Category: Uncategorized

In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and manservants and camels and donkeys. (Genesis 29 & 30)

Jacob traveled alone to the land of Haran, where his mother’s brother lived and the place his grandfather Abraham migrated from. There, Jacob begins to get as good as he gave.  He loved Rachel, but was tricked into marrying Leah, a woman he did not love, before he was finally given Rachel.  Rachel was barren, but Leah gave him six sons. Leah and Rachel’s maidservants both gave Jacob children as well and finally Rachel gave birth to Joseph. (Later she became the mother of Benjamin, but it is not part of this narrative.)  These men are important as they later, their families became the twelve tribes of the Messianic nation of Israel.

This polygamous family was a mess.  Jacob’s father-in-law was as conniving as Jacob once was, his wives’ bickering kept discord in his home and his sons were not the sort to make a man proud.  If anything validates Biblical writing as true, Jacobs story does, for we see him clearly, warts and all.

What can we glean from these characters that so clearly know God, but believe Him to be their servant rather than the other way around?  1. God is always at work for His good, for He is good. 2. God is extremely patient with man.

You cannot out sin God’s love.

Love,

Gretchen

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. Genesis 28:3 (Genesis 26-28)

Through less than ethical behavior Jacob has taken his older brother’s blessing.  This blessing gave authority as heir and patriarch apparent of the covenant nation. With the help of his mother Rebekah, he tricked his aged and blind father and robbed the birthright from his older brother, thus, taking for himself, all that Esau would have received. As a result, Jacob’s life was in danger and he was directed to flea to the land of uncle Laban.

The consequences of Jacob’s behavior cost him tremendously.  In his exile he never saw his beloved mother again and home loving Jacob was completely alone in an unfamiliar land. Robbed of all security, in the middle of no where, with only a dark sky full of stars for a blanket, Jacob lays his head on a stone, sleeps and dreams of a staircase to Heaven. At the zenith stands God while angels ascend and descend. In this vision, God transfers the covenant promise to him and shows a direct connection from Heaven to earth. In Jacob’s loneliest moment, He finds God standing with him.

Even though Esau proved repeatedly that he cared nothing for his birthright and blessing, Jacob paid dearly for the fraudulent way he acquired what God has already laid a foundation for. Sin causes great pain and separates us from God and others we love.  However, it doesn’t have to be the end of our story. God doesn’t quit because we fail. Praise be to God!

Love,

Gretchen

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Genesis 25:33  (Genesis 23-25)

Sarah died and Abraham, an alien in a foreign land, bought a cave and a field for her burial. He and Isaac mourned her death.  Today this cave is in a mosque under Muslim control. As the father of Ismael, Muslims hold Abraham in very high regard and Christians are not permitted to enter. In 1862 the Prince of Wales, by special permission, visited and saw the stone tombs of Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah and Leah. (Halley’s Bible Handbook, pg. 101) 

God’s covenant was dependent on a wife and children for Isaac. Abraham wanted to keep his family line free of idolatry, so he sent a trusted servant back to his own country to find a suitable mate. The servant prayed for God’s leading and wisdom and Rebekah returned to Canaan to marry Isaac. She was barren for twenty years and then gave birth to twins.  Esau the older, as his father’s heir, was entitled to birthright (money) and blessing (authority). However, he proved to be impulsive, reckless, willful and worldly. This combination cost him everything. During of a fit of hunger he sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for some lentil soup and a piece of bread. 

It isn’t entitlement that creates destiny or blessing, it is the action of obedience or lack there of. In the deepest, most intimate and secret places of our heart and mind, God is there. By this we know He alone is a Perfect Judge, and Trustworthy Leader.

Peace and Blessings,

Gretchen

Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:8 (Genesis 21:22-22)

Isaac, the long anticipated, promised son, is growing into adulthood. AND THEN!!!!! It seems that God has chosen to jeopardize His own plan for a covenant nation. He is demanding that Abraham give his son back as a child-sacrifice. This chosen and called man has had many shortcomings in his behavior, and disobedience has not been without its consequences, but to kill one’s off-spring makes no sense!

The demand Abraham awoke to that morning was puzzling and frightening, but this time Abraham followed God’s instructions without question or hesitation.  At some point Abraham released the impulses of his earthly being and began to walk exclusively by faith, knowing that all the future was God’s and God was good.  God didn’t need Isaac’s death to satisfy Himself, He wanted Abraham to understand the strength of a steadfast certainty. The History of the world rested on this defining moment.

God is not a God of pointless, ridiculous penance. What we relinquish and what we given to keep are designed to purify and perfect our hearts and our relationship with our Loving Protector and Provider. When a faithful God and faithful man stand together……….the world is forever changed!

Love,

Gretchen

P.S.  It is worth noting in chapter 21:8-20, that God shows kindness to Hagar, the slave, and her son outcast child, Ismael.  They have both been tossed and toiled at the whim of others, but God loves and provides. 

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”  Genesis 21:6 (Genesis 21-1-7)

Sarai/Sarah is known as ‘Abraham’s wife,’ barren and childless. In straight terms, Sarah is insignificant.  In order to protect himself, Abraham twice asks beautiful Sarai to title herself as his sister, (which she was) and submit bodily to a ruler of a foreign state. The Bible doesn’t say how she felt, but betrayal and violation must have passed through her mind. Both times, God intervened and saved Sarah while inflicting pain and discomfort on her offenders.

Common culture allowed Sarah to give her handmaiden, Hagar, to her husband in order to secure a child and family line, but having done this with Abraham’s consent, Sarah was disappointed and grief-stricken. God wasn’t happy either. It wasn’t His plan. When God brought news that she would give birth to the father of the covenant nation Sarah laughed in disbelief. But when she held her precious baby in her arms, she realized God can do anything and her joy overflowed into laughter.

Sarah stands singularly unique as a Biblical woman who’s name was changed by God.  Her story isn’t perfect obedience, but it is a story of a faith that outweighed defeat. God’s divine promises have Sarah at the heart of them, and her marginal status became a very important part of the Israel’s history.

In the darkest moments of your story, God HAS NOT forgotten you.  He has a plan, but faith is the only means to experience it.

Have a Blessed Day,

Gretchen

He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by,” Genesis 18:3 (Genesis chapters 18 &19)

The culmination of God’s plan and timing has come together and while Sarah is way beyond the season of child bearing and Abraham is very old, 99 years in fact, God says, “In a year it will happen.”  In this, only God can claim glory and Isaac is born, the covenant son.  Lot’s family is threatened by the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah but Abraham intervenes.  Known as God’s friend, Abraham speaks on behalf of the innocent in the company of the wicked and we see that it goes against God’s nature to destroy and a final judgement is never a first option.

Three visitors came to Abraham’s tent, near the great trees of Mamre, in the middle of the day (during siesta) and Abraham offers them the highest hospitality. During this visit, the promise of a longed for son becomes a reality and Abraham, as a friend of God, pleads for the innocent people of two cities and the home of his nephew Lot’s family.  God shows His compassion for those who choose to live in righteousness. When we read the Biblical narrative it is easy to delete the freewill factor. It seems that everything is just God’s predestination and we are pawns in His game. It is not so! Do not fall into a trap of excusing bad things as fate, ill luck or karma and then denying gratitude for blessings because it is your due, or a happy coincidence. Abraham was called, and he went. The journey wasn’t without it’s real life episodes, but it is the story of a Trustworthy God and a faithful man.

Seek right and healthy relationships. Make wise promises and keep them. Ask for forgiveness, accept it humbly. Commit your life to God and walk forward in peace.

Love,

Gretchen 

My engagement ring had a four speed stick, with granny low transmission.  It was a 1974 International Scout and had recent exterior and interior work done in the Rooney Backyard Bodyshop.

Keith and I have had a nontraditional relationship from the beginning.  We never ‘dated.’ We just happened to end up in the same place at the same time…….a lot. It was an evening in the spring of 1984 when Keith made the statement, “I just always thought we’d fall in love someday and get married.” I responded, “Why don’t we.”  Even without an official proposal and acceptance, the rest is history!

We were crazy poor. However, our wedding day was nearing and the time came to purchase a wedding set, so Keith and I headed in the direction of Little Rock’s McCain Mall to find glittering tokens of our dreamy love. We were merrily on our way, me in the middle of the seat with my arm tucked under Keith’s, our fingers locked together. The motor was humming along with the radio when I asked Keith, “Do you smell something burning?” and he said, “Who’s tire is that?” Seconds later our left rear fender hit the pavement, throwing up sparks, shaking the steering wheel and the two passengers. All our questions were answered as we watched an axel, with a back left tire still attached, cross in front of us three times and finally come to a rest in a nearby lake.

The soon to be Mr. and Mrs. needed a dependable means of transportation far more than they needed dazzling diamonds, and so, we borrowed a friend’s truck and trailer, hauled our beloved four wheel drive back to the his dad’s garage and spent our meager savings on car parts.

I was disappointed. It was the season of my life when all my friends were finding their “Happily Ever Afters” complete with bended knee and sparkling stones. The object of my affection though, was a handsome young man with dancing blue eyes and a larger than life optimism and that made the absence of an engagement ring just fine.

Today, as I was cleaning our little home, I noticed a chair that had a wing nut loose and wondered why life had to be so high maintenance. After quietly laughing at such a self-absorbed thought, I reflected and grew more thankful that the world I chose is quite simple and filled with more laughter than tears.

You can probably guess the rest of this story. Many of those romantic proposals and grand weddings ended with brokenness and sorrow. But Keith and I still have a perpetual adventure guessing, waiting and watching for the excitement and blessings tomorrow will give. And yes, I have a diamond on my left hand……but it is very small, as the lovely one I received several years ago got lost…….probably somewhere out climbing mountains or flying over the deep blue sea.

Better a little with the fear of the LORD that great wealth with turmoil. Proverbs 15:16

Wishing You a Simple Sabbath,

Gretchen

When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 (Chapter 17)

God’s promissory covenant with Abraham in chapter 15 verse 18 was unconditional, but the covenant of circumcision is dependent on man’s obedience. Circumcision was a physical sign to the reality of all God’s promises and obedience to God by His people. In this narrative there is the gathering of a multi-racial household into one covenant. Through circumcision, those not related to Abraham joined in kinship with him.

The blessing of all nations began with this one. In ancient times a landed family wrote precise records of offspring and lineage. This was proof of ownership, their heritage. Abraham’s blessing did not come from his earthly father.  He was called to leave his home and go into a strange place and there, God would make him the father of a new and great nation.

Humanity repeatedly sorts itself out according to physical attributes and geography.  I am not minimizing the covenant of circumcision, but the greater part of this relationship between God and man is obedience, not branches on the family tree, validated by race. To share in the Body/Family of God our Father, we must share in each other, first through obedience to God and then love for one another.

Have a Wonderful Week End,

Gretchen

The angel of the LORD also said to her, “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” Genesis 16:11 (Genesis 12-16)

Abraham was born in the city, but God call him into the country of Canaan. The area was stricken with drought so Abraham, Sarai and his nephew Lot, went into Egypt, but first he asked his wife/half sister Sarai to disguise the fact that they were husband and wife, as Sarai was amazingly beautiful, thus putting Abraham’s life in jeopardy. Sure enough, Pharaoh took her into his palace and gave Abraham gifts. Immediately plagues fell on this royal house and Abraham and Sarai were sent on their way. Having grown wealthier over time, Abraham and Lot had to separate because their vast live stock made living together too difficult. Given the choice of land, Lot took his portion from along the Jordan valley, but got caught up in a war between local kings and was taken prisoner.  Abraham went and rescued him. 

Sarai, Abraham’s wife was barren.  Although God made a promise that his offspring would be like the dust on the earth, Abraham and Sarai had grown old and they were beginning to lose sight of God’s promised blessing.  Hagar was a servant that probably came into their household when Pharaoh gave Abraham servants and cattle as compensation for having taken Sarai into his harem. Sarai gave Hagar to Abraham so that he could conceive a child with her and carry on his family line.  It was a short walk to bitterness for Sarai, and dissonance and discontent fell on everyone.  Hagar ran away, but was ordered to return with God’s peace. She gave birth to Ismael who became the patriarch of the Arab people.

Hagar, an Egyptian, came to Abraham’s household because of the lie about his kinship to Sarai and Ismael is the result of Sarai’s impatience with God’s will and timing. 

God explicitly, through the act of covenant making, laid out His promise to Abraham and Sarai and they still took matters into their own hands. It didn’t go well. But God is faithful and He will do what He promised He would do. He is worthy of our unquestioning trust, love and adoration.

Have a great Friday,

Gretchen

Then they said, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:3-4 (Genesis 9:18 through chapter 11)

These chapters are the genealogies from Noah to Abraham.  In the middle of this ancestry is the story of Babel. 

Noah’s ark settled on top of Mr. Ararat, some 500 hundred miles from its origin.  After Noah and his sons disembarked, they gradually returned to the land of Babylonia, long known as “Land of Nimrod. Nimrod was a powerful, warrior leader and built two cities, Babylon and Nineveh. 100 years after the flood, man is firmly entrenched in their rebellion once again.  Determined to worship themselves, pride was the driving force.  God said to fill the earth, but the people of Babylon want to remain in one place and become powerful.

This attempt to build a tower to the clouds was the foundation of a greater sin against God.  These men have set themselves up to go knocking at heaven’s door so that they can meet their gods on equal terms. Some say they built the pyramid like tower for worship, others believe they sought to become godlike.  God is God and this is not acceptable. He separated them, making it impossible to create a conversation, much less a megapolis. These citizens, at the center of the known world, separated according to their languages and went their merry way. The skyscraper remained forever unfinished.

Babylon is synonymous with the world’s greatest evil and wickedness, but many times God used this nation to accomplish His greater purpose.

God’s love for man perpetuates His every act. Our response should be reckless, abandoned  obedience and unrestrained worship and joy. There is judgement and consequence for sin, but it is not fate of those who choose to follow The One True God.

Have a Great Thursday,

Gretchen