Pastor Brad’s Notebook

16 Nov

Posted at 06:30h in Devotionals, Uncategorized
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"Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him."  Numbers 7:89 When we walk into His tabernacle to speak with God, it is then and only then - there and only there, that we find a mercy seat.  It is not that way with man.  When we walk into man's tabernacle we find a judgment seat.  Even the Twelve couldn't wait for the twelve thrones they were promised. They set up thrones of their own and immediately started handing down selfish sentences - fire on Samaria and to a Roman soldier, mutilation.

14 Nov

Posted at 12:45h in Devotionals
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"And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  Matthew 8:7 There are some answers to prayer which come only as the promise that the prayer will at last be answered. Here we read where the Centurion prayed that his servant would be instantly healed and Jesus' immediate response is, "I will come..." Haven't we experienced much the same thing in our walk with Jesus? We ask of the Lord something that is not immediately granted, yet there is more of an assurance than mere silence. We feel in our heart that there is an answer- an unshakable, undeniable confidance that one day it will be well. The dawn does not come immediately, but its first rays shine forth promising that the rising sun will come.

14 Nov

Posted at 01:56h in Southern Baptist Convention
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This week I will be attending the Pastors' Conference and Annual Meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in Columbia, South Carolina. I have to admit that I love these days of preaching and denominational meetings. I grew up going to these events with my father and I hope one day to take my children to them as well. The Annual Meeting is a time where we can see how and where our Cooperative Program dollars are being used. Also, the Pastors' Conference and Convention is a great time of encouragement and fellowship with other pastors as we hear some of the greatest Bible preachers and church leaders anywhere.

11 Nov

Posted at 13:05h in Fridays Are For Family
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Note: In light of the recent controversy surrounding charges of child molestation at Penn State, I will delay posting the second part of  "Simple Advice For A Successful Marriage" until next week so that I may deal with this serious issue facing families in a timely manner. When I was growing up my parents were overprotective, unrealistic, nosey, bossy and didn't understand at all my need for freedom or privacy ... and I'm thankful.  I know that may sound odd in our current culture of parental obliviousness, but when I see the dangerous - and even deadly - world that children are raised in today,  I am thankful that my parents loved me enough to not let me do whatever I wanted to do when I wanted to do it.

07 Nov

Posted at 08:40h in Devotionals
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"And of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her." 6  The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: "This one was born there." Psalm 87:5-6 When I asked Jesus into my heart as a teenage boy, one of the things that I was encouraged to do was to write down the date of my spiritual birthday in the front of my Bible.  I think that in someways, this is the idea, the thought behind, the intention found in these two verse.  It's a remarkably encouraging verse.  The Psalmist indicates that in the future the anniversaries that will be celebrated will be for the righteous - the redeemed.