Category: First Steps

In this season of Advent, we wait. A waiting person is a patient person. This isn’t passivity. To wait, to be patient, is to live actively in the present and stay there, nurturing the moment the same way a mother nurtures a child. Impatient people expect the real thing to happen somewhere else, so they want to be elsewhere and in doing so they miss the promise of the present moment. If we are constantly looking elsewhere, we miss what God is doing right here, right now. Therefore, spend this week looking at all the ways God has already blessed you. Quite your soul to hear his voice today—right now. God is not something far off—He is close, whispering today the words of love. He is gently calling you to follow. We can’t see God now if we are always looking for God elsewhere. This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Romans 7 *Tuesday – Romans 8 *Wednesday – Romans 9 *Thursday – Romans 10 *Friday – Romans 11 Things to Pray About: -The violence and finding peace in our city, state, country, and in the world. -Pray for guidance, healing, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

As I prepare myself for Advent and the joy of Christmas, I must embrace waiting with patience.  As a child, waiting for Christmas was difficult.  After all, what child doesn’t want to leap to the fun of Christmas morning?  As an adult, waiting is still difficult, but not for gifts. Now, my struggle is waiting for the culmination of God’s Kingdom.  I understand the saints’ call to the throne of God, “How long?”  Waiting is difficult.   If you are like me and waiting is a struggle for you, draw strength from Henri Nouwen’s words: “I have found it very important in my own life to let go of my wishes and start hoping.  It was only when I was willing to let go of my wishes that something really new, something beyond my own expectations, could happen to me.  Just imagine what Mary was actually saying in the words, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let what you have said be done to me’ (Luke 1:38).  She was saying, ‘I don’t know what this all means, but I trust that good things will happen.’  She trusted so deeply that her waiting was open to all possibilities.  And she did not want to control them.  She believed that when she listened carefully, she could trust what was going to happen.  To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life.  It is trusting that something will happen to us that is far beyond our own imaginings.  It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life.  It is living with the conviction that God molds us according to God’s love and not according to our fear.  The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, expecting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination or prediction.  That, indeed, is a very radical stance in a world preoccupied with control” (The Path of Waiting).   This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Romans 2 *Tuesday – Romans 3 *Wednesday – Romans 4 *Thursday – Romans 5 *Friday – Romans 6 Things to Pray About: -The violence and finding peace in our city, state, country, and in the world. -Pray for guidance, healing, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

While digging through an old file looking for survey results on courage (which I did not find), I found something else interesting.  It was a quote from Mark Batterson:   Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.   Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.  Set God-sized goals.  Pursue God-ordained passions.  Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.  Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.  Stop criticizing and start creating.  Stop playing it safe and start taking risks.  Expand your horizons.  Consider the lilacs.  Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can.  Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what is right with God.  Burn sinful bridges.  Laugh at yourself.  Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks.  Don’t try to be who you’re not.  Be yourself.  Quit holding out.  Quit holding back.  Quit running away.  If God is for us, who can be against us.  This Week’s Readings: *Monday – 1 Thessalonians 5 *Tuesday – 2 Thessalonians 1 *Wednesday – 2 Thessalonians 2 *Thursday – 2 Thessalonians 3 *Friday – Romans 1 Things to Pray About: -The violence and finding peace in our city, state, country, and in the world. -Pray for guidance, healing, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

What do people regret more, a bad decision made (action) or a missed opportunity (inaction)? There have been numerous studies on this question stating most people regret opportunities missed rather than mistakes made.  In addition, “time” plays a factor in what we regret. In the short term, a bad decision (action) is regretted more than a missed opportunity (inaction); however, over longer periods of time, say years, people regret more the missed opportunities.   Abraham had his share of bad decisions, but he didn’t miss opportunities. When God called him to follow, he followed. He acted in faith, and it was counted as righteousness. It was not Abraham’s perfect actions that denoted righteousness. It was his faith to follow when given an opportunity.   Many consider holiness the absence of sin. If I don’t do bad actions, then I will be holy. There is some evidence of this in scripture. But at the same time, there are people who are considered holy and yet they sin. Perhaps holiness has more to do with us walking in faith and not missing the opportunities to follow.   God wants us to follow, to trust, in Him in all things.  Does this mean we will get it right every single time—I hope so—but most likely not.  The key is to not miss the opportunities that God places in front of us beckoning us to follow.  This is what we don’t want to miss; therefore, look for those God-given opportunities to follow.   This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Matthew 28 *Tuesday – 1Thessalonians 1 *Wednesday – 1Thessalonians 2 *Thursday – 1Thessalonians 3 *Friday – 1Thessalonians 4 Things to Pray About: -The violence and finding peace in our city, state, country, and in the world. -Pray for guidance, healing, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

I’m the worst on vehicles, especially tires.  For some reason, I am a magnet for nails or anything that can produce a puncture. On a previous car that I drove for 10 years, I put 4 sets of tires over the duration of ownership—that is 16 tires or 1 tire about every 9 months.   Recently, I bought a new car and within 5 weeks, I’ve already slashed a tire resulting in the purchase of a new one.  In this latest episode, as I ran over what I assumed was a nail, I instantly knew I was in trouble. I didn’t need the dreaded “low tire pressure” signal on my dashboard, I immediately felt it in the wheel.    I have to admit there were a multitude of thoughts that ran through my mind. Thoughts of anger, shock, and disbelief.  As I exited the interstate to find a safe place to investigate how severe the problem was, there was another idea. I realized not even one of my thoughts could change my reality. The tire was still slashed, and anger or disbelief wasn’t going to change it.   For many, there is always a lurking temptation fueled by anger. Instead of slowing things down in order to process the experience, many jump to decisions based on anger which often leads to regret because of words spoken or actions committed.  Genesis 4 is a reminder of this temptation:  Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?”  Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Vrs 6,7).   When faced with anger, slow things down, take a moment and say a prayer to see past the immediate.  A wider view or a momentary pause is often what is needed to introduce a better path.  It is not by chance that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  We should seek the same. This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Matthew 13 *Tuesday – Matthew 14 *Wednesday – Matthew 15 *Thursday – Matthew 16 *Friday – Matthew 17 Things to Pray About: -The devastation and finding peace in Israel, and in the world. -Pray for guidance, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

Often, I am asked about patience which is the product of one’s outlook and perseverance. Patience is a willing acceptance of things that are bitter. The one who is patient does not complain about adversity but can praise God in the midst of a struggle.   For the patient, all things are endured because one doesn’t walk alone. When we believe that we are isolated and alone, we tend to focus only on our circumstances; however, when we know we are with God, in God, and surrounded by God’s people, this becomes the fuel. Circumstances are borne by the whole.   It is easier to be patient when I know I’m not alone but surrounded by many.  This week know that you are not alone; therefore, be patient, don’t complain, and even accept the bitterness.     This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Matthew 8 *Tuesday – Matthew 9 *Wednesday – Matthew 10 *Thursday – Matthew 11 *Friday – Matthew 12 Things to Pray About: -The devastation and finding peace in Israel; and in the world. -Pray for guidance, protection, strength, courage, and faith. -Our unwillingly absent members. -Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. -Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. -Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. -Family restoration through forgiveness. -Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6