Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pictures of the Kids!






Here are some recents pictures of the kids.

What's new for the Bradsher's?

Well the Lord has led our family to a new church family. We are now attending New Hope Presbyterian in Clemmons, NC. I just started on staff as the part time Youth Pastor as of August 17th.

I was not looking for this position, but God planned this for me, and now we are there. The church is really great, and we are looking forward to what God has laid out for us at New Hope.

As for new news, the kids are still doing well, Corbin is growing by leaps and bounds and so has Cameron. Cameron has grown a few inches since spring, and Hannah is growing into quite the princess.

With my job loss, we are focusing hard on missions now, and Kristen is getting ready to work a part time job to supplement our unemployment income.

We are currently at 86% of our one time goal and 65% of our monthly support needs. So please pray that we are able to raise the rest soon. I feel that God is telling me that we will have 100% pledged by October of this year, and I have no doubts that it will be done if that is His plans.

Many Blessings,

The Bradsher's

Where have I been??

Well it has been quite a while since I have posted. Mainly because life has been way too busy to be writing on the blog. But now I have a little more time.

Most of you may know that I was laid off from my job last week. So that is why I have a little more free time. The job loss was quite a shock and I did not expect it at all. But I was able to allow God to use it as a witness to the HR and managers in the office during the lay off.

The funny thing about all of this is that I took three weeks off prior to last week and the entire three weeks that I was off I was praying that God would show me a way out of my current job so that we could focus more attention on raising the remainder of our monthly support needed to go to Africa. So God answered the prayer.

It is going to be really tight on our family, actually the budget puts us in the red by $580 a month, but we know that our God is much bigger than budgets, and lay offs and will provide for our family.

We certainly do appreciate your prayers for our family during this time.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Another Great Conference Coming

I wish we could get some of these great conferences here in NC.

Check this one out.

NA 2008

Friday, April 25, 2008

Pictures from Swaziland, Africa




The following are pictures of a good friend of our family who has been serving for almost 9 months now in Swaziland, Africa. Alison has been teaching in a school there and ministering to many people outside of school.

She has been a great inspiration to our family and many others for her service to the Lord. She comes home in less than a month. She forwent a year of work out of college to serve Christ. What a testimony she has been to many young people for God's glory!

Thanks Alison!

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Reality of AIDS in Africa

The following is a writing for a school project from a 7th grade girl in Swaziland, Africa. It is a touching story, from a little girl who knows the impact of AIDS.

The fact is, 2 out of 3 people in the world that have AIDS, live in Africa. Many of them are children, and this little girl is sadly a victim of the dreadful disease that is killing thousands of Africans every day.

Here is her story:

HIV is a virus that causes AIDS. AIDS is a dangerous disease that can affect
everyone. This disease is a fatal disease but can be controlled.

AIDS affects black people and white people. It affects poor
or rich people, fat or thin people. It affects you whether you are a
Christian, Swazi, Zulu, Xhosas, Hindus, Rastafarians, Muslim, Mozambican,
Sothos or Tswana.

AIDS affects me as well my auntie, who was working in
Matsapha Spinex Factory. She was a likable woman and honest. She use to
help poor children in the community by paying their school fees, buying food
and clothes for them. Everyone in the community use to respect her.

She was the person who was looking after my grandfather and
my grandmother the most. My father looked after my grandfather and
grandmother but not as much as my auntie. My uncle did look after them but
not all the time, like my auntie use to. She was the most important person
to my grandparents.

She use to have more than one boyfriend and she did not use
to use a condom when she was having sex with her boyfriends. On nights she
use to leave home with her boyfriends to big hotels which are too expensive.
On weekends she use to visit one of her boyfriends.

One day she became sick and just got sicker and sicker. She
did not know what was making her to be sick. She visited the clinic many
times but she became sicker and sicker. Than my grandparents sent her to a
traditional doctor. He gave her some medicine and said she must find a boy
who will cut her with a razor blade and put the medicine in her. They chose
me as the boy. I did it but I did not like it. She became better for a week
but then her sickness returned and I became sick as well. Her and I visited
the health center for check- up. We found that we were both HIV positive.
They counseled us and they gave us some tablets and I take them even today.

When I heard that I was positive, I was afraid. I was
thinking that I was going to die, I cried and cried. But they told me that I
would not die. After that my auntie became sick and got sicker again and she
died. But me I am healthy and I am alive and life goes on.

So AIDS kills. It kills our parents, grandparents, aunties,
uncles, sisters and brothers. But life still goes on.

10 Ways to Help Kids Love Missions

The following was on the Desiring God Blog last week and I think it is great!

"There are things we can do to help our kids love the nations and the cause of Christ, even though a heart and calling for the Great Commission is ultimately something only God can grant. Here are a few ideas from Ryan and Anna, who are currently preparing to serve in Asia with their two young daughters."



1. Pray for missionaries as a family. We keep a stack of prayer cards on the dinner table and rotate through them during mealtime prayers.

2. Read missionary biographies to your children. The stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and other missionary pioneers are captivating ways to orient a child’s heart on the most important things in life.

3. Draw the whole family into supporting missionaries financially. Teach your kids from a young age that being a good steward of their money involves channeling resources toward the the cause of Christ in missions. Older kids can donate some of their lawn mowing and babysitting money. Younger children can earn money doing chores around the house which can be set aside for missionaries.

4. Find your child a missionary kid pen pal. Many children of missionaries around the world would be delighted to get mail from a child their age in their parent’s culture. Your child (and the whole family) will learn valuable insights about living abroad through the eyes of a child. Additionally, when the missionaries visit your church, your child will already have a relationship with the MK and will be able to include them more easily.

5. Entertain missionaries in your home. Inviting missionaries over will be as much of a blessing to your family as to the missionaries. Host them for dinner or for a whole furlough. Build or buy your house with this in mind.

6. Take risks as a family. There are ways to live life which help children grasp the reality that discomfort and suffering are normal and rewarding parts of the Christian experience. Volunteer at a rescue mission; house a single mother; move to the inner-city.

7. Affirm and nurture qualities in your children which could serve them on the mission field. As your children grow in knowledge and skill, encourage them to think about how they could use their gifts in missions work. Then, if God says, “go,” release them to go!

8. Teach your children to be world Christians. Don't expose them to only the American perspective on news and realities around the world. Go out of your way to make them more aware than the average American Christian about geography, world history, and the plights and perspectives of people across the globe.

9. Read missionary prayer letters to your children. Ask them questions about the content and look up facts about the missionaries’ location on the Internet.

10. Use missions fact books and resources such as Operation World, the Global Prayer Digest, the Joshua Project, and Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). Kids of Courage is the youth-oriented arm of VOM and offers activity books, spotlights on the persecuted world, and more.

Scripture in Song


I found this link on the SIM Southern Africa web site.

This is a new initiative they are using to help kids memorize scripture.

Link Here

April Prayer and Newsletter

April 12, 2008

Dear Ministry Partners,

Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We continue to be blessed by many people in support of our ministry to Namibia. God certainly confirms our calling each month as we review our donor reports. Every month there is a new monthly supporter. We want to thank each of you for supporting our family. As of March, we are at 70% of our one time goal of $67K, and we are at 50% of our monthly support needs! Praise the Lord!!!
One new blessing to our family is that of Brian’s full time job situation. We have been praying for God to show us when and how to start visiting local churches in order to share our vision and future ministry. Starting this month his manager will allow him to have a half a day off each week to take time to visit local churches. This is a huge opportunity and a blessing. So please be praying for God to open the hearts and ears of the church leaders that Brian begins to visit this month. Pray specifically that they will be open to hearing about our plans, and that they would consider supporting our family in missions.
In the town that we will be working in, there have been a couple other missionaries that have been working in the local schools and they have also been helping with the church needs. We found out last month that their missions’ agency (African Inland Mission) will be reorganizing their efforts in Africa. With this reorganization, they will be pulling their missionaries out of Namibia and relocating them to other areas in Africa.
This means a couple of things for the church in Grootfontein, and for our ministry. The AIM missionaries will be leaving the country as of December 2008. That will leave the church without any missionary workers until we arrive. So our prayer is that if it is God’s will, we will secure 100% of our monthly support needs in the next five to six months in order to move to Africa shortly after the AIM missionaries move out.
For the last few months we have been working on getting items ready for our visas. As of today we will finally be able to submit these and our passports to Namibia for their review and approval. Kristen and the kids will be applying for general stay visas, but Brian will be applying for a work visa. As we have stated in the past, it can take as much as six months or more to get the applications approved. Our prayer is that we are getting them in soon enough so that they are ready by the time our support needs are raised.
We covet your prayers daily and can feel them every day. Your prayers mean so much to us. Just to know that God has called out people to fervently remember our family in their daily prayers means so much to us. Please continue to pray for our support raising efforts. We have truly been blessed. We are patient and half way there. So as Brian starts to visit churches and as more people learn of our mission efforts, pray that God will draw new financial supporters to our team. Also pray for our visas as they are now nearing the approval stage, that God will work through the people of Namibia that will be directly involved in approving these for us. Lastly, continue to pray for the Church in Grootfontein as they prepare for a group of missionaries to leave, and for us to arrive.
May you feel the presence of the Lord upon you daily.

The Bradsher Family!

Friday, April 4, 2008

The Joy and Need for Discipleship

Acts 8:30-33

30So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth. 33In his humiliation
justice was denied him.Who can describe his
generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."


Could you imagine the joy it was for Philip to share the gospel message with the Eunuch? For one he was led by the Spirit to go and talk with him. We don't exactly know how the Spirit led Philip to go to the Eunuch's chariot, the Bible says that the spirit told him to. The Eunuch was trying to make since of what he was reading in Isaiah, and by shear luck (NOT HARDLY) Philip comes knocking on his door to see what he was reading. God is always working and leading us to do just like Philip, to be ready at a moments notice. We never know what the Lord is doing in a persons life, but we know that the Spirit leads us.

Notice also that Philip did not fight the Spirit, nor question the Spirit. He simply was obedient and did what the Spirit was leading him to do. Philip was not scared to go and talk with this stranger about Christ. Philip believed with all his heart in Christ and the good news that he shared with him that day. There should be NO PRESSURE in sharing the Gospel, or witnessing to people. Here are a few reasons:

1. God is always in control and He is a mighty and powerful God!
2. God is the only one that can save a soul.
3. We must understand that we can not save people.
4. Salvation is the work of the Lord, we are merely vessels that
God has chosen to use to share the good news. Just as Philip did.

Discipleship is so important. A new Christian needs people to help them learn about Christ. They need encouragement, love and they need to be challenged. Discipleship is a great joy as well. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than to see someone grow in the knowledge and wisdom or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Some Recent Pictures






Here are some recent pictures that we have taken.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Praise For Financial Donors


We are so thankful to everyone that has joined our support team. As of today we are at 40% of our monthly support goal, and 50% of our one time goal.

God is so good and faithful and he has chosen you specifically for this purpose and that is to further His kingdom in Namibia.

I spoke with the Pastor of the Church I will work with last week and they are very eager for our arrival and so are the youth. They have had missionaries there for the last few years through AIM (African Inland Mission), but come this December AIM will be relocating their missionaries to other areas in Africa. So we are praying that we will receive the rest of our monthly needs this year so that we can begin our ministry in Grootfontein.

Please continue to keep the Namibians and our family in your prayers.

Many Blessings,

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Youth Workers Needed in the Mission Field

If you love the Lord, love young people, and love to share Christ, then you are needed in the mission field. The following quote is an intro to a request for help from an SIM Youth Ministry Coordinator. You can read the rest of the post here.

As I make contact with people seeking to connect with young people around the world in mission contexts I hear one request time after time. It is “Can you send us people to work with young people”. It is one request that keeps nagging away with me because I so want to be able to help them right now but the reality is that there are not too many people putting their hand up to go and minister and connect with young people.

For God's Sake

This is some great Scripture to meditate on.

Even our trials, and pains are for His sake!
Everything, Everything is for His Glory, no glory for us.
As He says in verse eleven, His glory He will not give
to another.


Isaiah 48:9-11

9 “For my name's sake I defer my anger,
for the sake of my praise I restrain it
for you, that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not
as silver; I have tried you in the furnace
of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my
own sake, I do it, for how should my name
be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

An Irresistible God!

The following is a quote from a poet, Stephen Dunn, who is not a Christian. Notice how he describes beauty. This is how a regenerate person sees Christ. Christ is beautiful, and so wonderful that He is irresistible! You can read the rest of this article at Desiring God. Link Here

"I just think beauty is irresistible. It disarms us. Takes away our arguments. And then if you expand the notion of beauty—that there is beauty in the tawdry, beauty in ugliness—things get complicated. But I think that beauty, which is more related in my mind to the sublime, is what we cannot resist."

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Made in the Image of God




A lot of times I just ponder on the fact that we are made in the image of God. But what does the image of God really look like? The sad part is that many people only know the image of God based on their own culture. I have been blessed in that I have been to many parts of the world and seen many cultures.

So here are a few pictures to give you some perspective of what the image of God looks like in Namibia.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Why Desiring God exists.

I thought that this was a really good post on the Desiring God website today.


Desiring God, like all fallen, finite human ministries and people, sees “in a mirror dimly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). We do not claim to be perfect in what we know. And we do not claim to know all that can be known. Nor do we claim to see what we know more clearly than others may see it.

But we do say with Paul, “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13). Though we do not know everything there is to know, and though we do not know anything perfectly, yet we do know many things truly and confidently, because of God’s revelation and his Spirit. To give a few examples:


To Read the examples given and the rest of the article click here.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Monday, February 11, 2008

The Will Of God Part 2

Today as I was reading in Exodus Chapter 4, I came to, what can be, a controversial verse:

Exodus 4:21

And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.


It does not say that Pharaoh's heart was hardened, but it says that God would harden his heart so that he would not let the people go. This is important I think, to understand once more, that no one in this world is here for themselves, but we are here for God's purpose alone. I know from my own experience that this is hard water to swallow.

Our sinful nature wants it to be about us, and no one else. But we had no part in our creation; we were created by a being much more significant than ourselves. That creator is God, and He has a purpose for each individual He creates. But God did plan us to be a part of His purpose and His will. He came to earth as a mortal man, died on the cross for sinful people. This in itself is very unique, because Christianity is the ONLY religion in the world that is not about works, or doing things for your own benefit. Christianity is the only religion to where you CAN NOT SAVE YOURSELF. We can only be saved by our Creator, God!

In this saving process, it is still all about God! I am thankful that my life is not up to me, and that I have a creator, an awesome God, that knitted me in my mother's womb, and knew me before the beginning of time; a God to which also, knows what is best for me and has a plan for my life. If only I would live each second of every minute of every day with a firm grip on this promise!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Joseph And God's Will


A lot of times we feel like we have to find out what God's will is for our lives, and then once we think "WE" have figured it out, we start trying to make it happen. Ever been in those shoes? Some of you may be right now. I know I have been there before.

Take Joseph for instance. He did not ask to have the dreams that God gave him about the future rule over his brothers, niether did Joseph ask to be sold into slavery. Joseph never asked to be in such a noble position for the Pharoh of Egypt, but look at how God grew Joseph into the man that He determined for him to be in Genesis 45.

4So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Joseph, I am sure, had anger towards his brothers for a long time, but God finally showed him that it was not about Joseph, and what was good for Joseph, but that it was all about God and what God wanted for his life. Joseph said "God sent me" three times in three verses above, and all the time Joseph was right in the center of God's will.

We could search all our lives to try and find out what God's will is for our lives, but the thing is, we are right in the center of it already. God's will for our lives does not mean living a life of eternal bliss on Earth. There are a lot of days, months and maybe, just maybe YEARS of hard pressed trials, pain and suffering, but in the end, we were always right where God put us at. Right where God wanted us to be. Molding and shaping us for His purpose, not ours. And that's OK, because it is not about us, it's all about God!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Watch out for That PLANE!


Could you imagine seeing this ahead of you as you are speeding down the road in your car?

Water Carnival in South America??

A great friend and missionary, Jamie, is in Loja South America working in what is called a Cafe' ministry. Seems that a country wide tradition is to have water fights among people of all ages! How cool is that.

You can read the post here. Also, keep her in your prayers as she does the Lord's work in South America!

Site Here

Frozen Grand Central

This is pretty cool.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

"And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly."

This is out of Matthew chapter 15. I have read this scripture many times before, but I got stuck on the following dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite Woman. Jesus is walking through Tyre and Sidon among people in the day that were despised. Then I noticed what Jesus says to her, "It is not right to take the Children's bread and throw it to the dogs." And she replies "Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters' table."

I meditated on this a while to figure this out. The Children are God's chosen people, the bread is Jesus and the dogs are those who I would assume reject Christ. But the faith the woman had as she is in the streets pleading, and shouting to Jesus to heal her daughter. She was a person rejected by many, and she would settle to get the mere crumbs, leftovers of what Jesus had to offer. And Jesus showed her compassion and because of her faith her daughter was healed.

I would love to hear your thoughts, or what God may have revealed to you in this scripture.

Friday, January 25, 2008

The Near Sacrifice of Isaac and the Sacrifice of Christ


Once again this year I am trying to read through the Bible, but as of late I have started to do something different. This year I am trying to learn more historical facts about what I read. I am a bit behind on my reading, but today I was reading in Genesis 22 about the "Near" sacrifice of Isaac. The Bible says that they went to the land of Moriah. So I did some research and what I found is that researchers think that the "Land of Moriah" was probably not an area of land, but was actually a summit or a mount. Further research finds that this mount was probably Golgotha.

Does Golgatha ring a bell? Golgatha, or Calvary is where God sacrificed Christ for the atonement of sin for those who believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior. How cool is that! I always knew that there was some foreshadowing in the near sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, but to possibly have been at the same place!

One last note, just as Abraham was to kill his son of his wife Sarah, God at the right time provided an alternate sacrifice to take his sons place. And God did the same thing for us, in that just at the right time, God sent an alternate sacrifice, Jesus, to be put to death for the atonement of sin.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Psalm 4

As I read this last night, it really gave me a lot of comfort, so I thought I would just share that with you.

"1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? 3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;the LORD hears when I call to him.4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 5Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. 6There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!" 7You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Mohler Possible Nominee for SBC Pres

I hope that he gets this position. See the post here.

Also read the comments about the post. Notice all the emphasis on the fact that the church he attends only give 3% to the Cooperative Program (CP).

Really is a shame how much is put on that percentage given to the CP Fund, and not on the Godly Person and leader that Al is.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

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

Monday, December 24, 2007

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!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

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" --

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

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.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

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.

Friday, December 14, 2007

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.

Monday, December 10, 2007

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

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

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

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

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

Monday, November 26, 2007

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.

Monday, November 19, 2007

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.

Friday, November 9, 2007

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.