Where It All Begins
Today’s scripture selection: Proverbs 1
Key verse: Proverbs 1:7
Every now and then I feel the need to get “back to basics.” What do I mean by that?
I mean – it’s helpful sometimes to sit down in a quiet place, reflect on where you are and where you want to be, and think about how to get there. And that doesn’t always mean just starting another “To-Do” list. For me, it’s about re-visiting my most basic beliefs and values.
And that often leads me to one place – Proverbs, chapter 1, verse 7:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
That one, pithy verse says a lot to me:
- That God is ultimately the answer to all my deepest questions
- That I can always learn something new – especially about those deepest questions
- That the biggest fool in the world is the one who refuses to learn
- And that the one who first penned those words, Solomon, is credited with being the wisest of all men.
Not a bad place to begin when getting “back to basics.”
So invite you to do the same. Think about where you are, where you want to be, and what – if anything – is confusing or disturbing about that process.
Then ask God for a little guidance.
It’s where it all begins – and ends.
Prayer: Lord, open my mind – and heart – to you. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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