Every Church needs a Jim and Gail Bradway

Jim retired a few years ago and he didn’t stop working. Jim heads up our campus oversight and just doesn’t quit. He not only knows his business but he has a wonderful spirit, keeping all the church people happy along with the faculty and staff of our Preschool kids through eighth graders.

Gail is also talented. She has done a lot of painting around the church such as our front sign and a Murrow on the building next to our quad. But Gail is a person who knows how to pray along with her artistic abilities. This week she handed me as pastor some of her prayers. She usually writes them out, puts a red marker on them when they are answered and then burns them as she asks God to accept them as a sweet savor of incense to Himself.

In one of her prayer notes, she wrote to me saying, “And by the way, that series you just injected, it was for you, yes, and for all of us who have hard times, but it helped us all to get on the same page with you as you go thru this—we could see your thot processes—we could relate to these first steps in stem cell transplant….Pastor is so human—brave yet fearful; realistic but hopeful. What I still think and appreciate deeply, AND I TOLD YOU THIS way back when I helped him announce the cancer with “Little cardboard David.” Is that he takes sooo much care to try to ease our anxiety as a flock, when he’s got to be hurting so much himself. How Christ like. I was so impressed when the prayers over them today—Esther’s history lesson, Calvin’s “from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” I don’t know how anyone could have walked away not being blessed and it really wasn’t to be that way….really we were praying over him and blessing your love. The praise was yours again….P.S. I’m thinkin’ in many respects this ordeal will be harder for Koyce than David—it’s very hard to be a spectator and comforter when you can’t really relate because she hasn’t had a stem-cell transplant—she’s gotta have such grace, God—no problem right? You’re the grace-giver!

As Gail read and prayed in Genesis over Abraham’s servant prayer to God, she wrote, “O God of my Master Abraham, (then she crossed it out and inserted the name David). Make things go smoothly this day—treat my master Abraham (i.e., David—well!) So you know me that you’re working graciously behind the scenes for my master.” What a beautiful verse God—I’m claiming that one also! When he gives you the credit each day for victories, we’ll all know your’re graciously working behind the scenes for him!

There was more but I was so blessed in just these few pages I wanted to share these words with some of my dear friends who are also upholding me in prayer.