They Were Hidden? Here are a Few

Seniors 2009 after their latest win against Cross Plains!














Sarah, Sr. 2010, and Riley in his Braveheart face.















Robert, Emalie Green, Sarah, Cody Isenhower - The cousins














James in blonde, Devin, Dillion, and Sam - The cousins plus Devin














Garrett and Robert after the last game of the season. Look at those smiles!

I'm sure glad I found those pictures. Friday night was also senior night and they presented the Football Sweetheart and Band Sweetheart and Beau. Robert was the senior escort for the Football Sweetheart. It was cold, but enjoyable.

James tells us that he is playing basketball. They came up with five 8th grade boys to play so they will have an 8th grade team. There are only 7 boys in James' class. He has his size 12 shoes now, so I guess he's ready for tomorrow.

Have a Great Week!
Brad

Well...

I was going to get the pictures from Friday night copied off of the camera to share with everyone, but Kerry and the kids got to it first and they were deleted. It was a good game and we had some great pictures of the kids after the game. No injuries. Oh, well!

Have a Great Week!
Brad

Shop at http://www.shopbrads.com for Christmas!

Lost in OT

The game was exciting and hard fought. They just had more boys to keep everyone fresh. We had three key injuries that slowed our progress. Robert is doing fine. Sarah and the band looked outstanding Friday night. We got home about 1 AM again this week. We just played later.

We have one more game with Cross Plains at Baird this Friday.

Have a Great Week!
Brad

Coming soon - ShopBrads.com!

Baird 30, Miles 28

Senior Players with Robert #55, Garrett #33














The Bears defend their goal.














Sarah is on the far left. They did not get the score they had hoped for at contest, but they were definitely the best 1A band there!














The Bears set up for another touchdown!

Robert has to keep his wrist taped, but the X-rays Tuesday did not show a fracture. That means it should heal on its own. James can start playing again next week. He has to take it slow, so he probably will not play much in the next couple of weeks.

We finally made it home a little after 1 AM. Robert made it about 2 AM, so it was a late night. Everyone enjoyed the evening and especially enjoyed the game!

Have a Great Day!
Brad

Friday - Not much fun this time

The score didn't show how well we had done through the beginning of the game. Robert did kick and get a few licks in even though they were double and triple teaming him.

Toward the end of the game, Robert's hand got pinned to the ground. He has a cast on it now. Next week, we will find out for sure if he broke it or not. If he did break it, the bone will have to have a screw put in it to allow it to heal. He will still be able to play with the cast padded. It is just a small cast. It's the first one that he has had.

Band contest is a week from tonight in Shotwell Stadium. They are going to form up at 5:15 PM and they are supposed to march at 5:45 PM. Hopefully, the weather will be better next week than today.

We are thankful for the rain over here. It has been over a month since we have gotten any rain here. My saplings are enjoying the gentle rain that started here this morning and has continued all day long.

We will find out more about James' knee and possible torn meniscus on Friday. His appointment with the orthopedist will be that day. It is a particularly busy week because the band is working the concession stand this Friday at the Albany game here in Baird.

Have a Great Week All!
Brad

Sarah - Homecoming

Sarah At the Bon Fire

The Band Playing at the Bon Fire

Sarah Practicing at the Band Hall

Baird Bear Band with the Claw B.

Sarah at the game with her mum

James - Bear Cubs v. Santo

Baird, TX - the pep rally!

James, Left in the black shirt and white tie.

James, #88

James with his 'buds' at the bon fire. Nick is the first one on James' left, blue shirt


Junior High Football Team in the Parade. James is the first one on the back of the flat-bed.

Have a Great Day!
Brad

Robert - Bear's vs Santo Games

Homecoming

The Bon Fire - Garrett #33 and Robert #55















Robert Cheering with Heather














Robert and Heather














Robert Kicking Off


Robert Looks at the Newly painted B-Bear-claw














Robert's Little Fans!














Robert and Jessica














Robert and Cody riding in the parade














Robert in Front and Cody behind him


Have a Great Day!
Brad

Baird 39, Santo 6

Robert and the rest of the team had a very good game for homecoming. We had a great crowd. Robert was the kick-off kicker, he punted, and he kicked extra points in addition to playing defensive end and offensive end this evening. Yes, he is pretty tired.

Several of Robert's friends from Breckenridge came down to watch him play tonight since Breckenridge's homecoming game is tomorrow evening on their brand new artificial turf. We have our homecoming parade tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM, then some of us are planning on going to Breckenridge to the game tomorrow.

Robert's friend Garrett was crowned homecoming king this evening. Robert didn't want to get nominated, so he was fine with it. He is one of the team captains this year, so he's happy.

Sarah and the band are progressing. Contest is October 20th in Abilene this time.

James played last night. Their team with 4 eighth graders played yet another team of all eighth graders. They will play next Thursday at the Bear's Den against Eastland's 7th grade team. That is our off week for high school. We start district with Bronte in two weeks.

Well, we'll have to be ready to go again tomorrow and it's getting late.

Take care all,
Brad

Storms and Games

Good Weekend Everyone!

What I am hearing so far is that everyone is safe that I know from the Hurricane area along the coast. Hopefully, the news will continue to be good. They are saying on the news right now that the water is starting to recede. The amount of damage sounds like it is going to be pretty large. Our prayers are needed.

Robert did well last night. He got hit in the back twice last night, so he is sore and bruised - not broken. He kicked off several times and even tackled the runner after kicking. He played offense and defense. They are still trying boys out in different positions all the way around. He seems to be enjoying playing and he is determined to be able to play all season, so he is thinking a little smarter about what he is doing on the field.

James played all but about four plays the whole game Thursday night. They did very well even though our team with four eighth graders played Stamford's 35 eighth graders. We also have about 7 seventh graders and 10 sixth graders. One of our best running backs is in sixth grade. It was hard because more that half of our team played their first game Thursday night. Usually for a first game, the coaches would normally be on the field for the first half of the game. That didn't happen. To make matters worse, the messed up order for the pads the boys would need for their pants were brought to school by the company at the time that the team needed to leave on the bus for the game. What a day!

We have a new preacher at church. His name is Mark Burgess and we are excited to have him. I have started a blog for the Putnam congregation at http://putnamchristians.blogspot.com where I will begin publishing my Bible class weekly articles. If you would like to continue getting those, please let me know and I will be happy to set that up. We are preparing for the Lord's blessings here as we continue to work in this community.

Another thing, I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I have opened a new Herbalife store at http://Brad.HerbalCoach.com. It takes PayPal. I appreciate you checking the store out and sharing the address to friends.

Have a Great Weekend!
Brad

The Game Saturday

I was going to put pictures on here with the letter, but someone has made off with the cord that goes with the camera.

Robert did very well. We started to see a little of the old Robert from junior high come out again. He also punted and was the kicker for kick-offs. He did very well on that for the little bit that he practiced it.

Sarah and the band sounded very good for the first time out. Better than last year!

James will have his first game Thursday evening in Stamford. We play them at home on Friday evening. They have just gone 1-A and are in the district with Roscoe and Haskell (who also went 1-A). They should be good games. They were last year.

Let me know if you need anything from my Herbalife Store ( http://Brad.HerbalCoach.com ). I'll be ordering soon.

Take care all and have an excellent week!
Brad

The Never Ending Story

Read Acts 1:1-11

Acts of the Apostles it is thought was part of Luke's account of the history of the beginnings of the Christian church. There is not a specific reference to Luke in the book, but it is accepted by most scholars that Luke was the author. Acts especially reports on the work of Peter and Paul beginning with the ascension of Jesus. There is a school of thought that this was a letter to someone who loved God that was a Roman official since he addresses the letter to the most excellent (your excellency) Theophilous. This is a collection of windows into the growth of the Church in the beginning not a complete chronological record of historical events.

Acts seems to be the sequel or second chapter to the same account or what we might call the second volume of the story. First we have the story of the life and ministry of Jesus. Then, the second launches into the beginnings of the Christian Church. The gospel is only what Jesus began to do and teach. Acts is a story that has no end.

The author was possibly trying to convince and lead some Roman officials to the Lord because he is careful to point out how well Paul was treated by the magistrates and the reference of respect of 'most excellent' Theophilous was we would say today would be 'your excellency.'

Luke tells us in Luke 24:32 that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy in spite of Jesus discontinuing his personal physical appearances for the disciples. There, the disciples were asked to wait.

It is obvious by the two volumes put together that Jesus achieved an immortality of influence and an immortality of presence and of power. Jesus left an effect on earth that cannot die. And they would soon learn more about the power that Jesus came to earth with when the apostles were to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the spirit.

Isaiah 40: 31 tells us that we need to learn to be still in the business of life. Sometimes we need to just wait. 'Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.' During life's surging activity, there must be time to receive.

All during his ministry, Jesus labored under one great disadvantage. The center of his message was the kingdom of heaven (Mark 1:14); but he meant one thing by the kingdom and those who listened to him meant another.

The Jews were always vividly conscious of being God's chosen people. They had been in bondage under the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. So the Jews began to a day when God would break directly into human history and establish that world sovereignty of which they dreamed. They thought of the kingdom in political terms and earthly.

How did Jesus see the kingdom of heaven?

The last part of this passage brings us face to face with the second coming of Jesus. The angels said that he would come back just as he went. First, we learned that it is foolish to speculate when and how the second coming would happen. Mark 13:32 tells us that no one knows about the day and the hour when the Son of Man would come.

Second, the essential teaching of Christianity is that God has a plan for us and the world. We are bound to believe that history is not a haphazard conglomeration of chance events which are going nowhere. We are bound to believe that there is some divine far-off event to which the whole creation moves and that, when that final fulfillment comes, Jesus Christ will be the Judge and Lord of all. The second coming is not a matter for speculation and for a curiosity that is quite out of place; it is a summons to make ourselves ready for that day when it comes.

I pray that your week has gone well.

Take care all,

Brad

The Great Commission & Ascension

We will be starting Acts with this lesson and working through the beginnings of the church in the first century. Here is the lesson I presented last Sunday. By the way, we were able to hire a preacher last Sunday. Thanks for your prayers about our search.

Blessings in Christ, Brad

The Great Commission and the Ascension.

Matthew 28:16-20

Here we come to the end of the gospel story. Luke is a little more complete about the account of the forty days after Jesus was raised from the dead. Luke also has an account of the ascension in his gospel. In this last meeting with his disciples, Jesus did three things:

1. Jesus assured his disciples of his power. He has authority on heaven and on earth. The disciples master was one without question having all authority. He conquered death after all. There was still confusion. Some were still asking if Jesus was going to return Israel to Jerusalem and establish a new earthly kingdom. Because of this, he had to go on to his home and do so publicly.
   

2. Jesus gave them a commission. They were commanded to go into all the earth and make disciples of all people as we are to carry this commission on through our own generation. They were commanded to baptize, immerse, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
   

3. He promised them a presence. As the realization of the commission sank into the disciples minds, they must have been humbled by the magnitude of their commission to go into all the world and win souls for Jesus. They were sent out just as we are to the greatest mission in history. We have the comfort/courage of the 'presence' helping us rely on the strength of the leader for our foundation of faith. The disciples knew that there would be a presence. Luke tells of the presence that was promised they would have to wait a time for in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. We as Christians have something to do and we have the help of the Holy Spirit where our courage comes.

Acts 1:1-11

Acts of the Apostles it is thought was part of Luke's account of the history of the beginnings of the Christian church. There is not a specific reference to Luke in the book. There is little doubt to scholars that Luke wrote this book. Acts especially reports on the work of Peter and Paul beginning with the ascension of Jesus. There is a school of thought that this was a letter to someone who loved God that was a Roman official since he addresses the letter to the most excellent (your excellency) Theophilous. This is a collection of windows into the growth of the Church in the beginning not a complete chronological record of historical events.

Jesus promises the help of the Holy Spirit. They knew it was coming and it came in power. There was no doubt that something extraordinary had happened when everyone present began to hear preaching in their own native languages.

The angles came after the ascension to reassure the disciples and remind them of their commission to seek and save the lost. This changes the focus from the disciples depending on Jesus to be right with them to now applying what Jesus taught them to go and teach and baptize people to become new disciples of Christ adding to the church.

Christians are to witness by:

1. Proclaiming 'I know that is true.' In the court of law, hearsay is not accepted. A witness says 'I know' not ' I think so.' There is a certainty with the testimony of the witness.
   

2. A witness is not of words but of deeds. We live the life of Christ and make our influence preach the life of Jesus to the point that it is irresistible to our friends and relatives to become Christians.

3. In the Greek, the word for witness and the word for martyr are the same. The witness is committed enough to the message of Christ that we can become martyrs. Think about it. Are we Christians to this extent? A witness is loyal no matter what the cost.

This passage leaves us with two of the most difficult passages of the Bible. They are:

1. The ascension was essential to the message. The message would not be nearly as powerful if the sightings of the risen Jesus in the forty days had just petered out. This time was unique and could not go on forever and be used to promote growth of the church. Humanity must take over and continually dedicate their lives to Christ and the growth of his church. The ascension laid to rest that the kingdom being created was going to be a physical kingdom led by the messiah on earth. We are obviously looking forward to the heavenly kingdom.
   

2. We must have the faith to imagine ourselves back in time accepting the ascension of Jesus just as it was written about in this passage and tells us what we need to look for as far as the second-coming – Jesus coming back for judgment.

Luke tells us in Luke 24:32 that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy in spite of Jesus discontinuing his personal physical appearances for the disciples. The kingdom was defined. They had just been given their responsibility to go into all of the world teaching and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Tire & Weather Friday Evening

Friday night was the Bear's first regular game of the season. Our fortunes did not smile on us as the band traveled to Menard. We got as far as Santa Anna when the smaller bus with the junior and senior band girls and the cheerleaders on it developed a large bulge in the right inside back tire. So we unloaded that bus into the bigger one that was newer and the athletics students used without any problems last year.

We got about a mile outside of Brady and our right inside tire blew out. It was quite exciting and scary for those driving the suburban and the band trailer behind us. Mr. Camacho, our superintendent, knows the band director in Mason. He called him and he said that he would get a bus to us. He had a friend in Brady. Since Brady was closer, the Brady bus came out. It was a brand new Mercedes with good working air conditioning.

That gets us back on the road about 7:30 PM when the game was starting. We get most of the way to Brady and we run into a storm with lots of rain and lightning. We drive through it and it seems that it will pass and we won't have any more problems.

As soon as the band got there and settled, they played one song, It began to rain again. Then, lightning strikes causing a lightning delay in the game. Our football team had held them 0-0 until the rain started. The Baird fans were offered a rock building to wait. After about 45 minutes and the band had eaten and the game was back on. The woodwinds put their horns up because the rain continued the rest of the game. Menard pulled ahead and kept going.

Our sophomore quarterback was hurt by the end of the game and Robert has a pulled hamstring. Hopefully, they will be able to work back to full strength in a couple of weeks.

It was 3 AM by the time we got home to Putnam after unloading the trailer and laying everything out to dry. The Bears play Lubbock Christian High School in Cisco this Saturday morning at 10 AM. We don't have any pictures because of the rain. We'll try again next week.

We have not stopped moving since I got up about 7:30 AM Saturday morning. We do have school tomorrow. We opted for a three-day-weekend in October instead of having one so close to when school starts without another student holiday until Thanksgiving.

Stay tuned! More to come.

Take care,
Brad

What Happened to Last Week!

The week before students come back is a real busy week for teachers. We had seven days of training and most of one day for a work day. With Robert in athletics and being a senior, we had Project Graduation Events and Athletics issues at the scrimmage Friday. With Sarah being in band, we had meet the teacher night and Band Boosters Thursday. Our schedule got full extremely fast. We'll be adding James more and more to the schedule in two to three weeks when junior high football starts playing games.

Between Thursday night and Friday, we were doing things for band and found out that only 5 freezers of ice cream were coming to support project graduation. We got busy and made three more. Kerry started it, Beth and Butch got the freezers going, then I was able to come home and get them packed in ice to take. We made chocolate, peach, and strawberry. They sold all of the ice cream that was brought making $150 for the organization.

Robert and the rest of the Bears did real well against Gorman. Gorman went to the playoffs last year and they didn't lose very many boys. We didn't either. We moved the ball against them and made touchdowns. Football should be more fun to watch this year. The first high school game is next Friday in Menard.

Sarah tells me that there are almost 50 students in band (in summer band) this year. That is up from what we started with before school last year. They should have a fun year since this is the year that they do not advance in UIL Contests in Band. They have the opportunity to go on every other year.

Well, I'd better get busy. I'm working on an Herbalife order to send tonight, so let me know if you would like anything this week. Also, the AEP North areas are still 14.4 cents/KWH in electricity. Let me know if you are ready to become my electric customer.

Have a Great Week,
Brad

More Pictures from the Red & White Scrimmage

Robert and Garrett and Bears in action.
These are the 2008-09 senior Bear football players. What a tough crew!

Robert and Heather

The Crucifixion

Psalm 22 - Looking ahead

Matthew 27:32-44 – The Cross and the Shame

The crucifixion is well known and doesn't need any explaination. Let's talk about the background of crucifixion and the shame that was attached to that cruel death.

When a criminal was condemned, he was led away to the crucifixion. He was led in the center of four Roman soldiers. It was the custom that he should carry the cross beam of the cross to the place of execution himself. The upright would already be in place at the scene of the crucifixion. The charge on which the condemned had been convicted was written on a board; it was then either hung around his own neck, or carried by an officer in front of the procession; and it was later affixed to the cross itself. The criminal was led to the place in as long a route as possible, so that as many as possible may see him and be warned of consequences from the shameful sight.

Simon from Cyrene in North Africa was pressed to suffer the shame of carrying the beam for Jesus because of his physical condition. It may be that he had saved a long time to make this one trip to Jerusalem for Passover and now he is suffering the shame of carrying the cross for the condemned. Mark identifies Simon further as being the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21). This indicates that these people were well known in the Church suggesting that this could be Simon's day of glory instead of shame.

The place of the execution was shaped like a skull, so that's what it was called. In order to deaden the pain, the condemned was given some drugged wine because he had to be impaled on the cross, nails driven through. The feet were only loosely bound to the cross with rope. Then, the property of the criminal was entitled to his clothes. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothes and suffered the final indignity of nakedness taking away the humanity of the criminal.

Matthew 27:45-50

Jesus gives up his spirit and he does battle with death.

2 Corinthians 5:21

This reading indicates that the sin of the world fell on Jesus. He bore it all for us to have hope of eternal life. The penalty he bore was separation from God. Sin separates us from God. This separation bought us a connection to righteousness making us responsible to be God's righteousness in the world.

There are many conjectures about who Jesus was calling on from the cross at the end. Some said Elijah. The soldiers may have thought that he was calling to the sun, the greatest of the pagan gods. What it boils down to was that what he meant or who he was calling to is a mystery to us. The point is it was terrible what caused the cry at the death.

What do you think of when you think of Christ's ultimate sacrifice? Who are you following? Are you God's righteousness on earth?

Have a Great Week!

Brad

Next – The Great Revelation

Watching the Olympics & Football

The Olympics have captured our attention again this year. I am truly in awe of what the athletes must go through to be able to swim or tumble the way they do without ripping something on their bodies to shreds. It is also inspiring to me to get out and keep the hour daily exercise going. My doctor says that 4 miles per hour needs to be my pace for my age. I'm getting there and that is fast.

Back to the Olympics - I got as excited as with a close football game when the men's relay took to the water and came from behind to win against the French team. They were tough but the US team was inspired by all of the 'talking' that had been reported in the press. Then, the men's gymnastics last night keeping the pressure on and taking the lead at the midpoint of the contest. Then, winning the bronze even though they weren't supposed to be any sort of contender. The under dog can come through.


That tells me that we all have it in us to come through if we put our minds to it. The Baird Bear football team are trying to do the same thing. There are a ton of seniors and two juniors on the team this year.

Yes, you are seeing right. Robert is wearing number 55 and he is center and defensive end this year. The coaches are real impressed with his desire to play and do well. Thankfully, they are also aware of his past injuries and are wanting to find a safer position for him to play.

Saturday morning, the boys had their team pictures first then they had their traditional red & white scrimmage. Robert is center here. You can see the football heading to the quarterback. Kerry got this shot after several tries.

I go back to work Thursday this week and the marathon starts over for yet another school year. I am still working on the home business. Check out my 'Check it Out' sites to see what I have going on.

Take care everyone,
Brad

Pilate's Relationship with the Jews

Here is the lesson I had yesterday. Thanks for your patience.

Matthew 27:1-2, 11-26

The first two verses describe what must have been a very short meeting of the Sanhedrin to formally charge Jesus. The Jews could handle completely ordinary charges, but this major charge had to go through appropriate Roman legal channels to execute the death penalty.

Pilate was the Roman governor who Jesus was handed from the chief priests. Pilate did not see any reason to condemn Jesus. He gave the Jews one more way out trying to help Jesus. The chief priests convinced the people to release Barabbas instead of Jesus sealing his fate. Pilate washed his hands of him and handed him over to be crucified.

The charge that we last heard was blasphemy but the Sanhedrin knew that Pilot would never listen to the charge of blasphemy. He would have told them to take him back and settle your own religious differences (Matthew 26:65-66). Luke tells us that they charged Jesus first with being a revolutionary, second, with inciting the people not to pay their taxes, and third, with claiming to be the king (Luke 23:2). They fabricated these three charges from lies because they knew that Pilate would have to act on these three charges.

So everything hinged on the Roman governor. What kind of man was Pilate?

Pilate was officially the procurator of the province; and he was responsible directly to the Roman Emperor. He had to have been at least 27 years of age because this was the minimum age for the position he occupied in government. He must have had considerable experience because of the ladder of offices he would have had to climb before becoming governor. He would have been tried as a military official and an administrative official. History tells us that he held the office for 10 years in AD 26. Then, he was recalled.

Pilate caused much of his own problems in his office because he was totally out of sympathy with the Jew who had such a large population in his province. The result was much bitter opposition between he and the Jewish leadership. Some time after his initial march into town with Roman standards and all ( an affront to the Jews), he decided that Jerusalem needed a better water supply which they did. He decided to pay for the project out of the temple treasury instead of the Roman government which was another problem with the local Jews.

Philo, the great Jewish Alexandrian scholar, has a character study of Pilate. He tells us that the Jews threatened Pilate to exercise their right to report him to the emperor for his misdeeds. This threat exasperated Pilate to the greatest possible degree because they might go to the emperor and might be impeached from his position. Pilate had a bad record when dealing with Jews. The Jews help Pilate in complete contempt. His career came to an end in Samaria where he dealt with a situation with unnecessary savagery.

Next week we will finish out the discussion of Pilate and turn toward the cross.

PS. I have relaunched Brad's Herbalife Store at http://brad.herbalcoach.com for those who are interested in inner and outer nutrition for a healthy life.

Peter's Bravery and Denial

How quickly the week and the summer flies? Tomorrow starts two-a-days in football in the morning and band starts in the afternoon. The kids will be back in school in three weeks. This is my last 'free' week of the summer. Now is a time of renewal. The students go back to school with a clean slate. They can make the year anything they want it to be. Peter got the chance to renew himself, too, right at the end of Jesus' ministry on earth.

Please read Matthew 26:31-35

Peter stood first and said that he would never deny him. Jesus said that he would that very night. Impetuous Peter is still displaying his honest impulsiveness without considering the climate that was going to be created by the arrest and legal proceedings that Jesus went through that day.

Certain characteristics of Jesus are clear from this passage:

1. Jesus is real. All his disciples will stumble because of him Zechariah 13:7. Jesus saw what was going on and he continued anyway. There was no deterring him from God's plan to bring about the plan of salvation. He told his disciples the truth.

2. Jesus is confident. 'After I am raised, I will go to you in Galilee.' He never doubted that he would win over death. He saw beyond the cross. He knew that he would give them more proof that would help them as they worked to establish the church in the world.

3. Jesus is sympathetic. He knew that his disciples were going to flee for their lives and abandon him in his hour of deepest need. He does not berate, rebuke, or condemn them. He did not chastise them for their weakness during their greatest test of faith. He understands that they will run, but they still love him and they will come back and unite and begin the building of the church. Jesus understands the big picture of the beginning of the church.

Peter was not going to abandon his love for Jesus, but Peter was overconfident in himself. He always was impulsive.

Read next Matthew 26:57-58, 69-75

Peter did not completely abandon Jesus, but he followed at a distance, but right into the courtyard of the high priest. He showed great bravery to follow Jesus into the heart of the "lion's den." Then, when he was asked by a servant, he denied that he had been with Jesus. He did this three times. His denials were getting stronger and less Christ-like as he went. This was a chaotic time and they realized the danger of being associates of Jesus around the chief priests in Jerusalem.

His denials grew with intensity. His speech gave him away as a Galilean linking him to Jesus' home area. The Galilean dialect was harsh and they weren't allowed to read the scripture in the Temple because of the roughness of their dialect. Then the third time he could stay no longer, he swore, denounced his master and then he remembered what Jesus had said earlier.

Peter's actions in most organizations would have been hushed up. There would have been a problem with the appearance of a main disciple of Jesus in a position of not supporting the leader and founder of the organization. Mark tells the story in more vivid detail (Mark 14:66-72). This tells us that the Bible is an honest document of the details of the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciples.

Peter told the story later and said that Jesus could forgive even he who had failed him at his greatest hour of need. This tells of the cleansing power of forgiveness that Peter experienced and the forgiving nature of Jesus. It is important to remember that forgiveness follows repentance in the truest sense.

Peter was brave to come into the center of the house of the enemy, the chief priest, to see what was happening. All of the other disciples left and scattered. When Peter heard the call, he remembered what Jesus had said and what he assured Jesus he would not do yet did. He then ran out and wept bitterly (repentance). Then, he got the opportunity to start over with a spiritual clean slate.


How's your slate? Is it in need of cleaning? Follow Peter's example to start the school year with a true clean slate and build on a stable foundation.

Have a Great Week!
Brad

It's Friday!

Good Friday Everyone!

I was privileged to be invited and go to the area-wide men's fellowship last evening in Baird. We had brisket and all of the fixings. There was fellowship and reports from congregations of the area. Then, there was singing. There were folks from Baird, Cisco, Cross Plains, Gorman, Highway 36, and Putnam. It was good to get together and encourage each other and find out that some of the same problems are not unique where you are. All of this was lifted to the Lord for his help and guidance.

We're looking for another preacher in Putnam. We have been blessed with Len and his family, but his education is done and he will be sent to his first assignment in the navy soon. The meeting last night was a way that I could get the word out as did a couple of other congregations.

I went to Baird Monday to meet the new principal, Mr. Kinslow. Sarah was with me so she got to meet him as well. I found out that I won't know anything about the schedule until next week when he, the new counselor, the secretaries, and athletic director come on contract. That is the first order of business to fit the new staff and their responsibilities into the system. The new math teacher, Coach Vaughn, will be coaching as well as teaching math, so I'm going to be teaching more subjects this year.

Mom and Dad called last night that they reached their destination and called at 10:30 central time last night. They had a good flight with a two-hour layover in Portland, Oregon. They were in Burley when they called and talked to my voice mail last night. They are enjoying that cell phone!

I have been working on my business this week. Herbalife have come out with samples of their skin care products which I am excited about. These are high quality products that everyone can try before buying a whole regimen just to see what it's like. I'll be bringing those around little by little as well. The first set are due to arrive in Putnam today. The weight-loss products are very good and work very well, but it's a full-time job to motivate folks to continue in the program and keep exercising to see the full benefits. I'm still using those products to maintain my energy and lose a little bit more size. Robert is using the Bulk & Muscle formula since he works so hard outside and needs quick pick-me-ups and muscle-building. It is also helping him get ready for two-a-days (They start Monday, August 4th!).

I've also been letting everyone I have an email address for know about the excellent income potential of the opportunities in the energy business little by little. The flash videos download quickly and take about 10 minutes to watch. If you haven't gotten yours, it'll be coming (let me know if it doesn't). This is an excellent program for those with a natural gift of gab. The business will last longer than any business I have worked with. When was the last time you heard someone doing without electricity in their homes or businesses? They are only in Georgia (natural gas) and Texas (electricity) for now, but they are working with the states that are getting ready to deregulate natural gas and electricity and will be there as it happens. Everyone's down line will be from here. They also pride themselves on paying associates as quickly and as often as possible. FYI, my goal is to have four more customers by the time school starts. I'm also looking for three more associates soon after that. 13.4 cents and 14.4 cents are competitive.

Well, it's already time for lunch and there are other things that have to be done and I'd like to enjoy the last few days of the summer vacation.

Take care,
Brad

Birthday Celebration

Here's the whole family. Skipper is at the very front. Robert made sure that he made it into the picture. John and Robert (straw hat) are in front. John is 21 years old on his birthday. It just doesn't seem long enough. He works at Wal-Mart in Breckenridge. Robert had been at work on July 28th when he made it to the party. Yes he looks the part of ranch hand/cowboy.





On the back row are Sarah, Kerry, me, and James. James was 13 on the 27th of July. He spent much of the evening playing with his PS2 birthday present dreaming about what games he was going to spend some of his birthday money.

Here we have John, Robert, Sarah, and James all lined up. Sarah will be 16 in August. Again, how time flies.

Here's the whole crew. Erma Jean, Charles, Sarah, John, Kerry, Robert (Skipper), Brad, James, LeAnn, Gary, and Emily. We had a great evening.

Have a Great Day!
Brad

PS. We have a 6 month plan at 13.4 cents per kwh!!!

The Honest Word

Today is a day that the Lord has made, I should rejoice and be glad in it? How many times do we let what is happening around us affect what our mood is or our attitude is? Sometimes it's just too easy to allow other people the power over us to change our mood, demeanor, attitude, or even our work performance. We choose what goes into our minds. If we seek the Lord, our conscience will filter our words, actions, and beliefs toward righteousness. If we don't seek the Lord by searching his word, it is easy to break down our conscience-filter and start to speak and believe false teaching. That affects our attitudes, moods, and demeanor.

We talked in Bible class today about how the false prophets in Jeremiah 5 lied and gave the people who listened to them a false sense of safety - the Lord won't do that. They found out that they had sinned and the Lord did punish them. Paul talked to Timothy in first Timothy 1 about the teachers of the law who were teaching false ideas and being devoted to myths and endless geneologies. Paul said that they were confusing the message. God's work was being undermined. The discussions were leading to controversies rather than unity in Christ.

Since Jeremiah had problems with false information getting out attributed to God and Timothy was having problems with teachers of the law teaching things they didn't understand, how should we approach studying the Word and teaching the Word? What kind of responsibility does that put on the teacher and the learner? What happens when the student and/or the teacher stop seeking the Lord - searching the scriptures?

Paul told Timothy to command the teachers to quit teaching false teachings. He said that the command was from love - to restore success to God's work. It should be given out of a pure heart and a sincere faith. All of these things should guide those who teach and those who are students of the Word. Both have responsibilities to maintain the truth to find and stay on the path to heaven.

Kerry and I were very pleased this week when James decided to put on his Lord in baptism. He has struggled with the meaning of life and death for a long time now and come to this decision after having a lot of time to think and study this summer. I'm banking on the Christian brothers and sisters will keep each other honest and seek God's truth to keep him on the road to heaven. That will help all brothers and sisters stay true to the path.

Have a great day and week!
Brad

PS. To help support my family and meet our financial goals, I'm looking for electricity customers in Texas. Take a look at the site linked to the title of this article to find out more. It's a great company with integrity. Thank you.

Super Saturday

I'm sitting at the table contemplating or reflecting on my day waiting for the rice to soften to go with my supper. Today is super Saturday for more reasons than Sarah made it home from her Colorado vacation! She had a great trip and is not enjoying the heat we are having today. It is a super Saturday because I am preparing for the Bible class lesson and sermon for church tomorrow. Reading and studying the Word of God is always special which I do most days and is a priority in my life. The other thing that I did today happens only once a year. Today is super Saturday because it is the day that got together as Ignite associates and learned more about the company and the changes being made.


One of the biggest messages was to remind people that these hard economic times help people understand that they need to do something to make some money looking at 'recession-proofing' their income with a business that brings true residual income in an industry that grows through hard economic times. People pay their electric bills and keep electricity. They will stop buying other products because they are not as much a necessity as electrictity and food on the table are. There are plenty of people out there that would like to help do the same for you because it's not going to cost them anything that they are not going to spend already. This business also helps to soften the blow if the company decides to downsize your position or those fixed income check seem to be getting smaller even though they haven't changed.


The time drill for water is when the water is still flowing, not after it has already run out. If you are ready to start drill give me a call. If not, you may have questions you would like answered. Call me or visit my new website at http://www.bradloveland.igniteinc.biz/. If you are not ready to drill, but would like to help a family find the water go to my website and give me a call. I'll walk you through becoming a customer.

I appreciate your attention and comments.

Brad

Teaching/Home Projects/Home Business

The primary occupation kicked in this week as I went to training to satisfy my comp days and some hours for a grant that I am participating during the next full year. I have been at the region center for teacher training this week studying a new ways of having conversations with students and, by extension, parents. The rain has been alluding us for the most part. We did get some rain yesterday afternoon, but not enough to water the grass. It is July and summer and back-to-school is here.

Two-a-days and summer band will begin in a little over a week. The local television sports broadcasters are talking about the area football teams and games 'to see' during the fall. This is the time that I outline and put together the supplies for the activities that I will be spurring student conversations with during the year. The conversations must be worded correctly and checked to make sure students have the appropriate knowledge to be successful.

Getting ready for school and balancing the other activities and responsibilities in life is a challenge. Many of us as bread-winner teachers also do other things to boost the amount of money coming to pay the bills. Reviewing priorities is an important part of what we do so that the brothers and sisters at church, the students, our children, and customers get what they deserve or are paying. After all there is just one goal that we are heading-the reward in Heaven. Keep those priorities in order and all will go better in the long term.

Well, it is time to work on the Bible class lesson for Sunday. It will be time in the morning to learn more about the home business. Then, the rest of the weekend are for the church family and the family and the home business in this priority.

Your comments are always welcome.

Have a Great Weekend!
Brad

PS. Current rates for July, 2008 in AEP North region are 15 cents/kwh for a 2 year agreement or 15.5 cents for a 1 year agreement. Find out more - Click Here! (See first Comment!)

Coloring the House

Kerry brought the main color (grey) and the door color (a rich deep red) home when she made her trip to Lowe's Saturday. Thanks Dad for the use of the pickup for the one by twos and moulding that we also needed.

After church, I washed the north side of the house and it dried during lunch. Then, James and I came back and started painting. It went pretty fast. I just need something bigger to pour the paint into. I got the north side of the house done by the time Kerry came home with the laundry. I think I'm a little sore from hanging from the back eaves yesterday and it was hot this afternoon, so I didn't paint until dark and go on to the back in the shade. I wanted to be able to move in the morning since I have a workshop tomorrow in Abilene.

Kerry is very pleased with the color and I think it's going to look really good once we get more on the house. After the siding and the doors, I'm there will be the trim and the awnings. We'll get some pictures in a few days when the light is better. We will no longer be one of the four white houses at the corner of Ash and Fannin any longer.

Sarah is still in Colorado with her Memaw and Papaw. She called Friday and I told her that we were painting the house black and pink. I don't think she believed me. She's having a great time. It's cool up there. We told her to enjoy it. I'm hoping to get much of the siding color done by the time they get home.

Have a Great Week!
Brad

Patience and Judas

As you have probably already figured out, it hasn't been raining. I've been administering the July TAKS exit test during the mornings Tuesday through Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday, I was a little lazy and only worked inside the house. Thursday afternoon, I got back out and worked on the priming on the north side of the house. I had two phones on me because I was expecting a package from FedEx and the company I ordered from only put the box number on the package and they weren't entirely sure where we were. The package finally came, so we can continue printing the church bulletin. I kept working Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and part of the afternoon, and all afternoon today.

While taking breaks today, I worked on the church bulletin and worked on the adult class lesson for tomorrow. Through all of the breaks, I have to exercise patience because there are days I would like for everything to be done with the house. I'm getting good exercise doing this and with patience, we will have the satisfaction of better fitness and projects that we accomplished ourselves. Judas may have gotten impatient with Jesus and his ministry. Our bible class is still discussing Judas, the traitor. Here are some thoughts I had on the subject helped by Barclay's commentary on Matthew. This is after reading the first part of Matthew 26.

So far, we have seen that the Jewish authorities were looking for a way to arrest Jesus quietly. Judas was the solution to allow this to happen. In the scripture, it is obvious that Jesus knows what is happening and who is behind it. The motivation of Judas has caused much discussion and speculation. It is important to realize that some of what men write about Judas giving Jesus over to the authorities is all speculation. For example:

1. It may have been because of greed. I doubt this conjecture because the amount of silver was equal to a little less than a month’s wages. Either way, scripture does say that he repented of this sin. It was too late to change the outcome. He could not live with that, so he committed suicide.
2. Maybe he was completely disillusioned and angry with feelings of hatred when the bubble burst. The Jews had a nationalistic dream of a new earthly kingdom coming in power. At this time, it was obvious that this would not be the case since Jesus was given to die on the cross.
3. It could be that he never intended that Jesus would be put to death. He may have repented as he realized that they were out to kill him. He may have wanted to force Jesus hand to establish the kingdom and come in power now because of impatience. The spiritual kingdom was established not the earthly kingdom.

The tragedy of Judas is that he would not accept Jesus for what he was instead of what he wanted Jesus to be. How is that important for us to realize? The real awfulness of sin is captured here. When confronted with someone in sin, Jesus does to things. First, he confronts the person in sin. He tries to get them to stop and think about what they are doing. Second, he confronts the person with himself. Can you look me in the eye and go out and do this thing? He seeks to have them realize the horror of what they are thinking about doing.

Jesus knew the heart of Judas. Note how he confronted him. The suicide of Judas is the final indication that his plan had gone wrong. If he was hoping to force Jesus to blaze through as conqueror, he was terribly disappointed that his actions led Jesus to the cross to triumph over death. This does give us some insight about sin.

1. One thing about sin is that we cannot turn back the clock and choose a different path. As soon as a sin is committed, it cannot be undone or taken back. Realizing that nothing can really be taken back should inspire us to be doubly careful about what we are doing.
2. The one thing about sin is that people can end up despising the thing that was gained by the sin. Trying to fill a void, people desire something. The only problem is that the thing gained by sin is also empty. It seemed like it would make them happy and fulfill their life, but it does not and will never satisfy the longing that the sinner is trying to fill.

Judas wanted his own way and sinned to get it. Then, he changed his mind, but he could not take it back. He could not undo what he had done. He tried to undo it, but it fell on deaf ears. The plan was in action and there was no turning back. The chief priests called the 30 pieces of silver 'blood money.' They would not release Jesus. The deed was done. Jesus was offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, without which, we would not have hope of salvation. Judas may not have been showing patience, or he may have hated Jesus.

What do you think about Judas? He played his part and there may not have been hope of eternal life for us had he not done the deed. Feel free to comment.

Have a Great Sunday!
Brad

New Skills I've Learned

The clouds have come and gone several times this morning. James came back in while ago and said that it was raining. It was light, but enough that the dogs didn't want to get out in it and play. It is also enough that I decided to work inside and put away the laundry along with a few other things. Since I decided that, the sun has come out and it is humid. Maybe I will want to get out and paint this evening.

As I was putting the laundry away that Kerry got done for us last night, I started running across the things that I had not done in any other home we have lived inside of the house. There's the water heater, taking out a wall, putting in a wall, rebuilding the front porch, rerouting electric plugs, and on and on it goes. In May, I was wondering if I was accomplishing anything here. As I think about it there were many things accomplished as the list shows. I've been highlighting some of the outdoor things that have improved on my website http://www.bradsoddsnends.biz. that also tells about some of the other things I have been working on besides working full time as a high school math teacher.

Installing the water heater was the most challenging. We had the gas line repaired and re-routed to fit the new water heater. The challenge was breaking the seals of the water pipes coming from and going to the old heater. When one finally broke loose, it went so fast that I trapped my thumb against the wall with the handle of the pipe wrench. That was a painful ugly site for a time. It did finally heal nicely, but it taught me to look where my thumbs and fingers are and where they might get pinned before I start pushing and pulling. Once that was done, getting the old heater out was easy. It was smaller and lifted right out of the closet. Placing the water heater went well, then connecting the pipes went well. And it worked!

The satisfaction of coming through the problems of putting the heater was great. The wall removal was the next most intense indoor project because it involved moving a plug and finishing covering up a door that once went into the living room before we put the wall in to make a bedroom for the boys. Kerry helped cut ship-lap boards and carry them out bringing the short hallway into the kitchen giving us room to have a kitchen table to have family meals around. That is satisfying as well.

We're just going to keep going. Little by little the projects will improve our living conditions. We will enjoy the satisfaction of seeing all that work we have put into the place. Oh, I'm hearing thunder again. I guess I'll go ahead and put a chicken on to stew for supper. I hope your days are going well. I'd love to hear about what you do that is satisfying. Please feel free to comment at http://bradspower.blogspot.com for those of you that are getting this via email or on this page for those that are reading on-line.

Have a blessed day!
Brad

Energy for Bible Class

Bible class each week is a meaningful, enjoyable time of fellowship and Bible study. We share many things with each other and encourage each other every single time we come together. There is nothing like it during the week. The folks in Putnam have honored me by asking me to lead the adult class each Sunday. We are very informal and it makes for a time that I pray is pleasing to the Lord. Currently we are studying Matthew. I'm hoping to finish this study up by the end of August.

We are in Matthew 26:14-30. We will have to finish this lesson next week. At this point, we know that the Jewish authorities are looking for a way to arrest Jesus quietly. The Roman authorities were worries about the chaotic season of Passover in Jerusalem at this time. While the Jewish authorities were wondering how they were going to pull this off, Judas came to them and asked them what they would give him to hand him over. They gave him 30 pieces of silver.

Jesus according to scripture new what was going to happen and who would be responsible for that. He had accepted this and he kept his disciples close, but didn't really let them in on the specifics of his arrest that would lead to his Crucifixion. He let them know that they would all deny him during this time. The disciples couldn't imagine such an idea. What would possibly happen to cause this?

The question we left with was how Judas got to the point of handing Jesus over? And what happened before his death? What could happen to us to cause us to deny Jesus and even turn on him? Ponder on that this week and we'll talk more about this next week.

Take care,
Brad

Thanksgiving

What are you Thankful for? Comment and let everyone know.

I am so thankful for the opportunities that the Lord has blessed us with here in Putnam. We are building better family relationships. We are working on worthwhile projects that we see progress on like the house, clearing brush, and pruning back trees. We have good jobs (Baird High School & the state school) and good home business opportunities (linked to Brad's Odds N Ends) to make ends meet those months when the repairs and bills seem to add up faster than the regular income. I am thankful for the relaxed lifestyle and atmosphere that we have found here.

I challenge you to find the blessings in your life and share them.

Take care,
Brad

Starting off the Weekend

James and I were taking care of odds -n- ends today. We started by checking on the recouperating dogs, Tippie and Suzie. They are doing very well. They are still running a little slow. They both wanted to stay with me even though there were other things that needed to be done. We gave them their medicine and fed them. We made sure they had home to move around and play today. They had a great time, but Buck and Mattie wanted to play too rough. The roughness shortened the play times today. I believe they will be back to their playful selves in a couple of days.

Breckenridge was our next stop after doing some cleaning around the house. I had some banking to do. We're still getting some of John's mail here, so I took it back to him. He was at work, so we didn't get to talk long. He looks good and is happy with his job. He is also looking forward to his 21st birthday at the end of the month. James will be 13 the day before. It goes so fast. It pays to pay attention!

After washing dishes in the kitchen, I began working on the Putnam Church of Christ bullitin and my Bible class lesson for Sunday. The scripture is Matthew 26:14-30 or so - the traitor. Think about what his motivations might have been. It could be that he was trying to make Jesus into what he expected instead of accepting who he was.

Yesterday, I took a couple of hours to work on prime painting on the north side of the house. I got about a third of it worked. When I ran out of paint, I was at a stopping point, so I quit. I have been using my own power rather than electricity to help my health and muscles. I'm still using the Herbalife products (and distribute them. If you need something, email me).

About the time I was finished with that, Kerry called ready to start home from work. Where do the days go? Comment and let me know where today went!

Have a Great Day!
Brad

The Dogs Big Day

Yesterday was a big day for Suzie (the yellow/tan dog from the previous post) and Tippie. They don't get out much, so they were nervous to get into the car. I then remembered that the only times they have been in the car was to get their shots in the last 6 months. Tippie was particularly sensitive to the bridges (rough pavement) that we had to go over to get to the clinic. The other dogs go with our son, Robert, quite often to 'help' him with his fencing work, but Tippie and Suzie don't leave home. They enjoy playing here. They are real home bodies. Looking back, we should have taken them places where they was visit and play some so they would not be so nervous about the trip and they would not have been so worked up about going into the clinic.

The clinic was nice and it is best to set up the visit in advance including filling out the paper work associated with the event. That will speed up the time plus this is surgery and has to be scheduled. That also gave us time to prepare the dogs. They were great with the dogs and when we came to pick them up, they were happy to see us and awake. They have medicine to help them through the next couple of days. By the evening, Suzie was walking around and acting more normal. Tippie on the other hand wanted to get in her corner of my daughter's bedroom and rest. Neither one of them want or need to play. They should be back to normal in a couple of days.

We used the Rescue the Animals clinic since these puppies had been dumped and we have accepted the responsibility of keeping them. They worked with us on the cost. They do a great work with mostly volunteers. They also have many pets looking for permanent loving homes. They show some on their website.

To save gas, we planned many errands to run all day. We had Suzie and Tippie settled in by 8:15 am. We then had a tire repaired off of Kerry's car, went to eat breakfast as McDonalds, went to the bank, and met my mother at the AT&T store to help her look for a cell phone. We then went a visited at their home near town and ate lunch. Before we knew it, we were getting into the car to pick up Suzie and Tippie. Combining the trip really helps keep the gasoline bill down which is a whole other topic for another day.

Use the comments feature to post your tips about how to make spaying and neutering easier for your pets.

Take care,
Brad

Looking back, we should have taken them places
where they was visit and play some so they would not be so nervous about the
trip