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Reb Bradley
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NEWSLETTER ISSUE #5 – February-May 2006 800-545-1729 www.familyministries.com ______________________________________________________________________
Hello
friends, No, we didn’t die. We’re still here. We’re just overwhelmed! I apologize that the This has been convention season for us here at Family
Ministries and the Lord has given me many opportunities for ministry. Along
with the usual seminars at churches and schools, I have been presenting
keynotes and workshops at Homeschool conventions. When I am not traveling, the
bulk of our time is spent producing materials and shipping them off for the book
tables at various conventions. So far this Spring I have made presentations at
the state conventions in Louisiana, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Florida. The
response has been overwhelming! Post-events, we literally cannot keep up with
the requests for materials. Thank the Lord! Materials get out and lives are
being changed -- that’s what it’s all about! The most common testimony we hear these days is that
people’s eyes are being opened to the difference between giving their children
“lifeless” religion and a genuine, life-giving relationship with God. And
that’s exciting!
Perhaps some of you noticed that I
said “us” and “our” at Family Ministries. God has answered our prayers. In the
last few weeks the Lord has doubled my workforce -- my staff of ONE has grown
to TWO. Kari, a single woman from our church, came to us a month go and told us
that the Lord had laid on her heart to quit her job and offer her office skills
to help us out. We joyfully accepted and a few days later she moved into one of
the rooms in our guesthouse. Since then she has worked tirelessly to help our
operation function efficiently. She learns quickly, so I anticipate that within
another month she will be able to assume most of the office work that keeps me
occupied. This summer, with Kari here, I am hoping to finish writing a
book I have been working on for the last several years. It is a book that
discusses how the parenting we receive as children shapes our approach to
government when we grow up. WorldNetDaily recently ran an article I wrote based
on one of the chapters of my new book. It deals with U.S. border policy being
rooted in a bad approach to parenting. If you want to read it you will find it
on their website
here. Needs... Many of you who have known of our needs, have been inquiring
about finances. At present, the convention season is helping us stay current
with bills and it is our hopes that your donations will continue to get us
through the non-convention season. Many, many thanks to our friends who have
kept us floating with their gifts. God
bless you for your love and generosity!!! On the
home front... Last Fall,
a neighbor lady approached my wife, Beverly and told her that she had been visited
at her door by members of a cult. She explained she didn’t know how to respond
to them and didn’t know what to tell her children about who God really is. She
knew we were Christians, so asked Bev if she would consider teaching her
children about God. At her request, Bev began a weekly Bible club for
unbelieving children in the neighborhood. Week after week a handful of
un-churched neighbor kids would come to hear about God and His great love. The
same core group of kids came each week, but the group grew as they invited
friend after friend from the neighborhood and from school in town. Parents
would drive several miles to drop off and pick up their kids at our home each
week. We live in
a little farm community in which most of the local children attend the same
tiny elementary school. Word of Mrs. Bradley and her Bible club spread
throughout the school. Teachers began to marvel at the changes they were seeing
in the children. One of the core members of the Bible club, a 10-year-old boy
with a very hard life, received an award for the most improved student of the
month. (We just found out that he received the award for most improved student
of the year! Praise God!) A month ago
this boy and his family were evicted from their home. With their mom in jail,
and their dad in another city out of work, he and his half sister and cousin
moved in with us. We grew from 3 kids to 6 just like that. Knowing we
would probably have the kids for a short time, we wanted to see them touched by
God in every way possible. We sought to make each day a time in the Kingdom.
Well, just a few days ago, after a month in our home, they were finally placed
by Child Protective Services into the foster system. Bev and I found ourselves wondering if we had made a substantial
enough investment in them. As we were discussing this God convicted us that we
took ourselves too seriously. We weren’t their Messiah – God was
– we were merely little parts of His plan. Just as HE had His hand on them when
He brought them to us HE would take care of them out of our presence. What peace we found when we realized that
the weight of their souls was not upon us and our efforts. Our job was to obey
– his job was to make the heart changes. This
especially came home to us when, providentially, we met the children’s aunt and
uncle at our son’s little league game last week. They were believers who
desired to open their home to their niece and two nephews. We were thrilled to
hear that stable, Christian family members wanted these children, and have since
learned that CPS is working to place the kids with them long term. A couple of
days ago, after the children had left us, Bev was praying, “Jesus, will this
new family tell the children who you are – who you really are?” To which she felt the Lord’s correction in
her heart, “I will let them know who I am!” When will we learn the lesson? God doesn’t need
us to accomplish His will, but He allows us to participate in His purposes.
It’s always about Him – not us. Coming
up... As I write this, my family and I are preparing to fly off to
Hawaii for 10 days where I will be speaking for a few different groups.
Whenever I travel to Hawaii it is to speak, but this trip, for a change,
I am planning to take a few days and relax. (Yes, if you are going to suffer in
ministry, do it in Hawaii.) When we return on the 13th, Bev and I
will turn around and leave on the 15th to speak at the state
homeschool convention in South Carolina – our final out-of-state convention of
the year. Once again,
many thanks for thinking of us and praying for us. Our efforts are useless
without the hand of God moved by your prayers. Please continue to call upon Him
so that our labor will be most fruitful. Please stay
in touch, Reb ___________________________________________________________________ Article of the Month Solving the Crisis in Homeschooling If you missed the first four
installments of this ongoing article, you can read them on our website. To get
there
click here or
go to the Family Ministries home page and click on the link for Monthly Email
Newsletters. ______________________________________________________________________ Featured Materials
Multitudes
of homeschool parents around the country, including leaders, have graduated
their first batch of kids, only to watch their graduates go wayward. Many were
model homeschoolers while growing up, but sometime after their 18th
birthday they began to reveal that they didn’t hold to their parents’ values.
In this 4-CD set Reb exposes blind spots in parenting that contribute to the
breakdown of relationship between parents and children, and thereby increase
prodigal tendencies. Every homeschooler and every family-minded parent needs to
hear these messages. Session
titles include: 1. Solving the Crisis in Homeschooling 4. The Power of a Strong Family ______________________________________________________________________
Maker of
the Home Music on
cassette Composed and sung by Beverly Bradley Regularly $6 –
Close out price: $2.00 A song of
encouragement for the mom who needs to hear, "Well done!" Like many,
you may find this song such a blessing that you will want to order extras as
gifts. We recommend listening with Kleenex at hand. Side 2 has instrumental
accompaniment. Be sure to call us 9
AM – 5 PM PST at 800-545-1729 and request these offers. (If you get a voice
mail it means we are out of the office or on the phone with another customer.
Leave your number and we will call you back to take your order.) Be sure to ask for the sale price! ______________________________________________________________________ Ministry Needs Finances: The convention season has helped us stay
afloat, but without events scheduled for the months following July, we are
looking at a coming season of leanness. We GREATLY appreciate those of you who
have been able to help. Please prayerfully consider being a ministry partner
with us. (We are a tax-exempt
501-C3). If you are not able to help
with finances, we covet your prayers. Website help: We need to install some
kind of shopping cart on the FM website. If you have any suggestions, drop us
an email. Seminars: Reb
still has many open slots to present seminars for the rest of 2006. Consider
arranging a seminar for your fellowship or school group. We’d love for you to
partner with us in providing help to families. ______________________________________________________________________ Testimonies from ministry friends "You walk away from hearing Beverly speak and all you
want to do is know Her Jesus. And you want your children to know Him. Not about
Him. Not what He says for them to do. But to KNOW Him for themselves. As
homeschoolers we are literally giving our lives in sacrificial service to our
families...We can not afford to spend all this effort on anything but the thing
most needful...” Attendee of Living Books Retreat in Florida "The vessel God used this weekend was Beverly Bradley.
I could not describe her if I tried, but suffice it to say...she is a hoot! A
transparent, fast-talking, funny hoot who (along with her husband, Reb) have
already made tons of mistakes in their parenting and marriage...and have
allowed God to transform their mistakes into blessings...” "We listened to Reb’s 6-tape series The Power of Loving
Others on the way home [from the retreat]. It was 1 Corinthians 13 as I had
never before heard it. I highly recommend the Bradleys' tapes." ~Robin in
VA ______________________________________________________________________ Ministry Prayer Needs -- Financial stability for the ministry. Pray for God’s
provision, so that we can continue unimpaired. -- Opportunities to minister in churches and at Home School
Conventions. -- Reb and Bev need the Lord’s guidance as they seek to
discern God’s will for the direction of this ministry. ______________________________________________________________________ www.FamilyMinistries.com 800-545-1729 PO Box 266
Sheridan, CA 95681
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What I REALLY Wish I Knew When My Children Were Young
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