Genesis 13:1−14:24
Correction of faithless behavior and return to faithful obedience to God’s demand, trusting in God’s sovereign timing to keep his word, results in divine blessing.
There is a clear sense in which Abram’s departure from Egypt in Gen 13 is a positive event—a return to the sphere of divine blessing, for there are allusions to the exodus of the Israelites from that land: Abram “goes up from Egypt” (13:1; and Exod 17:3; Num 20:5; 32:11; etc.); he is enriched in Egypt
Beard!
It’s puzzling (to some) that more men are sporting beards these days—“one of the great mysteries of the age,” said one.
Prof. Cyril Grueter and his colleagues at The University of Western Australia in Perth may have found the answer, which they published recently in Evolution and Human Behaviour (“Are Badges of Status Adaptive in Large Complex Primate Groups?”).
Here it is: Men are under pressure from other men and are trying to look aggressive by growing flamboyant
Life!
She celebrated her 104th birthday this week. Elizabeth Sullivan of Fort Worth.
Well at 103 I didn’t think I’d make it, but I’m still perking along.”
And yes, she needs a doctor. Three of them, in fact. But not the kind with MD next to their names. She needs Dr. Pepper!
People try to give me coffee for breakfast. Well, I’d rather have a Dr. Pepper.”
The good lady began imbibing said soft drink about forty years ago. Three a day. Yup, THREE! Three Dr. Peppers every
Steve Mathewson: How I Preach
Steve Mathewson: And this is How I Preach …
[Steve’s been a fixture in the camp of serious thinkers of preaching. Particularly on preaching Old Testament narrative, this man’s wisdom is worth tapping. And his three decades of preaching experience have given him an abundance of that rare commodity. We shared a conference session last year at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. The gracious and kindly soul he is, he consented to participate
Stars!
They found dust. Yup, dust! Two billion-plus light years away.
Dust is actually quite important in the formation of the universe—planets and stars. But apparently there wasn’t any in the beginning, at the time of the Big Bang (about 14 billion years ago, they say). The early galaxies had only gas, mostly hydrogen and helium (plus dark matter).
Dust—carbon (fine soot) or silicates (fine sand). When stars get old and die as supernovas, the explosions release cosmic dust.
Better!
I was in the Boston area last week for a series of lectures at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) on the north side of ye olde city.
I know, I know. Boston! This time of the year. Crazy!
It took me about 2 hours to negotiate 30-odd miles from Logan Airport to GCTS the night I arrived.
Exactly 105.5 inches of snow this winter, according to National Weather Service measurements at Logan. Folks, that’s more than 8½ feet of the good bad, white stuff.
But ye olde Bostonians
Genesis 11:27−12:20
God’s blessings are fulfilled through obedience that sacrifices and that relinquishes human contrivances in favor of an unshakeable trust in God.
Primeval history (Genesis 1–11) leads to patriarchal history (Genesis 12–50). The former ends on a rather depressing note: mankind seems prone to sin, and sin only seems to worsen with each generation. After the Tower of Babel episode, it seemed to have all gone irremediably awry.
But at the outset of his story, Abram is
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.