God, Aliens, and Other Stuff

I am the way… 1) Genesis 11, 12: Following God’s path for ourselves will sometimes require leaving long established relationships, customs, and/or beliefs behind. The Hebrew man named Abram didn’t leave Ur of the Chaldees (today’s Iraq) alone with just a suitcase and a passport. His father Terah led him and his nephew Lot to Haran, a place perhaps named after Abram’s brother Haran that died in Ur. They dwelt in Haran (today’s northern Syria, along the Tigris River) for some time, but God had called Abram to something totally new. Not everyone needs to leave behind as much as Abram, Sarai, and Lot in order to obey God, but for many, it’s necessary. God calls all of us to a separation from our old lives and old connections, but for some that separation is more drastic and painful than for others. Abram came away with an abundance of worldly goods. Tents, food, water, servants, animals, etc. would make for a major caravan. What he left was his entire family, all of their gods, his