The other day I was given a different perspective on this whole study on friendship. I was reading about Judas and trying to visualize the time he spent with Jesus. Just like the other disciples, he was chosen by the Lord, traveled with Him, spent time with Him, was given authority over demons by Him and sent out to proclaim the Good News. At the last supper when Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, not one person said, “I knew it! That Judas could never be trusted,” in fact, many asked Jesus if they were the one. During the three years of Jesus’ ministry all…

If I had to summerize the character of Ruth in one statement it would be, “Compelled by Love.” I imagine that she had intense moments of grief, cried tears quietly as she tried to sleep, felt true loneliness and was overwhelmed at times. But regardless of how she was personally feeling, she was always more concerned for the welfare others. It made me stop and ask myself, “when was the last time I did something because I was compelled by love?” Not because it was what I was suppose to do or something I should do, but doing it completely from a heart driven by love. Then God graciously gave…

Anyone who has made a post on social media has experienced what it’s like to be vulnerable. The definition of vulnerable is to be open to moral attack, criticism, temptation, capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt. One of the most common weapons used to hurt people and make them feel vulnerable are words. Think about how many friendships are ended because of words. Once we’ve been wounded we generally build walls that keep us from being vulnerable to the possibility of being hurt again. This kind of thinking makes it very difficult to embrace new friendships and often results in missing out on great possibilities. When Naomi and…

It’s very common in the Travel Industry for people to venture into the unkown. My first international trip was to Europe when I was 17 years old. I had never been out of the country and I was wide eyed and eager to see different cultures, try new foods and explore historical sights. I was very naive and had no idea what to expect. Of course I would imagine what I would see and how much fun I would have, but nothing truly prepared me for the adventure. One of the things that surprised me the most was that you could be in one country for breakfast and in a…

Relationships can be complicated, messy and frustrating. But they can also be filled with love, understanding and life long frienships. Everyday we have a choice of whether or not to remain in our relationships. Those choices take heartfelt determination to offer grace, love and forgiveness, while remembering that the other person is also faced with the same choices concerning us. Think of the examples that we have in the story of Ruth. Daily she chose to encourage a bitter woman. Daily she chose to walk and live with her. Daily she chose to find ways to serve her and all the while she did it with a kind heart which…

Like Naomi, Ruth was well acquainted with grief and loss. She too had lost her father-in-law, her husband, her brother-in-law and had no children after ten years of marriage. Her pain was just as real and raw as Naomi’s. In her loss she fully understood Naomi’s situation, her discouragement, her bitterness, her hopelessness and yet she didn’t compare her situation to others or blame God, rather she used it to help someone else. When given the opportunity to return to her family she didn’t hesitate to make her choice known to Naomi that she would go with her and would make a new life in a new land and would…

Have you ever felt like you have nothing or that you have lost everything? That’s exactly how Naomi felt. Her husband had died leaving her with two sons. In time they married foreign girls from the land they were living in and after about ten years both of her sons died. There were no grandchildren to carry on the family name and Naomi was away from her homeland with big decisions to be made. She decided to return to her native land and informed her daughter-in-laws. Naomi encouraged both of them to return to their families and start a new life saying, “it’s more bitter for me than for you,…

Last weekend we were at our weekend home by the river and I was struggling with emotions over some personal issues and praying that I would handle them correctly. A breeze started and I got up to close the umbrella on the patio table. Right then I saw a dear friend of mine walking towards our camper. What a beautiful site! It made me want to cry. She sat by the river and we talked about other things, but just her presence reminded me that I have a friend who understands because she had been in the same situation years before. Her friendly visit quieted my heart and brought a…

In the story of Ruth, Naomi had made a decision to return to her home in Bethlehem. She informed her two daughter-in-laws of her decision and suggested that they also return to their parents home and begin new lives. One daughter-in-law named Orpah did just that and with tears in her eyes returned to the life she had known before. Ruth made the decision to go with Naomi and begin a new life regardless of the unknown. We are also faced with a decision to remain in our lives that we’ve come to know and be comfortable with or to choose Christ and venture out into a new life with…