Blog

And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father . . . Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Genesis 22:7-8 While visiting my son in college recently, my wife made an…
Read more

After these things God tested Abraham . . . He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2 Though I wouldn’t have seen it…
Read more

So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. Genesis 21:14 We went to see the latest Christian film last night, about an alcoholic who met Christ and was immediately transformed,…
Read more

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” Genesis 21:9-10 When in treatment for my opioid addiction, I resented…
Read more

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Genesis 21:5-6 Working…
Read more

The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Genesis 21:1-2 I’m not a very patient person. I’m impulsive, wanting what I want right…
Read more

Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” Genesis 20:14-15 While working through the twelve steps, eventually I got to step nine, which said I…
Read more

Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.” Genesis 20:11-12 I lied…
Read more

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Genesis 20:6 Prior to my last relapse, I could sense God warning me. Don’t…
Read more

From there Abraham journeyed . . . and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Genesis 20:1-2 In treatment, my chemical dependency counselors wisely insisted I work on Relapse Prevention, identifying triggers that caused me to once use…
Read more