Teens in the Bible - Isaac's turn

Chapter 2 Isaac

Shockingly, God told Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Trusting and obedient, Abraham saddled his donkey, took two servants and the boy, and headed for the spot God told him about. I have no doubt that Abraham did not forget what God had told him years before, when Ishmael was sent away, that Abraham’s offspring would be reckoned through Isaac. I’m sure he didn’t expect to really sacrifice him.

When they saw the right spot in the distance Abraham told his servants to wait while he and Isaac went on. He told the servants, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Even with the wood chopped and ready Abraham says we will come back. Trust. And Isaac must have picked up on that trust and assurance.

They had a conversation.

“Father?”

“Yes, my son.”

“The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

“God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

Then Abraham built an altar, bound Isaac, laid him on top of the wood, and picked up the knife. I am sure that Isaac trusted his father the same as Abraham trusted God. There is no mention of a struggle or crying. The angel of the Lord called out to Abraham and stopped the action, yes, right at the last second (this is the original plot device of having the clock tick to the last possible moment). In a thicket nearby was a ram, caught by its horns. That animal became the sacrifice instead of Isaac.

Did Isaac learn anything else from this? Absolutely. He learned to fear God. This expression of fearing God does not mean we are to be afraid or terrified of our Heavenly Father, but rather to be in awe of, respectful of, and in complete submission to Him. Read the passage in Genesis 22 and you’ll see that the angel of the Lord makes the statement that now God knows that Abraham fears him because he did not withhold even his only son from God. What a great lesson for Isaac to learn as a teen. This shaped the rest of his life most certainly.

Now we’ve seen two half-brothers, Ishmael and Isaac, and examined their characters a bit. How very different they were from one another. Ishmael – a donkey of a man, mocking, and disliked by all. Isaac – trusting and obedient.

(next Saturday: Rebekah)

Teens in the Bible - First up: Ishmael

 

Teens in the Bible were subject to parental favoritism, sibling rivalry, and youthful indiscretion. They made mistakes, chose the wrong friends, suffered abuse, learned forgiveness, made bad choices, and disobeyed. Yup, teens in the Bible were no different from teenagers in any other time period.

Let’s look at their stories, see what they learned or didn’t learn, and let’s also see what we can learn from them. First up are Ishmael and Isaac, from whom descended two great nations: the Jews and the Arabs.

You can read their stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. When Abraham, their father, was still going by the name Abram, his wife Sarah was barren and totally frustrated that she had never conceived. She gave her handmaiden, Hagar, to her husband as a wife! when Abraham was 85 years old. That sounds pretty old to us and I want to say “eew”, but that’s what happened and since Abraham lived to be 175 maybe we should just picture him as middle aged.

Hagar gave birth to a son. Before he was born, an angel of the Lord told Hagar to name him Ishmael and described what he would be like: a wild donkey of a man with “his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him”.  Think about that description. The wild donkey image makes me think of stubbornness. To extrapolate further, Ishmael may have also had the characteristics of obstinacy, inflexibility, tenacity, and perseverance, all offshoots of that stubborn streak. If he had “his hand against everyone” I picture a person who was angry and socially immature; his grade school report card would have had this box checked: does not get along well with others. And if everyone’s hand was against him, then can’t you visualize someone who was a loner, who couldn’t catch a break, or who was just plain unlikeable? We see the first indication of that personality when the boy hits his teens.

Abraham must have doted on him, his only son at that point. Then God confirmed a covenant with Abraham that changed his name from Abram to Abraham, promised him innumerable descendants, and gave him the whole land of Canaan. The catch was that God promised a son through his wife Sarah who was then ninety years old. That’s when Abraham said to God, “if only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” God said, “Yes, but . . .” The covenant would be established through Isaac though God promised to bless Ishmael as well and make him into a great nation. That whole covenant-making thing happened a year before Isaac was born. Ishmael was thirteen and on that very day both Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised. Ouch.

There’s no record of Ishmael’s reaction, complaint, compliance or anything, but I’m going to guess that he wasn’t happy about that or about being replaced as principal heir. Maybe that’s when those personality traits started on their negative path. His half-brother, Isaac, was born when he was fourteen, just becoming a man. Two or three years later when Isaac was weaned there was a great feast for the toddler. The Bible says that at that feast Ishmael “was mocking”. I don’t think it means just a curled lip or a misspoken word or a single cutting remark. His behavior at that party got him and his mother sent away. Envision a party situation where a teenager’s conduct is contemptuous, scornful, sarcastic, and disrespectful. Ishmael was irredeemably in the wrong.

Mocking. And Ishmael took it too far. All behaviors have consequences. This seems like a pretty big one, but Ishmael knew his family’s dynamics and history. He obviously was pushing all the wrong buttons. Abraham gave Hagar and Ishmael some food and water and sent them off to wander in the desert of Beersheba. Guess how this boy behaved then – this boy who was to become a donkey of a man, disliked by all and disliking everyone. Ishmael cried. They ran out of water and the teen boy sat under a bush and cried. Now you can look at that as a pretty sissy thing to do if you want, but God heard him crying. The story ends with them finding a well of water that God provided. Ishmael and Hagar lived in the desert. Ishmael became an archer, got a wife, had many, many descendents, and lived to be 137 years old. Apparently those donkey traits served him well.

There’s some pretty good evidence that Ishmael’s half-brother, Isaac, was in his late teens when he went with his father, Abraham, to the region of Moriah, up the mountains to make a sacrifice to God. Isaac shows us a personality very different from Ishmael’s.

(next Saturday we'll look at teen Isaac)

The Guardian's Diary - excerpt chpt. 1

Guardian's first entry:

Pity was something that Jedidiah Kelita could never ignore. He knew it followed him like a devoted puppy. He often thought that if he were allowed to have a pet, he would definitely name it Pity. Pity would be at his heels as he walked through the mall, nipping at his ankles in the crowded fast food restaurants, resting almost contently on his lap as he waited in yet another doctor’s silent white waiting room. It might be fun to see people’s faces as he called out things like, “Come on, Pity, follow me,” or “Watch out for Pity,” or “Don’t worry, Pity doesn’t bite.” But, of course, that wasn’t true; pity did bite. It bit him when he heard the whispered sympathies, it gnawed at him when heads quickly turned away and it sank its sharp teeth into his heart when he couldn’t avoid the curious stares.

Maybe you pitied him once.

Or maybe you bullied him.

Were you one of the kids who called him cruel names, finally settling on the one that stuck? Dragonfoot. Did you know he liked it? He couldn’t let you know that. He smiled at all the other taunts because his father taught him early to ignore words like gimp and cripple and clubfoot. Too soon in his young life he bravely earned heroic nicknames like Captain Courageous and Little Braveheart and Trooper. Those were nicknames that were laid on his head by pretty nurses as if they were gently placing golden crowns on his short blond hair, not hurling names at his hunched back, hissing and scoffing the insults like playground toughies.

It was on that wide playground as he headed toward the buried tractor tire, his shelter, his dragging foot scoring a trail in the dirt as he limped, that he heard for the first time that special name. Was it you who yelled it first? “He’s draggin’ his foot like a zombie. Hey! Draggin’ foot!” Or were you one of the others who took up the chant: “Dragonfoot! Dragonfoot!” You didn’t know this, but he had to think of something really sad to make himself look so pathetic. Of course, that made you yell some more: “Dragonfoot!” He liked it, so he acted all mad and angry and you used the nickname every day after that. There were fewer handicap jokes, fewer sneers and snickers, less mocking. Dragonfoot.

That was not a name his mother would have liked if she had lived long enough to give him a name, choosing between the two that she and her husband had finally settled on. She didn’t get to hold the precious red and squirming bundle that the nurse solemnly whisked away, hurriedly wrapping all but the tiny malformed foot. The small appendage waved like a tattered war-torn flag, a harbinger of a future war that would be fought first on the playground and later in your unkind world. What a desperate war it was as Jedidiah fought for victory over pity. All he really wanted was to be accepted.
THE GUARDIAN'S DIARY paperback
THE GUARDIAN'S DIARY on Kindle

The Guardian's Diary

In 2011 I self-published an edgy YA novel under the title of Dragonfoot. It has been retitled THE GUARDIAN’S DIARY (IN PAPERBACK $9.99 and KINDLE $2.99), and has a nice new cover. It still deals with those pesky teen topics that should get an R rating – you know the ones. Here’s the back cover blurb:

17 year old Jedidiah was born with a gruesome deformity that causes him to drag his foot. He embraces the nickname Dragonfoot and sets his goal to become a champion skateboarder, but amputation, a mission trip to Peru, and two girls that God puts in his path challenge his dream.

The story is told from four points of view: Dragonfoot’s, a girl who suffers a gang rape, the preacher’s daughter who hides a secret, and the guardian angel who fights for Dragonfoot on another level.

Jedidiah opens his heart to both girls. Can he rescue the one who needs him without losing the one he needs? And can he open his heart to God as well and accept His will?

This is Christian fiction that addresses difficult adolescent issues such as sex and drugs, but deals with them through a Biblical perspective.

Who Lives in Mountain View, California?

Who lives in Mountain View, California?

One of the fun things about writing a blog is seeing where all the readers come from. That little “feedjit” app in the sidebar tells me I have viewers from every continent, countries I’ve never heard of, and cities with interesting or hard to pronounce names.

There have been times when I have had more visitors from Russia than the U.S. And there is someone from Mountain View, CA, who has been systematically going through past postings. Curiosity has me wondering if this is a former classmate, a stalker, a faithful blog reader, or one of those search engine spiders.

If you’re from Mountain View, tell me, what’s the weather like?

Happy New Year - 2013

2013 should be great. 13 is my favorite number.

There’s a giveaway of my book, SHELTERED, over on Brandi's Blog
This is a nice way to start off 2013.

By the way, the winner of my Amazon wish list giveaway is Stephanie. She has been notified by email.

Goodbye to 2012

The Mayans were wrong. The world didn’t end, but 2012 will end shortly. I am excited for all the new things in my future even though I haven’t got a clue as to what they may be. Something I always do this time of year is to look back and name all the surprises, good and bad, that have happened in the past twelve months: births, deaths, books published, successes, failures, prizes and presents, unexpected changes, wonders and amazing things.

I have much to be thankful for in 2012. The top five are:

1) My soul-mate survived a heart attack.
2) A granddaughter was born beautiful and healthy.
3) My first YA book, EDGE OF ESCAPE, was published in Germany.
4) My scare with breast cancer was a false alarm.
5) My last YA book, SHELTERED, was featured on 70 websites.

What are YOU thankful for in 2012?

Most Popular Post of 2012: Soul-mate questionaire

According to my stats my post on the subject of the perfect match was viewed so often throughout the year that I think it ranks a second posting. Here it is:

My husband read to me a statistic on the internet that the chances of meeting your “soul-mate” were one in ten million. And if you do . . . he/she is probably already married. (Reminds me of the song lyrics “sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along”.) Of course this statistic reveals that you may have as many as 600 perfect matches out there since there are 6 billion people on the planet.

Doesn’t everybody think they’re marrying their soul-mate? How did the researchers determine soul-mate status? I’d love to see their questionnaire. I can’t possibly imagine how they could verify soul-mate-ness when the people involved don’t really know. Because, after all, Suzy thought Bob was her one-and-only until it ended in divorce and Jim was shocked when his supposed soul-mate left him for someone else.

Here’s what I THINK the “experts” might ask in a soul-mate questionnaire:
1. Does he/she laugh at all your jokes?
2. Does he/she have the same religious beliefs?
3. Does he/she have the same political beliefs?
4. Does he/she have the same child-rearing strategies?
5. Does he/she have the same taste in movies/books/music?
6. Does he/she have the same interests?
7. Does he/she know what you want without asking?
8. Does he/she understand you?
9. Does he/she keep your secrets faithfully?
10. Do you feel the need to be with him/her above all other needs?
11. Do you have far more similarities than differences in your life experiences?
12. Are your goals, values and priorities the same?
13. Is there a 6th sense of perception between you?
14. Do you rarely disagree? (Arguing may even become a “laughing matter” because of its infrequency.)
15. Do you appreciate each other exactly as you are without desiring or expecting change?

Answer yes to all the questions and you have found your soul-mate . . . maybe. What other questions would you put on the list?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas, everyone. I'm taking a week off from this blog to celebrate Jesus' birthday. I know some of you are having a hard time this Christmas, saddened by the tragic event in Newtown or enduring your own personal loss. Just remember whose birthday we're celebrating and how much He loved you to die for you. Focus on the happy thought that we are always in God's hands. Enjoy your family. Eat chocolates and cookies, open presents, sing carols, go to church, give to the poor, and smile a lot. Hey, the Mayans were wrong and the world didn't end.

Here's a picture of how my table will look before the mess begins. Anticipation . . .

 

Even More Additions to the "Wonderful Book Blogger" List

 

 

Special Thanks to these Awesome Bloggers for recently promoting and reviewing SHELTERED:

 

Michele at Insane About Books  (4 star review)
Gina at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers   (book promotion)
Jenna at Coffee, Books and Me   (interview)
Celine at I Blog You Read (great review)
Taneesha (Tee) at Diary of a Book Addict  (5 star review)
Star at Bibliophilic Book Blog   (4 star review)
Ashley at Wholly Books  (3 stars review)
Michelle at Michelle Chew Writes Michelle Chew Writes  (3.5 star review)
Vy at Vy's Blog (excerpt)
Jennivie at My Home Away From Home (4 star review)


Paul's Letter - Take 2

2nd Thessalonians is the second letter that Paul, Silas and Timothy together wrote to the Thessalonians. Paul and his friends had received some feedback after their first letter had reached the church in Thessalonica. It seemed that the Thessalonians still needed someone to teach them about certain things and had not understood some of what was in the first letter. This second letter clears up some stuff.

Because they now trust in the Lord Jesus, the Thessalonians must expect some persecution. However, God has a purpose and a plan in allowing them to suffer. He will reward them.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy have written to give them strength and encouragement. The Thessalonians must have had some weird ideas about the return of Christ, though. In fact, it seems that some said that the Lord had already come. Not so. Let’s look at 2nd Thessalonians 2: 1-2:

 1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.

Looks like some thought that the Lord would come at any moment. The return of the Lord will be sudden, but there are things that must happen preceding His return. Here’s 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-12:

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,
10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Some of these Thessalonian Christians were, apparently, lazy. They had given up their jobs. They thought that Jesus’ return was eminent and now they depended on their friends to keep them housed and fed. Paul had mentioned this in the first letter (1st Thessalonians 5:14) and now he tells them what they should do to these people who refuse to work: (2nd Thess. 3:10) No work, no food. That’s quite a warning against idleness! But at least it ends on a pleasant note (vs. 13): never tire of doing what is good.
(taken in part from CROSSING THE SCRIPTURES)

Pictured Short Stories, #3

Someday, my sweet one, your mother will tell you the facts of life. Oh, I don’t mean those facts. I mean things like Pay attention to expiration dates. Don’t tie the dog’s leash to your bicycle. Always send a thank-you note. And of course, never cross your eyes or they might stay like that.

99 Cent Nook Books for Kids

Nook is matching Kindle on my kids' chapter books.
These are just 99 cents:

A Tick in Time
Bigfoot Day, Ninja Night
and all 6 books in The Tunnels Series

or find all my books on Barnes & Noble if you have a Nook: Debra Chapoton