Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

I know this is late, but it is really cool!

Christmas Eve in Philidelphia

I must say that so far, this has been an interesting Christmas Eve, but I have enjoyed it thus far.

I decided yesterday that I better get a hair cut before next weekend, since I will be preaching at Blake Shotwell's Dad's church. I usually cut my hair myself at home with Kristen's help. But we forgot the clippers. So I had to find a place here in Philly.

I was not expecting any Barber Shops to be open today, but it just so happened that a place called Ralph's was. Cool little place and it was vibrant with customers, and on Christmas Eve! I guess everyone else forgot their clippers as well. So many customers were there that I had a 40 minute wait.

I decided to take a stroll around the block and get some exercise while I waited. It was pretty cold out, but the sun kept me from completely freezing. I was getting ready to make a turn down a street and I decided to go up one more block. I am glad I did, because as I made the next turn this nice older lady was trying to get her groceries in the house, so I helped her out. I think she was really surprised that I asked to help her, but she was nice and let me. We had some small talk and I was off on my way.

I go back to the main street and still had another half an hour to go, so I went up the street a little further and found this GREAT pretzel shop. Pretzels are Big in Philly. I wish we had these kind of shops in NC. I went inside and it was a small little place with this little lady taking orders. They were all out of what I wanted, but some fresh ones were in the oven. So as I waited I had some small talk with a man waiting as well. We had a nice conversation, talked about his daughter who lives in Atlanta, going to school and all.

I finally got my hair cut, which cost $20 bucks! But all in all, I really enjoyed the way God sent me around a block, to enjoy his creations. Fresh air, helping a nice lady, talking with this gentleman in the pretzel shop, and of course eating the hot and fresh pretzels. And oh yeah, the hair cut. Not your typical Christmas Eve, but it was really nice and refreshing.

We will finish it off tonight at Church, as we take communion and celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. By the way, take a look at the four gospels this week and look at how Matthew, Mark and Luke write about the introduction of Christ to earth, then read the 1st chapter of the gospel of John! Good stuff!

What Really Matters

This add has caused quite a stir! It is truly amazing at how people get so upset about things like this.

Jesus and Santa

Christmas by Isaiah

Isaiah 9
To Us a Child Is Born 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death [a]
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Christmas, C.S. Lewis and Narnia

Read this bit from C.S. Lewis's book. This was really good.

There are days when we feel like every day is Winter, cold and hopeless. We feel like there will never be an end to Winter, but yes, spring is coming soon. Christ is coming soon, to deliver us from this cold, miserable and dark world.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, p. 19:


"The White Witch? Who is she?

"Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It's she that makes

it always winter and never Christmas; think of that!"

"How awful!" said Lucy.



COMPANION TO NARNIA by Paul Ford:


Father Christmas -- A huge, bearded man in a bright red robe whose appearance

signals the end of the Hundred Years of Winter, during which time "it was

always winter but Christmas never came." He is "big and glad and real," not

just funny and jolly like the Father Christmas or Santa Clause we know in the

modern world. He brings gifts...tools, not toys...In an interesting parallel

to the White Witch, Father Christmas too arrives in a sleigh pulled by

reindeer, but he is there to tell them that Aslan is on the move, the spring

will come again, just as Christmas is the commemoration of the birth of

Christ. Father Christmas is a hieroglyph of the joy that Aslan brings.



"On Christmas Day, C. S. Lewis joined the church" --

Remember Missionaries This Christmas

Great Post on Desiring God's Blog today.

Here are a few examples:

*Pray specific Scripture for them and their ministry, and then email it to them.
*Call or email their parents—Christmas might be just as lonely for the ones at home as the ones away.
*Purchase phone minutes for an international calling card through an online service like OneSuite and email them the account number.
*Donate frequent flier miles to them.

For the rest of the list, go here.

Bradsher Mission Website

We have a new website that is now up and running. It is a free website through our missions agency.

It also allows you to go at any time and see where we are in our support raising. You will notice the the monthly number is higher than what we have normally talked about, but it is both our monthly support need plus our monthly ministry cost need with is $450/month.

I have also added a link to the site on the side of our blog.

New Website link here.

New Bible Study Material

This site is really cool. It has so far, five of the Parables of Jesus, and they have made modern films out of them. Then they have Bible study material to go along with the films. I have attached one of the short trailers below. But check the website out here.

Great Article from John Piper

The following is a great article from Pastor John Piper on how the Lord gives LIFE!

A Meditation on Acts 16:14
December 12, 2007
By John Piper
Read this article on our website.
Everywhere Paul preached some believed and some did not. How are we to understand why some of those who are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, 5) believed and some did not?
The answer why some did not believe is that they “thrust it aside” (Acts 13:46) because the message of the gospel was “folly to them, and they [were] not able to understand” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The mind of the flesh “is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7). Those who hear and reject the gospel “hate the light” and do not come to the light lest their deeds should be exposed (John 3:20). They remain “darkened in their understanding . . . because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Ephesians 4:18). It is a guilty ignorance. The truth is available. But “by their unrighteousness they suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18).
But why then do some believe, since all are in this condition of rebellious hardness of heart, dead in our trespasses? The book of Acts gives the answer in at least three different ways. One is that they are appointed to believe. When Paul preached in Antioch of Pisidia, the Gentiles rejoiced and “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).
Another way of answering why some believe is that God granted repentance. When the saints in Jerusalem heard that Gentiles were responding to the gospel and not just Jews, they said, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18).
But the clearest answer in Acts to the question why a person believes the gospel is that God opens the heart. Lydia is the best example. Why did she believe? Acts 16:14 says, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Notice four aspects of this conversion.
1) “. . . what was said by Paul.” First, someone must speak the gospel. God does not open the eyes of the heart to see nothing. He opens them to see the glory of Christ in the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Therefore, we must speak the gospel. We don’t make the new birth happen when we do. But we fit into God’s way of doing it. The point of the new birth is to grant spiritual sight. The point of speaking the gospel is give something to see. New birth is for the glory of Christ. Therefore, God causes it to happen when Christ is lifted up.
2) “The Lord . . .” Second, the speaker of the gospel relies upon the Lord. Prayer is not mentioned here. But that is what we do when we realize that it is the Lord who is the decisive actor, not us. We have a significant role in speaking the gospel, but it is the Lord himself who does the decisive work.
3) “. . . opened her heart . . .” Since the key problem in not believing the gospel is the hardness or the closedness of the heart, this is where the Lord does his decisive work. He “opens the heart” of Lydia. This means he takes out the heart of stone, and puts in the heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26); he says with sovereign authority, “Let there be light,” and “shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). So the darkness flies away and the light of truth reveals the irresistible beauty of Christ in the gospel.
4) “. . . to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” The effect of the Lord’s opening her heart is a true spiritual hearing of the gospel. “Pay attention to” is a weak translation of the Greek prosechein. It is stronger than that in this content. In this verse, it is a hearing with attachment. The work of the Lord does not just help her focus. It brings about faith. She was “granted repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25) and faith (Philippians 1:29).
Or, in the terms of John 6, she was given by the Father to the Son (v. 37), and was drawn by the Father to the Son (v. 44), and was granted by the Father to come to the Son (v. 65). She was “made alive” (Ephesians 2:5) and born again (John 3:3, 7).
Would you pray with me in these weighty and wonderful days at Bethlehem that God would do this for hundreds of people in our services? I have heard of three conversions in the last week. Mercy drops around us are falling, but for the showers we plead.
Praying to the Lord of life,

Pastor John

Lessons From Children

The link in this post is from a good friend of ours going to South America as a missionary with SIM. She has wonderful posts and God gives her the best thoughts to which she shares on her blog.

"In that moment, she had nothing to trust in except that her dad was going to catch her."

The rest of the post is here.

Sale at Desiring God

Desiring God is having a sale on a great DVD series. If you are a preacher, teacher, or just want to know how to keep the Gospel as it is the Gospel, this is a great set to have.

Link Here

The Bethlehem Institute

If you are considering further learning and study of the Lord, this is a great place to look at.

Blessings,

Link Here

Believe

Interesting Blog from Desiring God

Good post on Desiring God Blog today. Also read the letter posted on the blog from Jesus Creed.

Blog Post Here

Missions and Prayer

The following is from my cousin Joel. The power of prayer in regards to missions is the life line of what we as missionaries do.

Read the post here.

God and Math

God is so cool. I found the following on my buddy's blog from SIM. David is headed for South America to work. David's Blog

Here is one example on his blog.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

You can see the rest of them on David's blog here.

Cameron and Bed Time

Cameron's imagination has really taken off while we have been at SIMCO. When it is time for bed, he knows how to properly put his PJ's on, but lately, it becomes a time for him to suit up into different superheros.

The first picture is him, as he called it, Thomas the Train Superhero, and the second picture he said he was getting ready to blast off in his rocket ship.

Cameron's Buddy Daniel

Cameron has really liked a lot of the kids here at SIMCO. Two of his three favorites leave this coming Saturday. It will be hard for him to see them leave. This is him and Daniel.

Ethiopian Dinner

Tonight with the SIMCO friends, we went to a restaurant called the Red Sea, which is an authentic Ethiopian Restaurant. The food was really good, but the bread was a little weird. You do not eat with forks or spoons, but you break the bread and eat it that way.

Was a great experience. We all had a really good time. Here are some pictures from the night.

SIMCO 2007 Slide Show

Don't Waste Your Life: Wartime Lifestyle

Pictures from Sudan

Found these on an SIM missionary blog. The first picture is local mothers. I thought it was neat how they Carry their young. The second picture is of two children. They look the way they do due to malnourishment.

The Prayer of David Brainerd

David Brainerd was a very young missionary in the US back in the 1700's. He only lived to be 29, but his impact on the Native American Indians was tremendous.

The following is a prayer that he made and the impact of that prayer on me today as I read it was truly inspiring.

"Oh that I might be a flaming fire in the service of the Lord. Here I am, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth.... send me from all that is called earthly comfort; send me to death itself if it be but in Thy service to promote Thy Kingdom."

You can read a short biography of him here.

Africa Pastors' Book Set Project

SIM - Statement of Faith

Pictures from Grootfontein

This slide show are of some of the kids we worked with when we were in Grootfontein, Namibia this past spring.

John Piper "Prayer and Missions"

The following link is to an Awesome Sermon by John Piper on the power of prayer and missions. He gives a great interpretation of the scripture John 15:16,

16You did not choose me, but(A) I chose you and appointed you that you should go and(B) bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that(C) whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Hope you enjoy this sermon as much as I did.

Link Here

Great Sermon By Piper for Missionaries

The attached link is to a great sermon by Piper for Pastors and Missionaries.

Enjoy.

Link Here

Don't Waste Your Time, Energy, and Money - Randy Alcorn

This is a great video in regards to where your heart is at, where you spend your time and energy.

God's Sovereignty And Missions

This is something that I think that we will have to be so aware of as we prepare to go to Africa. Life expectancy is much, much younger than in the US, but to trust that God's Will is the most important thing is the comfort that we have in Him.

About the Bradsher Family

Here are a few interesting facts about our Family! :)

Birthdays

Brian February 23, 1974
Kristen December 25, 1975
Cameron June 15, 2004
Hannah November 12, 2005
Corbin September 18, 2007

Wedding Anniversary July 7, 2001

Facts About Brian

Was born and raised in Creedmoor, NC which is just north of Raleigh, NC.
I am a graduate of North Carolina State University.
I have one younger brother Jason.
Parents are Fred and Joyce Bradsher.
I love all sports, like to sing and love kids!

Facts About Kristen

Grew up in Philadelphia, PA.
I am a graduate of Messiah College in Pennsylvania.
I have a younger brother Justin.
Parents are Tim and Helen Kish.
Loves sports, played field hockey in school and loves kids also.

Where in the World is Namibia?

Lots of people have asked us where Namibia is located. Namibia is located in South West Africa, and Borders South Africa to its South, Botswana to its East, and Angola to its North.

Namibia has mostly a desert terrain, and gets on average 6" of rain a year.

Here is a map of Namibia and to the North East is Grootfontein, where we will be living and serving.

Training in Union Mills, NC

Yesterday Cameron and I arrived to CIT, a Christian Missions Training
Center in Union Mills, NC. Have any idea where that is? Neither do we,
all I know is that we are in the middle of no where somewhere an hour
and a half west of Winston-Salem.

We made it through our firstday. I survived the classes all day, and Cameron survived the day care.He had more fun than I did, and even got a 2 hour nap this afternoon.

This is my only week of training by myself, the rest of the training we will go as a family unit.

This week I am learning how to communicate effectively in a multi-cultural environment and learning the do's and dont's of different cultures. And boy are some of them very different from ours.

Only one day in, but it is going quite well.

Serving Christ,

Brian Bradsher

Prayer Board for the Bradshers!

The most important thing that anyone can do for our family is Pray! We know that God hears the prayers of His people. This list will be updated weekly as to our specific needs before we go into the field and most importantly after we have set foot in Africa.

Please Join our Team of Prayer Warriors!

For His Glory!

Prayer Needs

1. Pray for the People of Grootfontein, Namibia, that God will prepare their hearts
for the Word of God which is the power unto Salvation.

2. Pray for our Financial Support. We must raise nearly $60K before we can leave
for the field. We know our God is faithful and will supply our needs in His
perfect timing.

3. Pray for the sale of our house. It has been on the market since June of 2007
and must be sold before we can leave.

4. Pray for our families as they prepare for us to leave them and serve Christ in
Africa.

5. Pray for the issuing of our Work Visa's for Namibia. This can sometimes take a
long time in Namibia.

6. Pray for our family health so that we will be effective in our ministry.

It's Official!

Last weekend, Kristen and I became official Missionaries with SIM. It was a great service that we had before we were presented to the SIM family and charged with the mission of sharing Christ in foreign soil!

God has been so faithful to us since we started this endeavor. More ways than I could write on this blog post.

That is why we are going, because we love Jesus Christ, we want His name to be spread to the ends of the earth, as commanded in Acts 1:8. We want the people of Grootfontein to know how Great our God is.

Please continue to pray for our family and for the support that we must raise before going to the field. We trust our God, and we know that He is faithful and has already began to place our family on the hearts of those that will be part of our prayer support team and financial supporters.

Praise be to God!

How Can you Help Support the Bradsher Family?

We are going through a missions agency called SIM (Serving in Mission). Click on this sentence to go to their website.

SIM is an interdenominational Missions Agency, and has thousands of missionaries world wide. We are very excited to be working with their agency. Their goals, beliefs and desires reflect that of mine and Kristen's, and that is to Glorify God in all things, and share Christ to all nations!

There are two crucial ways in which you can be a part of our team to help support us while in the field.

1. Prayer We will need many people praying for us daily.

Items to Pray For:

Travel, Safety, Health, Patience, Our Families at Home, and for the people of Grootfontein.

2. Financial Support

We will have to raise 100% of our support while working in Africa.

If you would like to join our team, we would love to hear from you and love to have you on board. God does not call everyone into Full Time International Missions, but when we go, we go as an extension of the Body of Christ to serve in whatever capacity that God allows. So you can be a very important part of the ministry to the people of Grootfontein through our family.

That being said, when you pray for us or support us financially, you are being obedient to God and helping to serve in International Missions for God's Glory.

If you would like to help support us in any way at all, please contact us at the following:

brian.bradsher@sim.org

Or you can also contact our Sending Office at SIM at the following:

SIM USA
P.O. Box 7900
Charlotte, NC 28241
USA
Phone: (704) 588-4300
Fax: (704) 587-1518

All financial gifts are to be made out to SIM, with our name in the subject box, along with our account number "024621". All gifts are tax deductible as well.

If you would like to give on-line, you can do that as well by going to the following link:

SIM On-Line Pay

For God's Glory in All things,

The Bradsher Family

Our Story!

Kristen and I met in the summer of 2000 in Raleigh, NC. We were both finished with school and were in a Bible Study together. We started dating in September of 2000, engaged by November of 2000 and married July 7, 2001.

When we first started dating, both of us expressed that we had interests in working in International Missions. Now 6 years later and 3 kids later we are preparing to do what God called us to. That calling is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the youth and children of Grootfontein, Namibia.

We are very excited about what God has in store for our family in Africa. We are now going through training and preparing to leave sometime in the first part of 2008.

Please be in prayer for the people of Grootfontein, that God will open their eyes and hearts for the Good News of Jesus Christ. That the Lord will regenerate their hearts and afford them the Faith in which to believe upon Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Please also be in prayer for our family, for safety in travels and health issues in a land with various diseases and limited medical facilities near by. Also pray for Brian as he will be working directly with the Youth and Children, some to which have no clue who Jesus is, have never heard the Gospel and have never seen a Bible before.

Serving God in Namibia for The Cause of Christ,

Brian, Kristen, Cameron, Hannah, and One on the way!

Grootfontein, Namibia

The following video is of the place to where our family will be moving to in 2008. This is where I will be a Youth Pastor for a local church. These kids are only a small part of why God has called us to Africa. All things for His Glory!