The Keener Way

       Typically, I'm not a short story person. I start writing what I think will be a short story, and it turns into a trilogy. Without fail. But this morning, I came up with an idea, and I think it actually stayed short.   The concept is simple. I know a lot of people who are married, a lot who are dating, a lot who have been in relationships in the past but broke up for whatever reason. Some break up and try again far too soon, without learning and growing from their mistakes, risking breaking again, while others break and then choose to build a wall, convinced that its not worth the pain.   So I wanted to write a little story to illustrate that sometimes, it can take a long time to find your people. Sometimes you think you've found your people, only to realize you've hit a dead end once again. Sometimes your people are the ones who are already around you and you simply need to open your eyes and see them. And perhaps some are simply created to walk the ...

  It has been a hot minute since I've read the book of 1 John. But when the sermon at my church sent me there today, I realized I've been needing it this past week. The book really isn't that long. Five very short chapters. Yet there is so much packed inside! For a brief overview: Chapter 1 -The purpose of this letter is to make your joy complete. -If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with the Lord. -If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive. Chapter 2 -Jesus is our atoning sacrifice. -If we keep the commandments of Jesus, we can be sure we have come to know Him. -If you hate your brother, you still walk in darkness. -Whoever loves his brother remains in the light. -The world, fleshly desires, the pride of life, the lust of our eyes... These things are passing away. Do not love them. -Those who departed from the faith were not in it to begin with, and are antichrists. -We have received an anointing from Christ, which teaches us all things. Chapter 3 -When Chr...

  "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you." ~Matthew 5:10-12, BSB In His Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua desired to teach His followers the way to be His followers. A type of "you have already become my disciple, you've already repented, already committed to learning my way of life, so here is how I live" The interesting part of this lesson though, starts with the word "persecuted". In Greek, this is "dediōgmenoi", which actually means "to pursue continually" . Which oddly enough can go two ways, depending on the context. For instance, although Psalm 23:6 was written in Hebrew, this Greek word would fit in the context of "goodness and m...

  Here we are in April already. And I am really bad at keeping up with producing content. But I'mma at least try and be monthly. Ish. This month, a wonderful sister in the Lord, who has become quite talented at making me laugh, asked why not make a blog post about "friends who make us laugh". Not sure if this is entirely what she expected, but here's my shot at it. To start off with, really honest confession here... I do not have a quiet sense of humor. When I laugh hard, I laugh loud. Which can be obnoxious to lots of people. Particularly to members of my family. Particularly because some of the people who make me laugh the hardest are several friends who live in more western time zones than I, who periodically call me at late hours of the evening.  And I try to control my laughter. I do. But it works about as well as holding a sneeze in. Cuz here's the thing, there are few things as wonderful as finding friends who are so in tune with your sense of humor. Prover...

  You know, the Bible is oddly full of "what ifs". Verses that pose the idea of "what if the Lord fails me?" Think of Daniel's three friends who were thrown into a furnace. "Even if our God does not save us from your fire, we will still serve him." Think of Job. He was convinced that God was doing unjust evils to him. He was questioning how God could be so cruel as to torture a righteous man. And he still said, "even if he kills me, I will serve him." Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, " Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle-- even then, I will be happy with the Lord . I will truly find joy in God, who saves me." 1 Peter 3:14, " Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened." Psalm 23, known and loved by so ma...

  There's a lot of things involved in being a man. More things than I know, certainly. I'm far from the apex of manhood. But there's one thing about being a man that doesn't get talked about a lot. I don't even really think about it much, except I came across this song earlier today and...wow it hit hard, knowing what some men in my life have gone through... So to all the men out there, this is for you, my brother-at-arms. Know that we see you. Know that we love you. I was fortunate to grow up with a loving father. A strong father. One who raised nine kids and shepherded a church community, and seldom let anyone see him reach the breaking point. Meanwhile, too many families out there struggle with an unloving father or no father at all. Men who didn't have what it takes to be a man. The first sign of stress, they bailed. Or they turned toxic. Or whatever else. And that's a topic for another manhood discussion. But most men aren't like that. Beyond my fat...