Hello, my name is Christopher Dryden, I am a peacemaker. I am also a father of three daughters. The youngest daughter is named Zoe (there should be two dots over the e, but nevertheless). This April she will turn five years old and it’s already a good time to reflect on why she was so […]
Read More What Makes Peace? 2 – EnthusiasmWhen Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” (Genesis 27:34, 35) You can hear the bitter and anguished tones of Esau on the realisation that he’s lost it […]
Read More Genesis: 27 – The Bless and the MessHello, my name is Christopher Dryden, I am a peacemaker. Typing those words is not easy for me or even that natural. I am an easy going guy who likes to avoid confrontation wherever possible. That does not make me a peacemaker. The Prince of Peace was hardly a guy who ran from confrontation. Preferring […]
Read More What Makes Peace? 1 – PriorityHe moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarrelled over it. He named it Rehoboth saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” (Genesis 26:22) What’s with the wells? Well, wells means access to water. Access to water is a key meeting point for animals […]
Read More Genesis: 26 – All’s Well That Ends WellThen Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:34) Genesis 25 is a fascinating chapter covering a span of a number of years. It starts with the rest of the life of the father of faith and the […]
Read More Genesis: 25 – When The Birthright Went WrongThen Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67) It did not occur to me just how many expressions of true love are apparent throughout this chapter. Father-Son Love: The incident […]
Read More Genesis: 24 – True LoveWe are given to extremes. A good friend of mine informed me of one perspective on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Here the taking of the tree exposed us to the full breadth of the extremes of good and evil. Rather than depending on God for all things, left to our own […]
Read More Order and SpontaneityAgain Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.” (Genesis 23:12, 13) it’s a moving picture we’re given at the start […]
Read More Genesis: 23 – It’s The Principle That MattersI am glad I belong to the family of God. It is so good to know He as the loving, heavenly Father makes it His point of duty to care for His own. I appreciate at times it doesn’t look like it. I know there are testing experiences that makes us wonder. This is why […]
Read More Another Word of ThanksEpisodes like this in scripture highlight how little we really know about faith and how much we will know about faith. There are dramatised depictions of this time when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son. These portray an embattled Abraham and one in particular had a Sarah who twigged that something was wrong […]
Read More Genesis: 22 – When You Believe
