The Beginning [Genesis 1:1-2:3] Beginning Questions [intro] Beginning Word on God [1:1-3; 2:1-3] Beginning of Everything (except God) [1:4-25] Beginning of Mankind [1:26-31; 2:4-25] The Fall of Man: The beginning of the end [Genesis 3-4] Believing a lie from the wrong voice [3:1-6] How sin infects [3] The Consequences of Sin [3:7-24] Creations need…
Category: Genesis
God’s purpose from the beginning
I was struggling to keep up with my high school chemistry class. I just wasn’t getting it. I was too proud to ask the teacher for help. I was failing. When it was time to take midterms I looked at the exam and thought, “Am I in the wrong class, this looks like German?” I…
for dads and granddads
Watch your average TV sitcom and you will see dumbed down dads on display. I can think of Homer Simpson, Al Bundy, Ray Ramone, and half-dozen others who fit the role. Today expectations for men are at an all tie low. The average man—including dads and husbands—are expected to be nothing less than a remote-holding-couch-glued-family-forsaking-caveman….
a reunion to remember
Have you ever been to a reunion for family or school? I have been to a few. There is usually some anxiety at first, since you have not seen these faces for eons and time hasn’t made you younger, flashier, or skinnier. Usually within minutes the awkwardness fades through the laughs and retelling of old…
life hurts. God heals.
When I was in the fourth grade I came down with a strange case of osteomyelitis—a bone marrow disease that can kill if not treated quickly. I ended up in the hospital with a 106-degree fever. I missed about 3-weeks of summer vacation, which for a 9-year old is pure-torture. Not to mention, I missed…
secrets of success [part 2]
We are people who collect. Some collect memorabilia. As a kid I collected thousands of sports cards and now I have boxes in storage gaining dust and I hope values. Some people collect knick-knacks. I’ve seen curio cabinets chalked full of tiny elephants, Boyd’s Bears, teacups, old books, even spoons or thimbles. Others collect compliments,…
secrets of success
I have only been married two-and-a-half years, but whenever Sarah and I have to spend a night apart it is a hard nights rest. I want to be with her. I do not like being alone. God has made people to need other people. People are designed for community, fellowship, and relationship with one another….
faithful deception: Judah & Tamar
It is easy to be confused by the events in this world. You can wonder until you are dizzy-in-the-head if there really is a God who controls this mixed-up world where natural disasters, broken and battered families, rape and child molestation, and murder are common chaos’ that make the news. It can be difficult to…
just your average Joe
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grow up in a family—wealthier or better known—than your own? Do you daydream about the day you break free and become noticed or distinguished? Do you feel like an average Joe or ordinary Jane? You are not alone. The majority of people and families you…
Jacob: coming home [part 2]
Jacob left home a 40-year old virgin and now he returns with two wives, twelve children, and countless wealth. Jacob is content settle in Schechem, but God speaks to Jacob and says, “Get up, go to Bethel and live there.” And like Abraham [cf. Genesis 12:4], he obeyed. God not only wants Jacob to leave…
Jacob: coming home [part 1]
Have you ever been away from home for more than a few months? Or long enough that you miss home sweet home? I have. I remember going to college in West Virginia and being a long way from my family in Wisconsin. I did not get home other than Christmas or summer breaks. After final…
Jacob’s Journey—from recluse to reconciliation [part 3]
What does it mean to reconcile a relationship? What are some of the greatest stories of reconciliation you have ever seen or heard? Elizabeth Barrett was involved in a childhood accident that caused her to be an invalid. She also had a tyrannical father that treated her with disrespect. When she became older she met…
Jacob’s Journey—from recluse to reconciliation [part 2]
Jacob’s journey is a lot like watching WWE [Royal Rumble]. Jacob’s life is a total man soap opera. We have already learned that Jacob—the trickster—gets tricked into working 20 years for his uncle [Laban] and tricked into marrying his two daughters. The elder sister [Lazy-eye Leah] is named cow and looks the part, while the…
Jacob’s Journey—from recluse to reconciliation [part 1]
Jacob is not the poster child for godly examples to emulate. He is 70 years old, single, jobless, a total momma’s boy, and is now homeless on the run from his brother because he ripped off his birthright and father’s deathbed blessing. Jacob is literally between a rock and a hard place, but mostly from…
Jacob’s Dream
The story of Jacob’s ladder is well known by many who do not know the Bible. Jacob is depicted in song lyrics from Led Zeppelin to U2 to Rush to Huey Lewis and the News. Jacob is also a topic for motivational speakers communicating ones ability to climb the ladder of personal success because “the…
tale of twin brothers
I am one of six. I have three brothers and two sisters. I am at least 10-years older than my closest sibling. If you have siblings then you know what it is to have a rival. Since most of my siblings are much younger than I am our battles were either unfair or annihilation’s. I…
