Sunday Seminar • Grayson Bradberry

Well good morning. Thank you so much for being here this morning. This is our Sunday seminar.

If you're not familiar with that, this is what we have in between our discipleship sessions.

And so we just ended up our session two a few weeks ago. And during our Sunday seminar we've

been having testimonies. And so it's been a joy for us to hear various folks in our church share

what God is doing in their life. And so we have Grayson, and you'll recognize the last name,

Bradbury, here to share with us this morning what God is doing in his life. Grayson, it's

hard to believe time does fly. I think the older you get, like my age, you'll discover that's

truer and truer. But to think that it seems like only a few years ago when you and Emma

came with your mom and dad, you guys were just little ones. And so now here you are in your

senior year and you're about to go off to college. And so it's wonderful to be able for us to hear

you share what God is doing in your life this morning. So let's pray together and I'm going

to turn it over to Grayson. Lord, we just thank you for this morning. Thank you for another wonderful

day to come and worship you this morning. Father, thank you so much for Grayson. Thank you for what

you've been doing in his life, how you have walked with him and just shown him a lot of things already

at this stage of his life. Lord, just calm his heart as he shares what you're doing, what you've been

doing. And Lord, we thank you for who he is. And we ask this prayer in your name. Amen.

Thank you, Dave. Well, good morning, everybody. My name is Grayson, and I'm so happy that everyone

could make it out here on this chilly Sunday morning, you know, over an hour before our worship

service begins. Coming here to hear my story of how I've been saved by Jesus Christ, our Lord and

Savior. A story that is far from perfect, but beautiful in the sense of the work that God has

been able to do in my heart and what he is continuing to do. I can only hope that you can gain something

from my story. If not a feeling of hope for your own salvation, then maybe just take time and reflect

on your own story and how God has extended his grace to you. This has been a day that I've been

anticipating for quite some time now. I've been eager and excited to share my testimony with y'all

since Pastor Dave asked me weeks back. Before we begin, I would like to go to the Lord in prayer.

Dear God, I pray for all of us here in this room, Lord. I thank you for the opportunity that you

have given me to be able to tell my story today, and I just pray for our hearts as we go into this

discussion. I pray that as I go into my story and as we go about our day and our weeks and our lives,

Lord, that we would have our eyes open and facing towards you in hearts that truly crave your grace

and forgiveness. Lord, we may not be perfect, but I thank you for meeting me and meeting us right

where we are and picking us back up again. I thank you for what you have done, and it is in your name I

pray. Amen. So, as you could have imagined, I've grown up in church all my life. My dad's a pastor

here at Willow Ridge Church, but it was when my dad took the senior pastor job here that I felt a church

home for the first time. I was five years old when my family moved up from Aiken to here in Columbia,

and I began to be involved in the kids' ministry. My first grade year is when our now-youth pastor,

Joel Van Ham, started doing Sunday nights with the elementary school kids, so that way we would

have an opportunity to not only grow and establish a relationship with Jesus, but also build friendships

with kids around the same age. I'm proud to say that those kids that were a part of those Sunday

nights are still among my closest friends to this day. If you know Joel, I'm sure you know what those

Sunday nights were like. We learned so many great games, ate so much pizza, and learned so many catchy

Bible songs. Joel's the reason why I can only recite the books of the Bible to a tune of a song.

I was six years old when I decided to accept Jesus into my heart. I had thought about my own salvation

and really just thoughts and concepts that I'd never really thought about before, but all of a sudden just

started to make more sense. A big part of that thought process was my sister, Emma.

She had accepted Jesus and had been baptized around that time. Her making that step made me think more about

my own life and relationship with Jesus, but also at that time being baptized was something that she had

done, so I felt like I needed to do the same. So while I still had questions, I went and I asked my

parents about my convictions. They told me about how Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that without

accepting the Holy Spirit into my heart, I would be desperate for an eternity separate from God. To me, the

situation was easy. Why would I want to spend my entire life separate from a God that shows so much love and

care for me? So after time and prayer and more conversation with my parents, I accepted Jesus into

my heart that night and was baptized, I want to say about six months later, right in that baptismal that

we used to have outside. In the years following, I still was very invested in what was going on in the

church. Still learning and doing what I felt like was quote-unquote good enough, but my definition of a

Christian and actually being a follower of God, those were two completely different things. Up to this point in my

life, I had lived a really lukewarm relationship with God. I mean, could I say I believed in God? Yes. Did I want to

do what God wanted me to do? Sure. At surface level. You know, I knew right from wrong. I wasn't a bad kid or

anything. I just don't think that I saw any fruit in my own life because the trials that God promises

to all of us as followers of Christ had not come yet. I was still living on an easy path, but I believe

that turning point for me was around New Year's Day when I was 12 years old. I was in seventh grade, and I'd

started running cross-country for the first time that fall. I was at a point in my life where I was

struggling to find a place where I felt like I belonged, not only in my school life, but in extracurriculars

as well. A few days after Christmas that year, I had an operation on both my knees. As far as the operation

went, everything went well. I was able to leave shortly after the surgery, and they sent me home

with my medication plan and a time where I would check back with them. But other than that, I was

good to go. The medicine that they prescribed was just a standard pain reliever and was supposed to

calm me and as a result help me sleep better. That drug did not work on me, though. It had more of an

opposite effect. Instead of calming me and easing the pain, it wired me. I couldn't sleep, and for three

days straight, I got little to no sleep. During that time, I could not even get up to do anything

to occupy my mind. Even the simplest thing, like going to the bathroom or going to the pantry, would

take at least five minutes, and somebody else's help to get me in the wheelchair. After three days of

no sleep, I was at my breaking point. Beyond exhaustion, and my mind was just spinning. That

night, I was sent spiraling and ended up having a panic attack. Just the most terrifying personal

experience I've had up to that point. My body shut down. I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. My whole body

had gone limp, and I couldn't breathe. After that night, I was sent down a dark path of what became many

months of battling anxiety and depression, and I could not figure out how to get out of it.

By this point, I had never experienced anything like it, and just as a result of how I was feeling

and how emotionally and physically tired I was, I just began to hate myself and hate my life.

I didn't understand why God was allowing me to feel this way and why I had to be the one to go through

what I was going through. I didn't feel like I deserved that.

So much so that a few nights after my panic attack, I remember I called my parents downstairs in a panic

because I was afraid of what I would do to myself and terrified that I would attempt to take my own life.

But that night is just another example of when my parents showed me God's love and compassion.

They talked with me, cried with me, and started the long process of trying to get me help with the thoughts that I was wrestling with.

But during our conversation, and this just describes the kind of people that my parents are,

they kept all of what they were saying tying back to God, looking at how God can help me in my situation.

And for the first time, I was someone who needed to take responsibility for my relationship with God

and say to God, that I can't carry this weight on my own, Lord. I need your help.

So, I dove deeper into my relationship with God.

Not only in terms of quiet time, but also in how I can see God in my life working.

And while I couldn't see it then, I believe that I'm a stronger follower of Christ now because of it.

At the time, I just couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel for myself.

Just months of living in fear and depression.

I tried therapy.

It just wasn't a good fit for me.

And I just returned to the same thought of, why me, God?

But what I didn't realize then, but can look back on now,

is all of that spiritual warfare teaches me about God

and how I can be more like God if I just seek Him in all situations.

The good and the bad.

I recently heard on a podcast John Piper did on shame.

And it brought an interesting perspective on why we follow Jesus.

And I think the same points relate here because it is the attitude that we should have

when Jesus says, take your cross and follow me.

He said that if you embrace the cost, the loss, the pain,

and the worldly shame of following Jesus, then you will live forever.

It is guaranteed that in this life, followers of Christ will be put to challenges

that will push you to your limits.

It is how we are made into stronger believers on the other side.

I'm sure so many of us can relate.

And if not, then that's a topic of discussion that you will have to wrestle with God about

and why this may not be you.

God uses you and me in so many ways that we do not see,

but yet it is all a part of His master plan.

And yet out of the pridefulness and sinfulness of our own hearts,

we only look to see how His plan can benefit us.

And I think that was and still is just the hardest concept for me to try and wrap my brain around.

Since then, I've been able to recover from my season of severe depression,

and I continue to grow.

After COVID is when I believe that our youth group really started to come together

and become a great place for me to find solace

and to have deeper conversations with people that would help grow my faith.

But as I have discussed already,

even though my faith was strengthening,

that does not mean that my faith was not tested.

After COVID had started to wind down,

I was 13 and had become to become very involved with the cross country and track program

that I joined the previous year at Lexington High School.

I fully believe that joining that team was the best decision that I ever could have made.

And it had so much more meaning than just being part of a team.

Running gave me so many things that God knew that I would need for trials in the future.

Running has helped me with physical and emotional perseverance.

It's helped me with building relationships, building toughness,

and just how to be a better man.

But I also believe that it was the part of my life where my faith has been tested the most

and where I've had to overcome the most sin in my life.

I've noticed that as I've gotten older,

I'm generally a more anxious person in nature.

I've really noticed that side of myself since my surgery.

Just getting over that first stint of really bad anxiety,

I felt like it took so much out of me.

And after coming out of it,

I felt more fear than anything else.

Instead of the gratitude of a loving servant of my father,

I just had more fear of the next thing

or even fear of the same things resurfacing in my life.

It's sad to say,

but it's real to the actual state of the growth of our faith.

During these times,

I was a believer but struggled to give these real problems to God.

I was not strong enough to see God in the problems that I was facing.

Problems that were small in reality but felt like a mountain at the time.

And this reality was more evident with my relationship with running.

When I first started,

I was not good at all.

I was by far the worst on the team

and I didn't know anything about the actual science of running

and what it takes to be competitive in the sport.

I just did it to get in shape

and hopefully find a passion in something.

But through hard work,

perseverance,

and just learning more about the sport,

I grinded my way up through the ranks of the junior varsity team

and by the time I was entering high school,

had to earn myself a varsity spot.

This year is when I believe

I started to see the issues in myself with running.

Up to this point,

running had been something fun

and it was something that I could have goals in

while also just being around a fun group of guys.

And throughout my high school career,

I still had more great moments than not,

but this year,

my freshman year,

was when the cracks had started to show.

Running is a highly individualized sport.

There's a big team aspect of it,

but ultimately,

it is up to the individual performance that you have

and you can easily point out the mistakes that you make.

Not only this,

but the running community has a big problem

with constant comparison between

who you beat race to race

or how you stack up

against your teammates in practice.

It's just the way it is.

Experiencing that as a freshman in high school

is something that can ruin your enjoyment of the sport altogether.

I did not take on the responsibility

as a potential scorer for the team very well.

I had moments of promise,

but also started to experience health issues

that would bleed into my later years

of my running career in high school.

And instead of giving my troubles

and moments of self-doubt to God,

I took on all my anxieties alone.

I just thought, you know,

if only giving my troubles to God

was as simple as saying it.

But that's the truth.

It is.

And that issue of sin that all of us struggle with,

or that's the issue of sin

that so much of us struggle with so much,

the reality is,

is that it's simple.

But out of the selfishness of our own hearts,

we want to take it on ourselves.

Or in my case,

almost subconsciously felt like

it wasn't worth God's time.

I know that wasn't true,

but I wouldn't let God in.

Because to me,

it's not like this is God's problem.

It's my problem.

And it's better to just leave God out of the equation.

It's just easier that way.

Which only causes further separation

in my relationship with Him.

I lived out a relationship with God

where everything was His

until I left the building

from Sunday afternoon church.

Then, it's like He didn't exist.

Which is a dangerous type work

to walk on as a non-believer.

But even more dangerous

as a false assurance to those

that claim they believe.

Because as we all know,

I could only keep myself going

without God's help for so long.

The same pattern of worry

and self-doubt

continued into my junior year

and then started to work its way

into my personal life as well.

My identity was no longer found in Christ,

but in how fast I ran.

It was about the college times

that I felt like I needed to run

instead of the experiences

and the memories

I got to make with my teammates.

For every race I went into,

reaching a certain time

or some expectation

that I felt

and some distorted reality

became the standard

instead of simply glorifying

the fact that God

had given me the ability

to get up in the morning and run.

And just forgetting about

what a gift that is.

But, I ran until the wheels fell off.

And last fall,

I passed out for what was

the second week in a row

at the state championship

cross-country race.

With that result,

I didn't get what I wanted.

I could have taken it

one of two ways.

One,

I could have used it

as a way to run towards God

and realize that

there are just some things

that are out of my control.

Or,

I could get bogged down

in what felt like

endless amounts

of doctor's appointments

it took to find out

what was wrong with me.

As sinners so often do,

I chose the latter.

I had been working so hard

for a result

that was not happening

and at every turn

I went to,

nobody could tell me

why I wasn't getting

what I worked so hard for.

People say you put in the hours

and you'll get out of it

what you put in.

To a certain extent,

I believe that to be true.

However,

there are some doors

that do just need to be closed

that God closes for us

and at the time,

I once again

could not understand

God's timing for all of this.

During this time,

I'm supposed to be training,

getting ready for my season.

That's supposed to put

colleges on notice

and in my mind,

I'm supposed to have

this breakout season

where I can separate myself

from the rest of the competition.

I just remember being

so defeated

from this season of life

that I was seriously

conflicted on what

the next steps

of my athletic career

should be.

So by this point,

I turned to the only one

who had control

of these paths

and I decided

to look for what path

is going to be glorifying

to God

and not myself

and how I can try

and find positives

in my life

and not just settling

for the negatives.

You hear that statement

and maybe you know

exactly what I mean

when I say that

but let's say you don't.

Well,

I'll tell you

what that path

looked like.

Not only in my prayer

but in my daily life,

I needed to look

for God's hand

and for His help

to allow me

to be okay

with doors closing

that needed to be closed.

So I gave that new season

of life

a new outlook

of just giving it

my best shot

and trying to find

the positives

in every circumstance.

As I worked through

that time

and into the track season,

I can confidently say

that God's hand

had worked positively

for my good

through the trials.

With a new perspective,

I still made great progress

during the track season

and while it definitely

wasn't easy,

the memories

and the growth

I made along the way

in my faith

made it worth it

and my prayers

for decisions

were answered.

While I decided

not to run in college,

I did find a passion

for ministry

and I've decided

to study

to become a pastor

next year

up at Anderson.

I've had multiple

situations now

where I get an opportunity

like this

to have a stage

where I can proclaim

my faith in Jesus

to groups of believers

and non-believers

as well.

I just love the process

of developing

a message to share.

I love getting to spend

that kind of time

in God's word

not only for my sake

but for the sake of others

just to be able

to hear the truth

that is Jesus.

That time of curating

and spending time

learning in God's word

is so soul fulfilling

and so much fun

to just speak about

what I've learned

about God

and how it's affected me.

This stage in my life

has really made me realize

the importance

of living a life

dependent on God

and I do not think

I would have been able

to make this decision

without feeling

my own conviction

towards this career path.

While there have been

ups and downs

I'm so glad

that my faith

has been able

to grow stronger

over the years.

And not only that

but just trying

to live more like Jesus

feeling the need

to spread the gospel

in every way possible

and whether you feel

called to ministry

or not

I would certainly hope

that this is your end goal

and above

any temporary achievement

that this world

could offer.

for me

the best time

in my life

has been spent

at church

and with my church family

whether on a Sunday morning

or a youth related event

I just love being here

and being able

to grow

the church's community

and have so much fun

doing it.

I realize that

my own struggles

in this situation

that I have lived in

might seem small

to you

but for one

I recognize

that I'm young

and also

what God is having

me wrestle with now

is only for my own benefit

to grow me

into becoming

a stronger believer.

As God's children

we are tested

and each battle

after another

not only becomes

more and more challenging

to overcome

as we get older

but also equips us

more and more

of the Holy Spirit

meaning that these challenges

take no more priority

over another

and that's whether

you're a 9, 49, or 99

all challenges

are the same.

For a while

I would like to touch

on a great topic

that I took the time

to study this past week

and how it not only

relates to my own testimony

but to the testimony

to every believer

that has ever lived.

I heard a message

from Pastor John Piper

on why God continues

to allow Satan

to persist in our lives

even though he could

easily get rid

of all of them together.

Based on what I learned

from Pastor John

and through my own study

is that there are

many, many reasons

for why God does this

but it is to describe

the beauty and greatness

of God to us.

We know that constantly

Satan has set limitations

put on him by God

and that he has

no real power over us.

From Revelations 20, 10

we know that Satan

will come to an end

and will suffer eternally

and from the story

of Job

we see God

put limits on Satan

for what he can

and cannot do to Job.

So even Satan

is completely dependent

on God

for his own existence

and that's just crazy

to think about.

But as we dive

further into this topic

for sake of time

and of our own comprehension

of the grandness

of this topic

I will only be discussing

four that were brought up

by Pastor John.

First and foremost

it is important

to keep in mind

that Satan exists

in spite of the fact

that he is totally

dependent on God

for his existence.

That fact

in and of itself

is why

us as believers

should live

with complete faith

and trust in God

as we go about our day.

The first reason

I have for us today

on why God

allows us to exist

is by allowing

his existence

he shows himself.

In Luke 13

a woman is found

to be disabled

and it is Satan

who is directly correlated

to this woman's ailments.

In this passage

it tells us

that this woman

has been broken down

and unable

to fully stand

for 18 years.

But ultimately

it was Jesus

who was able

to cure her

when he saw her.

And when he laid

his hands on her

and freed her

the Bible said

that she glorified

God completely freed

from the binds

that Satan

had put her under.

While we may not

be under attack

to this degree

Satan is still

working to attack us

and beat us down

every second

of our lives.

But as conflicts

come between God

and Satan

God uses those moments

to show his grandness

and power to us

by defeating evil

in the struggle.

It may not be hard work

for Satan

to beat us down

but he doesn't stand

a chance

against God's power.

Satan knows

the reality

of God's power

and still tries

to steer us

away from God

which can make

our daily struggle

so beautiful

because it is

ultimately

how God is able

to show us

his greatness.

And it is just

crazy for me

to think about

how the enemy

is constantly

being used

by God

for the greater

good of his kingdom

in order to reveal

his love to us.

Without it

our relationship

with him

would be one sided.

We would have

no need for God

it would just be

the state

that we live in.

But as Christians

we know this

not to be the case

just as Satan

and the rest

of creation

we live out

our lives

every day

with a complete

dependence on God

whether we realize

it or not.

Second

is that God

describes his beauty

and greatness

through suffering.

We see the beauty

of God

through not only

Christ's suffering

but the suffering

of his people

as well.

To us

it may look like

the battle

is still going

but the battle

has already been won.

Satan has already

been defeated

and he has

no chance

of victory.

Live in that truth.

Christ being nailed

to the cross

and dying

for our sins

the price

that we ultimately

deserve

is the greatest

example

of how it might

look like

Satan has

the upper hand

but could not

actually be further

from the truth.

We see in

Colossians 2.15

He disarmed

the rulers

and authorities

and put them

to open shame

by triumphing

over them

and also

Revelations 12.11

and they have

conquered him

by the blood

of the lamb

and by the word

of their testimony

for they love

not their lives

even unto death.

Christ as a

sacrificial lamb

has disarmed

Satan from his power

and won the battle

over him.

Satan can no longer

accuse us

of our unforgiven sins

because those sins

have already been forgiven

so then what can

Satan hold over us?

We have been

eternally saved

by the father

who loves us so much

so much

so that he gave up

his only son for us

so that we would have

eternal life with him.

If we live in that

kind of love

why bother

with the specifics

of why we have to suffer

but instead

live in the comfort

and the love

that God has for us?

No one needs

to hear this truth

more than me

but it is something

that I let slip my mind

so much

even though the gift

of God's love

is the only thing

that I experience

that will ever last

with me forever.

Third

God reveals

his beauty

and grandness

to us

by using Satan.

2 Corinthians 12

7-10 says

so keep me

from becoming conceited

because of the

surpassing greatness

of the revelations.

A thorn was given me

in the flesh

a messenger of Satan

to harass me

to keep me

from becoming conceited.

Three times

I pleaded with the Lord

about this

that it should leave me

but he said to me

my grace is sufficient

for you

for my power

is made perfect

in weakness.

therefore

I will boast

all the more gladly

of my weaknesses

so that the power

of Christ

may rest upon me.

For the sake

of Christ

then

I am content

in my weaknesses

insults

hardships

persecutions

and calamities

for when I am weak

then I am strong.

when Satan

uses Judas

to turn against

Jesus

and leads the Romans

to where Jesus is

and gets him arrested

to eventually be crucified

for his so-called crimes

God uses Satan's plans

for the benefit

of his people

and for the defeat

of Satan.

God beats the devil

at his own game.

Another example

of this

would be how the devil

becomes a means

of Paul's own

sanctification.

It is because

of Paul's own wrongdoing

that God is able

to lead Saul

away from his sin

and show him

the error of his ways

breaking down his heart

in the process

and once he realizes

his own personal convictions

is able to have

a change of heart

and become Paul

who was once known

as Saul

a persecutor

and killer

of Jewish people.

What looks like

Satan's way

to afflict us

is actually a way

for us to accept

the gracefulness

of God

which God regularly uses

as a continual defeat

of the devil

in which we can reflect

true dependence

on the one

that actually loves

and cares for us.

In 2 Corinthians

Paul brings attention

to the fact

that the Lord

gave him a thorn

in the flesh

to keep him

from becoming conceited

after experiencing

extraordinary revelations.

Even though Paul

prayed repeatedly

for its removal

God recognized

that it is essential

to his salvation.

God replied

that his grace

is sufficient

and his power

is perfected

in the weaknesses

that are found

within us.

Just like Paul

we need these

so-called thorns

in the flesh

to keep us

humble

and dependent

on God

because while

we are weak

without God

Christ's power

is strong

and works

through us

to defeat

the sin

inside of us

that the devil

tries to use

against us.

Lastly

God reveals

his beauty

and grandness

to us

by savoring.

Through our

spiritual transformation

in Christ

God has shown us

the soul

fulfillingness

of Christ.

As a result

the devil's

overall appeal

is diminished.

When we are

made new in Christ

we are no longer

of the world

and should only

strive for what

God calls us to be

which is loving

servants striving

to carry out

his mission

to spread the gospel

and to show

Christ's love

to everyone we meet.

It is because

of Satan's defeat

that causes us

to savor Christ's

victory more and more.

When we are

tempted to choose

the world

we should be like

Paul

and gladly boast

in the fact

that God

has won

the battle

and that we

can savor

the soul

fulfillingness

of Christ.

Our day

of judgment

is not something

that we should

be questioning

or afraid

of coming.

If we are

already saved

by God

then it gives

us an incentive

to live out

our daily lives

with a newfound

joy and sense

of purpose.

The closer

that we are

living towards

the day

of judgment

the more

Christ is

magnified

and Satan

is defeated.

Savor

the true

love and joy

that God

grants us

and do not

take his mercy

for granted.

God wants

nothing more

than to be

with us

but we have

to acknowledge

our own

shortcomings

and turn

away from

them

while also

acknowledging

that sin

is not

what defines

us.

We need

not question

God

because we

know that

God is

working and

using all

things

good and

bad

for the

benefit

of his

children.

Would you

pray with

me?

Dear God

I thank you

for the salvation

that you

bless us

with.

Even though

we deserve

the worst

you see

us

and you

give us

more

than the

world

has to

offer.

You have

given us

so much

and I

pray that

as we

go about

our days

living in

that truth

and in

the comfort

of your

grace

we need

not worry

for you

are in

control

and are

always

working.

if there

is anyone

here that

hasn't given

their life

to you

Lord

I pray

that their

hearts

can be

changed

and that

their eyes

will be

open to

see you

for the

first time.

Thank you

Lord for

all that

you have

blessed

us with.

It is

in your

name I

pray.

Amen.

I mean

it's just

wonderful to

hear

everybody's

story.

given their

life to

Christ as

Savior and

Lord and

to know

that God

is always

working in

our lives

whether we're

10,

18,

80 and

each of us

have a

story.

So remember

that.

Remember what

the things

that Grayson

has shared

with us

this morning

how it

connects

with our

story and

what God

desires to

do in

our life

as well.

Thank you

so much

again for

being here

this morning.

We'll have

fellowship time

in a little

bit and followed by worship as well. Thank you.