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.

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.

Excuses, Excuses.

Over the past few weeks I have served on jury duty, been swamped with drama ministry activities, helped my friend frame, enclose and roof my deck, prepare and submit our income taxes, and a few other things. Some were callings; some were just the stuff we all face in everyday life. All have taught me a valuable lesson. I have used my callings and duties to ignore the one calling that promises to pay the bills and bless me with a great sense of satisfaction, my freelance writing. Not only have I allowed other activities to keep me from my greatest love, I have disappointed my mentors and editors in the process; an act for which I am truly remorseful.

We all allow ourselves to be distracted from time to time. Often, our distractions are actually good deeds. However, these distractions aren’t an excuse to ignore the important. Writing is my calling. I may someday be a great writer or I may not, but I know I’m supposed to write. And, there are people and organizations that depend, in part, on my writing. When I don’t write, and do those things that get it sold, I cause those who depend on me to suffer. Not doing what I’m called to do has a profound effect on many others. Most importantly, when I excuse myself from doing what I must, what I love, I do not contribute to family finances and that hurts the one I love the most, my wife.

Now human nature dictates that I beat myself up and spend more time not writing while I wallow in self-pity. We all have those moments when we allow our lack of action to lead to more inaction. Often this results in our giving up. But, I will not do that this time. I’ll rely on the Lord to give me the strength to press on, to run the good race. I’ll do what He has called me to do. I will not let Him or myself down. I’ll swallow my pride, make the proper apologies and get back to fulfilling my calling.

If you find yourself facing a similar situation, don’t give up and don’t give in. Whatever you allowed to distract you, forgive yourself and move on with greater resolve. Remember that there is nothing you can do that God won’t forgive, so afford yourself that same forgiveness. If you’ve hurt loved ones in the process, ask their forgiveness and renew your commitment to those relationships. They may need time to forgive you so give it to them. While you’re waiting, get back to doing what you were called to do. Get back to serving God in the way He created you to.

When He Calls, He Provides.

Today is the first day of rehearsal for my church’s Easter Pageant. I didn’t think it would happen. I didn’t think so because I couldn’t see it happening. Just last Thursday, I held a meeting for all cast members and only 8 people showed up; I expected about 20. The other 20 or so parts hadn’t been cast yet. Not for a lack of trying but because our Pageant takes place during Spring Break for our schools. Between the fear of public speaking and Spring Break plans, my casting efforts were met with stiff resistance. I struggled for 3 weeks just to get the 20 cast members I thought I had and our church has between 4,000 and 5,000 members. So you understand my frustration.

Now, another week has gone by and I have all the characters cast with extras I may have to write into the script because I don’t want to discourage anyone. The Music Minister and a couple of members who teach Bible Study classes worked their networks and the additional parts were filled in 4 days. All I did was follow up with a phone call and informational e-mail afterward. It was a wonderful thing to witness.

Most importantly, I was taught another lesson by my loving Father. He reminded me that when He calls us to do something for Him, He provides all our needs. I recalled all the times in His Word when He tells us to keep our focus on Him and He will take care of the rest. In Proverbs 3: 5-6 He tells us that when we don’t rely on our own understanding but think about Him in every situation, He will show us the way to go and what to do. The problem is that it is not natural for us to give control to someone else. Our very nature wants to be in charge of our life. But when we do give Him control, it always works out better than we can do on our own, and in perfect timing. Remember, God is our Father and He wants bless us with good things. So, if we’ll give Him our concerns, hopes and plans, He will show us the best way to handle them.

I Personally Know And Believe In Jesus Christ.

I recently read a Facebook post forwarded from a friend challenging all people to publically proclaim belief in the lordship of Jesus Christ. My first reaction was, “Why is this even out there?” Then I realized that this is not a simple task for most professed Christians. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to make disciples of all people by teaching them everything He taught us. Yet, you will find very few professed Christians who obey this command. They use many excuses to avoid compliance, but the truth is nearly always fear; the kind of fear that results from worldly pressure.

For years, I lived in fear of being asked the reason for my optimism. I was sure that if I wasn’t threatened by the questioner, I would, at the very least, be completely humiliated by the experience. As I grew in my walk with Jesus, I came to learn from His gentle teaching that my fear was rooted in the fact that I was putting myself first, ahead of Him. Of course I felt guilty when I clearly saw this, but He assured me He still loved me and wanted to walk with me for all eternity. He also assured me that it was normal to have this fear.

You see, we all fear rejection, whether we like to admit it or not. That fear is in our basic human nature. Our human nature is opposed to sharing the “Good News” with others because doing so may cause others to dislike us, or even want to harm us. So, to avoid emotional discomfort or physical harm, we refuse to obey. This doesn’t mean we should be ourselves up about it, it just means we need to see it for what it is, disobedience. When we see this, we merely need to ask God’s forgiveness, knowing it is given the moment we ask if we truly repent, then obey Him the next time an opportunity to share the Gospel arises, and it will.

God has called every one of us to share the “Good News” with everyone we know and meet. However, He did not call us to do so alone. He also promised that He will always be with us; He will never leave us. It is our responsibility to make sure we know and understand the Gospel, for our own benefit and to be ready to answer the questions of others. But He does not expect us to win souls without help. He will always be there to give us the right words to fit every situation and to give us the courage to speak, if we will simply ask Him. And, as an added benefit, whenever we share the hope of salvation with others, God will bless us with a most wonderful joy that words can’t adequately express.

It’s Never Just About You…

Today I wrote a brief article for “RealityWriting.net” and realized something that has been true whenever God talks to me, guides me and corrects me. It’s never been just about me. As I was writing the article, the Holy Spirit gently showed me how even my most personal lessons from God have a profound effect on others. He never really does something just for me alone. And that is because He loves us all and wants us all to be positive influences in the lives of everyone else. God is calling all of us to be better people; people who care about others more than ourselves.

Think of Jesus’ life. His whole life was about benefiting others. He promised us that the more we serve others, the more we will be rewarded, but this should not be our motivation. If it is, then we are still all about ourselves. I understand that we begin life with a self-focus. Most everything we do is motivated by how our actions will benefit us. Yet God has promised that the more selfless we are, the more we will truly benefit in an eternal way. And the eternal is so much more important than the now. But He doesn’t ignore the now. He rewards our selfless service by blessing us with great personal joy and by meeting all our needs.

As I eluded to in previous posts, I very recently, December 2010, started a new venture as a writer. I did so at the urging of a good friend and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This was an answer to prayer that I had been seeking for many years. What I didn’t mention before is that 2 months before that, I began another new venture as the director of our church’s Drama Ministry. I also had never done this before but the God assured me that He wanted me to do it. And, last month, I began re-flooring my deck and, with the help of an experienced friend, building a roof over it. So, in three months time I began three new ventures, none of which I had any experience in. I’m not telling you this to blow my own horn. I’m telling you this because I want you to know that when God calls you to do something, He doesn’t care about your lack of experience, or your background, or your age or any other human condition, He only cares that you are willing to trust Him enough to take a leap of pure faith.

I wasn’t what I considered a writer, I’m not an ordained minister or even a staff member of my church and I’m not a contractor or builder. I’m just a man who loves God, is grateful for the price He paid for me and is willing to go where He leads me. At first, following Him was scary because I had no control over where I would go or what I would do, and I like being in control. However, my early baby-steps of faith resulted in unimaginable joy, so now I happily jump when God calls. I sometimes get nervous because I still consider my personal shortcomings, but I know God doesn’t care about those. Thus, it is ever easier and more exciting for me to take hold of the new challenges He sets before me.

Is God calling you to do something completely scary; something you’ve never done before? If so, take a leap of faith. Follow His lead. If you need the assistance of others, He will lead you to them. Remember, He says in His Word that when we put our faith in Him and seek wise counsel our plans will succeed.