Preparing for marriage, learning about how I try to justify my decisions and life every single day through the most “routine” things (instead of trusting Christ for my value and righteousness), learning what it means to truly be a woman, and trying to keep up with life in general has provided me with a fountain of truth and teaching, which I am trying to soak up and to write upon my heart, in order that it may find a home there. I have quite a few thoughts, but will only share a small amount right now.

I was looking on the Acts 29 website (Coram Deo is affiliated with this network), and found an article written by Grace Driscoll in May of 2006. It is entitled, “Is the biblical view of women applicable in our culture today?” Here is an excerpt I especially liked:

In chapter three of Ruth we again see her pure faith in the provision of her God. She goes to Boaz and respectfully said she wanted him to redeem her. Since Boaz had initiated with Ruth throughout their relationship, it was her responsibility to ask for redemption and allow him to make the choice. Being an honest man, Boaz surprised Ruth with the words, “Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I…if he wants to redeem, good…but if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it” (3:12,13). Ruth’s whole future was in limbo with the possibility of being redeemed by a man that she didn’t even know, but was a closer relative to her late husband than Boaz. Did Ruth suddenly doubt God’s sovereignty? Did she try to rule Boaz and tell him that he had to be the one to redeem her? Did she try to do things her own way since God’s way wasn’t quite what she was expecting? No. Ruth went home, not knowing the future but trusting God and Boaz, and waited for Boaz to lead and protect her as he desired to do. Does this make us view Ruth as weak or strong? It makes her extremely vulnerable…but only to God’s sovereignty, which is the safest place we can be. Boaz saw Ruth as a woman of “noble character” and said he would do all that she asked (3:11).

The book ends in chapter 4 with Boaz following through with his commitment. The closer relative did not want to redeem Ruth so, in God’s sovereignty, Boaz did. In front of ten elders (like judges) of the town, Boaz put everything on the line as a man of standing to even associate himself with Ruth, let alone marry and redeem her. Boaz, like Christ, chose his bride, provided more than enough for her, served her, and loved her. She was a foreigner, blemished by her sin, unworthy of his grace and love, but a humble servant. What an unpredictable ending, but a beautiful foreshadow of our redemption through Jesus.

Not only did the elders witness the transaction, they offered blessings of numerous and distinguished offspring (4:11-12). Children were and are a blessing from the Lord. God used this faithful man and woman to bare a son, Obed (David’s grandfather), and be in the lineage of Christ. I am sure that Ruth never imagined that she would contribute to Christ’s lineage. She could have made some very different and seemingly “liberated” decisions, yet she faithfully in discernment walked the road that God laid out for her. Ruth is a true story of a life that began empty and ended full.

Though this story took place hundreds of years ago, it is a great parallel to today. During a dark, evil time God showed up and brought about a wonderful, yet unlikely love story. He demonstrated His power, His love and care for each of us, and His desire to see us walk in His righteousness. Will we trust His perfect ways or will we continue as His people to take our own path?

This last paragraph in particular brings up a swell of love for God’s mercy in me that I can’t quite explain. Why should our Redeemer love us so much that He breathes life into death, and gives beautiful newness to what was dying and decrepit? How merciful He is that He speaks our lives into existence, and through His own power, redeems His creation and holds it for all eternity.

Grace also writes,

Marriage was viewed as a place of rest and security for women. Do you view your marriage as rest or competition? Are you at peace with being a helpmate or, like Eve, do you desire to rule over your husband and switch the order of God’s perfect creation (I Cor. 11:8-9)? Do you try to take on your curse (Gen. 3:16) and your husband’s curse (Gen. 3:17-19) by ruling over domains that are not yours? The lie of the world is that women have to “be all things to all people” and “be superwoman.” If we allow this lie to rule us, we will live a very unfulfilled life.

MCD @ the Omaha Royals Game

Mosaic got to go to the Omaha Royals Game, and I had an on-field interview, a radio interview and Christian threw out the first pitch! It was fun, except that there were about 1,000 kids there, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Ibuprofen.

This is an article I wrote for my work’s monthly newsletter. I thought I’d share it.

Messiness.

Yes…messiness. People and community are messy things. Life doesn’t fit into neat little boxes with lids that I close tightly around them when I need some peace. Sometimes I really wish it did. I don’t like it when I leave a room or a person with tension, or when I have no clue what I’m doing, or when things just don’t make sense.

But, alas, it seems that God delights in bringing me into messy situations…because this is where real life is happening. This is where I realize my true need for a Redeemer. People are broken, people are messed up, life is chaotic, and so am I. The depravity of sin has reached its grappling fingers into every part of my being and into every part of my dreams and desires.

Just when I think I have things all figured out and life is starting to make sense, and to fit into those boxes, God faithfully slaps me in the face by His grace and mercy, and again I see that life isn’t clean cut, and that I am more of a mess than I even realized. And praise God for doing so! Praise Him for crashing down the walls of pride and isolation that I so easily build up in my mind and heart. Praise Him for rescuing me from myself.

I’ve heard it said that when you are living missionally, you will have no clue what you are doing. I must be doing a good job, because daily I must reshuffle my head in order to realize that restoring life to others, myself, and our community is not an easily traceable or manageable series of events. But I must rely on my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to move through the Holy Spirit to restore and renew and bring life again to His creation.

And He is moving! I’ve had and listened to conversations with several people in this last week about how God is “doing something” to get His people out of the church buildings. He is awakening us to remember that indeed, we are the church, and we are in need of the Gospel as much as any man that has ever lived! And when we truly begin to grasp this truth, we experience such joy and soul-wrenching love for Jesus that we cannot help but become part of the revolution of redemption that He is designing!

So embrace the messiness. It reminds me of something my friend Will Walker said: “But here is the deal man, what we consider our greatest failures, often will be a great catalyst for transformation. So just sit back and enjoy the crash.”

There is a Christian Science Reading Room down 13th St. half a block from where I work, and when Tyler comes to visit me, we usually walk right by in on our way to the Holiday gas station where I get a 32 ounce fountain drink - filled 95% with Diet Pepsi and 5% with Dr. Pepper (there’s no root beer).

Today Tyler wanted to stop in, so we did, and we talked to a really nice older gentleman by the name of Maurice for about 15 minutes. We asked him some things about Christian Science, trying to figure out what is different from “traditional western” Christianity. So he told us that Christian Science is based on the Bible (after Tyler asked this question), and that they believe that we can use science to understand how Jesus healed, and prove it, and therefore do it ourselves, logically. He said, “There are some things that seem quite radical at first, until you get used to them,” with a chuckle.

So, that’s fine and dandy, it’s interesting to learn first hand from someone that believes something different than me, and I really would rather hear it from them than read it or hear it from someone that believes the same as me (in most cases).

We talked for a little bit about the founder, Mary Baker Eddy, and such, and I went over to look at something that seemed like a doctrinal statement, which seemed a little sketchy. Somehow it seemed to say that evil is unreal, and some vague things about Jesus and the Christ…(I just tried to look up the 6 tenants of faith, but I had to buy a book).

One key point is this:

“…Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God.” (Science and Health, 361:12-13)

Another is:

“Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal. . . .” (Science and Health, 291:13-16)

And don’t forget these points:

“Man is deathless, spiritual. He is above sin or frailty.” (Science and Health, 266:29-30)

“Christ came to destroy the belief of sin.” (Science and Health, 473:6-7)

“No final judgment awaits mortals, for the judgment-day of wisdom comes hourly and continually, even the judgment by which mortal man in divested of all material error.” (Science and Health, 291:28-31)

And……I would say…..

Not Biblical.