Abraham 2 - Barbara Lynn Seibel

October 2, 2022October 2, 2022

Whose Advice Do You Heed?

When facing a crisis or hard decision, whose advice do you heed?

Friends?

Relatives?

Coworkers?

Professionals?

All the above?

Does your answer change depending on the type of decision you are facing?

Last week, I shared some about how my husband and I settled in South Carolina.

The motivating factor behind our relocation was my husband’s initial job loss. We needed advice regarding a variety of needs. So, our process involved talking with all the above relationships to meet these needs.

As I shared last week, we moved to South Carolina, even though we had zero friends, relatives, or previous coworkers in the area.

What does this have to do with Genesis 26:6?

August 21, 2022August 21, 2022

Where Are You From?

Shortly after moving to South Carolina in 2003, I received an invitation to join a local women’s group where I received advice to say I was from Oklahoma instead of Kansas when introducing myself to the members.

The reasoning for this advice came from Oklahoma’s history as an unorganized Indian territory, while Kansas was a loyal free state between 1861-1865. These dates refer to the American Civil War, sometimes referred to as the War of Northern Aggression.

The encouragement to lie about my birthplace was accurate advice for being better received by this group of women. When I stopped following that advice, the facial expressions of members who were meeting me for the first time revealed they immediately disliked me over something that happened before I was even born!

How does this connect with Genesis 25:20?

August 14, 2022August 13, 2022

The Value of Redundancy

First, what is redundancy?

Merriam-webster.com defines redundancy as the quality or state of being redundant.

Okay, Merriam-webster.com, what is the definition of redundant?

Merriam-webster.com defines redundant as exceeding what is necessary or normal or characterized by or containing an excess, specifically: using more words than necessary.

Second, how do we define value?

Some options from Merriam-webster.com include:

Relative worth, utility, or importance
Something such as a principle or quality intrinsically valuable or desirable

So, when do we value redundancy?

As one continues down the list of viable options, we find redundant can also mean serving as a duplicate for preventing the failure of an entire system (such as a spacecraft) upon failure of a single component.

How does any of this relate to Bible study and specifically, Genesis 25:19?

August 7, 2022August 13, 2022

Submitting to the Promised Legacy

The dog above was our beloved Dutch, a Rottweiler/Akita mixed breed that showed up at my husband’s workplace many moons ago when we lived in Kansas.

We also had two Pomeranians, Mikki and Bear, our indoor dogs prior to Dutch’s adoption into the family.

Mikki and Dutch got along. Bear, all twelve pounds of him, thought he was in charge, even though Dutch was at least five times bigger. Bear’s pride, though, got emotionally stunned one day when Dutch came running to greet my husband and sent Bear rolling like a soccer ball with an accidental paw swipe.

Later, when we lived in Oklahoma, Bear was barking at a passing dog along the fence line when Dutch came barreling around the corner, also barking. Bear panicked until he realized Dutch was coming as his personal bodyguard from whatever Bear had been barking about. From that point on, Bear accepted Dutch’s presence.

July 31, 2022July 30, 2022

Family Conflict Truce at Funeral

At first glance, the picture above just looks like a beautiful garden.

On closer inspection, one realizes this is a graveyard that is well tended with plantings of perennial plants and decorated with things like a lantern.

The caretakers of this graveyard are showing care and love in memory of their ancestors.

What might the stories of these families be before their ancestors passed?
What if the remaining family members had years of conflict between them prior to the funeral?
How might these families have behaved at the funeral, given their history of conflict?
What can we learn from Genesis 25:9-10 about setting aside family conflict at these times?

July 17, 2022July 16, 2022

What Type of Legacy Are You Preparing?

A few months ago, I traveled to Kansas for a few days to help my parents downsize for the second time.

This move entailed more compromises than the previous one for them.

One aspect involved me and other family members agreeing to receive some of their furniture and other personal items that they could no longer use.

My sister, who lives nearby, agreed to store my items until a later time.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law delivered some of these items to my home.

The emotional impact of these items entering my home included excitement, awe, thankfulness, and even sadness, to name a few.

Some of you have been through this with your parents. Perhaps multiple times.

Or maybe you are downsizing and passing belongings on to your children, other relatives, friends, or other entities.

What does Genesis 25:5-6 teach us about preparing a legacy for others?

July 10, 2022July 9, 2022

How Quickly Do You Comply?

I am a terrible tennis player.

But I love watching professional tennis grand slams.

This weekend, the Wimbledon 2022 tournament ended.

Wimbledon, as the birthplace of tennis, holds a special mystique to tennis players and fans alike.

Players are subject to specific rules of dress and conduct at Wimbledon, not present at other grand slams.

Failing to comply with the specific rules of dress and conduct results in significant fines for the players.

Some players exhibit “don’t care” attitudes about the special rules.

Most players comply with respect.

What does this have to do with Genesis 24:66-77?

July 3, 2022July 2, 2022

When Do You Use Veils?

On my wedding day, I wore a veil.

This is the most common use of veils in my country.

Other cultures require women to be veiled whenever in public.

More rarely, I discovered some cultures require men to be veiled.

The purpose of a veil can be ornamental, traditional, practical, or symbolic.

Possibly all at the same time.

What does this mean for Genesis 24:64-65?

June 26, 2022June 26, 2022

How do you spend your evenings?

Your answer to the question above may depend on your stage of life.

Those with young children will certainly have a different “routine” to their evening than someone who is an empty nester, for example.

What words below best describe how you spend your evenings?

Relaxing.

Energizing.

Meditative.

Relational.

Entertaining.

Industrious.

Other.

Do you have a consistent routine you try to follow in the evening, or do you prefer no routine?
What can we learn from a description of Isaac’s evening in Genesis 24:62-63 that will help us with our own evening routines?

June 12, 2022June 11, 2022

SEEKING SIGNS FROM GOD

I recently attended the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in Black Mountain, NC.

My goal in attending this conference was to learn more about the craft of writing and gain constructive criticism on my writing and an upcoming speaking engagement on June 15th for Pendleton St Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.

Before the conference, I elected to take advantage of some paid critiques that helped to prepare and guide me regarding which sessions to attend and which presenters I should try to meet. One of the paid critiques encouraged me to pitch a project we had discussed.

But I did not feel ready to pitch.

Yet, I repeatedly received encouragement from those I met at the conference to talk to publishers or agents about my writing project.

I then prayed to the Lord that if this was a sign from Him, He would help me overcome my fear of pitching my idea.

How does Gen 24:14 support seeking signs from God?