Genealogy

It’s probably not a bad thing to take a look at the family tree to see all the connections of people who’ve gone before me. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about my grand parents and great grand parents. I don’t know much about my family beyond that except that life was pretty hard.

I’ve finally finished the first 8 chapters of 1 Chronicles and it was “tough sledding” for a bit. It was cool to connect the grandkids or great grandkids back through the family to one of Jacobs’s sons. I was cool to see how Saul the first King of Israel connected back to the youngest son of Jacob. It was also cool to see how the great X4 sons of Saul were young warriors too. Check this out…

29 Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon.

His wife’s name was Maakah, 30 and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zeker 32 and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

33 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.

39 The sons of his brother Eshek:

Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second son and Eliphelet the third. 40 The sons of Ulam were brave warriors who could handle the bow. They had many sons and grandsons—150 in all.

All these were the descendants of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:29-33; 39-40 NIV)

As I take a moment to reflect on my grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, brothers – I am kin to a lot of people. Some of them I know really well. Others have settled in other states or even countries. They have lived their life out where they are. As we grow older and wiser (hopefully) we learn the value of our family and our roots.

I can’t help but reflect on my spiritual family tree. I remember those along the way in my life who poured into me and taught me much about the Lord. Sometimes I was taught with words, but more often than not it was their actions that confirmed what they were saying about their faith. My spiritual family is way bigger than the genealogy of my physical family for sure. I grew up in Kentucky going to Roley Christian Church (the church closed and a different church meets in the same building). I went to Johnson Bible College (now Johnson University), I had my first ministry at Crab Orchard Christian Church. My first full-time ministry was as a youth minister at First Christian Church in Maryville, TN. I moved from there to Whitesburg, GA and became their first full time youth minister. I then landed at First Christian Church in Carrollton as the youth minister. That ministry evolved into music and college ministry. After that my family started connecting to Southern Hills Christian Church where I am today. It’s sometimes helpful to look back where I’ve been and notice how the Lord was connecting me with so many different people along the way to bless me and pour into my heart and life. I am a product of my physical and spiritual genealogical journey.

Pressing On!

Dwayne