Darash Chai - Seek Life!

We usually think of prophecy as foretelling the future, but that is not completely accurate. Prophecy is so much more than telling what is going to happen. This chapter contains a sequence that reveals, not only the truth of what prophecy is, but what our response to prophecy should be as well.

Circumcision is one of those topics that everyone has an opinion on. Is it necessary? What are the implications? The complications? What's the point? Does it matter? Let's explore the circumcision and see what the Bible has to say about circumcision from the very beginning.

It has been 10 years since Abram arrived in Canaan. 10 years since God made a promise to him. 10 years of waiting and disappointment. Have they missed something? Is there another option? The temptation to take charge is overwhelming. They aren't completely out of options....They've waited long enough. Time to do something.

What exactly is faith? We all think that we know what faith is, but do we really? Faith is something that is both intangible but at the same time produces a very real and tangible result. Abram models this for us, as do so many others. What is faith, and how do we live lives of faith?

As the scope of the narrative of the Bible goes from world shaping events to the life of a single man, so too does the topics and themes of Scripture change from vast to intimate. In Genesis 14 we see a contrast of two kings. One a king or righteousness in relationship to the world. The other a king of righteousness in relationship to God. This dichotomy should cause us to wonder. Do we really understand righteousness in the first place?

Here begins the story of Abram. A man of faith. A man of righteousness. A man of dedication. Abram is traditionally held up as a model for all who come after. He obeyed God when asked to do the inconceivable. He obeyed even when it hurt. In order to obey, he paid a cost.

The Tower of Babel episode closes off for us the end of the Noah cycle. As it does, it returns to the topic that it began with, but this time around, we get a new take on an old topic. What is it that CS Lewis called "The Great Sin," and what can Babel teach us about it?

Something happened in Noah's tent to cause Noah to curse his grandson. This story has confused and confounded generations of scholars and laymen alike. Likely what caused the curse is not what occurred in the tent, but what occurred outside of the tent. To discover the truth, we must first learn about Honor and Shame.

Once new creation has been started, relationship begins. Not simply any relationship, but a covenant relationship. What elements are needed to enter into a covenant relationship with another?

The world has been unmade. The time has come for it to be created anew. Peter says that we should always be ready to explain the hope that is in us, but what is that great hope?

The world is ending. What is pattern of destruction? What is the pattern of escape? What is really going on in the story itself? There are some awesome truths about righteousness and holiness hidden just under the surface of the Noah narrative. Join in as we dig deep.

Genealogies are perhaps the most boring part of scripture that we encounter. As we will discover though, genealogies can provide the backdrop for some of the most profound and philosophical discussions in the Bible. Let's put out tools all together and use them to see what we can discover of use in this seemingly boring and meaningless chapter.

Many times scripture is not clear when we wish it would be. What do we do with this vagueness? How can we find a pearl of great value in the midst of questions without answers? The answer may lie in the pieces of a puzzle.

Life is found in patterns. We have to learn the patterns of Scripture before we can find the things of life. In this episode we search two new patterns. Metaphors and Word Trains. How can we use these patterns to develop meaning?

In this episode we begin to examine the Bible through the lens of life. Genesis 1. The story of creation. The chapter in which life is introduced to our world. This episode begins a four part series on ways to dig deeper in Scripture and to discover what it is that the author is affirming.

What does it mean to Seek Life? What is the purpose of Darash Chai? What is life? How is any of this different than what has been done before? Why should you care? Welcome to the Darash Chai experiment.