Grace – Pathway Journey

March 15, 2023March 14, 2023

Redemption Parable

I remember as a child singing the hymn written by James Rowe and titled “Redeemed” with the refrain bouncing off the walls of our country church and settling into my spirit,

I’m redeemed by love divine!
Glory, glory! Christ is mine, Christ is mine!
All to Him I now resign, resign
I have been redeemed, redeemed!

Redemption Parable
One day vicious raiders from the north country raided our village. They broke into all our houses, stealing all the precious items our families had worked hard to provide. The men were ruthless and merciless.

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022

Song of My Soul

How could I say that I have accepted Jesus, chose Yahweh to be my God, and Holy Spirit to fill me? As if I was shopping for a god and thought they were a great bargain.

No—the realization that He chose me. He came to me in my brokenness, revealing His completeness and perfection. At the time, I could not have articulated these words, but in retrospect I can see Him coming to me, instead of me going to Him.

November 8, 2022November 7, 2022

Simplicity of the Cross

I love the Word of God. The gems of truth we can mine from its depths are invaluable treasures. When I can connect the dots between the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is the reward of the student. The strong truth of the Word comes at the right time bringing me back into alignment with the heart of God.

The message of the Cross of Christ is the simple message of salvation for all to embrace and believe.

September 1, 2022September 1, 2022

Yesterday’s Door is Shut!

Regret is a bad dream on a never-ending replay loop. I think most of us have some of those past events or choices of which we regret. “I wish I hadn’t done that!” or “I wish I would have made a better choice there!”

I know this is a rhetorical question, but I must ask it anyway, “Can we go back and change it?” Of course, the answer is an emphatic, “NO!” There is nothing we can do to change the decision or the action of the past. That door is shut and cannot be opened.

July 14, 2022July 13, 2022

True Conversion

If I remember the story correctly, a man in conversation with the famous evangelist D. L. Moody, pointed to a drunken man on the street and said, “Moody, isn’t that one of your converts?” Moody replied, “Yes, that looks like one of my converts.” Implying that the work of man does not change an individual but only a true work of grace by Christ can convert.

June 3, 2022June 3, 2022

Disappointment

I suppose disappointment is a human condition that affects us all. We often wallow in the disappointment in ourselves and boil over our emotions in the disappointment of others.

There is a portion of scripture I often default to in times of disappointment that shakes me back into reality. It is in Proverbs 13:12a (NKJV), “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” My paraphrase is, “Expectations not met, breaks the heart.”

March 9, 2022March 8, 2022

Be Real

Our present world is one of symbols and images that are often removed from reality. Social media has photos that are filtered to project a prettier face. A short media post shows a perfect situation but a deeper look reveals a flawed reality.

We are swamped with available information at our fingertips. Much of the information is skewed to project a reality that does not exit. It is like the snake oil medicine of old, that promised to cure everything from cataracts to kidney stones but only gave a taste of medicine in the mouth.

January 25, 2022January 25, 2022

Angel Feathers

On my first trip to Haiti, a family loaned me their video camera. At that time, they were extremely expensive, but they insisted I take it. Unknown to me, the camera had a loose screw on the eye piece. In the middle of about a hundred school kids or more, it fell to the ground. This little fellow about seven years old tugged on my pant leg and held it up to me. God gave me an angel feather.

September 10, 2021September 10, 2021

No More Options!!

Jesus said some difficult things. One of the more difficult statements He made to His followers was for them to have life it would be necessary for them to eat His flesh and to drink His blood (see John 6:53-57). Many of His followers stopped following Him after that teaching. Jesus asked His twelve apostles, “Do you also want to go away” (John 6:67 NKJV)?

April 13, 2021May 6, 2021

Overcoming Evil

A lingering question is asked these days given the situation we see in our world, “What can we do?” It is an earthly question with a spiritual answer. Much of what people see as a cultural shift, political upheaval, or religious persecution is a spiritual manifestation.