Ken Winter

It was by faith! Those are four powerful words. Apart from those four words, Noah would have perished with everyone else when the flood waters came. Abram would have been a wealthy landowner who none of us would have ever heard of, living in an obscure village none of us would have ever known. Moses would have lived out his life as the spoiled adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, surrounded by Israe...

As i look back over my life, i can clearly see those moments when i was facing major hurdles. It didn’t take me long to realize i needed to bring the matter before God. i knew that if He didn’t go before me, or fight for me, my efforts would most definitely end in defeat.   But i can also recall those times when i believed the path ahead did not require God’s intervention. i believed i could...

2023 has begun. We have been uniquely prepared and divinely appointed for the journey that lies ahead. We would do well to heed the example of Joshua and not do anything without first seeking and then receiving the counsel of God. If we do, we can proceed boldly and confidently, walking in His Light and His Truth. As the year unfolds, we will find that God has placed people in our path that He int...

The Israelites had survived generations of enslavement with little hope of rescue. The more they cried out to God, the more their situation appeared to become bleaker. As a matter of fact, when God’s chosen servant to lead them out of Egypt (Moses) arrived on the scene, pharaoh’s treatment of the people became even more severe. The beginning of a new year stood before them.

This is the last of four stories i have posted for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. Each one, as you already know if you have been following along, is a fictional first-person account of the events that surrounded our Savior’s birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!  ...

This is the third of four stories i am posting for this Advent season. These are fictional first-person accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Though some of the characters and details contained in these stories are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!   Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th) Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7t...

Starting last week and continuing for the next two weeks, i am posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you...

As has become my annual practice, beginning today and for the next three weeks, i will be posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is th...

Allow me to hastily acknowledge that our thanksgiving to God should never be limited to one day on our calendar, it should be a daily acknowledgement of Him and to Him. But is it? Do we truly stop to give Him thanks? i wonder if i have stopped short of being thankful. I’m grateful for what i have – family, friends, health, strength, possessions and provision (no matter how much or little it might...

Jesus never told Simon and Andrew where they would be going as they followed Him. It was never about the place to where He was leading. He simply told them He would make them “fishers of men”. The response required total surrender. And to their credit, they didn’t hesitate. They immediately followed Him! Their lives were never the same after that … and neither will ours.

“Abandoned” is one of those English words that has multiple meanings. It can mean “having been deserted or cast off,”(1) or to be “unrestrained, or uninhibited,”(2) or it can mean “having totally relinquished.”(3) None of us would ever want to be accused of having abandoned another person, or abandoned an animal or thing placed in our custodial care. We would never want to abandon any responsibili...

Have you ever been caught up in a detour you weren’t planning on or expecting? It was one of those unexpected or unforeseen events that came to you from out of the blue. It could have been related to a situation at work, or at home. It could have started with people you didn’t even know, or it could have started with those who are the closest to you. But the further you got down the road of that p...

We are a people who thrive on choices, and in our culture of consumerism and self-gratification, there is no shortage of choices. Though the breadth and variety of those choices has broadened throughout the years, it’s not a new concept. The ability to choose dates back to the Garden of Eden. It is an integral part of who we are as God’s creation. Our Creator gave us the ability and capacity to ch...

During the three years the apostle Peter walked with Jesus throughout Galilee and Judea, the Lord often told him to “Follow Me.” And that’s what Peter did – he kept his eyes on Jesus and followed Him – through storms, through the many encounters with people experiencing overwhelming needs, and even through his extended times away from his family. Time and again he saw Jesus do the miraculous, the...

In the Gospel of John, the apostle John often referred to himself as the one whom Jesus loved. He didn’t write that distinction because he was the only one whom Jesus loved; rather, he does so because he didn’t only have knowledge of Jesus, and he didn’t even only simply follow Jesus; rather, he was walking in an intimate love relationship with Jesus. He loved Jesus with all of his heart, soul and...

We live in a day when promises are all too often kept only when it is convenient. Promises have become more fleeting and only endure for the moment – until we are convinced a better option has come along. Sadly, that has become true in every context in which we make promises. It’s become true in the promises made to one another in marriage. And it’s true in the promises of commitment we make to ou...

A transition in leadership was about to occur among the Israelites. Moses was about to step down, and Joshua was about to take his place. The incoming leader had seen enough to know that he was stepping into a daunting task – prompting increased anxiety and fear over what could occur. There was a need for assurance and admonition. Perhaps we, too, need to hear those same words ourselves.

This week in my quiet time, i have been reading the short epistle of Jude. It’s only one chapter and only contains twenty-five verses. i think i have too frequently breezed through it in the past. But this time the Lord told me to slow down and walk with His servant Enoch. In Jude 14-15, we read “ Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand...

Blessed is the man { or woman } who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his { or her } delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His Law he { or she } meditates day and night. He { or she } is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,and its leaf does not wither. In all that he { or she }...

When was the last time you felt God prompting you to step out of your comfort zone? It may have been a prompting to perform a small act of service for someone you didn’t know … or someone you knew … but didn’t like. It may have been a prompting to do something that you’ve never done before … and you were afraid you would fail … and embarrass yourself … or fall flat on your face. Or, it may have be...

As i wrote my upcoming book about the life of Enoch, i became convicted that Enoch’s walk with God was not a slow leisurely cakewalk through paradise that we might have wrongly envisioned it to be. Enoch was chosen by God to be a prophet – bringing unpopular messages to a world that had become evil. His walk with God was probably through some rough terrain, and some very trying circumstances. His...

Impeculiar! Spell-check just told me the word is incorrect. Google tells me the word does not exist. And yet … it seems to be the perfect word to describe an attitude or action that others consider to be peculiar when, in fact, it should be the norm. i wouldn’t say the action is “ordinary,” because nothing about it is ordinary. I wouldn’t say the action is “unusual,” because it should be our daily...

The wind was blustery, and the waves were towering, when Peter first stepped out of the boat. But i would venture he was no longer seeing or hearing them – at least at first. The only One he was seeing and hearing was his Lord … as he stepped out of the boat with reckless abandonment.

Are you currently in a place that you are waiting on God to fulfill a specific promise He has given you? And, if so, have you been waiting for a long time … and is the end nowhere in sight?

We may be alone on the journey, or we may be surrounded by friends or family that are encouraging us along the way – but they don’t really know how to help us. They haven’t traveled that same path before. They don’t know the road markers. And try as they might, they just aren’t able to provide us with what we need. We need someone who has walked that path before us. We need someone who knows the w...