True North | Week 3 | Bill Bush

The big idea

We need to connect to God, not just collect from God — trusting Him one day at a time instead of demanding He hand over what we want.

God isn't distant or moody; He wants a real relationship with us, not just to be a vending machine for our requests. Like the Israelites gathering manna one day at a time, we grow strong by relying on God daily, resting weekly, and remembering His faithfulness always — not by trying to collect blessings and skip the relationship.

Point 1 of 6

Pastor Bill walks through Exodus 16, where the whole community grumbles about food just a month after God miraculously parted the Red Sea for them. He notes they had a pillar of cloud and fire guiding them and still moaned, 'if only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,' which mirrors how believers today keep worrying even after God has proven Himself faithful.

Point 2 of 6

Pastor Bill explains that the Hebrew idea of testing is like refining metal with heat to remove impurities, not a spiteful pop quiz. He contrasts this with a personal story of giving disrespectful middle schoolers a punitive pop quiz as a substitute teacher, to show that's NOT how God's testing works — God tests to strengthen, not to punish.

Point 3 of 6

Pastor Bill reads how Moses told the people not to keep manna overnight, but some tried anyway and it bred worms and smelled. He tells the story of a father who cuts his adult son's allowance to weekly payments just so the son has to come see him, showing that God provides one day at a time so we'll keep coming back to Him rather than living independently.

Point 4 of 6

Pastor Bill connects the manna to John 6, where Jesus tells the crowd that followed Him for free food, 'I am the bread of life,' and many disciples abandoned Him once they understood following Him meant daily trust and sacrifice, not just getting their wish list filled. He contrasts wanting the King of Kings versus wanting 'Burger King' — having it your way, fast.

Point 5 of 6

Pastor Bill reads how God commanded a day of rest from gathering manna, and some people went out anyway looking for extra food and found none. He points out God's own words that the Sabbath is a gift to the people themselves, and applies this to modern over-scheduled lives, including kids' packed activity schedules, as a driver of rising anxiety and depression.

Point 6 of 6

Pastor Bill notes God had a jar of manna preserved and placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent reminder for future generations. He ties this to his own father's experience on the USS Missouri at the end of World War II, arguing that remembering God's past victories — and the hard road it took to get there — is what lets us face the next battle without falling apart.

Take it into your week

Pastor Bill's charge is to rely on God daily, rest weekly, and remember always so connection with God, not collecting from Him, becomes the daily pattern.