Category: Christian Parenting

When we last saw Jacob he was running from his home in Beersheba, headed for his mother’s kinfolks in Haran. Why was he a fugitive from home? He and his mother had tricked Isaac into giving him the fatherly blessing that was supposed to go to his brother Esau. Rebekah and Isaac agreed for him to leave home to prevent Esau from killing him. Isaac gave Jacob another blessing and told him to find a wife among his mother’s people. So, the trip was to accomplish two things; preserve his […]

At the close of Genesis 27, Jacob has succeeded in deceiving his aged father and has taken the blessing that belonged to Esau. He is a scoundrel, a self-serving thief who has lived up to his name; Jacob is a grasper. Esau is enraged by his younger brother’s trickery and plans to kill him when his father dies. When Rebekah learns of Esau’s vengeful plan, she urges Jacob to go to her brother in Haran until Esau cools down. Rebekah tells Isaac what’s going on and Isaac calls Jacob in […]

After a two-week detour from Genesis to focus on Christmas we return to the exciting story of how God entrusted His plan and promise to Abraham and his descendants. What is the plan and how does it relate to the promise? Let’s do a quick review because it is easy to lose sight of the big picture when we dig into some of the messy details of the people God chose to execute His plan. God chose to bring a Savior into the world to bear the penalty for the […]

Do you sometimes question God’s timing? Do you wish He would accommodate your schedule for things you pray for?  There have been instances when God has answered immediately but most of my requests have been put “on hold” for a while. God sometimes delays, but He never forgets. God wasn’t in a hurry to give Abraham a grandson who would receive God’s promise to him. But, He didn’t forget His promise to Abraham. Sarah dies at 127 years. At age 137 Abraham buries his wife and arranges for Isaac to […]

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving; enjoying good times with family and friends. I find it beneficial to begin each day with an attitude of gratitude. One of the things I’m most grateful for is how God reveals himself to us through the stories and teachings in the Bible. God doesn’t just want us to know “about” Him but to know Him personally. We can do this as we study the Bible and reflect on how He deals with people like Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and us. […]

Cecelia and I were in our late twenties when we were blessed with the news that we would have our first child. A few months later the doctor told us to expect a son. Again, we were delighted but faced the question of what to name him. We concluded that we would name him “Cos,” my given name and that of my father and his father before him. Cos is a very unusual name and can lead to mispronunciations and teasing by insensitive children and some adults. He would need […]

God often delays fulfilling His promises but He never forgets. Our patience and faith can weaken while we wait for God to act. This seems to be the case with Abram. Twenty-five years have passed since he came to Canaan but God’s promise “I will make you a great nation” isn’t developing as Abram expected. Please follow in your Bible as I guide you through this exciting part of God’s redemptive story. As we left Abram in Genesis 15 he complained to God that since he had no son, Eliezer would […]