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The Alternate

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Pam

Abram was traveling with Lot and Sarai. God said go so he went. Was Abram God’s first pick to be the Father of a great nation? According to the Book of Genesis it was a request from God with a condition. Talk about no GPS, Abram did not have a clue as to this final destination but he must have had great faith. That faith qualified him to be chosen. The promises were too big to miss but what was the condition? “If you go…” I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I have looked at this passage, beginning in Genesis 12, in several translations and cannot get past the thought that if Abram had not had faith in God he could have chosen to stay put in Haran. Abrams father, Terah, had left Ur for Canaan but stopped along the way. Is that the reason for the intervention now to finally get them to Canaan? Had God given the same message to Terah years earlier? Did Terah miss his chance and so the honor was passed to his son? Was Abram an alternate and could there have been another if Abram had not completed the journey that God had planned? I do not want to miss the travel that God has in mind. I don’t want a blessing substitute because I was “ye of little faith”.

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

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