tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45936098624262232712012-01-20T11:55:28.851-05:00Pastor Becky's Deepest Thoughts, Feelings, and InsightsPastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.comBlogger151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-43059459538448885662012-01-20T11:55:00.003-05:002012-01-20T11:55:28.858-05:00

Blessings and Death. We have a chance when something ends to pass on a blessing to who or what comes next. Sometimes things have to die; the way we have always done something, a relationship, a season in our life. When something dies, it makes room for new life. In a forrest in every storm trees fall and die. This happens so that a hole is made in the cannopy and sunlight can get through so that

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-58887367739454945162012-01-20T11:32:00.003-05:002012-01-20T11:32:59.296-05:00

Is it interesting to you as it is to me how these stories link together. It was because of the sever famine that people went into slavery. They went into slavery because they had no money to buy food. It reminds me of society now. The longer the financial strain lasts in our country the more people are willing to do in order to survive. Some are getting desperate. The attitude of entitlement that

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-45084109391359115202012-01-20T10:58:00.000-05:002012-01-20T10:58:08.841-05:00

Here would be part of Joseph's Mountain top experience...he sure had fun giving his brothers a hard time and in a sense paying them back for all that they did to him. Let us be honest, given the opportunity we all have the ability within us to pay someone pack for any pain, grief, or heartache they have given us. We are not different from Joseph. We are taught though through the new covenant (New

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-14218748683670939792012-01-20T10:22:00.002-05:002012-01-20T10:22:49.345-05:00

The story of Joseph reminds me of something many of us try to portray. We try to portray that once you turn and follow God then you do not have troubles. Anyone find that to be true? Story after story in scriptures and in the world around us we hear of people who are right with God and they still go through hardships. It does not mean that God does not walk with us through those hardships. In

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-4054564533795070832012-01-20T10:02:00.000-05:002012-01-20T10:02:02.362-05:00

It is interesting to me when we look at family dynamics that we can find ourselves in the scriptures. Here we have Jacob's family. The brothers defend their sister's honor when she was shamed by Shechem, mind you not in a way that is right or ethical. At the same time in today's reading the same siblings when they were annoyed and jealous of their own brother Joseph they think about killing him

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-89192263222929170592012-01-15T14:30:00.000-05:002012-01-15T14:30:11.544-05:00

Jacob wrestles with God...have you ever felt like you and God were wrestling. Maybe not literally like Jacob did but figuratively. I know there have been times in my life where I have wrestled with God over decisions in my life. It was usually because God was trying to get me to do something and I was resisting. We wrestle when a change needs to take place and it is one that we do not want. I

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-70097086404034995382012-01-15T14:10:00.000-05:002012-01-15T14:10:37.249-05:00

Reading Jacob's story makes me realize how society has never really changed. We still for the most part are out for ourselves. We do what we need to so that we profit and can stand taller and stronger than our neighbor. We are a very selfish culture, yet we make ourselves feel good by doing something for those less fortunate. The difference between us and Jacob is that we know the whole story, we

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-83637995454738494592012-01-15T13:15:00.001-05:002012-01-15T13:15:37.187-05:00

I find it interesting to read the story of Issac. In my opinion there is no way to read the story of Issac without dealing with the story of Ishmael. Ishmael and his descendants lived in "open hostility towards his relatives" (25:18). The unrest that we find in the middle east and the fighting between tribes, or in other words different families, is something that has been happening since the

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-38194512088997820202012-01-15T11:56:00.002-05:002012-01-15T11:56:17.612-05:00

If we look at the story of Abraham so far we see that his relationship with God has been a journey. If we look we might just see ourselves in the story. God gave Abraham many different chances to trust and have faith in God. However it took a while for Abraham to truly walk in faith. Look at when Abraham truly walked in faith, it was when God asked him to sacrafice his son Issac. Does that seem

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-33838007898707170562012-01-06T12:17:00.001-05:002012-01-06T12:17:49.773-05:00

What stood out to me today in our reading was about Sarah denying that she had laughed to her self about God saying she would have a child. Is it comforting to know that even back in Old Testament times people thought they could keep things from God? I don't know if it is comforting, but it is at least reality. Why does it seem to surprise us when God reveals something to us and we are shocked

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-91365979586930288632012-01-04T09:15:00.000-05:002012-01-04T09:15:00.639-05:00

Father Abraham had many kids, many kids had Father Abraham....whenever I read the story about Abram and Sarai this song always comes into my mind. It was a song that was sung during Sunday School when I was a kid. I do not know much more than the first verse anymore. However, it must have helped me remember the story of Abram who became Abraham and Sarai who became Sarah, because I have never

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-91371000346020736542012-01-03T09:43:00.000-05:002012-01-03T09:43:13.352-05:00

Symbols are an interesting things are they not? If we look at our lives we see symbols all over the place. We like to use symbols to remind us of something important. Some of the symbols in our everyday life would be cross necklaces, rings, the fish on the back of cars (let alone any other bumper sticker type symbol), pretty much any cause out there has it's own symbol to represent it. If we look

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-56560324017873415952012-01-02T11:59:00.001-05:002012-01-02T11:59:09.024-05:00

Okay so I know that descendant list for Adam was long to read though, but you made it. Notice that Seth was 105 years old when he became the father of Enosh, and we read in chapter 4 yesterday that it was not until Enosh was born that people started praying and praising in God's name. Amazing to think about eh? What about living for 962 years, are you game for that? Maybe if I can be fit and

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-41316450887592351592012-01-01T21:17:00.000-05:002012-01-01T21:17:58.581-05:00

I am not sure exactly how many times I have read this section of scripture. Probably more than a dozen times and again something in it caught my eye that I had never noticed before. In the last verse of chapter 4 it states; "And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. That's when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God". It took to the third generation before people were

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593609862426223271.post-13149379177914001492011-12-14T11:57:00.000-05:002011-12-14T11:57:12.030-05:00

Join me in a New Year's resolution that I am challenging all of my churches to join me in. You do not have to be apart of any of the churches I pastor to be apart of this 2012 Challenge. What is the challenge you might ask...well...to read through the bible in one year! I know sounds a little crazy. But here it is, I want to challenge us to get to know the Creator in a new way together. So lets

Pastor Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714604231703244930noreply@blogger.com0