Keep The Faith

Living in the NOW Kingdom: Discovering God Beyond the Walls Living in the NOW Kingdom: Discovering God Beyond the Walls Introduction Welcome to today’s reflection. It can be easy to view our faith as a waiting game—looking forward to a distant future or relying strictly on static texts. But what if the Kingdom of God isn't just a destination down the road, but a living reality waiting to be experienced right now, in every corner of creation? Scripture “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” — Mark 1:15 “Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God... Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” — John 3:3 , 7:38 Reflection After moving to the north side of Houston last year, I looked for a Quaker Meetinghouse or a community rooted in Quaker spirituality, but couldn't find one nearby. While my attempt ...

Water Baptism and Communion: Are They “Magical,” or Misunderstood? Introduction This morning I’ve been thinking about two familiar practices in the church — water baptism and communion. They’ve been part of my life since childhood, yet I find myself wondering again what they truly mean and whether they play any role in becoming One with the Father. Today I want to look at Scripture and reflect on their purpose. Scripture “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” — John 3:5 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” — Matthew 3:11 “Do this in remembrance of Me.” — Luke 22:19 Reflection I’ve been thinking about water baptism and the Eucharist — how they started, and whether there is anything “magical” in them. Many churches treat them as requirements, almost like spiritual checkpoints. But when I look at Scripture, I see something different. Water Baptism Water baptism began with John the Baptist. H...

Foundations of Unity — Why Satan Cannot Influence Those Who Abide in the Spirit Understanding the difference between human thoughts and Spirit-led thoughts—and why abiding in Yeshua protects us from the enemy’s influence. Seeing the Difference Between Human Thoughts and Spirit-Guided Thoughts There is a moment in Scripture that often troubles people: when Yeshua turns to Peter and says, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Peter loved Yeshua, meant well, and wanted to protect Him. Yet Yeshua rebuked him sharply. Why? Because Peter was speaking from human thoughts , not God’s thoughts . And before the Holy Spirit was given, human thoughts were vulnerable to the enemy’s influence. This distinction matters deeply for unity with Father God. It reveals why believers today—those who abide in Yeshua and walk in the Spirit—are protected in a way the disciples were not before Pentecost. Before the Spirit Was Given: Human Minds Were Unprotected When Peter rebuked Yeshua, the c...

Why Do We Do Good Works? We talk often about faith, salvation, and obedience — but beneath all of it sits a deeper question: Why do we do good works at all? What motivates us? What shapes our understanding of righteousness, mercy, and love? Across different faith traditions, the answer varies. But Scripture invites us into something far more profound than duty, reward, or fear. Different Traditions, Different Motivations Many Muslims understand good works as part of the final judgment — where deeds are weighed, and reward or loss follows. Many Jews understand good works as obedience to Torah — a life shaped by covenant faithfulness. Christians, however, often find themselves caught between two strong scriptural currents: Salvation by grace through faith Faith proven genuine through works Both appear clearly in Scripture, and both must be held together. Saved by Grace — Not by Works Paul writes with unmistakable clarity: “For it is by grace you hav...

Peace, Be Still — The Power That Calms the Storm A Reflection on Divine Energy and Faith In this Unity Series reflection, I explore the idea of God‑given power —the kind Jesus demonstrated, the apostles witnessed, and the Scriptures describe. This is not power that elevates us above Christ, but power that flows from Him and works through us. These thoughts are part testimony, part study, and part unfolding insight. The Power That Flows From Jesus In Mark 5:30 , Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him . This was not symbolic. It was real, measurable, and noticeable. Paul reinforces this in 1 Corinthians 4:20 : “For the kingdom of God is not with talk, but with power.” The Quakers teach that there is “something of God in everyone.” Jesus Himself said in John 14:12 that those who believe in Him would do the works He did—and even greater ones. This does not mean we become greater than Jesus. It means His power can work through us when we...

Sometimes what looks like chaos up close reveals perfect order from above. In creation, in people, and in faith, God’s design repeats in patterns of beauty and purpose — fractals of His glory woven through everything He made. Fractal Have you ever heard the word fractal before? According to the Merriam‑Webster Dictionary, a fractal is: “Any of various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitably chosen part is similar in shape to a given larger or smaller part when magnified or reduced to the same size.” In simple terms, a fractal is a pattern that repeats itself at every scale — small parts reflecting the whole. When you look at God’s creation, fractals are everywhere: trees, flowers, clouds, rivers, coastlines, mountains, seashells, snowflakes, hurricanes. Creation is full of repeating patterns — beauty emerging from what looks like chaos. Fractals are often described as “images of dynamic systems,” or “pictures of chaos.” But when you step back, ...

😕😲😧 It is hard to put into words my feelings and thoughts right now; about the future of America and the world. I did not vote for Trump. I do not hate him but I don't know that I could say that I love him either. I will definitely pray for him, for me, and for our nation.  That word,"hate", I have heard it so many times lately. I have heard it come from the mouths of Christians. The very word Christian means you believe in Christ Jesus and profess His teachings which is love not hate; love God, love neighbor, and even love our enemy (I would like to tell you, hopefully in the next post, about a book I last read which tells how enemies during WWII became friends through the gospel of Christ). I had a feeling that Trump would be nominated as our next president. I even made a comment on Facebook to a friend a while back that I thought that he probably would be elected. But, when all was done and he was elected, I was stunned, shocked. How did this happen? I do bel...

The Unseen Kingdom and the Battle for the Soul Yeshua reveals the unseen Kingdom of God and teaches us how to remain filled with His life so darkness cannot return. The Seen Revealing the Unseen Yeshua (Jesus) is always teaching us about the Kingdom of God — that realm invisible to our human eyes. When He came in a form we could see, He confirmed what the prophets had spoken and gave us a visible glimpse into the unseen Kingdom. Today, Yeshua teaches us again through the unseen — through the Holy Spirit — as long as we have invited Him in. Yeshua revealing God’s Kingdom to us is eternal life ( John 17:3 ). Receiving Yeshua Within Taking Yeshua into yourself can be difficult to understand. He explains it in many ways because this is the only way we can learn about what we cannot see. One picture He gives is at the Last Supper, when He broke the bread and said, “Take and eat; this is my body” ( Matthew 26:26 ). He was not speaking of literal flesh, nor that th...

The Kingdom of God is more than a distant realm—it is a living reality entered through repentance and the door of forgiveness Yeshua opened for us. Here we discover what it means to be born of the Spirit and welcomed into God’s eternal counsel. What Is the Kingdom of God Like? If I were to ask you what the kingdom of God is like, how would you explain it? Scripture tells us that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same reality. Yet it is difficult for us to describe, because we have never seen it with our natural eyes. It exists in a realm that is invisible to us. Yeshua—Jesus—knows this realm perfectly. He came from it, lived among us for a short time, and then returned to His place there: “We speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen…” ( John 3:11 ) In John 3 , Jesus explains to Nicodemus how a human being can see and enter the kingdom of God: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are bo...

The Authority Behind the Name of Jesus True spiritual authority does not come from rituals or phrases. It comes from knowing Yeshua Jesus and having His life within us. This reflection explores why His name carries power — and why relationship matters more than words. Using exorcism to cast out demons is not the same as what Yeshua Jesus did or what the disciples did. Jesus cast out demons because of who He is — the Son of the Living God. He spoke, and they obeyed. When the disciples cast out demons, they said, “In the name of Jesus,” but the words themselves were not magic. The authority came from their relationship with Him — from Jesus living within them through the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:11–20 (NIV) God was doing unusual miracles through Paul. Even towels and aprons that touched his skin were taken to the sick, and their diseases were cured and evil spirits left them. Some traveling Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus without knowing Him....

The Spirit as Living Water There are times when the Spirit gives us a picture that helps everything else come into focus. Recently, the image that keeps returning to me is water — not still or stagnant, but living, moving, flowing. That sense led me back into Scripture, searching for how God reveals Himself through this image and what it means for how we walk with Him. I’ve been trying to picture the Holy Spirit in a way that feels real and grounded — something I can hold in my mind when I pray, when I read, when I walk through my day. The image that keeps coming back to me is living water — flowing, cleansing, refreshing, restoring. So I went searching through Scripture to see how often the Spirit is connected to water, and what that might mean for how we walk with God. Broken Cisterns and the Fountain of Living Water Jeremiah 2:13 struck me immediately: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out c...

The Hidden Truth — Our Real Battle Intro: There are moments in our walk with God when He pulls back the curtain just a little more, letting us see what has always been true but rarely understood. This reflection comes from one of those moments — a deeper look into the unseen battle Scripture tells us we are already part of, whether we recognize it or not. I recently wrote a post on Ephesians 6:10–20 about how our fight is not against other people, but against Satan and the demons. Since then, I’ve had many questions, and I’ve begun studying this more deeply. What I’m seeing already explains why we rarely hear sermons on this subject. It’s not because Scripture is silent. It’s because Satan does not want us to know the truth . If humanity understood what is really happening — and if we received the help God freely offers — Satan’s influence would collapse. Two Kingdoms, Two Ways of Working There is a vast difference between how Satan operates and how Father God oper...

Demons, also called evil or unclean spirits do exist. They can occupy and take control of us humans if we don't have Jesus and the Living Water (Holy Spirit) in us. When Jesus was here on earth, He cast out evil spirits many times. There is a test to see if someone has an evil spirit within them. They can not say out loud these three words, "Jesus is Lord" . I want to pray right now. If anyone who is reading this right now tries to say these words and can not, I pray in the name of Jesus that the evil spirit or spirits will be cast out and that it will be made very clear that the only way to keep these spirits from returning is by letting Jesus come in and to ask for the Living Water (the Holy Spirit, our Helper). To the bond-servants of the Lord, this is our battle. The more humans who receive Christ and the Holy Spirit, the less places these evil spirits have a home to occupy. I don't know what happens to these spirits if there is no longer any of us humans l...