Building a Nation

I recently visited a Jr. High Sunday School class at my church...and loved it!  (Why, you may ask?  I'm trying to get involved in the ministry there, because I love working with middle-school kids.  You can call me crazy.  Maybe it's because I'm still a kid at heart.)  Anyway, the lesson was GREAT!  It's taken from a teen curriculum called The Story.  You might've heard of the book/Bible with this title- it basically takes the Bible and puts it in a story format that is easier to understand as a whole context.  It's broken up into chapters, instead of books.  I seriously need to purchase my own copy.....it's totally awesome!!  The main idea of this concept was to highlight the fact that the Bible is a "grand narrative of God seeking relationship with human beings as it unfolds throughout history." (taken from The Story, Teen Curriculum)

Chapter 2 is called God Builds a Nation.  It is all about the history of Abraham, his sons, and the future generations that came from his lineage.  I was in awe as a lightbulb clicked in my brain about the nitty gritty history of my faith.  Sometimes, the early Old Testament books are the most daunting for me to read.  It's alot of names I can't pronounce and stuff I just don't understand.  But after hearing and reading this lesson, I'm very tempted to try again (and utilize resources that will help me understand....such as The Idiot's Guide to The Bible.  Another awesome book!)

Here's my personal synopsis and food-for-thought behind this chapter:
Abraham walks and talks with God as he obeys the command to leave his homeland and build a new nation.  BUILD and new NATION!  Can you even imagine doing this?  I've watched my mom help build a new school from the ground up.  I've experienced working at a brand-new, state-of-the-art school in it's first year.  It's C-R-A-Z-Y madness.  But it's also the most amazing, rewarding process to be part of.  And that was just one tiny school in the middle of one tiny city in the middle of.....well, you get the picture.  Abraham is one of my new heroes.  I will be studying Genesis for awhile...