Category: First Steps

By definition, a Milestone is a stone set up beside a road to mark the distance in miles to a particular place. It can also be an action or event marking a significant change or stage (occurring) in development. In Genesis 12:7, Abraham built an altar alongside the great tree of Moreh at Shechem because God appeared to him with a promise. Abraham would build another altar alongside the trees of Mamre (Genesis 15-18). These altars were not only Milestones but Faithstones. They marked a change in his life that he would later visit for encouragement. It was a reminder of God’s presence in his life.

Everyone needs milestones and faithstones in their lives. They are the visual reminders of change and development. Like Abraham, they can also be a place of safety and comfort when tossed about due to the storms of life or missteps. Do you have any known faithstones? How do you mark those pivotal faith developments in your own life? Find a way to mark where God has shown up in your life. It doesn’t have to be a huge altar, just a personal visual reminder. They will serve you well in the days to come.

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world. 

I’m American. I love living in the United States where freedom is welcomed and celebrated. I’m humbled by the road of freedom that has been paved for me. Yesterday, the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July—one of my favorite holidays. As I reflected upon the many freedoms I’ve inherited, I also thought about the freedoms one has with God.

Here are a few:

1. Freedom from Guilt (Romans 8:1)
2. Freedom from Shame (Romans 10:11)
3. Freedom from Fear (2 Timothy 1:10)
4. Freedom from Bondage of Sin (Romans 6:14)
5. Freedom to Approach God (Hebrews 10:19)
6. Freedom to Pray (Philippians 4:6)
7. Freedom of Salvation over Death (John 14:2,3)

I’m sure you can think of some additional freedoms. What did I miss? As you make your list, I hope you will reflect on God’s goodness and cry out in gratitude.

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world. 

You have a choice. You can be evil or good. Both are possible for you. If you decide to curse God, brew poison, and kill another person, you can do it. If you want to live for God, control your emotions, and be a valuable member of the community, that can be yours as well. The capacity for either extreme is in you.

Young men and women work as servants in a great mansion. They are surrounded by valuable things made of gold and silver. The natural desire of these poorer servants is to have such things for themselves. Sometimes they steal, but ordinarily, they keep themselves in check. Because of fear of the consequences, they resist strong impulses to do the wrong thing.

An awareness of God is an even greater help in making better choices. It is entirely possible to keep God’s commandments. They are not beyond you. Other animals have little choice. Their behavior is fixed. Snakes bite. The wolf is ordinarily a hunter. All wolves are like this. Lambs and doves are harmless and do not engage in deception. It is different with people. One individual might be like a wolf—a predator. Another, lamblike, and victimized. Both belong to the same race of humans.

You will hear of a [person] who is unfaithful to [his/her] spouse. You will hear of another who is devoted. One person steals. Another person, touched by the love of God, gives generously to help others. Our human nature is pulled in two directions with more or less equal force. Whether it is for evil or good, our actions are made with our consent. Neither choice is forced on us. (4th Century Monk—Unknown).

An awareness of God is an even greater help in making better choices; therefore, cultivate an awareness of God in all things. Look for the ways God is working in you and in the world. Pray each morning for a sensitivity to God’s Spirit for the day. I like what the prophet Jeremiah said about God, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12, 13).

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world. 

“Don’t meddle in the business of others.  Don’t be an eavesdropper, attempting to overhear what is being said or done in your neighbor’s house.  Wide ears and long tongues come together.  Those who love to hear everything that may be told (to them) also love to blab it out.  

    “When everyone is busy looking into the affairs of others, trouble is near.  Busybodies will forever find fault with their neighbors, their families, with the government, and with the church.  They are an unquiet kind of people.  They are forever looking for something they can dislike.  They are never content.

    “From such people come private whispering, slander, backbiting, mutiny, conspiracy, treason, and the utter decay of society.”

The Bishop of Salisbury wrote this in the 16th Century.  Evidently, it was a problem for many during his day; likewise, it is a problem today.  The phrase “unquiet kind of people” is revealing.  One of the effects of the work of the Holy Spirit is to quiet the heart.  Inward fulfillment—a healthy love of God, self, and others—is the work of God through faith.  If one is whole on the inside, there is not a need to find something on the outside to bring fulfillment.  Therefore, seek the Holy Spirit, allow God to transform from the inside out.   

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world. 

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world. 

• Families in crisis.
• Loved ones battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• The St. Paul Church family.
• The United Methodist Church.
• Our leaders, our country, and our world.