Ken Winter
On To Our Paran

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* * * * *

After having camped at Mount Sinai for almost a year, the cloud lifted and the Israelites set out on their three-day journey to the wilderness of Paran.(1) (You may recall that the wilderness of Paran is where Hagar and Ishmael found refuge when Sarah had Abraham send them away.(2)) The wilderness of Paran was bounded to the north by southern Canaan, otherwise known as the Promised Land. They were in the fourteenth month of their exodus from Egypt and they were now closing in on the prize that was before them – the Promised Land!

On To Our Paran
Ken Winter
Bread That Is Sufficient

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* * * * *

The day God provided a ram to be sacrificed in the place of his son Isaac, Abraham called that place Jehovah Jireh, meaning “The Lord will provide.”(1) That day was to be a reminder to all generations that the Lord will provide. He will be faithful to provide just what is needed at the exact time it is needed. He is seldom early; but He is never late! He seldom provides in the manner we anticipate; but He always provides in a way that is sufficient. That was true for Abraham and Isaac, it was true for Moses and the Israelites, and it is true for us today.

God promised Moses and the Israelites that each morning He would provide bread that would be sufficient for every person for the day – everyone would have their fill.(2) After the people had gotten over the shock that this “white, flaky stuff” was God’s bread for them, they set about the process of gathering what was needed for their household. God’s provision, though “packaged” in a very unexpected way, came with very specific instructions.

Bread That Is Sufficient
Ken Winter
Chosen to Serve

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* * * * *

There is no such thing as a perfect church. That statement does not come as a shock to any of us, whether we are a part of a church … or not. However, i do believe that those of us inside the church often tend to want everyone to believe we have it all together. We have a tendency to hide the “real me” behind a mask and cover up the things, the hurts, the doubts, and the imperfections that we don’t want anyone else to see. (It’s similar to the way most of us – believers and non-believers alike – tend to portray ourselves on social media.)

i also believe that those outside the church often project that false impression – that we think we’re perfect – upon the church, and enjoy highlighting the downfall of those within the church when they fall.

No, the church isn’t perfect, but then again, it never has been! But we endeavor to worship, follow, and follow the example of the only One who is and ever was perfect.

Chosen to Serve
Ken Winter
Perilous Times

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We live in a day filled with upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty. It therefore comes as no surprise that the rates of depression, anxiety, and fearfulness about the future continue to reach new highs  among adults in the U. S. according to a Gallup poll published in May 2023.(1) But as followers of Christ, we can take heart that the perilous times in which we find ourselves are also indicative of the days to come that Jesus described two thousand years ago. We can embrace the hope we have through the promises and assurance He gave to His disciples—and through them, to us.

Jesus was sitting on the slopes of the Mount of Olives with His disciples telling them about the perilous times that would signal the end of the age and His return.(2) The disciples, in turn, asked Him three questions:

1.    When will all this happen?

2.    What sign will signal Your return?

3.    What sign will signal the end of the world?

Perilous Times
Ken Winter
His Face Was Set

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The New King James translation of Luke 9:51 says “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” The timeframe of this particular journey recorded in Luke 9 was well over a year before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. He still had much yet to do, messages yet to preach, and miracles yet to perform. But in this verse, Luke is reminding us that Jesus never lost sight of why the Father had sent Him. No matter what was on His “to do list,” His face was always set, His eye was always focused, and His stride never wavered from His ultimate purpose.

Sometimes, as we remember the events of Holy Week, we can fall into a trap of thinking that Jesus’s crucifixion was the result of Judas’s betrayal, the Sanhedrin’s envy and hatred, Pilate’s spinelessness, and the soldiers’ cruelty. We can be lulled into thinking His death was involuntary. And salvation was the result of God taking something that the enemy meant for evil and using it for His glory and our good.

His Face Was Set

Advent

A Story for Advent: Ashriel

A Story for Advent: Ashriel

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NOTE: This week i am posting the last of my four stories for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, this week we will hear from Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon.

 

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar(December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (This week - December 20th) 

* * * * *

My name is Ashriel and I am ten years old…..

A Story for Advent: Yanzu

A Story for Advent: Yanzu

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: As you probably already know, i am posting a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, this week we will hear from Yanzu, a servant who accompanied the magi.

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar (This week - December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (December 20th) 

* * * * *

I am an eleven-year-old boy named Yanzu….

A Story for Advent: Salome

A Story for Advent: Salome

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: As i indicated last week, i am posting a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, this week we will hear from Salome, a young neighbor who befriends Mary.

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (This week - December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar (December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (December 20th) 

* * * * *

My name is Salome and I live in the town of Nazareth….

A Story for Advent: Isaac

A Story for Advent: Isaac

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* * * * *

NOTE: Those of you who have subscribed to this blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year i have chosen to share the eyewitness accounts of four adolescents, beginning with Isaac, the son of Abraham. i have included his story so that we might be reminded of the promise of a Savior even dating back to the days of Genesis. The remaining three accounts are from fictional characters who represent the nameless individuals who experienced the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, let’s look at each part of this story through the eyes of these four very different eyewitnesses:

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (This week – November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar (December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (December 20th) 

* * * * *

My name is Isaac and I am the fourteen-year-old son of Abraham….

An Advent Story (Part 4) – Annas the scribe

An Advent Story (Part 4) – Annas the scribe

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* * * * *

NOTE: This is the last of four stories i have posted for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. Each one, as you already know if you have been following along, is a fictional first-person account of the events that surrounded our Savior’s birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (This week - December 21st)

This week you will hear from a scribe named Annas. His name should sound familiar to you. He would eventually become a high priest in Jerusalem, and he, together with his son-in-law Caiaphas, would be instrumental in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. At the time of Jesus’s birth, however, he would have been a young man. So, let’s consider the possibility that his first knowledge of the existence of the King of kings was at the time of Christ’s birth. Let’s listen to this young, ambitious scribe as he shares his eyewitness account of this portion of the Advent story.

* * * * *

My name is Annas and I am a young scribe serving in the court of King Herod the Great….

An Advent Story (Part 3) – Eliezer the cousin

An Advent Story (Part 3) – Eliezer the cousin

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: This is the third of four stories i am posting for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. These are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded His birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in these stories are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (This week - December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

This week you will hear from a fictional character by the name of Eliezer. He is the son of Joseph’s fictional cousin, Achim. Achim, his wife Miriam, and all their family reside in Bethlehem. You heard about some of what Mary and Joseph encountered last week from Clopas. So let’s continue with the advent story through his eyewitness account.

* * * * *

I am Achim and Miriam’s youngest son, Eliezer….

An Advent Story (Part 2) – Clopas the uncle

An Advent Story (Part 2) – Clopas the uncle

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: Starting last week and continuing for the next two weeks, i am posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of the Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at each part of this story through the eyes of four very different eyewitnesses:

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (This week – December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

This week you will hear from Clopas the uncle. Some historians and scholars believe that Clopas was the younger brother of Joseph, and as such, he would have had a unique perspective on the events that were unfolding. So let’s continue with the advent story through his eyewitness account.

* * * * *

My name is Clopas. I am the son of Jacob the carpenter, and the younger brother of Joseph. I was born in Cana of Galilee and lived there for much of my life….

An Advent Story (Part 1) – Jacob the elder

An Advent Story (Part 1) – Jacob the elder

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: As has become my annual practice, beginning today and for the next three weeks, i will be posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of the Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at each part of this story through the eyes of four very different eyewitnesses:

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (This week – November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

* * * * *

I am Jacob, the leading elder and rabbi in Nazareth….

An Advent Story - Anna

An Advent Story - Anna

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: This is the last of four short stories i am posting this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained therein are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season.

The stories include:

Gabriel – the angel (December 1)

Zechariah – the priest (December 8)

Elizabeth – the cousin (December 15)

Anna – the prophetess (This week - December 22)

* * * * *

I am Anna, considered by some to be a prophetess….

An Advent Story - Elizabeth

An Advent Story - Elizabeth

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE: This is the third of four short stories i am posting this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained therein are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season.

The stories include:

Gabriel – the angel (December 1)

Zechariah – the priest (December 8)

Elizabeth – the cousin (This week - December 15)

Anna – the prophetess (December 22)

* * * * *

I am Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, and I am a blessed woman….

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