would have thought robes washed in blood would have come out stained red.  So, why then is the result of the washing so different from the process? The answer is because the process that makes me clean can't leave a trace of itself.  You see, if the blood that washed out my stain remained it would be itself a stain.

07 Mar

Posted at 17:59h in Devotionals
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"...Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head." Mark 14:3 A simple box - a flask actually - was broken and poured out.  That's what Mark is  describing for us in this particular passage.  I have always wondered not only why Mark tells us that she broke  it, but why in fact she did break it.  I understand why she would pour out all of that precious ointment on the head of Jesus - a heart devoted to Him would have held nothing back from Him. But why would she destroy the costly container? Surely she could have kept such a beautiful box and used it for herself?  No, she couldn't have kept it.  After Jesus had been anointed with the contents she had no use for the container.  You see, love doesn't consider something a treasure that can't be spent on its object.

28 Feb

Posted at 14:47h in Uncategorized
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The Baptist Courier, the state paper for Southern Baptists in South Carolina, has printed a first person article that I began working on last fall.  You can view the online version here. I am very concerned about the direction and much of the leadership of our convention.  As I explained to my church family over the weekend, the battle that is looming before Southern Baptists is not necessarily a theological battle like the Conservative Resurgence.  (Although there are definitely some theological systems driving much of the current controversy.) It is still however a battle for the heart, soul and future of our convention. I've posted my article below and would love for you to share you thoughts.  I plan on writing several followup articles in the near future.

25 Feb

Posted at 03:08h in Uncategorized
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This week I had the tremendous opportunity and great personal blessing of spending a couple of days with  pastors and leaders from across the country at the Northeast Alabama Leadership Conference & Retreat.  This group of men from Maryland to Texas and from Ohio to South Georgia have become a real encouragement and inspiration to me.  I want to thank them for their friendship and fellowship over these many years.  It was a great time!