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

Ah Temptation!

Like it or not, we all get tempted.

Temptation from Kevin Anderson on Vimeo.
Temptation comes in all forms...including me

You'd think by the way some people act, maybe some folks you know, they really love getting tempted? Do we walk right toward a temptation or put ourselves into the midst of a situation where we know we will be tempted to make a choice that is unhealthy, life-diminishing and bad for us and others?

Maybe you think you can not resist temptation? Like the BORG attack, you quickly say "Resistance is Futile." That's what the BORG thought in the face of Captain Picard. Is resistance futile like this movie clip would suggest?

What can we do this week to resist temptation?

Watch this movie for some sound ideas.

How 2 Resist Temptation from Bill McBride on Vimeo.
We all get tempted. The question is what can we do to remain strong in the face of temptation and make choices that enhance my life and others? Resistance is possible.

Remember this week: Prayer-Deteremination-Action

Blessings

Reverend Bill McBride

Why Wait?

Great. Now are you telling me I have to wait? Yes and no. So much of the things in our world demand we wait. Right? Here is a short movie about the good thing about waiting.

Think of all the things you wait for.

• Traffic lights
• Pedestrians crossing the street
• Lines in the store
• The elevator at work
• The proverbial "Waiting Room" before an appointment.
• Other people to get ready.

Can you add a few more to this list?

Now let me tell you that waiting well and in the right way can build character and add style.

Waiting can show trust in God and patience for others. Waiting also can bring about some rewards you may not have experienced had you not waited.

Wait well this week. Wait with style.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

What About Worry?

Worry can kill you. Worry wastes your time, your money, your health, your energy and your God given and God inspired spirit.


We discard this rather cute song about worry and say "Right only fools don't worry; I am a mature adult I have to worry." REALLY NOW. You do??

WORRY is contray to God's word. AND there are some kernals of truth in the about song by Bobby McFerrn.

• Every life has some trouble, but when you worry you make it double.
• When you worry your face will frown and that will bring everybody down.
• It will soon pass whatever it is, so don't worry.

Matthew 6 addresses our nature to worry ourselves to death. Some people are set up by their personality to worry themselves sick and some people are not “worry warts” as much as others. But we all worry.

Worry will rob you of your wealth and your well being if you let it.

Yes, you are in control of your life and even your worry. There is an antidote to worry. Worry is not inevitable, it is a choice.

God’s word has an answer and prescription for our worry.

Matthw 6:33-34 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


Seek God this week and trust Him with your all and especially your cares.

Blessings to you

Rev. Bill McBride

Where Is God?

Ever try to find God? Where might you look if you wanted to find God.

Where is God? Part 1 - Watch more Funny Videos

According to our scriptures, God can be found right inside of you. "You are the temple of God." (1 Corinthians 6:19)

So, how do we make our lives a fit home for God? This movie gives a way. See if you can catch the meaning.

Where is God? Part 2 - Watch more Funny Videos

May God find a home in your heart and your life this week.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

Choosing Life

It can be hard at time to make the kind of choices that ultimately lead to life. We are tempted all the time to choose what seems flashy or tantilizing or even easy at first. But ultimately some choices lead us down a dead end and finally to frustration and anything but fulfillment.

The Bible in Deuteronomy 30 talks about making hard choices.


Deuteronomy 30:16 "And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess.

Are you making the best choices for your life this week?

Seek God's wisdom in prayer
Read your Bible a bit every day
Get sound advice from spiritual sources

Sometimes the best way may not seem like it at first. Trust and obey.

CHOOSE

Blessings to you

Reverend Bill McBride

So You Are Ordinary?

How does it feel being ordinary? Yes you and I are just plain ordinary, every day people. Feel good about that? I hope so. Because being ordinary is a good thing. It means then, that God has a lot of room in your life and your spirit to do extraordinary things.



God is in the business of blessing our world with extraordinary accomplishments and things, but God requires ordinary people who are not so full of themselves that they have no room for the creative source for all good works.


Recall the verse from 2 Corinthians 4:7 7-12 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.


The Bible record is full of stories of ordinary folks who did indeed accomplish extraordinary things. We make a mistake when we confuse the work with the worker. We see a great act like Noah building the ark and saving animal and humankind and we think he must have been a great guy to do all that. Not so. The final result was great, but God began with a plain old guy.

What do you suppose God will do with you and through you this week?

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'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 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