Category: First Steps

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First Steps – June 29, 2020

One of the reasons why I appreciate church history is because it gives examples of different people who lived and breathed their faith.  It is one thing to know or believe, it is something else to faithfully live in times of ease or persecution.  Apollonius the Apologist was one such person who faithfully lived as a follower of Christ regardless of his situation.

He was a philosopher and a member of the Roman Senate.  He was denounced as a “secret” Christian by fellow senators.  Naturally, he was brought before the senate for his belief because it was illegal to be a Christian.  The account of his trial was marked with civility.  Both Apollonius and his accusers treated each other with respect and courtesy.  Though he lived in the 2nd Century, the way he treated his accusers is a lesson for the modern person.

Even in disagreement, one can treat another with respect.  For Apollonius, to treat another otherwise, would be to discredit the God he worshipped.  I wonder what would happen if followers of Christ treated every single person the same way they would treat Jesus Christ.  How effective would the witness be!  Give it a try this week.  Imagine every person around you is Jesus and let that image dictate your actions.

This Week’s Readings:

  • Monday – 1 John 5
  • Tuesday – 2 John 1:1-13
  • Wednesday – 3 John 1:1-15
  • Thursday – Jude 1:1-25
  • Friday – Revelation 1

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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First Steps – June 22, 2020

Gregory of Nazianzus was often known as Gregory the Theologian. He studied in Caesarea, Alexandria, and finally in Athens.  For the ancient world, he had an excellent education and was highly respected because of it.  A Bishop of The Church in the 4th Century, he is most known for his teachings concerning the nature of the Godhead and his stress of the oneness of the Trinity.  Saying that, he was heavily concerned with personal holiness and how one lived faithfully day-to-day.

He said, “These three things God requires of all the baptized:  right faith in the heart, truth on the tongue, and temperance of the body.”

Here are what followers of Christ need to constantly remember: Faith, thoughts, words, and actions are connected.  What one believes determines how one thinks, speaks, and acts. For us, we are people of the Kingdom of God.  We live by faith, we adopt a standard of life, ethics, and structure that is conducive to Christ’s teachings.

Draw strength from knowing that you are connected to God. Know that you are connected to a long line of believers whom have lived the same journey of faith under the God of grace and mercy.

This Week’s Readings:

  • Monday – 2 Peter 3
  • Tuesday – 1 John 1
  • Wednesday – 1 John 2
  • Thursday – 1 John 3
  • Friday – 1 John 4

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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First Steps – June 15, 2020

N.T (Tom) Wright, former Anglican Bishop, is currently the Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Oxford.  I have a deep appreciation for his research and writings. He wrote this reflection about Acts 18 and Paul’s ministry in Corinth and Ephesus:

“Luke offers us no set pattern for the way in which people come, step by step, into full membership in the Christian family and full participation in all the possibilities that are opened to them. Sometimes it happens this way and sometimes that way.  Just as humans grow to maturity at different paces, and some make great strides in one area while others have to catch up later, so it seems to be in the church. What matters is that we are open, ready to learn even from unlikely sources, and prepared for whatever God has to reveal to us through Scripture, the apostolic teaching, common life of believers, and the Holy Spirit.”

I marvel at this reflection because I think he has his finger on the pulse of faith development.  It is not and never has been a one-stop-shop.  It is the one God in Christ whom is the driver behind faith development; but God works in tandem with the person. This means the speed of faith development is largely due to the person.  God is always waiting and wanting but isn’t a violator of one’s will.

Therefore, a premium is placed on one’s openness.  We need to always be open, ready, and willing.  If we are, God will always do what is needed to form the nature of Christ in us. Thanks be to God!

This Week’s Readings:

  • Monday – 1 Peter 3
  • Tuesday – 1 Peter 4
  • Wednesday – 1 Peter 5
  • Thursday – 2 Peter 1
  • Friday – 2 Peter 2

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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First Steps – June 8, 2020

Recently I read an article in Wall Street Journal (May 12) titled: The Science of Prayer. Being a pastor, naturally I was curious what the article was going to say.  Here are a few quotes to consider:

“Since [the] pandemic, the practice of prayer has increased. Amy Wachholtz, Associate Professor and Clinical Health Psychology Director at University of Colorado—’It [Prayer] lets you put down your burden and mentally rest for a bit.’  Different studies have revealed that it can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or flight responses.  It can make you less reactive to negative emotions and less angry.”

“Focusing on a higher power (article’s term) is better than just meditation. Imagine carrying a backpack for hours and then when it becomes too heavy, you give it to someone else—this is what prayer can do.  But not all prayer is created equal, experts say.  A 2004 study on religious coping methods in the Journal of Health Psychology found that people who approach God as a partner, or collaborator, in their life had better mental and physical health outcomes, and people who are angry at God—who feel punished or abandoned—or who relinquish responsibility and defer to God for solutions had worse outcomes.”

“Florida State University research has found that people who pray for their spouse when they feel a negative emotion have more satisfaction in their marriage. “

If you are not a praying person, consider becoming one.  If you are, continue the discipline and trust God to carry your burdens.

Remember Jesus’ words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.



This Week’s Readings:

  • Monday –  James 3
  • Tuesday –  James 4
  • Wednesday –  James 5
  • Thursday – 1 Peter 1
  • Friday  – 1 Peter 2

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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First Steps – June 1, 2020

Lately I’ve been binge watching a show called Alone. This is a reality show that follows 10 survivor specialists who have been dropped off in Western Vancouver.

They are completely isolated from each other. They have no contact with another human and must survive in the wilderness with its harsh conditions. The only way they can be rescued is by “tapping out” (quitting) or by outlasting all the other survivors. The last survivor receives a prize of $500,000.00

I’m drawn to this show because of each persons’ survivor skills and how they solve different problems. They are ingenious. What I’ve realized is that many of contestants quit not because they don’t know what to do or how to do it. They are resourceful in finding food, building a shelter, and protecting themselves from the elements and predators.

They quit not for physical reasons, but for mental reasons. The grind of isolation and separation from love ones becomes unbearable.

We are all created to be in relationships. When we are not connected, our inner fault lines are revealed. Granted a momentary separation from others can help us refocus but prolonged separation can be destructive.

In this time of pandemic, fear and separation can be extremely difficult mentally. It is helpful to know that when we feel out-of-sorts, depressed, and fearful, it is because we are forced to live in separation where we feel alone.

The good news is we are not! Take courage that you are not alone. Remember that we are connected to God and to each other through the bond of Jesus.

This Week’s Readings:

  • Monday – Hebrews 11
  • Tuesday – Hebrews 12
  • Wednesday – Hebrews 13
  • Thursday – James 1
  • Friday – James 2

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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First Steps – May 25, 2020

Saint Gregory walked along the beach and noticed the shells and weeds which the waves had deposited on the sand.  Another wave would come along and take some of them back into the sea.

However, the big rocks of the coastline stood firm and immovable even though the waves beat upon them violently.  He thought how some people were tossed about by afflictions and other courageous souls stood firm and unmoved.

It brought to his mind the Psalm: “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold” Psalm 69:1.

We don’t have to be tossed here and there by our circumstances.  We are followers of Christ.  Because He has already overcome the world, those who are His followers are overcomers too. Be reminded of this today!

Ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

This Week’s Readings:

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

Please Pray for:

  • Our ministers and their families.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our nation and our leaders.
  • The World.
  • The Lost.
  • The lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.
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