My Alabaster Box

Raising Naomis: Be a Woman with Impact!

 

 

It's a powerful story that we have learned so many lessons from.  It's a story that shows us the power of family relationships, trust in God, His timing, His purpose and the power of sticking together.  It is the story of Gods's grace in the midst of very difficult circumstances.  It's the love story that so many women refer to when we speak about waiting on our "Boaz".  It's a story that involves quite a few people but only two are mentioned the most.  You guessed it - The Book of Ruth.  Many of us have read this four chapter book plenty of times.  I recently spent a great amount of time studying the Book of Ruth with a focus on Naomi. 

Naomi was living in a time of famine.  She had relocated to Moab with her husband in search of a better life.  It was in Moab where she lost everything.  Her husband died and ten years later, her sons were killed.  She felt that she had lost everything.  Naomi knew God, had a relationship with God, trusted God but for this, she blamed God.  She had lost faith but had no idea that her ray of hope would manifest through her relationship and love for Ruth.  After the loss of her husband and her two sons, she though that it would be best to return to Israel but encourgaged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab to remarry.  This was a selfless act.  Ruth clinged to her and said “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more" (Ruth 1:16-18). Just when Naomi thought that all was lost, she was encouraged by the faithfulness of Ruth.

Honor Begins at Home - Courageous Movie Review

Inspiring, Encouraging, Faith-Building, riveting and even convicting.  These are the descriptions that popped into my mind and heart after seeing this remarkable film!  Courageous is the story of four Sheriffs who are called by the Chief to protect and serve their community.  They are committed and passionate about their careers.  They pour their all into their work.  Dedication to the county lives in their hearts.  Quite frankly, they are the best at what the do – serve and protect their community.  If the deputy sheriff was looking to promote four of his best people to the next level, Adam, Nathan, David and Shane would be the recipients. 

They are all fathers – called by God to serve and protect their families in every way.  In this area, they are falling short.  The same dedication that they bring to their jobs is often left behind when they get home.  Adam doesn’t seem to be paying enough attention to his children.  Nathan is doing well, but knows that good is not enough when it comes to fatherhood.  David is not stepping up to his role and Shane doesn’t seem to have his whole heart quite where it needs to be.  From the outside in, one would say that they are good fathers.  When tragedy strikes home, it forces them to become closer and makes it clear that God is calling them to bring a deeper dedication, passion and commitment to their homes than what they bring to their jobs. 

Find Inspiration by Giving Back: 11 Ways to Touch the Lives of Others

I wrote an article in Hope for Women Magazine about giving back during the Holiday season.  Giving to others is important and gratifying to do - not just during Christmas, but all year round.  I love being able to help others in need.  I don't do it for recognition, I do it because it lights up my life to be a blessing to others.  Below is a short excerpt of the article. 

The Christmas season is a time when many people experience a desire to “give back”  — spiritually, financially, or emotionally. Inspired by our faith, our family, an awareness of our own blessings, or a compassion for others, we may feel the need to pour into the lives of those around us. Our hearts and minds go out to the elderly, or shut in…the sick, or those we know without family…veterans returned home struggling to adapt…and of course, children experiencing poverty (with 1 in 6 families currently in poverty in America, too many children may not necessarily experience a “Merry Christmas”  — or even a stable home, for that matter).

Traditional ways to give back include volunteering time or giving to food banks (see http://feedingamerica.org), donating to organizations like Toys for Tots (www.toysfortots.org), or  providing coats to keep people warm (the mission at   http://onewarmcoat.org).

Here are 11 more ways you can impact the life of someone this season:

The Love Jones Series: I Love it When You Pray with Me!

We welcome you to the Love Jones Series!  This blog series will be where we share what we (Quentin Love & Tanika Jones) have learned about the necessity of having a God ordained courtship.  We pray that this series will be an inspiration to those that are waiting on their mate, those that are dating the wrong way and those that are looking for Christian couples truly committed to God in their relationship.  This will also be another way to hold us accountable!  We also pray that through this blog, our relationship continues to get stronger and that everything that we do is pleasing to God.  We hope that you enjoy our first blog together: "I Love it When You Pray with Me".

 

August 18, 2001 the man that God made just for me said those three words that every woman wants to hear from the right man - "I Love You".   Ten years later the love that we have for one another has blossomed into something that I never could have imagined for myself.  In the midst of those ten years, we have been through ups, downs, twists and turns.  We have had break ups and make ups! All the various and separate roads that we decided to travel led us back to one another. BUT this time has been different.  In our time apart we grew emotionally and most of all, spiritually.  The experiences that we had in our time apart prepared us for the love that we have now.   This time around is much better than it has ever been!  We have both truly learned the importance of a three cord strand. 

I will Wait for You - P4CM Poetry

 

Happy Monday My Alabaster Box Readers!

Friday's post was about Using your Waiting Power.  I outlined 6 Keys on how to wait for God the right way.  I received numerous emails and Facebook messages about how this post touched some of you.  Thanks for reading!  I even got a few messages about how many people are growing impatient with waiting on their "Adam" or "Eve" - the one God designed for them. I wanted to give those specific readers an additional outpour of inspiration when it comes to waiting on "the one". 

I LOVE spoken Word and have been keeping up with P4CM (Passion for Christ Movement).  They have some great Christian poets that speak about real life situations and provide encouragement for dealing with and getting through these times.  The latest one that really speaks to the challenge of waiting is the one that I would like to share today. 

Check it out Below - Poet Janette...IKZ.  I pray that it is a true blessing to you! Keep Waiting, God is working.  

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Until Next Time,