Ken Winter
His Dwelling Place

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What does it mean to live in the shelter of the Most High and to find rest in His shadow? This is how Psalm 91 begins—a psalm many attribute to Moses. i believe that attribution is fitting. Moses is the one who carried Jehovah God’s instructions to His people for constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He witnessed the fabrication of each part and completed the last of the work.

The Tabernacle was completed exactly as the Lord specified and was erected on the first anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt. That day, the Lord’s glorious presence descended upon it, covering and filling it with His awesome glory. His presence, previously seen in the guiding pillar of cloud, now took residence within His dwelling place among the people. From that day on, as His Spirit led, the people moved forward; when His Spirit remained in the Tabernacle, the people encamped.

His Dwelling Place
Ken Winter
An Unknown God

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In many ways, our world today mirrors the one in which the apostle Paul set out to share the Good News of Jesus. We have become so post-Christian that society now resembles a pre-Christian culture, where there is little knowledge or memory of Jesus. In this sense, we are not unlike the city of Athens, where Paul once preached.

After leaving Thessalonica, Paul brought the gospel to Berea. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that the message had reached Berea, they traveled there to disrupt his work. Despite the opposition, many in Berea believed in Jesus. Sensing the danger Paul was in, the new believers encouraged him to leave the city. Some of them accompanied him as he departed for Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained to disciple the new believers.

While waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and spent the other days in the public square….

An Unknown God
Ken Winter
Between the Already and the Not Yet

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As Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, teaching His disciples, He began this particular discourse with the admonition, “be on the alert,” and concluded with the exact same words. In reading His words in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that He directed this message to four distinct “audiences.”

First, He addressed His disciples' specific questions. Second, since Jesus’ earthly ministry focused primarily on the Jewish people, this message was also directed to them. Third, He spoke to His church—those who would follow after Him, including us today, who will be with Him in heaven before the Tribulation. (By the way, as a side note—as His people we will escape the Tribulation, but He never promised that we will escape tribulation.) Fourth, He was speaking to His followers who would come to faith in Him during the Tribulation (after the rapture, but before His second coming).

For those of us in that third group—believers following Him today—we live in a place between the “already” and the “not yet.”

Between the Already and the Not Yet
Ken Winter
Simple Stories, Profound Truths

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When Jesus spoke to the crowds, He often used simple stories (parables) to communicate profound truths about the Kingdom of God. Have you ever gotten confused over what Jesus was saying? If so, you’re in good company because even the apostles were confused—until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The good news is, if we are followers of Jesus, we have that same Holy Spirit inside of us to reveal all truth.

Once, the disciples asked Him, “Why do You use parables when You talk to the people?” Jesus replied, “To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” He added, “I use parables because they look, but don’t really see. They hear, but don’t really listen or understand.”

Jesus was emphasizing profound truths ….

Simple Stories, Profound Truths
Ken Winter
No More Manna

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Have you recently lost a job or seen a significant income stream dry up? Are you feeling discouraged or confused about what’s happening? Are you struggling to make sense of an unexpected change in your life? There’s a lesson to be learned from the Israelites’ experience soon after they crossed into the Promised Land.

Few Israelites were old enough to remember the days before they ate manna. For them, it had become a basic staple of their diet—like fresh ground peanut butter is for me today. The generation that perished in the wilderness had been the ones grumbling, “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt… There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”God responded to their complaints and miraculously provided them with manna.

No More Manna

Grace

Grace-full

Grace-full

Grace. Undeserved favor. Unmerited blessing. Grace extended to us by God. Grace extended by us toward one another. How often do we treat grace as if it is a right we deserve, but at the same time a possession that we choose to grudgingly grant – or not grant – to others? Our social media feeds bear witness to the fact that most frequently we are much quicker to receive grace than we are to extend it.

At the same time, we often confuse grace with license. We act as if we think we deserve grace; therefore, we can do or act in any way we desire, and still expect to receive it.

Endora's Story

Endora's Story

This Friday, February 19th, i am releasing my new book of short stories for Easter entitled The One Who Stood Before Us. It is a collection of forty short stories. Each one of the stories are eyewitness accounts from people who encountered Jesus. Most often in the Gospels we hear about the encounters that Jesus had either through His perspective or through that of the Gospel writer. Through these fictional stories, i endeavor to allow us to hear about the encounter through the eyes of the individual. Some of the individuals come straight out of the Gospels, like this one; and others are representative of the many other people who were in the crowds, whose stories are not told to us.

This is a story you will recognize from the Bible, but i have given the woman a name, and i have added fictional details to enable us to understand what her life was probably like prior to, as well as after, her encounter with Jesus. She had a story just like each one of us. i pray her story challenges and encourages you in yours!

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My name is Endora and I am neither Roman nor Jew; I am a Samaritan, living in the village of Sychar. You might think you have never heard of our village before, but you would be wrong. We actually have quite a history – much of which you already know….

Not Just Another Face In The Crowd

Not Just Another Face In The Crowd

As i finished writing this short story today, i was impressed that it is a reminder for this very hour. There are many in our midst who are struggling with isolation and depression, or just the circumstances of life – some brought on by COVID-19 and others by recent changes or sudden events in their lives. You may be one of those who is struggling. If so, i pray this story – a fictional account of the woman with the issue of blood – is a reminder to you that you are not just another face in the crowd to Jesus. You’re why He came!

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My name is Deborah. I am my parents’ eldest daughter. They named me after the prophetess who served as the fourth judge of Israel in the pre-monarchic days. She was a strong woman and a formidable leader who brought peace to the land through the defeat of the mighty Canaanite army led by their feared general, Sisera. My parents were hopeful I would emulate the strength, courage and wisdom of my namesake….

Come As You Are

Come As You Are

There was a man who had two sons. The younger son came to his father and demanded, “Father, give me the share of your property that belongs to me.” So the father divided his property between his two sons. Not long after, the younger son went away and squandered everything he possessed on reckless living. By the time he was done, he had nothing left. His possessions were exhausted. His friends had abandoned him. Even his self-respect was gone.

To make matters worse, a severe famine fell across the land. The son had nowhere to turn – or so he thought. The only work he could find was doing the most abased thing he could imagine – slopping the pigs.As he labored in the sty, he convinced himself he was of less value than even those pigs. At least they had someone to care for them. He was not even worthy of the pods he was feeding them. He had nothing with which to commend himself to anyone. He was a broken man….

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

If you were to ask me my favorite hymn, i would tell you without any hesitation that it is Amazing Grace – but more specifically the more modern version released by Chris Tomlin in 2006 (lyrics below). i would also tell you that i am a fan of the movie of the same name (also released in 2006) which tells the compelling stories of William Wilberforce and John Newton. Both men were driven to action by the amazing grace that they came to realize had been extended to them by God. Both men were compelled by the reality that grace is not to be kept; it is to be passed on.

As i felt impressed to write this post, i looked up the word “amazing”. Forgive my redundancy – but i was “amazed” by the list of synonyms: astonishing, astounding, surprising, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking, perplexing, awe-inspiring, phenomenal, unbelievable – and more.

We all know that grace cannot be earned. If it could be earned by our efforts, our works, our wealth or our abilities, it wouldn’t be grace….

The Scandal of Grace

The Scandal of Grace

i don’t know about you, but the phrase “the scandal of grace” sounds contradictory and discordant to me. As regular readers of this blog are aware, i often include the lyrics of contemporary worship songs in my posts. i have oft said that i believe worship songs – whether they be traditional or contemporary – are the outpouring of the deep beliefs we hold in our hearts toward the One who alone is worthy of our worship. 

Like the psalmists, the expressions of our hearts in worship are best conveyed through our “heart songs”. They are a reflection of the gripping truth our Lord God Creator has kneaded into our lives. But sometimes the expressions we use in pouring out our heart songs can be jarring. Another example i wrote about several months ago is the idea that God’s love could ever be considered to be reckless (“Reckless Love”). 

We would readily agree that God’s grace is amazing and that His grace is enough. By its definition, grace is the unmerited favor and love that God freely extends to us. And we must quickly add that though His grace is free to us, it cost Him dearly. It cost Him the shed blood of His Son. His grace is precious. His grace is beyond our comprehension. So how can His grace be scandalous?

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