I know regret. You probably do too. We all have times when we wish we could erase our sins and failures that are so etched in our minds. The fearful power of regret moved an ex-GI in 1974 to send a note to the US government that read, "I’m sending $10 for blankets I stole in World War II. My mind could not rest. Sorry I’m late. I want to be ready to meet God." His money was placed in a "Conscience Fund" begun in 1811 by the US treasury department. It is reported that this fund receives an average of $45,000 each year and has taken in a total of more than $3,500,000. That’s a lot of regrets!

 

I’m sure that the people who have sent money to the government probably found great relief from their feelings of guilt. If only it were that easy to please God. It has been said: "In life we are measured by what we do but in death our life is measured by how it is we have loved".

 

My Christian life from 1985 to 1998 was put on hold after I relocated the family back to Indianapolis. Those were years of a traveling job, trying to catch up on paperwork on the weekends and getting ready to fly somewhere on Monday morning. It was also a time when my wife and I could not find Church roots. Some ministers would label us as Holiday Christians. You know covering the important dates like Easter, Thanksgiving, and the one that really counts, Christmas. How do you spell "regret"? Colin Powell once wrote, "None of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows".

 

In order to keep my time to 480 seconds I will give you the short version of my Christian Makeover. For me there were two events that changed my thinking about how to best serve God. The first was when Judy and I joined Geist Christian Church.

The second was my being diagnosed with prostrate cancer in the year 2000. You know that when the doctor tells you that you have cancer you just can’t believe that he is speaking to you. There must have been a mistake in the tests. In my case there was no mistake. There is a word that came to my mind when I heard the word cancer. It is called Dread. Dread is a special kind of fear that grips us in the worst circumstance or what we assume to be the worst circumstance. It comes into our lives only on special occasions: illness, war or some other calamity. In my case it was illness. I just dreaded what was ahead. I’m sure you can all relate to the word dread. That’s when I really started concentrating on that Christian Makeover that I referred to earlier. It was also the time when I really knew that I had to ask God for guidance and direction. Which brings me to another word that I used to overcome dread. "Prayer". A simple word that means so much: Webster defines it as: " The act or practice of praying to God". I call it having personal conversation with God.

 

There were a lot of people in this congregation who prayed for me. Most of them I had not met. I thanked God everyday for their weekly prayers and letters. Praying has been an important step in my Christian Makeover so much so that I’m starting my seventh year on the Men’s Prayer Breakfast team. You know that sometimes in trying to find our way along the path that God has directed us to take we become confused. I’m no longer confused because God dragged me back on a faithful path in the year 2000.

I think it is best said in Isaiah 30 verses 20 and 21. "Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction—yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more; but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, say, ‘This is the WAY..Walk in It.’"

 

I guess I was praying for support for myself when I asked him "Why me, Lord?" I now know I was not on the correct path that he had chosen for me to travel. He has directed me to this place to be a disciple to serve others. In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about the final Judgment that we will face with God. Reading verses 34-40:

"Then the King will say to those on his Right, ‘Come you, who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in naked and you clothe me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe you?

 

When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brother of mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.’"

 

The acts that Jesus talks about don’t depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence; they are acts freely given and freely received. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? How often do you think about your judgement day? How will you answer when you are asked how you served? Each of us has the opportunity to serve God through our outreach ministry program.

 

By serving meals at Wheeler Mission, Ronald McDonald House, Interfaith Hospitality, providing food and gifts for selected families and going on mission trips to help rebuild homes. These are the simple acts that Jesus talks about. Only by serving others can we be called "Disciples of Christ".

 

Ann Landers wrote about "The Difference in Heaven and Hell". I think it bears repeating. A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell"

 

They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.

"Come, now I will show you heaven, "The Lord Said". They entered another room identical to the first. A pot of Stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons.

 

But there everyone was happy and well nourished.

 

"I don’t understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"

The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."

 

Are you still having regrets about serving God? I don’t; I’ve had a Christian makeover.

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I’ll start by referring you to the sermon title in the bulletin. Stepping Stones to Faith. You notice this sermon isn’t entitled The Highway to Heaven or the Interstate to Eternity. No instead it’s stepping-stones—smooth and jagged surfaces as we make our way to know the Lord, meandering at times--forward, to the side, and sometimes back. Faith isn’t really the destination, but rather it is most definitely the journey.

Today I will attempt to share some of my journey with you. Don’t worry now about the time needed. I figure the Colts game doesn’t start until 6:30. Anyway my journey to a faithful relationship with God started back in my wee years. One of those first stepping stones I shared with my mother—it is one of my earliest memories of prayer that I have with her. I distinctively remember her kneeling beside my bed or at times squishing me over so she could sit on the edge. Now I know that I had many a prayer similar to ones you may have heard where I asked for blessings for every grandpa, grandma, aunt, uncle, cousin, dog, hamster and goldfish. But this memory is before I authored my own prayers. My mom would start the prayer and I’d repeat. She’d pray a sentence and then I’d repeat. In my head I envisioned a beautiful rainbow and we would pray together one after the other until the end. In Jesus’ name. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen. The memory is so vivid. Each of us should never underestimate our impact upon the lives of children. You never know if someday your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew may be right here like I am sharing their faith journey.

 

But now I will fast-forward to one of the stones that I am standing on today. It’s still with my mother, but now I am side by side with her, not as a child, but as an adult praying for her strength and healing as she battles breast cancer. My mom continues to teach through her steadfast hope and her faith in God. How can I not think of our Christ who taught his disciples to pray with both words and examples?

 

Don’t get the wrong idea though; my stepping stones to faith are certainly not just with my immediate family. I have experiences, lessons and struggles that I share with this family here—my brothers and sisters in Christ. A couple of years ago I had the opportunity and privilege to speak before this congregation. I shared with you a Mary and Martha experience for me. I was sorely overcommitted with a lot of activities here at church—all wonderful and worthy, but I began to feel like the spirit was draining out of me. I got so caught up in "doing" the church that I missed "being" the church. That stepping stone to faith could have been entitled discernment. Recognizing God’s priorities for me and discerning the best place and best time to use the gifts he blessed me with. Understanding this faith step became a stepping stone to my involvement with Stephen Ministry.

 

Back in 1999 I heard one of our ministers announce that two of our members were going to Texas to be trained as Stephen Leaders. Upon their return from training they would be training a class of Stephen Ministers. Geist would launch this new ministry of one on one caring of individuals—a ministry of listening and supporting a person who is going through a rough period in his or her life. It might be coming alongside someone who is grieving the loss of a parent or spouse, or another who suffers from a broken relationship. Another might have lost a job and still another is now experiencing the empty nest syndrome. The circumstances are endless as life presents many challenges, but what I was hearing that day in church was that people need people. People need to have another who listens, prays for them and with them, and who essentially shows the love of Christ by just being present with them. I can’t describe very well how I felt as this ministry was being presented to the church. My heart literally ached. There was a physical change in my body. At that very moment I felt the Holy Spirit stirring within me (actually punching me) and this ministry was for me. Now I’m not so sure the Holy Spirit noticed that I would be 9 months pregnant, and swollen to the gills as I was going through Stephen Ministry training. But the lesson I learned was this: my personal know-how and personal convenience are not always a prerequisite when I am following along the path that God desires for me. I was in training because the Holy Spirit wanted me there. The Holy Spirit continued to lead the way as I began a caring relationship with an overwhelmed mother, new to the Indianapolis area. I put my faith into action as we met together and I listened and prayed. We both walked along together, our faith journeys intertwined with one another at least for a bit. I was trained to be there for her, but of course Christ was able to use her to help me. My own relationship with God was strengthened, my own faith bolstered. With this stepping stone I understood and experienced the quote from St Francis of Assisi: "For it is in giving that we receive."

 

My journey to faith can hardly be summarized in my time with you here, partly because there is really no end until eternity. But I would hope that you would see that God works in our lives and the lives of others in so many ways. God can use ordinary me and you for extraordinary purposes. Just look, he used me the child as I learned to pray, or me the adult as I learn to find peace and hope in the face of fear, and me, the church member who continues to learn how to listen to Christ’s direction for serving him. And I continue to jump from stone to stone, sometimes confidently, other times with hesitancy, and sometimes slipping and falling but always assured that the journey is where I find joy--guided by the Spirit--so that His glory may be revealed. I pray we all honor His plan, embrace our journey, and grow stronger in our faith--step by step. I will close this morning with verses 4 and 5 from Psalm 25.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."

Blessings to each of you. Amen