Pastor Brad’s Notebook

11 Mar

Posted at 20:09h in Devotionals
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"Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:9 At first glance this is a very disturbing and discouraging statement.  Is the Beloved Disciple saying that the person who is "born of God" won't have anything bad in him and if there is something bad in him then that is an evidence that he is not born again?  No, that's not what John is saying.  Taken in context this verse simply teaches that the new life will not be held responsible for the leftovers of the old.  It is not that there are not remnants of the old life that will not seek to hang around, but that they are no longer imputed to the Believer.

05 Mar

Posted at 02:47h in Devotionals
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"However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction." Mark 1:45 Do we even dare enter into the personal experience of the Son of Man? Yes, for the fact that He is the Son of Man means we can, without irreverence, see something of our human experience in His. That's why I believe that this is surely one of the saddest experiences in the earthly life of Jesus. The saddest hours in any human life are those which are spent, "in deserted places" for those hours spent in the deserted places are always spent "outside."

01 Mar

Posted at 14:15h in Fridays Are For Family
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I was raised in a family of three boys. My brothers and I are about two years apart, very competitive and shy isn't a word that you would use to describe any one of us. We are, and always have been, very driven, loud and opinionated. So, let's just say that as we were growing up "peace and calm" was not a phrase that you would use to describe the Whitt house. There were fights in the living room, bathroom, backyard, front yard and basically anywhere else you can imagine. Holes were knocked in walls, lips were busted and noses were bloodied.