A Minute With Pastor Matt: Positive Reframing

A Minute with Pastor Matt:

Positive Reframing

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A Minute with Pastor Matt: You Are What You Eat.

February 27, 2022

Welcome to a new series: A Minute with Pastor Matt; these are short snippets containing  life lessons, interesting facts and words of encouragement.

Pastor Matt McFarland

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20231224 Advent Week 4 – The Birth

December 24, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Luke 2:9 – 14 And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

Isaiah 66: 2 For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been,” saith the Lord. “But to this man will I look: even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.

Luke 2: 15 – 18 And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.  18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Matthew 28: 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Matthew 28: 5-6 And the angel answered and said unto the women, “Fear ye not, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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20231217 Advent Week 3 – Arrival

December 17, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Advent Week #3 – The Arrival

Isaiah 60: 1 -3  Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen       upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people;
  But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60: 6. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

Matthew 2: 9 – 12 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew 2: 11  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Ephesians 5: 2  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

 

 

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20231210 Advent Week 2 – Preparation

December 10, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Advent Series, week 2

Isaiah 40: 3 – 5 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Luke 1 : 18 (KJ21)  And Zacharias said unto the angel, “Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”

Matthew 3: 1 – 3  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea  and saying, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’”

John 1:20 – 21  And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “What then? Art thou Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Art thou that Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

John 1: 25 – 27. And they asked him, and said unto him, “Why dost thou baptize then if thou art not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there standeth One among you whom ye know not.27 He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s strap I am not worthy to  unloose.”

Matthew 3: 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Matthew 3: 14 – 17 But John forbad Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?” 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John suffered Him. 16 And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him. 17 And lo, a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This Is My Beloved Son, In Whom I Am Well Pleased.”

John 3: 25 – 26  Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.  26 And they came unto John and said unto him, “Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness — behold, the same baptizeth and all men come to Him.”

John 3: 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

 

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20231203 Advent Week 1 – Hope

December 3, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Advent Series Week 1 of 4 – Hope

Advent = Arrival

John 1: 5  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [a]comprehend it.

Psalms 27: 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Malachi 4: 2a But to you who fear My name. The Sun of Righteousness shall arise

Romans 15: 13  (NLT)  Our hope comes from God. May He fill you with joy and peace because of your trust in Him. May your hope grow stronger by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5: 14 – 16 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Psalms 119: 105. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Hebrews 6: 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

1 Peter 3: 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

 

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20231126 How Do You Live a Blessed Life ?

November 26, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Genesis 5: 1 -2 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him. Male and female created He them, and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day when they were created.

Deuteronomy 28: 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

Proverbs 11: 24 – 25 There is one that scattereth and yet prospereth; and there is another that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall prosper, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Luke 16: 10 -13 He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Luke 6: 38  Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, therewith it shall be measured to you again.”

 

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20231119 In Everything Give Thanks

November 19, 2013

Pastor Matt McFarland

1789 Proclamation by President George Washington recognized Thanksgiving.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Philippians 4:6 -7  Fret not about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him.

Matthew 25:14 – 15  “For the Kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several ability, and straightway tookhis journey.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

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20231112 The Power Of Prayer

November 12, 2023 – Veterans Day 2023

Bishop Bill McFarland

Hebrews 4:15 – 16  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 John 5:14 -15  And this is the confidence that we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.

15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

Isaiah 45:11  “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command ye Me.

Matthew 7: 7-8  “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 21: 19 – 22  And when He saw a fig tree by the wayside, He came to it and found nothing thereon, but leaves only. And He said unto it, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.” And immediately the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How soon has the fig tree withered away!”

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea,’ it shall be done.

22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Luke 9: 52 – 56  and He sent messengers before His face. And they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him.

53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set as though He would go to Jerusalem.

54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?”55 But He turned and rebuked them and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.56 For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Mark 11:23 – 24 For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea,’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

John 14: 13 – 14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14 If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Philippians 4:6 Fret not about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

Romans 4:18 – 21 Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall thy seed be.”   19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

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20230924 Better Than I Deserve

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Pastor Matt McFarland

Jonah 1:1 – 2 (KJ21)  Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

Jonah 1:17 17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 3:2 – 3 “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

Matthew 20:14 – 15   Take that which is thine and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.  15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?’

John 3:16. 16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

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