A Damascus Road Experience

A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Transformative
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Acts 9:1-31 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

  

During the spring term of my sophomore year at Michigan Tech, my fiancé broke up with me for another guy. It turned my life upside down. 

Feeling depressed one night, I remember leaving my dorm room and going for a walk. Eventually, I laid down in the snow, looked up at the stars and cried out… “Why God”!

 

He didn’t answer me right then. But the following summer he brought Ken Baker into my life who shared with me about a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s not an overstatement to say that, as a result, my life took a whole new direction.

 

Saul, who later became Paul, was a Pharisee who meticulously obeyed the law. For Christians, he was a force to be reckoned with. In fact, following Stephen’s stoning, “a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem”. Saul was at the forefront.

 

³ But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.         NIV    Acts 8

 

However, Saul was obsessed in his hatred for Christians.

 

Damascus was the nearest important city to Jerusalem with a large Jewish population. It was a commercial center with caravans transporting merchandise from around the world traveling through it. Saul reasoned that if Christianity caught hold there, it would spread throughout the world. He had to stop it.

 

Therefore, he asked the high priest for letters to the synagogues in Damascus. These letters requested their cooperation, as well as gave Saul the authority to arrest any followers of Jesus that he discovered. Then he would take them as prisoners back to Jerusalem to be tried. This included both men and women.

 

But, as he approached the city, a “bright light from heaven flashed around him”. Then a voice spoke, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me”? It was Jesus. When Saul stood up, he was blind. Jesus told him to wait in Damascus.

 

In Damascus there was a believer named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision telling him to find Saul and lay his hands on him to restore his sight. But Saul’s reputation and the purpose of his trip had preceded him. Ananias protested.

 

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  NIV

 

It’s ironic that the Lord chose the man who was trying to destroy his church, to instead use him to grow it. Saul stayed in Damascus for several days where “he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God”.

 

Saul’s life was transformed on the road to Damascus. In a way, I had my own Damascus Road experience in college. For God is always at work in our life, in big and small ways, to transform us into the person he created us to be.

 

² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.   NLT   Romans 12

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Green and White

A Series on the book of James
Warning against worldliness
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
James 4:1-10 

[James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In some ways, it’s similar to Old Testament wisdom literature like Proverbs. It includes many practical applications to help a believer grow in their faith. In this series, we will look at the wisdom of James’ letter and how it applies to our lives.]

 

Being a faithful Michigan State alum and fan, I have a closet full of green and white gear. There are sweatshirts, collared pullovers, polo shirts, hoodies and tons of t-shirts. That doesn’t even include the slippers, socks, gloves, hats, stocking cap, or jacket; or any of the other memorabilia that are displayed in my office.

 

Despite this, I often think twice about whether I’m going to wear something green and white outside of our house. Understand that in Columbus, Ohio – the heart of Buckeye country – if you wear anything other than scarlet and gray, you stick out like a sore thumb and run the risk of suffering mild to severe harassment.

 

Historically, the Israelites were very good at fitting into different cultures. They’d done so ever since Abram followed God’s call to Canaan. They learned how as slaves in Egypt; as nomads in the Promised Land; as exiles in Assyria and Babylon. They learned to fit in by adopting the gods of the local culture. That was a problem!

 

The Jewish Christians that James wrote had this same problem. They had become better friends with the world than they were with Jesus. They had adopted the values of the world rather than the values of Christ. They wanted what they didn’t have but didn’t ask the Lord. Therefore, James wrote bluntly.

 

⁴ You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies. Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies—the evil pleasures of this world—makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God.        TLB

 

The good news is that God didn’t file for divorce because they were unfaithful. He didn’t reject them. Instead, he faithfully stayed with them, always inviting them to return to him.

 

⁵ Or what do you think the Scripture means when it says that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, watches over us with tender jealousy?                     TLB

 

But it wasn’t meant to be just a one-way relationship. They needed to reciprocate. They needed to reach out to the Lord.

 

⁷ So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and let your hearts be filled with God alone to make them pure and true to him.        TLB

 

Like the Jewish Christians who had been scattered because of the persecution, we live in a secular world that is hostile towards God. The world has a different value system and different gods. Despite this, it’s tempting to try and fit in.

 

Wearing green and white makes me stand out. I’d rather fit in. But, as a Christian I’m not called to fit in, but to follow. To follow the Lord no matter where he leads; no matter how different I look; no matter what other gods appeal to me.

 

Here’s what Paul wrote to the Roman believers about living in a secular world.

 

 ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  NIV    Romans 12

Or in another translation:

² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.   NLT   Romans 12

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

All is Right with the World

A Lenten series on Mountaintop Moments
– Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 9:18-36 

[In this Lenten series, we will be looking at Mountaintop Moments. These mountains are more than just geographical features. They symbolize divine encounters and moments of revelation, faith and transformation. In other words, meeting God on the mountain top.]

 

Do you remember what it was like when you were young and in love? Everybody could tell! Your face glowed; you walked with a bounce in your step; little things didn’t bug you.  All was right with the world.

 

Jesus once asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am”? Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Jesus commended Peter for being technically correct. However, the disciples understood the word “Messiah” to be in the context of a political savior, not a spiritual one.

 

About a week later, in the middle of traveling throughout Galilee and beyond to minister to the people, Jesus took Peter, James and John - his inner circle of disciples - to the top of a mountain to pray. While there, something miraculous happened.

 

As Jesus prayed, “the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white”. Then Moses and Elijah appeared in “glorious splendor” and began talking with Jesus “about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem”.

 

Meanwhile, his disciples had fallen asleep. Waking up, Peter started talking. But as soon as he did, a cloud came over them and from the cloud came a voice saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the voice stopped, Jesus was alone again with Peter, James and John.

 

Why do you think that Jesus had Peter, James and John witness his transfiguration? For one thing, his radiant transformation was a physical manifestation of his divine glory. This helped them to understand that he wasn’t just a teacher or a prophet, but truly divine.

 

Secondly, the presence of Moses and Elijah underscored how Jesus fulfilled God's plan. That is, Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, which Moses represented, and the prophecy, which Elijah represented.

 

Finally, God’s voice provided unmistakable confirmation that Jesus was the Son of God. It also showed the disciples that Jesus was not only the Messiah, but also provided the divine connection between heaven and earth.

 

When Jesus encountered his Heavenly Father on the mountain, he experienced an outward physical transformation. However, he offers us an inward transformation that is no less miraculous. Paul put it like this.

¹⁷ When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!   TLB   2 Corinthians 5                   

Like a young person in love, when Jesus is in your life, people can tell. There’s something different about you. It’s because you’ve experienced an inner transformation. Indeed, all is right with the world because the Son of the living God lives in you.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Gone to the Circus

A Series on Lent: Peter’s Journey
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 17:1-9

[Lent is a time of reflection. During Lent, we will be looking at Peter’s Journey to learn how his reflections on his own life, his culture, his religion and his savior changed his life forever.]

Have you ever gone to the circus? Even better, have you ever taken your kids or grandkids to the circus? Recently, my wife and I did just that. With great anticipation we took our three grandchildren to the Aladdin Shrine Circus.

 

I was expecting a three-ring circus with simultaneous acts in all three rings; elephants lumbering behind one another holding onto the tail of the one in front of them; a lion cage with a lion trainer cracking their whip and holding a chair to fend off the ferocious beasts... none of these happened!

 

The kids seemed excited when we picked them up. But as soon as we arrived, their focus was on getting an Icee that cost $15, or going down to the carnival area where each 30 second ride cost $5, or for $25 you could buy a plastic toy that lit up.

 

Afterwards, my daughter reassured me that, despite my unmet expectations, the kids would have great memories of the night. I’m not so sure. But I’m pretty sure that Jesus experienced heart breaking, unmet expectations.

 

Within a week of Peter’s bold statement that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, James and John on a mountain to pray. No doubt Jesus needed this time of solitude, prayer and the support of his closest friends as he contemplated going to Jerusalem where he would “suffer many things, be killed and then raised to life”.

 

While praying, Jesus was miraculously transfigured. Then he was joined by Moses and Elijah where they discussed his impending mission. Meanwhile, Peter, James and John had fallen asleep. When they woke with a start to this amazing scene, Peter blurted out that he should build three shelters. Here’s what followed.

 

⁵ But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” ⁶ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.          NLT

 

As they descended the mountain, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead. The disciples didn’t understand what he meant by “raised from the dead”.

 

Apparently Peter, James and John missed everything during this once-in-a-lifetime mountain top experience. In fact, they might as well have gone to the circus.

 

Yet, according to my TPT Bible study notes, the Greek word used for transfigured is the same as is used in Romans 12:2 which speaks of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Peter eventually experienced that transformation.

 

From one mountain where Jesus was transformed to another mountain where he was crucified, the contrast is startling. But through it all, Jesus remained steadfast and faithful to his Heavenly Father. This gives us eternal hope that we too can be transformed as he continues to be steadfast and faithful to us.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

The Mountaintop

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Luke 9:28-36

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A28-36&version=NIV;NLT

  

When I was in college, our church would hold a retreat for all the students.

We would be gone for forty-eight hours, and during that time we had a speaker, singing, games and fellowship. Usually, I would come home excited about my Christian faith. It was a mountaintop experience; but nothing like the one Jesus had.

 

² …Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰ Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. ³¹ They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.   NLT

 

Although Peter, James and John were there, they had fallen asleep. When they woke up, Peter started talking without thinking, and suggested building a memorial for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.

 

³⁴ While he (Peter) was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”       NIV

 

Consider this interpretation of the story.

Jesus knew that he was about to go to Jerusalem; he knew what would happen to him there; he knew that he was about to experience the most painful part of his life. He also knew, that this was why he had been chosen.

But before going, he asked his closest disciples, and friends, to pray with him on a mountain. He wanted them to be with him; and he needed to be with his Heavenly Father. While there, he was transformed physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was a mountaintop experience; a milestone in his life.

Now he was ready to face whatever waited for him.

 

I’ve never come away from a retreat where my face has been transformed or my cloths became dazzling white. But I have come away knowing that I have been in the presence of God; feeling stronger in my faith; sensing greater purpose and mission in my life; and being ready for whatever was in my future.

 

You don’t have to go on a retreat to be in the presence of God.

 

 

But it’s important for us to make time to go to the Mountaintop; to spend extended time in His presence; to listen to His still, small voice; and to be transformed.