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

Apostle Peter

Pride Comes Before a Fall

Pride Comes Before a Fall

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This week, we’re looking at some of the early days of the church. The idea of a being a “body” of believers was brand new. No one had done it before, and everyone was following the Spirit of God as closely as they could.

Barnabas, a man who was already distinguishing himself as a humble servant of God, had just selflessly sold a piece of land and given the proceeds of the sale – quite a sum of money – to the church. Since the church shared all things, the believers were all aware and were probably talking about his generosity. More than likely, his gift was drawing more attention to him than he would have liked. He was mature enough in his walk with Christ to realize that no glory should come to him. God had entrusted the parcel of land to him as provision for the body. God had directed him to sell the land and surrender the proceeds to the church for the ministry of the body. There was nothing glorious about that act as it related to Barnabas in his own eyes – all glory belonged to God.

What Should We Do?

What Should We Do?

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We will all encounter a myriad of questions throughout our lifetimes. Some of those questions will be foundational and life-changing, while others will be more trivial and incidental. i would, however, contend that there is one question that stands out above all the rest. It is a question that arises from the depths of the very soul with which we were created. Sadly, it is a question that too many have ignored or rejected. But even one’s failure to respond is in fact a response. It truly is the most important question any of us will ever face.

It was a moment unlike any other they had ever experienced. Only those gathered in the upper room that day were anticipating the arrival of the Spirit of God, and even they had no idea when He would arrive. Everyone else in the city was going about their planned activities. Many were in the city to celebrate the religious Festival of Harvest (Shavuot). With great pomp and ceremony, the Jewish pilgrims had traveled to Jerusalem with their baskets containing their first fruits.

Who Should We Obey?

Who Should We Obey?

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What do we do when those around us are telling us to do one thing, but our conscience says quite another? Or what do we do when the culture surrounding us advocates one thing, when what we know to be true is quite different?

Most of us are familiar with the Hans Christian Andersen folktale entitled The Emperor’s New Clothes (first published in April 1837). As you will recall the emperor becomes convinced that a new suit of clothing of unparalleled beauty and quality has been crafted for him to wear that can only be seen and appreciated by those who are truly wise and discerning. It is an innocent child who ultimately has the courage to say, “But he hasn’t got anything on!”

Sadly, we, too, are often told to accept truths that are not true, and believe facts that are as baseless as the emperor’s nonexistent clothing. What are we to do? Who should we obey?

In Whose Name Have You Done This?

In Whose Name Have You Done This?

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It started with the testimony of a lame man who was faithful to give praise to God for what He had done. Often that’s how God begins a work of salvation. Just like it happened through the woman at the well in Sychar. It also happened through the faithfulness of the young boy who gave his sack lunch to Jesus. And it happened through Lazarus when he walked out of that tomb.

Seeing and hearing that the man born lame was now walking, leaping and praising God, the people in the Temple were “absolutely astounded,” and they “rushed out in amazement” to where the man was “holding tightly” to Peter and John. “Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd.”(7) He wasted no time in asking the crowd two questions to get their focus on the right Person: “what is so surprising about this?” and “why stare at us as though we made this man walk by our own power or godliness?”

It would have been easy for the group to get carried away by the sight of the miracle and totally miss the Miracle Worker.

A Fresh Encounter

A Fresh Encounter

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They knew Jesus better than most everyone else. John had been one of the first to follow Him. Peter had been the only one to walk on the water with Him. And when most everyone else had abandoned Him, Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of His cross and on the third day led several other women to anoint His broken body. Their love for Him had never been shaken … and yet, the faith of even these had waivered.

Mary Magdalene arrived at the place John and Peter were staying. She was not announcing the resurrection of Jesus. She believed Him to be dead. “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” she announced with great despair.

Take It From The Fish

Take It From The Fish

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Have you ever noticed that God works in ways that we rarely expect? It’s His way of reminding us that His ways are not our ways … and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Are you walking through a circumstance in your life today where you are trusting God for an answer? Perhaps you are expecting Him to answer in a certain way … or perhaps you have no idea. Regardless, trust Him to answer in His perfect way … no matter how unexpected it might be. Just ask the fish!

It is not surprising that Matthew, the tax collector, is the only Gospel writer that records this conversation and miracle.

Fishers of Men

Fishers of Men

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Jesus never told Simon and Andrew where they would be going as they followed Him. It was never about the place to where He was leading. He simply told them He would make them “fishers of men”. Their response required total surrender. And to their credit, they didn’t hesitate. They immediately followed Him! Their lives were never the same after that … and neither will ours.

Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense

Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense

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During the three years the apostle Peter walked with Jesus throughout Galilee and Judea, the Lord often told him to “Follow Me.” And that’s what Peter did – he kept his eyes on Jesus and followed Him – through storms, through the many encounters with people experiencing overwhelming needs, and even through his extended times away from his family. Time and again he saw Jesus do the miraculous, the completely unexpected, and from an earthly perspective, the unexplainable. But, through it all, he had confidence … because Jesus was right there with him leading each and every step of the way.

Then the time came when Jesus was arrested and crucified, and for two days Peter and the rest of the Savior’s followers didn’t know what to do. Their world had been shaken. The One they had learned to trust and look to was no longer there with them. And even though Jesus had told them what was going to happen, it still didn’t make sense to them. All they could feel was fear, loss … and shame.

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