Why Ruth?

Well ladies tomorrow is the day...our launch meeting.  I cannot even begin to tell you how I excited I am to begin this journey with all of you.  Today I'm going to give you all a little sneak peak!  Our very first study will be on a small little book tucked away in the pages of the Old Testament.  Only 4 chapters long, many may wonder why I chose to start here...well, I didn't.  God did.  From the moment I was obedient to God's command to start this group, God has laid the book of Ruth upon my heart.  I have known without any doubt in my mind that this is exactly where He would like us to begin.  I have wondered, even prayed about why.  Maybe it is because in this book we have such beautiful illustration of love between Naomi and Ruth.  Theirs was a relationship bound by God and together they honored God.  On the other hand maybe God is trying to show us right away that He can and will use anyone who is faithful to Him for great things.  Things much greater than ourselves.  As we dive into this piece of Scripture we will find out how this ordinary Moabite girl found herself and her descendants in the line of the coming Messiah. 
As I end today's entry I want to share something written in the commentary of my Bible about Ruth and Naomi's relationship.  Ponder the questions asked and begin to ask God to reveal himself in fresh and new ways as we study and grow together.
 "God was at the center of their intimate communication.  Ruth came to know the God of Israel through Naomi.  The older woman allowed Ruth to see, hear, and feel all the joy and anguish of her relationship with God.  How often do you feel that your thoughts and questions about God should be left out of a close relationship?  How often do you share your unedited thoughts about God with your spouse or friends?  Sharing openly about your relationship with God can bring depth and intimacy to our relationship with others."
Dear Heavenly Father,
As we begin this journey you have set us upon I pray for your guidance and your presence.  May this group be used to knit a community of sisters in Christ together for your use and your glory.  May your word touch and change lives.  Father I pray that your hand be upon our school, our children, our staff, and our families.  Keep us on a path that has us continually seeking your face and your wisdom.  Build up leaders among us so that we may be a mighty and bold witness to our neighborhood.  May people all around us see your light within us.  May we shine your light into our darken world.  May we may touch lives all around us in the name of your holy and precious son, Jesus.
Amen.

In the beginning...

I must start this group with a confession...it was actually probably close to three years ago that God first laid on my heart that we needed a ladies Bible study and prayer group at WWCS.  At the time I was walking through the deepest valley of my life and I was awed by the way my sisters in Christ came around me and loved me so completely.  It was a Godly love that surpassed anything I had ever experienced in friendship.  I knew it was so special and I desired for all women to have that kind of connection with their sisters in the body of Christ.  Unfortunately, at the time I did nothing.  I let the idea that God had whispered into my heart fall to the back of my mind.  Many times over the last three years I have thought how awesome it would be to have such a group...if someone would just step up and do it.  Now I'm not sure who I was waiting for.  Clearly, God had told me to do it.  Of course my thoughts were not quite tuned to God's...yet.  About a month ago as I sat in the 9am service at The Woods, Pastor Gocha was preaching a message, I honestly couldn't tell you what he said because God was speaking so loudly to me.  He clearly pointed out that it was time.  Time for me to step up and begin a group for the ladies of WWCS.  It was not an audible voice, but it was one of those moments that you know God has spoken.  For weeks after that ideas begin to flow out of me...once again a God thing.  So here we are, at the beginning.  The beginning of something that God has thought up and is now fulfilling in His time.  It is His time to speak to us.  He wants us to remember that yes we are wives, we are mothers, we are grandmothers, we are aunts, we are teachers, but first and foremost we are the daughters of the Most High God.  We are the Daughters of Grace.

Listen to this playlist: Daughters of Grace