WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INVENTORY - Sadell Bradley- 12/28/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD INVENTORY 12/28/2022 “Intentional living is the bridge to significance. At the end of every year, I take time out to reflect and evaluate the events of the previous year - what went well and what needed improvement. From that inventory, I lay out my next year - how I intend to live, make the best use of time and maximize adding value to others."- John C. Maxwell, Leadership Guru TONIGHT 7 PM WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SECOND COMING THE RETURN  @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube       At the end of the year, companies and organizations make an INVENTORY—a complete list of items like property, goods in stock, or the contents of buildings. Businesses look at both finished works and works in progress to help them plan for the next year. Everything is cataloged, recorded, counted and filed. It's important for companies to know what they actually have on hand so they can supply goods for their customers. This is no time for guessing. It's also crucial for them to assess the value of what they own so they can make and sustain profits in the future. The Bible describes taking inventory in an agricultural society. In proverbs 27:23-24 it instructs, "Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation." In 1993, researchers John McKnight and John Kretzmann at Northwestern University introduced Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), a methodology for the sustainable maturation of communities based in taking an inventory of their strengths and potentials. ABCD has been used to transform cities across the Country. They found that in urban settings and in our lives; we too often focus— even obsess about what is lacking. Taking inventory helps us realize and deploy the value of what we have. Do you know what your assets and strengths are? Leadership coaches, teachers, and pastors encourage their students, mentees, and parishioners to take end of year life and spiritual inventories. We challenge folks to "List what you believe went well, or went wrong this year." We ask, "What would you change about how you've managed your time/ money/ relationships with God and others?" "What disciplines do you wish to add this year? or, "What would you like to have accomplished by the end of next year?" We suggest folks use their laptops or journals to write their inventories. Scientists and educators say that writing by hand helps with things like memory and creativity. It assists us with clarifying purpose and reaching our goals. Proverbs 16:3 AMP tells us to, "Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]." There are a few days left to set aside time to do a natural and spiritual inventory and establish our 2023 plans. A new suggestion might be to start with your most valuable assets and strengths. Happy New Year!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - COMMERCIAL - SADELL BRADLEY- 12/21/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD COMMERCIAL 12/21/2022 “The commercial spirit is the spirit of profit, not patriotism; of credit, not honor; of individual gain, not national prosperity; of trade and dickering, not principle.”—Lincoln Steffens, Author TONIGHT 7 PM WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY ONLINE NEW SERIES: SECOND COMING ASCENSION  @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube   Christmas has become too commercial! I'm sure you've heard that refrain a lot. I wondering if you would concur. COMMERCIAL means concerned or engaged with commerce (the activity of buying and selling and social dealings between people). It also means making or intending to maximize a profit; having profit rather than another value as an aim/motive. In commercials, companies are funded by revenue from broadcast advertisements. Many would identify Christmas as a bastion of commercialism. Look at the kind of turmoil Black Friday elicits! A Small Business Trends article details some history/rationale behind the commercialization of Christmas. It mentions everything from the creation of glass ornaments and Elf on the Shelf, to Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday. It tells how ads from Coca Cola in 1930's news outlets like The Saturday Evening Post turned the somewhat spooky looking Dutch character Sinterklaas into the jovial marketing machine we now know as Santa Claus. Of course you meet him and get your child's photo taken in the local mall...for what is now a not so small fee. Sadly, the commercialization of "Christ's Mass," intended as a service of worship celebrating the incarnation, has also engulfed many Christians. The phrase "buying and selling" above, made me think of Jesus cleansing the Temple of commercialism. The shady business deals and extortion of worshippers who wanted to sacrifice animals or exchange their currency for coins accepted in worship angered Him. "When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching." (Mark 11:15-18) The buyers, sellers, and money changers, like stores and advertisers today, were motivated only by profit. Now, I'm not here to ruin anyone's shopping sprees or family gatherings. I've bought presents. I am suggesting that we as Christ-followers remember this 'holy day' (holiday) is about Jesus' birth—and that we intentionally choose to worship Him and spread that message. Let's not be so distracted by the commercial that we neglect the sacred. Christ is born. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MIRACLE - Sadell Bradley - 12/14/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD MIRACLE 12/14/2022 “The spirit of a man can only endure so much and when it is broken, only a miracle can mend it.”—John Burroughs, TONIGHT 7 PM WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY ONLINE NEW SERIES: SECOND COMING RESURRECTION  @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube     In 2021 in the throes of the pandemic, the Barna Research Group reported that 38% of Pastors Considered Leaving the Ministry, 51% in mainline denominations. The health and well-being of many clergy is sadly failing. Many of those we serve are also in dire situations that seem untenable, irreconcilable, and in some cases irretrievably broken. They look to us for answers, but sometimes we need our own solutions. After a lengthy time of intense ministry, I bowed my head and simply prayed, "Lord, I need a miracle." These situations are far above my pay grade to handle; I need You to step in. It's not often that I pray this kind of prayer—perhaps I should more frequently. Maybe I don't want to bother God,"I need to be responsible and figure things out myself." With my head bowed, my spirit prayed what I couldn't, "Lord I need a miracle." I felt a release and could then let go and let God determine outcomes. We don't know how He will get us into/out of situations, but He will. A MIRACLE is a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a Divine agency. It is also a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences. 1 Corinthians 12:10 tells us that the power to perform miracles, or the 'working' of miracles' (KJV) is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:11-12 says that "God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled." These are generally the type of phenomena we think of when we say we are "expecting a miracle," and God does these kind every single day. However, Author John Burroughs in his quote above suggests that there are other situations that also require God's miraculous intervening power...specifically, brokenness of spirit. Proverbs 17:22 says A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Hit after hit can not only leave one exhausted, but a depressed spirit saps a person's strength. Psalm 147:3 says of God, "He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds." Jesus Christ, our Messiah has been "sent to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1b) His healing and working of miracles goes beyond broken bones and reaches to broken hearts. Maybe you need to simply pray, "Lord, I need a miracle," today.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - NEBULOUS - Sadell Bradley- 12/07/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD NEBULOUS 12/07/2022 “There is NO BOX—just a big, nebulous, ever-expanding vastness that deceives us into thinking there are walls. Bust 'em down.”—Unknown TONIGHT 7 PM WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY ONLINE FIT FOR THE KING POWER         @warehouseOTR   Facebook, Youtube     NEBULOUS means in the form of cloud or haze. When discussing a concept or idea—it means unclear, vague, or undefined. Antonyms for nebulous include: clear, direct, simple, understandable, coherent, and straightforward. Nebulous speech is used when someone doesn't want to reveal their thoughts. It throws the listener off track. There's a lot of that going on in the world today. Some would rather be indefinite and obscure in their speech and let people try to figure out for themselves what is meant. Have you ever had that type of conversation? The person speaks in nebulous circles, and you don't know at the end of the conversation what really happened. Could you please be more specific? Have you ever heard the phrase "The nebulous 'THEY'?" Well, church and other leaders hear third party from this group all of the time. "'They' think the worship is too long/short." "'They' said 'they' didn't like your message." "They feel you should/shouldn't do/say X, Y, or Z..." The nebulous 'they' seem to be a big and looming part of your constituency—until you find out that "they" are usually one person who had a complaint and a subsequent conversation with someone—who then shared with you what "they" said to them— but were unwilling to say to you. You are generally more interested in the perspective of the person who is sharing this news. Did that person choose to protect or defend you? or did "they" agree with what "they" said. It's not a great way to build trust. Perhaps the communication, clarity, climate, and connectedness of our families, workplaces, organizations and churches would improve if we challenged people to identify "the nebulous they." No, we can't do that, Sadell! "They" won't like it! LOL! There seems a deceptive element to "the nebulous 'they.'" Scripture tells Christ followers, "Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ]." (Ephesians 4:25, AMP) We are not to be a part of nor spread the opinions of the "the nebulous 'they.'"