B90X wk 7: precious words

Text covered:Psalm 89:14, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah 13:22

Memory verse: Proverbs 16:3: ‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.’

Ecclesiastes 3:1 'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven'

Reading Status: ‘Red’ for almost caught up!

This was a HUGE week of reading!!! No way could my words express the beauty written within the text of the books covered this week. So, I have decided to cut and paste some of my favorites and ones that really spoke to me. 'But', to quote LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, 'you don't have to take my word for it...'

cry out.Psalms 6:6-10

6 I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

refuge.Psalms 9:9&10

9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

father.Psalms 10:17&18

17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

cry.Psalms 13

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and everyday have sorrow in my hear?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my hear rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.

God's greatness.Psalms 18:1-3, 25-36

1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

hope.Psalms 20:1,4&5

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your request.

deliverance.Psalms 31:1-8

1 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

repent.Psalms 51:1&2, 10

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

trust.Psalms 56:3&4

3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

sovereignty.Psalms 86:5-8, 11-13

5You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

8 Among the gods there is non like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided hear,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

thanksgiving.Psalms 100

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
5 For the Lord is good and his loves endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Proverbs 27:1&2

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 28:19

19 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasises will have his fill of poverty.

meaninglessness.Ecclesiastes 1:9, 14

9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

friendlessness.Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

As I went back through my Bible, I began to notice a theme among the verses and passages that I had underlined: brokeness, tears shed, hope. Every emotion, trial and season are mentioned and addressed in the Psalms and Proverbs. As I quoted from Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time and season for everything. I wonder what my underlines might have traced 3 years ago? 8 years ago? And what might they show 5 years in the future? 20 years? What do your underlines show you?

your hands

Happy Fall!!!

As the weather here is changing (slowly but surely) I realized that it was probably time to change the design of my blog. Designing the look is one of my favorite aspects of blogging and I spend WAY too much time on it (often to little results. Ha!)

I decided a couple weeks ago that I am getting old and I'll tell you why: I was really looking forward to the Fall's cooler weather this year. Ha! Sadly, Fall has always been my least favorite season. I know, I know, it is most people's favorite. But allow me to explain:

-In the Fall you have to put away your swimsuits and any chance of last minute pool time is gone (to live everyday in my swimsuit is a dream of mine);

-The Fall means that Winter is the next in the Season Line-Up and that means big, chunky, winter clothes;

-Fall means donning gloves and scarves and, while they make nice fashion statements, are just more accessories to keep up with (Grocery shopping in all of this get-up is one of my least favorite things to do);

-Until last year, Fall meant the start of a new school year.

To name a few :)

Don't get me wrong; the Fall has a lot going for it: football, pumpkin carving, Thanksgiving, anticipation of Christmas, etc. I think it all boils down to the fact that I am a cold-natured person and trying to warm up is that much more difficult when it's already cold outside. But this year, I have to admit, I was looking forward to the cooler weather; this is a HUGE deal! I can't even tell you why but I can tell you I have enjoyed it! Well, most aspects...Ha!

On another note...

...I love music. Have you ever heard a song, thought you knew the words and never thought much of it? Unfortunately I do this a lot. In fact, I have my very own Ellen version of most songs played on the radio; Ellen's lyrics almost always rhyme and rarely make any sense. Ha!

Have you ever 're-learned' a song; heard it played somewhere where you can focus on the lyrics, meanings and emotions? This happened to me recently with JJ Heller's Your Hands. I have heard this song numerous times and always loved the sounds of it but I had never paid any attention to the words. Unfortunately I had this re-learning experience with this song at a funeral that I recently attended. One of the young daughters of the deceased sang this song in honor of her father. It was beautiful; there was not a dry eye in the house. How she had the strength to stand up there and sing is beyond my understanding, but God used it to touch everyone that was present.

Your Hands is my current most-favorite song. I hope that you enjoy it, too :)

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still

B90X wk 6: strong charcacter

Text covered: Nehemiah 13:15, Esther, Job, Psalm 89:13

Memory verse: Job 42:2: ‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.’

Reading Status: ‘Red’ for almost caught up!

This was a huge week in the scriptures; from the strength of Esther, the tribulations and testing of Job and the beautiful words of the Psalms I have been filled!

Esther: another heroine who's strengths and characteristics we can learn a whole lot from.

*Strengths:
-she was courageous
-she was a careful planner
-she was open to advice and willing to listen
-she was more concerned for others than her own security

What we can *learn form Esther's life:
-God has a purpose for every situation that He puts us in.
-Serving God often demands that we risk our own security.

These are both tough pills to swallow; I would dare to say that these both fall into the 'Easier said that done' category. Would you not agree?! It seems that I find myself asking God things like, 'Why me?', 'Why here?', or even better: 'Why NOT?!

Since the beginning of my unemployed, living-at-home, now working-for-almost minimum-wage season I have seen God's hand at work and have had my eyes open to some of His greater purpose. While I doubt that I will ever know every reason for my time here I do know that I am right where He wants me to be. I have also learned that I may not be here solely for my benefit but possibly others' as well; whether it be my parents, co-workers, people's names I do not know or people I have yet to meet, or never meet for that matter. We are all instruments in His greater plan and purpose. He doesn't promise us all pink roses, all the time; only the security in knowing we have eternal life in Him.


Job: (not to be confused with the J-O-B that I am diligently searching for. Ha!) was prosperous-he had thousands of cattle, sheep and other livestock to fill his pastures; a large , beautiful family that filled every seat at his dinner table. It appeared he had everything. Satan, ever the accuser, presented this argument to God: that Job trusted God because of his great health and wealth; he had never struggled in anything. To prove him wrong, God allowed Satan to bring destruction and devastation to Job. In the following chapters we see Job tested, advised by friends and finally, answered by God.

*Strengths:-He was a man of faith, patience and endurance
-He was known as a caring, generous man

What we can *learn form Job's life:
-Knowing God is better than knowing answers
-Pain is not always punishment
-God is not arbitrary or uncaring

Have you ever found yourself feeling like Job? Whether it be a decline in health, pay cut, loss of a job, loss of a friend or loved one, we have all experienced a case of 'I wish things were the same as back when...'

I found myself in a discount shoe store this weekend. For those of you that know me knows that this has the potential to be a very bad situation. Why not buy more since you are getting such a great deal?! That has been my shopping philosophy pretty much from the day I was born. But, due to my current financial situation, buying more does not save me any money; no money at all.

So now, on the off chance that I allow myself anywhere near new, shiny shoes, I have to stop and think what even a $15 pair of shoes is worth to me. Queen Justifier of any and all purchases has had to take a back seat and let me just tell you-she is not happy child-locked in back there. But, I can tell you that I have learned so much during this period of non-shopping; among many things I have successfully made it halfway through the B90X challenge (and fully intend to finish!) and been able to spend time with both new and old friends, getting to know them all much better.

Not being able to buy a new pair of shoes may sounds silly to you; for some it may be a true problem. The point, though, is not the finances to buy new shoes whenever a shiny pair calls your name but that we all have experienced times of 'What we once had' and times of adjustment. It's what we choose to learn from these periods that shapes us into the man or woman that God desires for us to be.


Psalms: such a beautiful book, I found myself in so many of the pages of this book. While almost every one of the spoke to me I have chosen one that really gripped me as I through it; the entire chapter ended up being underlined in my Bible!

Psalm 13

'1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.'

*Book and character summaries taken from The Life Application Study Bible

B90X wk 5: in a pit?

Text covered: 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah 13:14

Memory verse: 1 Chronicles 16:34: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is Good; his love endures forever.’

1 Chronicles 29:10-14, 17: I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All things have I given willingly and with honest intent. and now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.'

Reading Status: ‘Red’ for almost caught up!

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine game me 5 pod casts to listen to while driving back and forth from work and church. I guess the Lord prompted her to give them to me as I really needed to hear them. The pod-casts are a sermon series by Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. In the first podcast, titled Defying Odds: Chase the Lion, Mark uses many references to Benaiah, the man in charge of King David’s bodyguard.

In all of my years of church sermons and Bible study I have never heard of this man or his credentials. But he seemed intriguing. Then, as I got to King David’s story in 2 Samuel, lo and behold, there was Benaiah and his resume: ‘He also went down in a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.’ (2 Samuel 23:20)

Benaiah is listed many other places throughout the Books of History in the Old Testament and described as ‘the son of Jehoiada’ but twice he called out as the man who went down in a pit with a lion on a snowy day.

Have you ever been in a pit? With a lion? While snowing??? A quote from the sermon still sticks out to me:

‘No one asks to be put in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, but it is these experiences that make life worth living.’
Mark Batterson

Think about that; what does it say to you? I realized that I am in a similar type of pit; if job seeking in our unstable economy had a face, paws and roar, I bet they would look and sound similar to that of a lion.

I know I’ve said it before but I will say it again--I know and believe that God has something out there for me, but to get there I must be patient, face the lion and persevere.

What is your lion? How is the weather in your pit? I’m pretty certain that no one reading this can say that their pit is not a pit at all but a beach in sunny California with a sunny and cloudless forecast. If that is you, I promise that the storms will be rolling in before too long. Just remember, we are brought through pits, stormy weather and ugly, giant encounters to build our own strength, character and integrity.

As it turns out, Mark Batterson wrote a book titled In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars. I have not read it yet but cannot wait to tackle it. I will let you know how it is; or, better yet, go read it yourself!

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson

meet me at the disco courts

Ahhhh.....I have missed my blog!!! I have been so busy lately that writing and updating has been put on the back burner :(

So....what has been keeping me busy?! I would love to tell you....The weather here has been AMAZING!!! A few friends got together to play volleyball a few Sundays ago. I had every intention of playing but the weather felt soooooooooo good and I was sooooooooo tired that I found myself passed out in a pool chair while sitting under a pagoda. This was my view! God’s creation is so beautiful!


I went to a Sunday School social one Friday night-70’s Skate Night! It was so much fun and a great work out! Well, it was a good workout for the right leg; we went in the same direction (counter clockwise) for about 2.4 hours and clockwise for about 30 min!


There were some very interesting outfits. Like most decades, the 70s offers a wide variety of options and styles to pull from-disco, hippie, polyester (or, as I like to call them, ‘Brady Bunch’ uniforms) etc. Every style was well, or badly, represented :)


As I was getting ready for the evening I decided that I have good 70s hair. Ha! It grows out fast and hangs straight no matter what I do to it. However, while my hair would have been socially acceptable I decided that I would never have made it had I grown up in the 70s. When Googling images of 70s attire I failed to notice how guys wore their hair in that era; not the wavy locks growing out of their head but their facial hair. I have had a strange sort of hair-a-phobia since the day I was born. I’m not kidding! You can ask my parents and they would tell you that I used to cry and run away from ANY man with ANY type of facial hair. And, to this day, I am still NOT a fan. I don’t know what it is! I do know that the first two guys that greeted me at the skate rink had these silly, shady looking mustache things carved onto their face. Everyone made a big deal about them, saying their ‘staches were awesome and made their outfits. I begged to differ but kept my mouth shut and skated (silently) away. Ok, I’m over it :)

Exhibit A: Scary-n-Hairy


Exhibit B: Silly 'Stache


I was able to find a long sleeve, polyester printed top to wear with blue jeans and my own disco-like shoes. To finish off the outfit my mom lent me her letter man's sweater from 1976! I was disappointed that I couldn't squeeze into her cheer leading uniform from that same year. During my Senior year in High School I got to wear it for a 70s day we had in a Modern American History class. The outfit was a hit! Unfortunately I have put on a few pounds and possibly another leg since then.


Somewhere in here I went to a wedding. It was absolutely beautiful! It was set up outdoors underneath a gazebo. The weather was perfect; if you wanted to have an outdoor wedding that day was the perfect day to do it!


Next up: INTents. What do you get when you put 100 junior high students, 30 tents, 22 pounds of bagged candy, and 2 local Christian rappers on a football field??? A crazy lock-in night of fun! It was a fun, albeit long, night. The kids entered the gates at 7:00 pm Saturday night and held there until 7:30 Sunday morning! On the agenda was hamburgers, a Gospel presentation, glow-in-the-dark capture the flag (did not go so well), s’mores and ‘quiet’ time in their tents. An awesome experience for the kids but one that should only occur once a year!


The student ministry at my church has a good thing going on. I come from a troubled youth pastor past; perhaps that is why I have a special place in my heart for the students. That being said, a few nights ago the church hosted the Worlds’ Largest Dodgeball Tournament! It was quite an operation. 21+ courts were set up on the football field and 1600 students came to ‘dodge’ for the title and first place prizes. They brought in a member of Team Impact to provide the Gospel presentation; 200+ students made decisions for Christ. Praise the Lord!!!


The varsity championship game; the team that won has made it to the final championship every year for the past 3 years but were never able to clench the title. This year, though, they turned a new page and took home a W!!!


Well, that’s the SHORT catch-up version! I hope that you have had a wonderful October and welcomed fall weather!

Sweet friends :)

B90X wk 4: kings and more kings

Text covered:1 Samuel 28:20, 1 Kings, 2 Kings 25:30

Memory verse: 2 Samuel 22:2-4: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in who I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-from violent men you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.’

Reading Status: ‘Red’ for very, very behind!

Unfortunately I was unable to keep up with my readings this week :( But I am not giving up!

I did want to share a portion of David's Song of Praise (2 Samuel 22) You really should read it in it's entirety but here is a part that really spoke to me:

31 "As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?

33 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stnad on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can ben a bow of bronze.

36 You give my your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.

37 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ancles do not turn.'

It is so easy to say that 'God's way is perfect and so much harder to know that 'God's way is perfect'. We have to recognize that His way is perfect, believe it is perfect, and trust it is perfect. It is my prayer for you that in whatever situation you may be faced with right now that you recognize, believe and trust in Him and that His way is indeed PERFECT!!!

B90X wk 3: be like Ruth

Text covered: Deuteronomy 23:12, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 28:19

Memory verse: Joshua 1:9: ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’

Reading Status: ‘Green’ for caught up and on time!


I am so happy to say that I am caught up in my reading! I am also happy to be out of the Books of the Law! I know they are all there for a purpose and are important (God would not have included them if they weren’t) but they can be a challenge to diligently read through.

I am a relationship guru. I love interactions with friends and those around me. We learn so much through these interactions: how to deal with others, things about yourself (both good and bad), what you believe and don’t believe and so much more. We also learn who we want to be around, those we like and dislike. For the most part, we choose to surround ourselves with those who encourage us, share similar beliefs and those who will not be a negative influence on us.

And that brings me to Ruth. I love this book of the Bible. I have never read it from beginning to end until now; if you haven’t you probably should! I had also never let the fact that Ruth was a female sink in. Of course I recognized she was female but I had never considered the importance and significance of this fact. Think about it: she has her own book in the Bible, our guidelines for life.

In no way am I a women’s activist; I believe it is God’s plan for the man to be head of our households (both family and church family). But as a female I know it can be hard sometimes when we read the Bible and hear about all of the wonderful, and not so wonderful, men that God used. We rarely see any women mentioned and it sometimes leaves me wondering ‘Where do I fit in?’. The point is this: females are just as important to Him and He uses each and every one of us to fulfill His plan. Ruth had a story to tell and in just a few, short chapters God reveals to us what a woman of faith, integrity and commitment should look like.

God used Ruth is such a mighty way. Her story seems simple: she becomes widowed at a young age, steals the heart of another good man and said man cares and provides for her for the rest of her years. The outline sounds simple; sure there was heartache but the Lord provided, right? But it is in the paragraphs that fill in the outline that we find that her life was anything but simple. They reveal to us that it was her faithfulness and commitment to God and trust in her relationship with her mother-in-law that carried her through many dark and ugly valleys.

I want to be like Ruth. I also want to surround myself with Naomi’s; women of God who seek Him first and help make His truths evident to me through the long journey of life. Naomi’s who have ‘been there, done that’ and can rejoice in my joy and cry in my sorrow, knowing from experience that the Lord will restore us if we seek Him. Naomi’s who encourage me in my faithfulness and trust in the Lord. Naomi and Ruth were both loved and provided for by God, just as you are loved and important to Him.

I learned a new word this week: kinsman-redeemer. Knowing the meaning and symbolism behind titles such as these in the Bible helps us to see the bigger picture and God’s omni-presence in each and every one of our lives. I am not confident in my own ability to convey to you the meaning and importance of this word so here is the explanation from The Life Application Study Bible (NIV):

‘A kinsman-redeemer was a relative who volunteered to take responsibility for the extended family. When a woman’s husband died, the law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) provided that she could marry a brother of her dead husband. but Naomi had no more sons. In such a case, the nearest relative to the deceased husband could become a kinsman-redeemer and marry the widow. The nearest relative did not have to marry the widow. If he chose not to, the next nearest relative could take his place. If no one chose to help the widow, she would probably live in poverty the rest of her life because in Israelite culture the inheritance was passed on to the son or nearest male relative, not to the wife. To take the sting out of these inheritance rules, there were laws for gleaning and kinsman-redeemers.

We have a kinsman-redeemer in Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, came to earth as a man in order to save us. By his death on the cross, he has redeemed us from sin and hopelessness and thereby purchased us to be his own possession (1Peter 1:18, 19). This guarantees our eternal inheritance.’

Ruth found her kinsman-redeemer in Boaz. Boaz loved and provided for both Ruth and Naomi, carrying on the name of Naomi’s dead husband’s family. The lineage of Boaz is recorded in the last few verses of chapter 4. Here we see that Ruth was the great-grandmother of David. If Boaz had not taken on the responsibility of Ruth’s family name and property David would not have been born. If David had not been born Jesus would not have been born. If Jesus had not been born our Messiah would have not come back to be our Kinsman-Redeemer. I don’t even want to think where we might be today if the Messiah had not come back to redeem us.