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)

Zacchaeus – A Message of Hope

Zacchaeus – A Message of Hope

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As is my practice on occasion, the post this week is a fictional first-person account as told by Zacchaeus about the events and circumstances of his life leading up to his encounter with Jesus. Though some of the characters and details contained in the story are fictional, you will find the truth conveyed to be very REAL! 

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I did not always want to be a tax collector. I was the second son of a merchant by the name of Hiram. He fully expected both his sons would follow in his footsteps.

My mother was very ill as she carried me to term. The midwife had warned her that I might not survive childbirth. But she and I did survive my birth; however, she died soon thereafter. I was sickly as a baby and required constant attention, so my father arranged for a nurse to care for me. As I grew, I continued to be chronically ill, which caused me to be feeble and stunted my growth….

Wings Like Eagles

Wings Like Eagles

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In my quiet time this morning, i was reminded of God’s promise from Isaiah 40:31. I was reminded that as we trust in the Lord, we will find new strength. We will soar high on wings like eagles. We will run and not grow weary. We will walk and not faint.

However, it never truly struck me until this morning that the promise God gave to His people through His prophet Isaiah begins with the words – “But those.” Seeing those two words forces you to look back at what Isaiah was writing before he wrote verse 31.

Too Little Too Late

Too Little Too Late

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When you were a kid, do you remember getting caught doing something your parents or someone else in authority over you had told you not to do – or for not doing something they had told you to do? You suddenly realized there were going to be consequences. You weren’t going to be able to do something you had really been looking forward to doing – like going to a party at a friend’s house, or going to a movie with friends, or the like.

You felt really bad! But, in truth, you didn’t feel bad about what you had done; rather, you felt bad about the consequence of your disobedience. And the truth is, that didn’t just happen back when we were kids. It also has happened to us as adults. As a matter of fact, it may have just happened yesterday.

The Blessing

The Blessing

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Most every one of us has gone through a period in our life journey when we are walking through the unknown. It’s a journey through unfamiliar territory that can take on many different faces such as disease, financial hardship, the breakup of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, extended unemployment, or the like. Even when you know that God is walking with you through every step, and leading you through it, and drawing you close … it still is a journey that weighs heavily and causes you to become exceedingly weary. You may be walking through just such a journey right now. If that’s the case, my prayer is that this post will provide some respite for you.

The Israelites had been on the journey of their exodus from Egypt for approximately a year; and though they had experienced God’s provision and protection, they were weary and ready for the journey to be over….

More Than Enough

More Than Enough

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Are you currently facing a need that is insurmountable, or a challenge that is impossible? Is the situation beyond your capability or the solution beyond your reach? If so, are you trying to solve it, or overcome it, or meet it on your own? Or have you turned to the One who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you and asked Him to do what only He can?

The disciples had just returned from their mission, having been sent out two-by-two into the villages. They were excited to tell Jesus everything they had done and experienced.(1) If you have ever been a part of a short-term mission team that has been sent out to carry the Good News to another part of the nation or the world, you can probably relate somewhat to the disciples. Like them, you probably saw the transforming work of the gospel and the leadership of the Spirit….

Let Us Arise and Build

Let Us Arise and Build

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We live in a day that is sorely in need of great leaders within every corner of our world – those who do not lead for personal gain, fame or recognition, but rather, those who would lead to bring about the changes needed for the benefit of all. But sadly, instead of selflessness, we more often are led by those who are pursuing their own personal agenda. Instead of humility, we are subjected to hubris and narcissism. Instead of the courage to do what is right, we are ruled by those who would rather pursue a path that is more politically expedient.

Within our history as a nation we have benefited from the leadership of men and women of that caliber – leaders such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton and Rosa Parks to name a few. On a global level one would have to include leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela. As we look through Scripture, we see further examples of men and women that would need to be a part of that list, leaders such as Moses, Joshua, Esther and Paul. i do not intend for this to be a fully comprehensive list but rather a representative sample. And, of course, one would have to include at the very top of that list Jesus as the greatest leader of all time – the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

But there is another individual in Scripture whose name deserves to be included in that list….

Steady Heart

Steady Heart

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The worship song, Steady Heart (lyrics at the end of this post), is a reminder to us to remain steady despite the dark skies or the wild winds that may lie before us. It’s about a steadiness that stays the course despite what we see – or don’t see – before us. It is a steadiness that can only come from, and remain anchored in, the might, sovereignty, and faithfulness of God. It’s a heart that keeps going, a love that keeps hoping, a grace that keeps forgiving, and a faith that keeps believing.

We repeatedly see God calling His people to remain steady despite, what could easily be described as, overwhelming odds….

Don’t Settle For Less

Don’t Settle For Less

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How often do we settle for less than what God wants to do in and through our lives? How often do we settle for less because we underestimate what He can and will do? How often do we ignore or forget His promises? How often does our faith turn into faithlessness?

Some of you may be familiar with a book i recently wrote, entitled A Judge Called Deborah. In it i tell the story of the woman God chose to use to lead her people as a judge over Israel to overcome the oppression of the Canaanites. We read in the Book of Judges that God impressed upon her to call upon a man named Barak to command an Israelite army of 10,000 warriors.

We know very little about Barak before this moment…

Choices

Choices

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We live in a day of seemingly limitless choices – from the food we eat to the clothes we wear, and from the causes we rally to support to the allegiances we make. In most instances, our ability to exercise those choices is accomplished instantaneously through a few swipes of our finger on a screen. And we pride ourselves on our ability to change our choice at any given moment should we decide to do so. In many respects, we value our right and ability to choose over the rightness of the choices we make.

That ability to choose is a direct expression of a will that desires to be free. And the reality is that a free will was given to us by our Creator. The good news is He created us with the ability to choose. But i fear that too often the bad news is He created us with the ability to choose! Because left to our own devices, we can choose to choose very badly – particularly as it relates to our relationship with our Creator Himself.

He’s Never Gonna Let Us Down

He’s Never Gonna Let Us Down

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We live in stormy times. Our world can be a very distressing place. We can easily become overwhelmed or defeated. Our news feeds are 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? Our God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us . . . no matter what we face. He will never abandon us. He will never fail to keep His promises. He’s never gonna let us down!

We read in the book of Joshua, “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true.”

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