The Word of Our Lord

As the COVID-19 pandemic devastated societies, many looked to Zoom to hold healthcare appointments, business meetings, and classes.

Through this communication technology, some even celebrated birthdays, baby showers, and family reunions. As sickness spread, lives were lost, and social unrest intensified, it seemed that many longed to maintain meaningful connections in any way possible.

I was blessed to have friends and family members set up Zoom meetings during these trying times. A friend from graduate school organized a meeting with other classmates so that we could inform each other of our current work.

My brother-in-law put together trivia nights that allowed me to meet more of my new extended family. A colleague organized meetings with a diverse group, creating a space where we could discuss racial issues. By the summer of 2020, I was relying on Zoom almost daily for both personal and professional reasons.

Right before the start of the Fall semester, I received a call from a longtime friend who wanted to set up additional meetings. At this point, I was coming close to my “Zoom limit” and was hesitant to add more sessions to my schedule. This friend, however, explained that meetings were for discipleship. He wanted to join another mutual friend and me to read scripture, write journal entries, and answer accountability questions.

Guided by the books Growing Up by Robby Gallaty and Foundations: New Testament by Robby and Kandi Gallaty, we also would be memorizing chapters five through seven in the Gospel of Matthew. Thinking that this would be a fruitful endeavor, I agreed to be a part of this discipleship group. 

For about the next year and a half, we met almost weekly and shared what we had learned from God’s Word. 

We held each other accountable and recited an additional two verses weekly to ensure that we would eventually memorize the Sermon on the Mount.

This was the most consistently I had ever read the Bible and the most extended passage of scripture I had ever attempted to memorize. 

One of the highlights of this process was practicing my scripture memorization over the phone with my grandmother on drives from work. She was always delighted to hear about my progress. After I finished reciting each passage, my grandmother, a longtime Episcopalian, would say, “The Word of Our Lord!” 

During this time, I was striving to be a godly husband in my first year of marriage and seeking to be an effective academic in a changing landscape. I thank God for His Word and my supportive brothers in Christ.

Now that our sessions are complete, it is time for me to find other fellow believers with whom to complete a discipleship program. 

No one knew when Eric Yuan founded Zoom of the exponential impact it would have on millions of people using it around the world. But now also, the scripture is having an exponential impact as I take what has helped me so much and share it with others, who will share it with others.

The Word of Our Lord!