Encouraging Words for the Thirsty

By Ken Miller

Have you ever been really thirsty? Like when the afternoon fun at the lake ends, or the ninth inning brings a well-earned win! Nothing can beat an icy glass of chilly water sloshing down our dry and dusty throats to quench a well-earned thirst.

While that cold water satisfies the demands of our physical body, are we merely bodies requiring water? Or, are we more than that? What quenches the thirst in our soul and spirit, those innermost parts of us that can’t be touched by human hands? How are they nurtured?

In a conversation with a Samaritan woman, Jesus told of a “living water” that, if she would drink of this water she would never be thirsty again. (John 4:10-15) He was, of course, referring to “spiritual” water. That is the only kind of water that will quench a thirsty spirit.

Inside this book you will find 93 drinks of “living water”. Some will make you smile, some will make you think, but all will draw you to Jesus, the One who was raised from the dead, lives today, and wants to get to know you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781698712215

Ken Miller

Ken Miller lives with his wife, Kathy, in northern Minnesota. He has served the Grand Rapids Alliance Church as an elder, friend to all, author, worship leader and newsletter contributor. As a blind person, he also started Miller Vending in 1981. It has grown to include six community college campuses and several government buildings, with more expansion planned.

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Copyright 2022 Ken Miller.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1222-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1221-5 (e)

reserved worldwide.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights

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Trafford rev. 07/29/2022

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Contents

About this Book

Prologue

Topics

1 Identity

2 Humility

3 The Ultimate Gift

4 The Bottom Line

5 A Manger, Really?

6 Security

7 Are You The One?

8 Kingdom Collisions

9 Power

10 Covid Crushers

11 Community

12 Faithfulness

13 Communication

14 Unity

15 Discipleship

16 He is Risen!

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

What others Say…

"In John 9 there is a story of a blind man who could see with greater clarity than all the religious leaders of his day. That story could have been written about Ken. Each topic in Encouraging Words For The Thirsty leaves the reader refreshed in God’s presence and at the same time thirsty for more."

- Pastor Erik Kling, Grand Rapids Alliance Church

I have known Ken for 33 years. Our lives have been spiritually inner woven throughout this journey. I can testify to the reality of his numerous physical setbacks, but also to his faithfulness to God’s comfort and consolation. He has used the transparency of his own struggles to reveal the intimacy of God’s love and sacrifice for each of us. He wants us to find what he has found.

Dr. Richard O. Gibbs

"The Kingdom of God is so very much opposed to this world’s way of thinking. For example, ‘For when you are weak then you are strong.’ This is the case with Ken. His insights are readily acknowledged truth for us right now where we are. I recommend that the readers allow themselves to see what Ken sees.

- Rev. Randy Junker, Retired Pastor,

Grand Rapids Alliance Church

About this Book

U nknown to me, this book was started as I was leaving a December 2006 church service. Pastor Randy stopped me and asked me if I’d write a devotional for the front page of our monthly Alliance church newsletter. Smiling, I agreed.

When my mom found out, she put them in her Methodist church newsletter, as well.(moms are cool!)

A few years passed and Dave Schimpp stopped me in the narthex and said he was hoping I was saving the writings because they would make a great book. Right before Covid changed life as we knew it, I started floating the idea of a book to the other elders and several members of our congregation. All who I spoke to were receptive to the project. One day, as I neared completion, Diane Major stopped to tell me how much she enjoyed the writings. Then she said, You should make them into a book.

The result is what you’re holding in your hands.

Since this is not a naritive, with a beginning and an end, I suggest it should be read in parts, like a devotional, slowly and prayerfully with the expectation that he will quench your thirst. Amen.

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you!

Ken

Prologue

M uch has happened since I wrote, Out of the Fishbowl. That book had two story lines. One told of my life as a blind person seeking the American dream. The second dealt with my struggle, as a Christian, to reconcile my blindness with what I was told, the scriptures promised.

Since that time my relationship with Jesus has grown stronger and my eyes have grown weaker. At this point my vision registers light or dark. Even fuzzy things that I used to wonder about are gone.

These next paragraphs are a quick telling of what has happened between then and now.

My life, as a blind person, took a back seat to a new challenge that started with a bag of Doritos. I was on my snack and chip round, on the Hibbing Community College campus. Pulling my cart next to a snack machine, I opened the door, ready to start filling. The first row had only three bags of Doritos remaining. So I opened the box previously marked with a giant D, took a bag of chips and reached for the spot on the shelf where it would await purchase. As I lifted the bag to the shelf, it bumped the edge of the shelf and fell to the floor. Bending to pick it up, I noticed a plan forming in my mind regarding the different steps I would go through to pick it up, dust it off and put the bag where it belonged. first step was to take a firm grip on the open door with my left hand at about shoulder height. Second was to grab the machine on the right side at waist height. Third, leaning forward, I could hold the delivery door with my left hand and retrieve the Doritos with my right. Then repeat all these steps backwards and finally put the chips in their proper place.

It was at that moment that I stopped like someone just threw a bucket of ice water in my face. Steps? Picking up chips requires steps? I used to stoop and pick ‘em up, put ‘em in the machine and move to the next bag. I had noticed that my trips around campus were taking a bit longer than usual, but left it alone. On the home front, when Kathy and I went for walks around the neighborhood, she had observed that I was gripping her arm pretty tight. Rather than allowing her to be a sighted guide I was, unknowingly, using her to help keep my balance. The constant tugging was becoming a concern. What’s this all about?

Have you ever noticed how denial is sometimes a warm and fuzzy place where it is easy to hide from reality?

In January 2005 at the Mayo Clinic, neurologists agreed I have spinocerebellar ataxia of the degenerative type. ataxia means: loss of order, referring to balance and coordination. My unassisted locomotion is reminiscent of a pinball bouncing off everything in its path. Or, to put it another way, I walked like I had consumed one too many adult beverages.

In the spring of 2006, I embraced the truth about my cane traveling. Instead of using my white cane for tactile feedback, I had been using it for support.

I made an appointment with physical therapy. The therapist put me through a number of evaluation tests. The last one required me to walk in and out of a line of five or six kleenex boxes on the floor about four feet from one another. She said I should use my cane.

After completing the test, she explained the scoring system. Twenty-six is the highest score. Nineteen means you are in danger of falling. she paused. You scored twelve. I knew my score was gonna be low, but twelve? she asked. Have you ever considered a walker? What? A walker? Doesn’t the degeneration process go: cane, walker, wheel chair, nursing home, grave?

Her voice smiled. We have one here that you could take for a spin around the gym to see if you like it.

The conflict was set before me. Do I want to be seen in public with a walker? What will people think?

When faced with the choice between vanity and functionality, I fall on the side of functionality. In a matter of moments, I was cruising around the gym with a walker.

Funny thing was; I loved it. The stability I had lost was now found. My mind was no longer bound to concentrating on remaining upright and putting my feet in the right place. Now I was free to sort what I thought I saw in front of me from what was really in front of me. Those two things weren’t always the same. Within a couple days I was using my new cobalt blue, four-wheel walker equipped with a fold down seat and hand brakes. Rather than being my symbol of decay, the walker was my symbol of independence.

The walker was welcome at work. The fold-up seat was just the right size to accommodate my tool box or any other smaller items. And speaking of small items…one slow day on campus, my daughter called me and asked if I could watch my preschool grand kiddies while she went to a job interview. I, of course, was thrilled with the idea. When I met them at the building doorway what was the first thing they wanted? With a passing ‘hello’ to grandpa, they made it very clear that they wanted a ride on my walker. The two of them fit perfectly facing forward, so away we went. It’s never too early to give a campus tour.

Oops, I digressed. Now, back to carts. The bigger carts were used to transport larger case-loads of pop and treats. They also served to steady me, even when they were empty at day’s end.

After a few years passed, another challenge showed itself. Even with the stability provided by my walker, my stamina began to decrease. It was taking me longer and longer to finish my rounds. After consulting with my doctor, I scheduled more physical therapy sessions. While they were helpful, my stamina did not return. My occupational therapist referred me to a local provider of power chairs. Now I have an awesome chair that Kathy loves to drive. Sometimes not.

So that’s it. Consider yourself up to date.

TOPIC 1

Identity

Reclaiming Our Stolen Identity

I t’s a rare day when we aren’t reminded, through a news source or commercial, that identity theft is on the rise. Law enforcement and government agencies continue to offer help to victims of these crimes, but more identities are stolen every day.

While this stealing goes on around us, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…

(John 10:10), I think it can go on within us. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)

We are surrounded every day by what our culture holds up as identity givers—the models of what we need to obtain to be at the top of our game. Every time we walk past the magazine rack at the grocery store or catch a commercial on TV, we are told how to be part of the in crowd. And in that moment of distraction, our enemy picks our pocket and removes a bit of our identity. Big lies can be rejected right away, but sneaky, subtle ones can hide out of reach yet still eat like a cancer.

I like the request Singer/songwriter Lauren Daigle makes in her song, You Say. Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know.

Let’s do that. Aren’t His thoughts about us what really matter? I think so. In Psalm 139: 17-18, David saidf Yahweh’s thoughts were more numerous than the sand, so here’s a few favorites: (NOTE: Just because these verses may not feel real—that doesn’t change the fact that they are true.)

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2, 9-10)

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know