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

Obedience

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?

The Choice Is Ours

The Choice Is Ours

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We are a people who thrive on choices, and in our culture of consumerism and self-gratification, there is no shortage of choices. Though the breadth and variety of those choices has broadened throughout the years, it’s not a new concept. The ability to choose dates back to the Garden of Eden. It is an integral part of who we are as God’s creation. Our Creator gave us the ability and capacity to choose. But as our Creator, He knew our frame. He knew He needed to give us guardrails to help us make the right choices. But the downside of our ability to choose was – and is – our capacity to choose to function outside of those guardrails and make wrong choices. So it was in the Garden … so it is today … and so it was for the people of Israel as they made their way to the Promised Land.

There is No Such Thing as a Small Act of Obedience

There is No Such Thing as a Small Act of Obedience

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When was the last time you felt God prompting you to step out of your comfort zone? It may have been a prompting to perform a small act of service for someone you didn’t know … or someone you knew … but didn’t like. It may have been a prompting to do something that you’ve never done before … and you were afraid you would fail … and embarrass yourself … or fall flat on your face. Or, it may have been a prompting to speak to someone who intimidates you … and the prospect was frightening to you.

And you may have been tempted to ignore the prompting by convincing yourself that your obedience didn’t really matter. Someone else could do it; someone else who was far more capable … or far more confident … or far more qualified.

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