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Feel free to roam about. My prayer is that you come face to face with a living, loving, holy God. If that happens, your life will never be the same.

Who do YOU say He is? (click here)

A lesson from Ruth...

Boaz was a "kinsman-redeemer" to Ruth.  In that, he saw her value(Ruth 2:11), and established her virtue(Ruth 3:11) in a land where she might have easily been despised.  Christ has done the same thing in each of us... He sees our value... or, to personalize that: He sees *my* value, and He establishes *my* virtue - making me clean, giving me a fresh start.  Take it a step further... He has prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

 

He buys us back from the hand of the enemy.  He provides for us, and he prevents us from wandering.  These are all things that Boaz did for Ruth.  She responded in humble submission... and God *blessed* her.  She would become the great grandmother of King David - a man after God's own heart, the greatest king over God's elect!  

 

My initial response, after studying the book of Ruth was one of gratitude, and a longing to commit myself to faithful service, with a loving heart.  That should be our response to Christ.

The narrow path...
"At mealtime Boaz said to her, 'Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.'  So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left.  When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants saying, 'Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her. Also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.'" (Ruth 2:14-16)

You see, Boaz gave Ruth all that she needed, and then some.  And he continued to provide for her in his own field that she would have no need to search elsewhere to be satisfied.  By doing that, he kept her from wandering.

The Lord does the same with us.  We just have a tough time seeing what's been laid out for us.  That's why it's so important to "feast" on the word of God, and to continually remind ourselves what it is He's done for us, and why we're here in the first place!  :)

Favorite Quotes

"I want the world to know that I died living, not that I lived dying."
-Breana adopted this saying from Kathy Troccoli, Contemporary Christian Singer (2002)
 
"The vanity of teaching often tempteth a man to forget he is a blockhead."
-George Saville, first Marquess of Halifax (1633-1695)


"To keep your marriage brimming,
with love in the loving cup,
whenever you're wrong admit it,
whenever you're right shut up."
-from God's Little Instuction Book for Couples

A message to my family and friends...

Hi!  Thanks for visiting my web page!  I wish I was better at staying in touch.  This is my way of letting you know what's happening in my heart and in my home!  Love to all of you.  I'm so grateful that you are in my life!!

*Diary of a Disciple*
(written by tami)
 

Circa 30 A.D.

Springtime in Jerusalem

 

 Thursday morning...

We're looking forward to the Passover this evening.  We're going to have to find a place, and prepare the meal.  Jesus has been acting strangely all week.  The people welcomed him with palm branches, laying their coats out on the road as well.  That was Sunday.  Things seem to be changing, though.  There's been a lot of murmuring as we pass through the town.  Not sure what's going on.

 

Evening...

The Passover went well.  A good meal.  But something's still not right.  Judas left suddenly.  I'm not quite sure what Jesus meant when he broke the bread and passed the cups of wine.  He was talking about his body, and his blood.  What does all that mean?  We are headed out to the garden at Gethsemane.  Jesus mentioned something about needing to pray.  I suppose we will be singing King David's psalms as we go.

 

Friday morning...

Oh, this is terrible!  JESUS WAS ARRESTED!!  He had asked us to stay and pray, keeping watch for him.  I kept falling asleep... I had eaten so much, and it had been a long day.  But then I heard them coming... the Roman Guard... and JUDAS!  He pointed to Jesus, said, "That's the one," and kissed him on the cheek.  Suddenly the guards were all around.  Peter drew his sword, cut off someone's ear, - Jesus put it back on! - and they took Jesus away.  What could we do?  We ran.  Oh, what cowards... what fools!  We left him.  Now what?

 

The people say that Jesus has been led to many different leaders... the Jewish leaders, the Roman leaders... they're trying him in different courts.  But how can that be fair?  It was the middle of the night when they led him away.  There are no real witnesses to the accusations.  It seems like they're making up charges as they go.  They are trying to convict him before the Sabbath... sundown tonight.  How can they do that?  Oh, if we had only stayed with him!

 

Evening...

I was there... I saw him carrying his cross.  He had been beaten horribly... I hardly recognized him.  It was awful.  And that cross!  Laid across his shoulders, with the flesh torn... raw.  I can't imagine the pain!  He looked so weak.  The soldiers laid the beams out on the ground, placed Jesus on them, and DROVE the horrible spikes through his feet and hands.  I couldn't look!  But I had to look... I felt like it should have been me...  he never did anything wrong!  Never!!  We were with him all the time...  so good, so kind, so right... all the time!  And he died.  On the cross, he died. 

Joseph, the rich man, came and asked to take Jesus' body.  We all watched as they took him down.  We followed as they took him to the tomb that was meant for Joseph and his family.  I guess the Roman authorities were concerned about grave robbers... they put that big stone in the way, and sealed it with guards.  It all seems like a horrible dream.  I want to wake up tomorrow and discover that it never really happened.

 

Saturday morning...

It was real.  Jesus is gone.  I went to look at the place where they laid his body.  The guards are still there... and the stone.  It's the Sabbath, so we're not supposed to do any work.  I can't imagine working at a time like this, anyway.  The rest of us are wondering what to do next.  Go back to our lives?  We thought the Messiah had come.  We thought we'd be saved.

 

Evening...

Got together with the others.  The women are going to go out to the tomb to embalm Jesus' body in the morning.  He didn't have a proper burial... just wrapped quickly in cloths.  They'll have to get the guards to roll the stone away for them.

We've prayed to God to show us what we are to do with our lives now.  I pray the answer comes quickly.  I feel very confused.

 

Sunday afternoon...

Not sure what to think!  The women came in early this morning and said that the stone had been moved, and the guards were not there... Mary said she SPOKE with the Lord... JESUS!!  How can that be?!  There was no body in the tomb... only cloths.  Did someone take him?  But Mary spoke with him!  ??  What in the world is going on?!!

 

Evening...

This is all so crazy!  Two of the men were walking today, going to Amaeus, and this man starts walking and talking with them.  When they turned off the main road, they asked the man to join them for dinner.  He agreed.  When they got to their home and sat down to eat, they realized that the man was JESUS!

 

Then, later, we were all together, praying, and Jesus came in and stood among us... REALLY... stood among us!  Thomas touched him!  And he ATE with us!

 

This is what Jesus said,

"These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

 

He helped us to understand the Scriptures, and said,

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

 

He led us out towards Bethany, and blessed us, and went away.  And we were so full of joy all we could do was praise God!

 

(Jesus' words from Luke 24:44-49)