Jessica and Elizabeth at Bongo Java

Genesis 12:1,3 versus Galatians 3:8

Genesis 12:1,3 - "Now the LORD said to Abram...in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Galatians 3:8 - "The Scripture...preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.'" See any similarities in those two verses? See any differences? Here is what I noticed... Point 1) What the LORD said, the Scripture preached, preaches and will preach forevermore!!! Amen! Point 2) A new identity: from Abram to Abraham...from death to life...from old creature to new...from no communion to covenant. Point 3) "All the families/nations will be blessed..." The gospel means "good news." The gospel is for all peoples; Jew or Gentile. It would not be good news if it was not for all nations or else Paul, the writer of Galatians, wouldn't have said, "The Scripture...preached the gospel...saying, All the nations will be blessed in you." He would have left out the words, "preached the gospel" in that verse if that wasn't part of the good news. Point 4) "...in you". Paul goes on to clear up the meaning of this term in the following verse. Galatians 3:9 says, "So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer." Not so much as "in Abraham" but rather "with Abraham." Abraham is a living OT prophecy of the gospel. Why? Because of this very verse: God saved Abraham by faith. If you were to continue reading the third chapter of Galatians down to verse 14, you would notice very similar wording as in verse 8. See if you can catch it. "...in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." It's only IN CHRIST can Abraham and all the nations be blessed through faith. Christ is the blessing...God is the good news!

Idols and Jesus.

Habakkuk 2:18-20...
What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For it's maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in it, But the Lord (good words right there!) is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.

My observations:
Idols are of no profit; Jesus is treasure.
Idols are shaped into creation; Jesus is the Creature.
Idols are metal and rust, therefore lifeless; Jesus is life.
Idols are teachers of lies; Jesus is truth.
Idols are not dependable; Jesus is trustworthy.
Idols are speechless; Jesus is the Word of God.
Idols are unfree and subordinate; Jesus is sovereign.
Idols are wood and stone; Jesus took the cross and broke free from the tomb and is in His holy temple and coming back to get us!

Welcome to the family!

Birmingham!!!

Congrats, Ben and Jessica!

The Gospel in Action!!!

"The reward for information leading to missing New York teenager Brittanee Drexel was increased to $11,000, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported.

Pastor Charlie Muller, of Victory Christian Church in Albany, N.Y., added $10,000 to the $1,000 reward Myrtle Beach, S.C. Crime Stoppers offered last week, the newspaper reported." - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519673,00.html

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Jess and Zipporah

Exodus 4:24-26