OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #146 More Complicated than a Soap Opera
Hi Folks:
Lots of news this week. The new podium is done. See the picture on the website http://www.onfireletter.com On Sunday afternoon Dan and I went out for a canoe ride. It was sunny and we saw a few dozen ducks, but most remarkable was the bald eagle who landed in a tree above our heads and watched us from less than a hundred feet away. I’ve never seen an eagle in full flare like that. Beautiful.
OK - now for the news you’re wanting to hear about Mark. Jan and her mother left with Mark for Denver on Monday. They flew out of Halifax early on Tuesday morning, and called to say they arrived safely. The competition begins at the end of the week. They will use the time to acclimatize, prepare and sightsee. Thanks for your prayers for them.
Ian and I are doing well. We’re making “man-meals” and eating lots of fish.
Blessings for your week.
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I love to take things apart to see how they work. Over the years I’ve taken apart stereos and sound equipment, electronics, household appliances, and even a few small engines. Sometimes they were broken and I was able to fix them. Sometimes I was just curious.
Some things are more complicated than others. A few nights ago I opened up our old cd player. It has two trays and neither worked. I was going to throw it out because I’ve fixed it before, but I thought I would give it one more try. I fixed one tray, but it was too complicated for me to figure out what was wrong with the other tray.
We’re starting Joseph this week in OnFire. Complicated hardly begins to explain his family background.
For starters, his father, Jacob, stole both birthright and blessing from his older brother. In that day, the oldest boy received the inheritance, but Jacob and his mother plotted to take it away from Esau.
When Jacob left home to avoid his brother’s wrath, he went to work with his uncle Laban. In the process he fell in love with his cousin Rachel and arranged to marry her. Uncle Laban, however, switched his daughters at the last minute. In the end, Jacob married both daughters, Rachel and Leah.
If you’re not confused yet, keep reading, because its about to get more complicated than a soap opera. Here’s a quick summary.
Leah had six sons with Jacob - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. There was also a daughter, Dinah.
Out of jealousy Rachel arranged for a surrogate relationship between Jacob and her maid, Bilhah. This resulted in two children, Dan and Naphtali.
Then it was Leah’s turn to be jealous, and so she arranged a surrogate relationship between Jacob and her maid, Zilpah. They had two children - Gad and Asher.
And then, finally, Rachel had a son with Jacob and they named him Joseph. Later, another son, Benjamin, would also come along.
To get this far I had to read through the passages several times. I had forgotten how complicated Joseph’s family dynamics were. We would never suspect if we began reading at his birth.
“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.... She named him Joseph.” (Genesis 30:22-24*)
I sometimes wonder at how complicated our lives become. In particular, it amazes me how complicated personal relationships can be. It makes me think that some tv shows are popular because they make our lives look a lot less tricky by comparison.
Even by soap standards, Joseph’s family was complicated. Can this really be the history and foundation for the 12 tribes of Israel?
For me this is a reminder that God works in the complicated-ness of our lives. Somehow, He was able to use these relationships to form a people for Himself. Like I mentioned before - some things are too complicated for me to figure out. But time after time God takes the wacky and bizarre circumstances of our lives and brings good things out of them.
It makes me think about John’s famous words: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) God wasn’t afraid to come into our complicated lives and dwell with us. In fact, he loves us so much he wanted to.
Joseph reminds us that God knows all about complicated. He’s been helping us through this for thousands of years, and he will continue to help us if we will trust him.
I hope this helps. Be OnFire.
Troy
ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfireletter@gmail.com . Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com This letter published April 2, 2008. *New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978 by the International Bible Society.