Pastor Brad’s Notebook

21 May

Posted at 12:55h in Devotionals
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“People shall worship Him, Each one from his place. . .” Zephaniah 2:11 The prophet says that there is coming a time when there will no longer be a distinction drawn between the secular and the sacred.  This was a startling statement for this certainly was not the case in His day.  During the Jewish dispensation it was forbidden for men to worship God “each one from his place” – from the spot on which he was standing.  In fact, there was only one place where everyone was commanded to worship – Jerusalem. This was the place where the tribes were told to go up.  It was from within her gates that the smoke of the incense was to rise.  But Zephaniah says that there is a new day dawning, one in which every man will have within his own gates a temple to worship God.  There is coming a day, Zephaniah explains, when there will be no need of things or beasts that will carry us from things that are temporal to things that are eternal.  It will be done simply by the breath of the Spirit - by a simple movement of the heart.

18 May

Posted at 13:05h in Fridays Are For Family
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The past two nights my family has had the wonderful privilege of being a part of Abilene Baptist Church's AWANA ministry's recognition services. On Wednesday night I watched as our children received their awards for scripture memory, Sunday School attendance and club attendance. Last night we enjoyed a time of recognizing the AWANA workers at their annual banquet. It was a tremendous time with people who have a great love for God, His Word and children.

16 May

Posted at 12:24h in Devotionals
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"Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 There is a meekness that will not inherit anything. There are two types of calmness that can be found in this world. There is the calmness that is found in a stale, stagnant pond, and that which is found in the depths of the mighty sea. One is quiet because it doesn't have anything to say. The other is so because it keeps itself from speaking. That is the greatness and glory of the latter. It is a meekness that remains silent, not because it is empty, but because of the fact that its depths are full.

14 May

Posted at 12:49h in Devotionals
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"...They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest..." Isaiah 9:3 I don't know about you, but that's the kind of joy I want to have in the presence of God - "the joy of harvest."  But, what exactly is the joy of harvest? It is a joy that comes from resurrection. It is not a joy that comes from getting something new. It is the tremendous satisfaction in seeing those things that have been buried come bursting from the ground. It is seeing dead things rise. There is no other joy that can compare to that reality.

11 May

Posted at 12:25h in Fridays Are For Family
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This coming Sunday is one of the most special days of the year - Mother's Day. I know that many men fuss and complain, saying that it's really not a "real holiday," and blame the greeting card companies for creating a day so that they can sell more cards. However, even if there were not an official day set aside to honor and express our love to the mother's in our lives there should be a day set aside to do just that. As the the father of a very young family I want to make sure that my children learn to honor and express their love for their mom. I want them to learn by watching me honor and express my love for my mother, as well as their mother. I want to show them simple ways of expressing their love, appreciation and respect for their mom.