Genesis 12:1-4 begins the long, imperfect, and beautiful story of Abram (later Abraham) and Sarai (later Sarah). I love the way this passage is nestled, for the story preceding it is the Tower of Babel. 3 Ways Abraham and Sarah are not people of the Tower Abraham and Sarah are the opposite of the people of the Tower. The people of the Tower did not want to go. They wanted to stay. They wanted to make their name great. They searched for a way to the clouds. 1. God comes to Abr

Brick by brick it went up. Sweaty backs. Bulging biceps. It got to be so tall it cast a shadow over the camp below and offered shade from the sun above. At first it seemed like a good idea, but then with some justification it was a great idea. We should build the Tower. No, let's build a name for ourselves. How does one build a name? By beating the unbeatable. I will make the impossible my slave. I will accomplish with my life something that others don't even dream for thems

Synopsis of the Story (Genesis 6-9) We know the story: unrelenting wickedness is met with cataclysmic judgment and the lands are flooded and a remnant is left. There are animals in pairs and Noah and his gang of 8. An ark, a rainbow, and a new creation. A new start: the old is gone and the new has come. However promising the idea, waters of judgment did not wash away sin. No, Noah built a vineyard (and quick!) and he floods himself with wine. The boat was not his only way of

Another senseless act of violence. This week it was Las Vegas. However, we've heard the lament before in Newtown, Virginia Tech, University of Texas, Charleston, and so many others. Senseless acts of violence show up in the Scriptures too. The first--Cain killing Abel. Like oil dipped in water, the problem of Dad Adam and Mother Eve has spread to brothers Cain and Abel, tainting everyone in the process. The garden party of Eden is now a deathtrap and the thorns of the curse a