G.R.O.W. @ Lake Mills

The Trial of Rev. Amy DeLong

2011-06-24T18:20:00.012-05:00

As many of you are aware, I have been gone most of this week to serve on the "Trial Court (the jury) for the church clergy trial of Rev. Amy DeLong. Church trials for clergy are not a common occurance in the United Methodist Church. This is the first one I have known in my 35 plus years of active ordained United Methodist Mnistry. And I hope it is the last.

CLICK HERE to read the trial court decision.

Church trials are difficult, emotionally draining and stressful for everyone involved and every one else connected with and a part of the church. We all have been touched by this and will need to personally evaluate the outcomes, clarify our views, our beliefs and our feelings about what took place and the final results.

I will not go into the charges, the proceedings and the detailed outcome of the trial here. There are tons of website links with all the details. Simply GOOGLE the name Rev. Amy DeLong for more information.

I have respondeded to several forum threads already on the general church website at www.UMC.org. Click the icon link related to the Rev. Amy Delong trial to learm more and read my postings. What I want to do is share some "insider" perspective with you.

Being on a trial court (jury) puts one in the position of being a judge of one's colleague in ministry. Everyone involved in the trial proceedings were United Methodist Clergy, excepting the attorneys advising the sides. Here I was, in 11 total hours of deliberations with the task of assessing, deciding and measuring out a penalty for a fellow clergy. What I want you to know is just like in our church setting in Lake Mills, I approached this task with prayer, scripture study, and deep humility.

Often times,a person will read a verdict and if it not what a person wanted to hear, they say "those jurors are heartless and power hungry people who want to ruin a person's life." Or, "Those jurors were weak and they should have really made that guilty party hurt more."

Not one of the 13 jurors and 2 alternates asked to be there. Yet we all took our work seriously, with great prayer and trusted that God would guide us to a decision that would be fair and just and seek always to build up Amy, renew the church and provide a way for growth and health for all involved. For me, our goal was not punishment but restoration and renewal.

Yet inspite of our hopes and prayers we understood that the final outcome of our verdict and the consequences we placed on Amy would be totally up to her AND the people we invited and brought into the collaborative process with her. We knew what we had to do and we understood that the media may spin it one way and those who disagreed with us would spin it some other way. But when you know what you have to do is the way God is leading you to go you must keeping moving in that direction no matter what the costs or the consequences. Click here to go to our church website for a PDF file to read the exact jury decision for Rev. Amy.

For me, I sought and will seek always as a Christian and as your pastor to follow the higher law spelled out by Christ to love God always and love my neighbor. I can do no less and will always be guided by the law of love.

I thank all of the Lake Mills congregation who prayed for me and emailed me wishing me well these past several days. And I want to say how proud I am to have been able so share with my fellow colleagues our congregation's open and loving inclusive statement for our shared ministry in Lake Mills. My colleagues knew where I stood and I hope I represented our church well.

Inclusive statement: We, the Lake Mills United Methodist Church, affirm that all people are part of the fabric of God's creation. We believe the fabric of God's creation is weakened when anyone is excluded and complete only when everyone is included. Therefore, we welcome to our faith community all people without regard to age, race, gender, sexual orientation, economic status or human condition.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride
Want to talk more? Call me at 262-370-6101

Attitude Check!

2011-06-02T13:38:00.007-05:00

As someone wise once said, "Attitude isn't just an important thing, it is everything." How true! No matter how good and great something is, if your attitude toward it is poor you will believe that thing is poor and not worthy of your time and attention.

So, what is your attitude about your church this week? If your attitude is bad about your church, try to change your attitude; that is find the good things in and about your church rather than seeking to change your church to fit you.

I'd venture to say, that in your Church Family if you look you will find plenty of Faith, Hope, and Love. AND when you go to church with the right kind of attitude, I bet you will also find God. Yes you will!

God wants us to behave like He created us to behave; with faith, hope and love for others. Our Church is to be the visible sign of God. As God's love sinks into us and we allow ourselves to be shaped/chiseled by God we become the kind of Church people who carry that right kind of attitude into our daily lives and especially into our church.

May you be blessed this week.

Be God's Church Family in your church building.

Reverend Bill

What Is Right?

2011-05-28T09:15:00.003-05:00

You know what? It is really easy to complain about everything isn't it? We carry our tendency to complain right into the church family don't we? Does this kind of behavior help anything or build up anything? Not at all.

What I'd like to challenge you with this week is to work really hard at lifting up the good things about your Church family and being a part of what is RIGHT about your church.

I find a lot that is right about my church. Here are some.

Inclusive
Diverse
Down to earth
Caring
Welcoming
Energetic
Loving

What can you find in your Church that is "right?" And what can you do this week to keep it right?

Blessings to you this week.

Reverend Bill McBride

The Church as Your Extended Family

2011-05-21T16:00:00.003-05:00

Think about the Church as your extended family. The place with people of faith for whom loving, forgiving, caring and sharing are utmost ideals and actions.

What do you like and appreciate the most about your Church?
Loving acceptance
Gentle teaching and guidance
Honest and open communication
Others who eagerly lift you burdens and help you with your challenges.

If this describes your Church family then be thankful and dedicate yourself this week to continuing these behaviors.

If this is not your church, then make a commitment to model these active and energetic steps in your church. Give an energetic witness by what you say and how you act as to the work and role of your Church family in your neighborhood.

God bless you this week as you help your church family be the best it can be in your community.

Reverrend William R. McBride

How To Build Your Church

2011-05-14T18:44:00.005-05:00

we continue our series on the Church/church by looking at two ways to really build up your church

PRAYER IS ONE OF THE WAYS - Do you pray for your church every day? Do you pray for your pastor every day? Do you pray for yourself and what you will do this week to be a part of the building up of your Church? Please pray.

Prayer Intro from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.
www.danstevers.com

LOVE IS THE SECOND WAY. Do you seek to show others your love? Even when it is hard to love someone, do you make up your mind that you will try to love them anyway? Do you show your love in your church with your spiritual family? Love, really love this week. This is how you build up your Church. Please Love.

Growing Your Church

2011-05-07T11:25:00.004-05:00

So, how do you grow your church? First we must understand that our church is more than our building. Ultimately, our church is our people who seek to grow spiritually. And as Christians we seek to grow closer to God as we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I offer to you a 2 part, broader understanding of church.
1. The PEOPLE of God gathered together to worship, serve and love.
2. The special PLACE where God's people gather for worship, Christian instruction and support.

Godly Goals from Calvary Chapel Olympia on Vimeo.
What does God desire from us? In this video blog, Pastor Chuck Lind discusses the importance of pursuing Godly goals and the blessings those pursuits can bring.

Churches do not grow by accident, they grow by intention. By grow we mean first of all growing in spirit, trust, life and health. By grow we also mean; that if we do the first grow things right, we will grow in size and stature.

What Can We do to be the church and grow the Church?

1. PRAY – We must always bathe everything we do in sincere prayer. Pray for your pastor, staff and the Administrative Council leaders. Ask that God would continue to make them wise. Talk openly and eagerly with them about your needs, your hopes and your dreams. Pray and ask God what you can do to make and take your church to the next level. Let’s get energized and shine brightly for Christ again!
2. PARTICIPATE – Come to church with the eagerness and willingness to roll up your sleeves and go to work. The more you give of your time, your talent and your treasure the more God will give back to you. That’s how it works. If you attend worship on average once a month, take it up to twice a month for the next three months. Whatever your level of attending church, raise it up a notch. Tithe, giving ten percent of your income for the next three months. Try it and see what happens to you and your church health and life.
3. INVITE – We all have a network of friends, colleagues and neighbors; many who may not have a church home as interesting, welcoming, and inclusive as ours. Invite and bring your network with you to church. Whenever you send an email to your contacts, include the church website, www.lakemillsumc.org & facebook page address, www.facebook.com/LMUMC in your signature line. Tell folks about how your church helps and supports you.
4. GIVE – Your church really needs your support, AND you really need to give. It is a proven spiritual truth that we are created with the God-given need to share ourselves and give ourselves to those things that we believe are important in our community and in our world. Your church is one of those things and she will be well equipped to make your community and your world a better place if and when you give.
5. DESIGNATE – extra and special giving, above and beyond your regular giving for upcoming and much needed ministries and building improvements. Your Staff Parish Committee is working on a job description for a new youth director. Wouldn’t it be grand to be ready to hire one next January? Our children and youth deserve it and need it. You can make it happen. Your Trustees and Construction Committee have some exciting ideas to vastly improve and update our building. You can make it happen.
6. CREATE – new and innovative ways you can enliven and energize our life together. Wouldn’t it be exciting to develop a kid’s choir and have our children share in worship with music played and sung on a regular basis? You can make it happen. All things can happen when we trust and work together.

God bless you this week as you be the Church and grow your church.

Reverend Bill McBride

Where Is Your Hope?

2011-04-30T15:54:00.003-05:00

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

2011-04-22T15:16:00.003-05:00

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?

2011-04-16T17:27:00.001-05:00

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

2011-04-08T19:46:00.004-05:00

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

2011-04-02T08:52:00.006-05:00

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?

Acknowledge that we sometimes walk in the dark and we need some light.
Shine our light and share our light with others who are walking in the darkness.

Have a light-filled week.

Blessings.

Reverend Bill McBride

Thirsty Yet?

2011-03-26T19:45:00.004-05:00

Ever been thirsty? Really, really thirsty? Where do you go and what do you do to quench your thirst; that thirst for loving acceptance and a hopeful tomorrow? What will you do to quench your thirst this week?

An encouraging understanding of God is that our creator seeks to satisfy our physical and our spiritual needs. As we see in Exodus 17-God created water in the desert for his people, when Moses struck a rock with his staff. As we see in John 4 - Jesus compared his teachings to those of water saying "The water I give to you will last you for your lifetime.

How can we quench our thrist for meaning, fulfillment and peace? This movie talks and shows us how.

Psalm 42 speaks well to our longing and desire for God. "As the deer pants for the water, so my sould longs for God." May we seek after God this week and be refreshed by God's love.

Be refreshed and blessed this week as you quench your thirst for God with God.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

REBIRTH? - YEA RIGHT!

2011-03-18T21:14:00.012-05:00

Now isn't this an intriguing topic?

Actually in the history of religion the concept of being literally born again was taught and accepted. It wasn't until sometime in the 6TH CENTURYthat the organized church in Rome started teaching against this topic, called "Reincarnation." (Reincarnation was removed from the bible during the COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE [ 6TH CENTURY AD])

Some even today in the larger spiritual realms still teach it, believe it and have developed process to help one get in touch with their "past lives." (Here is a short news story to just get you thinking)

So while this concept of being born again, reincarnated literally is still in vogue today, there is strong split division amongst believers about its truth and reality.

BUT the one more spiritual concept we are actually addressing today is the spiritual understanding of being "REBORN" again in a real spiritual sense. This is the lesson Jesus taught a learned Pharisee and scholar by the name of Nicodemus in John 3:1-18.

Can one enter a second time into their mother's womb and be born again? That was the Nicodemus question to Jesus Christ one dark and question-filled evening. Christ then taught that just as one is born of the water, they too must be born of the spirit to enter the kingdom of God.

REBIRTH? Yes very real and possible in the strictest spiritual sense, by opening one's heart, mind and soul to the influence and presence of God's Spirit.

Reincarnation - a physical rebirth when our souls and minds are reborn into another physical body? Maybe. Don't know for sure. But that is not the focus of today's post. Intriguing, but better left for another day. Let's focus on being born of the spirit and the heart.

Blessings

Reverend Bll McBride

Ah Temptation!

2011-03-12T13:08:00.002-06:00

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?

2011-03-05T16:30:00.001-06:00

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?

2011-02-24T18:37:00.001-06:00

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?

2011-02-17T09:15:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-11T17:49:00.003-06:00

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

DIRECTION?

2011-02-05T09:24:00.001-06:00

What Direction are you pointing? We can learn a lot about ourselves when we understand the direction we are pointing. Where we point is where we go.

Are you pointing toward God and uncovering what God wants you to do and be this week?

By the choices we make, the direction we point and the life we live as people of faith, we are revealing God to others. Are you a good sign for God this week?

God loves every person so much and is so close that we can point ourselves to God and know that God will love us and guide us this week.

Point yourself toward God through prayer, Bible reading, worship and good deeds and you will heading in the right direction.

Blessings

Rev. Bill McBride

So You Are Ordinary?

2011-01-29T09:25:00.002-06:00

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?

What About Time?

2011-01-14T19:37:00.001-06:00

Have you ever wondered about time. Is there a time for everything under heaven? Is the movement of time linear, or like an ever flowing stream or perhaps circular?

This week we think about the passage of time and how as time moves along so do we. As one person said, "The only constant in our world is that everything changes."

So, who is in charge and in control of time and the changes of life? As Christians, we say that God is ultimately in charge and in control. The rest of life and the movement of time is really a mystery. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes has much to say about time. While his words in Ecclesiastes 3 is filled with some cynicism, he still helps keep us grounded about time.

How does your faith in God affect your view of time. And is the fact that we are always changing really a bad thing or something to be avoided?

Think about your life and your time this week. What will you do to make the most of the time you have to live, love, share and care; while you still have the time?

Blessigns on your time this week.

Rev. Bill McBride

How To Shine

2010-12-09T15:02:00.004-06:00

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

2010-11-26T16:23:00.005-06:00

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

2010-11-23T11:31:00.001-06:00

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

2010-11-12T16:07:00.002-06:00

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?

2010-11-05T08:46:00.002-05:00

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

How's Your Vision?

2010-10-30T12:33:00.004-05:00

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

2010-10-22T15:52:00.006-05:00

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.

Acknowledge that you are finite and limited in your power and ability.
Understand that God is neither limited or without power to handle everything.
Accept the fact and truth that you do get puffed up with self-righteous pride
Confess your tendency to push God off the throne of your life (sin) and ask God to take control again.
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

2010-10-15T17:31:00.004-05:00

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?

2010-10-08T09:27:00.003-05:00

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

2010-09-30T09:13:00.013-05:00

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

2010-09-24T10:26:00.019-05:00

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?

2010-09-17T09:52:00.009-05:00

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

2010-09-08T10:21:00.016-05:00

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:

Needed to admit that he was lost.
He then headed back in the right direction, toward home.
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?

2010-09-02T11:14:00.006-05:00

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

2010-08-27T10:05:00.014-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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

2010-08-17T13:47:00.008-05:00

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

2010-08-11T14:12:00.010-05:00

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

2010-08-03T11:33:00.010-05:00

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?

2010-07-28T17:16:00.005-05:00

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?

2010-07-21T08:39:00.007-05:00

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

2010-07-14T10:05:00.010-05:00

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?

2010-07-09T12:15:00.006-05:00

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

2010-06-23T12:32:00.006-05:00

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

Hold on to a big God-given dream, one that captivates and motivates you for a long, long time.
Know that when you lead and step out in faith you will be criticized and ridiculed.
Learn from criticism, sometimes it is constructive.
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?

2010-06-04T19:39:00.004-05:00

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?

2010-05-25T16:53:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-20T09:30:00.008-05:00

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:

Help us feel closer to God-its a feeling thing and from the heart. (John 14:25-27)
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)
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

2010-05-13T08:02:00.015-05:00

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!

2010-05-05T14:45:00.021-05:00

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

2010-04-28T12:35:00.012-05:00

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

2010-04-20T13:18:00.019-05:00

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:

Pray

Pursue

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?

2010-04-16T08:18:00.010-05:00

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

2010-04-08T14:46:00.013-05:00

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

2010-03-30T10:49:00.017-05:00

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

2010-03-24T12:19:00.013-05:00

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.

When we ignore and break the Laws of the universe we pay the price and suffer the consequences.
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.
God's ultimate plan for our lives is that we experience abundance, peace, happiness, fulfillment and success.
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

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-22T09:13:00.004-05:00

Welcome Spring! I saw my first robin, actually 6 of them in my backyard last week and that gave me the assurance and satisfaction of knowing spring is on its way. Having been in ministry for ten of my 33 years up north in Wisconsin, I have become an apostle for spring.

Take two minutes with me today and watch a movie I compiled to celebrate the return of spring to Wisconsin. It is entitled "Ah Spring."

The Pain of Purity

2010-03-17T18:12:00.017-05:00

This weeks beatitude; Matthew 5:8 is a real pain. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."

We live in an age that seems to applaud the naughty side of behavior. I remember when I lived in LaCrosse there was even a store named "Naughty But Nice." Yes, you might agree, naughty is the new nice and purity and cleanliness are the new pain.

Talk about a challenge; purity of thoughts and deeds and a morally clean existence. We might want to skip this verse and move on to easier claims on our lives. BUT God does not work that way. In fact, if we want to "see" God we know what we need to do..."Blessed are the pure in heart....."

"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world." (The Message)

"God blesses those people whose hearts are pure.They will see him!" (Contemporary English Version)

"They are blessed whose thoughts are pure, for they will see God." (New Century Version)

Our beatitude this week calls us clearly to live as cleanly and with as much purity as humanly possible. Having a pure heart first of all means living by the rules of God that bring moral purity. The initial use of the word “pure” in the Bible was in the sense of “clean” as opposed to “unclean” – clean or unclean animals, clean or unclean foods, the clean or unclean condition of a person.

What do you think the basis was for determining what (or who) was “clean” or “unclean”? It was God’s decision. Since God is the Creator and the Source of everything good and loving, God gets to decide. The Good News is, right standards for behavior are not kept a secret by God. Thus the writings of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

Check Out This 5 Minute Audio Bible Study on Matthew 5:8

There are ways we can maintain the purity of our heart, and one of the most primary is our time in the Word of God. As the psalmist said, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9), and, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

A second way to maintain the purity of our heart is through fellowship with the people of God. It helps to be accountable to one another. Solomon said:

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

We have two ways to fulfill our beatitude this week:

Fellowship with God

Fellowship with each other

Matthew 5:1-10 Stunning slides of the Beatitudes 2':27"

May you get as close to God as you can this week. Look for God and you will see God.

Blessings,

Rev. Bill McBride

The Law of Like Return

2010-03-10T11:45:00.010-06:00

Our beatitude for this week is Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy." I'd venture to say that no one will debate the value of this beatitude. Mercy appears at leat 208 times in the Bible. God is merciful and God wants us to show mercy. No questions here.

What I'd like to share with you is a more general and larger understanding that this scripture prompts. I call it The Law Of Like Return. This law goes by many assorted names; perhaps you have heard some variations or even said them.

What goes around comes around,
Life is a cricle,
Like attracts like;
The Law of Attraction

Here is how I understand this law that governs everything we do: "You will always get back into your life what you fist give away to others through your life." Pretty simple and pretty basic. BUT do we forget it a lot and then wonder why our lives get so messed up and "under enjoyed."

The prblem is we think that to get something or enjoy something we have to work really hard to acquire it and hold onto it and never let it go. Here is another really important point; the Universe is not a finite sum game. We wrongly think there is a finite amount of that which we want and need. So therefore, when we get some we had better not give any of it away or we will lose it for sure and never get it back. WRONG!

God, the source of all that is good, gracious and enjoyable has an infinite suply of good things and wonderful experiences for you and me to enjoy. And the only way to get them and keep them is to be willing to first give them away. It is not grab and hold on tight, it is give and share and receive in return. This is how The Law of Like Return Works. Guaranteed!

"Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy."

Blessings

Reverend Bill McBride

Are You Hungry Yet?

2010-03-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

We have a problem.

We are never really hungry enough to understand this beatitude that deals with hungering and thirsting for God. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6)

We have come to understand that in order to achieve all the things we really crave and dream about and perhaps even pray about, we have to stop chasing them so hard and continue really chasing God.

By chasing God we mean that God is not running away from us so we must run fast to try to catch God, but rather our chase and pursuit demonstrate our devotion. We hunger for God in order to get as close to God as is humanly possible. This beatitude about hungering and thirsting is all about "chasing after" the one who is the source of all our goodness, the cause of all our greatness, and the real provider of all our joys, peace in life, success and fulfillment.

Again the telling and challenging question for you to figure out-How hungry are you really?

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat." (The Message)

"God blesses those people who want to obey him more than to eat or drink. They will be given what they want!"(Contemporary English Version)

God's blessing,

Reverend Bill

Why It Is a Good Thing to Be MEEK.

2010-02-24T11:14:00.000-06:00

We are studying the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-16 at church this Lent, Feb 17th -March 4th. Today, I want to share with you a very important insight in the concept of MEEKNESS.

Most of the time we really get it all wrong. And if you read one portion of the Bible and you think it makes no sense at all, you may be tempted to throw it all out as irrelevant or unimportant. That would be a BIG mistake.

But in realty most of the time, we are the ones who approach the sacred texts with wrong presuppositions. So, in an effort to get our heads on straight about Matthew 5:5, here are some of my thoughts on MEEKNESS.

“Blessed, or O How happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

“We tend to think of the meek as the casualties, not as the winners.” Miserable are the meek, because they get trampled upon." We live in a world of assertiveness training. We live in a world which values getting what you want and then wanting more for yourself. There are countless courses, books, and television shows about getting what is "due" to you and that for which you are “entitled”. And a good part of the growth in our national debt is from folks insisting on getting what they consider to be their entitlements.” -John A. Terry

At the time the Greek word "praeis" was first translated into English, the word "meek" had a different meaning than it does today. The Greek word in the Bible that we translate into the English -Meek- means: Humble, Obedient, God-controlled, Bridled-able to be led by God and Disciplined.

Try the following description of MEEK - “Living humbly toward God and kindly toward others.” Do you find this description of meekness helpful? Now that makes a whole lot of sense in terms of our faith and our relationships with each other.

The word we render as "meek" is difficult to translate from the original Greek into English. We tend to link the works "meek" and "little," as in "he is a meek, little man." Or “she is a meek and submissive woman.” There are unfortunate implications with the word "meek" which imply a meek person is without courage, or self-respect, a broken-spirited person. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth of the matter is that the MEEK are the real winners in this world. In fact, if you want to be meek you had better be strong.

If Jesus Christ is our model and example, which he is, consider how he described himself in Matthew 11:29? “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” And, we must remember it is the meek who will one day inherit it all, from God.

Blessings,

Reverend Bill Mcbride

2010-02-15T17:29:00.001-06:00

Making Your Connections

It seems that making a connection is at the top of every ones list these days. Valentines Day is the day to make your romantic connection. If you turn on your TV, no matter what channel or go to your homepage online, everyone is asking you to make a connection with the winter Olympics. These are just two of the many connections we talk about, think about and seek to make in our lives almost everyday. I am sure you can add your list of connections.

As far as I am concerned, making connections is really what going to church is all about. Some folks go to church to connect with their neighbors and friends. Some folks go to church to connect with important local and worldwide missions and needs; connect with giving to Haiti or connect with the local food pantry. Some folks go to church to grow in their relationship with God, making a connection with the divine. All of these are great ways to make and stay connected. In fact, making connections is a fitting theme for the church, wouldn't you agree?

The local congregation, our local congregation is a great place for you to make your connections. Over the next 40 days, Ash Wednesday until Easter we will focus on our connections here at church. We will dig into the section of the Bible called the "Beatitudes" which in my mind help us to get and stay connected with God, with each other and with the world.
Take a few minutes tonight and read Matthew 5:1-16 and see what God is telling you about your connections. And, I'll see you in church.

Blessings,

Reverend Bill

WEATHER OR NOT

2009-12-26T12:25:00.000-06:00

All across the country the WEATHER has been the key topic of news, conversations and altered travel plans this Christmas season. If you made it to where you wanted to be on time and without incident, consider yourself lucky or gifted or some of both.

As for me, being a pastor means you stick around and stay put. I do like this, because I dislike traveling very far during the winter and especially during Christmas.

At church, we completed our Advent/Christmas theme of messages entitled "The Colors of Christmas" in great shape.

On Christmas Eve we finalized the theme, by exploring the color "white" for Christ. I presented to everyone, my collection of sermons and studies in a special booklet called by the same name. (If you have not picked up a book, please do so the next time you are in church.)

The church was full at our Christmas Eve service, as folks told me it would be. 325 worshippers showed up in the midst of a cold rainstorm. But as has been true of late, no matter what the WEATHER outside, it was warm, cozy and the atmosphere of love and good cheer filled the building spaces.

The mood in church was lovely, the music was superb, with great thanks to everyone who gave in song and instrument and shared their musical talents with us, the festive Luminaries lit our way along the walk in; thanks Sharon and Jeff and all the youth, and the colorful red and white Poinsettia plants added that special touch in the chancel area. All in all, I was pleased and proud to be the pastor and lead my congregation in this wonderful Christmas Eve service of worship.

I give personal witness to the truth of the matter around Lake Mills Church. WEATHER OR NOT, no matter what it is like on the outside, you will always find the warm and loving acceptance of God on the inside of this church and family.

Blessings to you in this Christmas season,

Reverend Bill, Pastor

From Where I Stand

2009-07-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

Lake Mills UMC website slogan-G.R.O.W.
Gather To Worship.
Remember To Study.
Open Ourselves To Service.
Witness As Disciples of Christ.

Standing in the pulpit is a humbling and honorable experience. If you have every served as a liturgist, lay reader or preached in a church, from the pulpit, then perhaps you understand what I share with you today.

Last Sunday, July 12th was my first Sunday in the pulpit at Lake Mills United Methodist Church. Now I must confess, I have stood in that pulpit a time or two in transition visits to the church and the sanctuary since May. But this past Sunday, July 12th was my first actual time in the pulpit with a congregation present in front of me.

I was humbled and honored to be standing in the pulpit and to experience worship with the congregation at Lake Mills. I take my work of preacher and worship leader very seriously; always have and I always will. I keenly sense the ancient Old Testament role of the priest, bringing the people into the real presence of God when I am leading worship and preaching from the pulpit.

I enjoy a good biblical sermon when I am on occasions part of the crowd in the pews and I suspect my congregations have always felt the same of their pastor in his/her role as preacher when they have attended church.

A colleague of mine has helped me to understand and reinforced for me the enormity of the mantle I wear as the preacher at Lake Mills United Methodist Church. She has been consistently strong about telling her congregation that their church is the house of God. She says, “This is God’s house. It is not about you or me, it is always about God and how God is seeking to interact with us and live within us through God’s Spirit. God is present here in the church and in our lives.” I like how she brings the presence of God into the midst of her member’s lives and worship. Good News does come to the congregation from the pulpit, if the pastor-preacher is seriously humbled by the presence and power of the Creator.

While I have stood in the Lake Mills UMC pulpit a few times prior to last Sunday, July 12th, it was indeed a most honorable and wonderful moment to be there with my congregation worshipping our God and Creator together. I had a great day last Sunday and I hope my congregation did too.

Blessings

Rev. Bill

God Through Us

2009-05-26T18:15:00.000-05:00

Lake Mills UMC website slogan-G.R.O.W.
Gather To Worship.
Remember To Study.
Open Ourselves To Service.
Witness As Disciples of Christ.

One of my favorite thinkers and a unique spiritual person is Albert Einstein. I quote him often because he always challenges me to ponder my life and my calling as a pastor. Einstein once said, “Whatever there is of God and goodness in the universe, it must work itself out and express itself through us. We cannot stand aside and let God do it.”

One of my chief priorities, as I prepare myself to begin serving as pastor at Lake Mills UMC is to do everything in my power to catch people doing things right and doing things well. Much of the time, in the world around us, folks like to catch others doing things wrong or in the making of mistakes. And they are the first ones to tell when they catch another!

So, I want you all, my congregation soon to be, to be on guard. Yes, I will be on the look out for how well you are making the presence and the goodness of God visible in and through your lives and your faith lived out inside and outside your church. When I witness it, I will thank God and thank you. It is fun to catch folks being the people that God created them to be! I know how faithfully you have lived and I can't wait to be a part of it.

I will be spending some weeks early on, from the pulpit and in meeting times, addressing the significance of our unity and togetherness as the people of God in Lake Mills. You have done so much so well, that has brought you to this point in your life and history. As I get to know you better, I will be telling you about how I see God within you. We need to continually remind ourselves of the many ways in which we are living as channels for the love and presence of God.

On Memorial Day my wife, Loretta and I stopped by the church and took some digital photos. I paused for a minute in the Prayer Garden and thought about your labor of love and memorials in that special place. I said a prayer for you and I thanked God for the ways in which our Creator has led us together.

I look forward, more each day, to the time when I can meet the church family by the prayer garden, in the sanctuary, enjoying each others company in the hearth room, gathering in the entryway over coffee and conversation and stopping by to say hello. May God bless us all as we prepare for July 1st at Lake Mills United Methodist Church.

Blessings.

Rev. Bill

On Going Public

2009-05-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Lake Mills UMC website slogan-G.R.O.W.
Gather To Worship.
Remember To Study.
Open Ourselves To Service.
Witness As Disciples of Christ.

Today was a very different day in church at Eagle UMC (my current appointment until June 30th). The announcement making of my leaving Eagle and moving to Lake Mills was met with a somewhat predictable response. Some were sad and a few were shocked. Many were quiet and could not quite look me square in the eye. It was a happy/sad sort of day.

They were happy for me, knowing that I wanted a greater challenge and opportunity in my life. The time has come and it awaits me at Lake Mills UMC. For this I am glad. They saw my excitement about Lake Mills and wanted to congratulate me for what I was receiving, that they could not possibly provide. I sense they are sad to see me go. I saw in their looks, an affirmation for my ministry to and with them for these 4 years. They too, like I suspect the Lake Mills congregation, are already wondering about their new pastor.

It was for me a time to begin to say goodbye. I am really glad we celebrated the Sacrament of Holy Communion today. This act always gives me a chance to share and serve them in a high and holy moment. This was especially true today.

At times like these one realizes how much one has invested in the well being, spiritual growth and care of others. I find myself, with one foot still in Eagle but with the other foot and my forward viewing spirit already anticipating Lake Mills. I have been waiting and seeking this moment of an appointment with faith and prayer. But now that it is finally here and I am preparing for “there”, I feel a sense of strangeness and newness envelope me. I never really rehearsed the goodbyes. I always seek to live in the events and challenges of today.

I look forward to July 1st when I will really be “there”. But I am still “here” and have much to do to wind things down and complete my work.

As I was listening to my Staff Parish Relations Chair announce my move, I thought about Lake Mills UMC and how Pastor Jeff was doing as his committee went public with his move. I am trying to picture you, the congregation at Lake Mills listening today and now wondering what your new pastor, what’s his name; Rev. Bill McBride will be like? I hope this blog gives you some help in getting to know me and in understanding that in how much I love my Eagle congregation I too will grow to love you at Lake Mills and settle in and be the best pastor I know how to be.

Let me ask you today; What do you hope for in your new pastor coming to you on July 1st?

It's Time To GROW Together!

2009-05-08T14:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the place to G.R.O.W.! I am glad you stopped by for a visit. I am excited about the opportunity to join you on your spiritual path, as your pastor, begining July 1, 2009.

Since this is an electronic log, a "weblog", I thought I'd fashion it after your Lake Mills UMC website slogan-G.R.O.W.
Gather To Worship
Remember To Study
Open Ourselves To Service
Witness As Disciples of Christ.

When you think about it, there is a life time of leaning in that slogan isn't there? Sounds like a good place to start, live and thrive.

If this is your first visit, please leave a comment. If you've been here before, welcome back. Put me in your favorites and lets see what we can do together to make this and our church the best G.R.O.W.ing place ever!

As I move closer to my start date of July 1, 2009 and as I prepare in this time of transition, I will be sharing some of the questions I am asking myself and wondering about the congregation at Lake Mills United Methodist Church. I have already begun praying for you and our shared ministry together in and around Lake Mills.

When you read my upcoming posts and if you have any ideas, please step in and post a comment or even send me an email. (Click the "view my complete profile" on the right side for my email address, or copy and paste my email address at the top of my blog).

I look forward to joining with you and growing alongside of you in Lake Mills. I believe with certainty that there are no accidents in our world and lives, just opportunities and places to grow and share and explore. God bless us all as we anticipate and prepare for our ministry together at Lake Mills United Methodist Church.

Blessings

Reverend Bill, pastor soon at Lake Mills UMC