Abraham. Everybody knows old Abe. I doubt that any individual in history is more widely recognized and revered. Abraham is patriarch to history's three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In the Bible, of all the incredible people of faith we find there, the only one called the "friend of God" is Abraham.

You learned great stories about Abraham from your earliest days in Sunday School. You met him as ABRAM - the name would be changed to Abraham later. You heard about God calling him from his ancestral home:

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever…