Mark Steven Filkey

A friend once told me that “relationship is the currency of the Kingdom.”   Over the years it has proven over and over again to be true!  Everything we do is connected in one way or another to relationships!  It’s not what you know, so much as it is, who you know. The word relationship is rooted in a sixteenth century Latin word, “relatio” which means ‘brought back, ’ from the verb, “referre”.   The meaning here does not carry the thought of referring back to something mentally or in ones memory.  It is talking about the act of passing something back and forth between two parties, like sharing the weight or load of something needing to be carried.   Triathlon athletes who compete in the passing of the baton for example, must depend on each other if they are to win the competition!   If these powerful athletes are to truly succeed they must depend on each another as a team to get their baton to the finish line.  Each runner understands that ...

A few years ago a young mother from the Midwest made front page news when the doctors discovered she was expecting not one, but seven little babies (known as septuplets). As the nay sayers caught window the story they began to voice all the reasons, as to why this new mother would not be able to deliver all of these little miracles; She boldly stepped forward into the Mics and cameras and declared, "I not loosing. these babies. I am planning to carry and having each and every one of them, and in healthy condition.  As might imagine, news media outlets began to have a hay day with her story. Predicting every reason why the delivery of all seven babies would be rare, if at all possible.  Some news outlets invited leading experts to come on their shows too refute any hope of all of them arriving safely.  Graphic images began too appear in magazines and news papers, depicting doctors standing in front of hospitals and medical rooms ran rampant. Many of them explaining wh...

After service one day a young lady quickly approached me and said, "Pastor, please pray that I can find a husband. I am looking for a husband." I paused for a moment, then I looked at her and asked, "Where exactly have you been looking?" She said, "Everywhere, Pastor. I've looked in the health clubs, the shopping malls and I've even searched here at church. I just can't seem to find him."  I looked at her and said, "There's the problem. You've been looking for love in all the wrong places. Your husband is not everywhere. He's locked up in your closet." She laughed and said, "Oh, Pastor, what are you talking about?" I said, "The truth is, you're not going to find your husband at the health club or at the shopping mall. You may not even find him in this church."  "Then where am I going to find him?" she asked. I replied, "You're going to find him in your closet-your prayer...