We’ve discovered in our recent sermon series on the book of Ruth that Naomi suffered great loss and was in a state of despair upon her return to Bethlehem: “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” (Ruth 1:20) But we’ve seen that God
Tim Keller presented a talk at the 2007 The Gospel Coalition conference on “What Is the Bible Basically About?”, which was the basis of this video created by Heath McPherson. The art used is that of Gustave Doré (1832-1883).
“What if we saw October 31 not merely as an occasion for asking self-oriented questions about our participation (whether we should or shouldn’t dress the kids up or carve pumpkins), but for pursuing others-oriented acts of love? What if we capitalized on the opportunity to take a step forward in
On Saturday, October 17, our church deacons hosted a fellowship event called “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”. Following are reflections from Amy McGowan about that night. I admit it: I was nervous. Although my husband, Scott, and I have been attending NSCBC for about a year and a half,
As the body of Christ, we have a high calling to community, prayer, and mutual service. We desire as a church family to bear each others burdens and kneel with one another in prayer for ourselves, our church, and our world. Some in our church body have been facing particularly difficult circumstances and
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have
As we journey together through the book of Ruth, we’re considering how the Gospel is made known through this woman’s story. Ruth is a book about God’s hesed love – his unstoppable, never-changing, always & forver love. Yet, this love is displayed in the context of pain and suffering. This is seen in the three main
In our recent series in Ruth, we’ve discovered that God’s hesed love promises that suffering will not only be “made up for” but will be more beautiful for having once been lost. This concept is picked up in the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery: “But we have this treasure
