All The Children Of Abraham

In today’s world, the peoples who follow Islam are all too often vilified as followers of a violent ritualistic faith. Yet, according to Islam, they're the children of Abraham.

Hmmm, aren't the Jews and the Christians considered the children of Abraham? What's going on here? How is it that the three great faiths could all be children of Abraham? And why are we all fighting in the Middle East?

I can only speak as a Christian, and I think we should consider: If a person believes that the Bible is the literal Word, then how to understand the current crisis between Jews, Christians and Muslims? Bluntly, a true Believer would go back to the Bible.

So let's go back to the beginnings of the Great Faiths.

OK, not all the way back, we'll start with God's covenant with Abraham. I've paraphrased and condensed the verses, you can go back to your Bible to read the full text. Don't take my word for this, go back and read it for yourself!

In the Old Testament, God made a Covenant with Abraham, saying that his seed would be numbered as the stars in the heavens. Genesis 14:5

Now, Abraham was old at this point, he and his wife Sarah had no children. If you read Genesis carefully, they weren't always the nicest people, but they believed in God. That was their strength, they were Believers.

So when God said Abraham would have descendants, they Believed in God's Word. Over time, however, Sarah decided that if she couldn't provide an heir, Abraham WOULD have an heir.

As was the custom of that era, Sarah gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham as a second wife, hoping for an heir. Hagar was also a follower of God, and in the midst of the turmoil that was caused between Abraham, Sarah, and herself, an angel of God spoke to her, ordering her to submit to Sarah. By her submission, God forged a covenant with Hagar, promising her that her seed would also be too many to count. Genesis 16:9-10

Then, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, God again spoke to Abraham, promising them a son. God told Abraham that his first son, Ishmael would have many children, a great nation. Yet Abraham’s heir would be Sarah’s son, Isaac. Genesis 17:16, 20-21

Thus, despite her old age, Sarah had a son, Isaac. As was the custom, the son of the first wife is the heir, even if the other wife's child was the oldest. And unfortunately, human nature wins out over compassion. Sarah was jealous of Hagar and Ishmael. In today's words, she felt that they "didn't know their place".

After Isaac was born, Sarah demanded that Abraham put Hagar and Ishmael out. God reassured him that both sons would lead great nations, so Abraham did as his wife demanded. Genesis 21:10-13

DANG, Abraham put his own child out into the wilderness because his wife demanded it? That is some messed up stuff, now isn't it? Even if God reassured me about my child's destiny, I don't know that I have enough Faith to do such a thing. But then again, I'm a mom, not an old man with a big problem.

Hagar and Ishmael were cast out into the wilderness. Hagar was in despair, believing that they would die. Yet God heard her cries and His angel again reassured her that Ishmael would father a great nation. She opened her eyes and saw a well of water. They were saved. Genesis 21:14-21

Fast forward to the present:

Many Christians now accept that the Jewish peoples still have a covenant with God. Jesus said himself that he didn't come to set aside the law.

Now, if Isaac’s descendants are the Jewish people, then who are the followers of Islam? We already know that genetically, the Jews and the Arabs of the middle east are related peoples.

If we believe that the Arabic peoples are also descended of Abraham, then are they actually the descendants of the elder brother, Ishmael?

More than that, if the Arabic peoples are the descendants of Ishmael, then they are the brothers and sisters of the Jews (and Christians). According to Bible, Hagar and Ishmael also have a covenant with God, separate from Isaac's Promise.

Therefore, since all three great faiths of the world, according to their own beliefs, are descended from Abraham, the conflict today is far worse than the secular world understands.

From the ancient days, right to the present, the descendants of Abraham are still fighting over their place in God's Kingdom.

There is NOTHING worse than a family fight -- especially a family fight over an inheritance.

It's no wonder that the Middle East is such a mess. None of us can fully comprehend the good and the evil that happen when men believe that they are the single heir of God. God didn't tell Abraham, Sarah or Hagar any such thing, God said that both of Abraham's sons would father great nations. Ouch. Yes, one is "the heir" but the other also has a Promise. Ouch again.

Honestly, Sarah shouldn't have taken matters into her own hands, she should have left it up to God. That's what happens when we decide to push things along, instead of waiting on God's Time. But at this point, those thoughts are way too late. We can't change the past, we can only look to the future.

What future do we have if we continue to battle each other?

God has a covenant with each of the great religions. Yet we deny that. We deny our own Brothers and Sisters in Faith.

There is evil out there in the world that twists everything and everyone, until it seems that what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right. So, we actually assist the evil one.

When will we learn Lord? When will we learn the lessons You try to teach us? How long must Abraham's children pay for the sins of the father?

How many more years will we fight over God?

Until we stop fighting each other and begin to grow and accept that all of God's children, all of Abraham's children, have a place in the Kingdom, the world will remain in conflict. The Middle East will remain divided, torn by wars, as it has been through history.

How much longer must we suffer?

Until we stop letting the extremists reign.

Until we listen to the Father.

Until we follow His Word.

Until we have a family reunion.

Then we will find Peace.

Links:

Science Daily - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000509003653.htm

The Scribe - http://www.dangoor.com/73page25.html

BeliefNet - http://www.beliefnet.com/story/136/story_13658_1.html

'Tis The Season

Yes, 'tis the Season. The Season to share.

We get so darn caught up with the holidays, gimme, gimme, gimme, buy, buy, buy, that we forget the Reason for the Season.

Even if you aren't a Christian, and thus celebrate a secular holiday season, there is much we can all do together. There is much work to be done. It is the season of giving.

One of the nicest things you can do to help others, right in your own community, is to donate food to your local food programs and money to the United Way's Season of Sharing. Now, if for moral reasons, you refuse to give United Way any money, you can also go to your local Community Action Council (or Agency) and donate directly to their Season of Sharing program.

What is Season of Sharing?

This is a program that not only the very poor, but working people can access if they're having a personal financial crisis. I, myself, used it back when I had to have emergency surgery on my eye. I had just moved into a rental and was in a tight spot already. Then I had a detached retina. It was a BAD one, so I was in the hospital, had surgery, and was essentially on bed rest for a month.

Season of Sharing paid a month's rent, which really helped me get back on my feet.

There was a lot of paperwork involved, they had to call my landlord to make sure that she'd take a check from them, etc, etc. But it was well worth it all.

How do you qualify? Well, first, you must be able to maintain your finances once they've helped you. If paying a month's rent, or fixing your car, or paying some other bill is just postponing the inevitable, they're not going to be able to help you.

Second, you must have children (in the home), be disabled. or have a disabled person living with you.

There are limited funds available, so each case is looked at individually.

If this sounds like a worthy cause to you, you can designate monies to the Season of Sharing program, either by donating to the United Way, or directly to the local agency that administers the program in your community.

'Tis the Season -- to share our Blessings.

If you're in need of assistance, please call 211. It's now available in 41 states. Operators can direct you to programs that may be able to help you with food, housing, utility payments, or auto repairs. There are people out there who are willing to help you, you just need to call.

Links:
The United Way - 2-1-1: http://www.unitedway.org/211/
A single mom and how Season of Sharing helped her: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/22/MN7KTFJ5A.DTL

November Is Adoption Month!

This is the time of year that we think about family, friends, loved ones.

Salvation Army will be ringing their bells, giving trees from various organizations will be appearing in the malls, stores, community centers.

You'll have many opportunities to give material things. But you know, in the end, that's just stuff. We have so much stuff clogging up our houses, our minds, our hearts. Isn't it time to give?

The question of the day is: Do you have an empty space in your heart, in your life, in your home? Is there room in your life to give a baby, a child, a teen, a forever home?

November is Adoption Month.

Now is the time, if you've ever thought about adoption, to go get hooked up with your local county offices. Seriously.

People think that adoption costs a lot of money. No, it doesn't. It can be darn near free.

If you choose to go through the county, you can do what's called foster/adopt. Basically, you get certified as a foster parent, then a child that may soon be available for adoption is placed in your home. When the child is available, you're first in line.

Yes, there are many hoops to jump through to do this, but think of this, while you and your family are having a lovely holiday season, children are being removed from their homes, never to return. Children who may have NEVER had a Christmas or Chanuka or Kwanzaa or other holiday celebration.

Some of these kids have never had a real home, a real family. They've been lost in the system for years, bounced from family to foster care, to family, back to foster care. That's no way for a child to grow up. All children deserve a safe place to grow up. All children deserve a forever home.

But think about it. What better gift to give a child, than hope and love and a forever family?

A few informative websites:
http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/
http://www.solanocounty.com/resources/Health&SocialServices/UPDATE/November07.pdf
http://relativechoices.blogs.nytimes.com/

Bill Cosby Is Right

Bill Cosby is old.

Rich.

Conservative.

He's kinda like the old rich uncle who tells you how to get rich, but you have NO access to any of the methods that he used. And what you do have access to is NOT the same opportunity that he had, the world has changed and he can't see that his method may not work for you.

Not everyone is a talented comic.

I love Bill, especially his old stuff. But in today's world, a young comic can't recycle Bill's old jokes.

Bill has valid points, but he comes across as being distant, out of touch, not really comprehending what's going on with young people today. He comes across as not understanding the way that the underbelly of American culture, the drugs, the violence, has affected our Brothers and Sisters of Color, especially those who are poor.

This is not all race or color based, American has glorified violence and hate for a LONG time. Look at the gangsters of the 30s, how we've romanticized them, glorified them. (And I don't have time today to get into the long history of violence against People of Color [POC].) It's a long, long road that's gotten us ALL to this point.

Now we are reaping what we've sown.

Unfortunately the poor are the first victims, and since POC are disproportionately poor, we as a society are blaming POC for the conditions that we have set into motion a long time ago. Yes, racism, bigotry, prejudice are all a part of our culture and the problem too, intensifying the effect on POC. But it's moving "upward", in the long run, we all face the same issues.

White suburbia isn't getting it. They just see that their kids are falling into the same glorifying of hate and violence, drugs and guns. So they blame the poor, specifically our Brothers and Sisters of Color, never seeing that they've perpetuated the problem by their actions and more importantly, their inaction.

Bill's words are a two-edged sword. If only our society could hear the good side, and get down into the trenches with the good people who are working to make a difference right now, today.

Instead, Americans hear what we want to hear -- that blame game, never seeing that there is a hopelessness that keeps our kids from realizing their full potential.

I'm so, so tired of the white conservative line, that patronizing attitude that racism doesn't exist anymore and thus POC should just work harder and get themselves out of the ghetto. Hello? So sorry but if you live in a poor area, with less than adequate schools, few job opportunities, no transportation, it's pretty darn hard to "move on up to the east side".

And bluntly, too many white liberals are just as bad. "Oh my goodness, those poor black people, we need to 'bring them up''. Patting themselves on the back about what great non-racist kind of people they are. But do they LIVE next to their Brothers and Sisters? Do they get down in the trenches, volunteer at schools, help build affordable housing, provide on-the-job training, mentor young people? Ummmm, well, probably not.

Yes, Bill is right. People need to take responsibility for their actions.

Bill is right -- and that includes white society taking the blame and responsibility for over 100 years of oppression, which affects POC right up to the present.

We have a long, sad, ugly history to overcome, and the advances made by the Civil Rights movement have only made a dent in the problem. We still have much to overcome, including the unconscious attitudes of the society that surrounds us all.

Bill Cosby is right.

But not in the way that he thinks he is....