About Mervyn

Mervyn Steadman, the blogger, says – What’s with the ball cap? I love this cap because it says ‘Sunnyland’, where I live in my mind. – And why the user name of  ”My Moss”?

“A rolling stone gathers no moss”, but I’m a sedentary type. This weblog is a journal of the “moss” I’ve gathered in my Christian journey since 1973, which I thought would be nice to pass on to my family and interested relatives and friends. (So far it is a pretty well kept secret.)

1Peter3:15 says, “.. and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”. I am a lay member who reads through the Bible using “Our Daily Bread” devotional as a guide, since about 1998. It is a cursory way of reading, although some parts can be read two or three times to get the meaning, and over the years quite a bit of what is written there does get imprinted.

I am open to information that will enhance my personal relationship with God. I enjoy very much logging into StPixels.com , an online church originally sponsored by the Methodist Church of England, which will become  independent as of 1 July 2009, that  embraces people of all faiths and those professing to have none.

Overall, I believe it is more important for me to love God and my neighbor above being right – in my own eyes. So I may change my point of view about the Bible as I learn more about it and how to apply it to my life.

May 28,2009 -
After one year since my blog started I have edited and added to some Posts and Pages, especially the ‘Prayer and Meditation Outlines A and B’ which are quite fluid .

July 7, 2009 -The story of my conversion.

I was raised in a main-stream church and drifted away, but in 1973 I was caught up in a relatively new denomination that preached the gospel and believed in living by it. I dedicated my life to God, but ran into problems 10 yrs or so later – as related below.

I was reminded by a discussion in StPixels, (Welcoming Back the Backsliders), that in 1984 a minister recommended that I should be re-baptised . Perhaps I should leave the circumstances out, but it happened about the time of a major life crisis. I had ceased attending church, got a legal separation, decided I couldn’t carry on with my chosen vocation and moved back to the city of my birth.
After about 4 months of unemployment, I started personal devotions again and contacted the local minister about attending services again. In those days we needed permission to attend or come back. Anyhow he visited me and discerned that I showed some fruit of the Holy Spirit and invited me to come back to church. I mentioned that my previous minister recommended I should be re-baptised; he didn’t think it was necessary, but if I insisted; he said I would have to study a list of questions and answer them in writing.

No problem, for I was convinced it was the right church for me. He marked my answers and set a date for my private ceremony. About the same time, my brother gave me a job doing home delivery at KFC. Thus began my career of learning to be a servant, which has not been easy.

Why did my first baptism ‘not take’? I think it was because I hadn’t repented of relying on my human nature/natural abilities and not being open to God’s Spirit. I had been an avid student to learn all I could about the Bible, but I can now confess I didn’t know how to apply its principles of love in my life. Why? Because I was learning on my own strength, like I did during my secular education. I was not open to being led by the Holy Spirit.

Was there something wrong with my original counselling? I remember it was quite thorough and emphasis was placed on counting the cost. I had no problem with that, because I had decided to be totally wholehearted in giving my life to God. Little did I know what that might require – what mountains (of self reliance) separated me from God.

How hard it is for a rich man (rich in his own eyes) to enter the Kingdom of God. However, Rom.8:28 says – “All things work together for the good of those who love God”.
I have learned many invaluable lessons about serving and humility by being a delivery driver and ’senior’ busboy.