Pathway Journey

November 6, 2024November 5, 2024

Saltiness of Christianity

Jesus used salt as an analogy to show the importance of being a true disciple. Salt performs two basic functions; it enhances taste, and it preserves. As Christians we bring flavor and meaning to a hopeless world. We also preserve society and order to a fallen world. How do we lose our salt factor?

Salt does not in itself deteriorate. Salt without its saltiness is contaminated salt. Salt is derived from the sea or from salt deposits in the earth. The substance we buy today is consistent and mostly free from contamination.

In the time of the New Testament it was not so pure. The water from the sea was evaporated leaving a residue of salt but the residue was not pure. It was often contaminated with other minerals and substances of the sea. If it became too contaminated, it lost its flavor or saltiness.

October 22, 2024October 21, 2024

Old Boots and Ole Friends

Old boots are much like ole friends. They started out a little stiff and perhaps a little awkward. In the beginning, they were not a perfect fit. However, the more time I spent with them, the more we molded as one.

October 10, 2024October 10, 2024

True Discipleship Means No Alternatives

I find choosing a paint color a little frustrating because there are just too many options. I ate in a foreign restaurant where I had a choice of meat but no option for the side dishes. When it came to the side dishes, you either ate them or left them. Of course, I usually ate them!

When it comes to being a true disciple of Jesus Christ, why do some folks think they have options?

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.

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024

Be Merciful: Drop the Rock

We live in a world that celebrates bravado and even ruthless behavior. Even the word meekness is thought to be weakness by many. Biblical meekness is actually restrained power; having the power over someone but exercising mercy instead.

To be sure, Jesus spoke truth and at times He was very straightforward especially to the religious elites. But we see the tenderhearted Jesus dealing with the woman about to be stoned for adultery. He challenged the religious leaders, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7 NKJV). He forgave the woman’s sin without excusing the sin by telling her to go and sin no more.

August 30, 2024September 3, 2024

Finding Joy in Surrender: Embracing God’s Plan for Fulfillment

We exist for God’s purpose not our own. Sure, we existed in the mind of God before He said, “Let there be light.” What a crazy thought but true. Yet, God does not exist so we can live happy, contented, and fulfilled lives. We exist for His pleasure and the fulfillment of His plan in and through us.

August 21, 2024August 21, 2024

History-Long Hatred of Children: A Ploy of Satan

Children are the most vulnerable humans on the planet. They are very dependent upon adults for provision, shelter, protection, and education. Through the course of world history, children have been neglected and worse of all targeted for exploitation or even destruction. Why?

In our present age, we see children used as slave labor, sex slaves, so-called collateral damage in endless wars, starved by abject poverty, and easy fields for organ harvesting in less humane societies.

Then in our more so-called civilized cultures, we see children harmed in sex abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, objects of child pornography, sexual mutilation, destructive drug therapy, warped by dysfunctional families, and killed by abortion.

July 31, 2024July 31, 2024

Surprised by the Hatred Against Christ?

The controversial 2024 Olympic opening ceremony has created quite a stir. It seemed quite obvious to me that it was a shameful parody of the Last Supper. Some say not. Sorry, but we have become accustomed to people telling us that we did not see what we saw. And that we did not hear what we heard.

I was not shocked. Nor did I expect some well-crafted apology. By the way, real apologies do not start with “IF.” One thing I do know for sure! There is a demonic current in our world that hates Christ and His followers. Why would we be surprised? Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. / If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19 NKJV). I find myself in good company.

July 23, 2024July 22, 2024

Life-Changing Decision: My Salvation Experience at Eleven

It was a hot July day in Alabama in 1966 and my mother made me wear a shirt I hated. It was one of those shirts that was square bottomed with buttons for adjustment on the two sides. We were headed to our church just up the road, the little caravan was my Mama, my brother Steve, and me.

Summer revival meetings were in full swing with morning and night services. Our country church building was larger than usual. It was built with concrete blocks covered with plaster. It had a tall ceiling. There was no air conditioning at church or home so sweat was the normal life of a Southerner.

My Daddy was at work. Mother never learned to drive, so we walked the short distance to church. I was miserable. The short walk was not my problem, the July heat was just life, the awful shirt was only a secondary torment, because I had been wrestling with God. In our church jargon, we called it conviction. I was under conviction of sin.

July 9, 2024July 8, 2024

Why the Rage?

There are a lot of angry people in the world. Some get caught up in a frenzy over things they do not understand. They simply share the rage of their colleagues with the same psychology as a mob. People do things in a mob that they would never do in a one-on-one encounter.

There is much Antisemitism rising to the surface in our country at the present time. This hatred was present before Israel’s military response after the Hamas attack in October 2023, but is more evident now. It is ironic that some of the people and groups in the United States who are pro-Hamas would only survive about five minutes on the streets of Gaza. They are caught up in a frenzy of hatred that defies logic.

But why such vile rage? What line do people cross from being an opponent to a vile enemy? How does an opposing opinion abscess into bloodshed and outright genocide? Hatred multiplies like dangerous bacteria in a petri dish.