Focus on Eternity

          Have you ever heard a sermon on the Blessings of Jacob found in the 49 th Chapter of Genesis?   Not only does Jacob reveal how he wished to be buried, but he also shared words of wisdom and blessing to his twelve sons and two grandsons.   After listening to a lecture series called “The Blessings of Jacob” by the Great Commission Bible Institute, I developed a chart that I believe will help me more deeply understand Old and New Testament stories tied to these ancestral  lines.   Jacob is not the only person in Scripture to have a farewell address.   There are many other notable speeches by Abraham, Moses, and Joshua.          It is my thought that final words should hold meaning.   Would you agree?   Although not all accounts found on the internet are historically accurate, it is fun to research famous last words. You can find the famous last words shared by presidents, military leaders, poets, novelists, artists, actors, and musicians.   Did you know there is a debate over

         This morning, as I read Joseph's story and his rise from lowly means to a high and exalted position, it brought back a memory from my youth.   When I was in my late middle school years, crewel embroidery was the rage.   Clothing was embellished with fancy designs.   I can remember making a pair of bib-pants out of lightweight denim and taking brightly colored yarn to decorate the pockets and down the leg of the pants.   And yes, I wore them proudly.   I was becoming known within my family as one who enjoyed arts and crafts.   At that time, one of my uncles I had a special bond with, born on the same month and day nineteen years apart, played in a volleyball league.   He had admired my embroidery work, so I asked my mom if I could make him a t-shirt.   Now, what fourteen-year-old girl has a concept of what might be manly, but apparently, I thought I did.   Not only did I plan to use brightly colored yarns, but somehow bright green sequins caught my eye.   We bought an iron

                 It was hindsight that caused me to retrace my steps.  Have you ever received a nugget of information, investigated it further, and found it to be an extremely valuable pursuit? The other day I shared a few words with friends, I highlighted a passage of Scripture, and I wrote, "Behold" – a Word, like "Therefore," Consider, Pay Attention, and Learn from It." The highlighted passage I referenced was recorded in Genesis 28.  The word 'behold' is generally invisible in my reading.  Even though it was proclaimed thirteen times in my daily reading (ten times in the Old, and three times in the New Testament), I'm surprised I saw it at all.  Years ago, my sister-in-law used the expression "Low and Behold." It sounded odd to my ears, but it was one of those things that she would often repeat as she told stories about her life.  Once the word came into my conscious mind, I decided to investigate it.  Why would that word be so prevale

       Have you established a routine to look back over your course (in time) to recognize what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you?   If you read my blog, you’ve heard me ask this or a similar question before.   This year I was blessed to receive a check from my mother to buy anything I wished for my birthday.   I looked at a specific Christian planner advertised on social media that several of my friends shared over this past year.   To my fortune, this planner went on sale just before the end of the year, so I purchased one.   I planned to use it to track what I’m learning.   There are several varieties of these planners or journals that one can use, but I purposely chose one that looked like a calendar.      On the very first day of the New Year, the time when I start my Bible reading plan once again, I found my way back to the beginning of Genesis.   My Bible reading plan takes me through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice each year.   We want each pass throu

       I am offering-- you have permission to ask me and to hold me accountable-- for how I treat others.   Wouldn’t we all be much better representatives for Jesus if we offered this to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ?      During my daily reading, I uncovered three types of identities in Luke 6: (1) identities we choose, (2) identities that have been applied by others, and (3) identities that are imposed upon us.   In this article, I want to point our attention toward the response we have when identities are imposed upon us.     When reading Luke 6, I noticed that my translation used the word ‘who’ or a form of ‘who’ like whose or whom, thirty times.   This use of the word ‘who’   was a clue that Jesus wished to speak about identities.   Not only was he talking about identities, but he wanted to speak to the crowd that came to listen (see verse 18).   Listening was not their only objective; they also wanted to be cured of diseases or relieved of demonic spirits.   L