Small Steps on a Long Journey: A Collection of Thoughtful Devotions

By Tim McConnell

In an earnest attempt to spread spiritual inspiration and growth, Reverend Tim
McConnell pens an enriching collection of thoughtful devotions that will
move your heart, stir your thoughts, and direct you to Gods chosen path for you.
A compilation of short yet profound articles that have already been published in
local weekly newspapers, Small Steps On A Long Journey contains more than
more than three hundred-fifty pages of hope, joy, courage, enlightenment, faith,
triumph amid difficulty, and much more. Touching on some of societys most
sensitive topics, this anthology also captivates readers with deep thoughts and
moving insights about daily human encounters and lifes biggest questions.
Tim has attempted to incorporate into these writings the use of common events,
themes, and everyday living along side the necessity of living a holy life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453529638

Tim McConnell

Tim McConnell (PhD, University of Virginia) is lead pastor of First Presbyterian Church (ECO) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the author of Happy Church and Illumination in Basil of Caesarea's Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. He has served as a chaplain in the US Army Reserve, worked as the director of graduate ministries for the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has taught Christian history and theology at undergraduate and seminary settings. Tim currently serves on the national Theological Task Force for his church, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. Born in Germany to a military family, Tim was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He came to Christ through Young Life and has been devoted to ministry since, promoting the love and knowledge of God to the best of his ability. He holds degrees from Northwestern University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford University, and the University of Virginia. Tim lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Abigail and four children.

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Copyright © 2010 by Tim McConnell.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2010909569

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-2962-1

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-2961-4

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-2963-8

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DEDICATED

To the Triune God who has transformed me from

darkness into light and continues to do so.

To Debbie, my consistent helpmate, who provides

strength, support, and substance to me and to God’s ministry.

To Leah, my daughter, who inspires and amazes

me in her passion to tell about Jesus.

To Sarah, my mother, who has been so faithful with

encouragement, prayer, and love.

To Dinky, my mother-in-law, who has been

God’s true and willing servant.

To all who have encouraged me to compile my

writings into book form.

CONTENTS

From Powerless to Powerful

One More Gift

Are We Too Busy?

New Beginnings

New Things

Angels

Spiritual Resolutions

Ups and Downs

Covenant Renewal

Drudgery

No Fear

God and Earthquakes

The Hundredth Monkey

Deadly Treasures

The Root of the Matter

Do What He Asks

Spare Parts

The Joy of Being Found

Remnant

The Winters of our Faith Walk

Jumping Frogs

Learning From Geese

God’s Love

God’s Goodness and Greatness

Keep Your Eyes Open

Finding a Prayer Partner

Love Given Away

Our Missional Mandate

Amazing Grace

Showing Mercy

Thoughts About Lent

Building God’s Kingdom

Rivers of Blessings

Living Longer or Living Better?

Unity in Disagreement

Parts and Wholes

Love, Marriage, and Sanctification

Sing to the Lord

People Are Not Islands

Signs From the Cross

What We Sometimes Miss

All Things New

The Dog and Cat Fight

Words Can Hurt

The Examination

You Are What You Eat

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Springtime Within Our Souls

Step Out of the Boat

The Praise of the Palms and the Glory of Resurrection

Letting Go

Jesus’ Words to Us

Good News Is For Sharing

The Fragrance of a Christian

Laughter for the Soul

To Speak or Not to Speak

Tearing Down Walls

Setting a Virtuous Example

The Spirit of Separation

Sabbath Made For Us

Daily Journey With the Spirit

God’s Guarantee

God’s Care

It’s Time For Spring Cleaning

Sweeping Feathers

Contentment

The Excitement of Presence

Hope That Springs Eternally

Journey Of Love

Honoring Our Mothers

The Savior and Sinners

Going Fishing

Blind Horse

The Value of Advice

Holding On

Walking Along the Road

Growing Where You Are Planted

Good and Bad Habits

Unused Gifts

Still Small Voice

Unexpected Voices

Is He Calling You?

Cracked Pots

Pointing the Way to Jesus

Blurred Vision

Touched By Surprises

Dying for Something

Experiencing Heaven

Sharing a Common Faith

Dry Bones

Lessons From Noah

The Gift of the Thorn

As Lovely As a Tree

Choosing the Good Path

The Love of God

Making A Joyful Shout

What’s in Your Suitcase?

Be Careful Little Feet

The World-wide Church

Finishing the Music

Lay Down Life

Old Seeds that Sprout

Martyrs For a Cause

Almost Doesn’t Count

Reversing Blindness

Blueberries

Dreams and Visions

Counting the Cost

Relative Humidity

Energy Lows and Highs

Blind But With Vision

Facing Giants

Looking For Help?

Our Spiritual Plumb Line

Changing, Yet the Same

Do We Talk Too Much?

Airport Theology

Finding Your Center

Life on the Bus

Here Come the Clowns

Christian Mission

Heavenly Music

Keys

School Bells

The Gift of Grace

Voice From the Rooftop

Chasing Shadows

Money and the Christian

Don’t Stay Empty

Clean All Over

Changing With Life

Is Lying OK?

Forgiveness

Help In The Desert

The Example of Peter

God’s Immunization

Tree Rings and Healing

Lights in the Dark

Our Unchangeable God

Show Me Your Scars

Tired of Your Planet?

Having No Regrets

We Are Relections Of Our View Of God

Bad News, Good News

Being Prepared

Whose Responsibility?

The Law of the Garbage Truck

Revive Us Again

What Happens When We Die?

Written on Our Hearts

Emptied Then Filled

Personal But Not Private

The Marshmallow Temptation

Lessons From A Log

Lost Books

Redeeming Our Time

The Road to Nowhere

Stones, Reminders, and Children

Falling For Jesus

Barnabas, a Good Person

A Prayerful Day

Dash Lights and Worry Warts

Speaking Up

Friends

Truth, Like a Tree

A Friendly Spirit

Remembering the Saints

Hug From a Bum

The Suffering and Hope of Creation

What We Leave Behind

People Needing People

Thank God For God

The Gift of Thankfulness

Work While You Wait

Thankful For the Fleas

Do Unto Others For Jesus’ Sake

Thanksgiving

Preparing For Jesus

Boundaries

Letting Go And Reaching For The Future

Taking a Nap

Faces Of Advent

Christian Examples

Happiness

Small Blessings

Pottery Sounds

Are You Ready For Christmas?

Shepherds at Christmas

Joy to the World

Twelve Days Of Christmas

Hope for the New Year

Joseph

Love and Marriage

The Unopened Gift

FROM POWERLESS TO POWERFUL

I guess we can sum up the events of the past two weeks in one word, powerless. When it comes to weather we are helpless. Too much rain, snow, wind, ice, or heat turns us humans into powerless creatures focused entirely on survival.

The one word headline on the front page of the Citizen-Times during the peak of the snow and ice storm declared many of us, POWERLESS. Because we had no electricity, we found ourselves helpless in so many other ways. We had no heat, water, lights, or way to cook or heat our meals. Some were also without communication, while the majority had no transportation. It was certainly an humbling time in which we had opportunity to assess our dependency on sources outside ourselves, realize the many things we take for granted, and to be thankful for the things with which we are so blessed.

We can take our experience with the ice and snow, stretch it a little bit, and find that it fits in many ways to our spiritual life and our faith journey.

We try so hard to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining. This may work for a while and under less than stressful conditions. But when the storms come and our own resources run out or are cut off, we find ourselves powerless.

It has been several years since we have had a deep snow and a power crisis as intense as we recently experienced. Between times of storm there is a tendency to become complacent and comfortable, forgetting the lessons and warnings from the past. We can follow the same path in our spiritual walk. We can become so dependent on routines and rituals, on our own abilities and competencies, and on our own selves; we forget that our strength, survival, and existence comes from an all powerful God who is outside of our world.

We can read in scripture of God’s power as expressed through the narratives of the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, and the activity of the Holy Spirit. The power of God can be seen the physical healing of people as a direct result of faithful prayer. Unholy situations and circumstances are changed by the power of a God who is both great and good. People are transformed by a power source that is never in danger of being disrupted. Believers find that they can become pure and holy by the cleansing of the root and desire of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have the responsibly of working out our salvation by staying plugged in to the ultimate power source. We can not expect the lights to stay on in our souls, the heat to continue to warm our lives, and God’s voice to be heard in our ears if we disconnect ourselves from the source of our power. The journey is so much easier when we stay connected.

ONE MORE GIFT

Another Christmas becomes a memory and how it will be remembered by each of us depends largely on our circumstances and attitudes during this holiday period. All of us must now turn our faces to the New Year and whatever it will bring knowing that the Christ of Christmas will be with us.

The Church celebrates Epiphany on the first Sunday of the New Year. Epiphany commemorates the coming of the Magi, the Wise Men, to visit the Holy Family. By this time, according to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus was a young child at least two years old living in a house in Bethlehem.

Do the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Belthazar mean anything to you? Probably not, but according to tradition, these are the names of the three wise men. We assume there were three because of the three gifts. These wise men most likely came to know about the prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus from the same writings that we know as the Old Testament. When the Jews were taken into captivity to Babylon, they took the Old Testament writings with them. The magi, or magicians, became interested in the prophecies of a coming king. God also placed within the hearts of these people and all people, believers as well as unbelievers, the need of a Savior. When the unusual star appeared, these magi, encouraged by prophecies and the need to be saved, began their long journey. They began their search for a king, a king who would change the course of history as well as the course of a human life. They sought a king who would bring peace not only to the natural world, but also to the heart of every person. They were wise because they sought a Savior, One whom they knew would make them different people. That is what made them wise, and that is what makes us wise today—the seeking of Jesus.

These men were also wise because they brought gifts; gold for a king, frankincense for worship, and myrrh for the death and resurrection of our Savior. The evidences of their salvation are the same for us today—They found Him, they received Him into their hearts (before they could worship), they worshiped Him, and they gave Him gifts.

In a recent article by Toby Sterling, The Associated Press, frankincense, used in many worship services, is reported to be in short supply. Frankincense is dried sap harvested from several related species of trees found on high scrublands at the southern end of the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa. These trees are dying out and being cleared for farmland. Very few are being replanted.

It is good to know that we do not need frankincense in order to be in worship of Jesus, our Savior. It is also reassuring to know that all the gifts of the Magi can also become our gifts. We can place our gold, frankincense, and myrrh into one package labeled, MYSELF, and lay them at the manger. That is what Jesus wants from each of us today. He wants each of us to give willingly and completely, our selves as a gift to Him; a gift of sweet fragrance, an incense far more precious than frankincense.

We then can face the New Year with the confidence of God’s children, knowing that we have given all to Him.

ARE WE TOO BUSY?

Most of us experience the shortage of hours in the day to do all that we feel needs to be done. We may make lists, schedule our activities, and use other reminders to complete all our responsibilities. But even with all this help we seldom get everything done. Then we feel guilty, as if we have let others down and failed ourselves. This can, over a period of time, cause stress.

Are we just too busy? Do we place great value and pride on what we have managed to get done during the day or during the past week? Andrea Kay wrote an article recently about how most people think that being busy equates with success and wealth. People seem to place high value on being busy, filling up the days with activities, and bustling from place to place. Being busy promotes the ideas that the person is successful, well thought of, and must be in demand. Kay’s article points out that this is not necessarily true. Besides, the stress linked to extreme busyness may promote heart disease which is the number one of death in the United States.

Many people even after retiring seem to fill up those extra hours of each day with busyness. I know that happened to me. Even though our time is filled with good and meaningful activities, it could be that we are just too busy. There seems to be two very important reasons to slow down in our rush through life. The first concerns our physical, mental, and spiritual health. We find Jesus on many occasions withdrawing from the busyness of His work to be alone with God to renew His spiritual energy by prayer. Jesus would also find time to be just with His disciples, and other times He would withdraw to His home base in Capernaum. If Jesus needed to slow down for periods of renewal, how much more do we need to narrow our to do list and spend time with God, other Christians, and family. It will renew our focus and give us a clearer perspective.

Another reason to prune the busyness in our lives is that we are then able to focus on the high priority responsibilities, duties, and enjoyments. The things in our lives that really matter should receive the most attention. An Old Testament story from 1 Kings 20 illustrates this idea very well. God told King Ahab not to take any captives during a battle with the Syrians. When the enemy king was captured, King Ahab not only spared his life but made a treaty with the enemy and released him. The prophet told King Ahab, While you were busy here and there doing the unimportant things, the most important thing that God wanted you to do was left undone. You disobeyed God by letting the opportunity slip away.

As we enter the New Year let’s not be too busy here and there doing things that really do not matter. Let’s focus on the eternal things that God wants us to do. Let’s focus on growing spiritually, loving others, and spending more time with God and our families. God can help us with this reordering of our lives. He will go with us into the New Year.

NEW BEGINNINGS

The New Year seems to always bring hope. That is why we make resolutions and promises to ourselves, others, and to God. There is always that hope that we will have a better year, that we will accomplish more, and that there will be more happiness than sadness. The hope of better things is a gift from God along with trust, trust that the hope that we have will turn into reality. The key to the realization of our hope lies in where we look for fulfillment. If we look entirely within our selves, to other people, or to programs and material things, we have an increased chance for failure in making things better. Only complete trust in God will provide the fresh, new resources that we need to start over and make things better in the year to come.

Ever since sin came into the world through the disobedience and selfishness of Adam and Eve, ruining the goodness of creation, God has wanted to make things new. There is a difference in word order and a slight difference in meaning between God making all things new and God making new things. God doesn’t necessarily want to create new things, but wants to make what He has already created new again. God wants primarily to make new Christ-like people out of the old sinful people we have become. He wants to make new holy sanctified people out of old believers who are stuck in a rut refusing to grow spiritually. God wants us to allow Him to take old difficult situations, old trying circumstances, and old worn out relationships, and refresh them with His Holy Spirit, making them new and useful in His work.

You remember the meeting of Moses and God at the burning bush. God made something new from Moses’ old life and situation. Years later after Moses’ death, Joshua, the chosen leader of the Israelites, found himself leaving the old life and entering into the new life of the Promised Land. King David, Elijah, Isaiah, and many others in the Old Testament pointed to Christ as the One who will make the new covenant and New Testament a reality for God’s people. The rules for living would no longer be written on tablets of stone, but on the hearts of every believer. A new relationship between God and His people was established. This was the message of the angels to Mary and the shepherds, John the Baptist as he came from the wilderness, and Jesus as he lived, died, and was resurrected; a message of new hope, a new life, putting the past behind us and turning our faces to the future.

It is no accident that God chose to begin with the creation of a new world recorded in Genesis and to end in Revelation with a new heaven and new earth. After proclaiming throughout the larger part of Revelation, the judgment, death, and destruction on the unrepentant world, God concludes with the words of hope and renewal, I will make all things new. Our God is a God of renewal and eternal life, a God who wants us to put the past behind us and set our faces toward the future-the glorious future with Him.

NEW THINGS

Do you believe that a New Year can bring new things to you? New things-meaning not necessarily material and financial gain, but new things in a spiritual and emotional sense. This can be a time for us to experience new grow and maturity as followers of Christ. It can also be a time in which we find a new level of hope and trust in God who holds our future.

The New Year seems to always bring hope. That is why we make resolutions and promises to ourselves, others, and to God. There is always that hope that we will have a better year, that we will accomplish more, and that there will be more happiness than sadness. The hope of better things is a gift from God along with trust, trust that the hope that we have will turn into reality. The key to the realization of our hope lies in where we look for fulfillment. If we look entirely within our selves, to other people, or to programs and material things, we have an increased chance for failure in making things better. Only complete trust in God will provide the fresh, new resources that we need to start over and make things better in the year to come.

I never think about going into the New Year without remembering Joshua. Joshua was handpicked by God to take the place of Moses as the leader of the Israelites as they entered into the new land promised by God. Can you imagine being chosen to fill the shoes of a man such as Moses? Joshua had every reason to be afraid. He knew that not only would he be compared in every way to Moses, but he had an entire country to conquer by military force. He was afraid of failure as he faced the new challenge. But I like the words that God spoke to Joshua. You will find those words in Joshua 1; words like, I will not ever leave you. My help will always be there for you. Don’t be distracted by things around you, just focus on my written and spoken words. Do not fear, but if you do remember, I am beside you always.

We can look to Moses’ relationship with God as an example of God making things new for His people. The children of Israel were constantly facing new things, new experiences as they traveled toward the Promised Land. At one point God refuses to go with the people any longer because of their sinful ways. Moses tells God the people will not travel without God’s presence. The Hebrew word for presence is face. So God agrees, My face will go with you. We can see how intimate and personal God’s presence, his face, can be in our New Year’s journey.

God can indeed make all things new for us in the coming days. He can make new people out of us, creating new attitudes and behaviors, and transforming our lives. God wants to give us hope and establish trust in our hearts for His will. God wants us live each day in such a way that we know his presence and can see his face. Do not begin this year alone when you could be enjoying the new things provided by God’s presence.

ANGELS

From stories, books, pictures, paintings, to movies, sculpture, and songs much has been said, written, and portrayed about angels. People seem to be fascinated by the thoughts of these spiritual beings. Using the Bible as a reference, we can see that these heavenly beings serve as God’s messengers and to carry out His will among people on earth. Angels are mentioned almost three hundred times in Scripture, absent only in Ruth, Nehemiah, Esther, the letters of John, and James. From the Bible we know that God created the angels, maybe even individually, instead of all just alike. They were witnesses to the creation of the world. Also, we know that some angels behaved foolishly and even evilly, becoming the fallen angels. In the Bible angels always appeared to humans as males, never dressed as women.

There seems to be a spiritual hierarchy among angels in which some have more important roles than others. Some sing praises to God, some lead armies, while others appear in dreams. Cherubim and seraphim are two other classifications of heavenly beings. Cherubim are mentioned as guards at the gate of the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled. Also, they were the winged figures that adored the ark of the covenant in the temple. Seraphim, also winged, with human faces, voices, and feet, were placed by Isaiah above God’s throne. They are to sing continual praises to the Lord.

In the New Testament we find accounts of angels as messengers concerning the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. Angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness after His temptation and in the Garden of Gethsemane. We also find them at the empty tomb on Easter morning and at the ascension of Christ. Both times they had a message for the disciples. In the book of Revelation angels carry out the destruction on the unrepentant people of the earth.

So, as we look back in Biblical history, we can see the importance of angels to God’s master plan. But do angels still have the same role among God’s people today? A recent Associated Press article reported that 81 percent of all Americans believe that angels are active in the world today. In Matthew 18:10 Jesus seems to refer strongly to the idea that angels are assigned to people here on earth to minister to them, as well as, to keep them from harm. Jesus’ words perhaps prompted the concept of a guardian angel, but it remains unclear whether each individual has a specific angelic guardian.

Obviously, we must use common sense and exercise care to protect ourselves from physical, spiritual, and emotional harm. If we put our trust in God, we have the additional protection from His promise that He will never leave us alone, but will keep us in His hand. If we have a personal relationship with God, He sends His Holy Spirit to comfort, protect, and guide us. And if we love one another as Jesus commanded, we will look after each other by warning, protecting, and advising against danger. I do not doubt that God has His angels at work among us protecting us from harm. But I also believe that God covers us with providential care and uses His Holy Spirit to keep us safe. We are also expected to look out for each other becoming our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper. With all this protection we should feel safe as we continue our faith journey.

SPIRITUAL RESOLUTIONS

Maybe I have been less observant than I should be, but I haven’t noticed the usual amount of discussion this year about resolutions. In fact, I can’t recall in conversation at church or elsewhere, a single reference to making or breaking New Year’s resolutions in the coming year. Maybe our society is moving away from this tradition of self-imposed behavior modification. I hope not, because even if some resolutions are frivolously made with little intention of serious follow-through, the process forces people to admit the need for change and improvement.

I did recently find an e-mail in my inbox from Amazon.com listing the top ten New Year resolutions. I was unable to determine how these were formulated and ranked, or by whom. The resolutions were listed in this order; lose weight, get your finances in order, go greener, curb your vices, get in shape, relax more, pursue a new career, upgrade your technology, organize and optimize, and start a new hobby. I would agree most of these resolutions are worthy of consideration for many people. But other than the curb your vices none relate very closely to spiritual improvement.

On a recent trip to Florida and Georgia to visit family and to take part in a baptismal service, Debbie and I stopped to visit my brother-in-law and sister. I picked up Sunday’s bulletin from Lakeland (Ga) United Methodist Church which they attend. Rev. Rich Wright, their pastor, had listed his ten resolutions so all could see. He called them Ten Holiness Resolutions for 2009. I don’t think he would mind if I shared them with you. Holiness in very simplest terms means the presence of God. To have God’s presence in our lives means to live as Jesus, God-in-flesh, lived.

#1: I will mind my own business by not gossiping or repeating things that may harm another.

#2: I will not wear my feelings on my sleeve by looking for personal offenses.

#3: I will wear a smile to help spread God’s joy.

#4: I will be kind to others by doing good.

#5: I will not be headstrong, but remember that others may be right.

#6: I will be true and loving in my dealings with others by letting them know what I am actually thinking.

#7: I will hold my temper and ask God to forgive me as I have forgiven.

#8: I will face the world with confidence and courage by not making excuses for my faults.

#9: I will seek to serve God with my spiritual gifts to edify our church and conference.

#10: I will not be too proud to pray by realizing that I need to rely on God instead of myself or other people.

Undoubtedly, these would be difficult, or impossible to keep without strength from the one who said, Be ye holy, for I am holy. God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs and resolutions. Let’s give these resolutions a try!

UPS AND DOWNS

I have always been interested in history in general, and particularly in the history of our country. This interest continues today as my focus narrows even more into the area of church and denominational history.

But I remember as a young boy the strong desire to find out as much as I could about the historical development of our country, especially around the time of the Civil War. As our family traveled around the southern part of our country, I would notice those historical markers along the roadsides. Sometimes I would persuade my daddy to stop briefly so that I could read and write down the information on the marker. I kept a special notebook for that purpose.

There is a stretch of road in southern Macon County along US 441 where two of these markers can be found. Located only just few miles apart, the first of these markers reads, Cherokee Indian Defeat. Just down the road, you will see another marker that tells us, Cherokee Indian Victory. These battles happened at different times, but more than likely between the same people, along the same path, and over the same controversial issues. Different outcomes are evident by the information posted on the markers for the people who struggled so desperately against one another.

Christians shouldn’t fool themselves into believing that profession of faith guarantees a smooth journey. Becoming a disciple of Jesus means that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him. These are directions from Jesus, and there is nothing easy about any of those steps of discipleship. Discipleship and walking the journey of faith require the experiences of defeat, as well as, victory.

There will be times when we will find ourselves on the mountaintop as Peter, James, and John did the day Jesus revealed his glory. Those disciples were ready to forget the world below and stay forever under the influence of victory in Jesus. We have those times in which we experience the spiritual victories and are assured that our future rests securely in our relationship with Jesus.

But just like the disciples that glorious day, we must trudge somewhat reluctantly down the mountain and join the reality of