Faithful Writers

“Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you.”- Genesis 13:17 Next, in verse 17, we have God commanding Abram to walk the length and breadth of the land. What is this all about? Well, in ancient times, walking around the perimeter of a piece of property was a common legal ritual in the ancient Middle East. In Hebrew, this custom was called Chazakah, and it was the equivalent of signing a real estate contract in our day, which indicates an official and legal transfer of ownership. Historical records show that this custom was well-known by the Egyptians and the Hittites. Some nations even required their rulers to perform this act to reestablish sovereignty over a given region. Now, some of you may be thinking, why did God agree to having Abram perform a manmade tradition to establish sovereignty over the land? Isn’t God God? He doesn’t need to conform to man’s petty ways of doing things. The answer to that question is that it was for both Abraham’s sake and those residing in the territory he was marking out for himself. In the areas where he performed this symbolic walk-through, there were already many established cities and kingdoms. Abram probably angered much of the population in that area via this symbolic declaration of his ownership of their land. Another point we can take from this, and we will see this often in Scripture, is that the Lord often works through established man-made customs and traditions. © Richoka

ChatGPT Back in my college days, I was obsessed with the question of why some nations in the world ended up becoming more prosperous than others. My relentless search had me reading books like “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond… “The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success” by Rodney Stark… “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations” by David Landes… And “What’s So Great About America” by Dinesh D’Souza… As well as many other tomes expounding on a wide variety of evolutionary and political theories. Maybe I’m a super weirdo, but in my late teens and early twenties, I was obsessed with why modernity developed ONLY in the West — in Europe and North America and nowhere else. Nowhere else did science and democracy arise… Nowhere else was slavery outlawed. Only Westerners invented chimneys, musical scores, telescopes, eyeglasses, pianos, electric lights, aspirin, and soap. While different scholars have suggested a variety of reasons, I tend to go with the idea that it was the Judeo-Christian respect for manual labor, summed up in many Biblical injunctions, that was one of the main factors that enabled the West to rise above the other nations. And I believe the story of Noah’s Ark is a prime example supporting the truthfulness of this theory. God commands Noah to “build thee an ark with gopher wood." There is an important principle being established here that I hope everybody caught. God will do His part to save us. But we have to do our part as well. A cooperative effort with God is necessary to secure our salvation. Another important point we learn from Noah’s story is that 1 + God is always a majority. In a world that had completely given itself over to evil, ONLY Noah was found righteous. As a result, only Noah and his family were saved. The remainder of all mankind was completely destroyed. I hope this will give encouragement to those who find themselves on that lonely path where it seems like you are the only one who believes in or cares for the things of the Lord. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT “Also, at the time of the Son of Man, it will be just as it was at the time of Noah . People ate and drank, and men and women married, right up until the day Noah entered the ark ; then the flood came and destroyed them all. ” -Luke 17:26–27 “But when that day and hour will come, no one knows — not the angels in heaven, not the Son, only the Father. For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noah. Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noah entered the ark ; and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes .” -Matthew 24:36–39 “Go in through the narrow gate ; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it .” -Matthew 7:13–14 © Richoka

Anna Adams is a deaf-blind Christian writer, poet, mother and blogger whose work reflects a life of faith, resilience, and deep personal experience. Through her essays and blog posts, Anna seeks to illuminate the Gospel’s power in everyday life, helping others navigate struggles while finding God’s presence and purpose. Whether exploring the complexities of faith, the struggles of the human heart, or the triumph of God’s grace, her writing inspires readers to trust in God’s plan, embrace His redemption, and grow in their walk with Him. This Broken Clay on Medium. X/Twitter Facebook Substack

When analyzing the story of Noah, the following 4-point salvation formula is revealed. Point One: You must accept God’s diagnosis of the human condition being wicked and deserving of destruction. Point Two: There is a way out of this sad predicament that man finds himself in. Point Three: God Himself has designed or preordained ONLY ONE WAY to escape the impending destruction. Mankind (whether Jew or Gentile) must come to terms with this and accept the one method that God has set down. Point Four: In perfect adherence to God’s directions, take BOLD AND MASSIVE ACTION like Noah did. If God asks you to quit your job, you quit your job. If He asks you to leave your family and nation behind to follow Him as He did with Abraham, you do so. And if he asks you to build a whopping wooden barge in the middle of the desert, you do that too. The secret to a successful relationship with God can be summed up in the following statement: “And this Noah did, as all that God commanded him, so he did . ” When all is said and done, wouldn’t you like the angels in heaven to say of you, “And this ( your name here ) did, as all that God commanded him, so he did.” Thinking that just walking down an aisle and mouthing some canned salvation prayer is the be all and end all of your faith walk is I believe a gross error. It is just the beginning. God has great plans for your life but YOU HAVE TO TAKE ACTION in order to translate those plans into reality. Prayer, Planning and Action! That’s the Noah formula for success. What is the one thing you’ve been putting off that you know in your heart God is asking you to do? Do you need to confess and ask your mother (or father) for forgiveness for something you did in the past? Do you need to break up a relationship with a long-time friend because staying in a relationship with that person is detrimental to your walk with the Lord? Do you need to quit your job because deep down you realize it is not where God wants you to be? Do you need to be more faithful in financially supporting a given ministry? Do you need to stop wasting hours a day watching internet pornography? Do you need to get off your chicken butt and finally ask that girl out that the Lord has chosen for you and placed in front of you? Having a only sincere heart and talk means nothing minus the component of action. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT But someone will say,“ You have faith and I have works. ”Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works . -James 2:18 © Richoka

The Hebrew word for ark is “ TEVAH ”= תבה . This word ONLY appears in two places in the entire Old Testament. The first place is in Chapter Six of Genesis, where we are currently at in our study. “ So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark (tevah) of cypress wood ; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.”-Genesis 6:13–14 The second place is in Exodus Chapter Two where the baby Moses is placed in an “ark." I am aware some translations use the word “basket” instead of “ark." Nevertheless, the original Hebrew word is “tevah” , which means “ark” and given the spiritual significance involved, I think the same word should be used. “ And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark (tevah) of bulrushes , and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark (tevah) among the flags , she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”-Exodus 2:2–6 and 10 Notice that in both cases, the ark is the divine means of escape God has prepared for His chosen people. In Genesis, mankind was to be destroyed by a flood of water. But God saw to it that Noah and his family would be saved by placing them safely in a “Tevah” to protect them from the flood waters. In Exodus, all Israelite male babies were to be killed by being drowned in the Nile. But God saw to it that Moses would be the savior of Israel by placing him in a “Tevah” , to ride atop the water. Using water and an ark, God is showing us two parallel patterns of salvation. The first pattern in Genesis is used for saving mankind in general. The second pattern in Exodus is used for saving the Hebrews. So in these last days, who or what is our TEVAH? What can we rely on 100% to rescue us from our worries and problems as well as the great destruction that is to come upon the earth, most likely soon? Of course, the answer is Yeshua, our Lord and Savior. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith .-Hebrews 11:7 © Richoka

A holy shift of the thoughts we don’t want to speak out loud. To all the mommas, whether seasoned or brand new: This one’s for you. 🤍 Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash The Morning Shift Another day begins earlier than you wanted it to. It’s a rainy Tuesday… or is it Wednesday? You don’t give it another thought, as you are already on the move to greet a tiny human excitedly waiting for you to scoop them up and start the day. Your heart swells as you snuggle them close and kiss tiny, soft cheeks. I better memorize them before they fade into toddlerhood, you think. The morning shift has begun. Your phone dings. You’ll get to it later, maybe. Last week, it took you two days to answer your friend because your baby was sick. Wondering if your friendship can endure this season, you think to yourself, I’m a horrible friend. While you’re getting the bottle ready, you make a mental note to order some bigger jammies. You wonder how a small human can grow so fast… When was the last time I bought myself a shirt? The baby on your hip reminds you that your bottle-making is too slow, so you hurriedly cap it and shake it on the way to the rocking chair, where you’ll attempt to feed the cutest little alligator who will drink an ounce and beg to get down and play. Where did all the burp cloths go? You grab a burp cloth from the mountain in the laundry room. After sitting back down, sweet Gator chugs half the bottle and spits up all over both of you. Back to the pile for more clothes. I have got to fold this today. I’m so lazy. The clock reminds you that it’s ten minutes until you need to leave, so you kick into high gear — re-dress yourself, change the baby, throw the bottle in the sink, pick baby back up because they start to cry, run to your closet for shoes, hurry the dogs into the backyard, load the baby in the car seat… and then you smell it. Sweet Gator is now a stinky ‘gator… Freshly diapered baby in hand, you strap them back in the car seat, turn off the lights, grab your keys, and head out the door. You’re 10 minutes behind when you remember your lunch in the fridge, but the car is already loaded, so you decide to leave it for tomorrow. You wonder to yourself why you can’t ever seem to get out the door on time. I’m so disorganized. After dropping off ‘gator at daycare, you head to work. Late. Again. You’re exhausted from the morning and hope your boss understands that you’re trying. It’s hard to focus on your emails because you’re wondering if Gator’s teacher knows the special bounce that calms them down. Are they crying for you, asking where “Ma-ma-ma-ma” is? Feeling like a horrible mom, you remember the work project you were supposed to send over to your boss yesterday. You had to leave early because daycare called, so you didn’t get to finish. I’m such a bad employee. Work day finished, you head home where your husband and Gator are waiting for you. Their giggling voices reach your ears as you open the door. No scrambling, just playing after a long day at work and daycare. He’s such a better parent than I am. After quick hellos, you get dinner ready and on the table. An hour later, it’s bath and bedtime for Gator. Cleaning up bath toys while your husband tackles the kitchen, you think about all the time you missed with your baby during the day. Suddenly, it’s too much. Sobs wrack your body as you think, I can’t do this. Why is all of it so hard ? Then you hear it — the still, small voice you’ve been ignoring all day. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Leaning into the quiet, you hear it again. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you… do not let your hearts be troubled… You think about all the things you’ve said to yourself today. All the lies the enemy has tempted you to believe. In the stillness, the Holy Spirit reminds you what’s true. You pray and ask the Lord to change your perspective, to renew your mind in Christ Jesus. The Holy Shift Another morning begins. You think, Lord, thank you for another opportunity to share your love today. The same routine — get baby ready, handle the spills and accidents, get everyone out the door. Yet this time, something is different. The blowouts and tantrums and work emails are still there, but your inner monologue is different. A twice-forgotten lunch means you’ll have to eat out again. Thank you, Lord, for providing the means for me to buy food. Baby Gator is teething, so you’re tired from being up all night. Lord, I’m resting in you today, for your yoke is easy and your burden is light. For the rest of the day, you hold every thought captive and remind yourself of the truth of Scripture as opposed to feasting on the enemy’s lies. Instead of all the negative thoughts, you repeat to yourself, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It doesn’t change your situation, but it does change the way you view it. All the chaos and striving suddenly become joy and blessing. Your identity is no longer a tired momma. You are a thankful, redeemed, beloved child of the King. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things… and the God of peace will be with you. Thanks for reading! If any of this resonated with you, or you’d like to see more content like this, please consider subscribing so you’ll never miss out on a post. Press on! 🫶🏻 © Stephanie M. Scripture references: Matthew 11:28–29 John 14:27 Psalm 139:14 Philippians 4:8–9

Photo by Elimende Inagella on Unsplash I used to think spiritual growth happened in quiet places, with candles, prayer journals, maybe a soft acoustic playlist in the background. Then I became a teacher. Now my sacred space smells like markers, sounds like “Miss, I forgot my shoes again,” and usually involves at least one child crying because someone else touched their banana. And honestly? I’ve never felt closer to God. Children, Chaos, and the Gospel According to Snack Time I’ve taught in classrooms across continents, under every acronym imaginable — IB, PYP, ESL, OMG. But one thing remains constant: children have a spiritual radar adults forgot how to use. They notice everything. They ask questions you can’t Google. And they somehow manage to teach you lessons while simultaneously smearing yogurt on your shoe. Once, during a math lesson I thought was going brilliantly (read: no one was upside down or licking anything), a student raised her hand and asked, “Miss, do you think God can do multiplication faster than you? ”I paused. “Probably.” She nodded, completely satisfied, and went back to counting plastic bears. That was the day I realized I’d been trying too hard to separate the sacred from the silly. But maybe God’s not threatened by glitter glue. Maybe He invented it. God Wears Velcro Shoes I’ve met God in many disguises — but my favorite is when He shows up in the form of a child with untied shoelaces and paint on their nose. There’s something holy about the way children live with open hands. They don’t hide their feelings. They ask for help. They believe in miracles (and sometimes in unicorns). One boy once told me, “I think Jesus would be really good at tag. He’s everywhere.” Theologically… creative. But the point stands. These are the theologians no one invites to panel discussions, but maybe they should. Because they ask the real questions: “Does God eat snacks?” “If I say sorry to God in my head, does He answer in emojis?” “Can I pray for my turtle even though he’s not baptized?” And every time, I realize: I’ve been trying to make God more adult-friendly, when maybe I just need to sit on the floor again. The Ministry of Mistakes and Sticky Hands I’ve had days when I felt like a walking Pinterest fail. Lessons flopped. Glue ended up in hair. I questioned whether I was actually doing anything meaningful. But that’s when God usually nudges me. Sometimes through a child who hands me a crumpled drawing with the words “You’re my heart teacher” spelled phonetically. Sometimes through a kid who whispers, “I prayed for you because you looked sad today.”Other times through a lesson I completely botched, only to have a student say, “That was fun. Can we do it again tomorrow?” We try to make faith neat. But in my experience, God moves most clearly in the mess. He’s not waiting for us to get it all together — He’s sitting cross-legged on the carpet, handing us the next broken crayon. Interruptions as Holy Ground In adult life, interruptions are usually annoyances. But in the classroom, they’re constant. And sometimes, sacred. The child who suddenly starts crying about a pet fish during silent reading. The kid who shares that his grandma “lives in the sky now” during morning circle. The spontaneous group hug when one student feels brave enough to read aloud. I used to rush through these moments, anxious to “stay on schedule.” But now I know better. Sometimes, the real lesson isn’t about time or objectives. It’s about presence. Compassion. Making space for the soul of a child to be heard — even when it means the math sheet stays unfinished. Turns out, the fruit of the Spirit looks a lot like pausing everything to listen to a six-year-old explain why she thinks heaven might be shaped like a trampoline. I don’t argue anymore. I just nod. Faith on the Floor If you asked me where my theology has grown the most, I wouldn’t point to a seminary or conference. I’d point to the corner of my classroom where a child once built a ‘prayer cave’ out of pillows.Or to the whiteboard where a student drew God as a smiling sun with spaghetti arms. Or to the floor where I’ve sat in both exhaustion and awe, surrounded by tiny humans who remind me daily that faith doesn’t need to be polished. It just needs to be real. So to every teacher, parent, and quietly faithful soul wondering if your ordinary work matters: it does.God is not waiting for perfect silence. He’s already in the noise. In the laughter. In the spilled juice box that becomes a moment of unexpected grace. You don’t need to leave the classroom — or the chaos — to find Him. You just have to look down. Because sometimes, the holiest place is right there on the floor. © The Blooming Educator

"And you shall enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife and wives of your sons with you. And from all that lives, from all flesh, two of each thing you shall bring to the ark to keep alive with you, male and female they shall be. ” The total number of humans who entered the ark were 8 people, 4 men and their wives. Out of the entire world population, only eight humans were elected to be saved. In Biblical numerology, the number 8 stands for redemption and will remain so throughout the entirety of Scripture. Another point is that both humans and animals are represented by one male and one female . This is the pattern that God has set down and all other forms of intimate bonding whether homosexual or polygamous are outside of God’s ideal will for mankind. God’s ideal is that marriage is to be between one man and one woman. © Richoka

Image by Md Nirob Bhuiyan from Pixabay Some days, faith feels like…well…like steady breathing.I like those days. Other times? It feels like I’m dragging a 200-pound weight backwards up a muddy hill while the rain’s blasting sideways. Have you been there, or am I the only duck on this pond? If you have, this is for you. It’s not a magical formula, but hopefully, some helpful thoughts. When Your Life Feels Like a Dumpster Fire I’m typically a glass-half-full person. I love encouraging folks (and myself, of course.) But I also don’t think we talk enough about the hard days. How to respond to them. You know, when life’s a wreck. When God feels distant. When the verses you memorized sound empty. Your prayers? You try to pray with faith, but your words feel like they’re bouncing off the ceiling. Have you ever been there? Are you still with me? That’s okay. Those prayers count, too. Cracks Happen We all have them. In our plans. Our marriages. Our finances. Our health. Our mental health. Our hope. Sometimes it feels like they’re all happening at the same time. Tear rolls down a cheek in close-up of an eye with long eyelashes. The grayscale image conveys a mood of sadness or emotion. Because staying doesn’t mean fixing everything on your timeline. It means sitting with you in the wreckage. In the dark. In the waiting room.God stays with you — not above you, not just watching from the balcony. He’s not waving a magic wand. He’s holding your hand. That’s the part that’s hard to swallow, right? We think if God is here, then shouldn’t things start getting better? Shouldn’t the anxiety ease? The job open up? The answers arrive in neat, bulleted lists? Just like you, I’ve asked that question. Do you know what I’ve found? My eyes were fixed on the problem. That’s all I could see. But the thing is, if I look “by faith” (even when I don’t feel it) to a promise, little by little I begin to see and feel seeds of His presence and wisdom. I also let my mind focus on the many things that God has done and how His Word has been true for me in past experiences. Please understand this: You’re not being punished. You’re being held. Even if you can’t feel it. Even if the mess hasn’t seemed to move an inch. Real Faith Isn’t Polished Faith isn’t about always feeling God. It ’s not about perfect prayers or flawless belief. A lot of the time, faith is just choosing to believe, anyway. Doing it afraid. God can handle it. He’s not fragile. He’s not shocked. God Is in the Grit We act like God only hangs out in our breakthroughs.In the healing. The fixed. The posted-on-Sunday-highlights. But I think He’s just as present — maybe more so — in: the bedroom floor breakdowns the “I don’t even know what to say right now” moments That’s holy ground too. Doesn’t seem like it to us. But, it is to your Heavenly Lover. Cracked Faith Still Counts Don’t think for one second that your struggle disqualifies you. Cracked faith is still faith. Still showing up? Still praying, even if it’s angry or messy or sarcastic? That counts. You don’t have to hide your questions. Sometimes, they’re what bring you closer. Honesty isn’t rebellion — it’s relationship. If You’re in the Cracks Right Now… You’re not broken beyond repair. You’re not failing. You’re not a bad Christian. You’re not alone. You ’re human. And God is still God. Some Days, Just Breathing Is Enough Maybe all you can do today is whisper, “God, help.” That’s a prayer. Faith doesn’t mean the pain disappears.It means God doesn’t. He’s there. In the silence. In the dark. In the cracks. And He’s not going anywhere. Keep Going You don’t have to feel strong to be strong.Sometimes just not giving up is victory. So stay. Breathe. Cry if you need to. Pray if you can. Rest if you can’t. And know this: Even in the cracks, God is right here, right now. Always. © Gary L Ellis

Today, we begin Genesis Chapter 7. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here . For the King James version, click here “Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean , one couple.”-Genesis 7–2 Notice that even at this early stage in the Scriptures… Way before the existence of the people of Israel… And way before God ever gave the Torah to Moses… A distinction is being made between clean and unclean animals. In Hebrew, clean is “ TABOR ” and unclean is “ TAMEI ." I can tell you quite honestly from my experience that most Christians do NOT have a proper understanding of the difference between “clean” and “unclean” animals. However, there seems to be no end to the interesting ( and frankly quite entertaining ) theories that gentile scholars will come up with. For example, one Christian scholar has said that “clean animals” are those animals suitable for domestication and fellowship with man. What is ironic about this situation is that any Jewish child ( assuming he or she had undergone a proper Jewish education ) right off the bat would be able to point out the difference between “clean” and “unclean." The difference is as follows: “Clean animals” are those that are ritually pure… …and… … ”unclean animals” are NOT ritually pure. And that’s it homies. In simple terms, only clean animals can be used in the sacrifices to God and ONLY clean food can be eaten. However, at this stage in human history, God had not yet permitted man to eat meat. Per God’s command, food at this stage was only green plants. Notice also that only the unclean animals are to be brought in single pairs. However, 7 pairs of clean animals are to be brought in (14 animals for each one of the clean species) . Why were 7 pairs of clean animals needed? Well, think about it. Clean animals are needed for the sacrificial offerings. So if you only have one pair of a certain clean species and sacrifice one of the animals from that pair, that would be the extinction of that particular species. God would never have been able to establish His sacrificial system if that happened. © Richoka