WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MISTAKE - SADELL BRADLEY - 06/28/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD MISTAKE 6/28/2023 “A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether." - Roy H. Williams, Businessman TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PERMISSION GRANTED SUMMONED @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube     Everybody makes mistakes...or so we were told as children. One of my friends would never admit to being wrong. When we would point out a possible error, they would look puzzled and confidently say, "I'm not wrong, you're just mistaken." This was a clever, but inaccurate response. It made me think of the sitcom Happy Days' character Arthur Fonzereli, aka "The Fonz," who was so averse to being incorrect that he struggled to even say the word wrong. MISTAKE has two meanings: the noun is an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong; something which is not correct; an inaccuracy. The verb mistaken, or mistook, means to be wrong about something or someone. We've all made small and large mistakes, and at times we've been mistaken. I visited our Congregational Care Pastor Adam Miller in the hospital one day. He is the most senior male in our congregation. A fatherly spirit is all over him, and he flows in exhortation and kindness. Adam shared that he'd once told one of his children after a devastating loss, "You made a mistake...and it's OK. I've made many mistakes in my life. You just have admit it, get up, and keep it moving." Albert Einstein said, "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." If we've made a mistake, it means at least we've tried. We've forayed into uncharted territory. We've trusted ourselves or others in new ways. Maybe it worked for a while...then didn't. Fear of failure binds us. We so desire for things to be perfect, for nothing to go wrong—that we are terrified of losses, of making mistakes. They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained—we think, nothing ventured, nothing lost either! and become paralyzed/stuck trying to avoid the embarrassment of admitting, "I made a mistake." Some of the best ideas began as mistakes. Microwave ovens, velcro, and chocolate chip cookies were all accidents! Two of my favorite Scriptures are Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand," (BSB) and Proverbs 24:16, "Though a righteous person falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin." (NLT) These passages bring me comfort because they tell me even those who seek to do and be right will make mistakes, but our mistakes can redeemed for a greater purpose as we are given more and more chances. What if God wants to use a mistake not to condemn, but to bless you and launch you into something new?

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - LIBERATE - Sadell Bradley- 6/21/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD LIBERATE 6/21/2023 “I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself." - Bishop T. D. Jakes TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PERSECUTED WITH PERMISSION @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube   I'm writing this on, Juneteenth, which has been a Federal holiday since 2021. A New York Times Article offers some history, "On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier, on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. The holiday is also called “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.” It took over two years for Texas slaves to even receive notice of their liberation—much less begin to enjoy it. The modern slogan, "Free-ish since 1865," is a telling reminder that African-Americans in the US are still in the midst of a struggle for liberation. Some are critical of the US government for legislating the Juneteenth holiday...but not addressing the racism, brutality, oppression, economic inequities, confinements, and subjugation that still exists. To LIBERATE means to set someone free from a situation, especially imprisonment or slavery, in which their liberty is severely restricted; to free (a country, city, or people) from enemy occupation; to release someone from a state or situation that limits freedom of thought or behavior. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is not free. It has cost the lives of our ancestors...not just in death, but in honorable and dignified sacrifice. Think of the millions of slaves, whose free labor built this Country brick by brick, the Civil Rights Movement's freedom riders, or the protestors whose feet were bruised and swollen from walking for 13 months straight in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Men, women, and children were assaulted in violent encounters with fire hoses, dogs, and police with billy clubs. Then and now, plots and schemes have been devised to suppress our votes, keep us undereducated, underemployed, on a prison pipeline, and away from economic prosperity. Less than 60 years ago, these history makers were doused with food and drinks at segregated lunch counters. They were demeaned, cursed, threatened, beaten, and imprisoned. Over the course of our history. entire cities of successful African-American families have been burned to the ground. Yet through all this warfare and struggle, our people have held their dignity. Many were Christ-followers, who brought to life the meaning of Jesus' words on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) TD Jakes said "Forgiveness liberates the victim." If it did not, Black folks would not survive in America. Racial injustice still occurs in blatant and subtle forms today...but...Jesus is a liberator! He announced this in Luke 4:18-19, KJV, 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Give yourself the gift of liberation through forgiveness. Let The Liberator set you free.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CHARADE - Sadell Bradley 06/14/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD CHARADE 6/14/2023 “In our charade with ourselves we pretend that our war is not really war. We have changed the name of the War Department to the Defense Department and call a whole class of nuclear missiles Peace Keepers." - Jack Kornfield TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PERMISSION GRANTED: FINDING FAVOR @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube         I used to play Charades with my family and friends. Hilarity ensues as without words we act out our favorite movies and TV shows. In Charades, we team up with those closest to us because we want to win. We believe their knowledge of us: our signals, unspoken signs, and mutual experiences...will easily translate to them shouting the right answers. We laugh sometimes to tears at the pantomime skills (or lack thereof) of our closest companions and wonder...what in the world are you trying to say? When we can't decipher the answers, we blame their communication skills, but sometimes our interpretation is the real issue. Charades are fun in the living room...but a charade in real life is quite another story. A CHARADE is an absurd, deceptive, or empty act or pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance. The urban colloquialism "Faking the funk," is used when people pretend and are not really as they seem to be. That's our sin nature. There are all kinds of reasons for charades. The government uses them to make awful things like war seem more palatable or useful. If we call a weapon of mass destruction a "peace keeper," perhaps we'll all forget its devastating power. Folks who've had a horrible blunder or loss, but are proud and want to save face...will profess before others that they and everything going on with them are "fine." Some use charades for political advantage or power-brokering. The lyrics to the O'Jay's "Backstabbers" says, "They smile in your face, all the while they wanna take your place." Someone said, "People will stab you in the back and then ask why you are bleeding." At one time or another all of us have experienced or participated in some sort of charade. When David was fleeing from Saul in 1 Samuel 21, though he was a fierce warrior, he pretended to be harmlessly insane before king Achish of Gath to save his own life. Mordecai, Esther's guardian and cousin, instructed her not to reveal her Jewish nationality or lineage when going into the harem of king Xerxes (Esther 2). He wanted to ensure she would gain entrance. Joseph behaved as if he did not recognize his brothers when they came to Egypt seeking aid in the time of famine. They bowed before him, just as he'd dreamed as a child, but instead of moving to an immediate restoration and help— he acted the villain and dealt harshly with them. Joseph devised an elaborate scheme to see his brother Benjamin and his father Jacob again.(Gen. 42) God used these charades for His purposes; that seems a little disconcerting to me. Throughout Jesus' ministry, religious leaders followed Him and asked questions. They pretended to be sincere, feigning support of and interest in His perspective on a number of issues in order to catch Him in error, or to criticize what He would do or say. (cf. Luke 11, 20, Matt. 22, Mark 3, 12). These charades were meant to refute Christ's teachings, scatter His followers, discredit His reputation, and destroy His ministry. Have you come up against a charade? Have you been participating in one? This is not a game. REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE $10 for BREAKFAST Scholarships available, email here

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - LITERATE- Sadell Bradley - 6/7/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD LITERATE 6/7/2023 “The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity." - Neil Gaiman, Author

TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY PERMISSION DENIED @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube

REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE $10 for BREAKFAST Scholarships available, email here

Growing up as the daughter of an elementary school teacher—reading was a big deal. Not only was I required to do my own schoolwork; I had a desk in the basement and was given extra work at home! Each Summer, I was assigned a specific number of books to read. During the school year I worked for free at school. I helped grade papers—LOVED that red wax pen! For my adoptive mother, who was born right before the Depression and lived through the Civil Rights Movement—education was the way out for us Negro/Colored/Black/Afro-African-Americans. She lived through all those iterations, and was the first in our family to graduate from college. She also worked as a city accountant. (STEM) My mother would break through any barrier to improve the literacy of her children. She personally tutored them, made sure they had food and clothing if it was lacking, and would intervene in hard home situations. For her, nothing was better than an educated, literate, mathematically sound, and well-spoken child or adult. To be LITERATE means to be able to read and write. It also means having or showing education or knowledge, typically in a specified area. Our church working with the Wesley Chapel Mission's Family Reading program reminds me of literacy's importance. In the late 1960's Margaret McNamara started the non-profit RIF - Reading Is Fundamental. That was both the name and the slogan of the organization. Fundamental means of central importance; forming the necessary core, essential nature, or crucial point. They believed for a child or adult to not just survive, but thrive in our society, they had to be literate. Someone once said, "If you want to hide something important from people...put it in a book!" Illiteracy is not just present in our school systems...it's all over the Country. A 2021 Gallup poll said that Americans read "all or part of" 12.6 books per year. 17% read no books, 40% read 1-5. When was the last time you read an entire book? In a Minister's Class at The Warehouse, we lamented over the Biblical Illiteracy of many parishioners and leaders. The mysteries of God are, like it or not, found in a book. Paul said, "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 Corinthians 2:15 AMP) It's hard to accurately handle and skillfully teach what you do not know...and there's so much wisdom and value in the Word of God if we value it! Job said, "I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food." (Job 23:12) We wondered aloud if the fact that we don't turn pages anymore, but click on apps and google search, has diminished our love, reverence, respect, study, and application of God's Word. Back in the day we had to read and memorize passages. I believe if you're serious about study, you'll seek out the Word in any form. We also considered the possibility of a world where Bibles are burned or Bible apps are banished...we'd have to use our own recall. Would we have enough inside us to live for Jesus? David wrote, "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:9-11) Where is your Biblical literacy today? Mine can improve.