THE GIFT OF PAIN By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly It sounds like an oxymoron to use the words “gift” and “pain” in the same sentence.  However, I have come to know that pain is a gift that prompts me to pull my hand away from a hot stove.  Memory of pain makes me careful in my choice of words in conflict, and it prompts me to say, "I love you" or "I'm sorry" before it’s too late.  Pain has been a faithful teacher—intensifying joy, teaching forgiveness and compassion and strengthening my endurance. Countless times I have prayed to be spared pain.  I have been spared some, but not all.  God, in His wisdom, walked with me.  He held, loved and matured me through it. He used pain as a tool to make me a better person, with greater appreciation for my blessings and a greater capacity to give and receive love. We want comfort, but painlessness isn’t always good.  Those with Leprosy lose their ability to sense pain.  Their body parts become in...

*SEEDS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Spring has sprung, and the nearby hills are lush, green and dotted with wildflowers.  The landscape is full of life. Just about every living thing comes from seeds—plants, animals, and even people, started out that way.  And once fertilized and planted, they take root.  From a little seed as small as a grain of sand, a huge mustard plant grows, and a giant oak rises up from a tiny acorn. Planting and harvesting are mentioned throughout scripture, not simply as a lovely aside, but because they are principles inextricably woven into the tapestry of life on this planet. We reap what we sow. I may not gave a green thumb, but I still plant every day.  So do you.  We have a variety of seeds from which to choose—seeds of encouragement, empathy, compassion and kindness.  We also can plant criticism, insult, condemnation and cruelty. Watching friends who are currently reaping a harvest of grief from long ago...

PRIDE & JOY By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “A good wife is her husband's pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones.” – Proverbs 12:4 GNT Having lost a husband to cancer, this verse hits my heart. I shudder at the thought of being like a cancer to ANYONE, let alone those who are closest to me. We all make mistakes and conflicts arise in life.  When they do and we are in need of counsel or comfort, we arrive at a crossroad in relationship.  At that crossroad we can choose to either to bless or curse the relationship by the words we use in sharing our pain.  We have all heard prayer requests that were thinly-veiled excuses for gossip or characters assassination—an indulgence that invites destruction.  Wisdom chooses blessing through confidential sharing with the motivations of unselfish love and a desire to honor. The Lord knows all there is to know about us, yet He always speaks well of us.  He calls u...

NAME DROPPER By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Have you ever met anyone famous? I have a friend who tends to be a "name dropper"—someone who likes to tell you about all of the important or wealthy people they know. That sort of thing generally doesn’t impress me, but the conversation started me thinking. "Who do I know?" I’ve had a split-second handshake with Senator Bob Dole, and President Reagan once waved at me from his limousine.  Our lives brushed by one another, leaving minimal impact on my life, and dare I say, NO impact on theirs. Thought shifted, and I began to wonder: Who knows ME? Who values me and remembers MY name? The Lord!  The creator of the universe—the Name above all names.  He knows me!  His love is engraved on the palm of His hand, and He has written my name in His book.‬‬ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;” – Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5a‬ ‭NIV These words spoken to Jeremiah are also true of yo...

GIVE & TAKE By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." – Job 1:21 The book of Job starts out with a bang.  Job’s blessings were catastrophically stripped away along with his health.  This godly man—once tremendously blessed—found himself bereft, covered in boils and falsely accused. It isn’t always “good” that enters our lives, and it isn’t only “bad” that is taken away.  Both good and bad visit us all.  And when going through pain and loss, it is tempting to question God’s goodness and if He truly cares. Having experienced suffering of my own, I would never want to discount your pain.  But even when we hurt and life makes no sense, God remains a good Father.  And as every good parent knows, sometimes what is best for a child does not feel like best to them. Receiving a “no” to a requested danger, discipline fo...

DANCING WITH DADDY - A Prayer For the Reluctant Dancer In Us All By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.” - Psalm 149:3 Sometimes we feel so awkward in this dance that we call life.  We step on toes, trip and fall and make the most graceful of leaps, only to split a seam. Even the most rapt attention will not become skill by observation.  Without effort, blisters and beads of perspiration, we are not dancers, but merely observers. We fall and get up only to fall again.  With time, our discouragement can give way to timidity and paralysis.  We take off our shoes and gently place them on a shelf, determining that we are not dancers after all.  Our childhood joy is replaced with comparison, perfectionism and joylessness. Life started out full of hope and passion, but disappointment has taken a toll on our joy.  Wisdom and caution have decayed into fearfulness, and exc...

LETTING GO OF TOMATO SOUP By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly What is your favorite comfort food from childhood?  For me, it was tomato soup.  There is just something relaxing about having my hands wrapped around a hot mug of soothing soup that brings a sigh of relief. I had tomato soup a lot in childhood. I could eat it with no noticeable ill effects.  In adulthood, however, I find that as I am finishing the cup, heartburn and regret come calling. Many things that I did in childhood are no longer part of my life.  I have learned that they aren’t worth it.  Scary movies give me anxious dreams.  Juicy tidbits of gossip bring conflict, hard feelings and drama. Wandering around the mall for “fun” opens the door to the torment of want.  Flirting with temptation invites destruction. There are still other childish ways that I need to let go of, however.  They cause trouble for my life and lead to pain, lack of peace and regret.  How about yo...

HALF-HEARTED PRAYERS By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him...Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” - Acts‬ ‭12:5, 13-16‬ ‭MSG This passage pokes at one of my weaknesses.  How about you?  We pray and hope, but when the Lord answers we are shocked, even when we see it with our eyes.  It is a strange place that we find ourselves—with enough faith to pray, but not enough faith to believe God will answer. After the woman who was healed of the issue of blood reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, Jesus sai...

MY SHEPHERD By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-4‬ ‭KJV‬‬ These beautiful words were God-breathed to offer comfort on this journey.  But so often in life’s turmoil, our trembling hearts are lacking in peace. I brought this inconsistency before the Lord, asking Him why.  He pointed me to the first five words of the Psalm. “The Lord is MY Shepherd.” “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27 “My” connotes a personal relationship.  The Shepherd knows the sheep, and the sheep know Him and recognize his voice.  They trust Him, submit to His leading and f...

A CITY ON A HILL By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house.” – Matthew‬ ‭5:14-15‬ ‭GW‬‬ And I saw thousands of souls struggling in a churning sea.  Under the darkness of a moonless sky, without a boat, they were tossed.  Beneath them sharks swam, nipping at heels, eliciting sharp cries from those who flailed.  It caused them to cling to their neighbor, pushing them to submerge, sputter and gasp.  Exhaustion, chaos and hopelessness hovered over the waters like a mist, obscuring the small points of light that seeped out from around the boarded windows of the nearby city on a hill.  The city on a hill—a beacon of hope to those drowning, contained behind windows shuttered with fear. Lord, we see chaos all around us —man’s in...

SEEDS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Spring is fading and summer is nearly here.  The skies are alive with the songs of birds and the landscape is full of life. Just about every living thing comes from seeds—plants, animals, and even people, started out that way.  And once fertilized and planted, they take root.  From a little seed as small as a grain of sand, a huge mustard plant grows, and a giant oak rises up from a tiny acorn. Planting and harvesting are mentioned throughout scripture, not simply as a lovely aside, but because they are principles inextricably woven into the tapestry of life on this planet. We reap what we sow. I may not have a green thumb, but I still plant every day.  So do you.  We have a variety of seeds from which to choose—seeds of compassion, love, generosity and kindness.  We also can plant selfishness, hate, greed and cruelty. We may not see them, but once seeds disappear beneath the soil, they aren’t gon...

BLESSED TO BLESS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” – Deuteronomy 3:28 NIV I read this verse today and started to wonder if there might be a “Joshua” in my life that either I had failed to recognize, or I had recognized, but I failed to encourage and strengthen.  I wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to give a blessing. And were I to play the role of Joshua in another’s life, I would not want to miss the blessing of being strengthened and encouraged by them. Lord, show us who our "Joshua's" are—those unsung heroes who carry pressure, responsibly or risk, so that we can be blessed.  Give us hearts of appreciation for those who faithfully serve us day after day.  Show us how to minister meaningfully to their needs, strengthen and encourage them, so they will be refreshed, and not grow weary in doing good. ...

MY BROTHER’S SHOES By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Can you feel it? Our lives are like tubes of toothpaste—under pressure and squeezed on all sides.  We may be able to contain ourselves for a time, but as pressure builds, we will eventually either pop our cap or split a seam.  And when we do, what we hold inside will come oozing out. Take a look around.  When challenged, we respond by reaching deep down inside and pulling out what we find there.  If we are full of ourselves, we pull out flesh, responding with hate, selfishness, bitterness, revenge and rage. The Lord understands our struggle.  When Jesus was on the cross, He carried the weight of the world on His shoulders.  Under intense pressure and with the last of His strength ebbing away, in love, He poured out everything within Him—compassion, grace and love, saying, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34 NIV What we are full of will eventually c...

RESTING IN LINEN By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly As I brought all of you before the Lord this morning, I told Him of my burning desire to bless and encourage you. His response was swift and succinct.  He said, “I will use you to bless as you choose to rest.” Rest is counterintuitive and seemed to be the antithesis to productivity. Then Ezekiel  44:17 came to mind. "When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple.” – Ezekiel 44:17 The priests who served within the inner courts were to wear only linen clothing—nothing woolen.  Linen represents the imputed righteousness of Christ.  Wool, in some commentaries, represents the works of the flesh and the old covenant sacrifice for sin. Interestingly, linen keeps us cool, whereas wool can cause us to sweat.  The offering the Lord asks from us is one that is inextr...

MAKING MUD By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Years ago, there was a man who owned a barbershop near my office. One day, while walking past him on my way to the store, the Lord told me to pray for him. I bristled at the thought. We didn’t know each other.  Certainly he would think I was a nut. I struggled and argued with the Lord as I wandered around the parking lot, but I finally relented and obeyed. The man looked shocked at my request, but he agreed.  So, I took his hands—right there in front of God and everybody—and I prayed, said, “Amen” and went on my way. I never thought much about it until 8 YEARS later, when a friend told me that I had once prayed for his best friend, the barber.  On the day I prayed for him, he had been crying out to God, searching for answers and was considering suicide.  He had been trapped in addiction and life felt hopeless. When I prayed, the Holy Spirit spoke to him.  He had a salvation encounter with Jesus, and he...

TODDLERS IN THE FAITH “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” – Romans‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I bought my first brand new car in 1992.  Before then, my cars were always well-maintained used cars.  She was a gorgeous, glistening teal.  And with the turn of the key, her engine would come to life with a powerful, throaty rumble. On day three of my new car love affair, I walked out the door to see that someone had keyed the entire driver’s side of the car.  My heart sank.  I hadn’t bragged about it, but apparently someone had taken notice.  And they were so miserable that they couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else having a reason to be happy. Envy is a cancer of the soul. And each time it in indulged, it grows.  It causes us to rejoice when others weep, and weep when others rejoice.  It is an isolating condition that walls us off from both the giving and receiving of love, companionship or compassion. Ask any toddler who ...