Blog — David J. Collum

David J. Collum

Genesis Day 61: A long wait... and then it happens

Genesis Day 61: A long wait... and then it happens

Most of us, or maybe some of us, think about life as a slow linear progression. I am not sure why, but I am one of those people—despite evidence to the contrary. Today we come to Joseph. He has been waiting. Not just the two years he has been in jail. He has been waiting, and working, much longer. His life is about to change. When our life changes, out of the middle of nowhere—is that the random chance of the universe, is it our just desert for our patient hard-work, or is something (or Someone) else at work?

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumSeptember 5, 2018Genesis Day 61, Genesis 41, Joseph, Pharoah, Storms, Genesis

Genesis Day 60: Does God Speak in Dreams?

Genesis Day 60: Does God Speak in Dreams?

Imagine, you are having your morning coffee, sitting where you always sit. Across from you is the person who always sits across from you for morning coffee. Then they say, “Last night God spoke to me in dream.” Maybe you spilled your coffee on your shirt. Or, maybe your ears perked up.

When some people read the Bible, they dismiss anything that smacks of the supernatural. Others like to discuss how in the past people put more weight on dreams, but today, given what we know about science and the sub-conscious, we’ve moved past this sort of thing. All of that is nice, but our text today says, “Does not the interpretations of dreams belong to God?”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumSeptember 3, 2018Genesis Day 60, Genesis 40, Joseph, Dreams, Genesis

Genesis Day 59: The Lord was with me…

Genesis Day 59: The Lord was with me…

“God certainly has blessed that person.” Ever used that phrase? Many of us say it when we see someone who has all the trappings of success. Perhaps they have a good job, are physically attractive, a happy family—maybe even wealth. We often make a direct connection between those external signs and a blessing from God. But is that what we learn from the Bible?

There is a repeating line in Genesis 39: “The Lord was with Joseph.”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 31, 2018Genesis 39, Genesis Day 59, Joseph, Blessing, Genesis

Genesis Day 58: Life is Never a Straight Line

Genesis Day 58: Life is Never a Straight Line

Monday it was 17… well, this year I have reached one of the ages that end with the number “0”—and I don’t mean 40. Ugh! I find myself reflecting on all the earlier years. As I look back on my life, it has been anything but a straight line. Why do I bring this up? As I read this chapter of Genesis, I find myself reflecting on the earlier chapters, and I see crazy twists and turns in this story. Can we notice just how many times Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Jacob’s children are living their lives in very UN-straight ways? Today’s chapter of Genesis is about Judah (Jacob’s son), and it doesn’t cast him in a very positive light.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 29, 2018Genesis Day 58, Genesis 38, Judah, Tamar, Genesis

Genesis Day 57: Coming of Age... at 17

Genesis Day 57: Coming of Age... at 17

Think back to when you were 17 years old. Was it a memorable year? (Maybe you are 17 right now!) If you are older than 17, then pick a few memories. What are they? For me, I remember my senior year—with its highs and lows. The highs included a football championship and being selected to attend a military academy. Regardless of what you or I may think of 17-year-olds, God uses them! The story you have read today, Genesis 37, starts with a dreamer—a 17-year-old dreamer (who should probably keep his dreams to himself)…

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 27, 2018Genesis Day 57, Genesis 37, Joseph, Seventeen, Genesis

Genesis Day 56: Ready—Fire—Aim

Genesis Day 56: Ready—Fire—Aim

Ready—Fire—Aim... that old saying for people who pull the trigger before they know what they ought to be firing at. At issue is whether or not we are aiming at the right target. So... what is the right target? You may be tempted to skip over this chapter in Genesis. I find it offers an opportunity to reflect. It reminds me of a quote from Stephen Covey that goes something like, “Nobody ever laid on their deathbed and wished they spent more time at the office.” I heard it during a season of my life when I was spending a lot of time at the office.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 24, 2018Genesis 36, Esau, Idols, Genesis

Genesis Day 55: God finishes what He starts…in each of us

Genesis Day 55: God finishes what He starts…in each of us

Sometimes we feel alone. We have hopes, dreams, goals…and they are just not falling into place. We make progress, but then, despite our best efforts, we seem stalled. Maybe someone has come along and seemingly blown up what we have been working towards. Or maybe we just seem to be stuck in neutral. Our long-sought and promised life—The Promised Land—seems far off. We feel alone. It might be more than loneliness. It might feel like defeat. We’ve all been there. Maybe you are there right now. Maybe you want to throw in the proverbial towel.

We are coming to a place in Genesis where Jacob’s presence in the story will be diminished. While it may seem like two of his sons have blown up his dream, God is not done.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 22, 2018Genesis 35, Genesis Day 55, Jacob, Bethrl, Genesis

Genesis Day 54: Just when you think you’ve arrived…

Genesis Day 54: Just when you think you’ve arrived…

You work hard. You struggle through. You make the hard choices. Finally, you arrive at your long-awaited destination. That place in your life that you have been hoping for and working towards. Now it is time to simply sit back and relax. Then the phone rings.

I wonder what Jacob was thinking and feeling with the news of Dinah. He certainly had a flood of emotions. He no doubt was thinking, “what should I do?”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 20, 2018Jacob, Genesis 34, Genesis 35, Genesis Day 53, Genesis

Genesis Day 53: Hope for the Best… Plan for the Worst… Lead from the Front

Genesis Day 53: Hope for the Best… Plan for the Worst… Lead from the Front

“If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.”—so goes the saying. Not sure if you ascribe to that axiom. There is another saying: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Life does seem to require we make a conscious decision about whether we will press on towards the goal. Pressing on requires the opposite of foolishness—it requires wisdom. Yet if you are in the middle of a journey, it may be that pressing on is what God is calling you to do. This is the position we find Jacob in, as we read Genesis 33.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 17, 2018Genesis 33, Jacob, Genesis

Genesis Day 52: Removing Your Outer Shell - The Layers of Our Lives

Genesis Day 52: Removing Your Outer Shell - The Layers of Our Lives

“I used to think you were arrogant.” Ouch! That is how a conversation began, the end-result of which was the peeling-away of a layer of protection I had wrapped myself in. We often use layers. Some layers are good, but not always—sometimes we need to have a layer ripped off, so that we can grow and change. For three successive posts, I have reflected on change, both systematic, and personal. Today I want to focus on the personal. I don’t want to rush out of chapter 32 without intentionally staring at Jacob wrestling with God.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 15, 2018Genesis Day 52, Genesis 32, Jacob, Wrestle, Genesis

Genesis Day 51: Creating a New Culture…Don’t Stop Short (Part 3 of 3)

Genesis Day 51: Creating a New Culture…Don’t Stop Short (Part 3 of 3)

“Look, we’ve come a really long way. We have achieved what we wanted to achieve. We don’t need to jeopardize all we’ve accomplished.” That is a phrase you will hear when you are driving for change. Why? Because to arrive at your destination you most likely will need to “cement” your changes. And that normally means facing some final, large obstacles.

Chapter 31 of Genesis ends with Laban departing Jacob. You and I, if we were in his shoes, might say, “I’ve done it. I’m free!” Jacob might rationalize, “Why bother to go back to my brother? All it will do is open up old wounds.” Yet stopping now is stopping short of the Vision—God’s Vision.

Leadership, Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 13, 2018Genesis Day 51, Genesis 32, Jacob, Culture, Genesis

Genesis Day 50: Creating a New Culture…The Middle (Part 2 of 3)

Genesis Day 50: Creating a New Culture…The Middle (Part 2 of 3)

“It’s a mess.” That is what I thought. We were in the middle of trying to transform ourselves, and our company. When you are halfway there, you still have “large chunks” of your life, your work, your company—that when you look at them—it appears as if nothing has changed. You know you cannot go back to the way things were. What do you do?

I have been suggesting that as we read chapters 30-32 of Genesis, we are witnessing the transformation of a man and a family. This is not just any family. It is the family God will use to launch the nation of Israel…

Leadership, Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 10, 2018Genesis Day 50, Genesis 32, Jacob, Laban, Vision, Culture

Genesis Day 49: Creating a New Culture…Amid Stress (Part 1 of 3)

Genesis Day 49: Creating a New Culture…Amid Stress (Part 1 of 3)

It is one thing to live into a new culture in a season when everything is going well. It is quite another to live your culture amid envy, affliction, and even hatred. Many companies and many people seek to create a new chapter in their lives—be it a new corporate culture or a new and improved individual personality. Trying to turn the corner is hard. Doing it in a swamp of jealously and loathing is more than difficult. You try to hold onto your newfound principles and stay above it. Yet even the most motivated, newly-minted saint will falter. What does this have to do with Genesis 30?

Leadership, Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 8, 2018Genesis Day 49, Genesis 30, Change, Jacob, Culture, Genesis

Genesis Day 48: God’s Best-laid Plans…and Us

Genesis Day 48: God’s Best-laid Plans…and Us

Some days I think I am doing okay following Jesus. It is not that I have erased my history (I know where I have disappointed God), but in the “here and now” I feel like I am doing okay. I am reading my Bible, saying my prayers, I haven’t lost my patience, and in general, I have kept my emotions in check. Then it happens. Things don’t go my way, or a difficult event takes place, or an important relationship falls apart. I find myself asking God, “Why did You let this happen?” I wonder, is that what Jacob is asking here in Genesis 29?

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 6, 2018Genesis Day 48, Genesis 29, Jacob, Trust

Genesis Day 47: Defining Moments

Genesis Day 47: Defining Moments

Most days, most of us go through the regular motions of life. We wake up, follow our routines, and press on. It is also true that most of us have had major defining moments. I have a bunch of these moments. We all do. Some are huge, life-altering events. Some of those events are full of joy and some are full of pain. Regardless, we have them. And we have been reading about them in Genesis.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumAugust 3, 2018Genesis Day 47, Genesis 28, Abraham, Jacob, Genesis

Genesis Day 46: The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat life and the knuckleheads that fill it

Genesis Day 46: The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat life and the knuckleheads that fill it

There are days in our lives when people act out in the craziest of ways. There were those days, those people, in the Bible, too. The amazing thing about the Bible, though, is that it communicates, rather than sugarcoats, those kinds of stories. Today, in Genesis 27, I find one of these situations.

The situations in the Bible often give me pause. I find myself thinking that this is the inerrant Word of God, and yet it is simultaneously communicating a real event in real people’s lives, people who are part of God amazing plan. And today, those people seem to be—at best—knuckleheads.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumJuly 30, 2018Genesis Day 46, Genesis 27, Genesis

Genesis Day 45: In the Middle of a Mess…Look for God!

Genesis Day 45: In the Middle of a Mess…Look for God!

Ever find yourself in the middle of a mess? Kind of a silly question—after all, who hasn’t? Messes… I have noticed something: in the middle of every bad decision I have ever made, every bad investment I ever chose, every poor hire I have ever selected, there is one common denominator: ME! Remarkably God shows up amid our self-made disasters—so look for Him! Why do I bring this up with Genesis 26? Because Isaac has created a mess. He, like his father…

David J CollumJuly 27, 2018

Genesis Day 44: If I Could Just Get All My Questions Answered…

Genesis Day 44: If I Could Just Get All My Questions Answered…

As a family awaits a baby, everyone, not just mom, is filled with all sorts of questions. Perhaps the most common: “Is it a boy, or a girl?” In the past, you waited 40 weeks for that answer.

Nowadays we can have the answer much quicker. In fact, the list of tests an expectant mother will go through (to answer all sorts of questions about her baby) is long. People have all sorts of opinions about the tests, but they reinforce an all-too-human belief: if we can just get all the questions answered, if we can just remove all the uncertainty, then we can move faster, get more done, and our lives will be better. Removing uncertainty isn’t a bad thing—until it becomes the only thing.

David J CollumJuly 25, 2018Genesis Day 44, Genesis 25, Jacon, Esau, Genesis

Genesis Day 43: Living a Well-Lived Life

Genesis Day 43: Living a Well-Lived Life

Most of us want to live a “well-lived” life. When I am “on my game” I want to do that for God’s glory, and not my own.

There are events in our lives that have a way of bringing into focus how well we have lived. A funeral is, perhaps, the ultimate event on this earth which brings this into focus. Today we come to a funeral—Abraham’s.

Births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, funerals… these milestones give us cause to reflect intentionally on the guest(s) of honor. They are typically (or at least, hopefully!) joyful occasions filled with praise and positive memories. Friends and families gather, but sometimes they do so for better or for worse! Relationships can be… well… tricky, can’t they?

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumJuly 23, 2018Genesis Day 42, Genesis 25, Abraham, Genesis

Genesis Day 42: God Loves | Love Stories

Genesis Day 42: God Loves | Love Stories

Breakfast at Tiffany's, When Harry Met Sally, Roman Holiday…the list of romantic movies is long. When the latest romantic movie arrives at the silver-screen, are you the kind of person who can’t wait to see it, or do you run the other way? Why do I ask? Because Genesis 24 is a rather long love story. It ends with, “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac…”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumJuly 20, 2018Genesis Day 42, Genesis 24, Rebekah, Isaac, Genesis