House on Fire? Go Visit a Friend.

by Bruce Brady

Matthew 6:33 tells us,” But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Does this mean we needn’t worry about earthly matters? Yes. It doesn’t mean we don’t have to deal with them, it simply means we shouldn’t be anxious about them.


However, we often spend our time fretting over the things of the world. If we measure the amount of time we spend with our Lord as compared to the time we spend on daily tasks and concerns, we will discover God gets little, if any, of our daily time. I’ve often heard it said, “If you want to know what your priorities are, look at your check register.” The implication is that the things we spend the most money on are the things that are most important to us. While I may not completely agree with this analogy, I do think it applies to our “time-allotment” checkbook.

I know that I spend more time with God than I ever have but I spend very little time with Him when compared to what I do with the rest of my time. And I’m not always faithful about my “Time with God” schedule. While I try to start each day with the Lord, I frequently allow circumstances to dictate how I spend my time. I forget the message of Matthew 6:33.


I selected the title for this post because this contrast indicates how God often works in my life. If the world is demanding my attention for something that seems urgent, God usually counters by leading me to do something that seems completely unrelated to the urgent matter. Frequently, following Him doesn’t make sense to me at the time. However, after a while, He shows me how my following Him was the correct response to the situation because it put my attention on the important instead of the urgent.


The message this Scripture verse has for me and all of us is simple. When we focus our attention on God, especially in times of worldly urgency, He will honor our faithfulness by providing the ideal solution to the urgent matter. Despite my natural human tendency to control every circumstance of my life (and often those of the people around me), His solutions are always better than anything I conceive. His love for us will never put us in true jeopardy. Remembering this will help us turn to Him at all times.


So when your house is on fire and you hear that still, small voice telling you to go visit a neighbor or friend, do it. Even if your house burns to the ground and you lose all your earthly possessions, you’ll gain so much more. Of course it will be painful for a time but He is faithful and will not let you suffer beyond what is beneficial to you. And, imagine how profound an impact your faithful obedience will have on your neighbor or friend, particularly when God restores you to better off than you were before.

We Rarely Have All the Answers Up Front

by Bruce Brady

Just when I thought I wouldn’t do anything with our church’s drama ministry until Christmas, God lead me to turn an old joke into an introduction for this past Sunday’s sermon. It was a relatively simple assignment, or so I thought. It was a short, 3-minute script that could be easily memorized and performed by four adults. And the senior pastor said it could be worked into the schedule.

However, the pastor said that particular Sunday included “Children’s Time;” a time when all the children come down and sit on the stage steps to hear a story. So, he asked if I could have children play the parts instead of adults. Ignoring the fact that many children were gone on vacation, and that I’d never directed a children’s stage production, I said yes. After all, if God wanted me to cast and direct a children’s production, He would take care of the details.

Naturally, God came through. I had four parts, He gave me five kids. Oh boy! I had an understudy. But I only had time for five rehearsals and none of these kids had ever acted before. In addition, Satan tried to make me panic because two of the kids were going on vacation and would miss three rehearsals. I almost gave in. Yet, I knew the Lord had things covered. So I put my faith in Him and asked the parents to help their kids memorize their lines.

This was my third production in less than a year. It was the third time I casted the parts without an audition and no regard for experience. It was the third time I encouraged criticism of my script from the actors, their parents and the church staff. It was the third time I relied completely on the Lord for the results, and was not disappointed.

Through God’s grace, we had three flawless performances and He filled me with a greater love for my little troupe of 10-12 year olds. It was a joy working with and getting to know them better. I know there will be more children’s productions in my future and look forward to them. It’s also a joy to know that God will always provide the perfect people to fill every part, and He will work through them to ensure His message reaches His intended audience.

If God is calling you to do something you’ve never done, listen. Don’t rob yourself of the joy that accompanies answering His call. Remember that no matter how hopeless things might seem at times, He will accomplish His will through you, despite the obstacles. So, follow His lead. Know that He will provide all the answers when they are needed, not before. And enjoy the ride.

The Ramblings of a Wayward Writer

(This is the same post as on "Reality Writing." I did this because I was told to.)

By Bruce Brady

I sit here, happy that I can sit for more than a couple of minutes, listening to hear what God has to say to me. I must constantly remind myself that it is difficult to hear Him in this noisy world because He speaks softly. In fact, He speaks so softly that I must make an effort to rid my mind of all external and internal noise in order to hear Him.

It has been 29 long days since I injured my hip on a mission trip. And, with one exception, today is the first day I’ve been able to sit down at my computer long enough to write more than a couple of words. It feels good to write again. Yet, I’ve been beating myself up because I haven’t written anything for a month. But today I heard God and He told me that my self-degradation is one of the most effective tools Satan has in his arsenal. It has been an effective tool since the fall.

We all fear some things in life. However, when we take a hard look at the root cause of our fears, it usually turns out to be the fear of rejection. Deep inside our hearts we know that any failure in our life will be criticized by others, and that potential criticism causes us great emotional agony.

I have recently realized that contrary to what I previously thought, I’ve been suffering that very fear. My inability to sit long enough to write has caused me to fear rejection by my mentors, Edie and Pam. I know that they will love me no matter what I may or may not do, but I’ve still been afraid of disappointing them. They have poured their hearts and souls into helping me succeed as a writer and I’ve repaid them with nothing for several weeks now. And while my hip injury may be a viable excuse, it isn’t a good one. After all, Jesus went through a lot more suffering than I’m experiencing and still pressed on. Paul did also. So, I have no excuse.

Instead of giving in to my pain and discomfort, I should have used the brain God gave me to devise a way of writing without the need for sitting. After all, it is God who gives me the words and He can do that no matter what position I’m in. So I’m recommitting myself to the pursuit of serving Him through the written word, remembering Philippians 3:13-14 which says,”…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Should you find yourself struggling in your quest to reach your goal, forget what is behind and press on. Don’t let the world get in the way of your calling; your purpose for living. Remember we are all created by a loving God who wants us to do well and experience the good things of life. Those who would criticize you are those who are also floundering and want you to be their savior. Of course, you can’t save them but with God’s help you can show them the right path to salvation. And you can do this with the words He gives you.