True Happiness

by Bruce Brady

In Luke 6:45 (NLT), God tells us, "A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say." This tells us that our actions and words reveal who we really are. And that we best relate to others by being open and honest.

As a writer, I know people can tell if I'm being honest by the words I use. They know if my statements are coming from my heart or from a world view that says, "Tell them what they want to hear, then you'll gain wealth and popularity." However, doing anything just for the sake or earthly rewards will never provide true joy and peace. The only sure way to happiness is to follow the heart God gives us, without regard for material rewards.

It's true that some evil people will experience worldly success. But they will not truly be happy because they have to spend their lives worrying about how to keep what they have from others. And, in the end, they will be placed in a box, dropped into a hole and covered with dirt. All their stuff will be left behind to be divided up by the very people whom they spent their lives trying to keep it from. So what have they really accomplished?

For true happiness, follow God's lead and be true to the heart He gives you. It's your choice. Lovingly share His message to you with the world. Serve Him by serving others in a way that will enrich their lives. Then you will know the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding. And you will have true riches.

Frantic is Fantastic!

Today I'm highlighting a man, husband, father and author who is following his calling. Mike is a cancer survivor who helps others as a Physical Therapist. When he's not working, he and his wife, Jen, are busy loving and raising four beautiful daughters. So, he has little time to devote to writing. Yet, he is obedient to his calling and does his writing very early in the morning to ensure he doesn't neglect his family.

This is to say, if you claim there's too many other things to do or you don't have time to pursue your calling, the truth is you just aren't prioritizing your calling, or you're stalling due to fear. I spent a fair amount of time with Mike at last year's Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and I can state with great certainty, he is just human. So, if he can do it, you and I can do it. The following is my brief review of his latest book:

All the clichés fit this one; page-turner, edge-of-your-seat suspense, action/adventure thriller. But the real gem of this book is relationships. Yes, the characters and their relationships are endearing and believable. But you don’t just read this story, you live it. I couldn’t and didn’t put this book down. This is Mr. Dellosso’s best work yet.

Marny is a simple guy with a simple life until the beauty of a sad, mysterious girl draws him into an adventure that will change his life, and yours, forever. Mike Dellosso’s masterfully crafted story touches all the emotions. And it shows the true power of faith. If you’ve ever doubted that even the most hopeless situation can end well, you need to read this book.

Frantic is due to release early February.

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.

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.