Isaiah::Context & Background

If you walked through a mall in the 90's or 00's you know all about Abercrombie & Fitch. They were the clothing store that were absolutely everywhere and some shirtless teenage boy was probably outside ready to spray you with cologne. The inside of the stores had massive posters of scantily clad models and the lighting theme featured the equivalent of one 20 watt bulb somewhere in the store.

You would probably bet that this clothing store started in the early to mid 1990's, but you'd be off by a full century. 

Abercrombie and Fitch was actually a premiere outdoor clothing retailer started in 1892. Some of their most famous customers were Ernest Hemingway and Teddy Roosevelt up until they declared bankruptcy in 1977. 

What the whole store started as with David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch became something very, very different  as time went on. Now, change is the result of time and nothing stays the same forever, but can you imagine Teddy Roosevelt walking into an Abercrombie & Fitch today? 

Sometimes people, organizations or whole nations drift from their origins to become something very different. 

That's exactly what the book of Isaiah is all about! We're going to start a new series that takes a look at this book and the theme of being called back to your true identity. I encourage you to join us if you feel like you've drifted away from yourself. If you started a journey going in one direction and today you're in a much different (and not better) place. It will be good to be reminded of who we are and the call to become ourselves again.