WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MIDDLE - 5/31/2023

WEDNESDAY'S WORD MIDDLE 5/31/2023 “Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don't. You are in good company...You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope." - John Piper, American Clergy TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PERMISSION GRANTED @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE $10 for BREAKFAST Scholarships available, email here     "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." - Ecclesiastes 7:8 These wise words from King Solomon admonish us to hold on. In difficult situations, we can wait to see what the end will be. Patience is equated with humility, and impatience with pride. Jesus Christ announced in Rev. 1:9, “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” We place a lot of focus on the beginning and the end...but what about the middle? That seems to be where all the struggle is. John Piper explains above that it's in the in the middle where the dark night of the soul occurs— where we can find ourselves wandering aimless and lost. The middle is where we become anxious because God is often silent. It's where we sometimes give up hope. The MIDDLE is defined as the point or position at an equal distance from the sides, edges or ends of something; the point at or around the center of a process or activity, period of time, etc. The middle is where you're too invested to turn back, but not far enough along to be finished. We don't talk much about the middle, but we should. A large part of our adult life is called Middle Age. When the Israelites were being freed from enslavement to Egypt, the Lord told Moses to lift up his rod, the Red Sea parted and they escaped. Afterward, Pharaoh's army, his horses, and chariots, were thrown into the sea, and there was great celebration.(Ex. 14-15) But then they arrived at the middle—the wilderness. They wandered for 40 years as God dealt with their hearts. The murmuring and complaining that occurred in the middle disqualified most of those who'd been freed from slavery from entering the promised land. Only the families of Caleb and Joshua and the next generation obtained the promise; the rest died in the middle. What is your disposition in your middle? At the next opportunity, as the priests touched the Jordan River with their feet at Joshua's command...it began to recess. The people were able to cross, but the priests had to STAND in the MIDDLE of the Jordan until everyone made it through safely. The middle required intercession. Once everyone made it through, the Lord told Joshua to have 12 men from the twelve tribes collect stones from the MIDDLE of the Jordan where the priests had stood to make a memorial, God said in Joshua 4, 6b "In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” Are you in the middle today? Does it feel like you're between a rock and a hard place? God is there in the middle with you. He will bring you to the other side as you trust Him with the in between...

WEDNESDAY'S WORD- EUSTRESS- Sadell Bradley - 05/24/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD EUSTRESS 5/24/2023 “We feel distress rather than eustress when we perceive something to be a threat rather than a challenge.”― Teal Swan, American Author TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY Carried to the Table @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube       A while ago I learned there was such a thing as good and bad debt. The interest cost of using credit cards that are not paid off monthly is not the same as the equity you can build in purchasing a home. Investopedia says, "Good debt has the potential to increase your wealth, while bad debt costs you money with high interest on purchases for depreciating assets." We used to say student loans were good debt because those with college degrees make higher incomes over their lifetimes —nowadays, I'm not so sure. Did you know there is also good and bad stress? I used to believe all stress was damaging, destructive, detrimental...and should be avoided. STRESS is pressure or tension exerted on a material object; a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. The prefix eu means good, while dis means bad. So, distress is extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain...while EUSTRESS is moderate or normal psychological stress, interpreted as being beneficial. One day while feeling stress, I turned to prayer and journaling and was reminded that, "All stress isn't bad stress; some of it is eustress." Eustress occurs when we receive a promotion, start a new job, marry, buy a home, have a child, retire, take a vacation, or pursue education. It motivates us and focuses our energy. We are excited and our adrenaline rushes because we are NOT overwhelmed—we believe we are within our coping capabilities. Distress, on the other hand, over things like health challenges, divorce, death, abuse, interpersonal conflicts, money problems, job or sleep loss— causes anxiety. It feels unpleasant because we are overwhelmed. Psalm 118:5 AMP says, "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me free." Paul tells the Church at Philippi not to be anxious about anything, but to pray specifically about everything, to allow God's peace to guard their hearts and positive thoughts to fill their minds (Phil 4:4-9). Then he describes how he lives in eustress. He writes, "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (NLT) Are you experiencing distress, eustress, or both? If distress...cry out to God for supernatural help. If eustress... understand that though it is not easy, you and God can handle this!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - GRADUATE - Sadell Bradley - 05/17/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD GRADUATE 5/17/2023 “People go to school to get educated, but most people who go to school and become a graduate in education still don't know what the word 'education' means...'Educo' means to bring out.”― Peter Tosh, Jamaican Musician TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PROMISES, PROMISES GOD CARES @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube     It's been quite a while since I last graduated, but it's happening again on Saturday—this time from United Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity. I found it interesting that this particular ministerial degree was a three-year endeavor. In the time since I started online during COVID19 in 2020—one of our parishioners has received a Masters in Environmental Engineering (1 year) and another a Masters in Clinical Health Counseling (2 years). I thought...preparation to serve and shepherd the souls God entrusts to us is an intensive and serious proposition in some circles. A GRADUATE is one who has successfully completed an academic degree, course of study, or training; to confer or receive an academic degree or qualification. Graduate derives from the Latin gradus—for degree or step— and also means to move up to a more advanced level or position. I did not anticipate going back to school at this age. King Solomon wrote, "A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them." (Proverbs 16:9 AMP) I am grateful for what I've experienced and for this step in my learning journey. Each milestone proves it's not too late. While we're here, we can fulfill purpose. Graduation is both a culmination and a launching point. That's why they also call the ceremony a COMMENCEMENT—a beginning or start. All across our social media timelines, people of various ages and backgrounds are advancing from one phase of education and moving into careers, callings, or further study. Whether from elementary, middle, or high school, college, vocational school, or a program that offers specialized training. There is a degree of joy and relief in finishing. Finishing is to be celebrated. Each year, 30-40% of students drop out of college, 40-60% do not complete graduate school. Solomon said, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." (Ecc. 7:8) Completing phases of education that 'bring us out" into the world is valuable; but commencements, new beginnings, learning and graduations are not limited to the halls of academia. Paul told Timothy, "Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15) Some of our best advancements are the 'steps' of faith we take to try and accomplish new things, to patiently endure hardship, and to use it all for God's glory!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - LONG-SUFFERING - Sadell Bradley - 05/10/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD LONG-SUFFERING 5/10/2023 “Love is not all that is required in a relationship. It needs understanding, openness, kindness, patience, long-suffering." - Iyanla Vanzant TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PROMISES,PROMISES I Will Fight For You @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE $10 for BREAKFAST Scholarships available, email here "Longsuffering is the greatest life survival virtue." - Lailah Gifty Akita - Ghanaian Author The new installment of the popular (yet risqué) Bridgerton series on Netflix is an interpretation of the story of Queen Charlotte of England. She was a Black noble of Portuguese descent, who married King George III, the British monarch during the US War of Independence. A PBS article states that on this side of the Atlantic, the slogan: "The Queen of England was a Negro woman," was weaponized by vice admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, in his campaign to persuade enslaved people to defect to the British during the 1812 War. More than 4000 did, making it the largest emancipation in the US until the Civil War. The series depicts how Queen Charlotte, in addition to braving the issues inherent in being both a woman (mother of 15) and a leader of color, navigates the storm of dealing with her husband's mental illness. It is suspected that King George III, was bipolar —a psychiatric illness characterized by both manic and depressive episodes.Yet the couple remained steadfast. The masterful portrayal of Queen Charlotte by actresses Golda Rosheuvel and India Ria Amarteifio, gave us a glimpse into what it really means to love someone. 4Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8aLove never fails. 1 Cor. 13:4-8a (NKJV) We describe love in many ways: butterflies in the stomach, swooning, emotional, physical, or sexual attraction. Rarely, if ever, do we say...I love them or I know they love me because we've been willing to suffer in our relationship, yet we've still been patient and kind. But the Bible's first definition of love, in its most famous passage about love, whether romantic or otherwise...is LONG-SUFFERING—which is defined as having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people. During Lent, we were reminded that even Christ's passion in Scripture, meant "to suffer." Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) This does not just mean being willing to physically die, even for those who hate you, as Jesus did; it also means being willing to suffer—to experience something bad, painful, or unpleasant. It means to deny yourself and not insist on your own rights or your own way for the sake of someone you love. Long-suffering is a fruit or manifestation of the Spirit of God in us according to Galatians 5:22 So, when you suffer long with and for another, or you experience someone suffering long with and for you...you've also experienced God's true love.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RISE- Sadell Bradley- 05/3/2023

WEDNESDAY'S WORD RISE 5/3/2023 “Everything negative—pressures, challenges— is an opportunity for me to rise." - Kobe Bryant TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PROMISES, PROMISES I PROMISE Part 2 @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE $10 for BREAKFAST Scholarships available, email here       "Kites rise highest against the wind— not with it." - Sir Winston Churchill The word RISE has many meanings including: to move from a lower position to a higher one; to appear above the horizon; to reach a higher position in society or one's profession; to succeed in not being limited to or constricted by a restricted environment or situation; to find the strength or ability to respond adequately to a challenging situation; to be superior to; to get up from lying, sitting, or kneeling; to incline upward; to increase in number, size, amount, or quality; and of course, to be restored to life. Christ following is all about rising. In rising from the dead, our Savior, Jesus Christ defied the rules of science, sense, and nature We know that Jesus rose again...but what about you? Are you facing a situation from which you find it difficult to recover? Have you fallen or been knocked down mentally, physically, emotionally, relationally, or financially and don't see a way to get back up? At times things can be so bad that they bring us to despair. We don't know if we can come back to life and soar again. The Apostle Paul experienced this and shared it with the church at Corinth. "8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. (2 Corinthians 1: 8-11) As I reflect upon the African-American experience in the US and think about the strength of my family and ancestors— Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" comes to mind. Here are some excerpts: You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.