Repentance – Pathway Journey

August 28, 2026August 27, 2026

Spiritual Change: What does “born again” mean?

Young seedling growing beside a lake at sunset

Nicodemus, a respected leader of the Jewish Sanhedrin came to Jesus under the cover of darkness to get some answers. Jesus quickly directed the conversation to the subject of ‘change.’ He told him, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NKJV). The learned, religious scholar’s mind was blown, basically asking, “How can this be?

Many people have a hard time grasping this spiritual transformation. The born-again experience is not a change of mind or a different way of living—it is a spiritual rebirth. The result of this rebirth will change the way we think and the way we live. We must put the horse in front of the cart. Spiritual rebirth must come first.

The foundational truth to this subject begins with the way we were created. God, the triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit) created us in His image. We also have three distinct parts. Our innermost being is our spirit, not to be confused with the Holy Spirit. This human inner spirit is the part that is reborn in a born-again person. It is something only God can do when we first believe and trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

August 13, 2026August 12, 2026

Walking in Circles

A person hiking along a forked trail in a green forest near a lake

It is true that people lost in the woods or in a desert will walk in a circular pattern, particularly counterclockwise. There have been many research studies that have proved this phenomenon.

To walk in a straight trajectory, land navigators will fix their sight on an unmovable object such as a tree or some other landmark. Even those who use a compass will align their compass reading on a landmark in the distance to set their course of direction. Once they arrive at the first landmark, they will sight another landmark with their compass bearing and continue their journey repeating the process to arrive at their destination.

In life, many people walk in circles. They are aimless in their journey and like a ball in a pinball machine, they just bounce from one point to the next. They have no bearing of direction. They have not chosen a landmark or a standard. Then after many failures of lostness they will proclaim they are just unlucky when they are actually lost.

June 19, 2026June 20, 2026

Daddy Bought a Nissan

My daddy was born in 1914 in the ridges of Northeast Alabama. He was deserted by his father when he was a school-age boy and raised by his single mother in the midst of the Great Depression. He was raised dirt-poor.

June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

Don’t Allow Your Past to Destroy Your Future

Rusty metal chain breaking into pieces with sparks and glowing light

Many people allow their hurts, abuse, regret, sin, or disappointments to steal their joy and future. These words are not intended to downplay the difficulties you may have encountered. But we must realize there is absolutely nothing we can do to undo the past.

Too often we allow a never-ending replay loop to visit the problems of the past. At the end of the replay loop, there is no delete button. It is sad that so many people allow the past to mar their future.

All of us have choices of which we regret. “I wish I hadn’t done that!” or “I wish I would have made a better choice there!” There is nothing we can do to change the decision or the action of the past. That door is shut and cannot be opened.

Then there are so many who have suffered abuse for no fault of their own. They experience shame and guilt over something totally out of their control. It is like the enemy leaves an open sore that never seems to heal. These people need our compassion and the healing that only comes from Jesus.

October 28, 2025October 27, 2025

Good Intentions

I remember in the late 1990’s having good intentions about door-to-door visitation. I, along with some fellow ministry workers, knocked on every door of a nearby city’s government housing projects. We had good intentions but nothing tangible resulted from it. Maybe one person visited our church but no new converts. I know we encouraged a few people, but we never saw a harvest of our efforts.

I learned that building relationships is more effective than cold-calling.

Churches and mission organizations are full of good intentions. We have to be honest and ask ourselves the question. Are our good intentions bearing fruit or do they just make us feel better about ourselves? We often learn by trial and error.

July 24, 2025July 24, 2025

Central Message of Christ, Crucified and Resurrected

When God called me to preach, he called me to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not call me to be a motivational speaker, telling folks to be a “Better You.” Yet, in the process of discipleship, we often guide our disciples in necessary life skills. But our overwhelming call is to tell the story of God’s love in the gift of HIs Son. This love is demonstrated in the sending and dying of His Son Jesus on the cross for our redemption. The resurrection of Jesus is a confirmation of His deity.

The main theme of our preaching needs to be Christ, crucified and resurrected.

July 10, 2025July 9, 2025

What Road Are You On??

Are you lost on the wrong road? You are in a dead-spot and the GPS doesn’t work. Are you afraid to stop and ask directions? Maybe you are lost and don’t know it. Please keep reading.

Read, heed, and listen to the words of the Savior of Men. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. / Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV).

Narrow Way
The narrow gate has few who enter. It is not as obvious to men of flesh. One must walk contrary to the natural sway of man to choose this route. It is the difficult way or the way of discipline. It does not appeal to the flesh of man. The lust of the eye has no interest in the road. The lust of the flesh does not either. The pride of life is also uninterested.

May 21, 2025May 18, 2025

How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God

In the church world we throw around words and catch phases until they become threadbare of their meaning. Paul used the three terms of grace, mercy, and peace in his salutations to his spiritual sons. Here is one, “To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:2 NKJV).

Peace always follows grace and mercy. It is impossible to have true peace with God without the blessings of grace and mercy. Since we were born with a sin nature, it is impossible to have peace with God without them. We can’t outside of these two make ourselves compatible with God’s peace.

We can measure twice and cut once. We can fill the cracks with putty and sand until smooth. We can put three coats of paint on a stairway to Heaven. Still, it will not reach!

March 20, 2025

King David’s Moral Crisis: Lessons in Repentance

King David had a moral crisis when he committed adultery with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. He complicated and multiplied his sin by deceit and murder after it was revealed to him that she was pregnant with his child.

The husband of Bathsheba was Uriah. He was a trusted soldier of David and was numbered in the elite thirty-seven of 2 Samuel chapter 23. Uriah was ordered from the front lines for the sole purpose of obscuring his wife’s pregnancy as a product of adultery. Uriah refused to keep company with his wife out of concern for his fellow soldiers still on the battlefield.

David took the sin to an even lower level of murder. He wrote orders for Uriah to be put in the most dangerous position of battle guaranteeing his death. This strong faithful soldier faithfully carried his own death sentence to the commander of the army. He died in battle and David brought Bathsheba into his palace as his wife.

March 6, 2025March 5, 2025

True Disciple: A Follower of Jesus

A disciple of Jesus is a follower of Jesus. Someone who merely acknowledges Jesus as a great religious leader is not a disciple. Many people have only a mental nod to who Jesus is.

The first step of becoming a true disciple is when an individual receives a spiritual revelation of the reality of who Jesus is and their own need for a Savior. The seed for this revelation is the Word of God when one hears the Gospel. This revelation creates a strong desire to follow the One, who has the words of eternal life.