Pastor Jesse Bradley on The Book of Haggai – “Hope and Rebuilding” - S1E99

This week, Mark is delighted to welcome Pastor Jesse Bradley to the podcast. After graduating from Dartmouth College, Jesse went on to become a professional soccer goalkeeper in Zimbabwe, Aberdeen, and Minnesota, before a life threatening illness ended his career. With his Master's Degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, Jesse is now the Pastor at Grace Community Church in Washington State, and, recently, his brilliant sermon series on the Book of Jonah caught Mark’s attention and admiration. The passage he has chosen to discuss is one of which Mark was previously unaware, The Book of Haggai. Their conversation begins with Jesse describing his faith journey and his illness, before summarizing the passage and why it is of consequence to him. Relating the themes of hope and rebuilding within the passage to the situation through which the world has moved in 2020, Jesse stresses the need for strength to achieve success in the ‘new normal’, the importance of a God-centered life, the greatest need in America these days, and God’s ability to help rebuild lives. He and Mark also discuss the notions of taking a step of faith, God working through us, the greatest gift a parent can give a child, and Jesse’s perspective on the physical church in 2020. As is the tradition for this podcast, it concludes with the lessons our esteemed guest has learned about humankind. As Jesse rightly points out, this passage’s prophet is considered minor solely for the length of the books, definitely not for the power of his words – a fact that is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in today’s rich and rewarding discussion. Episode Highlights: · Jesse’s faith journey · His life threatening illness · Jesse’s summary of the passage and why it is consequential to him · Strength and success in the ‘new normal’ · A me-centered life compared with a God-centered life · The greatest need in America right now · Rebuilding lives · Taking a step of faith · God working through us · What Jesse has learned about the physical church in 2020 · The