The three essential ingredients in the basics of the faith are covenant, discipleship, and mission. Those three ideas are introduced to us in even clearer form in our passage this week, Genesis 12:1-9. God makes a covenant (promise) with Abram. That promise is the foundation of faith and faith is the fuel of discipleship. And, once faithful disciples rest in God's promises, they joyfully go on mission with and for God as he calls us to go and make His Name great.

This Sunday, we gathered with our CHBC en Español family for a bilingual service to lift up our voices collectively in two languages to honor Jesus. In addition, Martin and Jay preached from God's Word from Genesis 11.

This Sunday, we gathered with our CHBC en Español family for a bilingual service to lift up our voices collectively in two languages to honor Jesus. In addition, Martin and Jay preached from God's Word from Genesis 11.

Have you ever tried really hard, built something complicated, it took a long time and a lot of effort only to have it all crashing down? And, did you suspect that God had something to do with it coming crashing down? I have had that happen. I also confess that I initially got mad at God. I accused God of ruining my life - all that hard work, time, expectation - God, what were you thinking? Then, it became clear. God broke my tower for my good. God was not threatened by my tower. God was not jealous of my tower. God saw how pitiful it was and he loves me so much he did not stand by and let it keep going. God often breaks our towers to build our lives, lives based on the real temple, Jesus. The story of Babel is a story of God's gracious wrecking ball and confusion-creating grace.

Have you ever tried really hard, built something complicated, it took a long time and a lot of effort only to have it all crashing down? And, did you suspect that God had something to do with it coming crashing down? I have had that happen. I also confess that I initially got mad at God. I accused God of ruining my life - all that hard work, time, expectation - God, what were you thinking? Then, it became clear. God broke my tower for my good. God was not threatened by my tower. God was not jealous of my tower. God saw how pitiful it was and he loves me so much he did not stand by and let it keep going. God often breaks our towers to build our lives, lives based on the real temple, Jesus. The story of Babel is a story of God's gracious wrecking ball and confusion-creating grace.

What's in a genealogy? A lot more than just names and families. I have never been more excited to teach from a genealogy than this text! Genesis 10 sets the state for Revelation 5, the throne room of heaven where God's people from all nations worship the Lord Jesus. This text is often overshadowed by the Tower of Babel story of a rebellious people that needs to be judged, dispersed, and replaced. There is a layer of the story that is judgment, but the other layer is that God is going to start a new nation, Israel, not to ultimately replace the 70 nations, but to be one of them, set apart to show them the way - and the way is ultimately Jesus.

What's in a genealogy? A lot more than just names and families. I have never been more excited to teach from a genealogy than this text! Genesis 10 sets the state for Revelation 5, the throne room of heaven where God's people from all nations worship the Lord Jesus. This text is often overshadowed by the Tower of Babel story of a rebellious people that needs to be judged, dispersed, and replaced. There is a layer of the story that is judgment, but the other layer is that God is going to start a new nation, Israel, not to ultimately replace the 70 nations, but to be one of them, set apart to show them the way - and the way is ultimately Jesus.

Our world is intoxicated with disunity, especially among the people groups. We watch the nightly news as bombs explode, as people march in lament and anger, and we know the pain of broken relationships in our own families. How did we get here? Why does sin go after relationships and what fuels it? Our passage this week is sad, for sin enters the story right after the purifying flood. But it is also hope-giving. We find a drunken righteous man, a drunken family unity, which leads to a global intoxication of nations fighting nations. And yet it is a story of the covering of shame and we see in it, in seed form, that God will do the same to ultimately bring honor and glory back to his people - as individuals, as families, and as people groups who are co heirs of Jesus. All of that in Genesis 9? Yup.

Our world is intoxicated with disunity, especially among the people groups. We watch the nightly news as bombs explode, as people march in lament and anger, and we know the pain of broken relationships in our own families. How did we get here? Why does sin go after relationships and what fuels it? Our passage this week is sad, for sin enters the story right after the purifying flood. But it is also hope-giving. We find a drunken righteous man, a drunken family unity, which leads to a global intoxication of nations fighting nations. And yet it is a story of the covering of shame and we see in it, in seed form, that God will do the same to ultimately bring honor and glory back to his people - as individuals, as families, and as people groups who are co heirs of Jesus. All of that in Genesis 9? Yup.