WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PRIORITIES - 12/27/17 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities." - Pastor Myles Monroe   Mahatma Gandhi said, "Action expresses priorities." PRIORITIES - are things that are regarded or treated as more important than others. They take precedence  before others in time or rank. All of us have priorities that are reflected in our actions. We tell ourselves and each other that certain things are really important, but our true priorities are revealed in inventories of: how we handle our/God's money; how we spend our limited time, and how we deal with our relationships - even with the Lord. As we begin to peek over into 2018, let's do some soul searching on what our true priorities were in 2017. Did we finance our dreams or other things? Were our most important relationships fostered and nurtured or neglected? Was our time consumed with things that caused us to grow and build or depleted and drained by mindless entertainment and social media? We can choose 2018's priorities today! Steven Covey said, "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." The same holds true with money. Budgets disclose our financial priorities. You're not broke...you just prioritized something else.        If you have more than one priority, you have no priority.  The first of Ten Commandments states, "You shall have no other gods before Me," establishing that God is to be that priority. Christ explained, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:24) He admonished His followers not to prioritize or worry about temporal things and material possessions, but to, "Seek the Kingdom of God first- above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33) Jesus made it clear that doing His Father's will was His priority, "I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will." (John 5:30) He reminds us, "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matthew 10:37) Is God your #1 priority?    Priorities bring clarity in decision-making. We often struggle trying to balance everything in our lives.  We run around attempting to keep all the plates spinning. Setting proper priorities can make some of those plates drop! If everything is important, than nothing is important. Simplified priorities bring peace of mind. Pastor Rick Warren said, "Living in light of eternity changes our priorities." Do you know what your priorities are? or what you want them to be? Consider a priorities shift for 2018. Thanks for reading Wednesday's Word, I hope it's been a blessing to you!

SUNDAY Worship 11:00 AM Worship The Great Room Sunday Class 9:30 AM Youth Room Basement at Wyoming Presbyterian 225 Wyoming Ave., 45215 For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CAPABLE - 12/20/17 -Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"If we did all the things we were capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."   -Thomas Edison   Nelson Mandela said, "There is no passion to be found in playing small - settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."  CAPABLE - means having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing; able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do; competent.  Yesterday, I observed an interesting debate on social media on whether worship leaders in church should be capable singers. People gave all kinds of answers about how distracting it is when the leader can't sing, or how to assess the level and quality of their voices and 'the anointing,'  I thought a better question would be whether singers in church should be capable of worship as it's defined - devotion, honor, adoration, obedience, acknowledgement and reverence for the LORD. Capability must be determined within context.     Capability is important, but it's just the beginning. When Moses was exhausted from the duties of leading so many people, his father-in-law Jethro urged him to "select capable men from all the people -- men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-- and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens." (Exodus 18:21) Their capabilities extended beyond leadership roles into character. Daniel and the Hebrew boys in exile in Babylon were chosen for leadership because they were, "young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king's palace - and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature." (Daniel 1:4) Those were human qualifications, but God knew that they were also the only ones capable of saying, "Even if we are thrown in the fiery furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us. We will never serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)     We are capable of living lives far more significant than we believe if we can see beyond what we're look at. Some of the best worship leaders would not be considered the greatest singers, but their intimacy with God transforms atmospheres and a river of the miraculous presence of God to save, heal, and deliver rushes in as they minister. Some of the most powerful leaders are not in the forefront, but behind the scenes wielding a great deal of influence with great character.  Today, you may be underestimating what you're capable of. Your attitude or conclusions  about yourself could be hindering forward momentum and future impact.  Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said,  "Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - HOLDING PATTERN - 12/13/17 Sadell Bradley New Life Covenant Cincinnati

A holding pattern is a maneuver designed to delay an aircraft already in flight while keeping it in a specified airspace.  The aircraft have arrived at their destination, but cannot land yet because of traffic congestion, poor weather, or runway unavailability.  Several aircraft may fly in the same holding stack at lower speeds to save fuel, separated vertically by 1,000 feet or more.   New arrivals will be added at the top. The aircraft at the bottom of the stack will be taken out and allowed to make an approach first, and so on.  Air Traffic Control controls the whole process.

Here is a simple holding pattern, the planes are traveling basically in circles.  The new plane comes on top and follows the circular pattern.
For passengers, a holding pattern can bring anxiety and frustration.  You're scheduled to land at a certain time, now you're delayed.  You might have a connecting flight.  You've  begun the descent, are low enough to see the ground, yet you've slowed down and are going around and around!  If you dislike flying you just want to land get on the ground safely.

Sometimes in life, we're close to our desire/dream and it is as if God's hand slows us and start us circling, right when we're almost there!  Why? What is holding up?  Is there danger?  We don't know who else is held up with us (nor do we care), or what order we are in for landing. GOD, who controls both the air and the aircraft, will allow us to land at our destination when it seems best to HIM.

Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth were faithful and righteous saints...but in a holding pattern.  Zacharias had prayed for a child for years.  The angel Gabriel appeared to him saying, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John." (Luke 1:13) The couple was older, and had been flying on the journey desiring offspring for so long, that Zacharias couldn't believe it was true. "How can I be sure of this? I am old and my wife is well along in years." (vs 18)  He thought it was too late...even impossible at their age. God's Word is true and His timing is perfect, though to us it seems delayed. To stop him from speaking unbelief, the Lord held Zacharias' tongue from speaking doubt, but He did not stop their appointment with destiny!  They didn't know the holding pattern and the timing of their baby's arrival was to coincide with the landing of another plane, that of Mary and Joseph, which carried John's cousin JESUS! the Messiah! the Savior of the world!

Are you in a holding pattern today? Does it seem like God is delaying you? slowing you down? Is He having you go around in circles when the destination is so close you can see it? Is He letting other planes land before yours? Trust Him to land YOU safely at YOUR destination in HIS perfect timing! 

Sunday Service at 11:00 AM

Class Youth Room 9:30 AM 

225 Wyoming Ave.  

Cincinnati OH 45215

  

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WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ALIGNMENT - Sadell Bradley 12/06/17 New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." - Brian Tracy, Author  On Sunday night, I awoke to excruciating back pain. I was writhing back and forth trying to get up to go to the bathroom, and could not stand fully nor walk easily.  I experience this periodically. In the past I had two car accidents: in one, I was side-swiped and the other, I was rear ended. Occasionally, a particular activity can 'throw my back out.' Usually, I go to the gym and walk it off, which I attempted to do at 4:00 am, but was still in pain. So I went to the Chiropractor who explained that my pelvis was rotated in such a way that my right leg was 1/2 inch shorter than my left. The strained muscles in my back were compensating for the lack of alignment in my hips. He shifted my hips back into alignment, and said I needed to strengthen my core. The shifting 'cure' made the pain even worse in the immediate, but ultimately would improve things.    ALIGNMENT is arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions.  We align wheels on cars and parts on machines. The routes of railroads are aligned, and obviously, the bones and muscles of our bodies align in mysterious ways.  ALIGNMENT is also a position of agreement or alliance. This figurative meaning is relational in context. Amos 3:3 asks, "Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?"  Deciding to come into alignment with another is what we do when we're looking at the same thing and seeing two different answers. Someone has to say, "I'm seeing 3 here, but from your perspective it's 4, so we'll go with 4," or vice versa. Alignment resolves conflict and brings peace. Have you been out of alignment with God? Alignment requires humility. We are to align ourselves in submission to God and resist the devil (James 4:6-7)  There are also times when we must come into alignment with authorities (Rom. 13) parents, employers (Eph. 6), pastors (Heb 13:17), and eh hem...husbands (Eph 5). We can easily tell when we are out of alignment. There is spoken or unspoken disagreement, passive aggressive resistance, or even rebellion about a particular direction or viewpoint. We'd rather oppose, hinder, block or stall out the plan, than come into alignment. Often, it's because we think we're right about what we're seeing/interpreting. Saul thought He was right in persecuting Christians until Jesus confronted him. "It is hard for you to kick against the pricks," (Acts 9:5) meaning, it is hard for you to resist God's will. He continues to prod us into alignment, working in us both to will and to DO His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13) Now and then, we find it difficult to stay in alignment with ourselves! Author Shannon Adler said it this way, "When what you value and dream about doesn't match the life you are living, you have pain." Sometimes, it's excruciating. I thought the pain in my back was about my back, but it was really about my pelvis being out of line.  What is the pain in your life really about? Maybe it's time to come into alignment.

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CONFRONTATION - Sadell Bradley 11/29/17 New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"I think confrontation is healthy because it clears the air very quickly. Nowadays, if you're afraid of confrontation, you're not going to do very well." - Bill Parcells - NFL Coach   "Those who avoid confrontation at all cost are preserving the very problems they wish would go away." - Unknown I embrace confronting problems. I do it on global issues like racism, sexism and class disparities. I don't shy away from it in personal, work or church situations. I do it in this blog. Some say it's a prophetic mantle, but every Believer is called to speak the truth in love and grow up. (Eph. 4:15) Every Christian is required to confront an offender when a wrong has occurred. (Matt. 18:15-17) When speaking of problems or difficulties, CONFRONT means to present, face up to, and deal with the situation. It means to face a challenge with the determination to overcome it versus avoid it. By the way, confrontations are best done in person. You cannot change what you refuse to confront; inside or out. John Maxwell said, "In order to develop leaders, you've got to care enough to confront." Most people don't associate confrontation with caring. They don't consider the relational or societal risk it takes to decide not to placate a dysfunctional behavior, philosophy or situation and allow it to continue, but to address and arrest it. The Bible is full of confrontations. They aren't pleasant or easy. It takes strength to confront a wrong or stand up for what you believe in.   God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden after they had sinned. (Gen. 3) The Prophet Samuel confronted king Saul after he disobeyed by partially fulfilling God's command to slaughter Israel's enemies (1 Samuel 15) The Prophet Nathan confronted David after he'd killed Uriah the Hittite and slept with his wife, Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12) The Hebrew boys confronted king Nebuchadnezzar saying they would not bow to his idols. (Daniel 3) Paul confronted Peter over his stance on including the Gentiles (Gal. 2:11-13) Jesus constantly confronted the Pharisees (Gospels) Christ confronted Peter (and Satan) when he contradicted the Father's will saying Jesus should not go to the cross. (Matt. 16:23) The Gospel itself confronts the sinful state of our prior lifestyles. It's a battle over our future, life and legacy. If the Word and the Holy Spirit did not challenge, check, convict and convince us that where we were positioned was wrong, we would not be saved and would still be in our sin. We all have blind spots: places of denial we've lived with for years. People around us know about them. They might even talk about us. We know that someone really cares for us when they're willing to take the risk to confront the things that might be injuring or killing us. There is beauty in confrontation from someone who loves us. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Prov. 27:6) Chuck Swindoll said, "If we confront someone, we should have one goal in mind: restoration - not embarrassment."  We confront because we love and we desire transformation.

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - BLESSINGS - Sadell Bradley - 11/23/17 New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." - William Arthur Ward   I remember the old church song we used to sing, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done."  That is one of the joys of Thanksgiving. We get to count our blessings, not our problems. Unfortunately, the busyness of the Holiday Season, the somewhat gloomy change in the weather, the arduous travel, and for some - strained relationships with families, can cause us to be distracted from giving the LORD thanks. The practice of appreciation, especially to God, is a spiritual discipline. We don't ever have to worry if expressing gratitude is out of God's will. "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) It's amazing how quickly worry and anxiety can overtake your thought life - even during Thanksgiving season.  We are so used to inwardly rehearsing, outwardly expressing, or somehow attempting to insulate ourselves from what's wrong; that it's difficult sometimes to embrace that so much is going right. In fact, we often fail to recognize just how blessed we are until we encounter someone worse off than we are. Philippians 4: 4-9 instructs us not to be anxious about anything, to pray about everything, and to concentrate on what's true, honorable, virtuous, lovely and of good report. Thanksgiving should become a life practice. Singer/Songwriter Willie Nelson, whose life has taken may turns said, "When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." So check your discontentment at the door. There is too much to be thankful for. The connection between contentment and gratitude is compelling. Is what's wrong in your life as bad as you're making it? Are you enlarging your difficulties or taking on the problems of others? Have you become enslaved by a consumer culture where we are duped into thinking there is never enough, and we're not enough unless we have...X? Tomorrow: after we eat the kind of gluttonous dinner which many around the world would only dream of, and after watching parades and millionaires run after some kind of ball; many of us will still get up at 3:00 in the morning and fight for TV's and other 'sale' items we believe we can't do without. Maybe a valuable change of pace would be to invest more time than just the prayer before dinner to thank God and count our blessings.

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - REPAY - 11/15/17 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Men are more willing to repay an injury than a benefit because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure." - Tacticus   Have you ever loaned someone money and it took them longer than agreed upon to REPAY?  How did you feel? What kind of straits did their lack of ability to pay back the loan, debt or sum of money, have on your life and your relationship? Was it awkward when you saw them? If you owed the money, did you feel a sense of guilt and shame? The Bible says, "The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers." (Psalm 37:21, NLT) Lending money to someone causes an awkward master/slave relationship, even among friends because ...the borrower is servant to the lender. (Prov. 22:7) Repaying, or being repaid brings freedom to both parties to get past the debt and restore right relationship.  Sometimes we want payback for something  horrible that has been done to us, or for something that should have happened but didn't.  The Bible calls that RECOMPENSE. It means to make amends to someone for a loss or harm suffered; to compensate. The fact that you're owed something, particularly if everyone around you knows it, can bring as much shame as being in debt. You, your family and your friends are all looking to see when things are going to turn around. When will you get what you're owed? The wait can be tormenting, and sometimes we want to take matters into our own hands. It's good to know that God has a repayment plan! He commands us, "Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." (Romans 12:19) When you've been waiting for any kind of debt to be repaid, one of the collateral losses is time. The time you spent depressed. The time regretting dreams you could have accomplished. The time missed with loved ones. It doesn't matter that the LORD may have initiated the loss, or that He can turn things for good (Rom 8:28). We think time cannot be repaid, but GOD COLLAPSES TIME and redeems it for His glory! In Joel 2, God proclaimed a judgment over Israel that would cause them to lose the land's harvest via devouring swarms of locusts. The devastation would cause them to turn back to Him in repentance and cry out for Him to relent and send a blessing. When they did, He replied with compassion and a declaration of restoration, including the comforting statement, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed." (vs. 25-26) If you've lost years, look forward to God's repayment! God holds our times in His hands!

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - YES- Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes,' otherwise you'll lead a very dull life."    -Ian Fleming  YES is a simple word that holds a lot of power. YES is an affirmative response."Do you understand?" "Yes."  YES can express agreement with a positive statement, "Wasn't it a great event?" "Yes, it was." Or it can contradict a negative statement, "You didn't want to go out to dinner." "Yes, I did." We use YES when someone wants to attract our attention, or to encourage people to continue speaking. We use YES to express delight, to commit ourselves to projects, to people, "She said, YES!" and to GOD. YES is an affirmative answer in decision making. We used to sing a song, "My soul says, Yes! Yes! Yes! my LORD. My soul says Yes! Yes! Yes!" indicating surrender to God's will.  The African-American Church of God in Christ denomination has an anthem that just says, "YES!" Life is crazy these days. We hear a lot about saying no, setting boundaries and protecting our time. It's because we've cut checks we couldn't cash, and made promises we didn't keep that we're leery of saying 'YES.' Jesus told His disciples when making vows not to swear by Heaven, earth, or even their own heads. "All you need to say is simply "Yes' or 'No;' anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matt. 5:37) In Luke 14:25-34, we're told that discipleship is like constructing a building. No one should follow Jesus without first counting the cost because that 'YES' is expensive! Your 'YES' to God supersedes relationships with family and friends (you have to love them less than God). It also involves being willing to carry the cross of suffering to be salt and light in the world. A complete 'YES' to God is valuable and should not be given lightly. Try saying 'Yes,' then say, 'No.' Don't you find that the atmosphere of those two words isn't the same? Pastor William McDowell said, "The thing about saying 'YES' to God is that you're saying 'YES' to an unknown future." You're agreeing without knowing exactly what you're saying 'YES' to. You're announcing, "Whatever happens after this, I'm going to commit to the 'YES' I said to God." Mary said her YES, "Be it unto me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) The disciples' 'YES' didn't have any words. They just pulled over their boats, left their families and businesses, and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:11) When they said 'YES,' they didn't know the marvels and wonders they would see, nor the guilt associated with betraying Him. Their 'YES' would open the door to the Holy Spirit's miraculous power inside them to heal others. Their 'YES' would catapult their world-wide mission. Their 'YES' would ultimately lead to persecution, stripes, imprisonment and martyrdom. Their 'YES' would make them some of the greatest men the world has ever known.       In prayer, we were given an invitation to say an unrestricted, 'YES' to God. In that, we release outcomes, timing, our plans, and intentions to Him in surrender. A complete 'YES' doesn't just require faith. It requires trust in God's ways and in His love for us. It can be simultaneously the most frightening, yet most freeing thing we can do. When we say 'YES' to God, it opens the way for Him to return with His Divine 'YES' over our lives. "For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory." (2 Corinthians 1:20) Will you say 'YES' to God today?

SUNDAY Worship

11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131