The Keener Way

    Okay, so it is February now, and the Gregorian New Year's Day is a ways behind us. Though according to the lunar calendar of Jewish Torah, the first day of Nissan is on March 30 this year. And according to the Persian Hijri calendar, one of the most mathematically accurate solar calendars of all times, the new year is on the vernal equinox, which will fall on March 20 this year. Which means that, either way, I still have a month and a half till the new year begins, because I like poking holes in Rome. Plus Persia had better mathematicians. But I will still refer to Gregorian dating for public communication for the sake of communication, even though it is less accurate.  Anyway... In 2024, I set 'Sanctuary' as my word of the year. In original etemology, this is defined as a sacred or holy place. Over time, the word became broadened to any place of refuge. So how did the year go for me in light of this? The year started with a trip to Louisiana in January, where I spent...

 Sunday, June 9, 2024 was my third full day in Colorado and the midpoint of my trip. After Sunday, I would be closer to my departure than to my arrival.Which was sad. Sunday was actually two other things. First of all, it's our weekly observance of our Lord's resurrection. Our weekly reminder that if Yeshua had not been raised to life after He paid for our sins, there would be no hope in life. But because he rose from death and defeated the grave, we have ALL the hope in life. Secondly, Sunday happened to be my twenty-seventh birthday. It's been a long road to twenty-seven years. In some ways it's been a good life. In some ways, the road has at times been very dark and very broken.  I've survived two car wrecks, one near drowning, and several months of suicidal depression. I have owned four vehicles, worked five jobs (one of them twice), and watched the collapse of a cult. I've lived in two states, spent at least one or more nights in sixteen other states, and a...

Some time ago, a very dear friend and sister in the Lord got me started on picking word for the year at the new year. So with today being January 1st, I started thinking about what my word was going to be. As I was thinking and praying about it, the number 73 passed through my mind. When it comes to scripture, there are a few books that have 73 or more verses in a chapter. Numbers 7, Psalm 119, Matthew 26, and Luke 1. But there is only one book with 73 or more chapters, the book of Psalms. So I turned to Psalm 73. Here, a man names Asaph speaks of how he almost slipped up. He became envious of the wicked, the boastful, the proud, because as far as he could see, they were not plagued with troubles like Asaph and the other righteous men around him. Asaph says "I've cleansed my heart and washed my hands in vain, because I have been plagued all day, and rebuked every morning." And this is so relatable these days. But even more relatable is what Asaph says next. Basically, he ...