Ken Winter
An Unlikely Witness

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The hour had come. It was very late. Jesus had led the disciples to a garden called Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives so He could pray … and they could pray with Him. Well, He had led almost all His disciples. Earlier that night, Judas had abruptly gone out from the upper room while Jesus was still speaking … apparently sent on an errand by the Master. There had been no sign of him since then.

They had all feasted well—perhaps too well—on the delicious Seder meal they had eaten earlier. Throughout the meal and the hours that followed, Jesus had taught them a lot! It was almost as if He was endeavoring to prepare them something … but they weren’t quite sure what that was. They were tired from listening and from trying to make sense of what He had said. So when they sat down on the luscious green grass in the garden in the stillness of the night, their bodies gave in to their need for rest. One by one they fell asleep.

The disciples were unaware that a teenage boy had secretly followed them to the garden and was hiding in the bushes. Here is his account of the night….

An Unlikely Witness
Ken Winter
A Covenant Renewed

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Does it seem like God is directing you to do something at a time which you believe is most inopportune? Has that still, small voice (the Holy Spirit within you) directed you to do something now that is contrary to what your conventional wisdom is telling you to do?

For thirty-eight of the forty years the Israelites spent in the wilderness, no Israelite male was circumcised.And yet, 470 years earlier, God had entered into a covenant with Abraham and his descendants saying, “I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan …  to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God…. Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.”(1) God had given a promise to that first generation of Israelites and had entered into a covenant with them. Their part of the covenant was to obey the terms and seal it through the circumcision of every Israelite male.

A Covenant Renewed
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

Purpose

You Lack Only One Thing

You Lack Only One Thing

We live in a day in which our sense of worth most often comes from what we do, what we possess, how others see us, or what we have achieved. Recently my pastor reminded us that even the games we play reinforce that belief. The winner of the board game of “Life” is the one who amasses the most possessions before arriving at “Millionaire Acres.” As a matter of fact, that’s true of most of the games we play. We win by defeating others, by coming out on top, by amassing the most points or objects. All too often, we are so driven by our misguided sense of worth that we are willing to win at any cost.

Our misguided sense of worth isn’t a new thing; it dates back to the days of Adam and Eve. They bought a lie, and then their son Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. We’ve been buying the lie and comparing ourselves to others ever since.

As we read through the Gospels, we find that there were many who even followed Jesus for all the wrong reasons. They wanted to have more and be more. They followed Him, seeking what He could do for them – a miracle, a meal, riches, or perhaps even a position in His kingdom. Sadly, most would eventually turn away from Him – rejecting His teachings … and most importantly, rejecting Him….

Mile Markers

Mile Markers

Mile markers along the side of the road can be very helpful – particularly when you are on an extended journey. They can help you keep track of where you are in your journey and the progress you have made. They can provide you with a reference point for something you saw or experienced along the way. They can sometimes help you get a better view of what may be coming up ahead. And they can help you keep the longer view versus the myopic view of only that which is immediately in front of you.

Mile markers are helpful in all kinds of ways – but not only on physical journeys. Mile markers can also be very helpful on our spiritual journey. This week has marked two notable mile markers for me. One was 24,000, and the other was 29.

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