OutsideMyHead

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139245982011-04-21T17:05:15.796-04:00OutsideMyHeadThe Random Ramblings and Theological Musings of a Husband, Dad and Pastor.Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-32033974074992805772007-08-17T13:57:00.000-04:002007-08-17T14:31:10.039-04:00Helpful Internet Reading

I am always amazed at how quickly time can slip away with my internet reading. Remember when you first discovered the internet and its ability to place unfathomable amounts of information at your fingertips in just seconds? How easy was it to loose an hour of time learning and seeing and reading "useless" information? (i.e. information that you can pass onto someone on a ride up an elevator or

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-89562901517306173882007-07-07T10:11:00.000-04:002007-07-07T10:27:36.665-04:00The Risk of Honest Confession (as opposed to living in dysfunctional community!)

So he begins by telling me that there is no way that he—as a Christian—would share with me—being a Christian who happens to be a pastor—or any other Christian his deepest darkest sins or problems because if he did, every time I saw him, I would always identify him with that sin. When I think of him, I think of that sin. They become joined together and that is a risk that he is not going to

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-60048388204249245142007-05-12T15:41:00.000-04:002007-05-12T16:32:25.024-04:00No Room for Sorrow, Part 1

"O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me."Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?"

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-29945757186559298892007-04-09T16:58:00.000-04:002007-04-09T17:07:33.297-04:00Easter and Jesus Loving the Church

Yesterday during our worship at Arabi Baptist Church—where I have served as pastor since October 2006—we enjoyed our adult choir singing songs from a musical entitled “Come to the Cross.” An incredible part of their presentation was several of our members sharing their testimonies of how they came to the cross. Instead of having some type of canned or pre-written narration, our church was

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1167147314861340512006-12-26T10:19:00.000-05:002006-12-26T23:32:59.623-05:00Lord, Why Do I Deserve This?

This is a free-flowing post after some months away from the www.Back in the Summer, I was going through a particularly difficult time. My relationship and ministry with my former congregation ended in a way that I did not desire for myself, my family nor the church family. However, after being asked to resign by the deacons of the church, I did so.I went through a time of soul-searching and

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1155838020914735012006-08-17T13:59:00.000-04:002006-08-17T14:07:00.930-04:00Chuck E. Cheese and a Theology of Parenting, Part II

It happens when you least expect it. Your kids ask you those questions that tax the limits of your knowledge. Sometimes, you get the ones where the answer is clear its just a question of how to communicate the answer “tenderly.” “Daddy, why is the sky blue?”“Mommy, where do the waves in the ocean come from?”“Daddy, when I was born, how did I get in Mommy’s belly?”Kids ask questions. It is all

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1154993446242508812006-08-07T19:21:00.000-04:002006-08-07T19:30:46.293-04:00Chuck E. Cheese and a Theology of Parenting, Part I

I had lunch last week at Chuck E. Cheese’s. This is an inevitable stop along the way of life when you have a strong marriage relationship that has resulted with God’s blessing of four children. The kids want the pizza…the red or orange drink provided at such establishments…the fun maze and slide and climbing obstacle toys…and, of course, the video games. I thank God for men and women that dreamed

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1153828742095334022006-07-25T07:38:00.000-04:002006-07-25T09:04:45.796-04:0012 Years and 2 Well-Served Lessons

I am taking my bride of twelve years to an undisclosed location—No! I’m not telling because we don’t want to be found. Yes! The kids are covered.—for an anniversary celebration. Just the two of us. Like it was “back in the day.” Now don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely passionate about my kids, but for this trip…it’s just us…a quaint little town South of here…a romantic bed and breakfast…

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1153341013423921542006-07-19T15:55:00.000-04:002006-07-19T20:49:13.906-04:00When Being Moral is a Threat

This Summer I have been reading a thoughtful and excellent volume by Eugene Peterson. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005) has certainly caused me to pull back the dregs of "thought slumber" and do some needed mental work. Peterson paints broad and beautiful word pictures that cause you to do much head nodding along with the

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1152626100200704372006-07-11T09:33:00.000-04:002006-07-12T18:17:59.233-04:00New Innovations in Evangelism

Have you been troubled by your inability to give, what you might deem, an adequate Christian witness? Do you wish to share the Gospel but often struggle with what to say or even how to say it? Do you fear that you might not be able to clearly communicate the essentials of the Gospel? Well...fear no more!Let me introduce you to a cutting edge evangelism method that will enable you to share the

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1152212640776133332006-07-06T14:58:00.000-04:002006-07-06T15:05:50.833-04:00My New Family

He explained it to me with great passion. His face—the one I had only seen a few moments before at the conclusion of my children’s closing celebration of Vacation Bible School—lit up as he told me about the place. It was so evident that it brought him such happiness to be there and to have the pleasure of sharing how wonderful it was with me. I got excited for him as I listened.He told me the

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1151606549338607442006-06-29T14:11:00.000-04:002006-06-29T14:42:29.403-04:00A Martyred Pastor, Mingled Sweat and Awake!

This is an e-mail that my wife and I received from a college friend, Clayton King, a few days ago. It was the type of letter that has a profound way of re-prioritizing your day. Clayton founded CrossRoads Worldwide over ten years ago. He travels extensively preaching the Gospel, holding student camps in the Summer and plugs volunteers into mission opportunities. I encourage you to check out

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1150321998643360982006-06-14T17:36:00.000-04:002006-06-14T17:53:18.666-04:00Dad (Spiritually) On The Job

Parents have heard much about spiritually training their kids. Deuteronomy 6 shows us that God put a premium on this practice for his chosen people. However, I have often found parents asking--maybe not in these exact words--"What the heck is spiritual training and what does it look like?" Some parents desire the train their kids, yet they are not so sure what to do. I think there is a real

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1149635533195393282006-06-06T19:01:00.000-04:002006-06-12T15:04:42.996-04:00A Buddy, A Blanket and Boxing Gloves

“Take heart my friend,we can walk togetherand if our burdens become to great,we can hold up and help one anotherin Gods love. In God’s grace.”—Fernando Ortegafrom the song, “Take Heart My Friend“At least one of the purposes of church is to remind us that God has other children, easily as precious as we. Baptism and narcissism cancel each other out.”—Barbara Brown Taylorfrom the book, Leaving

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1149139324695559722006-06-01T01:14:00.000-04:002006-06-02T09:51:06.730-04:00I Need Your Ear...Seriously!

I want you to lend me your year. I pray it will hear well.There are a few observations I have made about your pastor(s) who is charged with the watch, care and maturity of your soul (Colossians 1:28, Hebrews 13:17), your church which is called to display the glory of Christ (I Corinthians 10:31) and be salt and light to this tasteless and dark world (Matthew 5:13-16) and you who are called to

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1148438110292337332006-05-23T22:27:00.001-04:002006-05-23T22:35:10.293-04:00Opinion...What Opinion?

Over the last few years, I have found the works of theologian Marva Dawn to be quite helpful in my Christian life. She has impacted my thinking deeply about Christian worship. Her insights are always quite thought provoking. As well, I have appreciated the weekly e-mail ministry of Professor Chip Stam of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Each tuesday he puts out the Worship Quote of the

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1147806695426638772006-05-16T15:02:00.000-04:002006-05-16T15:11:35.450-04:00Crazy Softball Moms and Christian Fruit

“People loose their minds at their kid’s ball games,” the county athletic director told me over breakfast. “Folks that are very decent and good will blow their top at the drop of a hat. I’ve seen parents get out of control really fast and the sad thing about it is—it’s just ball.”I am stunned at the high of the highs and the low of the lows I had when playing little league baseball. The

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1147208239474815032006-05-09T16:56:00.000-04:002006-05-09T21:22:53.536-04:00Sanctification and Arthritis

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1144301496075500702006-04-06T01:05:00.000-04:002006-04-06T17:40:16.533-04:00Desperate?

If you ever have the opportunity to pray in public, do you hear yourself?When you pray in private, do you hear yourself?What is your attitude when your pray? Well, this is a got-to-do-today so...When I read the Psalms, I am often captured by the fact of how shallow my prayers sound when I read what is there. How often the Psalmist sounds so...well, desperate.Consider a few verses from Psalm 40

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1143646990626237162006-03-29T10:13:00.000-05:002006-03-29T10:43:15.516-05:00Donald Miller and a Follow-Up from Hogegivers International

How do you evaluate your reading? How it makes you feel? Whether or not your were entertained? The action that results in your life after reading? I am sure there are a multitude of evaluations we use when we read. Let's face it, if we are reading Sue Monk Kidd we are evaluating our reading with our the touch of our emotions. At least, that is what happened to me when I read the The Secrect

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1143035745008982382006-03-22T08:53:00.000-05:002006-03-22T08:55:45.036-05:00Playing Catch and Writing India's Ambassador to America

I rode two ends of the spectrum in helping to “turn the world upside down.” It all began on one end with a trip to Wal Mart. There, I purchased ball gloves, a baseball, a softball and a bat. The adventure then proceded out to the backyard where I spent some time playing catch with my son. We then moved on to the adventure of batting. I had read somewhere about teaching a child to bat and

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1142457783837574812006-03-15T16:12:00.000-05:002006-03-15T16:23:03.853-05:00Monkeys, Company Policy and the Church

What do monkeys and company policy have in common? What affect do monkeys and company policy have on the church? A few months ago, my father-in-law sent me the following email. “How Company Policy Begins”Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, one of the monkeys will go to the stairs to climb toward

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1141771125582352292006-03-07T17:34:00.000-05:002006-03-07T17:38:45.686-05:00Dilbert and the Call of Christian Community, Part III

One of the most difficult times of my experience as a husband, dad and Jesus follower was when I had no idea of how it was going to turn out for my youngest son during a weekend just over two years ago. He had struggled for some time with difficult health problems related to his breathing. This particular week, with a major shift in the weather, he became so congested and was having so much

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1141335053233257892006-03-02T16:28:00.000-05:002006-03-02T16:31:47.353-05:00Dilbert and the Call of Christian Community, Part II

God-centered relationships are…part of the “glue” that helps church members remain faithful to the church.—Chuck LawlessSouthern Baptist Theological SeminaryA few years ago, I read about the two most likely times a couple tends to divorce. Number one is within the first two years of marriage. The thought being that if a couple is never able to bond and commit to one another it is easier to give

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1140543423326258842006-02-21T12:07:00.000-05:002006-02-21T19:42:18.560-05:00Dilbert and the Call of Christian Community, Part I

In the recent issue of Fast Company (a business-creativity-trend magazine that I enjoy a great deal), Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert said this: “Even in the office, there’s a growing preference to communicate solely by email so you can ignore all human contact. That has a lot to with the people who read Dilbert. A lot of

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13924598.post-1139933462233109742006-02-14T10:58:00.001-05:002006-02-14T11:11:02.246-05:00A Return to Thought and Humble Dogmatism

Many months ago, I began a project called “Tuesday’s Thought.” In it, I attempted to send out a regular thought from varied sources to create, well, thinking. Occasionally, I get convinced that little thinking is going on and if there is thinking, too much of it is not rightly informed. This belief drives me to do much reading. When I study to preach and a thought comes in my time of

Rodney A. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573153727725884870noreply@blogger.com0