love story.

i just finished David Platts series "love story" about the book of Ruth. wow. never thought there was so much to the book of Ruth. it is only a 4 part series... sermon from every chapter. i always thought it was a sweet little story, but didn't realize the much, much bigger story taking place. did you know that Ruth was King David's great grandma and in the lineage of Jesus? i didn't. here goes the lineup:

Ruth and Boaz

:

Obed

:

Jessie

:

King David

:

Solomon

:

so on...

:

Jacob

:

Joseph

:

KING JESUS

pretty cool family tree huh?

because Joseph is in the clan of Boaz (Bethlehem), he takes Mary to have Jesus there...the land of famine and judgement becomes the land of blessing [Matt. 2]. the bigger story only begins with the end of Ruth chapter 4...flip to Matthew 1:5 and you'll see that apart from Mary, many of the women listed in the 14 generations leading to Jesus Christ did not deserve to be there, but God redeemed them. why? they are there for the same reason we are: grace. we were in the field, just like Ruth...servants...deserving nothing and He pursued us. this isn't just coincidence that Jesus came from this lineage...God is trying to show us the bigger picture of His redemptive plan...the gospel.

In Ruth chapter one, Naomi, her husband and 2 sons move to Moab because there is a famine in Bethlehem. after the tragic loss of her husband and 2 sons, Naomi and Ruth leave Moab and go back to Bethlehem. this is only after Ruth insisted that she go with her mother-in-law. now this doesn't make much sense...why would Ruth, widowed from Naomi's son, insist on going back to Bethlehem...a land that despised and looked down on Moabites? why would Ruth choose to be an outcast and a foreigner when she could have stayed in Moab with her family and possibly remarried? why would Ruth commit to a bitter widow? one amazing truth that I have gained from this is that God calls us to do crazy, radical things that just don't make sense sometimes. that is the beauty of trusting in His bigger story. the story goes on and Boaz pursues Ruth, a servant working in his fields. Boaz marries Ruth and provides for Naomi as well...he is there kinsman redeemer. chapter one begins with 3 deaths ans chapter 4 ends with a wedding and a baby. Naomi holds her grand baby, Obed, at the end of this story which represents how the Lord brought fullness. This whole story starts with sin. Moab was the son of Lot who was seduced by his daughters and Ruth was a Moabite. Ruth is in Christ's direct lineage. the whole story starts with sin, but ends with redemption.

[This story was bigger than what Ruth, Naomi and Boaz realized...God was writing history for His people in a redemptive plan]

here are some truths gained from this love story:

• sin from you past does not dispel hope for your future
• God calls us to do crazy, radical things
• we can trust in God in the worst of times
• God is plotting for the good of His people
• God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purpose
• God has a bigger purpose for my life
• every single detail is under a sovereign God
• we are a part of something much bigger than football and 401ks

[Trust in the one who has the right, resources and resolve to redeem you. then go to the

outcast

the needy

the dirty

the orphan

the widow

the foreigner

the brokenhearted

we have the story of redemption. ]

check it out: http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/love-story/

things that make me happy.

i had one of those weekends where i laughed so hard my tummy hurt and i love it.

war eagle.

a nest.

the yelton birds officially have a nest. yay for first time home buyers. i will miss our cozy wittle condo very much but on to new life phases. this first year and a half has flown by and we are soaking up this sweet time together. we are now blufftonians...for those of you who may not know what that means...we took the venture over the bridge and are moving to bluffton, sc. we are really lovin this lowcountry way of life (especially oyster roasts..clap clap clap) and have been living the past month with some dear friends who we will miss immensely (we love you alberts)...we will only be down the road:) we will be officially in our house sometime in the coming weeks and i'm itching to get everything set. i may already have a design plan and all my colors picked, thanks to my talented bruh bruh.

name.

because the Lord has annointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoner, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengence of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion [to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes], the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garmet of praise instead of a spirit of despair. they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splender.

isaiah 61:1-3

He has bestowed upon us a crown of beauty, instead of ashes. these verses dwell so deep in my spirit and have meant so much to me over the past years. i am a very visual person and I cannot read these verses without picturing the Lord raising me up from the ground and placing the most beautiful crown of roses on my head. that may sound silly, but it's a beautful picture of the gospel. He binds up the brokenhearted, the captive, the poor, the prisoner, the shamful, the lost and adorns them with beauty. He takes from us our shamful ashes, although we may hold to them so tightly, and gives us what we don't deserve. He takes our heaviness and gives to us a garmet of praise. these verses first became so special to me when I was in Africa and my heart beats a little faster when i consider what He has asked.