Welcome to St-Pats Online

We meet Sunday morning at 10:00 am at California Arts Academy, 4750 N Blackstone Ave (Just south of Shaw Ave.) We have Sunday school and nursery for the kids. Email Admin@St-Pats.com for more information

St. Pats is an independent Christian congregation. You can read more about what makes us distinctive by click here , but we can characterize it in a word; LOVE. Come and see...

Scripture Lesson for Sunday

Generally we observe the Christian calendar and follow the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. You can view the lessons by clicking here. To learn more about the Revised Common Lectionary click here. 

Something More

Miraculous birth stories, many of them, punctuate the Bible beginning with Moses and including Jesus. The idea that certain people were fated to be "special" seems to be a part of our belief system. In fact just about everyone has it in their mind that there is "something more" about life that they have not yet achieved. We believe that there is some way, some thing, some act, some contribution, some big idea that we could or should contribute to make our world better.

Often this dream is subjugated to the recesses of our minds because our life situation stifles it. It gets buried under the overwhelming facts and circumstances; we have a family to nurture and support, we get stuck in our jobs, there isn't enough money to support our dreams, an accident limits our physical abilities, caring for others must come first and so on. But that something more is always there. Many people carry the sadness of not achieving something more to their grave. Others simply justify it away. Countless people believe that they HAVE done it, they have made their contribution.

But the truth is that there is something more for all to achieve. Something great. Something more powerful than one can imagine. Something so practical yet, so life changing that it baffles the mind. Something so beyond one's self that it drives people to do things that they would never seem possible or capable of doing.

It is love.

But I must qualify what I mean. This love is beyond your self, your needs, wants and desires. It is even beyond your family. It is the love of contribution; the giving of one's self for the wellbeing of others.

The strange thing about this kind of love is that it does not depend on any outside circumstance or resource; you don't need special education, blue blood, silver spoon, or any other resource other than what you currently have. You can love and contribute even if you are poor from an oppressed condition, too young or too old, have little or no education, or are overwhelmed by the situations of life. Ironically many people search their whole life for that something more while all the time it was within their reach and means. They had their own idea about what it should look like and when it became impossible to reach it they accepted the loss and lived in regret.

Don't let this happen to you.

Regardless of your circumstance, or perhaps because of your circumstance, you have the unique quality and ability to love and contribute significantly and meaningfully. To not love is almost criminal. The world is full of stories of people who have nothing but because of love and the drive to contribute have accomplished the most amazing things. To love and contribute is to be something more than you every thought possible. You can love and contribute more.

I love you - Bryan

How the Holy Spirit Works Today, In 100 Words

The right temporoparietal junction is where the Holy Spirit moves. No doubt you will find the Spirit swirling about on one of those 400 plus extra-solar planets, too. I heard that the Spirit was causing vibrations in one of those string-like-oscillating-lines physicists theorize of. The water of new wells dug among tribes in Swaziland are said to be enriched by the Holy Spirit and a strange glow was seen emanating from Haiti and Chile. I could swear I saw a halo of the Spirit on Ty Pennington last Sunday Night.  He rests with an infant I know struggling for life.

Bryan Lee Martin

Your Should Have Seen His Before and After Pictures

You should see his before and after pictures. Talk about a transformation! I couldn't believe that the picture he showed me was actually the same person. So far he has lost over 200 pounds. I'm not kidding! He is just a couple of dozen pounds away from his goal.
 
Imagine with me how it feels to be well over 400 pounds. Imagine looking in the mirror at your naked body. What a feeling of hopelessness, shame and despair. Not to mention the pain of all that weight, the difficulty breathing, and just trying to get around. Sorry... that is so bad that I can't imagine.
 
Yesterday I gave him the keys to his new home. He was shining. He exudes hope. He radiates life. His wife and family are so proud of him. He has a whole new life. He can actually walk through the door. What a difference.
 
But this did not happen overnight. He isn't a worm that built a cocoon and became a butterfly in a few weeks. No, this takes a lot more than just time and a dream.
 
It begins in a dark deep pit of despair and hopelessness. It seems crazy odd that that dungeon is the birth place of accomplishment. That flickering light of hope, so close to being snuffed out, some how begins to spread. It happens with the thought, "I've got to get help" and then with slow, Slow, SLOW, S-L-O-W two-steps-forward-one-step-backward progress, especially to begin with, it starts to grow.

There ARE a FEW minimal encouragers along the way; you meet somebody else who did it. You lose ten pounds, fifteen. You have set backs. It is so hard to control your old habits. You gain some back. You fail. You start all over. But one day you hit fifty pounds. Now you are on a roll.
 
Then one day, after months and months of hard hard work, with no reward other than personal satisfaction, you cross that magic line and you can see the goal, the light at the end of the tunnel, in the not too distant future.
 
What is your goal? How is it going for you? Some goals are harder than losing 200 pounds because they are more abstract. My friends who struggle with addiction will testify to that. So will the ones who are trying to build their business and overcome financial difficulty. So will the ones who are trying to rebuild their lives after loss. Sometimes the progress is so painfully slow that you just want to give up. In fact, there are many many days like that.
 
Thank God for real live people that you meet in everyday life who have actually lost the weight, had several years of sobriety, built their business from nothing, are happy again. They are true inspiration for all of us. Truly, if they can do it, so can we... with a little help from God and our friends.
 
Press on! God is with us. We shall be more than conquerors.

I love you - Bryan Martin

The MD says you have an incurable disease. What do you do?

The MD says you have an incurable life threatening disease which, if you don't take care of it with injections several perhaps a dozen shots a day, you will die. On top of that you are seven years old! What do you do?

This is exactly what happened to seven year old Katelyn Pool last year. It couldn't happen at a worse time; the economy is just wreaking havoc on the family's personal finances to the limit and beyond. It's the perfect storm all over again.
 
In cases like Katelyn's the only way to achieve balance and stability is with an insulin pump, an expensive ($9000.00) piece of medical equipment that monitors and controls blood sugar without constant injections.
 
I have watched Katelyn during her ordeal. She remains spunky, courageous, positive and best of all she is an inspiration to everyone around her.
 
I invited Katelyn to speak at our church recently. She joined me in front of all those people and told them about her new foundation, the Katelyn Pool Pump It Up for Diabetic Kids Foundation. Katelyn's goal is to raise enough money for five insulin pumps for diabetic kids this year by collecting cans and bottles and recycling them. You should have seen her. She took one look at those people watching her, took a deep breath and launched into her speech. Seven years old! She was amazing! We are going to help her raise that money!
 
Now... what about you? What are you facing today? What ever it is I want you to remember Katelyn all day long. Say her name out loud right now, Katelyn. Let this little girl inspire you. In all that you do remember this, there is a way for you to help make the world a better place. In spite of what is going on with your family, your finances, your personal relationships, your health, you can let your light shine.
 
Be like Katelyn, let the love of God flow through your heart to your world.
 
For more information about how you can help Katelyn raise money for diabetic kids needing insulin pumps call (559) 259-6164

I love you -- Bryan

Here Is What You Need To Do To Get Through Your Day… In 30 Seconds

Here is what you need to do today.

1. Keep your goal, your "big why" in mind and work towards it passionately.

2. Follow your established schedule and don't get side tracked.

3. Keep positive, enthusiastic and upbeat all day long.

4. Accept your failures and short comings as integral parts of your journey and move forward. It happens! Often with a capital SH. No drama! Just move forward.

5. Give back in the form you were given. If money, give back money. If love, give back love. Just give back.

6. Celebrate EVERY little victory. Small step wise progress leads to major accomplishments.

7. REJECT NEGATIVITY in every form. Just don't give it credence.

8. Recall the teachings of Jesus and remember that the Holy Spirit lives inside you…not just for your benefit… but for the whole world!

9. Take small mini breaks to recharge by; being thankful, uplifting reading, singing, befriending, pray, pray, pray!

10. Love somebody. You need to love somebody.

11. Remember: This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it.

12. Start back at number one.

I love you — Bryan