Keep The Faith

The Purpose of God’s Judgment: Hope for All Humanity Scripture reveals a God whose purpose is restoration. He desires all humanity to come to the knowledge of the truth ( 1 Timothy 2:3–6 ). He works through Christ to unite all things in heaven and on earth ( Ephesians 1:9–11 ). God’s Plan Is Larger Than We Imagine From the beginning, God planned to bring everything together under Christ. His judgment is not abandonment—it is correction, healing, and ultimately reconciliation. A Hope Rooted in Scripture Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all. God’s purpose is not thwarted. His plan is not fragile. His desire is not limited to a few. He is a Father who restores His children. Father, thank You for Your righteous purpose and Your unending hope. Visit the Unity Series Hub

Rethinking Hell: Why Grief and Sorrow May Be the Real Fire For years, I believed hell was a place of physical torment. But through Scripture, study, and personal experience, I’ve come to see something different. I believe hell is the deep grief and sorrow we feel when Father God lifts the veil and we finally see the truth about ourselves. Grief as Fire When I saw the ugliness inside myself, the grief was overwhelming—like being consumed. Scripture describes grief and sorrow with words like anguish, torment, woe, and heartbreak. These same words are used in descriptions of hell. Even Jesus is called “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” ( Isaiah 53:3 ) The Worm That Never Dies When grief eats at a person, we sometimes say they are “eaten up inside.” Scripture says, “where their worm never dies.” This imagery aligns with internal anguish, not external torture. Everlasting Judgment Many things in Scripture are called “everlasting,” yet clearly did not...

My Journey Through Shame, Discipline, and Father God’s Mercy My life has been a long road of learning, stumbling, and being restored by Father God. I grew up in the Lutheran faith, doing everything I thought made me a “good person.” Yet beneath the surface, I struggled with sin, shame, and confusion about who God truly was. Early Years and Misunderstandings I viewed sin on a scale—small sins and big sins—never realizing that the heart behind them mattered more than the size. Lust, shame, and hidden thoughts followed me into adulthood, even as I tried to live rightly. Military Life and Deep Failure During the Vietnam era, I entered the Army hoping for a safe path. Instead, I found myself drifting spiritually. Drinking, pornography, masturbation, and other sins became part of my life. A painful betrayal by someone I trusted brought me to bitter tears and deep grief over who I had become. Father God’s Gentle Intervention In my darkest moment, I asked Jesus b...

Why English Fails Us When Reading Scripture As I’ve studied God’s Word over the years, I’ve come to see how often our English translations fall short of expressing what the original writers intended. Words like wrath , vengeance , fear , and anger can paint a picture of God that feels harsh and distant. Yet when we look deeper into Hebrew and Greek, we find meanings that reveal a Father who is just, loving, and deeply relational. Seeing God as Father Yeshua consistently referred to God as Father . Matthew 23:9 reminds us that we have one Father in heaven. The Hebrew Scriptures do the same— Malachi 2:10 and Isaiah 64:7 both speak of God as Father. This language softens our understanding and brings clarity to His character. Why Translation Matters Our English Bibles often come from Greek translations that were themselves translated from Hebrew. Each language carries its own nuances, idioms, and cultural assumptions. It’s no wonder confusion arises. Even Hebre...

The Hammer, the Sheep, the Goats, and the Bridegroom Sometimes Scripture hits us in a way we didn’t expect. This time, it didn’t start with reading my Bible — it started with reading one of my own old posts on Matthew 25. As I read my own words, something stirred in me, and Jesus began showing me something deeper about readiness, relationship, and the slow work of the Shepherd. As I reread that old post, I began thinking about my past — the times I helped others and the times I turned a blind eye. If I weighed them, the blind‑eye side would feel heavier. And then the fear crept in: “What if I’m a goat?” But as I kept reading — both my old post and the Scripture behind it — something gentler began to rise. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Let Me show you what this really means.” The Fear We Grew Up With Many of us grew up with a certain picture of “the rapture” — a single moment in time when Jesus returns, and if you’re not ready at that exact second,...

Trust in the Midst of Trials: Looking Back, Looking Up There are seasons when faith feels strong and unshakable, and seasons when questions rise to the surface. As I look back over the years — through pain, surgeries, healing, setbacks, and unexpected blessings — I can see how Father God has shaped my trust in Him. This reflection is part of that journey. December 2017 I’ve often said that I’ve learned to trust the Lord in all things. In my post Salvation , I wrote about the many times the Lord has saved me from harm throughout my life. That trust was built by looking back and realizing that God had His hand on me again and again. But during this time, I also had moments where I questioned even the existence of God. Maybe it was the enemy whispering. Maybe it was the weariness of a long journey. Maybe it was simply being human. Back in August of 2015, I wrote a post called “Funny Dream” (now titled " A Divine Handshake… With Dog Paws ").  In that dream...

A Veteran’s Lament — And a Call to Make America Whole I served this country because I believed in something bigger than myself. I believed in a nation where every person mattered, where freedom meant responsibility, and where we stood together even when we disagreed. But today, as a veteran, I feel a deep grief — not only for America, but for the spiritual fracture running through us. Many have died for this nation. Many still serve. Yet we are tearing ourselves apart from the inside. We Have Forgotten Who We Are Our Constitution was built on a simple truth: all people are created equal . But we have never fully lived that ideal. From the beginning, America carried a beautiful vision and a broken reality at the same time. We lifted some people above others. We treated the poor as disposable. We divided ourselves into tribes and forgot that we belong to one another. We cared more about winning arguments than healing wounds. The saddest part is this:...

Unity Series — The Deception of Fear and the Call Back to Yeshua There are things happening in the world today that echo patterns we’ve seen throughout history, and I’ve been wrestling with how to speak about them in a way that reflects Yeshua’s heart rather than fear or division. Through prayer, reflection, and the help of a tool that clarified my thoughts, the Spirit brought this message into focus. The pattern of deception Whenever fear rises, whenever people begin to divide into “us” and “them,” whenever leaders use fear to gain trust, the same spiritual forces are at work. Scripture shows us that Satan has always used fear, deception, and even the written word to turn people away from the heart of God. This isn’t new, but it is happening again. Scripture without the Spirit When Yeshua was led into the wilderness, Satan tempted Him using Scripture—not lies, not obvious falsehoods, but the written word of God itself ( Matthew 4:1–10 ). The enemy has always kn...

Unity Series Belief Systems and the Day of Judgment We all have a belief system. What I mean by this is that we all believe or trust a great many things to be true. You may have a certain faith you believe is the true religion; you go along with most if not all the doctrines which make up that religion. Even if you are agnostic, that is part of your belief system. There are many areas which make up our belief system — health, monetary, security, religion, probably others which I can't think of right now. In each of these areas, you believe that if you can only reach or maintain a place in each one, that your life will be as good as it can get. You may not have reached that perfect place yet, but you still believe that if you ever get there, you will be happy; things will be good. "Belief systems are the stories we tell ourselves to define our personal sense of 'reality'. Every human being has a belief system th...

Doing What Is Right in the Sight of God These are stressful days for many people. As I was thinking about everything happening around us, my thoughts turned toward Father God. God is still the all-powerful God. He doesn’t change. He is the God we can call Father — the One who loves us so much that He sent His Son, Yeshua (Jesus), into this world to take our punishment for the sins we’ve committed. Think about that. What amazing love. And think about what Yeshua did when He was here on earth with us. He had compassion for all those He met. Matthew 9:35–38 (NABRE) Jesus went around to all the towns and villages… curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd… “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” For me right now, I pray that His will be done, that the laborers will go out, and I trust Him for whatever happens. I also pray ...

The Three in ONE — Perfect LOVE This morning my thoughts kept returning to Father God, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit. There is something beautiful about pausing long enough to consider who They are — not just in doctrine, but in presence, in character, and in the way They reveal Themselves to us. Today felt like one of those moments where Their nearness was especially clear.

When Everything Hidden Comes Into the Light Intro: Some stories take years before we’re ready to tell them. This is one of mine. I first wrote parts of it back in 2013 but never finished. Shame held me back. Confusion held me back. Maybe even fear. But today — June 6, 2026 — the Lord brought this unfinished post back to my mind, and I knew it was time to let the light in. I don’t share this because I enjoy exposing my past. I share it because if we do not abide in Christ, we can fall away from grace . And I share it because the Father has made it clear: this story is part of the work He has given me to do. John 15:6 (NASB) “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” The First Time I Gave My Life to Christ When I was about seventeen, my cousin invited me to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. Afterward she shared the gospel with me...

Letting God Carry What We Cannot Sometimes the hardest part of loving others is watching them stay in places we’ve already been freed from. When their choices begin to weigh on our hearts, we’re reminded that true change doesn’t come from our effort — it comes from Father God’s timing and His gentle work within the soul. Reflection: Letting God Carry What We Cannot There are moments in life when we see people we care about held down by their own choices — habits that keep them stuck, patterns that dim their hope, and decisions that ripple outward into the lives of those who love them. It’s hard to watch. It’s even harder when their struggle begins to weigh on our own hearts and homes. But there comes a point when we realize something important: We cannot lift someone who is not ready to rise. And we cannot carry burdens that were never ours to hold. This truth echoes a moment in the book, The Shack by William P Young , when Mack...

The Kingdom Way: When People Only Take and Never Give There are moments in our walk with God when His Word gently exposes the patterns that drain our strength and disturb our peace. One of those patterns is the presence of people who only take and never give—souls who draw from others without ever offering themselves in return. The Scriptures speak to this with clarity and compassion, inviting us to walk in wisdom, love, and the steady heart of the Kingdom. The Pattern of a Taker Proverbs gives us a picture that is hard to forget: “The leech has two daughters: ‘Give! Give!’” ( Proverbs 30:15 ) It is the image of a life turned inward—always craving, never contributing. A taker drains the strength of others while refusing to lift their own hand. This is not the way of the righteous, who “give and do not hold back.” Wisdom From the Apostles Paul addresses this same spirit in the early church...

Introduction Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the things we hold onto — the things we save, store, and protect because we’re afraid of what might come. It started with food, and now my thoughts have turned toward money. It’s surprising how easily these everyday things reveal what is happening inside the heart. Scripture Luke 12:16–21 (NIV) The Parable of the Rich Fool 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” 21 “This is h...

The Kingdom Way: Giving, Not Taking Introduction This morning began with an unexpected thought — not about eating food, but about the long path food takes before it ever reaches our table. That simple thought opened a door into something deeper: how we receive, how we take, how we give, and how Yeshua teaches us to see provision in a completely different way. Scripture A passage that anchors the reflection. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” — Matthew 4:4 Reflection A personal moment that opens into spiritual insight. I woke up thinking about food — not the craving for it, but the whole process behind it. As white Americans, we go to grocery stores, buy in bulk, store things in pantries and refrigerators, and then choose what we want when we want it. And far too often, some of that food ends up in the trash. Perfectly good food that someone hungry could have eaten. It feels wasteful, and it says s...

The Tormentors — What Jesus Really Meant Matthew 18:32–35 Short Description: A clear look at Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18 and what the “tormentors” truly represent — not demons, not people, but the inner prison created by unforgiveness. Introduction — A Parable With a Warning for the Heart In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story about a servant forgiven of an impossible debt who then refuses to forgive a much smaller one. When the master hears of it, he becomes angry and “delivers him to the tormentors” until the debt is paid. For many believers, this phrase raises fear and confusion. Who are these tormentors? Is God sending people into torture? Is this punishment? But Jesus is not describing God as cruel. He is describing what unforgiveness does to the human soul . The Text Itself Jesus ends the parable with these words: “And his lord being angry delivered him to the tormentors till he paid all that was owing to him.” The Greek word for “...