God sent me here....

January 29, 2010
10:10 AM
The Winter Storm is approaching..... 
School closed long before it hit (wisdom).




Day 3.....this may turn into a habit. :)


So......here I sit while the sleet is pelting the side of my home office window.  
Thank you Jesus for providing a place for me and my family - thankful for those that have been His hands extended to support us while we're here in the U.S. for a few more months.


After two trips to Wal-Mart I'm ready for the day.  Here goes.


My daily Bible reading has me in Genesis, the Psalms, and Luke.
I love all of it - but I really love Genesis.  Creation, Noah, Abraham....and especially Joseph.  


I think I blogged about him last year...


Real quick.  This is what I got from today's reading.


Joseph.  

His brothers hated him and betrayed him.

Because of them his life was turned upside down.

They throw him in a pit - sell him into slavery.

Joseph ends up in Potiphar's house and immediately has to fend off Potiphar's flusie of a wife.  She's so lousy even her name isn't recorded.

She propositions Joseph - he refuses - she cries - Joseph flies - she lies - he winds up in prison.

In prison, he helps out 2 prisoners by interpreting their dreams.

The one that's Pharaohs cupbearer is reinstated - he then forgets about Joseph and leaves him down in the prison....locked up....for 2 years.

Betrayed on three separate occasions.

What goes through a mans mind when he's abused in such a manner?

I read about Joseph and every offense that I've ever experienced loses it's teeth.

I may have been wrongfully treated somewhere in my life but it doesn't compare to this.

Not even close.

Very few of us have.

You know what happens - Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams - God uses this to propel Joseph to be the second most powerful individual in Egypt - God uses Joseph to rescue Egypt from a 7 year deadly famine that affects the entire region.

Enter Joseph's brothers. The deadbeats that started this whole mess.

Listen to what he eventually tells them:

'It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.'

(45.5 NLT)

What would I have said to these misfits?  What would you have said?

How would we have treated them?  Would we be so bitter that we would attack them with a verbal assault and then banish them from the land?

'No Soup For You!'

                    -Soup Nazi

I may have done this to them - I know people who would - I even know people who have already done this to someone else in one way or another.  

If I look deep enough - I admit that I'm doing this right now.

Joseph says - God sent me here - not you.

Wow.

We scream, 'But Joseph they......'

God sent me here.

One of my favorite professors at CBC was Dr. David Watson.  He said something that I'll never forget.

'As Christians - we need to have 50:20 vision - Genesis 50:20 vision.'

'You intended to harm me, but God intended it ALL for good.  He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.' (emphasis mine)

In a society that houses people who can get so hurt over something so trivial - hurt to the point that we banish another person - this is a slapping reminder that we lack eternal perspective in so many areas.


God uses it ALL.  The good and the bad.  The beautiful side of life and the ugly. He's the only one I know that can do this.  No one else can even come close.
Praise God.

Pray this with me: Lord, you've promised to be with me just like you were with Joseph.  I need the Holy Spirit to give me perspective - to enlighten my dull mind and enable me to see past the nose on my face.  Help me to see your big picture.  Not just my little crayon colored world that I get so caught up in.

You're the only one that can help me in this.  Thank you for working it ALL for good.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen - so be it.

Joseph.

Now there's a guy who had a story to tell.  
Thanks for writing this one down Moses.

Good thing you were a blogger too.

Consumed.

Wow.
Day two.
Here we go.


I came across something in my Bible reading for today.  Something I've never really noticed.


Get your Bible if you want....don't just take my word for it...take His Word for it.


Luke 17:26-30.  The disciples asked when the Kingdom of God would be established.  Jesus answered them by describing the SIGNS that would alert all of those on the planet that judgment was upon them.


Now....we've all heard about these signs all of our lives - the ones that are outlined in Matthew 24.  I'm not talking about those signs - wars, famines, and earthquakes - not referring to these today.


The ones I'm talking about are going on right now.  9:34 AM CST - January 28th. 
Here they are:


Jesus said in vs 26:
'When the Son of Man returns people will be....

enjoying banquets

parties

weddings

going about their daily business

eating

drinking

buying 

selling

farming

building

Jesus said in vs 30 (NLT) 'Yes it will be 'business as usual' right up to the day when the son of man is revealed.'

You can call this the 'Sign of Noah' - and the 'Sign of Lot.' 

Jesus said that people were doing this right up to the day the flood came and destroyed them all.

People were also doing this the day that fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed everyone.

Hello....

I call this, 'The Sign Of People Being Consumed With Cares.'  

Jesus made it plain that He's coming back when all of this is going on.

Yeah...I know....all of us are involved in this....so what do we do.

Don't allow yourself to be CONSUMED with the CARES of this life.  Hmmph...easier said than done Brad.  True.  But we better do our best to avoid it.

I know people in Huntsville that are consumed.

I know people in Washington DC that are consumed.

I know people in West Memphis and they're consumed.

Am I judging them?  Nope - because I've been right there along with them - portions of my life are still there.  So what do I need to do?

Ask the Lord to open up my eyes and to see the reality of this lifestyle.

Money is not everything.  Material goods - gadgets - and the good life should not control my entire being.  It's even dangerous if we're striving to have the greatest ministry in the world and allowing it to consume us instead of being consumed with Jesus.


Pretty much sums it up for the White House, Church House, and My House.  How about you?  In fact....don't expect the first two to get it right if the last one is living it wrong.  

So, Lord, help me to stay connected to you.  Your Word. Live a life that puts

You First

Others Second

I'm Third

I believe this will keep me out of the trap - the trap of the consumed.

Love ya.

Hello....again.

Hello.....again.  


Yeah....it's been a long time since I tried to do this blogging thing.
So, I'm going to give it another shot.


Why does Brad want to blog (and try to be somewhat consistent)?


I want all of my family, friends, and future friends to stay connected with me.
Glenda and I have had the honor and privilege to be a part of peoples lives in:


Springfield, Missouri 
Huntsville, Arkansas 
Washington DC
Kingstowne, Virginia
West Memphis, Arkansas and the Delta region. :)


And the latest AWESOME group of people that we've met are from across the ocean....


Madrid, Spain.


More about that later on.
I love all of these people - there's not a one that I don't love - seriously.
And if that's the case - why not use the available technology that can keep us in each others thoughts and prayers?


It's a no brainer. 


What can you expect from this blog?


A little bit of everything:


My flawed but honest perspective on life.
My thoughts about Jesus and excerpts from our conversations.
Video stuff.  
Current events - everything from world events, sports, politics, etc.
Excerpts from the books that I'm reading.
Thoughts from the movies I've seen.
You get the picture.....


Will you always agree with me - no, probably not - and that's ok - we can live with it and still love each other.....at least that's what Jesus tells us to do.


Sometimes I'll probably be wrong and I'll admit that I'm wrong.
Sometimes I'll be right but I won't tell you that I am.


The main reason I'm going to blog is because I need to.  
I've spent a decade of my life in full time pastoral ministry. What an honor.  
I'm still a minister but the Lord has shifted His call on my life - and my latest assignment has not been as vocal as the previous one.


Quiet is good.  But I've not been created to be this quiet.... :)


So, anyways....I'm back.
If I miss a day or two.....or three....I'll catch up.


Love you guys.  See you in the days to come.