New Identity Magazine

IN HYDESIGHT

Steven Butwell — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:03:02 +0000

I love watching Forensic Files. I could keep the Investigation Discovery channel on for the entire day without being bothered by it, which in most cases happens anyway while I am at work. I have learned from these shows that most of the time, if not all of the time, the perpetrators are on the run, eventually get apprehended and then are sentenced based on the severity of their crime.

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CONFRONTING DR. JEKYLL

Steven Butwell — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:00:56 +0000

Photo Credit: Carmelo Fabrizio Scordino | Flickr (Creative Commons) I squandered the life I cherished by courting Mrs. Hyde. But what I had to gain was my life. “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his…

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COURTING MRS. HYDE

Steven Butwell — Mon, 23 May 2016 16:09:41 +0000

Photo Credit: Leo Hidalgo | Flickr (Creative Commons) It started out small. She would come out with me on the weekends. She gave me the courage to be louder, more bold in my declarations, and even go to the extent of humiliating myself in the presence of my peers. She laughed and cheered alongside me, offering support and courage as I continued in my path of debauchery. I was captivated by her…

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GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Steven Butwell — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 17:41:38 +0000

Photo Credit: philhearing | Flickr (Creative Commons) Recently I had a conversation with two guests on the front patio of the restaurant where I work. You could say this conversation was by accident, or you could say God meant for me to be there at exactly that moment (often called a divine appointment). I delivered two dishes to the ladies and asked them if there was anything else I could do…

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TRUST ME

Steven Butwell — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 15:11:05 +0000

Photos by: kLina Hayes @ Flickr (Creative Commons) Three years ago, my wife Jamie and I planned a trip to Alabama to help with tornado relief. We both sensed the Lord was asking us to go even though in every way it seemed impractical. The unforeseen nature of disaster relief is that you can’t plan for it. I recall wondering how I could take time off work, worrying about the income I wouldn’t…

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The Light of Christ

Steven Butwell — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:15:51 +0000

Photo Credit: d3n3v3r @ Flickr (CC) I was afraid of the dark as a kid. But when the light came on and I could see again, I wasn’t afraid any more. That is what Jesus did for this world. Where it was once consumed by darkness, Jesus flooded it with light. With Jesus as the light in our lives, we can see and not be afraid. In John 8:12 (ESV), Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.

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More Than A Facebook Friend

Steven Butwell — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:00:50 +0000

Photo Credit: Nick Kenrick @ Flickr (CC) The interpretation of both appearance and heart affect how we treat our friends and they treat us. If I am honest, I often see first the wrong in how people have mistreated me in “friendships,” yet I fail to reflect on how I may have mistreated them. Sadly, my heart posture parallels a warning Jesus gives: “Why do you see the speck that is in your…

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Letting God Work

Steven Butwell — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 16:38:44 +0000

Photo Credit: luke chan @ Flickr (CC) “All I do today is for Jesus” is my first thought as another mundane workday begins. The Bible says: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3). I know this, but I don’t always do this. I wrestle with questions like: Am I content with my life? Do I give God thanks in all of life’s circumstances? What am I doing with…

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Redeeming Tragedy

Steven Butwell — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 21:17:28 +0000

Photos by Steven Butwell On May 20, 2013, a mile and a half wide EF-5 twister (five being the highest classification of tornado based on strength and damage caused) destroyed a majority of Moore, Oklahoma and claimed two dozen lives. I remember being at work and watching the tragedy unfold on television. Pointing at the television I said to our bartender, “God is going to send me there…

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In a Field Longing to Be Fed

Steven Butwell — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 15:00:15 +0000

Photo Credit: lauren rushing @ Flickr (CC) The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and at nineteen, I was utterly lost. Jesus found me on Friday, March 12, 2004 at 4:10 PM. I encountered him face to face in a vision. Shortly after I became a Christian I moved to California to grow in my faith. After four months I knew a lot about Jesus, but I didn’t know him.

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