Meat for the Hungry

  Worship House Media       Can you believe it? Amid Thanksgiving preparations, a world war was escalating. Would it happen? Was the handwriting already on the wall? Had God weighed our world in the balances and found it wanting? [1]      For a while now, I’ve felt the end of the age [2] fast approaching. Chaos, insanity, wars, rumors of wars now with nuclear capabilities, and artificial intelligence so threatening humanity that, if possible, no flesh would remain. [3] Earlier, it seemed the LORD gave America and, by extension, the world a reprieve and great hope for the future. But with this current volatility, I’m not so sure.      End-time disorder is prophesied in the Bible. Are Jesus’s warnings coming to life before our eyes, blinking on and off like a neon sign declaring, “The End is Near?”       Hold on…Jesus also said, “…See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, b...

       Gordon kept the throne room doors open on the off chance I might need him. Our voices had echoed down the long hall and into the palace great room. More angels heard the commotion, and word spread throughout Heaven. Now, angels of every rank crowded the doorway and began spilling into the throne room. Even Randall, my armor room supervisor, had made his way to the front and stood alongside Gordon. Eyes gleamed, and smiles exploded when the angels grasped the reason for the gathering. The Sovereign LORD was about to reveal his mysterious plan hidden since before the foundation of the world. For this moment all Heaven had waited. The angels couldn’t contain themselves, and they rushed in. But the frontrunners braked, and the others plowed into them when they learned God, the Son, would be leaving. The throne room became like a theater audience before a show. Chatter and indistinguishable words filled the air as they, too, tried to dissuade him. “Enough,” b...

Tinsel, glittering trees, sparkling lights, wreaths, and decorations in their place. Nativity displayed. Cards addressed and mailed. Candles lit. Table set. Ham glazed. Cookies baked, candies molded, nut bowls filled. Cocoa simmering, presents wrapped, ribboned, and bowed, and a family dressed to the nines. What a p e r f e c t C h r i s t m a s ! Oh, how I wish this were me. I did better with C h r i s t m a s when I was younger, probably because I started in September. Lately, though, the perfect Christmas seems elusive, and I’d rather escape into Christmas poems, books, and movies. In them, I rarely see the behind the scenes work or the chaos that ensues with my not-so-perfect Christmases. Neither is there the stress, depression, or frustration building during the holidays. Sometimes we’re missing loved ones, sometimes we’re lonely, sometimes it’s disturbing news or a serious diagnosis, and sometimes we’re simply dreading the work of putting up decorations, just to take th...

    In 1991 the movie, City Slickers , premiered. Three city boys decided to spend their vacation driving cattle on an authentic cattle drive. The experience, they surmised, would end their mid-life crisis and in the process they’d become genuine cowboys. Their vacation commenced at a dude ranch in the southwest where they learned and prepared for the drive. It was here they met rugged, mean-looking, and very seasoned trail boss, Curly. The drive begins normally, yet as in all comedies and good stories, chaos quickly follows. Along the way, the main character, Mitch, played by Billy Crystal, learns from Curly, played by Jack Palance, the secret to life is one thing . When Mitch asks, “What’s the one thing?” Curly says, “That’s what you’ve got to figure out.” Mitch goes wild trying to discover what Curly means by one thing. In the end, Mitch seems to learn his one thing. Satisfied, he returns home to live the proverbial happily ever after. According to the City Slicker...

So it has come to this. Through sobs of disbelief and anguish, a strong arm supported her. She took one last gaze upward into the sweet face of the baby she cradled, the boy she nurtured, and the incredible man he had become. How can this be? His once pleasant face now swelled, distorted, bruised and bloodied from the beating. Thorns stabbed his head and his body wrenched in pain. Hanging on this cross, wooden shards relentlessly gouged his open wounds. Thick, rusty spikes gored his hands and feet. Sweat and blood-striped agony gripped him. Yet, his eyes were full of love, not anger. He nodded one last goodbye and she felt John’s nudge. She wanted to stay and protest, to scream aloud the injustice of it all, but how could she watch him die? How could God let this happen? Bewildered, she stepped back.

sarahbmartin.wordpress.com Emerging from her hiding place, Ruth carried out Naomi’s instructions to the last detail. While Boaz slept, “… she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down . Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.” ( Ruth 3:7-8) When we study the book of Ruth, we must remember the symbolism our great God has built into this amazing true story. Ruth, as we have seen in past lessons, represents the church, the bride of Christ, and Boaz, our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, where we find Ruth in relation to Boaz is important. She is at his feet. This is a place of submission, a position of humility, and an attitude of surrender and expectation. Ruth, helpless and vulnerable, looked to Boaz for hope and a future.