Tag Archives: Abraham

Waiting Or Walking?

I read a short story about a man in the basement of a building over one-hundred stories high. He was standing in front of a bank of elevators. The lights on them were flashing as they charted the floors the elevators were traveling to. And though they made frequent stops on the ground floor aboveContinue reading “Waiting Or Walking?”

Father Abraham

The theme of Romans is the righteousness (faithfulness) of God (1:16-17). Specifically, it is how God has been faithful to the world generally and the Jewish people specifically by fulfilling His promise to Abraham and bringing mankind together through Jesus. And the rub for many of the Jewish people of Paul’s time was that HeContinue reading “Father Abraham”

Starry, Starry Night

Northern California is the location of the giant sequoia trees.  According to information from The Sequoia National Park website, the tallest of them tops out at somewhere around 300 feet with a base circumference of 40 feet.  Their branches can be up to 8 feet in diameter and their bark is three feet thick. They weigh up to 2.7 millionContinue reading “Starry, Starry Night”

The Genesis Of Jesus

Matthew offers us several beginnings regarding Jesus in the introductory portion of his gospel (1:1-4:16). There’s the beginning of the preaching concerning the kingdom Christ is bringing in the work of John the Baptist (3:1ff). Then there’s the beginning of Jesus’ public life marked by His baptism (3:13ff) and the beginning of His ministry inContinue reading “The Genesis Of Jesus”

Be A Blessing (Schindler’s List)

God appears to Abraham and makes some remarkable promises to him. In Genesis 12:2-3,7, we read that God will: make him a great nation, bless him, making his name great, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him, give him a land. An impressive list, don’t you think? But in the midst of all ofContinue reading “Be A Blessing (Schindler’s List)”

Intimacy with God

Intimacy with the Lord is something all believers desire and yet there seems to be a lack of clarity as to how this is achieved.  Some (borrowing from our instant gratification culture), are under the impression that it is an easy intimacy—something obtained as simply as curling up with a nice “spriritual” book and aContinue reading “Intimacy with God”

Dependence and Obedience

God is more interested in your dependence upon Him than your obedience to Him! This was tweeted out not too long ago. Like much of what bubbles up in the twitterverse, there was no context to nuance or qualify it—just a bare bones proclamation about what our Father is truly concerned with. And it’s my perceptionContinue reading “Dependence and Obedience”

On a Hill Far Away (1)

There are passages of Scripture that are profoundly rich, deep and endlessly expansive. They seem to tower over other texts and have a life of their own. They challenge, inspire and speak to us on multiple levels. That’s more than a subjective impression, Christ said as much in Matthew 22:34ff and again in 23:23. IContinue reading “On a Hill Far Away (1)”

Moving out of Memphis

I have been driving through Memphis a few times a year for the last twenty years. Some years it’s more than that, but there’s never been a year when I didn’t make at least a few trips through the city. Going through Memphis is like traveling through any other large cities—you need a fairly highContinue reading “Moving out of Memphis”