Service – Pathway Journey

September 11, 2026September 10, 2026

Obscurity in a Crowded World

Sunlit forest path bordered by wildflowers and leafy trees

I know God has called some of us to the dark corners of the world to carry the light of Jesus. Perhaps, He wants some of us to be cloaked in obscurity to find those who are the forgotten lost and tell them, “Yes, God does love you and He has sent me to tell you that His love is expressed in His Son Jesus. You are not forgotten nor hidden from His eyes.”

God has called us not only to the forgotten lost but also to the hidden servants who labor tirelessly for the Kingdom of God. The Word of God says, “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42 NKJV). The cup of cold water could be encouragement and fellowship to those who labor in the Kingdom of God in obscure places of the world.

August 6, 2026August 6, 2026

Good Intentions

Man leaning down to shake hands with a homeless man sitting against a wall on a city sidewalk.

All genuine, good intentions are honorable. However, not every good intention is effective. Some good intentions never get beyond the intention, nothing gets done. Good intentions do not always lead to good results. We need to look a little deeper concerning our intentions.

Emotions is often the driver for our good intentions. When we do something motivated by good intentions, it makes us feel good. We all like doing something that is worthwhile and helpful. But our intentions can cause us to act without much thought about the outcome. Many of us want to help others, but we are often driven by emotions rather than logic, reason, and even God’s perfect will.

May 1, 2026April 30, 2026

Pattern of Living

Man and child holding hands walking on a dirt path surrounded by autumn foliage

Sometimes, we hear people say, “Do as I say but don’t do as I do.” This quote is morphed from a warning of Jesus to His followers about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matt. 23:3 NKJV).

We all have patterns of living. The habitual lifestyle of good or bad actions creates a pattern by which we are known. Others observe us subconsciously and purposefully. Those around us know us by our patterns. We are generally known by our lifestyle. It is not that people are judging us; they are only taking note of their observations.

January 9, 2026January 27, 2026

Take Off Your Sandals

In the desert near Mount Sinai, a fugitive of Egypt is shepherding the sheep of his father-in-law. He was born an Israelite slave in Egypt. It is a point in history when Pharaoh was thinning the Hebrew population by killing all the newborn male slaves.

Surely the enemy of God, Satan himself, had designed this slaughter because a deliverer was destined to be born. The Adversary would plan a similar genocide 1300 years later to extinguish another deliverer—the Messiah.

June 18, 2025June 17, 2025

How Much Does It Cost?

NOTE: This blog post was originally written and shared by me in 2018. I thought I would give it a quick edit and run it through the rinse cycle one more time!

How Much Does It Cost?

“How much does it cost?”, it is a question we ask when we shop. But life is a series of questions of, “How much does it cost?” It all comes down to value. Everything has a value fixed at a different level by different people. What do we really value?

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025

Obscurity of Earth and the Known of Heaven

In the world of social media and in the nature of man, there is a desire by many to be recognized and perhaps even be famous. Many want to become the next TikTok or YouTube sensation. Perhaps we should be more concerned about being known in Heaven.

We should not seek fame but seek to be more like Jesus. It is more important to be obedient to His purpose than to desire His help with our plans. If we are faithful to His purpose then we will be among those known in Heaven.

Most of us will live in obscurity on earth. The vast majority of us will be completely forgotten two generations after our death. Most graves are eventually unvisited. Remember, those old forgotten family photos that hang on Cracker Barrel Restaurant walls next to an old rusty relic were once real families.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Spiritual Burden

As a child and young man growing up in church, I often heard people use the word “burden” quite often. Pastors would say they had a burden for their church. Friends would speak of “carrying a burden” for a family member. I don’t hear people use the term much anymore but I am very familiar with the term and the experience. I would define “burden” as a deep concern planted by the Holy Spirit to motivate us to prayer and action.

September 17, 2024September 16, 2024

Be the Fragrance of Christ

Let us be the fragrance of Jesus, by being Jesus to others on our journey of life. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14 NKJV).

As this scripture states, the fragrance of Jesus is diffused through us in every place. We journey through life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The lives of others are touched by Jesus through us. We need to understand that we can be Jesus to someone, somewhere, somehow.

February 28, 2024March 6, 2024

Spoiled Brats

Jeremiah asked God why the wicked prospered while the good folks suffered. It is an age-old question that God has been asked perhaps zillion of times. God answers Jeremiah beginning with this statement:

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5 NKJV).

If you are lost in the imagery and the history of God’s answer, let me simplify it for you. Basically, if you have struggled in good times, how will you fare when it really gets tough.

If you freak out when you forget to get your favorite coffee K-cups, how will you cope if there is no coffee?

There are many people in the United States who are suffering through terrible difficulties. I have friends right now who are going through their own hell. This post is not about those with legitimate difficulties. Bear with me, while I make the comfortable, uncomfortable.

November 8, 2023November 7, 2023

Earmarked for Jesus

One of the poignant hidden gems in the Old Testament is in the Levitical law. It is one of those scriptures that is often skipped over because it “does not apply to us.” Yet in it is a moving principle of love and servitude. In the Law of Moses, if an Israelite became impoverished and was sold as a slave to another Israelite, he was to serve six years and go free in the seventh year (see Exodus 21:1-2).

There was also a provision in the law, if the servant loved his master and his situation, the servant could opt out of being free. If he decided to stay forever after his six-year term, his master would legitimize the relationship before the judges and then pierce his ear with an awl against the doorpost of the house. The voluntary slave would be “earmarked” as the master’s slave forever.