WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SEMINAL - Sadell Bradley - 4/28/2021

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SEMINAL 4/28/2021 "The essence of a religion can be discovered by asking its adherents one question: 'What to your mind, was the seminal moment in the history of the world?'" - Meir Soloveilchik -American Clergyman

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SEMINAL means- a work, event, moment, or figure that strongly influences later developments; relating to or denoting semen; or derived from the seed of a plant. Everyone has seminal events in their lives—they are seeds which grow trees that produce either good or bad fruit. The show THIS IS US begins with a seminal event. Jack and Rebecca Pearson are about to have triplets, but lose one at birth. Their doctor convinces them to adopt an African-American boy whose father has left him at a fire station after his mother's overdose. They adopt and raise Randall, Kate, and Kevin together. We learn how that decision impacts them all. The second seminal event is when the Pearson's house catches fire. Jack goes in to save his family, then their pet. Everyone comes out unscathed. Then they find that Jack has smoke inhalation. He dies in the hospital. Jack's death is a seminal event that changes all of their lives forever. As their stories unfold we see how each family member has been impacted by these two seminal events. In addition to mourning and good memories, their grief brings on loss, anxiety, addiction, and relational strife. What are the seminal events in your life? How have they impacted you for good or bad? Jesus is a healer, a mender of broken hearts, and a liberator. (Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19) Christ's work is to separate us from the negative, oppressive, effects of seminal events. Jesus said said, "Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10, NLT)

JESUS CHRIST: A SEMINAL FIGURE It is indisputable that the LORD Jesus Christ is a seminal figure in history. How many people do you know who are so impactful that the world measures time from before or after they were born? Yeah, just one. I know there's BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era), but billions of us were taught Before Christ and Anno Domini (the year of our Lord). Jesus' arrival on the scene was THE main seminal event. The angelic hosts proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to all men!" (Luke 2:14) Jesus' crucifixion was His second seminal event which atoned for the sin of mankind once and for all. "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21, BSB) One day we will all be judged by how we have decided that these two seminal events will impact our lives. The answer to that question will determine our eternal home in Heaven or in Hell. For Christ followers, the day we identified with Jesus was a seminal event— a turning point that changed the trajectory of our lives for the better, forever.

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - JUSTICE - 4/21/2021 - Sadell Bradley

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD JUSTICE 4/20/2021   "The dead cannot cry out for justice, it is the duty of the living to do so for them." - Lois McMaster Bujold - American Writer   "Justice is the sum of all moral duty." - William. Goodwin, Former U.S. Representative I did not watch the Derek Chauvin trial, nor did I stand by the TV with bated breath awaiting the verdict. My disappointment at so many other proceedings failing to indict corrupt police officers (there are many good ones), left me only a twinge of hope that justice would prevail. JUSTICE is the quality of being fair and reasonable; the administration or maintenance of law or authority. The personification of Justice is a blind woman holding scales and a sword. I have some thoughts on why justice is seen as a woman, but I'll hold those for now. We've been told that justice is blind, but in case after case in our justice system...it's been looking...and siding with individuals of particular backgrounds. Some remarked they could see the surprise on Derek Chauvin's face when the guilty verdict was delivered on three counts of murder. The fact that Chauvin could be so surprised, and that African-Americans around the world were holding their breath anticipating disappointment and possible rioting despite the fact that the ENTIRE world was an eye-witness to this murder, is very telling. It is sad that it would take that much to gain a conviction, and that we were unsure that even that would do it. I am relieved that God is not a man. (Num. 2319) He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) His judgments are true and just. (Rev. 19:2) Psalm 89:14 declares, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before You as attendants." One day, all of us will have to stand before the judgment seat of God and account for the deeds done in these bodies. (2 Cor 5:10) HIS BLOOD STILL SPEAKS In Genesis 4, after Cain killed Abel, the LORD asked him, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain responded, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" The answer to that question both then and now is YES! God means for us to be the guardians of our brothers and sisters. Then God asked him, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out from the ground." (Gen. 4:10) Cain, like Derek Chauvin, denied any wrongdoing, but the Amplified bible says Abel's [innocent] blood was crying out for [justice]. Abel was not a perfect man. If he were, he would not have been giving an offering for his sin at the time when he was murdered. That did not absolve Cain from his punishment for killing him in a jealous rage. God had favored Abel's sacrifice, and denied Cain's, who received a life-sentence for the murder. Cain was banished from the same ground where he killed his brother. He lived as a fugitive and a wanderer. A mark was placed on him so he would not be killed by anyone who found him. Cain, like Derek Chauvin, would have to live with the agony of his decision...Abel, like George Floyd, did not get to live...but their blood still speaks. WE have to reckon with our responsibility to correct a system that too frequently is unjust. Thomas Jefferson said, "I tremble for my Country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INFINITE - Sadell Bradley 4/13/2021

WEDNESDAY'S WORD INFINITE 4/13/2021 "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - C.S. Lewis INFINITE is a descriptor of God. It means limitless or endless in space, extent or size; impossible to measure or calculate; greater than any assignable quantity or countable number; able to be continued indefinitely. The symbol to the left is INFINITY, it goes on and on and is never finished. "Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:5, KJV) David said God's comprehension of him, the good and the bad, was so thorough it was incomprehensible, "Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it." (Psalm 139:6, AMP) Zophar, one of Job's confidantes in the midst of his trial asked Job, "Can you discover the depths of God? Can you [by searching] discover the limits of the Almighty [ascend to His heights, extend to His widths, and comprehend His infinite perfection]?" (Job 11:7) Of course the answer was no. God brought that to Job's attention in Chapter 38. How often do we consider that God is infinite. Are we consumed with our own limits and the boundaries imposed upon us by this world? Perhaps it's time to ponder the fact that God is not bound by time, space, finance, matter, force, power or person. OUR LIMITLESS GOD "When I consider the Heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8:1-5) Being from and living in a city, it is rare that I will just stare into the Heavens and think about God. In times like this where injustice, fear and uncertainty abound, I might need to do that to remember that God is Infinite, Omniscient and Almighty. The Israelites were bound for 400 years to their Egyptian oppressors. God freed them with His mighty hand and outstretched arm. You would think they would remember the plagues, the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, and the food (manna and quail) that came straight from Heaven. They didn't remember—they forgot Who they were dealing with. They complained. They murmured. They failed to see God's entire plan. They didn't even try to see it. They did not believe and they disobeyed. Asaph made this stirring declaration, "Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel." (Psalm 78:41) Asaph was concerned with the ways in which Israel restricted God, and failed to be persuaded— to exercise faith in His ability to exceed their expectations and bring them into their promise.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - STAGES -Sadell Bradley 4/6/2021

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD STAGES 4/6/2021 "The five stages - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance,- are part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one(s) we lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline in grief ."- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR "Life is lived on levels and arrived at in stages." - Edwin Louis Cole. When we hear the word stage, we think of a raised platform on which artists perform. The first definition of STAGE is a point, period, or step in a process or development; a section of a journey or race; a level of a building or structure. We must embrace the truth that things don't always happen all at once. They occur incrementally over a process of time. Whether we talk of birth, maturity, sleep, education, relationships, death, or grief—everything comes in phases. Even our engagement with Christ's forgiveness of sin comes in stages: conviction (the Holy Spirit's revelation of our sin), contrition (our godly sorrow), confession (speaking out our faults), forgiveness and redemption (receiving absolution of guilt by the price of Jesus' blood sacrifice on the Cross); repentance (turning away from sin), receiving justification and sanctification (just as if we'd never sinned and set apart for God's purposes), reconciliation and restoration (friends again with God and each other). Naturally and spiritually, we sometimes want to skip, ignore, or at least fail to appreciate the stage we're in. WHAT STAGE ARE YOU IN? The Children of Israel circled 40 years to cover what should have been an eleven-day journey. Their leader actually chronicled the stages, "1This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way." (Numbers 33:1-2) The passage goes on to list each stage of their movement starting with the Passover and their Red Sea Exodus from Egypt. Moses wrote about every place they camped and each time they journeyed from place to place. Numbers 33 recalls key events like the time there was no water, and the death of Aaron. The next stage was for Israel to fight their enemies and divide the promised land God told them in Exodus 23:29-30, "I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land." We don't like incremental change, and neither did they. We want things to happen instantaneously and dramatically. Stages require faith, patience, and perseverance. Imperceptible growth means the glory and credit will only go to God because we won't be able to tell how or when He did it. Can you embrace your stage? GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! CLICK HERE TO VIEW