Back Up a Little Bit…

On the surface, these stories appear to be about Joseph, or about his brothers, or about Jacob. But really, this whole book, and every story in it, is about God the Father, the Creator, the Promiser, the LIFE lover, and Busted-Stuff-Repairer. Sometimes, you just have to back up a little bit to see it.

Just a Rock. And Some Oil. A Plain-Jane God?

  Genesis 35: —  1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” — 6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of [...]

Down to the Ground

Have you ever looked up and seen what you fear approaching you? Have you ever set your face to the ground, and waited on God as your greatest fear ran at you? Only to be picked up in a great embrace? He is there when I set my pride down and approach my fears in humility, relying on the promise of God rather than the speculation of my strength. He is there when I set my own ability, my own ambition, my own wealth and power aside as a gift for somebody else’s gain.

The Company He Keeps

I don’t see a moral here. I don’t see a lesson to be learned really. Nothing that I can apply to my life in order to be a better, happier, more productive person. If anything, I see scheming, distrustful, and manipulative personalities working overtime here.

But I see something else- God said Jacob would be the greater. Circumstances were stacked against it, but it happened. It was impossible, but it happened. So I can see that even when God appears to be making impossible promises, promises that my every experience with our reality denies feasibility to, they still happen.

Looking for the Right Thing

What’s the point of prayer? If we can affect God’s will, is He really sovereign and reliable?
Prayer is a way to align ourselves to the way God desires His creation to operate.

When I See an Elephant…

Maybe you already know this, but I homeschool Boy#1. We’re about half-way though kindergarten. You know, the truth of the matter is the hardest part about homeschooling is just picking which of the bo-zillion curricula you’re going to use. We went to a seminar for homeschool educators and there was of course, a vendor’s hall, [...]