Ken Winter
They Raised A Generation Who Did Not Know Him

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In these days of my life i find myself reflecting on the fact that God has blessed me with a godly heritage.

The question before us is, what are we modeling for the generation that we are raising up? Is our relationship with our LORD one that we desire for our children and grandchildren to mirror? Are we passionately pursuing our LORD with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and actively walking with Him in His mission? Or are we merely going through the motions?

They Raised A Generation Who Did Not Know Him
Ken Winter
I Look To the Mountains

It has been several weeks since i posted. Many of you know that i have been walking through health challenges. By God’s grace, and in His strength, i am now able to share with you that He has carried me through these most recent developments. He has used this time to remind me just how faithful He is, and just how dependent i am upon Him.

I Look To the Mountains
Ken Winter
Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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Introduction to this post:

This is the fourth of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

Week #3 – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

This week - December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Balthazar and I am a lifelong student of the science of the stars….

Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

Introduction to this post:

This is the third of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

This week – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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I am a shepherd named Moshe.

Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

Introduction to this post:

This is the second of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Last week - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

This week - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Achim. My family and I live here in Bethlehem, the town of our ancestor David, the shepherd king….

Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

A Word of Comfort

A Word of Comfort

Jesus and the disciples were in the upper room. They had just finished eating their supper when Jesus announced that He must leave them, and they would not be able to come with Him – at least for now. Remember, they had given up everything to follow Him. He had been the center of their lives for the prior three years. And now He was going away?

They had no idea whatsoever as to what was going to happen in the next few hours. The idea that He would soon be arrested, by that time tomorrow His body would be laying in a tomb, and in three days He would arise from the dead, was not even a possibility in their minds. Instead, they were still all contemplating what position they would hold on His cabinet when He declared Himself to be the Messiah and established His earthly kingdom.

To make matters even worse….

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys

A few years ago, the Lord blessed my wife, LaVonne, and i with a “mountaintop” experience of a lifetime. He orchestrated events so we could enjoy ten days of extended quiet time with Him in an upper room in the city of Jerusalem. It was not “the” upper room where the apostles gathered; but for us personally, it was our “upper room”. It was a place where the Lord permitted us to wait before Him, to hear His voice, to experience His presence, and to be renewed through the filling of His Spirit. Though i know that He is able to do those things in my life wherever i am – whenever i am willing to be still before Him – it was an added blessing to do so there in Jerusalem where the Lord Himself says that He will one day make His home among His people.(1)

As we ate our meals on the rooftop overlooking the city, we could hear the joy of children laughing and playing in the near distance, mixed with the sounds of gentle breezes and the chirping of birds. i envisioned – as best i could – what that day will be like when our Lord returns to make His home there among His people.

As the time drew to a close, i knew that we could not tarry there

God's Not Done With You

God's Not Done With You

When was the last time you messed up? For most of us, we don’t have to think back very far. It was within the last ten minutes, or earlier today, or yesterday. i know it most certainly has been for me. If your answer is more than a week ago, i want to challenge you to rethink your answer, and reconsider all of your thoughts, attitudes and actions over the past week. I think you’ll find that it was more recent than you think.

As I said, for most of us, the answer will come more immediately to mind. We know we messed up. But some of us haven’t done anything about it. We’ve just continued to feel bad about it ever since.

David, the shepherd king and psalmist, knew exactly how we feel when he wrote….

Easter - The Brother

Easter - The Brother

NOTE: My three-week series of short stories surrounding the ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus concludes this week. These stories are fictional first-person accounts of three different men who encountered and responded to Jesus in very different ways. My prayer is that, through the stories, you will see Jesus and be reminded of the Good News of Easter.

The Rich Young Ruler (Reuben’s Story) – March 17

The Servant (Malchus’s Story) – March 24

The Brother (Jude’s Story) – This week – March 31

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My name is Jude. I am my mother Mary’s fourth son, the third by her husband Joseph. I am six years younger than my half-brother Jesus, three years younger than my brother James and one year younger than my brother Joseph. I have one younger brother, Simon, and two younger sisters, Mary and Salome. My youngest sister was named in honor of a woman who befriended my mother as a young girl when she was pregnant with Jesus; she continues to be a life-long friend.

As you might guess, I am a carpenter, just like the rest of my father’s sons. I was fifteen when my father died….

Easter - The Servant

Easter - The Servant

NOTE: My three-week series of short stories surrounding the ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus continues this week. These stories are fictional first-person accounts of three different men who encountered and responded to Jesus in very different ways. My prayer is that, through the stories, you will see Jesus and be reminded of the Good News of Easter.

The Rich Young Ruler (Reuben’s Story) – March 17

The Servant (Malchus’s Story) – This week – March 24

The Brother (Jude’s Story) – March 31

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My name is Malchus. My father is a servant to the High Priest Ananus ben Seth, whom you know as Annas. He served Rabbi Annas from the days before he became high priest, and from the days before I was born. I was six years old when our family moved with Rabbi Annas and his family into the palace of the high priest. Of course, we lived in the servants’ quarters while they lived in the palace.

Though there was never any question that I was the child of a servant – which also made me a servant – children in a palace tend to find one another. The high priest’s oldest daughter, Leah, was a year younger than I was. Though she and I were not the only two children in the palace, we were close in age so it was inevitable that we would play together….

Easter - The Rich Young Ruler

Easter - The Rich Young Ruler

NOTE: Starting today and for the two weeks that follow, i will be posting a total of three short stories surrounding the ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. These stories are fictional first-person accounts of three different men who encountered and responded to Jesus in very different ways. My prayer is that, through the stories, you will see Jesus and be reminded of the Good News of Easter.

The Rich Young Ruler (Reuben’s Story) – This week – March 17

The Servant (Malchus’s Story) – March 24

The Brother (Jude’s Story) – March 31

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I am Reuben, the oldest of my father’s six sons, and I grew up in Jerusalem. My father is a member of the Great Sanhedrin – a position he has held since I was a mere boy. He serves that grand body as its treasurer, overseeing the finances of the temple. His position has not only provided him with great influence among our people, it has also brought him great wealth.

He is a contemporary and confidant of our former high priest, Annas, and together they crafted many ways to increase the temple treasury – which also brought them personal gain. Their relationship dates back to their early years in rabbinical school and blossomed into a strong, lifelong alliance….

The One Who Stays

The One Who Stays

Today you will KNOW that the Great I AM is the One who stays! Wherever you are standing … whatever you are walking through … and whatever you are facing in the path ahead … you will KNOW!

If there has been any question or doubt that God is with you, today that will be settled – once and for all! Today your “hope” will no longer be a “wish”; it will become a confident assurance. It will no longer simply be a longing or desire; it will become the source of your longing and desire. Today your “faith” will no longer be based upon sincere intention; it will be founded on immutable truth. Your faith will no longer be based on an idea or an ideal; it will be firmly planted in the Person of the Almighty God….

Here Again

Here Again

Often as we journey through the wilderness of our lives, we think we’re all by ourselves. We begin to think that there is no one else walking through a wilderness like ours, and no one else who understands what we are going through. We allow ourselves to become isolated and alone … and from there we fall headlong into despair.

During the years the Israelites were walking through their wilderness, a census was taken that indicated there were over 600,000 men.(1) It represented men who were able to go to war, aged twenty years and older. Estimating the number of women and children, as well as the tribe of the Levites that were not included in this count, the total number of Israelites easily approached or exceeded two million people, which equals or exceeds the population of ninety-four countries in our world today. This truly was the nation of Israel. This nation was prepared to mobilize an army in excess of 600,000 men if the need arose; that number would only be exceeded by the armies of seven nations in our world today. Are you getting the picture that this was not a small group of people?

And yet, they too, felt alone and isolated!

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….

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….

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