TreasuresInTerraCotta

Now that we're finished with Ruth what's your plan?  If you're anything like me, you might have to admit that on a random Thursday you discover that your Bible hasn't moved from the bag you carried it to church in on Sunday.  Our pastor challenged us to read 30 Days Through the New Testament.  It's a pretty aggressive reading plan, but I'm going to do it in March.  Is anyone with me? Here's the schedule.    1. Matthew 1-9   2. Matthew 10-15   3. Matthew 16-22   4. Matthew 23-28   5. Mark 1-8   6. Mark 9-16   7. Luke 1-6   8. Luke 7-11   9. Luke 12-18   10. Luke 19-24   11. John 1-7   12. John 8-13   13. John 14-21   14. Acts 1-7   15. Acts 8-14   16. Acts 15-21   17. Acts 22-28   18. Romans 1-8   19. Romans 9-16   20. 1 Corinthians 1-9   21. 1 Corinthians 10-16   22. 2 Corinthians 1-13   23. Galatians - Ephesians   ...

Here we are at the end of our Ruth study already.  I feel like these six weeks have flown by and I am sad to be saying good-bye to Ruth (at least, for now).   If you've been reading along in Ruth without the workbook I want to add a few verses to round out your study.  I would enco urage you to read Matthew 1:1-16 paying attention to whose genealogy is recorded, how it overlaps with the genealogy listed in Ruth 4:18-22 and where Ruth fits in.  As the study author points out, these verses introduce "a name that comes after King David, where the Book of Ruth leaves off--the name that is above all names."  This is truly "the crown of our story." Way back in Week 1 as we began our work in this little book of the Bible I was impressed by Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.   I suspe...

This week we worked through Ruth 4:1-13.  We witnessed some unusual Jewish customs, heard Boaz proclaim his intention of redeeming Ruth, heard a blessing proclaimed by the town-folks, and got a quick summary of the marriage and subsequent birth of a son. Part of the introduction to this week's lessons addressed a ministry in the Amazon called "Ray of Hope". The people of this ministry have sacrificed their lives, looking for a Ruth in the eyes of every Amazonian they meet. ... And [God] often uses generous, radically kind people like Boaz to find them... (p 117) Related to that, is the one question that struck me this week.  It is a question that probably doesn't have a specific answer, but it will allow us to think about Boaz, especially as a redeemer. Why did Boaz show Ruth such kindness? (p123) I would love for you to chime in. Homework: Session/Week 6; Ruth 4:14-22 This is our last week of study together. I can hardly believe it has gone by so quickly....

We are slowly making our way through Ruth, covering Ruth 3:1-18 this week. This week we heard Naomi unveil a crazy plan, we traveled with Ruth to the threshing floor, we witnessed another interaction between Ruth and Boaz (this one proposing and promising marriage!) and we took a collective gasp upon hearing that another man stood between Boaz and Ruth. I think it's safe to say the plot thickened. I hope you are enjoying Ruth as much as I am. Today let's talk about prayer. If there is anything I have learned from my Thursday Bible Study girls it is the power and importance of prayer. We have prayed for the usual breadth of concerns that are often brought up in well-acquainted groups. We have stopped in the middle of lessons to pray for specific needs. We have put aside the lesson all-together in exchange for a time of focused Bible-based prayers. We have "laid hands on" and prayed for more than one amongst us. We have even been prayed over "in-tongues....

I did this same study of Ruth last summer. I joined an on-line discussion group with women from around the world in an attempt to avoid spending a whole summer without Bible study. It should be no surprise that less than a year later this study is hitting me differently. Last summer, I remember being really touched by the concept of hesed kindness. This week as we read Ruth 2: 10-23, however, I have been pondering the double edged blessing of how "God provides us with the gift of work yet still invites us to do the work" (Day 4, p79) Maybe my vantage point has changed since I am now a homeschooling mom or maybe the view is different because of expecting a third boy or just maybe the dog hair is finally getting to me. But this concept of work seems so pertinent, especially since I can not quickly and easily define my "work" as a "career" or "job." How can I be a more diligent worker? And how can I more purposefully rest? I feel like I need...

Our reading and homework this week left me with a physical sensation. A mental image. A progression of postures, if you will. We started in Ruth 1:19-21 where, in my mind's eye, I saw Naomi standing boldly and shaking her fist in the air saying, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?" I would love to know how you feel about Naomi's raw emotion and her accusations directed toward God. What do you think we can learn from her passionate expression? Do her words make you as uncomfortable as they do me? And why do you think that is? Then over the course of the week I felt the push-and-pull of opposing feelings and ideas. - "there's no place like home" versus arriving home bitter and empty - praying expectantly and sowing with tears - chuckling at...

My boys were playing air guitar at the dinner table last night. Chris Tomlin was on the radio singing " I Will Follow ." The lyrics say: Where You go, I'll go Where You stay, I'll stay Where You move, I'll move I will follow You Earlier in the day I had finished Session 1, Day 5 where we were introduced to Ruth as she says, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." Of all the verses in Ruth, these are probably the most well known and perhaps the most beloved. They may be words you have memorized or maybe you've heard them read at a wedding. Even at our dinner table I told my boys, "Those words are from the Bible. I was just reading them today during my Bible study."...

The Thursday Bible Study group that meets in person will begin meeting tomorrow, January 6. We'll spend some time catching up, eating, praying, getting to know some new faces, passing out the Ruth workbooks and having an all-around good time. If you are joining us electronically please let us know who you are. We will all be getting to know one another over the next few weeks and months. And I can't wait to get to know Ruth and her God better as well. Yes, it involves some work but I am becoming increasingly convinced that big results require more than meager investments. I loved this phrase in the workbook introduction: [Ruth] is godliness with its sleeves rolled up... Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work? Update Homework this week; for discussion next Thrusday: Session/week 1, Day 1-5

What's your plan for the new year? Do you have a plan for spiritual growth? Will you intentionally be learning about and loving Jesus more? Would you consider joining me in a study of Ruth? My regular Thursday Bible study group will be working through Ruth: Loss, Love and Legacy by Kelly Mintner. Our in-person group will begin meeting January 6. Several of our regular attenders can't make it in person but will be studying along with us. I am going to take a leap of faith and open up an on-line discussion to anyone who might want to join us here in blog world. The workbook will take us through the four chapters of Ruth over the course of six weeks by providing five days of homework each week. There are no videos or specific group sessions. In person we will probably highlight a few questions from the workbook for discussion or share something that impacted us during the week. I plan to do the same here either posting questions or opening up the floor for personal obser...