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.

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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)

You Have Not Passed This Way Before

You Have Not Passed This Way Before

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Just this morning i heard from or about a number of good friends who are walking through difficult circumstances or life-altering events. One has been intubated and placed on a ventilator as his body fights the ravages of Covid-19. One is grieving the death of a parent … and still another the passing of a spouse. Another has been exploring a job change and is now dealing with the disappointment of a recent rejection. Yet, still another announced with great joy that he is embarking on an exciting new career opportunity.

And right now, we are all watching while the people of Afghanistan are experiencing a traumatic and chaotic transition that appears to have caught everyone by surprise. We pray for the many whose lives have been uprooted as they flee their homeland, as well as the many more who are bracing for the unknown as they remain in their country.

At the same time, the people of Haiti are reeling from the devastating effects of the recent earthquake ….

Everyone Loves Jesus … Or So It Appeared

Everyone Loves Jesus … Or So It Appeared

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It was the first day of the week, and the crowd was enthusiastically welcoming Jesus into the city. Most of the people spread their garments or branches on the road before Him. Everyone appeared to love Jesus! Well, maybe not everyone. But, at that moment, you would have thought everyone did by the way the crowd was acting.

If It Is Of God, You Will Not Stop It

If It Is Of God, You Will Not Stop It

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Have you ever felt as if God has directed you to do something … but the world around you is standing against you? Has that kind of opposition ever discouraged you from doing what you know God has directed you to do?

Jesus encountered opposition at almost every turn throughout the three years of His earthly ministry, as did His disciples. It should therefore come as no surprise that the same will be true for us. So, what do we do when we encounter that opposition? It would be good for us to take a reminder from Peter and John.

In the days following Pentecost, Peter and John (as well as the other apostles) boldly proclaimed the Good News of Jesus. Many who heard came to faith, but many more rejected the Good News. Most notable in their rejection was the religious establishment. They, in turn, did everything they could to dissuade the apostles. They threatened them – and when that didn’t work, they arrested, imprisoned and flogged them. But still, Peter and John would not be put off….

What Happens When The Water Is Gone?

What Happens When The Water Is Gone?

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All of us have been through a lot over these past eighteen months. Experiences like we have been through tend to cause us to consider what it is we can really count on when we find ourselves in a tough spot. What can we depend on to get us out? Is it our possessions (do we have enough money to pay our way out)? Is it our position (do we have enough pull or ability to get ourselves out, or at least ride it out)? Is it our relationships (do we know the right people who have the answers and can help us get out of this jam)? Those aren’t really new questions. Humankind has been thinking that way almost from the very beginning.

One example is a man who had faithfully gone to a pool each day for thirty-eight years. He was trusting in the miraculous powers of a pool of water to heal him. But he came to learn that there was One in whom he could trust even if the water was gone. He could have confidence even if the possessions, the position, or the relationships suddenly disappeared. There was One who would never fade away or forsake him….

Jesus Never Hesitated

Jesus Never Hesitated

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There was a point in Jesus’s earthly ministry that people had seen Him perform many miracles – from the transformation of water to wine, to the healing of lepers, cripples and even the blind. The people had marveled at this One who could make the lame to walk and the blind to see. And the multitudes began to flock to Him to witness, and for many, to experience – His healing touch. But they were about to see something they had NEVER seen before – and something they could not even imagine. They were about to see Jesus raise a young man from the dead!

The day had started out no different from any other. A large crowd had been following Him throughout the day. Jesus was approaching the gate to enter the village of Nain late in the day.(1) At the same time, a funeral procession was making its way out of the village on its way to the cemetery….

What’s So Special About Cana?

What’s So Special About Cana?

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Have you ever believed God was telling you to do something that makes absolutely no sense? Did you ever find yourself asking Him, “God, you want me to do what?!?” If so, there is a lesson for us to learn that comes out of an otherwise very inconsequential place.

It was an obscure corner of Galilee. Very few people knew where it was, let alone traveled to it. As a matter of fact, the village of Cana is never mentioned in the Old Testament, and it is only referred to three times in the New Testament. Most people only passed through Cana on their way to somewhere else. It wasn’t a center of activity like Jerusalem or even Capernaum. But Cana became significant one day, not because of what it was, but because of what took place there. It became significant because Jesus came there. It became significant because of how a group of people responded to Him….

Matthew Wasn’t Looking For Jesus

Matthew Wasn’t Looking For Jesus

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i don’t know about you, but i can’t say i found God because i was pursuing Him. Rather, He was pursuing me. And in that regard, i have a lot in common with Matthew. And perhaps, you do as well.

Most of the disciples that followed Jesus were people who were seeking the Messiah. They knew the Scriptures. They knew the prophecies. They were watchful and expectant that the Messiah would one day come – perhaps in their lifetimes. They had been greatly influenced by the ministry of John the Baptist. Most were influential members of their fishing villages. And though they were not religious leaders, they were respected and trusted within their local religious communities. Though they may not have been learned men,(1) in many respects they had a great pedigree to be followers of Jesus! Besides – as fishermen, they had great early training on how to be fishers of men!

But that wasn’t the case with Levi. He was a tax collector….

Even John Had His Doubts

Even John Had His Doubts

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Are you walking through a difficult situation right now? Have you been calling out to God … but He doesn’t seem to be answering? Are you feeling like Jesus has abandoned you? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us have been there at some point – including some whom we might least expect.

John the baptizer was a man of conviction and courage – the greatest of the prophets. He came in the spirit and power of Elijah and even dressed and ministered like him. Like Elijah, John had a message of judgment for the entire nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah had foretold John’s coming. John’s ministry was to prepare the nation for Jesus and present Jesus to the nation. He had been sent to earth with a pretty impressive mandate from God….

In the Shadow of Peter

In the Shadow of Peter

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Whose shadow did you grow up under? Was it an older sibling? Was it a parent? Was it someone you looked up to and hoped to reflect? Everyone has been touched by someone’s shadow at some point in their life … even the brightest stars! And each of us casts a shadow of our own. A question to consider is what kind of shadow are we casting? There was one apostle of Jesus who grew up under the immense shadow of another but still learned how to cast his own – and it was pretty impressive.

Andrew was significantly younger than his brother, Simon. Together, they had grown up in Bethsaida on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew had always lived his life in the shadow of his big brother. He was often referred to as Andrew, the brother of Simon. But that fact never seemed to bother him. He loved, respected and looked up to his brother.

He Didn't Set Out To Betray Jesus

He Didn't Set Out To Betray Jesus

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Don’t lose sight of the fact that Judas Iscariot didn’t set out on his journey to follow Jesus with betrayal on his mind. He followed Jesus because he truly believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. He “believed” in Jesus. He was an “early adopter” and supporter. He wanted to get in on the “ground floor” of Jesus’s eventual rise to power. It is important to understand, at the outset, that Judas never envisioned he would betray Jesus. Rather, Judas envisioned he would be a part of His trusted circle – maybe not as close as Peter, James and John – but certainly close behind. After all, he was the keeper of the treasury for Jesus and the disciples.

Judas believed that Jesus had seen his financial skills and abilities, and would place him in an important position on His leadership team when the day arrived for His reign as King. Judas “trusted” that Jesus would enable him to be successful and achieve his personal desires of life – those of position, possessions and power. Therefore, on the short-term, he was willing to sacrifice all of those things. He was willing to wander the Judean wilderness with Jesus and the rest of the disciples. From his perspective, it was a good investment that would pay off in the end….

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