Leaving Laodicea

Faith and Courage— Two Sides of the Same CoinThe Biblical story of Abraham is profoundly human— a narrative full of twists and turns, triumphs and failures, poor decisions and their unintended consequences, and, of course, drama— much like a Netflix mini-series.  Yet, throughout the trials of his faith, we see Abraham continually return to a place of trust in God’s promises. And the trajectory of his life models for us the possibilities and pitfalls of our own spiritual journey.The Call and the PromiseIn Genesis 12, Abraham, then called Abram, receives a divine call from God to leave behind the only land and people he’s ever known and travel to a place yet unknown, so that through him, God would bless all the families of the world. Pretty tall order.  Yet, this inaugurates the covenant— God pledging to make Abraham a great nation, to bless him abundantly, and to give his descendants the land of Canaan.  The promise must have seemed improbable to Abraham, a nondescript man from an obscure coun