WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MALAISE- Sadell Bradley 1/10/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD MALAISE 1/10/2024 "Where there is chance of gain, there is also chance of loss. Whenever one courts great happiness, one also risks malaise."– Walker Percy - American Writer TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY ACTING UP!: Why Are You Weeping? @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube         MALAISE is a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. Some folks call it the blues. The french word ennui signifies boredom. Webster's dictionary states that malaise, (Old French) "formed from the combination of mal (“bad”) and aise (“comfort”), has been a part of English since the mid-18th century. It originally referred to a vague feeling of weakness or discomfort accompanying the onset of an illness—a meaning still in use today when a virus or other malady starts producing symptoms—but has since broadened to cover a general, ominous sense of mental or moral ill-being." For some, the start of the year promotes excitement and a renewal of passion and adventure. Others experience a case of the blahs...a numbness that is hard to identify because nothing is really wrong. In fact, malaise can set in even when things are generally ok. A friend was sharing these symptoms. I used the word MALAISE to describe them. She replied, "There's a word for it?" Yeah, there's a word for almost everything, Lol!. Recently, a young millennial told me that since the pandemic, they'd lost enthusiasm, and didn't really want to venture out of the house. Maybe you've experienced a case of melancholy, listlessness, or the doldrums. I assure you, you're not alone. Negative news cycles, antics on social media, politics, even the change of season from Fall to Winter can cause us to be disquieted (worried or anxious), or despondent (in low spirits from loss of hope or courage). It's easy to understand when a trial or tribulation is upon us...it's much harder when we can't exactly pinpoint why we are desensitized or deadened in spirit with malaise. The Psalmist Korah in Psalm 42 wrote about his deep longing for the presence of the LORD, he writes, "1As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." Korah is in the midst of a time where there are so many tears that the grief is talking. "Where is your God?" it asks. Some of us have experienced periods where we feel like the living dead, but we still trust and hope in God for better days. In verse 4 Korah recalls, I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise... He remembers a time when God's presence filled all his empty spaces. He enjoyed the community of the saints...and longs to return. Korah encourages himself with this query and answer, "11Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD -STEADFAST - Sadell Bradley - 01/03/2024

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD STEADFAST 1/3/2024 "Stay focused on your mission, remain steadfast in your pursuit of excellence, and always do the right things." – Mark Esper - Former US Secertary of Defense TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY ACTING UP!: FINISH THE RACE @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube         I once took a trip to England with EF Educational Tours. We visited Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of "The Queen's Guard." The pageantry was fascinating, but it was not as intriguing as the discipline the sentry—soldiers stationed to keep guard, and to control access—showed. They were at their post for two hours. Every 10 minutes, they came to attention, sloped arms, and marched 15 paces across the area of the post. Each sentry does this four to five times before halting. They then shoulder arms and stand at ease. 'Standing easy' is not permitted while a sentry is at their post. Orders read aloud state that sentries "may not eat, sleep, smoke, stand easy, sit or lie down during [their] tour of duty." (Wikipedia) Some try to distract, dissuade, or discombobulate the sentry. One woman was so annoying, a guard lost his cool and kicked her in the ankle. Consequently, the entire guard was moved from outside the palace to within its walls. To be a sentry, you have to be STEADFAST - resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering. This is what the LORD is calling us to, not just in 2024, but for the rest of our lives. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 about the everlasting hope we have because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. He lives today! and those who believe Jesus is LORD and King have an expectation that when we die, we will live and reign with Him forever. We serve God from a vantage point of victory as soldiers in His Kingdom's army. Christ has conquered death, hell, and the grave. We are triumphant in Him. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades (grave), where is your victory?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Paul encourages those who identify with Christ to live steadfast lives. We are to be undistracted like those sentries—disciplined, focused, and persevering to the end. This is my prayer for myself and all of us. Happy New Year!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CULMINATION - SADELL BRADLEY - 12/23/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD CULMINATION 12/27/2023 "Life is a culmination of the past, an awareness of the present, an indication of a future beyond knowledge, the quality that gives a touch of divinity to matter." ~Charles Lindbergh TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY ACTING UP!: I-COMMERCE @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube         I've always thought CULMINATION was about endings. I was pleasantly surprised to find that CULMINATION is actually the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time . It is to reach a summit, or a decisive point. A summit is the highest attainable level of achievement . Years ago, a prophet accurately identified that I'd had five seasons of loss, where I'd given up something. Then he said there would be a "culmination of blessing," where the things I'd given up would come together in an abundance. I initially disregarded this because I saw culmination terminations—not high altitudes or achievements. When grief is fierce, even the LORD's words meant to encourage can be misunderstood . Has this happened to you? On New Year's Eve, African-Americans celebrate a service called Watch Night or Freedom's Eve . The meetings commemorate the emancipation of enslaved Africans after 400 years in bondage in the United States. On December 31, 1862, enslaved families gathered together, waiting for the news of their freedom. Then they celebrated exuberantly when it was announced. Watch Night is a joy-filled worship service. Prior to this liberation, restrictions like the Georgia Slave code stated that, " No person of color . . . shall be allowed to preach, to exhort, or join in any religious exercise with any persons of color, either free or slave, there being more than seven persons of color present. "   The evening of December 31st is a time of song, celebration, and stirring Words from God. It reminds me of Psalm 126, a prayer of ascents:  1 When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion, We were like those who dreamed. 2Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are joyful. 4Restore our fortunes, LORD, As the streams in the South. 5Those who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting. 6 One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him . (Psalm 126, NASB) I pray that the LORD turns your captivity, brings you into freedom, a blessing of culmination, and overwhelms you with JOY in the coming year!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PAUSE - Sadell Bradley - 12/20/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD PAUSE 12/20/2023 "When things begin to accelerate wildly out of control, sometimes patience is the only answer. Press pause." ~ Douglass Rushkoff - American Author TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY ACTING UP! DON'T BE SILENT @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube       PAUSE IT! That's what I say when I want my husband to stop the TV because I think I have something interesting or important to say. Now that there's "On Demand," we can pause at any time and recover our favorite show right where we left off. Maybe we lost a little TV time, but we invested in something more important—relating with one another. A PAUSE - is a temporary stop in action or speech; in technology, it's a button that allows for the temporary interruption of an electronic or mechanical process.. Pause in the Latin and Greek just means to stop. This time of year moves at a rapid pace. Folks are consumed with holiday preparations. School is out which is either more relaxing...or not. Stores are filled, traffic is stressful, and finances can be tight. We're approaching the end of the year, which is a time of self-evaluation and reflection. If we're where we hoped we'd be, there's excitement—if not there are regrets. With life, job, and academic pressures, and our church moving...I was overworked, overwhelmed, and anxious. The remedy was to just bring things to a halt. Another word for halt or pause is standstill. A standstill is a situation or condition in which there is no movement or activity at all. Stand still as a command means come to rest. God gave this command to Israel in Exodus. The Israelites were in the process of being delivered from 430 years of slavery to Egypt. Though God had wrought many plagues as miraculous signs to end their servitude; Pharaoh and the Egyptians believed they still held control over the people they'd owned for centuries. The children of Israel were out...but they weren't all the way out. Though they'd boldly left and spoiled the Egyptians; they were concerned that Pharaoh and his army would capture and return them to bondage. So the LORD devised a plan to have Israel camp along the shore and look like sitting ducks. He would harden Pharaoh's heart once more, and the monarch would give chase. God declared, "I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!” (Exodus 14:4) The Israelites obeyed God's command and then looked terrified as Pharaoh approached. They cried out to the LORD and blamed their leader Moses for bringing them out to the wilderness to die. In verse 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” It's hard for some of us to pause—to stand still and wait for the LORD to speak, to move, to fight, and to fix situations beyond our control. But that's exactly what God is asking some of us to do.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - QUAGMIRE - Sadell Bradley - 12/6/2023

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD QUAGMIRE 12/6/2023 "In a way, forgiving is only for the brave. It is for those people who are willing to confront their pain, accept themselves as permanently changed, and make difficult choices. Forgivers are not content to be stuck in a quagmire. They reject the possibility that the rest of their lives will be determined by the unjust and injurious acts of another person." ~ Gordon Dalbey - Author TONIGHT 7 PM BIBLE STUDY ACTING UP!: FREEDOM SONGS @warehouseOTR  Facebook, Youtube     A QUAGMIRE is a soft boggy area of land that gives way under foot. Figuratively, it is an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation. A person can be mired in work, or a relationship that prevents them from going anywhere. In a quagmire, you're stuck "in the mud," physically, financially, mentally, emotionally,  or spiritually. The situation is hard to escape. There is no easy solution. We used to sing, "He brought me out of the miry clay. He placed my feet on a rock to stay. He put a song in my soul today, a song of praise, hallelujah!" Mire is a situation of difficulty, distress, or embarrassment from which it is hard to extricate oneself. It's a predicament of chance, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments. Quagmires lack security and stability. You don't see the miry portion of land before you step onto it, lose control, start to sink, and desperately want to get out. With quagmires, getting out depends on the will, strength, or pleasure of another. Mire can be a symbol of depression - a desolate pit of despair where one is bogged down in sadness, grief, despondency, or helplessness. God can lift us out of the quagmire by His love, grace, and power. We come out muddied...but we're free! "He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because He delighted in me." (Psalm 18;9) Scholars believe David was in exile when he wrote some of the Psalms, " Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me." (Psalm 69:2) The king was in a devastating situation and needed God's help. He cried out, "Rescue me from the miry mud; don't let me sink. Let me be rescued from those who hate me, and from the deep water." (v.14) In Psalm 40, 1-2 God answers, "I waited patiently for the LORD, And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet up on a rock, And established my steps." David was not able to escape his situations on his own. He had to wait for the LORD to reach down, rescue, settle and stabilize him on a secure landing place. We now know that Rock to be Christ Jesus— all other ground is sinking sand.