Cultivating a Life of Faith: A Man of Intolerance (Pt 9)

Jim Oesterwind Genesis 19.1-38 City officials in Couer d’Alene, Idaho passed an ordinance banning discrimination (including sexual orientation) in places of public accommodation. Those who violate the ordinance are faced with astronomical fines and jail time. Donald and Evelyn Knap are ordained ministers who run a for-profit business called The Hitching Post. The city ordinance…

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Cultivating a Life of Faith (8): A Man of Intimacy

Jim Oesterwind Genesis 18.1-33 John Davis writes of his encounter with a setting very similar to the one we find in Genesis 18: As we approached the crest of the hill in the 110-degree heat, we saw the most welcome sight of the afternoon, the little black tent of our Bedouin friend, Muhammad Radin. That…

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Cultivating a Life of Faith (7): A Man of Daily Commitment

Jim Oesterwind Genesis 17.1-27 Our failures and setbacks in the Christian life may be reduced to this one sentence: We forget who God is and what He is able to do when it comes to keeping His promises. Genesis 17 is yet another reaffirmation of the formal covenant cut in Genesis 15 and first introduced…

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Cultivating Faith (5): A Man of Patience

Jim Oesterwind Genesis 15.1-21 Have you ever struggled with what you know to be the promise of God, but it doesn’t seem to be a present reality? As Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “No doubt the trouble is with you!” God provided Abraham with a great promise in Genesis 12, but he was struggling with…

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Cultivating Faith (4): A Man of Courage (Genesis 14.1-16)

Jim Oesterwind The Courage of a Rescuer (Genesis 14.1-16) Every Adventure Story Has a Villain (14.1-11) Every good adventure story has a villain, a victim, and the courage of a victor. There is also a catalyst, circumstance and/or event that sets everything in motion. Look beyond the names that are difficult to pronounce in the…

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Cultivating Faith: A Man Set Apart

Jim Oesterwind Genesis 12.1-4 Abraham lived roughly 2000 years before the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. He lived in a world that spiraled down out of control plummeting into the depths of idolatry. Abraham’s father Terah dwelt on the eastern side of the Euphrates River. He raised his family in an atmosphere of idolatry.…

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