Christian Child Sponsorship Ministries
On Sunday as we encountered famine in Ruth 1, I mentioned Christian Child Sponsorship programs that allow you to help children at risk due to famine and other disasters worldwide. Here are just a couple of places to get you started if your family wants to help those in need in this way: World Vision — The unique angle of World Vision’s program is that they have an option for the child to choose you! Here are a couple of more traditional models of child support: Lifeline Children's Services Compassion
Resources For the Study of Ruth
As we begin our brief (4-week) study of the book of Ruth this Sunday, here are a few resources that might be a help for you as your read and study along with us: The Bible Project overview of the book https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/ruth/ A really creative 5 minute overview video of the book (good for teens!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWjRdjFdiR4 John Piper’s book on Ruth: “A Sweet and Bitter Providence” - (free online) https://document.desiringgod.org/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-en.pdf?ts=1567098105 A short course on the book of Ruth from The Gospel Coalition folks https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/ruth/#content-outline Here are a couple of commentaries I am using and finding insightful: By Daniel Block — Judges,
The Love of Ruth
Read: Ruth 1 Love may be the most loaded word in our vocabulary today. I would venture to guess that it is used every day by almost everyone. The definitional gamut that this single word covers is sensational. It's used to describe everything from our deepest affections for another person to our favorite brand of cereal. I can love the latest album dropped by my favorite musician and love my little girl who I would jump in front of a train for. Would I jump in front of a train for a copy of my favorite album? Maybe a signed copy? Of course not. In fact, prior to the existence of instantly downloadable music, I doubt that I would have traveled more than
Living by Trust Amid National Tragedy
Dear Friends of North Wake I'm writing this just days after a man murdered many children in a school in my country and a week after another man murdered grocery shoppers elsewhere in my country. This is also the week a report revealed that men in leadership roles in churches connected to ours assaulted hundreds of women and children. To add to the horror, an organization that should have been at the forefront of making churches a safe place evidently did little to stop the evil and even protected the abusers. This sorrowful news comes in years after other murders, some by a man who claims to read the
Cool, Tough, and Tender: God Reaches Out (in Hosea)
Parents often have to decide how to relate to their children; we don't relate to a toddler the same way we relate to a teenager. We need wisdom for every situation. There are three main ways we might handle problems that arise with our kids. One option is to give them some space and hope they figure it out on their own. Another tactic might be to be firm with them, ensuring that they feel the unpleasant consequences or to inflict punishment (after much prayer!) Thirdly, as we see them struggling, our hearts go out in compassion for them to
The Heartbreak of Betrayal
As we come closer to the end of Hosea, I can’t help but read Hosea 11 and get a sense of broken-hearted betrayal. When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away Many of us are from families that are broken in some way. Parents are divorced; siblings have left the fold; parents have abandoned us; children have walked away. Maybe we have been deeply wronged by a friend or a spouse. It seems there is no end to the betrayal
When Scripture Makes You Scared
I am listening to Hosea 7:8-10:15 over and over as I prepare this blog. It is not easy listening. Chapter 9: 15-17 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring.” My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations. Sometimes God
God and gods
Read: Hosea 4:1-7:7 Imagine a lady named Linda who works at her desk in her office 12 hours a day and sometimes weekends. Her husband and kids barely see her. She takes calls on weekends that get her up from the dinner table or cause her to walk out of the room at birthday parties. She takes her laptop to her daughter’s soccer games and hands out business cards at her son’s plays. She gets paid very well and reminds people of it often — especially when they tell her she works too much. Imagine a man named Jeffrey who
Hosea Resources
Here are some helpful resources as you study along with our Hosea study on Sunday mornings: Online Resources: The Bible Project - an overview of the book. The Gospel Coalition - online courses full of useful resources and insights. The Hosea Love Story Videos - a dramatized retelling of Hosea and Gomer’s story. These are tastefully done, but the story line is pretty provocative! Good for small group interactions! Click HERE for the link. Commentaries: I have found the commentaries by David Hubbard (Tyndale Old Testament) Gary Smith (NIV Application series) and Duane Garrett (New American Commentary) to all be helpful.
Crazy Love
Read: Hosea 2:14-3:5 I met my wife in middle school. She was hot and I was a hormonal preteen who did not know Jesus. There were a lot of us in my public middle school and looking back on those days makes me cringe. We would objectify our female classmates as things to be conquered and enjoyed; after all, this was the message that movies and pop culture fed us and the impulses that our flesh affirmed. There are many fond and good memories from my middle school and early high school years, but there are also many regrets. Then
