The Keener Way

  Note: This may not be content for the *cough* too youthful. And some search engines may even hide this content for the keywords repetitively used. But these topics are way too taboo in the modern church. I debated creating substitute words for the article, but the Bible doesn't, so why should I? "You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." ~Matthew 5:27-28 BSB Now, I will say from the start, grace covers a multitude of sins. Else-wise we are ALL condemned. But also, we live in a world where sex and sexual sins have just about become the world's biggest and most devout religion. And the second biggest religion is the other side of the coin, those who go to drastic legalistic measures to try and stay pure. Thus I believe these are important topics to get right, because Yeshua calls his followers to a higher standard than the righteo...

  You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Say what?? Indeed. In Yeshua's sermon on how to live as one of his disciples, He takes a very sudden shift from "blessed are they" to talking about candles and table salt. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16, BSB  There's a few interesting pieces to this section. And we can nearly fill an entire lesson with salt alone. Salt was a valuable thing in ancient times. There was an era where merchants traded North African salt for...

   If it wasn't obvious from the fact I have a whole blog page dedicated to the former USMC backpack system, I love military surplus stuff. And when it gets cold enough that a hoodie is no longer sufficient, I can be found sporting some combination of the US Army's seven layer extreme cold weather system. How is this relevant to the topic today? Well, the jackets in this system have places to put Velcro patches. I love Velcro patches. I especially love patches that have funny, sarcastic, or witty remarks on them. So I always wear a couple on each jacket. So one Sunday this past winter, I showed up at church with a patch that said "Don't grow up, it's a trap". Which immediately caught the attention of one of my friends from my young adult group. (Yes, I'm calling you out on this. Yes, I know you are going to read this. Yes, you know who you are. :p ) I had it pointed out to me that Paul says, "when I was a child, I thought like a child...but when I was...

  This past Lord's Day, my church did a overview study on the book of John. (Lord's Day is my name of choice for Sunday because I generally dislike using a calendar based on Roman mythology, but I especially hate using it for the day Yahweh overcame the grave) The purpose of the sermon was to present a broad overview of John's message. Our creator came to us in the flesh, this is the explanation of eternal life, and Jesus is the promised Messiah. But in the course of communicating this message, the sermon touched on two verses that got me down a completely different mind track. John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”  John 15:12-33 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  The word Jesus is usin...

    In case I've never told you, Ted Dekker is one of my most favorite authors. His work is one of my primary inspirations within my own writing journey. And this week, I'm revisiting his Forgotten Way study. And let me tell you... WOW. I first went through it several years ago, and it impacted me to a degree at that point. But I was also way younger and way more immature. Now, especially with all the things the Lord has been teaching me over the last two years, Ted's insights are hitting me even harder.And that's just the intro chapter that I read yesterday night. Lemme quote you what he said. "The preeminent evidence shown by those who know the Father is this: love . And not just any love, but the unique kind that loves enemies, not only those who show us love in return. A love that is patient, showing no jealousy or arrogance, keeping no record of wrong, not seeking its own and not provoked by another's behavior." This is the powerful agape love that th...