Head-dibs

A certain commercial shows an architect ushering potential clients through a tour of photos displaying his craft in buildings around the world. He tells them, “You won’t find these things around the corner. For my work, you have to travel the world!” After sitting, he asks how snobbishly, “What can I DO for YOU?” The wife looks at him and pulls a bathroom fixture from her purse and says with a smirk, “Design a house around THAT.” And the architect stares with a touch of bewilderment . . . Reading the final chapters of Genesis and looking into the final moments of Jacobs life reminds me of that commercial: one item sets the tone, one item defines all else around it. The same idea could be said of a cornerstone, the key feature of a building. That is what Jacob is at this juncture. One thing that strikes me about Jacob is that he did not seem to really get his mind made up until he was an older man. The situation with Esau shook him up a bit and certainly the LORD meeting him on th...

(student led) Daniel 10:12-14 Some verses change the way we read the news and our Bibles. Daniel prayed and the answer was delayed. Why was that? Because there are authorities in place. Eph 1:21 mentions rule, authority, power and dominion. Eph 6:12 mentions rulers, powers and many forces. Strange things in unseen realms cause strange things to happen in our own. Is our military presence in the Middle East the result of our prayers for the 10-40 Windows? The doors are open to come and go in America--and the world is coming here. Is this an answer to prayer about missions? Some believe Cuba is cursed because of its rejection of Israel historically. It has difficult to grow things there and many Cubans think their country is cursed. But literacy is on the rise. Six Seminaries are currently functioning. Universities are basically free. Churches are full. But people are still trying to get out. Why? The Government takes care of children until 7 yrs old. But beef is outlawed. ...

Genesis 46:34 “Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” Tucked and folded neatly into the end of genealogies and records of all those who left Canaan and went to Egypt with Joseph is this little statement. At this point in time, the shepherd is identified with all Jacob’s family, whom we have affectionately referred to as “the Jacobsons” collectively—these are the one in whom, through whom and by whom the LORD God will conduct the fulfillment of His promises, namely that the seed of the woman would come to crush the head of the serpent (See Genesis 3). The Egyptians are those who are not of the promise but being one of the nations who will be blessed by the promise of Abraham, are a people of the world. The contrast is so clear; that is, the contrast of the people of God and the people of the world. Also clear is attitude of the people of the world toward the people of God. This got me personally when I remember what the Bible teaches concerning how ministers of the gos...

Ever feel like nothing goes right? The whole world against you? Put the tea kettle on and break out the cookies; or, if you would rather crack a Mountain Dew and a grab box of Krispy Kremes because this is going to be good. Check out Joseph: Joseph is the guy people are always grabbing at, for good or evil. His brothers (for evil--got him from behind); Midianite traders (for good? Rescuing him from his brothers?); The Potiphar (for good or evil?); Mrs. Potiphar (for evil, definitely). And while they are grabbing, God is using and directing. Folks nowadays like consistency, especially the kind that profits them and grows. But Joseph was climbing a very peculiar ladder--always successful, but always on the bottom, except when on top. God was lifting him up, and others were pulling him down--and it never seemed to go to his head. The light was always over his head, and darkness under his feet. Amazing. When God is directing and using, where would you say you were on the ladder when all is...

One beautiful thing about God is how He strips, but does not leave bare. Oh, He lays bare, but He does not leave bare. For the believer, the one who trusts in Him, who accepts His perfect work, God does a marvelous and miraculous change. Jeremiah 9:23-24, we heard God’s words and had our support kicked out from underneath. If we were Jeremiah, or one who takes seriously the desire to be heard, we realize quickly that weeping (out of frustration) and being ignored is part of the job-description for the prophetic office. When it comes down to it, wisdom is really not worth boasting or glorying in. Strength fails and riches run out. These things are worth nothing. They cannot save, are poor masters and do not provide what only God can. We only examined that first part, verse 23 and were left on the rug. Now God does something phenomenal. Look at verse 24, “ But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and...

I want to share something very personal: I like to be taken seriously. I like to be heard. I can’t stand to be interrupted and I get absolutely furious when I am talking with someone and they walk off. I’ve experimented with and examined many things that have come into my head about my reaction to people, or even sought to understand why they may do this—at times I still wrestle with how I respond when this happens. I try to understand. I recognize there are times when I am talking with someone and I notice another person I need to communicate with across the room. I’ve trained myself to think: can it wait? If the matter is urgent, I tell the person I am speaking with my need to stop momentarily and take care of other business—but I also come right back. Please know that if we are carrying on a conversation, and you suddenly walk away without explanation, I may just keep right on talking. You can chase bubbles for all I care because I am probably torqued, knowing there is value els...

If you like intrigue, mystery, action, danger, adventure, explosions and the like, then you will really enjoy reading Genesis 37-39. There you will read about treachery, fighting, kidnapping, human trafficking, blood, immorality, stealing, lying—but no explosions (sorry). Life with the Jacobsons is not dull. These chapters read like a soap-opera. Real life is going on here and when we read of real people, we are reading about uniqueness. We are also finding what we already know: people are nasty, or can be at least. I am amazed at the contrast of detail—Chapter 37 tells us plainly that the following is a record of the history of Joseph. New book, folks. New film. Moving on. Once we understand who Joseph is and what becomes of him, suddenly the text focuses on one of his brothers, Judah (Chapter 38), then goes back to talking about Joseph again (Chapter 30). Wassup wid dat? I have every reason to believe that, though we are not told who the person is who presented the torn and bl...

I heard someone recently say that people are the greatest stressor on the face of the earth . . . and the greatest blessing. This is the flavor of the next set of chapters, Genesis 33-35. As if a line were drawn in the sand, we are introduced to the Jacobsons and they are a wild bunch. Their father is just getting family matters setteled (32-33) and he builds an altar to the Lord (33:20). In stark contrast, his daughter goes off and is raped to which two brothers respond with large-scale vengeance and murder (34). Chapter 35 opens with God telling Jacob to pull up stakes and go build an altar to God. I wonder what Jacob was feeling? What was he thinking? As my family dynamics go through their cycles, I am learning how important it is to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but I am also learning the deeper pain of parenthood when I see my kids hold onto bad decisions. They don't just make them--they hold them. Salting the wound--I remember what I did ...

"Where's the power?" (wjl) Song: “All Hail the pow'r of Jesus' name“ On what is ministry fueled? The Corinthians had a problem, an infatuation with technique of ministry. The problem still goes on today. The Corinthians argued often concerning the importance of style: ethos, logos, rhetoric, elocution, memorization, pronunciation--all ways to deliver a speech effectively. We are too infatuated with the how of ministry, not the cross of Christ. The cross is in danger of being made powerless by the use of our cutting edge techniques. 1:18-25: The word accomplished through the cross is counter-intuitive to the message people want to hear. The cross is a stumbling block and foolishness to those who want to succeed and who like to do things their own way. Human wisdom and power are in the way. Only a foolish message will dethrone men. What will you adorn your message with--power or the cross? Effective communication or the work of Christ? 1:26-31 The word accomplished ...

"I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1997. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you." That's ok, HAL. Thank you. "The HAL 9000 computer - an artificial intelligence that could think, talk, see, feel, and occasionally go berserk - was supposed to be operational in January 1997. Has anyone seen HAL? If you take 2001: A Space Odyssey literally, then right about now, somewhere in Urbana, Illinois, an intelligent machine is stumbling through a pathetic version of the song: "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...." January 12, 1997, is the birthday of HAL. Read the rest here . Why do I bring this hunk of triviality to the fore this early in the morning? Because there is a level of significance and the more I think about it, the more I begin to wonder how technology is another Tower of Babel. I know, I sound like an...

A good critique of seekerized church life SBCLife, the monthly journal of the Southern Baptist Convention that is published by the SBC Executive Committee has a very interesting and helpful article in the January 2006 issue. It is written by William Brown and is entitled, "The Seeker." Brown is an associate professor of evangelism and church planting at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Founders Ministries Blog

Joseph seems to be very much in the habit of wanting to walk his own road, go his own path, do his own thing. The problem is that when he does, he offends someone. God intends to use Joseph, and use him He shall—like it or not. Jacob found out quickly that being blessed by God was not a thing greatly enjoyed by others. Call it idolatry, call it selfishness, call it greet or coveting, the fact of the matter is Laban knew God was doing great multiplications around Joseph (children, flocks, etc) and he wanted to be a part of it—only without the “God” part. Two things: first, Jacob’s light was beginning to come on, that he could not live for himself (no thanks to mom on that one)—the light was coming on—slowly—on a dimmer switch, maybe, but it was coming on; second, I don’t quite understand why Jacob did not just pull up stakes and just set out. Why did he have to ask Laban to send him away with his many wives, 11 children and flocks? Regardless, Jacob finally bolts. And out of all peop...

Genesis 28: Esau is brewing like a distant thunderstorm and Jacob is on the run. Jacob did not have seeking God high on his “to do” list, but like a stick in his spokes, God appeared to Jacob in the famed dream of the ladder, causing a much-needed shift in the direction Jacob was heading. Jacob had been true to his name: plotting with his mother, lying to his father, stealing from his brother. He was hardly a candidate for “men God uses” material. If you looked up “lying, crying, spying ultra-pig” in the Dictionary of Name-calling you would probably find his picture there. God could have abandoned Jacob and left him to cook in his own stew, but there were reasons this did not happen. Not only did God break in at a time when it was least expected, but God came to Joseph when he did not deserve it. I have not mentioned it much, but the principle is loud and clear. Here is a demonstration of God’s grace. Jacob was the mostly unlikely person for the experience he had that night an...

(JDH) Mt 2:1-12 The first missiological text of the NT. Jan 6= Epiphany. Webster: EPIPH'ANY, n. [Gr. appearance; to appear.] A Christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents [ I like that wording ]; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior's baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2 Tim 1:10. 1-8 Magi visit Herod. Probably happened 2 yrs after Jesus birth. The new age (of their time) king-makers ask Herod the paranoid, “Where is the one born King?” And all Jerusalem was troubl...

A couple of years ago I prepared for a trip to Africa by interviewing a local pastor. One thing he told me was to not make promises. I am sure he was convinced in his mind of his reasons for saying this, but I could not (and still don't) understand the logic behind it. All I know is that I could not see future ministry without making promises. I could not find reason for any effective ministry without promises. In my mind a person should not go into missions or ministry if he makes no promises. Everything God does and did is based on promises. To make no promises is to have no intention to do anything in the future. To make no promises is to be selfish. To make no promises is to act unlike God. Certainly the reason to avoid promises is to protect oneself from failure. Failure is embarrasing and at is at its base deceptive. John Piper in his book The Godward Life writes, "Human promises are broken because people do not trust God. In fact they don't even think of God. He is...