Your First Question

One day, it hit me. I had no rhythm.

I’m not referring to dance floor moves (although I don’t have those either). It had more to do with an inner sense of timing. I was working hard, trying my best, but things just weren’t coming together. Below the emails, activities and never-ending meetings, something was out of sync. I felt a longing for more.

Once I named that desire, I had a revelation from God. For nearly 30 years, I had subconsciously put church on the top of my priority list. My first unspoken question every morning was, “What do I have to do for church today?” I would figure that out and then make everything else fit around that.

First Priority

But God revealed that I had put the wrong thing on top. As important as church was, it wasn’t God. It was the work I did to serve God. When I looked at it that way, my first question every morning didn’t sound nearly as spiritual: “What do I have to do for work today?” Should that really be my first priority?

I wanted to put God on top, not my work. In fact, I wanted to demote work to somewhere below my family.

Thankfully, the Spirit dropped in my mind a much better question: What do I need to do to live in the presence of God today? Once I figured that out, I could let everything else fit around it.

Seismic Shift

This was a seismic shift for me. I had never consistently looked at life this way, and I knew to make this change, I would need to rearrange the way I did life. To be honest, I didn’t know if I could do it. But I really didn’t have another choice. I was sick of living the other way.      

What is the first question you ask yourself every day?

• What do I have to do for work?
• What do I have to do for school?
• What do I have to do for my family?
• What do I have to do for my health?
• What do I have to do to please my dad or my spouse?
• What do I have to do to save this relationship?
• What do I have to do to entertain myself?

Here’s how you can tell. As you wake up, what are the thoughts that spontaneously come to mind? “Oh yeah, I need to do this, send that email, call that person, go there, buy that, etc.” Those are “answers” your mind is generating to a question that is often unspoken. If, for instance, all those answers have to do with your work or how you can please your spouse, you know the deeper question.

Change the Question

What if you changed that question to, What do I need to do to live in the presence of God today?

Like all good questions, this one flipped the script for me. I began to see life from a completely different angle. It’s not about doing more stuff. It’s about being in the Presence. Asking this question day after day helped me get back in sync. I found a sacred rhythm that was less rushed, more peaceful, and far more centered in God.

What’s the first question you ask yourself when you wake up? When we change our questions, we change our lives.  

[An Excerpt from Roger’s new book on Discipleship coming August 2025.]

“CONNECTING NEW FRIENDS WITH CHRIST” WORKSHOP ON MARCH 1 & 8

I’m excited to partner with the Illinois Great Rivers Conference to offer a new, 2-hour workshop on sharing our faith. It’s designed to take a practical look at the motivation and skills needed to meet new people as well as engage with loved ones to help each one take steps toward Christ.

Two identical workshops will be offered:

• Saturday, March 1, 2025, 10 am to 12 noon – The United Methodist Conference Center, Springfield, IL 
  • Register here: https://igrc-reg.brtapp.com/ConnectingNewFriendswithChrist               

• Saturday, March 8, 2025, 10 am to 12 noon – Wesley UMC, 502 E Front St,, Bloomington, IL                  
  • Register here: https://igrc-reg.brtapp.com/ConnectingNewFriendswithChrist71

Each workshop is free, but you do need to register.

Let’s go on this journey together and see how God may use us to make an eternal difference in someone’s life.

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