WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SUCCESS - Sadell Bradley - 03/19/2025

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SUCCESS 03/19/2025 "Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." — John Wooden, American Basketball Coach CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20     "Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." —Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister At work I was asked by one of my reports for one word to describe what I'd like to see in our Department. I thought about words like: clarity, communication, connection, order, structure, results... Then I considered one our CEO has mentioned several times—success. I figured if we were successful, all the other words would be fulfilled. SUCCESS means the accomplishment of an aim or purpose; the good outcome of an undertaking. The Latin succedere means 'to come close after.' In non-profit circles, we employ 'success measures,' the specific, quantifiable metrics used to assess whether goals or objectives have been achieved, often referred to as Key Performance Indicators (KPI's). In life and in business these markers are often tied to numbers, relationships, achievements, or feelings of satisfaction. They say, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." What do you believe makes your life successful? your career? your money or net worth? an academic degree? the neighborhood in which you live? Whatever the markers...we live in a world that seems to always be striving for and anxious about success. Perhaps that's because SUCCESS is also defined as the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status. We love those attributes more than virtues. I rarely hear us depict success as John Wooden did—peace of mind because you've become the best version of yourself. I'm not sure we'd even care about a quote from him if he hadn't won 10 NCAA Basketball Championships in 12 years at UCLA with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton...it's funny how that works. Though I've generally shied away from the pursuit of success; I'm intrigued that the Bible does not. God was not shy about proclaiming that Abraham and his descendants would be materially blessed and have notoriety in their context. (Gen. 12:1-3) According to the Lexicon, the Hebrew word gadal means to grow, to become great, to magnify, or to promote. It is used to describe physical growth, such as a child's development, as well as metaphorical growth, such as the increase in power or influence of a person or nation. The Jews believed the idea of becoming great or being magnified was associated with Divine favor and covenantal promises. Success was directly tied to one's relationship with Yahweh. This was emphasized when Moses' successor Joshua lead the Children of Israel into a fight for their promised land at age 85. He told them: 7“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9) Sometimes we struggle with success because we're not confident about ourselves (impostor syndrome). Perhaps we've been unsure whether God really wants us to succeed, or maybe we know ourselves too well and are concerned about falling into pride—getting a bad case of the big head. Whatever the case...success isn't a bad thing if we're obtaining it God's way, and we've prepared spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally for what comes with that success. CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - HOPE - 03/12/2025 - Sadell Bradley

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD HOPE 03/12/2025   "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." — John Wayne, American Actor CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20         "I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death...I think...peace and tranquility will return again."—Anne Frank, German Diarist   Do you recall reading The Diary of Anne Frank in school? I do, and it was one of the most poignant books I've ever read. Poignant means evoking a keenly felt sense of emotion, especially of bittersweet sadness or regret. This Jewish family caught in the midst of the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany hid in plain sight for years until their abduction and transfer to the concentration camps of the Holocaust. It was a fascinating, but hard read. I recall applauding Anne's eloquence at story-telling. Even more, I admired her sense of hope amidst the most devastating of circumstances. HOPE is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. It is also a person or thing that may help or save someone;  grounds for believing that something good may happen; or a feeling of trust. I remember as I read hoping against hope that some other outcome would be granted, that the Frank family would be rescued and delivered to safety. Of course we were reading decades after their fate had been sealed. I marveled at Anne's expressions of love, laughter, and peace in the middle of the trial—how she held onto life's daily blessings despite the possibility of capture at any moment. Anne seemed to believe that everything would work out someday...even it it was not today. What she displayed was more than a teenager's naïveté; it was a lively hope. Hope seems to be getting hard to hold onto for lots of folks these days. Things are turbulent, if not chaotic. Many are wondering what will befall us...not just here in the US but all around the world. In times like these I am reminded that this earth is not my home, that I am a citizen of Heaven (Phil. 3:20), a stranger and a pilgrim passing through.(Heb. 11:13) This Heavenly vision for Christ followers is written about by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8: 18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope". —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   The writer of Hebrews also encourages our hope in the redemption and atonement found in the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, "Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls..." (Hebrews 6:18b-19a). The soul includes our mind, emotions/feelings, our will, and choices, An anchor provides stability and confidence for the ship of our soul, even when the storm is raging and the waves are crashing around us. The Rev. Desmond Tutu said, 'Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Hold on to hope. CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - WAIT - Sadell Bradley - 03/05/2025

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD WAIT 03/05/2025   "Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer." — William S. Burroughs, American Writer CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20 "Teach us O LORD, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work."  —Peter Marshall, Scottish Clergyman   To WAIT is to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time, or until something else happens; or until a later time before dealing with it. With those definitions in mind, how hard is it for YOU to wait? Our culture calls us to "Hurry up!" "Seize the day!" and "Take the bull by the horns." Less frequently we are told to "Take your time," "Hold on," or "Look before you leap." Many are trying to get 'there' (wherever there is) before neighbors, enemies, and friends. We've been told there is no time to lose and no time to wait. Certainly there are moments when we experience the urgency of now—and must take action or suffer dire consequences or missed opportunities. There are other times when wisdom is crying out to us to wait and see. This can be difficult in our ready, fire, aim society, but most of us can think of times when we wished we'd just waited. Waiting is sometimes harder than working to fix, to control, to address what's going on. I'm still learning that more often than not, situations have a way of settling themselves, without my intervention. At times I've jumped the gun responding emotionally and regretted it later. Too often the urge to fight or answer something that is God's to handle intrudes. Spanish philosopher Baltasar Gracian said, "Let the first impulse pass. Wait for the second." This advice works for both actions and words. I like the acronym W.A.I.T. which stands for "Why Am I Talking?" James wrote, "Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." (James 3:2, NIV) The Apostle instructed us to wait before responding, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." (James 1:19b-20, NIV) This is especially true right now. In this tumultuous time...we pray, trust, and wait on the Lord. We don't really know what's going on, nor what God's response will be. We often can't discern who is a true minister of the Gospel representing Christ's Kingdom, and who is not. This was also true in Paul's day. He counseled the Corinthians,"So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God." (1 Cor. 4:5, AMP) I'm glad about this. King David began Psalm 27 with this beautiful declaration of assurance, "1The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?2When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear;Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident..." He ended the psalm with a petition to the LORD and encouragement for himself and for us, "11Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 12Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.13I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" CLICK HERE TO RSVP & PAY $20

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - FIX- Sadell Bradley - 02/26/2025

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD FIX 02/26/2025 "We live in a disposable society. It is easier to throw things out than to fix them. " — Neil LaBute, American Director       "We can't fix the real problems if we only cauterize and don't treat the roots of evil."  — Emanuel Macron, President of France   FIX is one of those words with multiple meanings including: to mend or repair; to fasten something securely in a particular place or position; to castrate or spay (an animal); neuter; to influence the outcome of (something, especially a race, contest, or election) by illegal or underhanded means; to decide or settle on (a specific price, date, course of action, etc.); to direct one's eyes, mind, or attention steadily or unwaveringly toward. A FIX can be a difficult or awkward situation from which it is hard to extricate oneself; a predicament; a measure taken to resolve a problem or correct a mistake, a solution or remedy; a thing or activity that gives a person a feeling of euphoria or pleasure and that it is difficult to do without (like a drug or narcotic); a dishonest or underhanded arrangement. We say "the fix is in" to indicate that the outcome of something, such as a game or contest, is being controlled or affected in a dishonest way. It is not surprising that few seem to want to fix the things that are going on in the world in Christlike ways. Jesus told us to “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt. 7:13-14) As daily events occur in the US and on this earth...it seems as if a fix is in. The helplessness and anxiety many express to do anything about what is happening is palpable. My heart breaks for those who have been falsely accused and placed in immediate jeopardy and loss, and for those of us even in our City who are experiencing threat. So what do we do? We must live by faith as the writer of Hebrews encouraged us to do. In Hebrews 11, what is known as the Hall of Faith, describes many in the Bible who endured dire circumstances by believing God's power to save. 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV) The Amplified Bible renders this passage: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, 2[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. 3Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. What you can't fix...release. Let go and let God.