[:en]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

If God’s willing we’ll have our Thanksgiving retreat again this year. And, if the Lord permits, the theme will be, “God Will Make a Way When There Seems to be No Way,” which is based on the Book of Ruth. I will break it down into three messages: (a) He is There All the Time and All the Way; (b) It’s Never in Vain; and (c) He will Make a Way When There Seems to be No Way.” I certainly hope many of you will come and join us in this beautiful retreat center.

The Book of Ruth is one of my favorites. Perhaps what makes is so dear to me is the fact that it is about the struggles of two women—who happened to be widows—to go on living in spite of life’s unmerciful hardship. And, how God wove their lives in such a way that in the end, something beautiful came out of it! As we shall see later, all that happened—imperfect as they seemed and painful as they could be—were in fact a part of God’s good plan.

In less than three months we’ll celebrate Christmas—the earthly birth of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was the greatest gift God ever gave to us but unlike our Christmas presents, this Greatest Gift did not have a beautiful wrapping paper. The birth of Jesus was messy and unclean—outdoor, in a stable, and placed in a manger! Not a pretty and presentable gift as far as we are concerned.

But, that is consistent with the way God works. More often than not God’s work begins with something messy and unclean. Naomi and Ruth’s lives began with something messy but behind this ugly mess God quietly weaves His good and perfect plan. No wonder in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard concludes that the world that we live in is a safe place. Yes, it is safe because it’s made safe by the presence and the working power of God.

Pastor Paul[:id]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

If God’s willing we’ll have our Thanksgiving retreat again this year.
And, if the Lord permits, the theme will be, “God Will Make a Way When There Seems to be No Way,” which is based on the Book of Ruth. I will break it down into three messages: (a) He is There All the Time and All the Way; (b) It’s Never in Vain; and (c) He will Make a Way When There Seems to be No Way.” I certainly hope many of you will come and join us in this beautiful retreat center.

The Book of Ruth is one of my favorites. Perhaps what makes is so dear to me is the fact that it is about the struggles of two women—who happened to be widows—to go on living in spite of life’s unmerciful hardship. And, how God wove their lives in such a way that in the end, something beautiful came out of it! As we shall see later, all that happened—imperfect as they seemed and painful as they could be—were in fact a part of God’s good plan.

In less than three months we’ll celebrate Christmas—the earthly birth of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was the greatest gift God ever gave to us but unlike our Christmas presents, this Greatest Gift did not have a beautiful wrapping paper. The birth of Jesus was messy and unclean—outdoor, in a stable, and placed in a manger! Not a pretty and presentable gift as far as we are concerned.

But, that is consistent with the way God works. More often than not God’s work begins with something messy and unclean. Naomi and Ruth’s lives began with something messy but behind this ugly mess God quietly weaves His good and perfect plan. No wonder in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard concludes that the world that we live in is a safe place. Yes, it is safe because it’s made safe by the presence and the working power of God.

Pastor Paul[:]