Keep The Faith

As I continue searching for clearer ways to understand Father God, I’ve begun to realize how deeply language shapes the way we see Him. Recently, while reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robbin Wall Kimmerer , I was struck by the author’s description of her native tongue—an animate language where the world is alive, relational, and filled with presence. It made me wonder how much our English, with its habit of turning everything into objects, has limited our ability to see God’s heart, His creation, and even one another. This reflection is my first step into exploring what happens when language itself becomes a doorway to knowing the Father more truthfully. What does “animate” mean? In this context, animate refers to a way of speaking and seeing the world where creation is understood as alive, relational, and responsive—not as objects, but as beings participating in God’s ongoing story. Scripture and a Living World As I reflected on this difference between lan...

After revisiting an older post I wrote years ago about the heart, I realized that God has been showing me even more about this subject. What began as a simple reflection has grown into a deeper understanding of why the Bible speaks of the heart so often and so directly. Instead of rewriting the old post, I felt led to create a new one—one that gathers both the original thoughts and the new insights Father God has been revealing. This Unity Series post continues that journey. It builds on what I once understood and adds the clarity, wonder, and awe that have come as I’ve looked again at Scripture, science, and the way God designed us. Sometimes revisiting something familiar opens a door to something brand new. The Mystery of the Heart — Unity Series Genesis 8:21 (NIV) “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart…” Deuteronomy 4:29 (NASB) “…you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:39 (NASB) “…ta...

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 Scri...

As I look back on something I wrote in 2016, I’m seeing it with clearer eyes today. Not because the events have changed, but because I have. The Lord has been patient with me, steady with me, and protective in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. Reading my own words from ten years ago feels like opening a window into a younger version of myself — one who was trying to make sense of spiritual conflict, fear, and the weight of responsibility that comes with writing publicly about faith. In that old post, I wrote about the demonic activity I experienced in 1999 and how boldly — maybe naively — I declared that I intended to be “a thorn in Satan’s side.” I didn’t realize then that those words weren’t really mine. They were the Lord’s. The blog wasn’t mine either. It was His. I also wrote about the fear that followed — the sense that every time I tried to post something meaningful, something disruptive happened. The most frightening moments were when we temporarily lost...

Living Awake: Lessons from Luke 12 There are moments when Scripture doesn’t just speak — it gathers you, steadies you, and reminds you of what truly matters. Luke 12 is one of those chapters. When I revisited it after writing “ When Fear Stores What Faith Should Hold ,” I realized how much instruction, warning, comfort, and Kingdom perspective Yeshua packed into a single conversation. It is a chapter that calls us to live awake — spiritually honest, spiritually anchored, and spiritually ready. Scripture Luke 12 Reflection Luke 12 is a sweeping chapter — moving from warnings to encouragements, from parables to promises, from correction to comfort. Yeshua speaks plainly, directly, and lovingly. He exposes hypocrisy, confronts fear, dismantles greed, and calls His disciples into a life shaped by trust, readiness, and truth. As I read, I felt the weight of His words — not heavy in burden, but heavy in importance. These are teachings meant to shape the i...

Father God's Kingdom, or This World's Kingdom Father God's Kingdom, or This World's Kingdom Introduction There are moments when something small — a headline, a story, a memory — becomes a doorway into deeper truth. This morning was one of those moments. A simple news story stirred my heart and reminded me how often we walk too close to danger even when God lovingly warns us to stay away. Scripture Matthew 6:24 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Reflection I was on Facebook this morning and read about buffalo attacks in Yellowstone National Park. There are signs everywhere telling people to keep their distance, yet some still walk right up to these massive animals. It’s the same old story we know well: “Don’t touch th...

The Shepherd who restores every soul Why Clinging to This Life Keeps Us From the Life We Want Most of us hold tightly to the life we know. We cling to our routines, our habits, our ways of thinking, our sense of control. We call it “normal,” and we assume it’s the safest place to be. But if we’re honest, this life we protect so fiercely is the very life that keeps us tired, anxious, and searching for relief. We keep trying to escape the weight of this life while refusing to let go of the life that creates the weight. There’s a quiet truth we rarely stop long enough to see: The life we cling to is the life that hurts us. The life God offers is the life that heals us. But because we don’t talk much about the Kingdom, we don’t recognize the difference. We assume surrender means loss. We assume God’s rule means restriction. We assume the Kingdom will take something from us that we need to survive. Y...

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...

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...

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 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...