Bill Maye

30 Day Challenge Day 23

I know, it's been awhile.  I've just not been able to sit down long enough to share my thoughts.  I will tell you that the middle section of proverbs has got it going on!!!!  There's some good stuff in there.

So I'm going to start back at today.

Proverbs 23:17-18 - Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord.  18 You will be rewarded for this;  your hope will not be disappointed.

This verse really speaks to me every time I read it because I seem to always do this.  I see people who don't care anything about God and they appear to be successful and it pisses me off!  The biggest reason I do this is because having faith can sometimes be hard.  It's that total trust in God for what I hope for and the inability to create it on my own.  That goes against my very nature and it's a discipline to wait for the Lord to move.

What I need to realize is that success is not measured by appearances.  Those who might appear to be successful on the outside could be the most miserable people on the inside.

Bill

30 Day Challenge Day 13 & 14

Day 13

This is still one of my favorite Proverbs; Proverbs 13:12 - "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life." That's cool!  The message version reads like this, "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around."

What dreams do you have that you're hoping for?  Have you grown heart sick because it's still a dream and not reality?  Keep them in your heart and don't loose hope.

Day 14

Proverbs 14:6 - "The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.".  It's like looking in the mirror at what you really look like but thinking your something totally different.  Sometimes we all need to face the reality of who we are, good or bad, then we can allow God to change us on the inside so that our character that's seen by everyone will reflect Christ.

Bill

30 Day Challenge Day 9, 10, 11, & 12

Catching up on my posts....

Proverbs 9:10 - "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement."

Proverbs 10:19 - "Too much talk leads to sin.  Be sensible and keep your mouth shut."

Proverbs 10:25 - "When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.

Proverbs 11:22 - "A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout."

Proverbs 11:24 - "Give freely and become more wealthy;  be stingy and lose everything."

Proverbs 12:23 - "The wise don't make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness."

Proverbs, you gotta love em.  These all speak for themselves.  I especially like Proverbs 11:22!

Bill

30 Day Challenge Day 6, 7 & 8

I just can't seem to catch up on my blogs so I'm going to breeze through this and get ahead a day so you can read my blog on the morning and already know what I got.

First off 6, 7 & 8 all seem to go together to me and I will list out the verses that caught my attention:

Proverbs 6:6-11 - "LAZYBONES" "a little sleep a little slumber and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit."

Proverbs 7:8 - "He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house."  OK, he knew that he was going down the path where the immoral woman lived... SMART!!!!

Proverbs 7:9 - "It was at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell."  It was at a time when everyone should have been in bed.  What's he doing out this late at night????  You ever notice how the stuff that comes on TV late at night isn't good?  I can almost here Michelle now, "you better come to bed, you know there's bad stuff on TV late at night."

Proverbs 8:35 - "For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord."  Real life is hidden in Christ, and that's what I want!!!!!

Peace out
Bill

30 Day Challenge Day 3, 4, & 5

Well sorry I got behind on my posts, it's been real busy getting back in the swing of things from the holidays.  I've heard that some of you are taking my challenge but are not really sure how to comment on a post.  If you will click the title of the post it will open it up in a separate window and all you have to do is scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a comments window where you can type in what you got from Proverbs and see all of the other comments... OK the 2 or 3 that I've had.

Nuf' of that...

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

This should be tattooed under my eyelids!!!  All too often I trust more in my own wisdom rather than taking time to seek God's.  I think the issue for the most part is taking the time to seek God's wisdom and then having the patience to wait until He shows me what to do.

Proverbs 4:14-15  Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. 15 Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.  Turn away and keep moving.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!  The mind is a terrible thing to waste.  That is the beginning place for temptation, the mind, and if you dwell on something that's wrong too long you'll find yourself incapable of resisting it.

The way to defeat it is found in this verse... Proverbs 4:23  Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

I have to guard what I allow to affect my heart.  Things like bitterness, unforgiveness, or even things that may not seen harmful like TV shows or movies.  Not to get legalistic but just because I can take part in something doesn't mean that it will be profitable for me.  At least that's what the apostle Paul says in Romans. I think he's right.

Proverbs 5:21-23  For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.  22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.  23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

God see's the real me.  He sees beyond the fluff and the plastic that I would want to put out for everyone to see so they would think that I something when I'm not.  So it's the fear of God that keeps me on the right path.  The fear that I can't hide anything from Him.  Lord help me to walk in the right path so that I bring honor to You.

Bill

30 DAY CHALLENGE DAY 1 & 2

I'm actually posting this late because the first of January was spent hanging out with friends and I didn't get a chance to post day #1... so here we go.

Proverbs 1 - No specific verse stuck out, just reading 8 through 33 and the idea is that we should set our hearts on searching for God's wisdom and not be enticed to live a life that is walking away from God.  In fact this is something that God has been dealing with me in.  I think that's the real heart behind the new series were going to start Sunday, "Practical Atheist - Are You Who You Say You Are?".  How much effort am I making to actually live for Christ by dieing to myself?  Am I being enticed to go another path or am I seeking God's ways?  It's as if God's ways are shouting at us all of the time but are we setting ourselves aside to actually listen or are we so consumed with our own agenda that we... I ...aint listening?

Proverbs 2:5 - The Benefits of Wisdom "That you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God."  That's the goal of any Christ Follower, to not only fear or (revere) God but to actually gain knowledge of who He is.  Paul said that he counted every thing that was good in his life garbage, and that all he wanted was to know Christ and the power that raised Him from the dead.  That was his life's aim and that is not something that happens without some serious intentionality.  May God give me a heart that desires to know Him above all else.

Bill

2009 30 Day Challenge

Challenge rules:

Read your Bible every day for 30 days.
Share what you learn from reading everyday.
Read and Comment about what others post.

Challenge Prize:

You'll know more about God, more about yourself, and start a new habit.

Challenge Details:

We are going to read through the book of Proverbs.  A chapter a day beginning with today as chapter 1.  If you miss a day then little angry dwarfs are going to show up at your house and beat you up... just kidding about that part... just start back on whatever day it is.

Ask God to help you see Him through reading and then write down what He shows you.  Take what your write down and comment to the daily entree that I will post.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!  It's real easy to comment just select the comments button at the bottom of each entry and then follow the instructions... anybody can do it, even you!

For some of you I know that blogging is a new challenge in itself so if you need help email me

Bill

Aug 29th

Today we have a little Proverbs teaching nugget.  It starts off with this verse:

Proverbs 29:22 - "A hot-tempered person starts fights and gets into all kinds of sin."

Now by nature I am not a hot-tempered person, but that doesn't mean that this verse isn't for me.  I am stubborn and bull headed at times and so for me this verse is a warning.  Here are the ways that my mouth affect my life.

Proverbs 29:11 - "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person quietly  holds back."

Proverbs 29:20 - "There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking."

I can not tell you how many times that disobeying those two verses has gotten me into trouble.  God help me to control my tongue!

Bill

Aug 28th

I've have been absolutely struck by all of the references to the poor throughout this nugget search in Proverbs and God has really been using that to keep me focused as I lead BCC forward.  Henry Blackabee wrote a book and study called "Experiencing God" and one of the key principles in that book is this; "Find out what God is doing and join Him."  It's not about what we think we should do but about what God is already doing.  I had a new attender at BCC tell me this same thing two weeks ago when I talked with her.  She said that she wanted to be in a place where people were joining God in what He was doing and she saw that here at BCC.

Since we began our ROCKfest in May 08, we've focused our entire energy and extra money on helping the poor.  Through giving to ministry partners in different areas of the world, up-fitting an ice cream truck to give away free ice cream to kids,  purchasing a playground for "Get Smart", even providing uniforms for families at J. Glenn Edwards school, we have been intent on making a difference in people's lives.

And many of you have shown up to help!  It's been amazing as I have watched you not only give sacrificially but serve with a joy that can not be described.  When I step back to take a look at it all, I really see Brickcity Community Church mirroring the early church in the book of Acts.  I am blown away by how you are responding to God and eagerly anticipating what He will do next.

I know you're going, "enough Bill get to the nugget".  Here's what I have today and it is an ever constant reminder of what we're here for.  Don't ever let us forget!!!!!

Proverbs 28:27 - "Whoever gives to the poor, will lack nothing.  But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty."

There are sooooooo many things that have tried to come in and crowd out giving away the money we have been raising here at BCC through our ROCKfest fundraising campaign. New building additions, the need for more space, better equipment to help our services, you name it, but nothing will keep me from focusing us in on what God has sent us here to do!   Everything else we need as a church is up to God and His promise to us is this, if we take care of the poor we wont lack for nothing.  Now I'm counting on that promise!

Bill

Aug 27th

You ever had those mini burgers from Ruby Tuesday or Applebee's? Man I love those things, maybe just a bit too much (They're no longer on my diet).  Sometimes it's just better than that big ol' fat drippin' all over you burger that's probably burnt anyway.  Well today I'm gonna serve up some mini nuggets, my top five from Proverbs 27.  So here it tis.

1) Proverbs 27:2 - "Don't praise yourself, let others do it!

Ouch!!!!  For those of us who neeeeeeeedddd afirmation will yal please give up the love!

2) Proverbs 27:5 - "An open rebuke is better than hidden love!"

Now that's a tough pill to swallow, but oh, so true.

3) Proverbs 27:6 - "Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy."

Companion verse to 5, fo sho.  Got any relationships where this happens to you, I do.  AND I LIKE IT!  Does this make me kinda sick?

4) Proverbs 27:9 - "The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense."

Let me smell ya, ya smell gooooooood to me.  I love true an open counsel from someone who really understands "speaking the truth in love", and you can tell the difference.  Sometimes people want to straighten you out because they want you to be like them.  That's not considering the other person as greater than you.  True friends only want to help their friend succeed and they have no other motive than that.  God make me that type of friend!

5) Proverbs 27:14 - "If you shout a pleasant greeting to your neighbor too early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse!"

I think that one speaks for itself.  LEAVE ME ALONE I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!!!!!

Bill