WEDNESDAY'S WORD - GASLIGHTING- Sadell Bradley -8/26/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD GASLIGHTING Sadell Bradley 08/26/2020 "Gaslighting is the systematic attempt by one person to erode another person's reality by telling them that what they are experiencing isn't so - and, the gradual giving up on the part of the other person." - Dr. Robin Stern - 'The Gaslight Effect' WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER We're excited about our new T-Shirts! and our partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! - Sherman & Sadell GASLIGHTING means to manipulate someone by psychological means into questioning their own sanity. A person or group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a target individual or group making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation - gaslighting attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's beliefs. Instances can range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents occurred, to belittling the victims emotions and feelings, to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienteing the victim The term derives from the 1944 movie Gaslight in which a man manipulates his wife into believing she is going insane by changing small things in her environment and insisting that she is mistaken, remembering things incorrectly or delusional when she points out these changes. The title alludes to how the abusive husband slowly dims the gas lights in the home, pretending nothing has changed, in an effort to make his wife doubt her own perceptions. (Wikipedia) GASLIGHTING IS REAL. The most notorious example of gaslighting in Scripture happened in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1-6. God had given clear instructions to Adam which had been relayed to his wife. The crafty serpent manipulated what was said to his advantage. "Did God really say you must not eat fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" Eve responds,“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” 4“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The serpent gets her to question her hearing and recall of the instruction she was given, and the LORD's motive in requiring the boundary in the first place. This manipulation and deception led to The Fall. The enemy made them think they didn't have what they already possessed. Entire groups can experience gaslighting. People tell us systemic racism, economic injustice, and police brutality are just figments of our imagination. Some have tried to convince us that the Holocaust never occurred. Politicians and news outlets make full use of The Illusory Truth Effect, a phenomenon in which a listener comes to believe something primarily because it's been repeated so often. Have you been gaslit? IS GASLIGHTING HAPPENING TO YOU? Someone gaslights you by trying to convince you that: What you saw, you didn't see What you didn't see, you saw What you said, you didn't say What you didn't say, you said What they said, they didn't say What they didn't say, they said What they did, they didn't do What they didn't do, they did What you heard, you didn't hear What you didn't hear, was there for the hearing -Ann Silvers

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MACHIAVELLIAN - Sadell Bradley 8/19/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

MACHIAVELLIAN

Sadell Bradley

08/19/2020

"Machiavelli did believe that it was better to appear to be good than to be good. If you're good, you're just too vulnerable, but if you appear to be good, you get all the benefits plus you can be sneaky and, when necessary, stab someone in the back."

- David Ignatius

WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER

We're excited about our new T-Shirts! and our partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! - Sherman & Sadell

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and political philosopher who is often deemed the father of modern political science. His best-known work, 'The Prince,' advises rulers that the acquisition and effective use of power may necessitate unethical methods. Machiavelli considered political battles, not through a lens of morality, but as though they were a board game with established rules. His experience showed him that politics has always been played with deception, treachery and crime. He also notably said that a ruler who is establishing a kingdom or a republic and is criticized for his deeds, including violence, should be excused when the intention and the result are beneficial. As a result, a ruler must be concerned not only with reputation, but also must be willing to act unscrupulously at the right times. To be MACHIAVELLIAN means that one is prepared to use unethical means to gain an advantage. There's sadly a lot of machiavellian behavior going on right now...from all angles and sides...even from the Church, sadly. It's challenging to feel helpless to overcome or even effectively address it.

"ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY" - LORD ACTON Has what we've seen and heard caused us to argue? to check out? Or to run to the presence of God? Are we in our prayer closets declaring the Word? Every day a new situation defies our faith, hope, love and conviction to live as Kingdom citizens. A Vanity Fair article said rich people are exempt from the affects of COVID-19. They can buy their way out of the repercussions, and their wealth is actually growing! Some charter private planes. Others purchase COVID-19 tests for personal parties. Some are even paying up to 2.6 million for citizenship in countries where the pandemic is not as strong. The ONLY hope the disenfranchised have is the intervention of Jesus Christ! The tables are way too far out of our favor. Summer is usually challenging for cities with gun violence. The stress of the cloistering of America and the economic and political crises we face is exacerbating an already bad situation. Just as a reminder...there is NO political party in the US that espouses all of the values of Jesus. Psalm 37 reminds us: Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord,They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

CHECKERS OR CHESS?

 

A MACHIAVELLIAN person believes they're playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. That may be true. There's so much we don't know, so it might be easy to fool us, but God sees and knows it all and He has the final say. Instead of political power in all of its forms, I choose Romans 16:9 "...to be wise concerning what is good, and simple concerning evil."

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - WARY - Sadell Bradley 8/12/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

WARY

Sadell Bradley

08/12/2020

"Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca - Philosopher

Yesterday, for Tuesday Table Talks at The Warehouse Church, our guest was Joe Isosaki from Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson. We discussed the COVID-19 vaccine, and how large pharmaceutical companies and the government collaborate to produce and distribute it globally. I did an informal poll of my friends of all ages and ethnicites across the Country. I wanted to see if they planned to take the vaccine or allow their kids to take it. There was a wide range of answers from NO! to OF COURSE! My African-American friends were justifiably more WARY - feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems. The history of race-medicine in the United States, where people of color have been abused, misused, misdiagnosed, and ill or not treated, is well known. COVID-19 disproportionately affects African-Americans who are 13.4% of the population, but only represent 5% of those participating in clinical trials. Blacks and Latinos are 3 times as likely as whites to become infected and twice as likely to die according to the New York Times. Latinos make up 18% of the population, but only 1% of the trials. We need affected folks to participate to get data. What is making them so wary of testing and vaccination?

A SORDID HISTORY Sordid means involving ignoble actions and motives that arouse moral distaste and contempt. It's a great word to describe incidents like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study which began in 1932 when there was no treatment for syphilis. Over years, 600 African-American men, mostly poor sharecroppers who had never visited a doctor, were recruited with a promise of free medical care. They were told they were being treated for 'bad blood' and were given placebos even though by 1947 penicillin was the recommended treatment for syphilis. Researchers convinced local physicians not to treat the participants."In order to track the disease’s full progression, researchers provided no effective care as the men died, went blind or insane or experienced other severe health problems due to their untreated syphilis. (History.com) Many of the men, their spouses and children contracted the disease. "As a result of the Tuskegee experiment, many African Americans developed a lingering, deep mistrust of public health officials.” This is just one tragic incident that's made us wary.

OUR SINFUL CONDITION

Jesus was keenly aware of the depravity of man. John 2:23-25 tells us that,"While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover f

estival, many people believed in Him because they saw the miracles that He performed. Jesus, however, was wary of these believers. He understood people and didn’t need anyone to tell Him about human nature. He knew what people were really like. (GWT) Other translations say He did not entrust himself to them, for He knew what was in man. Jesus knew that the same ones who shouted 'Hosanna!' would soon cry out 'Crucify Him!' We as African-Americans and as Believers have to grasp the carnal and at times corrupt nature of this world. Jesus showed us that there is a difference between being afraid and being aware.

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - BREAKTHROUGH - Sadell Bradley - 08/05/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

BREAKTHROUGH

Sadell Bradley

08/05/2020

"I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of, 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough." - Marissa Mayer - Businesswoman

A BREAKTHROUGH is a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development; or an instance of achieving in a particular sphere or activity. Generally, a breakthrough infers that there has been a wall of resistance, a barrier, a length of time of stagnation or some other impediment to moving forward, getting a release, or arriving at success. People usually desire or pray for breakthroughs when they've invested a lot of time and effort to see a given result to no avail. Alexander Graham Bell had 9,999 unsuccessful tries at making the light bulb before he experienced a breakthrough on the 10,000th try. WD-40 has it's name because the first 39 formulas didn't work. Some of us are at the point of our lives where incremental change is not enough...we need an unanticipated, substantial, and measurable breakthrough in our situation.

LORD OF THE BREAKTHROUGH In 1 Chronicles 14, David was anointed king over Israel. He is  celebrating while his enemies, the Philistines, are plotting against him. I love that David is so aware of His need to have the LORD with him in battle. He would ask God whether or not he should fight and what strategy the LORD wanted him to employ. God tells David to go, and He will deliver his enemies into his hands. (vs.10) The bible recounts, "11So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim. 12They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire." The Philistines tried yet another time. David asked the LORD again and God gave him a different strategy to defeat them. (vs. 13-16) Israel's armies struck them down, and Scripture says, "17Then the fame of David went out into all the lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him on all the nations."(NASB)

DON'T GIVE UP!

Joyce Meyer asked a poignant question, "I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough - when they are on the very brink of success?" It seems like nothing has changed. We've continued to hit the same wall so many times for so long. Even the best of us can get weary in well doing. It becomes hard to imagine that the wall will ever fall or that God will grant the quantum leap that gets us to our goals. But giants do fall, Jericho walls do come down...and our breakthrough is coming after all!