It’s hard to believe that it’ll be Thanksgiving a week from now!
On the one hand, it automatically makes me tense thinking about all the tasks involved in preparing for Christmas that Thanksgiving signals.
On the other hand, I love Thanksgiving. I delight in the gathering of family over a shared meal. Even though…..
I’m going to take a break from Genesis to discuss some issues that have been in the news of late. Two items particularly upset me: the student protests at Yale (my alma mater) and the campaign against Starbucks for somehow being anti-Christmas with their red cups.
In both cases the protesters would likely find little in…..
For Jacob, life comes into focus after Rachel gives birth to Joseph. He finally decides that he’s fed up with the way Laban has treated him and resolves to return to his own father’s home (Genesis 30:22-26).
In typical fashion, Laban makes a show of agreement, even adding that he knows “by divination” that Jacob’s…..
When Jacob strikes his bargain with God after seeing the ladder of angels (Genesis 28:16-17), we feel that he believes he’s gotten the better end of the deal. According to Jacob’s vow, God has to deliver both protection and prosperity in order to “earn” Jacob’s allegiance.
What Jacob doesn’t realize is that he’s just signed up for…..
What do you think of bargaining with God?
People do it all the time, but when you think about it, it doesn’t make much sense. What can we possibly offer God that the Almighty doesn’t already have?
True, God wants a relationship with us, but is bartering really a relationship-building tool?
Abraham tried it out…..
While the saga of God’s “mentoring” of Abraham features something like a long-running mini-series, the portrait Genesis offers of Isaac’s relationship with God flashes by as a largely out-of-focus snapshot.
The son’s tale does replicate some of the episodes of his father’s life. During a famine, Isaac also tries to pass…..
After the Abraham and Abimilech story we looked at last week, Genesis 21 returns us to the unfolding of some major events in Abraham’s life.
There is good news: Sarah gives birth to Isaac – the son of God’s promise and proof that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Then there is bad news – Abraham…..
Learning to trust is a process. As we have followed Abraham’s story we can see how his faith in God surges forward for a moment only to reset to a position where Abraham acts as though he must rely on himself.
Abraham’s tale begins with a huge statement of trust:…..
Last week I claimed that God wants to work with us in solving life’s problems. The Lord still expects us to act, but not to act as though we were alone.
But what does that look like? Genesis actually shows us God modeling this collaborative behavior so that Abraham – and we…..
How do we know what work is ours and what can only be done by God?
As I noted last week, God made promises to Abraham about land and descendants, but the Lord still expected Abraham to do a lot on his own. God didn’t produce food when the famines…..