Rev. Bill, as he is referred to by his friends, works at many levels of the community helping not just the veteran community, but also the homeless, incarcerated, those in hospitals, and those who come to him as true spiritual seekers for his sage advice.
The Military Community
He continues to provide free services such as weddings and funerals, to military veterans. He also serves military families with individual counselling on PTSD, suicide prevention and helps Gold Star families, on dealing with death and the aftereffects.
He has helped put together PTSD programs for the VA, and for First Responders. He does workshops across the country and helped develop through his feedback and input a couple of books on the subject written by other authors. He did a TV program called “The Art of Healing” which was shown on PBS back in 2005. The show shared how writing and art and even music can help PTSD veterans cope and heal.
He is an active veteran advocate and an unpaid lobbyist at the state capital to push for legislation that benefits veterans and their families. He also lobbies local congressional members on national issues.
He founded the Spiritual Warrior Ministries which provides free chaplain services for the military community across the USA. It is an all faith alliance of ministers, reverends, rabbis, even self-ordained chaplains who represent a rainbow of faiths and beliefs. The only two rules for the ministries are that it be self-funded and there is no preaching any dogma. The chaplains are encouraged to work with these men and women on spiritual issues without trying to convert them. All religions are honored and respected.
He founded The Military Writer’s Society of America a couple of decades ago to help encourage veterans to express themselves in books as an effort to help PTSD but also to preserve history by recording one veteran’s personal history at a time. The MWSA has over a thousand members and is recognized as the largest military genre writer’s group in the world.
Spiritual Service
Rev. Bill has fostered a large following of people who have come to him over the last 50 plus years for spiritual advice. He used to do a lot of individual one on one helping but is now focusing to teach others to help.
His work on the suicide hotlines and crisis lines along with a short period of time working as volunteer chaplain at Folsom Prison serves to give him a background foundation for understanding other’s hurts and the darkness that can overtake the human spirit.
He is working though videos & workshops on how to teach people to handle pain – all three kinds of it – Mental, Spiritual and Physical.
He is a teacher of a higher yoga technique of meditation and works with those who are interested in pursuing that knowledge.
Literary & Art Service to the Community
He has been honored by his hometown of Elk Grove with the Iris Award for his Literary Service to the community through, not just his many books, but also because of his help and guidance to aspiring writers and authors. He was the co-founder of the Fine Arts Festival of Elk Grove.
In 2000 he founded one of North America’s largest author organizations – The American Authors Association (AAA). Well over 3,500 authors at one time.
He writes hundreds of Amazon book reviews for authors along with dozens of book Forewords.
Workshops & Lectures
He gives healing workshops and lectures across the USA and internationally every year. Depending on his particular audience his subjects vary – but he has never given any workshop, or lecture the same way. He allows for the flow of the energy from that audience to drive and dictate what happens.
He has spoken at large venues like in Mumbai, India and Los Angeles to smaller much more personal groups at people’s homes. The size of the audience does not matter as the energy and love is the same.