Stephen Covey stated that a person’s desire in life is:  “to live, to love, and to leave a legacy”.  I believe that this is true and in our relationship with Jesus it is vital.

 
“To Live”  is more than just existing and having our hearts to continue to beat.  To live is to pursue the passions that God has placed in us and equipped us to do in this life.  A person is really alive when they are walking in the Grace of God in these passions.  All of us can look back and see the times that we really were living.  The energy was flowing, things were exciting, we really felt alive.  Life will take us away from further moments when we lose track of who God created us to be.  I challenge each of us today – “to live”.  Take some time everyday to pursue the passions that lie within your hearts.

“To love” is the second part of Covey’s statement.  We all have a need to be loved and to love. Our problems begin when we attempt to do this all on our own.  A simple thing to remember is that I cannot give away what I have not received.  I cannot give anyone true love until I have received true love.  We make the mistake of looking to the people around us for that love. They do not have it.  True love can only be received from God.  When we accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus we are able to tap into a endless flow of love into our lives.  We are then able to love those around us from the overflow of that love.  We must quit trying to do everything in our own power and allow the power and love of God overflow and splash on all of those around us.

"To leave a legacy."  This is something that all of us have a desire to do.  What impact will I have on the world around me and what will I be remembered for.  Tiger Woods was well on his way to be remembered as one of the greatest golfers of all time, until he admitted to having a sexual addiction.  Now many will remember him for what took place in the last couple of months.  However, his life is not over, his legacy is not completely written.  The same is for you and I.  Our lives are not over and our legacy is still being written.  My goal is to live my life for the first 30 seconds after I die.  I want to hear the words from my Savior and God, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.  Now enter into my rest.”  This is the legacy that truly matters.  Live to hear those words and the rest of your legacy will take care of itself. February 17-19, 2010

Notice: Pastor Bill's Daily Thought from February 5-12 is now on our Facebook Page in "Notes".  If you would like to receive his "Daily Though" Click Here.  

I have been meditating on the message that Pastor John had on Sunday morning about the abuse of the freedom that we have in what we speak.  I set my heart to stop talking negative about people and then to speak more positive in what I have to say.  I find it truly amazing how many negative things that I have to say during the course of a day.  This awareness has caused me to pause and think before I speak and to say something life giving and sow life into all around me.  If you are interested in listening to the message it is called "What You Rip You Sew" on our Messages page. January 6, 2010

Notice: Pastor Bill's Daily Thought from January 5th is now on our Facebook Page in "Notes".  If you would like to receive his "Daily Though" Click Here. 

As I finish this time with relationships I want to encourage you to think about and thank God for those people who have been in your life for many years.  Make a list of them and think about what they have added to your life.  I started with my wife, Val.  In December we will be married 31 years.  If it was not for her love and encouragement, my life would not be as full and blessed as it is now.  My children are next on my list.  I then added the staff of Believers Fellowship.  Pastors John and Alisa have been part of my life now for almost 24 years.  Again they have been great sideliners for me.  I am thankful for Tammy and Deb and the years that we have served together. The rest of the staff has been great.  All of them encouragers and individuals sold out for the vision of Believers Fellowship in serving our Lord Jesus.  There are many of you that are on my list and I thank you for that.

Make your list and celebrate the people on the list.  November 6, 2009

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One of the most important things when it comes to relationships is to be you.  Too often in life we devalue ourselves and the gifts and talents that we have been given.  We are part of the Body of Christ and each of us has an important part to play in the Body.  When we are not ourselves we attempt to wear a mask or in other words to be someone we are not in order to gain the approval of those who are around us.  Be sure that you be who you are in every relationship. You are important and you have something to offer the world.  The question today is: If I don’t believe in myself, does it really matter who else does?

Have an awesome and grace-filled day.

Celebrate the life you have.  October 29, 2009

We started talking about worry yesterday and will continue that discussion today.  Sometimes I wish that we had a built in timer that would record the amount of time that we spend in worry and negative thinking.  That would help us to remove some of the deception in our lives.

Worry  wastes our lives: 

It wastes our time.  If you would worry one hour a day. That adds up to 15 days over the course of a year and this is on something that will probably not come about.  Studies on Worry show that over 95% of what we worry about never comes true.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with showing you how much you do worry.  We cannot change what we are not aware of in our lives.

I am going to end with this quote from Mark Twain, which is probably true for most of us.

“I’ve had a long life.  And I’ve had a lot of troubles.  Most of them of which never happened.”  October 15, 2009

Notice: For a couple of weeks Pastor Bill did a series on worry in his "Daily Thought".  There is another from this series on our Facebook Page in "Notes".  If you would like to receive his "Daily Though" Click Here.

We have been talking about dreams this week and I want to share a couple of mine with you and give you a report on where they are.  My first dream was to earn a doctorate degree.  I was able to go back to school in 2005 and am happy to report that my dissertation will be complete this weekend and I will have it defended and revised in order to complete all requirements by the end of the year and graduate in May 2010.  The second dream was to retire from the military.  I went back into the National Guard in 2006 after a 20 year absence and am on track to retire around my sixtieth birthday.  I have to say it has not been easy to complete these and at times I have wondered about my sanity in doing them.  I share these with you not to say look at what I have done, because it has not been a pretty process in my private life. I has been some of the most trying things I have ever done. I share to encourage you.  If what you have is truly a dream, plan, purpose, goal, or desire of your heart given by God:  GO FOR THEM.  The process will be well worth your time.  September 25, 2009

Benjamin Franklin said, “Most people die when they are eighteen, we just wait until they are sixty-five to bury them”.  I find this to be a challenging thought and I am wondering how it is true in my own life.  I am finding more and more of a tendency to be safe.  I do not want to stretch out and try new things.  I am content to sit back and do the same things that I used to do.  Life will cause us to grow weary.  I have to work daily in order to go forward in any area of life and sometimes I just do not have the energy to do that.  I have wondered what happened to the dreams of that 18 year old that thought he could conquer the world, but now would be content to conquer his own attitude.  I am still here I have not died and neither have you.  It is not too late to bring back to life the dreams and visions that you had when you were younger.  They are now tempered and with prayer and planning can be better than ever before.  As far as the work goes;  you will have to work.  Our work is clearly defined in John 6:29 --

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

This week I will be encouraging you to revive your dreams and get a plan to go for them.

 Have an awesome grace-filled day.  September 21, 2009

Our relationship with our Heavenly Father has the potential for the greatest joy and the greatest pain in our lives.  We are children of God, but what that really means is dependent on how we see the Father.  In the Old Testament the word father is used less than 25 times and has the meaning of master. For many of us we still live under the image of a Father who is more of a master – demanding obedience, sacrifice, and a Spartan lifestyle to please Him. This can never happen, because or our inability to produce our own righteousness. But the Father God that we truly serve is one, who loves His children and only wants the best for them.  Our Father looks at us and says, “You are my child in whom I am well pleased.”  This is because our righteousness comes from our relationship with Jesus not our works.  We must see our Father in heaven as a good father in order to really walk out the joy of being a “Child of God”.  It is a good thing to meditate on Zephaniah 3:17 to help with this picture.  September 16, 2009 

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Today is 9/11 and many of us will take time to stop and think about where we were on 9/11/2001 when we heard of the attack on the United States by the terrorists.  It is good that we do take time to remember our world changed that day and has not been the same since.  It is also good to remind ourselves that we will not allow fear to determine our lives paths anymore.  Terrorists work by creating a fear in the people in areas that they believe that they should be safe.  The attack on the United States caused fear in the hearts of our citizens, because we were under the belief that no one could attack us in our country.  All the attacks happened ‘someplace else’ and could never happen in the United States.  This date proved that wrong.

The thing that I would remind you of is this: we have an enemy who is the “Terrorist”.  Our enemy, satan, attacks us using the same techniques and causing the same fear in our hearts.  Determine to know your enemy, be ever vigilant for signs of his upcoming attacks.  Our Father in heaven will warn us of each attack that may be coming our way.  Be Vigilant and you will drive terror back into the heart of satan.  He needs to learn to fear you and the world needs to see you as a carrier of hope and  salvation.

Have an awesome grace-filled day.  Take time to thank a veteran for protecting your freedoms.  September 11, 2009

Here is the list of Scriptures that I received that different individuals use in order to strengthen themselves during the day.

1 Peter 5:7
2 Timothy 1:7
Romans 8:31
Isaiah 41:10
Joshua 1
Romans 8
Philippians 4:13
Zephaniah 3:16-17

Do everything that you can do to remain strong in the Lord.  These days a strong witness, full of hope and the love of Jesus Christ is needed to make a difference in the world around us.  Remember your ministry is one of reconciliation.  Be strong and take your world for Jesus.  You are a child of God.  

Have an awesome Labor Day Holiday and be safe and a strong light for the love of Jesus Christ.  September 4, 2009

It is a great day and we have the choice as to rejoice and celebrate or avoid and dread.

When we start each day, we are the ones who determine what type of day it is going to be.  Last week we talked about what you do to start strong and stay strong all day.  This week we have been talking about what a good week looks like.  I have to say a good day for me is one of victories.  I have a tendency to avoid challenges.  My desire is that my life be simple and that everyone that I have contact with would make sure that my life stays simple.  Please do not bring me problems or challenges that may cause me to change or be uncomfortable.  I have found that this is not a very satisfying or rewarding life.  It actually is not life at all, it is more of existing.  As I said on Monday, I do not go out looking for challenges any more, but I also know that the celebration is on the other side of the challenge and it is called “VICTORY”.  We have the promise that we can do all things through Christ and it is in the doing that we can have a good week. August 26, 2009

As I am sitting in my office this morning, I am able to see a rainbow that is slowly appearing as the sun is coming up.  It is a pretty amazing sight.  I started to think about the other promises of God.  The rainbow was set as a promise to us that God would never again destroy the world with a flood again.  God has made us many promises in His Word.  It is interesting that you will never see a rainbow at night.  The reason is that there is no sunlight to be refracted and allow the colors to show.  The same is true with all of the promises of God.  When we are walking in darkness there is no light to illuminate the promises of God for our lives.  The answer is to let the light of Jesus Christ illuminate the many things that are ours because of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven.  It is that light that allows us to behold the goodness of our God.  This day I will be asking myself this question:  What areas of life am I walking in darkness and how do I allow the light of my Jesus shine in?  What is your question for the day?  We have all things we need to believe.  August 7, 2009 

I have been sharing about the process of setting and reaching goals.  My belief is that the most important thing is the process of reaching the goal not the goal itself.  We have talked about the growth of relationship with Jesus in the process and the growth in ourselves while we are on this path.  The next thing I what to discuss is our relationships with other people.  In the course of pursuing goals, we will come across many people who will help or hinder the process.  Each one of them is important to us.  Those who help us can bring in much needed resources, insight and correction in our lives to better attain what we are pursuing.  Those who hinder us, allows us to see if this is really a God given, heartfelt goal we want to pursue.  Either way the person is very important to us.  We need to recognize their value to God and treat them as such.  Not something to climb over to better ourselves.

One of the main reasons that we fail to set goals is that we do not have value for our lives.  We believe that since we are just one person that we really don’t matter or will make a difference.  The truth is that we do matter and that our voice will make a difference.  We carry the Good News of Jesus Christ inside of us and many people watch our lives just to see how good God really is.  We can use our voice to change the world around us.  I encourage each of you to take time this weekend and meditate on just how good God is to you and what your life value really is.  The price that was paid for your salvation is a great place to start.  July 28 & 31, 2009 

One of my heartfelt prayers for many years is to have more joy in my life.  I was confused to what joy is.  I thought that joy was the same as being happy.  Happy is an emotion that will come and go and at times be more present then at other times.  But joy is a state of our being.  We can be joyful at all times.  It is that light good feeling in our hearts when we stop to think about our lives and how good God has been to us.  It is not based on outward circumstances, but on the condition of our hearts.  To get more joy in our lives we just have to develop a thankful heart. Think about what Jesus did for you on the cross, the love that He has for you, and spending eternity with someone who loves you that much.  Joy will begin to spring up and overflow into your life.  July 21, 2009

I think that one of the best gifts we have ever been given is the “present”.  We have the opportunity to do many things with this moment right now.  We can invest in our future, share our love with those who matter to us, or continue our education.  We can decide what we will do with it.  Many times I have found myself wasting the gift.  I think about what I should have done in a past incident or worry about what is going to happen tomorrow.  I have made a decision to walk more aware of what I am doing with this gift.  I would encourage all of you to examine your gift and see how you are using this wonderful gift. July 14, 2009

Another big hindrance to the plans and purposes in our lives is a thing called ego.  Our ego is our perception of ourselves and it is the basis of how we relate to the world. If we have a strong ego we will not have many fears and be willing to take on the world.  A weak ego will have the opposite result in our lives.  Our ego can also be situational.  In some cases, we can be very strong and capable and then the next moment in a different situation we can be reticent and have feelings of inadequacy.  The thing that I remind myself of that if I am relying on my ego, I have counted God and His power out.  Our lives have to be built on the knowledge of who we are in Christ and nothing else.  Ego can stand for Edging God Out.  We want our lives built on the new creation that took place inside of us at the moment of our acceptance of salvation, not the sense of who we are based upon our histories.  God Bless and have an Awesome, grace-filled day!  July 9, 2009

There are fundamental things that we must all know before we can learn new things in our lives.  Math requires number recognition and the ability to add and subtract, before we can move on to multiplication and division.  Reading requires letter recognition and the phonetic sounds that those letters make.  Our walk with the Lord is the same.  There are 2 fundamentals that I would like to talk about today. We can call them rule #1 and rule #2, for simplicity sake.  Rule #1 is this: God loves me.  If we work this rule in our lives we will have a much more enjoyable existence and more joy in our lives.  Rule #2 is this: Don’t forget rule #1.  In the midst of a stressful situation, we can find ourselves forgetting that God loves us and we tend to go back to our old behavior patterns.  God loves you.  This is the ABC’s of our walk with the Lord.  If we don’t have this solid in our hearts, learning new things becomes a struggle for us and we will always feel inadequate in our relationship. July 2, 2009