How To Shine

What does it mean when Jesus said in the Bible "Let your light shine, you are the light for the world?" (Matthew 5:14-16)

Watch this movie about Eddie.


What will you do to let your lights shine this year?

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

The Stars Tell The Story

Today we begin a series of posts on our learning and inspiration from the stars. Each week I will share some thoughts on what the stars and the heavens have to teach us about God, ourselves and the creator's love.

This week an introduction movie.

Psalm 19: God's General Revelation and Special Revelation from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.

Randy Alcorn leads the Eternal Perspective Ministries staff in a devotional time focused on the words of Psalm 19.

www.epm.org

Blessings

Reverend Bill McBride

How To Have a Good day

Are you having a good day today?

Watch this movie about how you can have a good day every day!


Be grateful and you will have a good day.

Blessings

Reverend Bill McBride

How To Get Past Your IDLENESS

Really now, we all like to get into a state of neutral don't we? Sure we do. There comes a time, perhaps many times when we like to go neutral and slip into nuetral.

Let someone else take care of the needs of the world. I'm not in the mood, I'm too tired, I don't care, or what needs?

This is the time of the year when hibernating might seem like a good choice. With the time changes in the fall, as it did this past Saturday night, we want to slow down and take it easy don't we?

It now gets darker earlier at night and it won't be long and dark mornings, at least above the 45th parallel latitude will be the norm. The songbirds have taken flight to warmer areas and the only bird that may accompany you on your early morning commute is an owl.

How do we get past this inclination to idleness and hibernation? Good question indeed! Our theme this week strikes out against taking an idle posture. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us."
What we must do is Face it - Fight it - and Get beyond it. No Idle weariness here. Fight the urge to shift into neutral and let the world pass you by. Fight the tendency to let someone else volunteer at home, at church and at work. Get busy and keep busy.

Now it is okay to take a break to rest and refuel; but we must, if we are to stay effective, see our world through active eyes and see others through active eyes too. Idleness does not accomplish the work of God in our world and in our lives.


Blessing to you this week.

Rev. Bill

WANTED?

Have you ever considered that you are wanted Dead AND Alive? Yes you are wanted by God.

How's Your Vision?

When it comes to getting around in our world, adequate and if needed corrected vision is important. Without vision a person must hone their other senses and sometimes accept help from another who is sighted; a helping animal or a special friend.

In the Old Testament portion of the Bible in Proverbs 28:19 it says "Without a vision the people perish." If you want to stay alive and really live you must have good vision.

I offer to you this week a simple formula for living well with corrected vision. The sacred teachings do offer us some important correction for our sometimes skewed vision. I call this formula the P-T-L process.

Pray - talk often with God and seek wisdom and instruction.
Think - daily about what would Jesus do if he were in my shoes.
Learn - all you can about the rules of life as outlined in the sacred texts.

Check out this eye chart. Can you read it?

How are you doing at insightful vision this week?

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

Getting Yourself Out of the Way

How are you doing this week at getting yourself out of the way?

Bible Study on Humility (13 min)

Sometimes we hinder God's marvelous work in our lives and through our lives by getting in God's way. Yes we do! God needs a clear field of view and unhindered workspace to effectively do a good work. Just like we each in our everyday work do our best with unhindered space, such is true with God.
The issue this week is to understand that we get in God's way or push God off center and away from direct control when we think we do not need God's presence and influence or God's control over our lives.

It's called pride. Not the kind of proud feeling we deserve when we do a good job, finish a tough task or let our lights shine for others. It is the pride that puffs up the ego and says to the world, "Hey you all, I am number one around here and you all owe me a lot."

So, how do we get our of the way for God. Or put another way, how do we keep ourselves centered on God? Here are a few clues and helps for your actions this week.

1. Acknowledge that you are finite and limited in your power and ability.
2. Understand that God is neither limited or without power to handle everything.
3. Accept the fact and truth that you do get puffed up with self-righteous pride
4. Confess your tendency to push God off the throne of your life (sin) and ask God to take control again.
5. Find at least three things each day that you are grateful for, for which you had nothing to do.

Want a fulfilling week this week? Then get out of the way and give God controll all the way.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

Faith and Hope Together

Faith and Hope are like sisters that need and depend on each other. A lot of times in studying the scriptures we go past faith and hope and move on to the importance of love. "Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

But for this week consider how significant your faith and hope is to your love.


"Faith is the assurance of things you hope for" (Hebrews 11)
FAITH is belief in your mind


HOPE is feeling that conviction in your heart Feel your hope. It gives energy to your faith. Hope gives your faith a fighting chance.


See how well they go together and need each other?

Have a faith-filled and hopeful week.

Rev. Bill McBride

Any New Things Lately?

Seen any new things happening in your life today? If your answer is no, you need to wake up and smell the roses. There are "new things" happening all the time all around you. and most of them are GOOD! Sure bad stuff does happen to good people, but most of the time good things are happening, we just fail to see them and learn and appreciate them. What a shame!

God is re-creating your world almost every moment. Our challenge is to look ahead with hope and promise. Sometimes though, we are afraid to look ahead with promise and possibility because we wonder if life today or tomorrow will be any better than life yesterday?

In Isaiah 43 God is about to bring His chosen people back to their land from captivity in Babylon. On the doorstep of freedom they think back to when God released them from captivity in Egypt. They wonder if things will ever be as good as they were in the past?

Isaiah 43:16-21 (The Message) This is what God says,  the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves, The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— they lie down and then can't get up; they're snuffed out like so many candles:"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say 'Thank you!' —the coyotes and the buzzards—Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, Drinking water for the people I chose,  the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.

God has to remind them through the prophet Isaiah, that their Creator is always in the process of making things new for those who trust and believe.

This is our contemporary lesson form this peak into history.

• Do you believe that today can be a new day for you?
• Do you enter into the day with the expectation that there is something useful and helpful to learn, if you simply look around you and observe?

If you do and if you can, you are well on your way to attracting all the good you deserve. Go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

Small Beginings-Larger Outcomes

In the Bible we find revealing and hopeful stories about how small beginnings can lead to larger outcomes. This should give everyone a renewed measure of hope, that their lives can certainly lead to some very fulfilling results.

In Luke 17 and Matthew 17 we have a tiny object, mustard seed used to illustrate our faith, when put into action can produce huge results; move a mountain (Matthew 17:20) or uproot and move a tree (Luke 17:6).

All too often, when we have something big in front of us; a project, a problem, an assignment, a relationship that needs immediate attention, etc., we tend to look at the entire scope of the thing looming before us and conclude we do not have what it takes to handle it or accomplish it.

We then ask God to give us more faith so we can deal with it completely all at once. Notice in Luke 17:5-10 that when the followers of Christ asked him to increase their faith Jesus then told them about the tiny mustard seed uprooting and moving an entire tree. He did not magically answer their request. He was seeking to teach them that they had enough faith to do what was in front of them right now.

I believe the message here is for each of us to take action, one small step at a time, accomplishing what is right in front of us and not let the entire scope of the event stop us in our tracks. We each have enough faith for today to do what needs to be done today.

Jesus did not increase his disciples faith, he told them immediately about their role as servants of God and their place to trust and obey. Your small faith today, even though it feels tiny, can bring about larger outcomes over time. All you have to do is act now. Your faith is not measured so much by how much you have, but by what you do with what you already have.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

How To Get Rich

Whenever I write a post I wonder if it will raise any eyebrows and create a stir; especially among "religious" folks? Well, this week when I post about getting rich and how "wealth searching" is an inherently spiritual and healthy pursuit, I bet I will raise some one's blood pressure a lot! But let me say from the start-the wealth searching has a lot to do with GOD SEARCHING.

Richness and Prosperity Have Much to Do With Putting God At The CENTER.

Open minded spiritual searchers understand the value in richness and abundance. It is the "set in their ways legalistic" and media influenced folks that twitch just a bit when any spiritual leader dares to talk about getting rich, or abundance, prosperity theology, or how the Bible encourages the acquisition of wealth in the proper perspective. Which type are you?

I encourage you to comment below.

1. There is more than one perspective out there. The Bible teaches clearly about abundance (John 10:10), God giving his faithful followers wealth and prosperity (1 Timothy 1:17), the Creator gives us the power and ability to acquire wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18), and poverty comes when we refuse to follow the universal laws (Proverbs 13:18) The media teaches us that if one person has much then they must have denied the poor theirs, there is a limited and finite supply of everything, a simple lifestyle and living with less is the best and godly way, we must work and share so that everyone is equal and life is fair.

2. Just because someone tells you it is so, does not necessarily make it so. Search for the Truth in what ever sacred writings you follow. Figure it out for yourself. From where I research, read and study, the Bible teaches us that we are the ones who place limits on ourselves and the world, God is infinite in source and substance and abundance, prosperity, fulfillment and wealth is God's dream for our lives.

3. When we get our lives and the spiritual laws out of sync, we create and bring about our own lack, loss and difficulties. When it comes to getting rich, we move away from this promise when we make money, wealth and power our God, our center and our focus. The Bible tells us that if we want to get rich we first have to get God in the center and the focus of our attention.

4. Everything depends on what you see, your mindset and your outlook. If you see the world as lacking, scarcity, peril and limited you will always bring into your life what you see and what you give and what you put your attention upon the most. If you see abundance, promise, possibilities and infinite source you will bring into your life all the good and great rewards you deserve and God desires for you. See the best and express the best; that being LOVE. This is what I mean by keeping God at the center and keeping your life on a spiritual track. (Look at the picture to the right. Do you see a young woman or an old lady? You always see and find what you look for and what you focus upon.)

The teacher Paul in the Bible said it this way; "Tell them, to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage-to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous." (1 Timothy 1:17 from The Message)

This is How To Get Rich.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

How To Pray?

Now here is a topic we shouldn't even have to blog about. Right? Doesn't everyone know how to pray? I mean come on. "Now I lay me down to sleep..." Haven't we all been taught to pray since we were old enough to scream "mommy?" "Our Father who art in heaven..." another well known verse of prayer. So what can we say today about praying that hasn't been said, written about, preached on and studied for ever?

You've got a point here. But sometimes repetition is food for the soul. And since you brought up the Lord's Prayer, found in Matthew 6:5-15, let's use it as the model for our theme this week, "How To Pray."

Over to the right of this post you will find a column called "Helpful Resources." I have created a PDF file outlining some tips on praying based on Matthew 6, "The Lord's Prayer." Simply right click on the link, "howtopray" and save to your computer. It takes the Lord's Prayer verse by verse and raises some good questions to help you in your life of prayer.

Just like we are having this conversation today, prayer is most importantly your direct link, communication channel and conversation with God. It is the way you get closer to God and the means by which God uses us to channel great power, resources, abundance and love into our lives and to others across our daily relationships.

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” -Saint Augustine

check out this interesting video about prayer

Have a great week of prayer.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

How To Get Found

If we are ruthlessly honest with ourselves there are days we get lost and feel lost. Right? When you feel lost how do you get found?

In the Bible in Luke 15:11-31 there is a telling story about one who got lost and how he got found again. Getting found is ultimately a "two way street." It involves the one who got lost and another who seeks to find the one who is lost.

Check out this movie about our theme this week.


How Do You Get found when you get lost?

• Don't let your light go down.
• Don't let your fire burn out.
• Rise up now.
• Don't be afraid to stand out.

There is a really big world at your fingertips and you have a chance to change it.

One clear lesson that goes contrary to cultural trends is this:

Remember that as you seek to fill another person's cup, their life with your love, your cup, your life will be made full with love too. There is a solid spiritual law at work here. "Sowing and Reaping" is one name it goes by; also "The Law of Like Return"; that's my name for it. You may have also heard it called "What Goes Around Comes Around" or "The Law of Attraction."

No matter how you name it and what you call it, it is absolutely true. If you feel a bit lost this week, find someone else who is a bit lost; struggling, afraid, lonely, sad or distressed. Ask them how you can help them feel better. Do it for them. What you give away will always come back to you.

In our story in Luke 15:11-31 the lost son:

1. Needed to admit that he was lost.
2. He then headed back in the right direction, toward home.
3. He hadn't even got there yet and his dad who was looking for him and hoping to see him on his return ran out to welcome him back home.

When you feel lost, admit it and return to your spiritual center. When you feel lost believe and trust that God in love is already out there looking for you to return.

This is how the lost get found.


Get found this week. Help someone else get found too.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

What Comes First?

Living and Giving, what does come first in a successful life? The world tells us to live it up and live first and then give of what you have left or from your success. Now practically, this seems appropriate because how can we give of what we do not have and possess?


But things do fall apart when we think we first have to live; achieve it, earn it, amass it, acquire it, win it or find it before we will give.

You hear it said a lot; "You know when my ship comes in, then I will really make a big gift to my church." Or, "I can't give any of my time, talent, and treasure now because I do not have any thing to give. So, I will wait till later." AND later never comes.

There is a spiritual law in the universe that runs the way we live and the results we get whether we believe it or follow it or not. We've talked about this law many times before; it is called the "Law of Sowing and Reaping." (Galatains 6:3) So in order to really live and receive we have to first give and share.

By giving we are talking about giving our money to a good cause, giving our time to make that cause work and giving our talent to bring value on board for the success of that cause.

By giving we are also talking about our money a lot too. As a person once said, if you want to know what is really important in your life, just take a tally of what you have spent your money on in the past six months.


Living and Giving go hand in hand. As it says in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 8 "First they gave themselves to God and then to us." We give to a higher order of life; toward the spiritual side of life and we give to others. One really good way to do that is in and through the church. When we do that according to the universal laws, we then can really live! Guaranteed.

Blessings in your Giving and Living this week.

Rev. Bill McBride

Thinking and Becoming

Consider how strongly connected your mind and your thinking is to what you experience and do. When it comes to doing extraordinary things; our theme for this week, we often think and say "Well, I can't do anything extraordinary. I'll stick with the ordinary. Let's leave the extraordinary to Jesus and his miracles or at the very least those special few really gifted individuals."

But that is not how God wants to work today with you. God wants to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things.


What extraordinary thing is God wanting to do with ordinary you this week?

In fact, listen carefully, you are only just a thought away from extraordinary things. Yes you are! "Cogito ergo sum" - "I think, therefore I am" is a philosophical statement in Latin used by René Descartes. If you can think then you can become. And when it comes to our Creator, the sky is really the only limit.

What did these ordinary people end up doing?


We are the ones who limit God working in and through our lives. God does want to do extraordinary things in our lives and for others through us. Miracles are not just for the Bible days any more.

Three lessons come to us from scripture; especially in the extraordinary story of the feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6:30-44.

1. Use what you have right now today. Don't wait for something special to come your way before you make use of the time, talent and gifts you already have.


2. Commit what you have right now to God. Give God the credit for all the good things given to you and that come to you.


3. Expect great things to happen for you, to you and through you for others.

More great things would be seen in our lives and in our world if we all said and thought this: "I Can." As the wise sage said, "The people who say 'I Can' and 'I Can't' are both right."

Blessing to you.

Have an extraordinary week.

Reverend Bill McBride

How to Handle Your Guilt

So, are you feeling guilty today? Ever made a bad choice or done something for which you then felt guilty? Ever done something and then in hindsight said, "Ouch, I wish I hadn't done that one?" How do You Handle Your GUILT?

We allow our poor choices to imprison us and defeat us when we hold onto the guilt they bring. We can learn some things from our guilt, if we take a brief step back from it and see it in a larger frame. The useful thing that guilt can do for us is to show us that the choices we made did not bring to us what we needed or wanted. Guilt can point us in a new direction and motivate us to seek amends and make it right. After that, guilt serves no purpose or use. In fact, when we hold on to the guilt, we harm ourselves and make ourselve into far less than God intended.

Guilt imprisons us when we make it more powerful then it really is. If you can picture our emotions as energy, which on a metaphysical scale they really are, how would you rate the power of guilt? And, what is the most powerful emotion we can bring to the world? Remember that guilt only has as much power as you give it.

Use your guilt to build a newer and better life this week.

• Admit your fault
• Acknowledge your failure
• Accept forgiveness

Use your guilt to correct your mind, heart and actions and then use your renewed energy to give your best to yourself and others.

Watch this short movie to find the answer and to understand why you must release your guilt.



Blessings to you this week as you love.

Rev. Bill

The Unexpected Arrives

We thought together last Sunday about "Getting Ready for the Unexpected." (You can listen to my message by clicking the link on the right side of this page)

Right after church the unexpected happened to me. On the walk home from church, right on the walkway by the front porch, I came upon an unexpected little fallen nest and two baby birds. Recall the rain and big wind on Sunday morning? The storm must have dislodged this little nest from our big Maple tree. Mom and Dad bird, whom appeared to be finches or wrens, were flitting back and forth among the branches and calling as loud as they could in their tiny bird voices.

I did what any self-respecting man who is totally in charge of his world would do; I quickly went inside, found Loretta and asked, "What should we do Loretta, there is a nest on the ground and two tiny baby birds next to it?" Well, Loretta knew exactly what to do. She went into "mom mode" and hurried outside and scooped them up, nest and all and then said we have to get them back into the tree so hopefully their parents would rescue them.

Well to make this story short, we improvised a nest spot and waited and watched. Unfortunately the parents never came back or were unable to find their kids. They did fly around the yard, from tree to tree for a while, but eventually the day fell silent with no more bird calling for lost young. We then went outside and prepared the best we could, to adopt and raise these two little guys, or gals?

Loretta fashioned a home including the original nest and I did what I know best, told her how to find all the information and training she needed online. "Why don't you 'Google' how to care for baby birds?" She did and now today, it's Wednesday, only three days after our quick adoption and countless feeding later, did you know baby birds need to eat every 20 minutes?, and our two sibling birds, which I named "Peep & RePeep" have nearly tripled in size and are now trying to jump out of their box in the garage? By the way, if you need to know anything about raising baby birds call Loretta. (photo on right is a hungry bird eager for food).

And here is the really weird thing. According to the research, guess what is the best food for baby birds? Cat Food. Yup, our Mittens the cat is sharing her food with some little birds. Ironic isn't it?

As I preached on last Sunday, you never know when and what the unexpected will be and when it will happen. You just have to be ready for it; and as Micah 6:8 says "Do what is just and right, Do what is kind and merciful and Do a daily humble walk with God." Good idea for bird raising and people relating too.

Now I do not believe for a second that God caused these baby birds to tumble out of their tree to give me a test of faith or to help me practice what I preached. More likely, their descent to my walkway was caused by wind and some poor "bird-nest engineering." But I am humbled still, by how dependent these two birds are on others for their very life. As it said online, their chance of survival is low, even if they learn to fly out of our garage to the nearest tree; but as Loretta reminded me, "We will do everything in our power to give them a chance." We keep telling Mittens the cat, about how nice it is for her to share her food, but she does not get to visit them up close and personal.

I might now add to our life lessons that unexpected Lessons can come from some unexpected places. What will you do this week to give the folks around you and yourself the chance you and they need to live, thrive and become an abundant success?

To give us a quick review from Micah 6:8

• Do Justice - life is not always fair but that does not mean we just walk on by and ignore a need even if it comes from tiny peeping birds.


• Do Kindness and Mercy - All God's children need some love this week, big or small.


• Do Humility With Your God - Be prepared to lend a hand and stoop to help someone or some creature that just might benefit by you. You never know; so be prepared.

Thanks Loretta for your motherly love for Peep and RePeep this week.

(photo on left, Loretta is getting lunch ready and I get to hold a bird in the hand. In just 3 days they are already flapping their wings and trying to fly.)

Thank God for our Creator's wonderful love for each of us.

And, this definitely means you.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

A Welcome Place To Be

Anyone hear today who dislikes a warm welcome? I suspect not. We all want to feel welcome and appreciated.

God created us for relationships and for interaction. This is in part, what I believe, makes us distinctly human and spiritual. We enjoy getting together with family and friends. We crave companionship and warmth.
Seems like churches would be best served by always putting out the welcome mat and doing everything the can to make their congregation "a welcome place to be."

In my mind a warm welcome goes a long way toward success and fulfillment in life. What can you do this week to make your heart and your home a welcome place for yourself and for others?

Last weekend the Lake Mills church crew, 40 folks, spent their annual weekend getaway at Pine Lake United Methodist Camp in Westfield, Wisconsin. I thought you might enjoy this movie I produced depicting why this place and these people do such a good work of welcome and are so fun to be around.

We are gong again next year, the last weekend in July. Come up for the whole weekend or just for Saturday. This is a "Welcome Place to Be."

Pine Lake Getaway 2010 Plus a few 2009 photos

Pine Lake 2010 @ Yahoo! Video

How’s Your Abundance?

Abundance is highly relative. Now this statement has nothing to do with how much money Aunt Sadie or Uncle Harry has stashed away.

The relativity of abundance means that we always measure our abundance, our net worth, our money, our accumulation of things and toys in relationship to someone else; usually someone whom we suspect has more than we.

You may say “I lack abundance compared to so and so down the block that just won the 'Powerball' lottery." But what about your abundance compared to a third world citizen awash in drought in Kenya? See, it is all relative.

Jesus warned about hiding and hoarding our treasure. For he knew that where our treasures were there would be our hearts as well. By the phrase “Our Hearts” I think he meant that this is where our attention, our priorities and our love would be.

ABUNDANCE AND GRATITUDE GO HAND IN HAND

THE MORE GRATEFUL YOU ARE THE MORE ABUNDANT YOU WILL BE

I am here to tell you it is perfectly fine and really spiritual to possess your abundance. Just do not let it possess you.

• FIRST: Understand where all your ability, talent, inspiration and creativity came from in the first place that you put together to earn your keep and amass your treasures.
• SECOND: Freely and eagerly find ways every week to give some of your abundance to others and take some time to help someone else learn and grow in their ability to earn like you. This last point is a great way for you as I say, to “share the wealth.”
• THIRD: Abundance, especially money is NOT a zero sum or finite sum game. There was never and will never be a limited amount of capital to go around the world. Folks that proclaim that if you have much that must mean that there are others whom have little and you are depriving them of "theirs" and you need to give your's away to equalize things are misled and out of touch with how the universe and the laws of physic really operate. Everything we see, touch, taste and use including money, is atomic, made up of atoms. And there is an infinite supply of atomic energy; atoms out there in the universe to combine so to make more money, green paper and gold. So, go ahead make oodles of cash. Just remember that with much comes extra responsibility to give eagerly not because others need it but because you have a heart of love and an eagerness to keep your heart in the right place.
• Just imagine what your church, your favorite charitable organization, or your local helping agency can do when you give freely and well.

Blessing and abundance to you today and always.

Reverend Bill McBride

ARE YOU FULL-FILLED?

Today we answer a question that is on the lips of folks of all ages and stations in life. How Do I Get FULL-Filled?

(Watch the special video on prayer at the bottom of the post)

Allow me to illustrate an answer with a lawn mower. I am privileged to have as part of my extra benefits at my church the chance to use a John Deere X-300 riding lawn mower. Since I live right across the parking lot from church and the church has their X-300 in the shed behind the church building, I get to use this “bad boy” to mow my yard and take care of other yard chores. Talk about a great deal!

For me yard, flower and garden care are a form of outdoor therapy. Plus, Loretta and I enjoy keeping the place looking spiffy and neat.

Now when “my” X-300 needs gas in its tank do you think I go over to the little powered push mower in the shed and siphon out a cup of gas and put that into the John Deere X-300? Of course not. Right next to the X-300 is a five gallon gas tank, which I take to the corner gas station and get plenty of gas, from the source, for my mower ride and work. It never fails. When I keep my x-300 fueled up with gas I can fulfill my lawn mowing needs in wonderful time. Plus, I have a better time riding and mowing.

If my X-300 is not FULL-filled or has just a taste of fuel, it will never run the way it is supposed or get the job done. Catching the lesson here?

Back to the spiritual matter at hand.

If we really want to run our lives on FULL and keep on task and target, we need to go to the source and get all the fuel we need to FULL-fill ourselves from the inside out. This is how a FULL-filled spiritual life really works.

How are you doing this week and getting yourself FULL-filled?

Try these four tips for fulfilling yourself with the important fuel from God

• Go to your God and tell God you want to grow.


• Talk often with your God.


• Trust that your God can and will fill you FULL.


• Behave like it is true; because it is.

This is how to get FULL-filled.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PRAYER TODAY

PRAYER IS THAT OPEN HEARTED & HONEST SOUL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Prayer Intro from Dan Stevers on Vimeo.

God bless you always.

Rev. Bill

Technorati Tags: fulfillment,God,Jesus Christ,Faith,life,livng,abundant life

How To Handle Distractions

We live in what has been called the "Information Age." For the purpose of our topic today, I’d call this age by another name. We have more information at our disposal than any generation before us. We are flooded with bits of information, or as a shrewd person once said- "bytes"?

A much better description of our time would be the "Age of Distraction." Everybody and everything are out to get our attention. Once “they” have your attention, they have a chance at getting your money when you buy their stuff, or your time when you tune in to them. And one way to do that is to distract us from whatever we may have been doing or are trying to do.

So, how do we handle the information overload, as it has been called and how do we handle distractions?

THE KEY TO HANDLE DISTRACTIONS IS TO FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY IS IMPORTANT

A good place to fix our attention upon is the Bible in the story found in Luke 10:38-42. It is the story of Jesus paying a visit to the home of Mary and Martha. In that visit we uncover a woman with focus and attention and a woman who got distracted and frustrated.

Martha – became distracted with many tasks and things to do

Mary – was attentive to Jesus and stuck close to him and his teaching moment.

Here is what Jesus says to busy and distracted Martha: “Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her" (Luke 10:42). Just what is this better part? Mary has decided not to miss out on what she can learn from Jesus while he's in their home. She sits at his feet and listens to what he had to tell her. She's bent on gleaning all she can from the time she has with Jesus. Rather than being distracted by all these other things, she sits in raptured attention, hanging on his every word.

The better part Mary chose was to be able to focus on what really mattered at the moment. To sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him. That's something that will last long after the meal is over and the dishes have been done and put away. It's something we need to learn today as never before. Our well being depends on it; maybe even our sanity. I venture that's why Jesus is so insistent on it.

God bless you this week!

Reverend Bill McBride

How Is Your Main Thing Going?

Everyone has an opinion on what the “Main Thing” is that we must focus on and attend to everyday. What is the “Main Thing” for you?

• Making money
• Paying the bills (goes along with previous one)
• Having fun
• Building/Establishing a good relationship
• Staying out of trouble

It is always wise to get some good wisdom when a person has to really focus on A MAIN THING. After all, there can only be one number one.

The main thing is exactly what a lawyer asked Jesus about one day. “What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25). Actually, he was trying to test or trap Jesus, but in the answer we see what Jesus Christ, unquestionably a very wise man had to say about the main thing.

He referred the lawyer back to the law, the Old Testament written instructions for living and asked him back, “What is written in the law?” And then, the lawyer found the answer to his own question and revealed the “main thing” for all of us to do…….LOVE

Yep, love is the main thing. It is as simple and as challenging as this. But we sure miss the mark sometimes don’t we? Sometimes we get off target don’t we? Even churches sometimes get off track and off target don’t they?

Our calling is to always keep the main thing the main thing, at home, at work, in church even when we play.

God bless you this week!

Reverend Bill McBride

CRITICISM HAPPENS

Have any kind of opinion and express any type of strong notion and you will surely receive some criticism. Like that true saying, "Criticism Happens.

The questions I challenge you to answer this week are what are you going to do about criticism and how do you handle it?

We can not avoid it so we might as well handle it.

One major lesson we learn from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is that we must have a goal and dream big enough that captivates us so strongly that it keeps us moving ahead even in the face of criticism. In Luke’s Gospel we learn how “Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem,” and nothing go in his way from completing the role that the creator had for him to play. Yes he was criticized and ridiculed a bunch, but he made it all the way to his intended dream, to give his life so to show the world best how to live.

HOW TO HANDLE CRITICISM

1. Hold on to a big God-given dream, one that captivates and motivates you for a long, long time.
2. Know that when you lead and step out in faith you will be criticized and ridiculed.
3. Learn from criticism, sometimes it is constructive.
4. Believe that you are loved and lovable no matter what others think and say about you.

Your Thoughts are very powerful things. Thinking clearly can help you deal with criticism.



God bless you this week.

Rev. Bill

Got a Purpose Bigger Than You?

I have a small yet large on wisdom book in my library. It is entitled “101 Ways to Find God’s Purpose for Your Life.”

As I have preached on before, we need always to live not by accident but “on purpose.” Let me share three ways from this book for you to find a BIG purpose for you life.

1. DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS. “we all have a calling. We all have a purpose in life. Not all of us are meant to be artists who paint on canvases, but we all have a gift.” –Mark Victor Hansen, writer.

Make a list of those things you do well. List the ways you are using your “gifts” in the tasks you perform. God’s purpose for your life can be found in the passions, dreams and in what you have talent in. a lot of times we may understand our talents and skills, but we only see them being displayed in certain ways. Just maybe God is seeking to use you in many different ways to let your gifts, strengths and talents shine.

2. SEEK DIRECTION. Have you ever tried to navigate through a strange city or area without a map or directions. At best it is a guessing game. We all need to seek and get directions so we can get there in the best and the healthiest way possible.


In order to uncover God’s purpose for your life you need to be headed in the right direction. Ask God to help you get your life pointed in a direction that honors the Creator, helps you and shows love to others.

3. ENGAGE YOUR SPIRIT. Great people are often remembered because of their spirit, their determination to consume every drop of their cup of life, despite the circumstances. It is NOT what are the challenges and problems facing you, rather it IS what are you doing about them. How are you using them to grow, learn and become a better human being.

Wholeheartedly participate in life today. See things with spiritual eyesight as well as your physical eyes. Notice the beauty of creation, the glorious colors, smells, and sounds that surround you.

Blessings to you today.

Rev. Bill

Wisely Inspired?

Have you been inspired this week? Getting inspired is a crucial key to your attainment of your worthy goals and aspirations. In the Bible it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, that “all scripture is inspired by God.” Good news for those who seek advice and wisdom from the sacred texts. But what about your life this week. Are you inspired too?

INSPIRATION is defined as: being motivated; stimulated, provoked [in the good sense], influenced and encouraged.

When a person is inspired they accomplish great things. In fact when you are inspired thoughts come easily and fit together well, jobs get accomplished with it seems less effort, problems get solved in a flash and difficult tasks become easy possibilities.

The English word Inspire is derived from the Latin “inspirare”, which means "to breathe in." For spiritually minded people the breathing in, is God breathing into the human spirit from the Divine Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Here is what one philosopher says about being inspired: “A psychic state in which one becomes susceptible to creative spiritual influence or unwittingly lends oneself as an instrument for through-flowing ideas. It is the creative state of the artist, poet, and author, traditionally believed to be amenable to the wisdom of the muses or inspiring gods. In a state of inspiration, the prophets of various religions dictated scriptures or predicted future events. The term inspiration denotes a breathing in of the divine creative spirit, bringing perception of truth.”

The idea of God breathing the Creative Spirit into our lives and influencing our spirits to produce our creative best is a comforting and interesting understanding of this divine power at work in our world through our lives. We understand that wisdom is the desire to become so filled with God’s in-breathing, this Divine breath into our lives that we think more clearly and act more creatively than ever before.

"Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks." - Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Ask God to fill you this day and inspire you to think, feel and act your wisest and best.

Watch this movie of a Father and Son running the Ironman Triathlon to get inspired. Remember you CAN do all things through God who inspires you.

Blessings to you today.

Rev. Bill

Technorati Tags: Inspire,Inspiration,God,Bible,Faith,Trust

Poured Out Spirit

This Sunday we focus on the Spirit of God, called the Holy Spirit. "Holy" because we are in the spiritual context and "of God" because we are understanding the way in which the Creator and Source of life came to the world and gave the world the "Holy Spirit" to reach its dreams and goals.

It is this Holy Spirit, the presence and power of God that comes to us and lives within us and empowers us to live our best for ourselves and for each other. God gave us the Holy Spirit for important reasons:

1. Help us feel closer to God-its a feeling thing and from the heart. (John 14:25-27)
2. Help us have the power and energy to go out into new and different places and experiences and share-live our faith. (Matthew 28:18-20)
3. Make good on Christ's promise to never leave us as orphans and lonely. (John 14:15-18)

Watch this interesting and wise interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams about the Holy Spirit.

Blessings to you. Fill your life with God; Ask and Believe.

Rev. Bill

WANTED: Followers

The world touts leaders, being a self-made success, stepping out from the crowd and marching to a different drummer. BUT what about being a good, very good follower?

Now don't get me wrong this week. I am all for strong leadership. yes indeed. But let us not forget good "followership."

S. I. McMillen, in his book "None of These Diseases," tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

Jesus said it, Matthew heard it, Peter and the disciples did it. What about us?

I have to admit that there are really a lot of important words in the Bible. How about Love, or Faith, or Pray? When you boil it all down, you have to admit that everything that preachers preach on and challenge their faithful to obey, everything the church teaches and everything else in the Holy Word DEPENDS on two most important words.

When Jesus Said, in Matthew 9:9, "Follow Me" he said it all.

How are you doing this week at following Christ, following God, following the best intentions and spirit-led intentions of your heart?

Blessing to you as you Follow Jesus.

Rev. Bill

Hi Mom!

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, the second Sunday in May. We have celebrated Mother's Day as a national holiday since 1914 when president Woodrow Wilson declared this event as a national holiday.

Since several hundred years after the time of Jesus Christ the church has portrayed the Creator in masculine language and personality. People generally think of God as a "Father" figure who is all powerful, a king and a warrior who rules the universe with power and might. But what about the motherly side of God?

It is important to not allow the customary gender bias to cloud our view of God. God is neither male nor female, even though we humanize the Creator so to understand, bring God down to earth. And since God is not a man or a woman, it is equally proper to consider the mothering qualities of God, for these qualities really do enhance our lives.

GOD'S LOVE CAN LIFT YOU HIGHER




If Jesus succeeded in restoring a vital connection between God and the people by evoking the love between father and child, perhaps, today, the vitality of faith can be recaptured by drawing upon the equally intimate relationship between mother and child. What better way to emphasize the intimacy of our relationship with God than to imagine a mother's love for her child? When you think of the devotion, the sacrifice, the tenderness, and sometimes the suffering that a mother pours out for her children, doesn't that reflect in some deep way the love God feels for each of us?

Of course, this is nothing new. In ancient religions the idea of Mother God was very closely related to the idea of Mother Earth or Mother Nature. It seemed only natural and obvious that a God who gave birth to the world must have at least something in common with a woman who gives birth. As a human mother gave birth to us all, God was quite naturally seen as the Mother of us all.

So, there is really only one thing to say into the cameras today; "Hi Mom" and I hope your Mother's Day is wonderful.

Blessings,

Rev. Bill

Something New

It seems that we all like something new. Its what make the retail world sing an dance, when we go shopping for new clothes, new cars, a new home, new stuff, etc.

What about a NEW YOU? Now that’s something worth looking into.

Please understand me at this point because I am not talking so much about a new outside, even though in many regards a new look, a new appearance can improve you a bunch; but I am clearly addressing this week a new you and a new us from the “Inside Out.”

One very important Bible story talks about “How Things Are Made New.” Revelation 21:1-6 the last book in the Bible says this about newness.

^“1I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. ²I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. ^3-5I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate." ^6-8Then he said, "It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well, I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them; they'll be sons and daughters to me.” (from The Message)

The key component of our being made new this week is God’s personal involvement with us all along the way and in the process. While this specific scripture relates to a future dreamed about event in a literal sense, this making things new idea is not just some far off future unfolding, it is a process that begins today with us from the inside out.

Too much of the time we think that if our circumstances outside of us and around us are made new and change then we will be all right forever. But our spiritual compass always points us inward to making ourselves new first on the inside and then radiating to the outside.

The greatest power at work in the universe to make things new is God and God’s first name is love. So, when you love yourself the way God’s loves you and forgive yourself the way God forgives you, all the time and in every way then you are made new.

MAKING YOURSELF NEW - Will Smith Wisdom (10min)

Blessings,

Rev. Bill

Technorati Tags: new life,God,Revelatin 21,love,living,hpaainess,Jesus Christ,life,purpose

I Dare You

Have you ever played the game of DARE? A friend dares you to do something challenging and will not let up with their dare until you do it OR give them a "Double Dare"; something for them to do which is even harder than your dare.

Well, today I DARE YOU to believe. Folks can easily push aside and forget about trusting in God and living with faith when they do not even give it a try first. So, I dare you to believe this week; to really trust the Creator's love, the one who is the infinite source of all that is right, good and lovely. To Believe is to trust with your mind the idea proposed. To have faith is to put your behavior into your believing.

The belief I share with you today is that kind of believing that can be seen in your actions. It begins in your head but ends up in your feet; your actions.

How do we trust God, whom we have never seen and how do we believe? Let me offer you three suggestions:

1. Pray


2. Pursue


3. Ponder

FIRST PRAY: Like any satisfying relationship we have we have to spend time with that friend to get to know them better. Praying is our way of spending time with God, by talking with God about anything and everything. Also, good and helpful prayer means listening to God too.

SECOND PURSUE: By pursue I mean demonstrating to God that you want to get closer to God this week. Go after God because the sacred writings tell us that the Source of life is seeking us too. Remember a good relationship is a two way road. Spend time this week thinking about God, looking for signs of God and finding God.

THIRD PONDER: By ponder I mean really thinking about and even asking God. One thing that I believe our Creator really likes are questions. If we ask no questions how will we find any answers? So ponder and ask questions, even question God.

• I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. (Psalm 34:4,5)


• God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. ~St. Augustine

Can you just imagine what your FAITH can do this week?

Blessings to you this week,

Rev. Bill

WHAT IF?

Have you ever wondered, "What If?" What if I had been speeding, like I was a few miles back, when I passed that police car a few seconds ago? What if I had actually said to my neighbor what was going through my mind a moment ago? What if I had been on that plane, train, subway, car, bus that just crashed? What if?

What if the sun stopped shining or the earth stopped rotating and brining in the dawn?

Much of the time we do the "what if thing" in the context of negative or bad outcomes.

Consider two interesting Bible stories this week.

• Acts 9:1-20- Saul's encounter with the "Light" of God on the road to Damascus-"What if Saul had not listened to Jesus? What if Ananias had not listened and gone to Saul's' aid. What if Saul,now called Paul the great defender of the faith,had not decided to follow Jesus? What if he'd kept killng Christians?


• John 21:1-19- Peter's post resurrection encounter with Jesus while fishing on the Lake Galilee- "What if Peter had not accepted the 'three time' words of forgiveness and encouragement Christ gave him? What if Thomas had not decided to believe and follow too?"
  

Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it? WHAT IF for you and for me?

To make a switch to the "what if positive side of our lives", I challenge you to consider and answer this week;

• What if I choose to follow God's word to the best of my ability this week?


• What if I believe and behave like the spiritual truths and principals are true?


• What if I love and forgive the way that God loves and forgives me?

WHAT IF-We always remember that living is not so much about us as individuals; not W.I.I.F.M. (what's in it for me); but more about US. - together, we, teamwork, unity, the church family as the Creator intended it to be?

What if we believed, behaved, thought, felt, and did things with the best intentions and the highest ideals?

What If?

Blessings to you today,

Rev. Bill

It's A Good Thing You Doubt

You may never hear a preacher or pastor tell you that it is a good thing, a VERY good thing to doubt. Well, I just did. Hang on, because having doubts can ultimately lead to some pretty high level certainty, if you have what I call "Positive & Healthy Doubts."

A known French philosopher said it this way about doubt: "Doubt is the rational part of a person's thought involved in weighing evidence, without which the faith would have no real substance." You might say that positive and healthy doubt can hep you grow and become spiritually stronger than without your doubt.

This preacher's idea may help you affirm your doubt: "Doubts, questions, uncertainties, skepticism face every honest enquirer after truth. The capacity to doubt is one of God's greatest gifts to us. Without doubt there would be no discovery, no progress; we would all simply accept what we're told, and live comfortably with the status quo.

If Thomas (read John 20:19-31) had not openly doubted, we may never have the proof of Jesus showing himself to this honest doubter and ultimately to us. Notice in these verses that while God really does bless strong faith, God never punishes or looks poorly upon the doubter. Thomas doubted and God blessed him. Now that's really Good News for Thomas and for us.

Pray this prayer this week: Lord Jesus Christ, if I doubt, at least help me to be an honest doubter, seeking truth rather than merely trying to be clever. Amen.

Have a blessed week in your doubts.

Rev. Bill

Pass The Light Salt Please

Have you ever wondered what it would take to live a safe, successful, satisfied life? I know I have many times. Well the answer is closer than you might think. In fact there really are no secrets to your life being as fulfilling and as happy as you have dreamed, hoped and prayed. (Contrary to popular media and the "new thought" gurus, there really is no "Secret")

We've been thinking together over this past month or so, about the "Be-Happy Attitudes For Success and Fulfillment"; found in Matthew 5:1-12. Today we sum it all up when we discover that behaving like SALT and LIGHT is the way to bookend our understandings in Matthew 5:1-12 and the way to make our lives shine like light and flavor our world like salt.


Light and Salt are excellent metaphors for living a truly amazing and helpful spiritual life.

LIVE LIKE THE LIGHT

LIGHT

• chases away any and all darkness
  


• guides our steps along the path of life
  


• brings life, warmth and health to our world
  

SALT

• preserves
  
  
• heals
  
  
• seasons
  
  
• purifies
  

JAMI SMITH Sings SALT AND LIGHT (4 minutes)

May you be as salt for a world in need of flavor and light for a world stumbling around in the darkness. Happy Easter. Breathe new life into all you think, feel and do this week!

Blessings,

Rev. Bill

Turning BAD Days Into GOOD Days

Why do we like to blame God for all the bad in our lives? I have heard it said so many times when folks are talking about the unfortunate circumstances and misfortunes they and others face. "I guess it must have been God's will." "Why did God cause this to happen to me?"

As I understand the teachings of sacred texts about our Creator, I must tell you that God is never responsible for or the cause of bad things happening in our lives and in our world. Most of the time we are; AND our response to what we create or what catches us determines our outcomes and fianlly our success or the lack there of.

YOUR RESPONSE ENABLES YOUR OUTCOMES

God has set up definite Laws to govern our lives and run the universe and when these laws are broken and thwarted bad results transpire. Don't blame God when people fail to follow the rules. Also, in Gods place of love for all creation, we all have the freedom and power to follow the laws or break the laws; thereby hurting others and ourselves.

You turn your bad days into good days by taking ownership and responsibility for your actions that cause your pain.

1. When we ignore and break the Laws of the universe we pay the price and suffer the consequences.
2. When other people ignore and break the Laws of the universe they too and sometimes us, if we are in the line of fire, pay the price and suffer the consequences. Yes, sometimes bad things do happen to good people.
3. God's ultimate plan for our lives is that we experience abundance, peace, happiness, fulfillment and success.
4. When we follow the Laws (see the previous post on the "Law of Like Return") we can expect very Good results. Faith is believing in and trusting in good results even while we may have to wait a while for them to show up.

The wise person understands where bad comes from and seeks to learn and become wiser even in the bad so as to experience a final good result.

God the source of all that is good and wonderful loves us so much that God made the Laws knowable and understandable. God does this so we can experience the good in life and grow even in and through the bad.

GOD IS INFINITE

Blessings,

Rev. Bill