Keep The Faith

Unity Series: This image comes from the Hammer Story — a picture of returning, surrendering, and trusting the Son. It reminds us that unity with Father God begins not with our righteousness, but with repentance that brings us back into His hands. This Unity reflection explores a question that touches salvation, holiness, and the heart of the Father: What is more important, righteousness or repentance? As we walk through Scripture together, we’ll see how being born again, becoming like little children, genuine repentance, and even the Hammer Story all weave together into entering the Kingdom of God. What Is More Important: Righteousness or Repentance? There is a Scripture that says, “Be righteous, for I am righteous.” This echoes God’s call in 1 Peter 1:16 — “Be holy, because I am holy.” But can we truly do that? Maybe for a season we walk in a righteous character. Maybe for a time our choices align w...

Lying and Deception in All Things Lying and deception are not confined to any one sphere of life. They appear in nonprofits, politics, business, media, and even in the quiet places of our own hearts. Scripture teaches that deception is never a small matter. It is a sin that grieves God, harms people, and corrodes trust wherever it is allowed to grow. Many nonprofit organizations do beautiful, sacrificial work. Yet behind polished mission statements and emotional appeals, deception can still take root. The same is true in politics, where truth is often buried beneath strategy, fear, and manipulation. And in business, greed and self‑interest can twist numbers, messaging, and motives. Deception is not limited to “bad places.” It is a temptation everywhere human beings exist. As believers, we cannot assume that any institution, cause, or leader is automatically trustworthy. We are called to walk in truth, test...

The Good Shepherd and the Breath of the Word In my last post, I wrote about how “The Word of God” can lose its breath when our language flattens the living voice of the Father. When Scripture is squeezed into the limits of English, deep spiritual realities can become rigid, literal, and lifeless. Words like death , judgment , wrath , and even separation can lose the warmth, movement, and relational heartbeat they carried in the Hebrew mind. This week, as I sat with several passages from the book of John, I realized how deeply this same issue affects our understanding of Satan, sin, and the work of Yeshua. John uses three different tenses to describe “the ruler of this world” — will be cast out , is coming , and has been judged . English makes these sound like disconnected statements, but when the breath returns, they reveal a single unfolding story of God’s victory. And just like the Word can lose its breath, our understanding of separation from the Father c...

Returning to Our First Love Remembering our first love in Christ and learning to see others as God sees them. There are moments in life when the world’s noise grows so loud that it drowns out the quiet voice of our first love. When opinions, movements, and personalities rise to the center of our attention, it becomes easy to forget the One who called us, redeemed us, and taught us how to walk in love. I have heard many Christians speak with certainty about earthly leaders—as though God Himself had chosen them, endorsed them, or placed His seal upon them. But I often wonder: How do we know when something is truly from God? And how do we discern when something is simply from “the god of this world,” who is always eager to imitate, distract, and divide? Scripture gives us a simple test: If you love Him, obey His commandments. Love God. Love your neighbor. Do to others what you wish they would do to you. An...

God All in All : The Spirits Too This reflection pressed heavily on my heart early this morning. It came suddenly, connecting pieces from several older posts I’ve written over the years. I wanted to capture it while the thoughts were still fresh, because they form a picture of God’s final restoration that I had not seen quite this clearly before. Scripture “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power… so that God may be all in all.” — 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28 Reflection Several of my past posts came to mind this morning, forming a picture of what it might mean for God to become all in all . I’ve often wondered whether this points to something far greater than we usually imagine — that even the fallen angels, even Satan himself, will ultimately be brought under God’s final authority in a way that restores peace to all creation. Not excused. Not justified. But fully subjected to Go...

When God Opens the Eyes of the Heart Sometimes God awakens the human heart suddenly, and sometimes gently. The stories of Jonah and Jesus washing the disciples’ feet reveal two sides of God’s mercy: a warning that shakes us awake, and a humility that softens us. Both are invitations to return to Him. The Sign of Jonah Luke 11:29 (NASB) “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.” The Greek word for “generation” is genea , which can also mean “age.” Jesus may be saying, “This age is a wicked age…” The word for “sign” means a miracle, a token, a wonder — something that awakens awe. Jonah’s message to Nineveh was short and simple: Jonah 3:4 (CEB) “Just forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!” The Hebrew word for “overthrown” is haphak — meaning to turn, to change, to be converted, to return. Jonah’s warning was not only about destruction....

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...

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 ...

Elijah Must Come and Restore All Things Short Introduction Throughout Scripture, God sends voices of warning, mercy, and restoration before moments of great change. Jesus’ words about Elijah remind us that God still calls His people to return to Him with humble hearts. This message is both ancient and present—an invitation to prepare ourselves for what He is doing in our day. Opening Scripture Matthew 17:10–11 (NIV) 10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.” Introduction Jesus spoke these words during His first coming, when He came to take away the sins of the world. In this moment, He hinted that John the Baptist had come in the spirit of Elijah—preaching repentance, confronting corruption, and ultimately facing martyrdom. Prophetic Fulfillment Malachi 4:5–6 (NIV) “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before...

Repentance — Scripture Study List When I study a theme in Scripture, I like to gather the passages in one place so I can see the pattern of God’s heart more clearly. These verses accompany my post “Forgiveness – Repentance – Restoration.” Old Testament Foundations 2 Chronicles 33:10 — Manasseh’s Repentance And Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not listen. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Job 42:1 — Job’s Repentance and Restoration Then Job answered Yahweh and said, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 38:1 — A Prayer of Repentance O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger or chastise me in your wrath. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 51:1 — A Prayer of Repentance and Plea for Mercy Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loyal love... In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Jeremiah 3:11 — A Call for Repentance Apostate Israel ...

Forgiveness, Repentance, and Reconciliation Lately I've been thinking deeply about forgiveness, repentance, and restoration — or perhaps reconciliation is the better word. These themes keep rising in my heart, and I felt led to study them more intentionally. Not long ago I wrote something on Facebook that made me pause afterward. I said, "Without repentance, there is no forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive, right?" I was thinking about the sinner — the one committing the sinful act. In the sinner's own eyes, he may not recognize the sin at all. He may hide it, deny it, or refuse to see it. But as I reflected, I realized I might be confusing forgiveness with reconciliation. These are not the same thing — and sorting through the difference matters. So here begins my attempt to do that. I expect I'll keep refining this as I learn more. (See also my companion scripture studies: Repentance , Restoration , and my more rec...

A reflection on salvation, faith, and the transforming call to repentance. Salvation, Faith, and the Missing Piece Many Churches Overlook In many Protestant churches, we often hear the phrase: “Salvation is by faith, not by works.” And this is true. Scripture is clear that we cannot earn salvation, cannot work our way out of the wrath of God, and cannot contribute anything to the atonement Christ accomplished. Salvation is a gift. But somewhere along the way, many believers have absorbed a simplified version of the gospel: “Just believe in Jesus and you’re saved.” As if faith were merely agreeing with a set of facts — that Jesus died, that He rose, that He paid for our sins. I agree that salvation is by faith alone. But Scripture also teaches something else that must accompany genuine faith: We Must Repent Think about it. A person can say, “Yes, I believe Jesus died for my sins,” and yet never come face-to-face with the truth about who they are — never ...

This Unity Series reflection looks at James 4:1–10 and Luke 13 , two passages that call us to humility, repentance, and genuine transformation. They reveal the conflict within us, the urgency of change, and the heart of God longing to gather His people. Unity Series — When God Calls Us Back to the Narrow Way James 4:1–10 and Luke 13 stand together like two mirrors—one revealing the inner conflict of the human heart, the other revealing the outward consequences of a life that refuses to change. Both passages speak with urgency. Both confront us with truth. And both extend grace that is deeper than our failures. The War Within James does not soften his words. He names the conflict plainly: our disputes, our divisions, our broken relationships—they begin inside us. They rise from cravings that compete for the throne of our hearts. We want what we do not have. We grasp for what God has not given. We ask for blessings with motives that cannot carry His ...