K. Lynn Lewis's Blog

The Peculiar Coincidence of Forgiveness and Consequences

Most of us know the story.

 A large army of Hebrews, a little over one year out of enslavement in Egypt, amasses in the desert on the southern edge a fertile swath of land sandwiched between the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Euphrates River. For nearly seven hundred years and across a succession of generations, this land known as Canaan has been promised to these direct descendants of Abraham and his son, Isaac. Since they have not yet seen the land ahead, a small advance party scouts it out.

Twelve spies conduct a clandestine, 40-day surveillance sprint covering hundreds of miles, and return to report that the “Promised Land” is indeed beautiful and plentiful.

However, ten of the twelve also report that the current inhabitants are giants, urge abandonment of all hope of conquering and inhabiting the region, and advocate a return to Egypt instead.

The majority report sways the tribal masses, who then advocate killing the two brothers currently co-leading their nation (Moses and Aaron) and the two spies (Joshua and Caleb) who don’t agree with defecting from the original plan.

At this point, an infuriated God intervenes and announces that He would rather destroy the troublemakers altogether and give Moses a fresh start.

Moses, however, magnanimously pleads for mercy for the rebels, even though they want to kill him.

“In accordance with your great love,” he requests of the Lord, “forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

The Lord replies, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless…”

 Did you catch that? God says He has forgiven them. Therefore, what follows is apparently what forgiveness looks like, in this instance.

 “Nevertheless,” the Lord continues, “as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times – not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it . . . in this wilderness your bodies will fall – every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census (603,550 men) and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years – one year for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.” (Numbers 13-14)

But, how can this be? If God has forgiven them, why are they still punished? Why must they suffer for their sins if they have been forgiven? How can forgiveness, and four decades of consequences leading to the death of at least 603,448 people go hand in hand?

Doesn’t forgiveness imply a release from consequences? Doesn’t forgiveness mean also forgetting, giving up our rights of retribution, setting aside our heart-felt desire for justice, and making nice – even if everything within us wants to make war?

God clearly claims to have forgiven them, but He also clearly punishes them. In this case, then, forgiveness and punishment are not mutually exclusive. The rebels are forgiven, yet still condemned to suffer and die.  The children also suffer, even though their parents were the transgressors.

At this point, so as not to avoid the trap of the man who asserted that all camels walk single file – at least the one he saw did – let us consider another circumstance.

Most of us know this story, too.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, King David sends his army off to battle, but he stays home.

While walking around on his palace roof, he observes a beautiful woman bathing nearby, inquires and finds out that she is the daughter of one of his inner circle of mighty men who has sworn to protect him.

Not only that, she is the wife of another of his most trusted soldiers.

Even so, King David exercises his political authority, has her brought to him, and beds her.

When she later notifies him that she is pregnant by him, David has her husband brought home from war and tries several times to trick him into sleeping with his wife so he will think the child is his.  When those efforts fail, King David arranges for her husband to be killed in battle. After his death, and her period of mourning ends, David marries her and she births the son conceived in adultery.

Not surprisingly, the things David did displeased the Lord.

God then sends his prophet, Nathan, to confront the king.

Nathan recounts the Lord’s multitude of blessings in David’s life and notes that God intended to bless him even more.

But, now, because of David’s evil acts, there will be consequences.

David man’s up and confesses straightforwardly, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan responds, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But, because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord” (also translated ‘made yourself an enemy of the Lord’), certain things will happen as punishment.

Nathan informs David that his reign will no longer know peace, calamity will come upon his entire household, and their newborn son will die. (II Samuel 11-13)

Again, how can this be? If God has “taken away” his sin – which we assume means forgiven him – why all of the punishments?

If David, his kingdom, his household, his new wife and new son must all face calamitous consequences because of his sins, how does that coincide with forgiveness? 

In comparing these two cases, both the Hebrews and David were forgiven, both nations suffered consequences, and both times people died as a result.

So, apparently forgiveness and consequences, even as severe as death, can coexist.

If this seems a peculiar coincidence, perhaps our understanding of forgiveness has been sullied, brought down to earth out of the heavenly realm, and sissified. 

Maybe God’s idea of forgiveness has been kidnapped, redefined, and reformatted to conform to humanity’s general discomfort with accountability.

It is feasible that what we sometimes label “forgiveness” is actually a rejection of godly justice, a replacement of pearls of wisdom with jelly beans of goo, righteousness with wrongness, and consequences with cowardice.

I think my dad understood the duality of forgiveness and consequences. When I misbehaved, he let me know two things – he loved me, and what was about to happen next was going to hurt.

Evil seems clearly present in our world. Murderers, thieves, kidnappers, bombers, and wackos make the news, but we have all experienced unpleasantries related to self-centeredness, narcissism, lies, slander, unfaithfulness, lasciviousness, laziness, greed, gluttony, drunkenness, foul language, arrogance, prejudice, covetousness, unbelief, cowardice, oppression, and more – and sometimes we are the perpetrators.

Can we be forgiven? Possibly, if we honestly confess our transgressions, or someone in good standing pleads earnestly on our behalf.

Will there be consequences? Most likely, and we probably won’t have to ask for them. They will come, sometimes to us and often to others, sometimes naturally, sometimes purposefully, sometimes immediately, and sometimes belatedly.

We should not be surprised, angry, or insolent when they do. And, we should seek to learn from error, embrace reality, and forgo the pretentious fantasy that words and actions, and even thoughts, do not have splashes and ripples of consequence. 

Furthermore, we should relinquish our fanciful illusion of control. Even our tiny speck of universe is mostly larger than our grasp.  We are at the mercy of God, nature, and multitudes of other things beyond our command or sway at any given moment. The sun will rise, the rain will fall, the wind will blow, and our neighbors, friends, family, and enemies will think of us what they want.

We may have influence, but not control. God can do what He wants when He wants without our advisement, permission or approval, even when He allows for our input.

Let us not confuse our grand American experiment in human liberty with the Kingdom of God. Even if the entire universe voted against the Almighty, His vote is the only one that counts.

Can we ourselves forgive? Yes, it should be possible for us to “give over” all things to the Lord without reserve. We may be able to do it once, or ours may be a journey of repetition, but it should be possible.

What about when we are in a position of authority on behalf of ourselves or others, what should we do? 

If it is within our purview, it may be our duty to mete out and/or allow due consequences. In doing so, we should obey principles of justice such as balance, due process, integrity, and appropriate reckoning. We should not overreach nor under reach, not shirk our duties, or cheapen the cost of forgiveness with spineless inaction, injurious silence or babbling drool. 

We should not make excuses for the inexcusable, refuse or misdirect responsibility for the responsible, or play word games with concepts, definitions, labels, and talking points in an effort to disguise reality.

We should avoid taking unjust liberties and abusing freedoms of the many in reaction to the clearly contained actions of one or a few.

We should seek justice, not legalism; truth, not opinion; and bow to common sense, not rise to idiocy.

In the end, let us be clear.

Forgiveness is typically possible, and consequences – even as far reaching as death in this life – do not necessarily negate forgiveness, and may indeed be a rightful companion.

Originally published in Meat and Potatoes for the Soul, KLL, 2023, pp. 21-26.

A sea change — or business as usual?

The recent murder of Charlie Kirk, the “highest profile American political figure to be assassinated in nearly six decades,”[i] has been called “the death of free speech,”[ii] a “tipping point,”[iii] a “watershed moment,”[iv]and “one of the worst moments in recent American history.”[v] How did we get to this point, what happened, and what happens next? 

First, for over a decade,[vi] America has experienced a campaign of increasingly extremist political rhetoric,[vii] although there are varied opinions.[viii] Some elected leaders have opted for demonization over debate[ix] and overtly encouraged violence[x] against political opponents and their supporters. Officials and candidates at every level have promulgated “eliminationist rhetoric.”[xi]

Second, in an eye-opening poll[xiii] published by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) in April 2025, a sizeable portion rated the prospective murder of Elon Musk (31%) or President Trump (38%) as somewhat justified. For respondents who self-identified left of center, the percentage rose to 50% (Musk) and 56% (Trump). Of those, 11% (Musk) and 14% (Trump) believed such murders would be “Completely Justified.” If at all reflective of reality, the poll suggests that a majority of a political constituency in America considers murdering the sitting President of the United States a justifiable act.   

Third, on September 10, 2025, known for promoting the “venerable tradition”[xv] of open debate and civil dialogue modeled by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle was assassinated while discussing gun violence with a college student. One person,[xvi] and possible co-conspirators, appear to have acted as judge, jury, and executioner to brazenly murder an unarmed civilian in a crowded public venue.

Fourth, news about the event ignited a chain reaction celebrating Kirk’s violent death. Many were startled because millions of Americans hold similar beliefs about God, family, and country, including the First Amendment[xvii] rights to free speech and peaceably assemble. The obvious comfort level exhibited by people euphorically applauding the homicide of a defenseless citizen holding a microphone,[xviii] further shocked many. Celebrants not only felt comfortable publicly posting sentiments, many seemed surprised to receive negative feedback, much less lose contracts for projects,[xix]their jobs,[xx] sales outlets,[xxi] TV shows,[xxii] and more. The high degree of comfort—the ambient environment, assumed culture, perceived shared value system—wherein some felt so free, justified, and righteous is deeply revealing.

Others sought to blame the victim or excuse celebrants by referencing Kirk’s words or beliefs, although some quickly discovered their assertions were slanderous and untrue.[xxiii] Such diversionary comments indicate tacit consensus for carrying out the death penalty[xxiv] against people who say things others don’t like. Yet, most of the 41 capital offenses punishable by death in the U.S.[xxv] derive from murder, not talking. Such comments also further suggest implicit support for violating the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution[xxvi] and a key biblical principle of justice—due process.[xxvii] Due process and death penalty laws are very strict. Many celebrants probably oppose capital punishment. But, in Kirk’s case, since he said things they didn’t like, they championed it or offered excuses for others who did. 

But there’s more. Not content with one merciless injustice, a slew of hashtags, public lists, and even betting sites launched campaigns for next preferred victims. A high school teacher in Los Angeles, California posted this open call for more violence, “Far right assholes have a target on their backs, and deserve to die. One down, millions to go.” Alarmed, Elon Musk reacted,[xxviii] “We must fight back or be murdered.”

What happens next remains to be seen. The mindsets of many, good and bad across a wide spectrum, have been exposed. The soul of a nation is on display with the whole world watching. The question is not whether Kirk’s assassination and massive reactions to it mark a seminal moment in American history — they do. The question is whether America will wake up, see more clearly, and experience a metamorphosis — a radically positive transformation that alters the actions, attitudes, goals, and rhetoric of millions of people.

[i] “Charlie Kirk Assassination Stirs Fears of Rising Political Violence,” Janice Hisle, Savannah Hulsey Pointer, 9/12/2025, The Epoch Times.

[ii] “Jay Leno Jay Leno calls Charlie Kirk assassination the ‘death of free speech’,” Hanna Panreck, 9/14/2025, Fox News.

[iii] “Charlie Kirk assassination marks bad tipping point for US,” Stephen A. Smith with Chris Cuomo, 9/12/2025, NewsNation.

[iv] “Utah governor calls Charlie Kirk killing a ‘watershed moment’ for America,” Anderson Cooper 360, 9/12/2025, CNN.

[v] “Political Violence Could Devour Us All,” Graeme Wood, 9/11/2025, The Atlantic.

[vi] “Nolte — Open Season On Us Began in 2015: 639 Acts of Violence/Harassment Over 3 Years,” John Nolte, 9/15/2025, Breitbart.

[vii] “Addressing political violence to protect American democracy,” Jonathan Katz, Renee Rippberger, and Eric Urby; 8/21/2025, The Brookings Institution.

[viii] “10 Political Violence Experts on What Comes Next for America,” 9/12/2025, Politico Magazine.

[ix] “The Charlie Kirk assassination is a warning we cannot ignore – opinion,” Gabriel Rosenburg, 9/15/2025, The Jerusalem Post.

[x] “H.Res.327 – Expel Maxine Waters Resolution for Incitement of Violence and Rioting against the United States,” 4/19/2021, Congress.gov.

[xi] “Stephen Miller: We Are Going To Do What It Takes To Dismantle Radical Left Organizations That Foment Riots And Inspire Terrorism,” Ian Schwartz, 9/13/2025, RealClearPolitics.

[xiii] “Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence,” NCRI Assassination Culture Brief, 4/7/2025, Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University Social Perception Lab.

[xiv] “Director Patel’s Remarks at the September 12, 2025, Press Conference on the Utah Valley University Shooting,” Kash Patel, 9/12/2025, FBI.

[xv] “He Died with a Microphone in His Hand,” Robert Barron, 9/15/2025, First Things.

[xvi] “The manhunt in Charlie Kirk’s killing ended with the suspect’s parents walking him up to their local sheriff’s office,” Lauren Mascarenhas, 9/19/2025, CNN.

[xvii] “Constitution of the United States: First Amendment,” Congress.gov.

[xviii] “He Died with a Microphone in His Hand,” Robert Barron, 9/15/2025, First Things.

[xix] “DC Cancels ‘Red Hood’ Comic Book Series After Writer Shares Inflammatory Post Following Charlie Kirk Shooting,” Aaron Couch, 9/11/2025, The Hollywood Reporter.

[xx] “Multiple people lose jobs after posts, comments about Charlie Kirk assassination,” Julia Gomez, Melina Khan, and Phaedra Trethan; 9/13/2025, USA TODAY.

[xxi] “Irish bookstore bans all Stephen King books after ‘abhorrent’ Charlie Kirk comments,” Alex West, 9/14/2025, Irish Star.

[xxii] “ABC preempts ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!,’ network says,” 9/17/2025, ABC News.

[xxiii] “Author Stephen King issues rare apology after Charlie Kirk comments,” NBC New York Staff, 9/15/2025, NBC New York.

[xxiv] “The Death Penalty,” Prison Fellowship.

[xxv] “Death Penalty,” The Editors of ProCon, 8/20/2025, Britannica.

[xxvi] “Constitution of the United States: Fourteenth Amendment,” Congress.gov.

[xxvii] “The Importance of Due Process,” BibleHub.

[xxviii] @Elon Musk, 9/14/2025, X.com.

Original version published at American Thinker, “A sea change — or business as usual?” 9/20/2025

Living Into the Bible’s Grand Story

What is the Bible all about? The Bible is a collection of sixty-six different pieces of literature. These ‘books’ of the Bible include everything from ancient history to erotic love poetry to personal letters! Reading the Bible—to say nothing of understanding and applying it—can be overwhelming and confusing. Is there a single drama that runs throughout Scripture? Is there a grand story of which we are a part? The answer is “Yes!” This devotional guides you through four major themes in Scripture over the course of a year. Each week includes short reflections and invitations to discover parts of the narrative of Scripture to help you find your place in the Bible’s grand story.

Author: Dr. Israel Steinmetz (DMin Fuller Theological Seminary) is a pastor-theologian with thirty years of Christian ministry, leadership, writing, and teaching experience throughout the U.S. and around the world. He has served as a local church pastor, civilian chaplain with the U.S. Navy, and as faculty for Christian colleges and seminaries for over a decade. Israel is currently Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Practical Theology at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. He and his wife, Anna, have ten children and are active members of Grace Fellowship Free Methodist Church.

Managing Editor: A seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse professional background of more than four decades in business, education, and ministry, K. Lynn Lewis has enjoyed careers as an engineer, senior pastor, administrator, director, and CEO and President, and served in leadership on numerous boards and in a variety of organizations. He currently serves as President of The Bible Seminary and is the Founder and President of “InspireUSA: Celebrating the Best of America®.” His productions and publications include many articles, books, a cable TV show, a dissertation, magazines, musicals, songs, videos, and web sites. A native Georgian and current Texan, he and his wife, Wendy, have three children and an increasing quiver of grandchildren.

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Call to Adventure

“NOAH,” God essentially said, “I have a problem. But, I also have a solution, a vision, a plan, and a man. You are the man, and this is what I want to you do.” And, according to scripture, “Noah did everything just as God commanded.”

Genesis 6:22

Noah’s journey included building a gigantic boat, congregating pairs of living creatures into a floatable zoo, weathering a colossal flood, and captaining the human and animal repopulation of the earth. Noah could have drowned in boredom, vanity, and wickedness like others in his day, but God called him to an adventure that helped save the world.

“ABRAM,” God essentially said, “I have big plans for you—a big people and a big purpose. So big! So unbelievably big! You, yes you, you are the man, my man!” And, according to scripture, “Abram went as the Lord had told him.”

Genesis 12:4

Abram’s journey included multiple relocations, battling enemies, moderating familial animosity, bargaining with God in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to save people from the consequences of their sins, receiving a new name, and willingly almost sacrificing his own son in faith and unwavering obedience to the Lord God Almighty. Abram could have rested in obscurity and settled for polytheistic status quo like others of his day, but God called him to an adventure that blessed the world.

“DEBORAH,” God essentially said, “Our people have problems. While enemies without oppress them, reluctance within suppresses them. I need a mother in Israel to raise them up, encourage them, and lead them. You are the woman, and this is what I want you to do.”

Judges 4-5

Deborah’s journey included presiding over her people as a prophet and judge, mediating disputes, summoning army commanders, directing battle plans, and commemorating victory with a glorious musical duet. She could have hidden behind her skirts, stayed home in the kitchen, or embraced frailty as a damsel in distress, but God called her to stand strong in a culturally unusual role that brought decades of peace to her nation.

“MOSES,” God essentially said, “Our people have a problem. But, I have a solution, a vision, a plan, and a man. You are the man, and this is what I want you to do.” And, according to scripture, Moses effectively replied, “Who? Me? What? How? Please send someone else!” Finally, after some attitude adjustments and a personnel addition, “Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them.”

Exodus 7:6

Moses’s journey included struggling with his own sense of inadequacy, reconnecting with his people to earn their trust and respect, confronting a pharaoh, leading a mixed multitude into an expectant wilderness journey, navigating myriad personnel and morale issues, building leaders, shaping a fledgling group of oppressed tribes into nation, and casting a compelling vision far beyond his own lifetime and opportunity to experience the full blessings himself. Moses could have continued inconspicuously shepherding sheep in the wilderness like others of his day, but God called him to an adventure that created a transformational culture and shaped a holy nation.

“BEZALEL,” God informed Moses, “Has been filled with my Spirit, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of all kinds of artistic skills to build my mishkan (“tabernacle” or “dwelling place”). I have also provided Oholiab as his assistant and given them the ability to teach others.” And, according to scripture, “Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded.”

Exodus 39:43

Bezalel and Oholiab’s journey included leading the personnel and processes to create divinely inspired and spiritually nourishing artistic works made of bronze, gold, silver, jewel stones, fabric, and wood. They could have complained about their circumstances, opined for a return to servitude with more certainty, or used their talents in more trivial pursuits like others of their day, but God called them to creative adventure with higher purposes.

“WHOEVER wants to save their life will lose it,” Jesus told Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Levi (Matthew), Nathanael, Philip, Thomas, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, and others, “but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” And, according to scripture, many did so.

The journeys of Jesus’s first followers included face-to-face discipleship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, confronting their own prejudices and sins, enduring persecutions, witnessing (and effecting) incredible miracles, observing the suffering and death of their expected Messiah, and experiencing their resurrected Lord first-hand. They could have continued collecting taxes, fishing, scheming revolts, or self-righteously castigating sinners like others of their day, but God called them to an adventure that continues to redeem souls and shape societies around the world to this day.

TBS Past

The Lord similarly called founding President Jim Leggett, founding Professor Paul Helbig, founding Board Chair Dan Dunham, founding Executive Vice-President Rick McCalip, and others to an adventure planting The Bible Seminary (TBS). The summons included no guarantees, only trust in the Lord and saints similarly called, as well as a shared belief in all 66 books of the Bible as the Word of God and the best training manual for life, leadership, and leaving a legacy. As God continued to empower and guide, protect and provide, TBS has since grown from nothing to something, as summarized below.

15 years incorporated as an independent, charitable 501(c)3, non-profit institution of higher education.5 years accredited by TRACS (Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools) with a recent 10-year renewal good through 2035.101 alumni toward a goal of 5,000 reaching 1 million souls for Christ.82 courses and seminars taught a cumulative total of 370 times.45 teaching locations (classrooms, churches, schools, cemeteries, a farm, funeral homes, homes, hospitals, museums, and retreat centers) plus 75+ locations in Israel.13 years leasing campus facilities from the Great Southwest Equestrian Center that currently total 4,400 ft2 of classroom, library, museum, office, reception, storage, and studio spaces.7 academic programsMaster of Divinity (MDiv)Master of Arts in Biblical History and Archaeology (MABHA)Master of Arts in Biblical Languages and Culture (MABLC)Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS)Master of Arts in Church History and Theology (MACHT)Dual Degree Completion (DDC) path to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies (BACS) and simultaneously earn a graduate degree.Certificate of Theological Studies (CTS), formerly titled Bible Certificate, Licensed Professional, or Vocational Ministry Certificate.4,000 3J Museum visitors since opening March 1, 2022.2,500 students who enrolled in at least one course or seminar.600 donors since inception.175 travelers to Israel and Egypt.125 teaching team members, including 50 faculty who taught at least one TBS class, course, or seminar, plus another 75+ guest speakers.38 Board members who served 1 to 12-year terms with 5 to 13-members and who have cumulatively volunteered a total of 159 years.30 staff who served full-time, part-time, or volunteer since inception.Facebook: 1,600+ followers; 44% male, 56% female.Podcast: 5 years old, 175 episodes, 8,900+ downloads in 60 countries and nearly 1,000 cities.YouTube: 4,700 videos; nearly 1 million impressions; 170,000 views totaling 12,600 hours; 782 subscribers; 60% of viewers 18-34 years old, 30% 35-64 years old, 8% 13-17 years old; 25% female and 75% male.

These statistics offer valuable proof of concept. No longer a flickering idea, daring dream, or “We’re doing what?” campaign (the 2010 initiative that raised $1.1 million in seed funding to start the seminary), TBS is a bustling, dynamic reality with alumni, leaders, and students regularly impacting thousands of people worldwide on a weekly basis.

TBS Future

The Lord’s call to adventure is a journey. Living it out extends far beyond our lifetime, most likely even into eternity. With 15 years past, we look forward toward TBS future. Like Noah, Abram, Deborah, Moses, Bezalel, and whoever else, while we’re not fully certain what lies ahead, we have already answered “Yes!” No matter what, we will continue to fully trust the Lord and pray about future TBS facilities, finances, people, and programs. We invite you to join us in answering God’s call to a remarkable array of providential adventures!

Originally published in The Sentinel, Summer 2025 (pp. 34-36).

Seeing God in Your Story

A shared journey of sanctified imagining with sixteen women of the Bible, this book is written from fictional first-person perspectives with biblical and historical insights, these are real women from real places in time and history. See God through their eyes to help open your heart and mind to see God and His love in your own life.

Author Nico Richie is a writer whose purpose is to equip women with biblical tools for spiritual growth. From deep within a beautiful backdrop of ministry and business career experiences, she brings fresh life to timeless scriptural characters to help connect people with God. 

Managing Editor K. Lynn Lewis is a seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse professional background of more than four decades in business, education, and ministry. He currently serves as President of The Bible Seminary, is the founder and CEO of “InspireUSA: Celebrating the Best of America®,” and is the founder and Executive Director of Nehemiah Press. His productions and publications include many articles, several books, a cable TV show, dissertation, magazines, musicals, songs, videos, and web sites.

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Be Ready

Be ready to pray, preach, teach, give, serve, or die at a moment’s notice.

Foundations: 7 Pillars of Unshakable Faith

Far too often new converts to Christianity never develop to spiritual maturity. They remain timid and ineffective instead of growing mighty in Spirit. Foundations provides a blueprint by which a person can build an overcoming life of excellence. Stripling and Keller clearly identify the core tenets of Christianity and guide new believers down a path which they themselves have walked. Starting with the new birth in Christ, they demonstrate how to effectively read Scripture and pray. They emphasize the importance of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power and how the Holy Spirit helps people become productive members of the church. The final chapters explain how to live a life of significance by honoring what God honors and ultimately embracing The Great Commission to partner with Jesus Christ in redeeming fallen humanity.

Scott Stripling and Nathan Keller, AuthorsRick Eubanks, ForewordK. Lynn Lewis, Managing Editor

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500 Million Blades of Grass

The aroma of freshly cut grass permeated the Saturday morning air. I was about to turn ten years old, and had finally convinced my dad that I was old enough and responsible enough to mow.

After a series of lessons about every aspect of our riding mower, the fuel, cutting the lawn, edging and more – and a brief period of apprenticeship under my dad’s loving and watchful eye – he disappeared into the garage and left me happily captaining my cutting craft back and forth across our nearly one-acre, mostly treeless lawn.

Before long, I made one necessary observational sweep of the whole yard, along with several completely unnecessary and purely recreational sweeps, then parked in the driveway and turned the power switch to “Off,” which signaled to my dad the completion of my mission.

He walked out of the garage and down the driveway to meet me as I climbed proudly off the mower.

Then, we knelt together to inspect my work from a ground’s eye view.

I was pleased with myself, and expecting praise. I loved my dad.  He was encouraging, instructive, and one of the most amazing servants I have ever known.

“You missed one.”

Yep. Right there in the middle of yard, one offending blade towered over the rest.

My heart fell. I had just successfully trimmed approximately 500 million blades of grass to a uniform length, and my dad’s initial response was to point out the single stalk I missed.

We walked over to it, looked at it together, and then he plucked it out of the ground, and that was that. The job was done. And from that moment on, my dad trusted me with the yard mowing chore that was rightfully mine – I had earned it with a near perfect performance.

I’ve thought about that experience over the years, and wondered if God feels that way sometimes. He provides for us an entire specialized world of sunshine, air, water, fire, plants and animals. He bestows us with talents, family, friends, and myriad opportunities for our good and for His pleasure. Day after day, year after year, He pours millions of blessings into our lives.

Then, one day, when something we don’t like happens, we accuse God of not caring about us, of failing, of lacking power or ability or concern, or of not even existing.

We accuse Him of missing one.

Even though we know we live in fallen world, we know that this life includes trouble and sickness and pain and disappointment, and that all are appointed to die, we somehow feel slighted when these things – or any unpleasurable thing – enters our realm of personal space or relational experience.

But, even in death, does God not keep His promise? Did not Jesus affirm that in this world we will have trouble? In the shame of nakedness, the pain of childbirth, the toil of provision, and the myriad consequences of sin, are not these things promised as surely as the hope of resurrection to eternal life to those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Indeed, God has NOT missed one, but perhaps – in our zeal to hone in on something that sticks out – we have missed the overwhelming joy of the daily, routine, thousands upon thousands of blessings God has granted.

We have taken, and taken for granted, and our response is one of complaint. We point out what we perceive to be wrong, instead of what God allows in a just universe that is currently beset with affliction until the time He has set for the destruction of all that is evil and restoration of all that is good. Perhaps then, when you next enjoy the aroma of fresh cut grass, you will bow for a moment to scan the work of God in your life – not with an eye for complaint that leads to wearisome companionship – but for rejoicing and praise in all things, that God might be glorified, your companions might be sanctified, and you might be satisfied with your lot . . . all 500 million blades of it.

Originally published in Meat and Potatoes for the Soul (2013).

The Trinity in Eden

Historic Christianity insists that New Testament authors indubitably describe God as three distinct but unified personae: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although absent from the Bible, the creedal term “Trinity” has become an essential doctrine, while also causing centuries of confusion and controversy among biblical scholars.

But, what about the Old Testament? The Trinity in Eden presents linguistic research on the oldest account in the Bible: the Primeval History from creation to the tower of Babel. The author concludes that the names of God, the plural pronouns of God, and the execration of the serpent together affirm that the concept of the Trinity is, at least, as old as the Bible itself.

Jacob R. Figueroa, AuthorK. Lynn Lewis, Managing Editor

Paperback | Kindle

Danger Never Sleeps

Treachery, lies, jealousy, and murder!

Arrogance, debauchery, and sexual deviancy!

Disasters, political intrigue, social chaos, and war!

These headlines from Genesis – like today’s headlines – remind us that, from Adam and Eve through the time of Jesus and over the past two thousand years, history is filled with similar stories, similar sins, and similar solutions.

My earliest memories include watching nightly news broadcasts filled with images of war, protests, and assassinations on our black and white, and eventually color, TV. I also grew up reading and discussing books, newspaper and magazine articles, and exploring questions about life and death, sin and salvation, and society and justice. My curiosity eventually led me on a seventeen year adventure researching and writing a fiction novel, Plight (2010) and later Plight: Revised Edition with small group study guide (2015).

The book’s preface summarizes my experience:

The seeds of this prose were planted in the early 1990’s amidst constant and repeated cries for “Justice!” relative to various events that dominated America’s national consciousness around that time.

Robert Bork’s contentious nomination to the Supreme Court, the Iran-Contra affair and Oliver North’s trial, the Lyle and Erik Menendez trials, the O. J. Simpson trial, the Michael Fay caning, presidential culpability, abortion, gun rights, the institution of state lotteries, evolution versus creationism, the separation of church and state, and many other incidents and issues saturated public discourse and private conversations.

Since then, additional events garnering our attention have included acts of terrorism, kidnappings, bombings, mass shootings, and assaults and murders at the hands of terrorists, gang members, immigrants, mentally ill individuals, police, family, and friends.

In the aftermath of some of these, anger, frustration, and rage have manifested themselves in a sweeping array of movements, riots, articles, books, movies, speeches, and proposed legislative actions from coast to coast and in our nation’s capital.

Commonly repeated is a demand for “Justice!” But, what is justice? Would any of us even know justice if we saw it? Is there anything that objectively defines justice?

Thus, intrigued by a concept so widely used, but difficult to define or corporately agree upon, I began seeking to understand the essence of justice. Guiding questions for me included, “Are there things always true everywhere all the time?” and “If so, what are they?”

During my quest, I reviewed the Judeo-Christian scriptures, other religious texts, various cultures and history (African, American, American Indian, Asian, Australian, Aztec, European, Greek, Middle Eastern, Roman, tribal groups, and more). I looked for commonalities and took note of repeated distinctives that seemed true always and everywhere. Ultimately, a set of eight principles emerged that seemed foundational – four to society in general, and the other four to justice in particular.

After completing my initial research, I was encouraged to integrate these principles into a fictional literary adventure to serve as an entertaining educational tool. The result is a virtual society of citizens that have embodied the research and development of people, principles, policies, procedures, priorities, and plans in the life of their community. During their journeys, they have explored childhood, adolescence, dating, love, marriage, parenthood, infertility, adoption, divorce, education, careers, community, success, failure, sports, handicaps, health, aging, death, bullying, discrimination, war, immorality, criminal behavior and consequences, and more.

Plight introduces the reader to the first city established by this community, and a sequel explores their second city more in depth. Although the places, plot, and characters are fictional, many of their experiences are real and even historical, as are their feelings and fancies, joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs, standards and principles, and hopes and dreams. Through immersion in this planned community – and further examination via the study guide included in this revised edition – Plight offers opportunities for reading pleasure, education, inspiration, reflection, guidance, and, hopefully, more informed decision-making in day-to-day living, as well as appropriately seeking and rendering justice.

The eight principles are outlined below.

Society

Authority – Who is in charge? What basis, document, person, group, etc.? Does everyone agree, or are there competing authorities? For example, if one group upholds Jesus Christ and the Bible, another upholds Mohammed and the Koran, and another claims themselves as their own authority, agreement on the next seven keys is less likely, but at least everyone will know where everyone stands while making their claims.

Differentiation – Parent or child? Officer or citizen? Military or civilian? Spouse or not? Different rules apply in different situations. For example, parents have the authority to tell children what do, like when to go to bed, whereas children don’t exercise similar authority over parents. Officers have authority to arrest unruly citizens, soldiers have authority to conduct warfare, and spouses have authority to engage in sexual relations with each other, but applicable rights and rules can vary. Differentiation helps categorize and frame situations.

Standards – What are the relevant rules and values? Metric system or Imperial system? Values defined in the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, a state, or another country? For example, the clinical definition of death varies around the world, around the country, and even among different hospitals and physicians. Determining a date and time of death requires knowing what rules define death in that location, the time zone, date, and calendar standard (Gregorian, Hebrew, Islamic, ISO-8601, Julian, Mayan). Similarly, what standards define life, male and female, right and wrong, monetary value, and so on? Defining standards is crucial to productive communication and positive action.

Accountability – Who makes the rules? Who enforces them? What happens when rules are broken, lines are crossed, and standards are violated? For example, when my car was stolen out of my parsonage driveway in the mid-1990’s, it was one of 400 cars stolen locally by a gang of four teenagers over a six-month period. Since my car was the fifth car with one 14-year old boy’s fingerprints on the steering wheel, he was sentenced to juvenile prison for two years. Stealing only four cars didn’t meet the criteria to trigger a prison sentence, but five did. When all four boys were finally arrested and punished, the series of car thefts abruptly ended. Accountability helps protect society and maintain orderly, safe communities.

Justice

Balance – What evens or tips the scales? The very concept of justice involves finding appropriate balances between everyone involved. In the book of Esther, evil Haman treacherously sought to kill righteous Mordeci and annihilate the Jewish people. However, King Xerxes ended up publicly honoring Mordecai for his faithful service, executing Haman on a pole Haman had built to kill Mordecai, giving Haman’s estate to humble and righteous Queen Esther (who then transferred it to Mordecai), and overruling Haman’s genocidal decree with a decree of balanced, limited punishment against antagonistic enemies of the Jews (Esther 1-10).

Due Process – What are the appropriate processes and steps? Are they followed equally, procedurally, and according to established standards under legitimate authority in due time? When Adonijah sought to usurp King David’s throne, he claimed the throne on his own authority and hosted a private party with select co-conspirators. However, King David responded by privately naming Solomon his successor with his faithful leaders as witnesses, and then publicly and properly anointing, blessing, and enthroning him in full view of the citizenry (I Kings 1).

Integrity – Is everyone and everything open and honest, or some hidden and dishonest? Lacking integrity, some things seem fair, but turn out extremely unfair when everything is revealed. Solomon’s ruling between two women fighting over a baby included him wisely discerning truth from lies (I Kings 3:16-28).

Recompense – This final step is the determination, considering all the other fundamentals, where punishment, reward, and sometimes restitution is warranted. When King Nebuchadnezzar selfishly prided himself for all his accomplishments, the Lord punished him, yet when he repented, the Lord rewarded him such that he became even greater than before (Daniel 4). Jesus and Paul affirmed rewarding faithful workers, including food and wages (Luke 10:7; I Timothy 5:18). Ancient recompense for theft or other sins included full replacement plus 1/5 of the value to repay victims for their troubles (Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers).

With a little practice, these principles can help provide clarification and guidance in many situations. To further explore the framework of society and justice in an engaging, enlightening, and stimulating journey to a place where learning never ends and danger never sleeps, read Plight, and consider using the study guide with your class, club, family, small group, or staff.

Published in The Sentinel, Summer 20024, pp. 9-11.