Feb 25 2006

A bit of brutal honesty…. Are you ready?

Category: Uncategorizeddryvetyme @ 14:23

Thinking that I have made a decision, I again find myself at a crossroads. I say this in reference to my belief that I should be headed off to seminary in the Fall of 2006, but doubting that now is the time for me to do so. Previous changes in my life have been borne of the necessity that I come to grips with the negative realities of my current situation and do what I can to change where I am and what I am doing.

I have made many changes of direction in my journey through life. I have decided to move far away from home for college to separate myself from an unhealthy High School & church environment. I transferred colleges to escape paying increased tuition (even though I loved Southwestern University). I left the Pentecostal church (and the UPC specifically) to pursue & live out a more balanced, Jesus-centered, and holistic expression of the Gospel. In all of these, I have made the necessary adaptations and shifts in my life in order to better my life and to better my interactions with the world around me.

So, why do I feel conflicted about choosing between The Harvest (or teaching at a Waldorf school in general) and attending seminary for 2 or 3 years so that I can serve the Kingdom of God “better”? Continue reading “A bit of brutal honesty…. Are you ready?”


Feb 25 2006

Genesis 17:15-22

Category: Genesis All Over Againdryvetyme @ 12:35

Details, Details, Details –
(Which is Exactly What Abra(ha)m Wants)
Or
Mama’s Got a Brand New Name (Act Three)

“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’” (Genesis 17:15-16, ESV)

And with that proclamation, God modifies his words from verses 5 and 6 of chapter 17 to apply directly to Abraham’s wife. Some commentaries specifically mention that the name change that Abraham and Sarah both experienced was one of God’s ways of solidifying the covenant. (The Jewish Study Bible, p37-38) Granted, in Abraham’s case, the name change reflected his status as the father of many people, where Sarah’s name change wasn’t an adaptation of meaning, since both Sarai and Sarah are both variations of “princess.” (The Torah: A Modern Commentary, p117) However, what is important with these two verses is not that Sarah’s new name wasn’t as revelatory a change as was Abram’s, but that she too was included and deemed equal to Abraham in terms of their roles in creating the Jewish people. (The Jewish Study Bible, p38)
Continue reading “Genesis 17:15-22″