Where Is Your Hope?

No matter what the world brings our way or what we bring into the world every day, things sure can go better and outcomes can bring peace when we live in hope.


Where is your HOPE?

Do we go through our week living in chance or some wishful thinking or do we base our thoughts, feelings and actions on something and someone far greater and stronger than anything we will face?

Hope is the assurance we carry when we know that the Bible is true and what God says to us about forgiveness, love and resurrection is true for us and for all.


There is HOPE for you this week. Hope from God is stronger than all our fear and even conquers our greatest darkness and doubt. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ we know that we are moving each day closer to our own resurrection to eternal life, healing and peace.

It's called the GOSPEL. The story of God forgiving us, coming to us,living within us and guding us to a better day in a better way. AND THIS will give you hope.


Live in hope this week.

Blessings

Reverend Bill Mcbride

At The Crossroads

Realize for just a minute that you stand at a crossroads. AND you get to choose which road you follow and the destination you incur. This is both a blessing and a challenge.
BLESSING - We are free to choose, no manipulation or force placed on us.
CHALLENGE - Choose wisely because you must live with the results. Choices are not always that easy. Temptations happen.


I like what this author has to say about choosing and how God wants the very best for us.

The author, Tom Long writes, "It has been my observation that somewhere deep in the forest of life many Christians come to a fork in the path. Some head in one direction, traveling their last few days in bitterness, shouting at the world for its iniquity, wagging their heads over the sad plight of our time, cursing 'what this world has come to nowadays.' Others, however, are given the gift of traveling the other way, the path of a cheerful confidence in providence...This is the path that knows that a banquet table awaits at the end and that a house of music and dancing can already be heard in the distance. This is the path that sees a world full of miracles. This is the way of blessing, the path of gratitude.

I am convinced that it is the risen Christ who stands at this parting of the ways. If the good news of Easter is true, then we have hope, and it is hope that sustains us when we face our darkest hours. We each have to choose which path we will travel. God loves us enough to point us in the right direction; but will allow us to choose.

Easter. Resurrection. New Life. Alive Again. from Calvary Church on Vimeo.

Easter. Resurrection. New Life. Alive Again. That is what we celebrate. We have died with Christ, died to self...only to live again in Him, to rise with Him! We are a new creation. We are alive again. On Easter we boldly proclaimed that reality. We too have walked from the tomb. The tomb is empty!

God guide you in your choosing and God bless you as you choose life and faith and HOPE!!

Reverend Bill McBride

You Want Me to What?

Now this week you have got to be kidding. I know my life can be challenging at times but you want me to figure out how to "trudge" through the cemetery and do it with style?

I'd just as soon take a nice walk through the park if it is the same to you; please and thank you.

BUT HOLD on for just bit captain. You know why we might wish life was always a walk in the park, lets face it, sometimes it just isn't. we all have to take the trudge through the cemetery on occasion; literally and figuratively. Unless we intend to live with our heads buried in the sand; and I wouldn't call that living. Would you?



So the key is to find out how we can gain strength and endurance for that trudge so to speak. How can we live well so that when our day comes we can also die well?
Ask God for help and strength.
Find a friend who is trudging too and walk with them.
Find a church community that will always support you.
Trust that there is more to your life than meets the eye.

Have a blessed week and walk with strength and perseverance.

Reverend Bill McBride

Point of View on Pain

Ever wonder or try to figure out why you have to hurt and feel pain? Isn't my faith supposed to protect me from everything bad and painful?

NOT AT All! This week see if you can find the purpose and the lesson that comes to you in and through your pain.

Here is what one woman learned about her pain; her literal pain.


The scriptures speak to us about pain and hurt. A real life story about real living; which includes some pain. Yet God never deserts us in our pain or leaves us to get buried in our problems. God gives new life to our dried out bones, as described in Ezekiel 37 and Jesus knowing some pain; in losing a friend Lazarus and weeping over this death, also understands us when we hurt and feel pain.

Seeking to see life on a larger perspective and a spiritual path can help us when we feel our pain, especially when we weep at the death of love one.


So the good news is that we are never alone in our pain and that even when we hurt we can learn and we can grow and become better people because and through our pain.

Have a great learning week even in your pain.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

Letting Your LIght Shine

God tells us in Matthew to let our lights shine. (Matthew 5:14-16). An important message for us as we often-times walk around in a darkened world.


This is God's call for our lives...to be people who walk in the LIGHT.


How Do We Walk In The Light?

1. Acknowledge that we sometimes walk in the dark and we need some light.
2. Shine our light and share our light with others who are walking in the darkness.
Loving, Forgiving, Encouraging, Helping 

Have a light-filled week.

Blessings.

Reverend Bill McBride