WEDNESDAY'S WORD - HEURISTIC - 12/30/2020- Sadell Bradley

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD HEURISTIC 12/30/2020 "This is the essence of intuitive heuristics: when faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution. " - Daniel Kahneman - "Thinking Fast, and Slow" Lots of decisions are made as years transition. Some are as simple as choosing to exercise, others are more complex, like whether or not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. We're constantly bombarded with major and minor decisions, so we subconsciously use HEURISTIC methods to make some of them. This technique helps us come to solutions by trial and error based on information from our prior experiences. We have 'rules of thumb' by which we operate. Mental shortcuts help us make quick decisions with little effort. Heuristics helps us preserve mental energy on things like choosing food from a menu, so that we have enough for more important, complex decisions. Click here for an interesting explanation of HEURISTICS. TAKE. YOUR. TIME. Sometimes we try to use HEURISTIC methods on decisions that require more time, prayer, and investigation. Though heuristics help with speed, they can be detrimental to accuracy. Sometimes our experience base is too narrow— a new, different, or more nuanced answer requires more thoughtful deliberation. To forsake a heuristic approach can be particularly challenging as so much of our decision making is heuristic. For those who make their decisions based on intuition as opposed to data, or for others who are accustomed to acting first and asking questions later it's even more difficult. It's possible in 2021 that some of your choices will require more effort, logic, and guidance of the Spirit. Proverbs 19:2 says, "It is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily makes poor choices." THE EASIEST ANSWER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT. Here's an example of how heuristic thinking can fail us. “Emily’s father has three daughters. The first two are named April and May. What is the third daughter’s name?” When we look at this question our intuitive answer is going to be ‘June’. This is often people’s initial thought when they read the question as they are trying to follow the pattern of the question and have fallen into the trap. The considered question's answer is actually ‘Emily’. The third daughter can only have this name as it states in the question that ‘Emily’s father has three daughters.’ King Solomon warns us not to use heuristic impulsivity when approaching the things of God, "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." (Ecc.5:2) May 2021 be a year of deliberate, conscious, intentional, fully considered, decisions. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

MERY CHRISTMAS from Pastor's Sadell & Sherman Bradley & The Warehouse Church OTR 12/23/2020

 

As we come to the close of the year, we celebrate the season of Advent—the arrival of the most notable person ever born, the LORD Jesus Christ. His incarnation means that God has come to us in human flesh. He is not just a baby born in a manger. He is the King of kings and the LORD of Lords. (Revelation 19:16) Joseph was told to give Him the name Jesus, 'for He will save His people from their sins,' and that His name Immanuel interpreted means 'God is with us.' (Matthew 1:21-23) God loved the world so much that He gave us the greatest gift—His only begotten Son— that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) We pray that you will experience God's love, joy, peace, and presence this holiday season and always. From The Warehouse Church OTR, Merry Christmas! —Pastors Sadell & Sherman Bradley For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TOUCHED - Sadell Bradley 12/16/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD TOUCHED Sadell Bradley 12/16/2020 "The all-seeing eye of God beheld our deplorable state; infinite pity touched the heart of the Father of mercies; and infinite wisdom laid the plan of our recovery." - David Brainerd American Clergyman Touch is one of the things I realize I've taken for granted since COVID-19 arrived on the scene. I confess, I am a hugger. I like to lift children up, run around and play with them. To resist the urge to comfort someone who is hurting, or to greet a person with a physical expression of overwhelming joy, is difficult. There have been times when I knew a fist bump was not going to do. I've taken a risk thinking, "I'm going to hug them because they need it. If I gotta go doing that, then that's the way I'll go." Don't get me wrong, I've been VERY cautious during this pandemic. Those few critical hugs have been dire situations followed up by hand sanitizing. TOUCH means to come so close to an object or person as to come into contact. Humans were created for touch. It releases stress, boosts health and immunity, and strengthens personal bonds. We need multiple touches per day to feel connected and loved. Single people engage friends or even get pets to fulfill this need. Touch has figurative meanings: to have an effect on; to make a difference; to produce feelings of affection, gratitude, or sympathy. We can touch each other's hearts and minds in both positive and negative ways. In 2020, we learned how significant touch is, and what our society feels like when positive touch is absent. WHO TOUCHED ME? Jesus had healed a demon-possessed man in Mark 5, and was on his way to cure the ailing daughter of Jairus, a leader in the synagogue. A large crowd was following Him to Jairus' house. A woman who had been bleeding for 12 years was in the crowd. She had spent all her money on physicians, but her condition had worsened. She was in agony. Not only was she physically ill and weakened, but an issue of blood made her what in India they call 'an untouchable:' an unclean, social outcast, isolated and alone. She had heard about Jesus and thought within herself, "If I can but touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed."(28) This woman knew she needed a point of contact with Jesus. She touched Jesus physically, and He asked, "Who touched Me?" His disciples said, "There's a crowd of people here Jesus, everyone is touching You." But her touch was not just physical. It was spiritual. Jesus said, virtue— His healing power had been released to her and she knew that by that touch she was healed. I'm wondering if you've pushed through the pain? Has Jesus recognized your touch this year? HE TOUCHED ME! Some of you will remember the hymn, "He Touched Me," by Bill Gaither. The lyrics are powerful. "Shackled by a heavy burden, 'neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the hand of Jesus touched me and now I am no longer the same. Since I met this blessed Savior, since He's cleansed and made me whole, I will never cease to praise Him! I'll shout it while eternity rolls. He touched me. Oh, He touched me. And Oh, the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know. He touched me and made me whole." Not only has Jesus touched us, Hebrews 4:15 says He is a High Priest that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. That means He understands, He empathizes, and He cares. Inside your COVID bubble, there may be someone whom YOU CAN intentionally touch more in affirming ways—both literally and figuratively. Make it a point to do so. They need it and so do you.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SATISFIED - Sadell Bradley - 12/9/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SATISFIED Sadell Bradley 12/9/2020 "A person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is in the pathway to health." - Ellen G. White - American Writer "It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else." (Ecc. 6:9b, GNT) Each night at The Warehouse we pray together at 9pm. The more I prayed this Scripture yesterday, the more powerful it became. I spoke aloud of our gratefulness for the simplest of blessings: air, health, soundness of mind, activity of limbs, hot running water, homes, work, cars, religious freedom, family, choices of food, closets with clothes and shoes to choose from, etc. Just repeating the words I AM SATISFIED brings a sense of calm, release, and relief. Try it. It struck me how rare it is to hear the word SATISFIED without the prefix 'dis' or the word 'not' before it—particularly these days. Some even believe dissatisfaction is a positive trait. We've become experts at murmuring and complaining. When's the last time you asked someone how they were feeling and they replied, "I'm completely satisfied!" SATISFIED means contented; pleased; that the expectation or need has been met; that the desire has been fulfilled; that adequate provision has been made; that the debt has been paid—that it is enough. GREENER GRASS? I grew up in West Philadelphia in brick row homes. Anyone who had lawns was wealthy and generally lived in the suburbs. I mean, we literally shared walls with our neighbors, and heard their movements. When I first arrived in Ohio, I thought everyone was rich because they had separated houses with grass and trees. I was in awe even of basic neighborhoods. I had never experienced a plot of land. When you move into a neighborhood with grass that people are tending to, a phenomenon occurs—you start to compare, and you start to care. Is the neighbor's grass greener? Is their landscaping nicer? You're delighted when you've just cut your grass, and anxious if yours gets to be a little bit longer than everyone else's. It's a race against time, rain, sunshine, sprinklers and fertilizer. How green your grass is...is not just a matter of cosmetics, but of your identity, worth, and value! Your neighbor's 'grass' always seems to be greener, so you become dissatisfied and work to keep up. There was a time when I was just grateful to have grass at all—then suddenly the status of my grass compared to that of others became a big deal. I hope you're getting this metaphor, cause I'm not just talking about grass. I CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION "He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This to is futile." (Ecc. 5:10, BSB) This statement came from the wealthiest man on the earth at the time, king Solomon. His writings speak of the vanity of the things that he possessed that we so often crave: wealth, power, success, status, intellect, and sexual pleasure. He had all of it, and said, "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecc.2:11) Many don't even know what they want, they just know that what we have isn't it. Some folks are more clear, "I just want what THEY have! " Here's a new mantra for all of us to try and repeat, "I am satisfied!"

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ACEDIA - Sadell Bradley - 12/2/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD ACEDIA Sadell Bradley 12/2/2020 "Writing is the process of finding something to distract you from writing, and of all the helpful distractions—adultery, alcohol, and acedia, all of which aided our writing fathers—none can equal the internet." - Adam Gopnik - American Writer One of the readers of this blog thanked me the other day by saying, "this type of writing combats acedia." I thought, you've just given me my next word. ACEDIA is spiritual or mental sloth; apathy; or listlessness. Some of you have seen the scene in the movie Zootopia with "Flash" the Sloth. If you haven't, click and view it for a great laugh. Acedia—spiritual laziness or reluctance make an effort, is no laughing matter. Many of us have allowed our spiritual vitality to wane in 2020. No judgment, we miss gathering, singing and learning together, hugs and greetings with holy kisses, all big parts of the culture of the New Testament Church. It's difficult to engage spiritual life through your TV, tablet, or phone, and not in person. In case you've forgotten, there are tremendous benefits to even a few minutes in the Word and presence of God —joy, peace, calm, centering, guidance and refreshing. ACEDIA is DISTRACTION Sometimes acedia is born out of apathy about the things of God, and not just laziness. As the quote above suggests, the internet is one of the greatest culprits to our distracted and disinterested state. Our souls require comfort. We choose to find it in news coverage, in our favorite TV show, in sports contests, or through the diversion of memes and videos on social media. Our good Father, the Creator of the Universe, doesn't seem to be as interesting as all this other stuff. In John 4, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman at a well. She was literally drawing water for her sustenance, but her figurative choice to satiate the desire of her empty soul was the company of men. She had tried several, but her thirst for love, attention, affection and care was not quenched. As the weather changes, what they call 'cuffing season,' the time of year when people couple up for convenience, begins. Distractions abound and can become idols—substitutes for worship that cause us to lose our focus on, and honor of God. Jesus gave this woman a beautiful metaphor on the satisfaction that is found God, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life...But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." (John 4:13-14; 23) Acedia, like most things boils down to a matter of worship and identity. Who we are, whose we are, and whom we will serve. There is no one, and nothing more satisfying than Christ! An Opportunity for Delight The spiritual antonym to acedia is delight. Psalm 1:1-3 informs us that the blessed person does not follow the advice of the wicked, nor stand around with sinners, or join with mockers. The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. This brings them into a great level of stability, akin to a fruitful tree that always successfully produces and is profitable. Psalm 37 admonishes us to, "Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most." (v.4) The concept is that if we're pliable in God's hands, He will give us what we ought to desire. This is the antidote to acedia.