Merry Christmas from the Brazzells!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again! Many things have been going on in our life, so I thought it would be good to catch everyone up! The purpose of this letter is to bring glory to the Lord for all He has done in our lives during 2015, and to share what we have been doing and how you can pray for us!

July 12^th marked our 1^st year of marriage! It has been such a wonderful journey together! We were able to spend our anniversary weekend in Charleston, SC. It was such a treat to be able to steal away for a few days and spend time together!

This summer was full of traveling! In addition to our anniversary trip, we traveled to both of our family reunions. God worked it out that we could go to both of these, and we were so excited! This was Sim’s first time meeting most of my family. It was so good to catch up with loved ones we haven’t seen in several years!

During the summer, I was able to complete the courses required to receive my TESOL Certification (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) through Crown College. This is something I started while I was in college, and I’m so glad I was able to finish it! God opened up an amazing opportunity for me to teach English to a group of international students during the fall semester. The students are such sweet people, and I love being able to teach them English while studying God’s Word together! Please pray that my students will have an open heart and clear understanding as I share the gospel with them!

God opened up a new job opportunity for Simeon several weeks ago. He is now working as a sales representative for Cellular Sales. If you know Simeon well, you know that he loves technology, so this job is perfect for him! We weren’t planning on a job switch, but God had different plans, and as always, we are discovering that His plans for us are perfect! Simeon is also continuing to enhance his skills at web design and computer coding. He has had the opportunity to design several websites for different ministries in that past few weeks.

I am continuing to grow my Mary Kay virtual office assistant business. God has richly blessed me by allowing me to earn an income while I work from home. I work for some amazing ladies, and I love what I do! I am also still teaching piano lessons. This is always a highlight of my week! I enjoy getting to spend time with my students and helping them to develop their talents to use for the Lord. Soon, we will be having our Christmas recital at a local nursing home, and we are all so excited!

Our mission’s plans are starting to come together! We are still praying for specific direction as to what part of Australia God would have us serve in. We have decided to take a survey trip next fall to spend time with several ministries that are there. Through this we believe that God will show us exactly where He wants us, and how He wants us to serve. A lot of planning and preparation will go into this trip, so prayers are appreciated! We will continue to keep everyone updated as the time draws closer, and we receive more details.

In the meantime, God has opened several ministry opportunities at our home church. We hold a weekly service at a nursing home which has been such a blessing and encouragement to us! The people are so sweet, and we all love worshiping Jesus together. We also participate in a weekly ‘Teens for Christ’ Bible Club in a local middle school. Over one hundred different students have attended throughout the semester, and we had 2 accept Christ as their Savior just a few weeks ago!! We also enjoy singing in the choir and leading a prayer group in our Sunday School class.

God has richly blessed us with so many wonderful friends and family members! We love each of you, and are so grateful for your prayers and encouragement. May you have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Philippians 1:20-21

Bible Club Update

Those of you who keep up with the ministries we are involved in will know that we are in a Teens For Christ Bible Club every Tuesday morning. It's such an enormous opportunity to go into a public school and teach the kids about Christ.

We had a big "Friend Day" at our club on 11/17/15 where we encouraged kids to come and bring a friend with them. The purpose of the Bible club is to get the gospel to as many kids as possible, but also to get the kids involved in reaching their peers. We had 52 students that day and 2 made professions of faith in Christ. The following week on 11/24/15 those two students both came to club again, and one of them brought a friend with him. It's truly amazing to watch what God is able to do in the lives of young people, many of whom would never have otherwise heard the gospel. Please pray for Alex and Elijah as they try to grow as Christians. Pray that they will share what they've done with a peer.

We live in east Tennessee, and as such are in a highly "Christian" area. Many of our public school kids claim to be regular church attenders. Sadly, the types of churches they attend are not gospel preaching churches for the most part. Our pastor often says that the Great Commission doesn't say to open your church doors and ask people to come in. It says to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature". It's our responsibility to find them and get them the gospel. One such way to do that is through the open door we have with Teens for Christ.

Unfortunately, we cannot reach the whole student body this way. Even with the club, there is no way we could get every student in the classroom to teach them about Jesus. That responsibility has to land on the students. This past Tuesday I encouraged our students to share their salvation testimony with another student this week. I explained how I got saved, then I asked a few of them to explain how they got saved. I explained to them that we all have different stories, but we all come to Christ the same way, as sinners in need of a Savior. Then I encouraged them to use their testimony to give the gospel to a friend. This is the only way to reach students in the school who would never come to Bible Club on their own. Who better to reach students with the gospel than other students? I would be more likely to listen to a friend than some stranger who I only see once a week.

Let me ask you this. When was the last time you spoke to a peer about Christ? We're asking these students to work up the bravery to talk to their fellow classmates about Christ. We don't have classmates anymore, but we do still have peers. Unless you work on staff at a church, you probably work with a group of people who are for the most part unsaved. They need Christ! Most of them will never darken the door of a church building except for weddings and funerals. Where are they going to hear the gospel? The dry cleaners? Not likely. The most likely place for them to hear and accept the gospel is at work from a coworker. I know it's hard to share the gospel at work. I don't work at a church either. They still need Christ and it's up to us to get Him to them! I'll give you the same challenge I gave my Teens for Christ club this week. Share the gospel with one coworker or classmate. It'll all be worth it if one person gets saved.

Have Faith In God

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

During the past thirteen weeks in our Sunday School class, we have been going through a study titled "Have Faith in God." This is probably my third or fourth time going through this study, but it has never meant as much to me as it has in the past few months! Why is that? Well, there are several reasons.

1. It never ceases to amaze me how you can read the same verses in the Bible, but God can reveal different truths each time. That is exactly what happened in this study. God brought to light the connection between faith and family. I think before as I have studied the people listed in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11, I have thought of how their faith affected them as an individual. Abraham's faith allowed God to use him to be the father of nations. Moses' faith allowed God to make him the one who would deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. While all that is true, the faith exemplified in the lives of these people had a direct impact on their families. Take Moses' parents for example, their act of faith in trusting their baby boy to God's control allowed them extra time with him to train him in the ways of Jehovah. Their faith was planted in Moses' heart so that when the day came for him to choose the pleasures of Egypt or the way of his people's God, he could make the right choice! One day, Simeon and I look forward to starting a family. I pray that God can develop the kind of faith in our lives that will impact our children. And I am so thankful for godly parents who's faith impacted me!

2. The point was brought out in this study that God does not choose to use us because we in and of ourselves are worthy or strong enough. If you look at the lives of the individuals listed in Hebrews 11, you will notice that they weren't "super heroes." They were regular people like you and I who had weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:19 says that Christ's strength is made perfect in our weakness. What a promise! This truth spoke to my heart. I need not worry that I am not capable enough to do God's work because when I yield myself to Him, He will enable me to serve Him!

3. When we began our study, our teacher told us that when you pray for God to increase your faith, be prepared for Him to answer. At the time, I wasn't exactly sure what all that meant. Over the past several weeks, I have come to have a better understanding of his response. How does God increase faith? Under what circumstances does our faith have the chance to blossom and grow? God often uses trials in our lives to mature our faith. This could be looked at in a negative light. I don't want to have trials! Just like every other human, I love being on the "mountain top." I want life to be smooth sailing. But it has been through some recent trials that God has made Himself known to Simeon and I. We asked for our faith to be increased, and He answered. . . just not in the way that we would've chosen for ourselves. Has it been worth it? YES!! We still don't have all the answers, and we are still trying to climb back up the mountain, but God has proven over and over again to us that He is enough, He is in control, and He desires the best for our lives. I have seen God's hand moving, and that is worth the time in the valley!

You can listen or watch videos of this lesson series at this link- Have Faith In God. I challenge you to listen to these lessons, and I pray that it will bless your heart as it has mine!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Patiently Working Hard

I hear people say from time to time that they are waiting on God's will for their lives. It's as if they believe that somewhere off in the distance there is a magical portal that they'll be able to walk through and find everything God wants for them. They think there is a great door open to them that will solve all their problems and answer all their questions. Yet, today they are content to sit down, do nothing, and wish things were different than they are currently.

I know I'm called to Australia. There were times when I was in college that I wanted to quit school and go, but my wife (fiance at the time) had the wisdom to convince me to finish school first. I was still under the notion that once I finished and got married, I'd pack up my things and go; but it hasn't worked out that way. From time to time I get frustrated about it all and even wish that God hadn't told me where He wanted me to go until He was ready to take me there. That has been my "door off in the future" that would make everything better.

I know now that this is a fallacy in my own thinking. I have come to understand the fact that God wants me here right now. Once I settled that fact in my own heart, it was amazing what God opened up for my wife and I. I now am able to serve in a nursing home on a weekly basis, serve in my church choir, and two weeks ago, my wife and I began leading a Teens For Christ Bible Club at a local middle school. We had 74 kids this past week and were able to share the Gospel with them in their own school! I never would have imagined the opportunities I've had right here, but God didn't give these opportunities  until I was ready to settle down where he had me right now.

We studied Abraham a few weeks ago in Sunday School. He was told of God to pack up and go, but God never told him where. God said go, and Abraham went. He became a wanderer and a nomad for the rest of his life, but he had God's blessing. He didn't know where he'd go next until God told him. The point is that God didn't tell Abraham everything. God told him what he needed to know right then. I may know where I'm going someday, but I have to listen to what God wants me to do today first. The Lord wants to lead our lives, but He wants to lead on a daily basis.

Don't think that your golden ticket will come in the mail one day, and you'll know then and there what to do. There's no magic portal that you'll walk through to serve Christ and be happy. Serve Him right now where you are. You are where you are either because God wants you there, or because you're running from Him. Let Him use you today! He'll guide you tomorrow if you do!

Teaching English to Reach a Heart

People say there is nothing quite like teaching a child to read, and then hearing them read their first words by themselves. I have not experienced that, but I have experienced something that might come close. . .

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to finish my TESOL degree (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). It made for a challenging beginning to my summer, but what I received from it was worth it! Yes, I was very excited to receive my certification to teach, but I left with something even more valuable than that! I had developed a love for helping internationals learn English by studying God's Word. Watching them not only reading the Bible in English, but then grasping an understanding of the Gospel in our language is an experience difficult to describe! Many of them were so open to hearing about Christ.

Through this one class, I created friendships that I hope to hold onto for a lifetime! I look forward to seeing how God will use this training in my life as Simeon and I seek to follow God's will for our lives at home and one day abroad!

We cannot begin to express what your prayers and encouragement mean to us! Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's direction and follow His will for our lives at this stage He has us in!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

A Threefold Cord

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 " Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and

a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Sunday, July 12th, Simeon and I celebrated our first anniversary! It is so hard to believe that we have been married for a whole year; where did the time go!? 

Several weeks before our wedding, a friend of mine gave me a card congratulating us on our marriage. Inside the card, she wrote the verse Ecc. 4:12 ". . . a threefold cord is not quickly broken." That was the only time I saw that verse written in the many cards we received. It's not a verse I would have immediately thought to write in a wedding card, but it has greatly influenced me since reading it. As I looked it up in the Bible and studied the context, it became a verse that I claimed for our marriage. 

When Sim and I first started dating, we agreed to only grow closer together as we grew closer to God. Now, that hasn't always been the case in our relationship, but we have always aimed to keep that the goal. This verse complemented that desire!

Our first year of marriage has been wonderful. We have had several bumps in the road, but overall it has been an easy year for us. We have enjoyed getting to know one another on an even greater level, spent a lot of time talking about how good God has been to us, prayed together for many requests that were pressing on our hearts, and sought God for His will for our lives. In all these things, our "threefold" cord has been strengthened as we have strove to keep Christ in the center of our relationship! As we journey through life, harder times will come, but I know that when those times come, it will be the threefold cord that we have worked to strengthen that will carry us through!

We've only been married a very short time and are in no place to offer marriage advice. This is just something that God has greatly used in our marriage, and because the authority is from God and not me, I trust it can make a difference in your marriage too!

Being a Watchman in a World That Doesn't Want Watched

I have a friend I work with who is a Christian. Yesterday he and I were discussing the recent Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage in all 50 states. We were having a private discussion about our opposition to the ruling and how it's going to be bad for the country. Another coworker interrupted and said, "why do you Christians care so much what other people do. Why can't you just let people live their own lives?" I have to be honest, I failed to give him a satisfactory answer immediately. It was only later, after thinking about it, that I went back to him with my answer.

Ezekiel 33:6 says, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." In other words, God has given the Christian the responsibility of warning others. This passage is often used to speak of winning the lost as it should be. It doesn't just mean that though. It says "see the sword come". This means that if we see danger coming we are to warn others. Christian people are not to live our lives silently while the world burns. We are commanded to be watchmen warning others of impending danger. If we fail to do so then God says that their blood will be on our hands. This doesn't mean we are to be arrogant and hateful towards people, but that we should be wanting to help them.

Homosexuals are people just like you and I. They're trapped in their sin. They're deceived by Satan and this world into thinking that what they are doing is Ok and even right! They need loving Christians like us to come along beside them and show what the Bible teaches about salvation. If they aren't saved then you'll never convince them they're wrong. They don't have the Holy Spirit to convict of sin. They, like my coworker, can't understand why we won't just leave them alone. Screaming that homosexuality is sin from the rooftops will only make them angry and harden their hearts toward God.

When I explained to my coworker that the Bible teaches that destruction is the end result of sin and that I have an obligation to warn others, he understood why I was opposed. He didn't agree with me, but he understood why I stood where I stood. He's one step closer to understanding the truth now then he was yesterday morning. He probably won't ask why I'm vocal about my beliefs anymore, because he knows I believe it's my duty to warn others. Not everyone will be as understanding as he was, but we aren't responsible for the reactions of others. We are responsible for warning people.

Unfortunately, there is a sect of Christianity that isn't loving when they speak to or about homosexuals or their supporters. Those Christians are one of the reasons that we are so often called "bigots" and our opposition is called "religious bigotry". Eph. 4:15 says that we are to speak the truth in love. It's a delicate balance. Think of a parent telling a child not the play in the road. The parent can yell and scream at the child, or the parent can explain to the child why they shouldn't play in the road. If the parent just screams not to do it, then the child may grow resentful and do it anyways. If the parent explains the danger of playing in the road in a loving way, then the child is more likely to obey. It's high time we quit complaining about the evils of the world and start being the watchmen God commands us to be. Speaking the truth in love for all within our sphere of influence. If we don't, America's blood will be on our hands.

Prayerfully trying to be a watchman,

Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12

Preparing A Mind for Mission Work

Yes, that's a play on the title of the blog.

Have you ever heard a Christian  or pastor tell you to "just go and trust that God will take care of you"? Unfortunately, this is a mindset that many Christians have. My wife and I are 100% sure we are called to Australia. That's the "go". However, we do not know where. We do not know when. We do not know how, why, or what we'll be doing when we get there. I'll be honest, it's frustrating to me sometimes, and my wife handles it better than I do most of the time. Some would tell us to just start deputation and trust that God will give more direction as we go.

Maybe He would do that. Maybe He wouldn't, but I know that God will direct me as I follow Him. God gave us a brain so that we could be rational. God Himself says in the Bible on a number of occasions "come let us reason together". He wants us to think and not be irrational in behavior. It's important that you hear me out before writing me off. I am not saying that we should listen to our rational thought more than the moving of the Holy Spirit. I'm saying that where the Spirit is silent and the Word of God doesn't give specific direction, then we have to rely on what God has given us mentally. 

I applaud how Christian colleges are getting involved in training people in the trades. The world of tomorrow is very different than the world of yesterday. Churches that can fully support pastors are becoming a thing of the past. Should those pastors take small churches and work fast food to support their families when they could first acquire a skill that could support them? Where do you draw the line? I am actually taking online courses in Web Design and Development. I don't know how God might use that, but I'll have an option if God sees fit to place me in a small congregation. I think God calls us to support our families as well. 

It's a sticky subject, and I'm not 100% sure I know exactly where I stand. I know that there are people who depend on themselves too much. I also know there are people who irrationally rush ahead of God thinking that they are "trusting Him". I read once about a young man who left home to join the Billy Graham Crusades. He thought he would just play guitar and sing gospel music. Come to find out, the organization didn't just let any ol' teenager get up on the platform and play. He had rushed ahead of God's direction for his life.

God is working on my wife and I. He's molding us. He's bending us. He's trying our patience every day. I'm not just working a job, banking money, and saving for retirement. I'm serving in a church, saving for a survey trip, and seeking God's face daily for direction. My wife and I are contacting mission boards, conversing with missionaries, and learning more about Australia. We're also serving in a nursing home where I'm learning to how to love people and how to guide people in a more pastoral way (not that I'm trying to pastor the people. Many of them have a church home they go to as well). 

The point is that God's working on my heart and my mind. I'm trying to be as logical as I can with the funds God is giving me as well as the time I have with my wife. We'll take a survey trip when God provides the funding. When God provides the direction, we'll go. When God says it's time, He'll have prepared us financially, mentally, and spiritually enough to meet the task. God never gives us more than we are able to handle without also giving us His divine aid. 

I would ask that you'd pray for Brettnay and I. I do not want you to think we are discouraged, because we are not. We are happy in Jesus and very much enjoy where we are serving Him now! I have every confidence in my Lord and His guidance in my life. He knows the answers to my questions, but right now the answer is wait. So we wait.

Your friend and brother in Christ Jesus our Lord, 

Simeon Brazzell

I Tim 1:12

Make Me a Blessing

Have you ever prayed that God would help make you a blessing to those around you??

When Simeon and I got married, we began praying about what ministries the Lord would have us get involved in. We had several things in mind when a couple contacted us about serving in a nursing home. They had held services there for the past two years and were moving away, so they needed a replacement. We were a bit skeptical at first. . . that was not on our list of ministries we wanted to do. We went with them one Sunday, and God worked in our hearts while we were there! It only took two weeks for us to realize that was the ministry God had for us! We then began to ask God that He would make us a blessing there! God has given us a special relationship with the 20+ residents that attend our weekly service. They have told us on many occasions that it's such a blessing to them to have us there! That means a lot to us, because that is what we prayed for! Funny thing is, throughout the past 5 months serving there, Simeon and I would both say that we feel they have blessed us more than we have blessed them! To go each week and see their faithfulness, and that they are excited about worshiping the Lord, is such an encouragement!

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they many see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We have enjoyed watching the people we minister to let their hearts shine for Jesus! They are at a stage of life where they have experienced many things and gained much wisdom, and through it all, they are being examples for Christ!


What ministry has God called you to? You may work in a nursing home, teach a children's class, or work a bus route. In all ministries, we can pray that God will make us a blessing to those come in contact with! And do you know what you'll find? When you seek to be a blessing to someone else, you'll end up being blessed in return!


Earlier this week, the residence held a Volunteer Appreciate Luncheon. As they thanked us volunteers for serving there, I could not help but thank them for the wonderful privilege to get to know them and serve Christ along side them! They gave me this flower pot as a "thank you." What a blessing!!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay  Brazzell

The Way Back To God - A Review

We've been doing a study of Psalm 51 in Sunday School over the past 13 weeks. This study is entitled The Way Back to God, and the study material was written by Pastor Clarence Sexton. You can find the book here. I would like to briefly tell you what this study has meant to me.

I will tell you a little bit of my story without getting into too much detail. I think that when people give testimonies, they often glorify their sin in the process. I actually heard someone on the radio the other day say that they had "built their testimony" as a young person before they got saved. They meant by that that they'd done a lot of bad things in life, and that Christ had rescued them from it. That's good that they are now saved, but they didn't build their testimony by being a sinner. We all have the same testimony which is that Christ saved us when we were sinners through his death, burial, and resurrection.

When I was in junior high school, I became filled with rebellion in my heart as many young men do. I became puffed up in pride and thought that I could handle sin rather than it handle me. I found that I was wrong. It took me getting caught and the intervention of my parents and my youth leader to get me back on track. Most importantly, it took the forgiveness of God being felt in my own heart. I was already a Christian, but I'd lost my way. Psalm 51 is the sinner's guide back to God. Pastor Clarence Sexton wrote this book to help people break down and digest what David penned in his own prayer to God.

Pastor Sexton goes systematically through Psalm 51 verse by verse and explains what each part of David's prayer means and how it applies to every Christian. You don't have to be involved in horrible sin to be away from God. I would venture to say that most American Christians are away from God simply because they aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are committing sins of omission rather than sins of commission. This book is a refresher course on what your relationship with God is supposed to be like. It's a measuring stick to help you see where you are in your own personal relationship with Him. Only you can know if you are closer to God today than you have ever been.

The truth is the way back to God isn't a secret. It's always been the same, but it comes down to our own willingness to see our sin for what it is, confess it to Christ, and allow Him to cleanse us. I strongly urge anyone who hasn't read this book to get it and study it! It will help you no matter where you are in life.


Your friend,
Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12

An Update on Our Calling

Many of you know that we are called to be missionaries to Australia, but you may be wondering when are going, what are we hoping to accomplish, where will we be ministering. In answer to your questions, we have no idea! There is no doubt in our hearts that God has called us, and that we will be going there. The specifics are a little hazier for us right now. 

We have been struggling with this a bit because we want to act on what God has put in our hearts! At the same time, we do not want to get ahead of God's perfect timing. Isiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." God is working in our hearts in this area. Pastor Tim Cruise from Shining Light Baptist Church was preaching at our church recently, and something he said was such an encouragement to Simeon and me. He said that in the "waiting process" God is not only preparing you, but He is also preparing the place, people, and work that He has for you. There are several areas in our lives where we know God is preparing us, and what an amazing thought it is that while He's working on our hearts here in the states, He is also working in Australia preparing the way for us!

These are a few things that we are currently doing in preparation for God's call. 
1. We started a savings account when we got married that we put money into each month that we will use to take a survey trip. Plane tickets alone are around $2,300 for one person! We would like to spend several weeks traveling around to established ministries as we pray about where God would have us and in what capacity He would have us serve.
2. We are in the process of finding missionaries, pastors, and churches who hold to our doctrinal position and are actively serving Christ in Australia. Websites such as Baptist Friends and Baptist International Missions, Inc. have been so helpful as we contact different ministries. We are praying that through these contacts, we would form friendships, learn more about God's work in Australia, and possibly find ministries to visit while we are on our survey trip.

Simeon and I would greatly appreciate your prayers concerning the things listed above! If you know of any ministries in Australia, please comment and let us know!

We are so excited about what God has for our future, but until He opens those doors, we are enjoying serving him in "our Jerusalem." Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 


All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

A Spirit of Criticism

If you think that I am perfect in this area, then I have news for you! I am not. Not that anyone on the planet thinks that I am.

Criticism is a struggle that we sarcastic people struggle with. It's easy for us to excuse our behavior by saying it's just the way we are. I'm not going to talk about sarcasm because, in and of itself, sarcasm isn't wrong. I do want to talk a bit about criticism and having a critical spirit.

The truth is, criticism isn't wrong either. There is a way to be critical with the end goal being improvement. For instance, companies often will employ an auditor to go through their books and look for error. They do this so that they catch problems before an authority does or just to improve their own books. The auditor is being "critical". He's searching for error, yet he's not doing anything wrong in doing so.

A critical spirit is an attitude of criticism. If you have a critical spirit, then you are the person who finds something wrong in everything. Everyone knows someone like this: a coworker who is constantly complaining about management, a church member who complains about the leadership of the pastor, a family member who always find something to complain about. Not all criticism is bad, but a spirit of criticism is always a bad thing.

So what about being critical to help someone? I mean, it's ok to be critical of the pastor because it keeps him honest right? More often than not, criticism is used to demean or harm rather than correct. A major difference between criticism and a critical spirit is that criticism is usually given directly to the source of the problem, whereas a person with a critical spirit complains to others. It's ok to go to your pastor if you have a genuine concern about something. If you are just wanting to complain you should probably just keep it to yourself. Too often we complain to each other instead of talking to the party responsible.

Also criticism doesn't have to see change to be satisfied. If the auditor sees a problem, he reports it to the correct party and moves on. He's not responsible to force change. A person with a critical spirit will only be happy with the way something is done if they are in charge. If something goes wrong, it's always someone else's fault. It's OK to notice and report an issue, it's not OK to search for problems for the sake of looking smarter or putting someone else down. I think today's news media has a critical spirit. Good news is no news. Only bad news is aired because people have a critical spirit. Should foul play in government be exposed? Yes! But good things should too.

I'm working on this one myself. I am both observant and critical which is a dangerous combo. It's really bad for the observant, critical, perfectionists out there. Thankfully, I'm not also the latter. I'm working on it, and I hope you'll do the same. Next time you're being critical, ask yourself if you are helping anyone or just making everyone miserable.

Keep thinking my friends,

Simeon Brazzell

Notice the Roses Among the Thorns

This past week we had our annual Faithful Men's Conference at our church. I was so excited about this meeting! Why you may ask? Because this was my first Faithful Men's conference married to my faithful man! I prayed and prayed that God would speak to his heart. I hoped that Simeon would receive such a blessing from this meeting. As the conference drew nearer, it was as though God said to me, "Just because this is a conference for men, that doesn't mean that I don't want to speak to you." After that, my prayer changed a bit. I still prayed God would speak to Sim, but I also started praying that He would speak to me! Monday evening, Pastor Craig Edwards preached on overcoming depression. His text was II Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks of his thorn in the flesh. Pastor Edwards went on to say that we will all deal with thorns in our lives, but that we should not allow ourselves to be so consumed by them that we forget to see the roses that they produce. This thought hit me like a ton of bricks! So often in my life I focus on my "thorns", but when compared to what other people are dealing they with seem like nothing! At that moment, I stopped and thought about all the "roses" that God has placed in my life!

I would like to share a few roses God has placed in my life. I would love to try to list them all, but I think it would take me years to write of all the good things my Lord has done for me! So here is my concise list. . .

Rose #1- God's Mercy, Compassion, and Faithfulness
   Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." If all I had in life was this one rose amongst thousands of thorns, this should be enough to keep me full of joy and praising my Lord! When all I deserve is death and hell, God reached out His merciful hand to me, wrapped me in His tender compassion, and proved that He is faithful to keep His promises. When I called out to Him, acknowledging I was a sinner and I needed a Savior, He was there to hear my cry. And every morning since then, His mercies have been new! What a rose to ponder on!

Rose #2- My Christ-honoring husband
   Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, ". . . a threefold cord is not quickly broken." IWhen Simeon and I were married, a dear friend of ours wrote this verse on a card. I was amazed at how it applied to our relationship. When Sim and I first started dating, we agreed that we would only draw closer together as we drew closer to God- our threefold cord. We have been married almost 7 months now, and it has been the most blissful, happy time of my life! I am so blessed to be married to a man who loves the Lord and seeks His guidance as he leads our family. Again, what a special rose!

Rose #3- My Christian Family
   Deuteronomy 6:7 says, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Simeon and I both had the wonderful privilege of being raised in Christian homes. Our parents and all our siblings have trusted Christ as their personal Savior. Although I will never realize the sacrifices our parents have made to mold us into the people we are today, I  do know enough to be so full of gratitude! I love my parents, my siblings, and my in-laws. They are some of God's greatest gifts to me. What beautiful roses they are!

Rose #4- A New Testament Church
   Acts 5:42 says, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. My pastor, Dr. Clarence Sexton, has chosen this as his life verse, and I believe it perfectly describes the Temple Baptist Church. It is so refreshing to be able to worship with other believers who cease not to proclaim Jesus Christ! How beautiful this rose is!

Rose #5- My Faithful Friends
   Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." God has blessed me with such wonderful, godly friends! Some of them I see almost on a daily basis, some we text often, and others I only hear from by email every so often, but each friend is precious. There is nothing quite like having a friend who loves you enough to let you know when you are doing wrong, who encourages you when you need it most, who you can trust to pray for things weighing on your heart. I don't know where I'd be without these dear people in my life. Once again, what sweet roses!

I am writing this blog post more so for my benefit as I reflect on God's goodness, but I hope that you will receive a blessing from it, and that it will encourage you to notice your roses among the thorns. Make a list of your roses as I have done above. The next time you seem overcome by the thorns, pull it out, read over it, and thank God for his unending goodness to you!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the sweet and precious roses you have placed in my life! As trials attempt to entangle me in their thorns, help me to see past the pain, and see the beautiful roses you are growing!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Recompense

How you do what you do matters

"To what do I owe the pleasure?", "How much for the fruit?", and "You’re going to pay for that!" are all phrases one might hear any day of the week. All these have something in common – Recompense. Men feel that there is a price for all actions. Negative actions deserve a negative response, equal actions deserve an equal response, and positive actions deserve a positive response.

              

If you show up at someone’s house uninvited, they might ask you, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” (That is, if you are friends). The immediate assumption is that you are there for a reason. Maybe you are their neighbor, and you need to borrow a few eggs. Maybe you’ve come over to bring them a gift. Always they assume there’s a reason for your coming. They might invite you in and offer you a drink, or they might ask what you need first and make a decision as to what to do next.

If it’s the girl scouts at your door asking you to buy cookies you don’t assume they’re going to give you the cookies for free. Automatically, you are approached with the decision of whether the cookies are worth the cash it costs for them. There’s a price. In my opinion it’s a fair trade no matter how much they are this year!

In a negative light, if you were to decide that those cookies are far too expensive, and you make the poor decision to assault the little girl’s mother and take the cookies for yourself, then you will have the negative price of spending time in jail. Like Newton’s Third Law of Thermodynamics, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

I believe my wife has already written about sowing and reaping in a previous article, so that’s not what I’m getting at. I want to talk about recompense, or "compensation". Everything has a cost or compensation. Fruit in the store has a price, a friend showing up at your door has a cost in time and possibly food, and a criminal action or just a bad decision has a penalty or compensation for that decision. Everything has a price in life.

If my wife asks me to go clean her headlamps I can make a few decisions:

1. Say "ok" and go outside and do it.
2. Yell at her for always telling me to do things and then go outside and do it.
3. Ignore her and not do it.
4. Yell at her and not do it. Etc.

All of those have a different recompense associated with them. #1 probably lands me a good kiss and a smile. #2 ends up in lost fellowship with my wife and lost confidence in my desire to take care of her. #3 forces her to assume that I am lazy and don’t care about her safety on the roads. #4 undermines her confidence that I love her and also shows that I don’t care about her safety.

The point being, we can do what we are supposed to do with a poor attitude, but it will cost more. We can do what we are supposed to with a good attitude and gain the rewards that it entails. It’s up to us. Just something for your brain to munch on.

Keep thinking friends,

Simeon Brazzell.

PS: I chose option #1, buffed the headlamps, and the results were nice.