Ken Winter

February 26, 2020

Amazing Grace

Ken Winter

February 26, 2020

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….

Ken Winter

February 19, 2020

King of My Heart

Ken Winter

February 19, 2020

We live in stormy times. The world in which we live can be a very distressing place. The nightly news is filled with reports of the ravages of disease, the havoc of disasters, and the inhumanity and incivility of man. Within a matter of moments, our lives can be upended into a cascading turmoil by sudden loss, distressing news or tragic circumstances. Where are we to turn?

This past Sunday in worship, as we sang the contemporary psalm entitled King of My Heart (lyrics below), it was a fresh reminder that our Almighty God is the only One to whom we can turn when everything around us is spinning out of control. That simple song makes eight powerful statements about our Almighty God:

He is the mountain… where i run

He is the fountain… from which i drink

He is the shadow… where i hide

He is the ransom… for my life

He is the wind… inside my sails

He is the anchor… in the waves

He is the fire… in my veins

He is the echo… of my days

Ken Winter

February 12, 2020

The Majority Report

Ken Winter

February 12, 2020

My second novel entitled Through the Eyes of a Spy is scheduled to release next month. The book follows the journey of the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt through their inhabitation of the Promised Land. The story is told through the eyes of Caleb – one of only two adult men who were eyewitnesses to the events of the entire span of time. It is a story of faithfulness – first and foremost, the faithfulness of God, but also the faithfulness of one of His servants.

Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land by Moses while the rest of the people waited in the wilderness. The spies were given the assignment to explore the land that God had already given the Israelites and bring back a report. The twelve men were a veritable who’s who of Israelite society. These were leaders not only of their respective tribes, but of their entire nation. When these men spoke, the people would stop to listen.

Moses had told them what they were to explore….

Ken Winter

February 5, 2020

The gods we have chosen

Ken Winter

February 5, 2020

As Americans, we pride ourselves on the fact that we get to choose. We believe that no one should have the right to choose for us. Many of us would die for the right of freedom to choose. Many brave men and women have! Sadly, many innocents die every day under the guise of an evil and errant view of the right to choose.

Our Creator has given us the right to choose. The good news is – God has given us a choice. Sadly, more often, the bad news is – God has given us a choice.

The Israelite leader, Joshua, is famous for challenging the people of Israel when he said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”(1) Jesus, in His famous “Sermon on the Mount”, said, “No one can serve two masters”(2) – with the implication being that we must choose between the two.

The reality is that all choices are not equal. They aren’t all the “right” choice….

Ken Winter

January 29, 2020

A Legacy of Faithfulness

Ken Winter

January 29, 2020

i am currently writing a series of short stories that recount the legacies left by some of the early matriarchs, patriarchs, prophets and rulers of the people of Israel. Some of those men and women left legacies of faithfulness; others left legacies of faithlessness. It is particularly interesting to look at the legacies of the kings of Judah. Eight of the twenty rulers that followed Solomon in reigning over the southern kingdom of Judah are considered to have ruled with good character. The remaining twelve are not.

What is particularly interesting to me is that four of those “good” rulers were the sons of “bad” kings, and five of the “bad” rulers were the sons of “good” kings. Five who were born out of a legacy of faithfulness became faithless, and four who were raised under a legacy of faithlessness became faithful.

So, what’s my point? Each one of us chooses the legacy we will leave to those who come after us. Each daughter or son makes her/his own choice.

Ken Winter

January 22, 2020

A Journey To The Unknown

Ken Winter

January 22, 2020

As i write this, there is a brave young woman traveling halfway around the globe to a place she has never been before. She bid farewell to her family and friends, and to the only home she has ever known, in order to build a new home in a foreign place. It’s not a short term trip. It’s not for just a few years. It’s for the rest of her life… as Jesus tarries. She is making the journey because she knows that God would have her do so. i confess that i admire her courage and her faith. She truly has embarked on a Genesis 12 journey – a journey to an unknown place.

i saw a picture this morning that was taken of her with her family just before she boarded the plane to begin her journey. Their beautiful faces told a story of love, excitement, hope, joy… and sadness. There’s that joy over doing what you know God has called you to do…and excitement over where the journey will lead… but there is also sadness as you say farewell to those who are near and dear. That’s as true for the loved ones who remain at home as it is for the one who is making the journey….

Ken Winter

January 15, 2020

He Will Return

Ken Winter

January 15, 2020

The sixth and final book of my series Lessons Learned In The Wilderness releases this week. It is an important mile marker for me in my spiritual journey. This week marks the 16th anniversary of the day the Lord confirmed His direction to me to begin writing the first book in the series.

At the time, we had just begun a journey of faith into the unknown. As i reflect over the sixteen years since this journey began – and the 366 chapters that comprise the complete series (6 books, 61 chapters each) – i am again reminded of the faithfulness of our God. Each one of these chapters is one of the many lessons He taught us along the way. They are lessons about His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His steadfastness, His love, His provision, and so much more.

This book – Until He Returns – looks at the journey of those first century followers of Jesus as seen through the Book of Acts. i am mindful that Acts begins with a group of one hundred twenty men and women gathered around Jesus to say farewell as He ascends into heaven. They were embarking on their own journey into the unknown. They knew what it meant to walk with Jesus – but now they were supposed to continue on – even though He would no longer be there with them physically.

Ken Winter

January 8, 2020

Don't Lose The Wonder

Ken Winter

January 8, 2020

Christmas may be over, but let’s not lose the wonder of who Jesus is.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “And when He {the Messiah} comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!”(1) Blindness, deafness, lameness and muteness are not conditions that are orchestrated by God. They did not exist when God created the heavens and the earth. Rather, they are products of the fall of man that resulted from human sin. God had nothing to do with the creation of those conditions, but He has everything to do with their cure.

In John chapter 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples asked Jesus the cause for this man being born blind. Most often when we witness or experience loss of this nature – whether it be loss of sight or hearing, or the loss of life, or the loss of position or possession – due to disaster, disease, violence or some unexplainable reason – we want to know what caused the pain. But most often even knowing the cause doesn’t provide us with a decisive explanation – let alone an explanation that satisfies us. Because we will never be satisfied with pain or loss – no matter the cause – nor should we!

However, if we are following Jesus, we can take strength from the Lord’s assurance….

Ken Winter

January 1, 2020

Advent - Balthazar's Story

Ken Winter

January 1, 2020

NOTE: This post concludes my series of five short stories for the Advent season. This story, as well as the previous four, have been my gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first four posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though each story stands alone, it is helpful to have the context of the full series. i have endeavored to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels, but please bear in mind that by their nature these stories are fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been woven into each story. My prayer is that, through the telling, you have experienced anew the glorious arrival of our Lord and Savior through a different set of lenses. To that end, join this final “eyewitness” as he tell his story.
The Series:
Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)
Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)
Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)
Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)
Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (This week – January 1)
i pray you have a joy-filled and God-blessed new year!

My name is Balthazar. I am a life-long student of the science of the stars. I have been so ever since I was a child. I grew up and live in the city of Babylon. Once the center of the greatest empire on the face of the earth, we are now a provincial capital within the somewhat lesser Parthian Empire. The empire encompasses the whole of the Levant along the Mediterranean Sea, excluding the city of Tyre. Our province within the empire includes all of the region that makes up the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty of China passes through our province, making us a prosperous center of trade and commerce.

As the satrap of our province, my father governed our region – paying proper tribute and supplying soldiers to our king. Because of this arrangement, our king is often referred to as the “King of Kings.” I am my father’s second son; therefore, I am not his primogeniture. He did not groom me to become the next satrap. Rather, I have been permitted to pursue my love of science, and have become one of the leading magi of my province. I have enjoyed a life of privilege and was educated in the palace by some of the finest scholars in the world. Over the years, our empire has adopted the art, architecture, cultures and religious beliefs of the ancient Babylonians, the Greeks and the Persians. And now, through our commerce, our beliefs and culture are also being greatly influenced by the Romans and the Chinese….

Ken Winter

December 25, 2019

Advent - Simeon's Story

Ken Winter

December 25, 2019

NOTE: For this Advent season, my blog posts have taken a different turn. For the five weeks beginning December 4, i am posting five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. These stories are a gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first three posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though each story stands alone, it is helpful to have the context of the full series. i have endeavored to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels, but please bear in mind that by their nature these stories are fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been woven into each story. My prayer is that, through the telling, we witness anew the glorious arrival of the One who had been promised. To that end, join these “eyewitnesses” as they tell their stories:
Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)
Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)
Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)
Simeon – An expectant prophet (This week – December 25)
Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (January 1)

My name is Simeon. I have lived a long and full life. On my last birthday, I turned one hundred thirteen years of age. I know that you’re going to tell me that I don’t look a day over one hundred – so I will tell you my secret to looking so youthful. It’s figs! Most every day of my life I have eaten a fig. I recommend them to you!

But – in all seriousness – I will tell you the secret as to how I have lived to such an old age. When I was young the Spirit of God gave me a promise. He told me that I would not see death before I had seen the Promised Messiah. Each day thereafter I have lived expectantly – awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise to me – knowing that He is not a man that He would lie. That which God has promised will come to pass! Therefore I have also lived assuredly – knowing that I was immortal until the day of the blessed event. Today is that very day! But before I tell you about the events of this day, allow me to go back to the day that God gave me His promise….

WHERE CAN WE SEND YOUR E-BOOK?