Category: First Steps

About two weeks ago, I heard someone say, “I dabble at it from time to time.  I’m really a novice at heart.”  What she meant was her hobby was somewhat important but not enough for her to devote any real time to it.  How many times have you said, “I’ll give it a go” but knowing full well you will not take it seriously?  If you look at my life, I would be “guilty as charged.”  I have started a number of hobbies only to find them fall by the wayside.

Our society today is filled with religious dabble.  Faith-life sounds good on the surface and when it is convenient.  People want a little religion on the top but not a lot.  Once when living in a different city than today, I had someone tell me, I don’t want to read the bible daily because I don’t want to be a Jesus-fanatic.  Said differently, I will dabble with Jesus but don’t want to be serious with my faith.

In Luke 23, King Herod was a dabbler.  “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.  From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort” (Chapter 23:8-9).

Disciples are not dabblers.  To follow Jesus means to adopt a lifestyle, to buy in, to do more than dabble. Discipleship is more than surface level spirituality and religiosity. Discipleship takes place below the surface.  When Jesus was asked about discipleship (thus explaining the difference between discipleship and dabble) he said, “take up my cross and follow me.”

It is easy to dabble – but it never leads to discipleship.  Jesus desires disciples not dabblers.

This week’s reading:

• Monday – Acts 7
• Tuesday – Acts 8
• Wednesday – Acts 9
• Thursday – Acts 10
• Friday – Acts 11

Please Pray for:

• Our Nation and Our Leaders
• The St. Paul Ministers and Staff family
• High School & College Seniors preparing for graduation
• The Unwillingly absent members
• Building Renovations, Modifications, and Phase 3: Construction of New Youth Building and rear parking

Many of you know my fondness for ancient prayers.  A fan of church history, I delight in studying those who have gone before us in hope of drawing strength from their lives.  Many of the saints overcame dire situations.  They modeled faith-in-action.  Francois de Fenelon, a French priest, prayed this prayer:

“Lord, you began to perfect your apostles by taking away from them the very thing they didn’t think they could do without the actual presence of Jesus.  You destroy in order to build.  You take away everything in order to restore it many times over.  This is the way you work.  You do it differently than we would do it.

Once Christ was gone, you sent the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes lacking is more powerful than having.  Blessed are those who are deprived of everything.  Blessed are those from whom Jesus is removed.  The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will come to them.  He will comfort their sorrows and wipe away their tears.

But Lord, why isn’t my life filled with this Spirit?  It ought to be the soul of my soul, but isn’t.  I feel nothing. I see nothing.  I am both physically and spiritually lazy.  My feeble will is torn between you and a thousand meaningless pleasures.  Where is your Spirit?  Will it ever arrive and create in me a pure heart?  

Now I understand!  Your Holy Spirit desires to live in an impoverished soul.  Therefore, come Holy Spirit!  There is no place emptier than my heart.  Come and bring peace.”

The honesty in this prayer is refreshing.  Often when we acknowledge the great need of our soul, the constant struggle in seeking fulfillment with any-and-all-things only to be disappointed, we are reduced.  We are humbled.  It is then that we find ourselves ready to receive God’s Spirit. “Come Holy Spirit!  Come and bring peace!”

 

This week’s reading:

• Monday – Acts 2
• Tuesday – Acts 3
• Wednesday – Acts 4
• Thursday – Acts 5
• Friday – Acts 6

Please Pray for:

• Our Nation and Our Leaders
• The St. Paul Ministers and Staff family
• High School & College Seniors preparing for graduation
• The Unwillingly absent members
• Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)

Thomas a’ Kempis, a 15th Century Priest, wrote The Imitation of Christ. In it, he said:

“If you are at peace yourself, you will be able to help others become peaceable.  A [person not at rest] distorts things, and easily believes the worst.  A [person at rest] can turn even bad circumstances into good ones.

If you are at peace, you will not be suspicious of others.  If you are agitated and discontented, you will not trust anyone.  You will not be able to remain quiet yourself, and you will not let anyone else rest either…Love and humility do not know how to be angry or indignant.  It is easy to live with good and gentle people.  It takes a special gift to get along with obstinate, disorderly, and contrary people.

The person who knows how to suffer will enjoy the most peace.  Such a person has conquered him/herself and has become a friend of Christ.”  

I invite you to do something with me:

1. Read the quote again—out loud.
2. What word or phrase stands/stood out to you?
3. Think often on that word or phrase throughout the day.
4. Before you go to bed, ask God, “What do I need to know or learn about myself in light of that word or phrase?”

This week’s reading:
Monday – Luke 21
Tuesday – Luke 22
Wednesday – Luke 23
Thursday – Luke 24
Friday – Acts 1
Please Pray for:Our Nation and Our Leaders
Children and teachers’ spring break week
Holy Week and worship activities
Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)

In the 16th Century, an unknown French theologian wrote:

Some of the most brilliant minds of my century teach that the sun, not the earth, is the center of our world. They say the sun is essentially motionless and that the earth revolves around the sun. This is hard for many to understand. It seems contrary to everything our senses tell us, for we see the sun in continual movement around the earth all day long.

When it is understood, it can be applied very usefully to the science of salvation. Jesus is the sun. In his greatness he remains motionless, but moves all things. Seated at the right hand of God, he is immovable but puts all else in motion. Because he is the true center of the world, the world needs to be in continual motion toward him.

Jesus is the sun of our souls. We receive light from him. He influences us. The earth of our hearts should always be moving toward him.

I like the notion that Jesus is the sun of our souls.  This week, focus on the unmovable One who brings light and life to our souls.

This week’s reading:
Monday – Luke 16
Tuesday – Luke 17
Wednesday – Luke 18
Thursday – Luke 19
Friday – Luke 20
Please Pray for:Our Nation and Our Leaders
Those unwillingly absent from worship
The Confirmation Class of 2018, as they become full members of the church this Sunday, March 25, their parents, and their mentors
Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)

James Finley, one of the great Methodist revival preachers from the 19th Century said, “Much may be said about camp meetings, but take them all in all for practical exhibition of religion, for unbounded hospitality to strangers, for unfeigned and fervent spirituality; give me a country camp meeting against the world.”

Camp meeting revivals were popular in the frontier regions where no permanent congregations existed; therefore, people traveled long distances to sing, worship, hear a preacher, and share in communion. Normally it was held outside and lasted for a week or two.  Frontier life was both difficult and ripe for revival due to the spiritual vacuum that existed due to ramped alcoholism, greed, and sexual promiscuity.

The Cane Ridge revival of 1801 is considered by some to be the most important religious event in American history.  It gathered thousands of people from all over the frontier who were overcome by repentance, forgiveness, and assurance of faith.

Whenever I think of Cane Ridge or any camp meeting, I am reminded of the human need of forgiveness. People create vacuums and voids only to attempt to fill them unsuccessfully.  Some voids can only be filled by the Incarnate One—the one who became human and walked among us.

This week’s reading:

Monday – Luke 11
Tuesday – Luke 12
Wednesday – Luke 13
Thursday – Luke 14
Friday – Luke 15
 

Please Pray for:

Our Nation and Our Leaders
Those unwillingly absent from worship
The Confirmation Class of 2018, their parents, and their mentors
Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)

St. Patrick was the son of a high-ranking Roman colonist who lived in Britain during the 5th Century. As an early teen, he was kidnapped by Celtic raiders and forced to work as a shepherd. A few years later, he escaped. However, he had a vision of Irish people crying out for him to return with the gospel. So he did.

For the rest of his life he traveled from village to village, sharing the gospel. Regardless of circumstance, Patrick remained humble and kind. Even in the face of Druid religious priests who opposed him, Patrick was faithful. He would live among the people and share the burden of their hard living conditions. After he was accepted by the village as “one of them,” he would share the gospel. Even today, this model of evangelism (Relational—Indigenous Evangelism) is still admired and practiced among missionaries.

The rise in popularity of St. Patrick’s Day in North America is largely due to Irish American immigrants’ strength in the face of economic hardship and withstanding prejudice against their Catholic faith.

This week’s reading:

• Monday – Luke 6
• Tuesday – Luke 7
• Wednesday – Luke 8
• Thursday – Luke 9
• Friday – Luke 10

Please Pray for:

• Our Nation and Our Leaders
• Phase 2 (Renovation of Current Facilities)
• Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)