Underneath

It is officially winter on Ferrell Farms.  The sky is deary, the days are short, it's cold and there is snow.  Let me peel back a layer of myself and tell you I despise winter.  It is just all the things.  I don't like being cold, I can't drive in winter weather due to a car vs black ice situation that could have ended my life and I have seasonal depression so there's that. WINTER, yuck.  However, I have seen some beautiful things around me this winter that called me outside with the little's this weekend.

There was white snow on the ground around the farm this week and it has been so pretty to look at.  Except that under snow there was mud.  Nasty, dirty icky mud.  The ground was so saturated that my boots were sinking down into the mud.  Which left the snow dirty and my boots (and little boys) filthy.

The last few years I have been all in and committed to transparency.  I don't want any woman to begin talking to me, hear me speak or read my blog and think she just has it all together. I always want you to be reminded that I am a hot mess.  There is no perfection in the lines of these words.  I am 100% washed in the grace and blood of Jesus and that is the only way this hot mess steps one foot in front of the other most days.  So, I have a group of women (my prayer group that is now a part of the Imperfectly Brave movement, you can join in too!) that I am nothing but 100% real with.  This week they literally heard me talk about how I have felt so out of sync with God these last two weeks.  I told them all the yucky places while they all sat around my farmhouse table and nodded their heads.  Their pointing fingers were down, they were judgement free and they let me say all the things.  Then they prayed with me. I cry with them I laugh with them and we are so real.  From that group I have realized we just need to be so very real with each other. If we walk in perfection, there is no room for Jesus.  If I act like I've got this all under control then I can't show you that it is only through Christ that I am even keeping my head a float.

Under the snow, was the mud.  But the mud reminded me that there is life, real true growing life under there.  Snow is the precipitation that keeps our ground watered and prepared for the planting and the harvest.  The mud holds that all together till the harvest comes.  There is beauty in each role, the snow, the mud, the yucky of it all holds a beautiful picture in the end.  I want to present Jesus in a good light, I want to be washed white and I am, but then I get muddy again and there is grace.  Wash, rinse and repeat.  Perfection only takes away from the beauty of grace, and ladies grace is where it's at.  May I always be reminded of the hot mess that Jesus loves so fiercely he gave his life away for all the mess to be washed in the blood and remade into a beautiful daughter of the most high King.

I took my eyes off the prize last week and in my transparency I found it all again. In my weakness he stayed strong, sought me out and brought me back. It's not different for you sweet girl.  You can be real, there are people out there that need you to show the imperfection to see the work that the Lord has done and is doing.  May we all find grace in the muddy places, for the harvest will be plentiful.

Much Love,
Chrystan

God Heal Our Land: A Hashtag For the People

I am a hashtag girl, love them!  I can't sit here and explain the hashtag but I can say they are a way to make something "trend", to be follow-able online.  So, a hashtag (I use #boymom multiple times a week) goes with a picture you post or tweet or a status update and it follows you forever.  Yes, folks, forever it becomes a part of your online thumbprint FOREVER (she says in a Sandlot type tone)  This week our country saw yet another mass shooting.  The same familiar things played out, the same type of media coverage came onto our screens, we've seen the evacuation again, the police chase and the hunt to take these shooters down.  We have basically had a shooting for everyday this year, that's sad fact.  Our President and many others have stated in interviews, in tweets and posts "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this time". #godisntfixingthis Is the latest hashtag to blow up the Internet today.  The back lash of this was this headline:

How very bold of Daily News to post this as a front pager today.  Then came the online quarrel and cruelness back and forth; Christians and Non-believers hashtag about this post and the #godisntfixingthis and it gets uglier and uglier.  I heard 3 believers that are hosts of the Today show this morning covering the story of this hashtag and Daily News cover. With each statement my heart ached for them.  They were nervous to speak on it, fumbling through their words, trying to tip toe through standing up for their faith.

Let me say in boldness and truth my God's agenda is not your agenda.  He has every right to let us sit in our sin.  You want him to fix a country that has turned their back completely on him?  You want him to lay his hand of peace and love and protect us when we lash out in hatred toward each other. When we bathe ourselves in sin with porn at our finger tips, pastors on infidelity websites all while feeding our egos by obsessing over how many shares and likes our selfie gets.  Lord, forgive us, Lord forgive me.  Christians we are luke warm. Non-believers you are headed down a scary road.  Instead of fighting you and defending my powerful God, let me tell you what prayer has done in my life.

We just built a house. We just moved in to our dream home, that we saved and sacrificed for.  Not just a few months after we moved in, my husband lost his job.  Out of nowhere for no just reason my husband was let go of a good, steady, well paying job for a company that he had been a leader in for 10 years.  Financial security, gone.  And everything stood still and for a moment I felt panic creeping in.  I did what I know to do. I met with God.  I went to the end of my farmhouse table and sat and I cried out (literally, ugly cry) to my God. I warded off panic and fear with prayer.  For over 2 months nothing, no job.  For  almost 3 months we prayed. Our friends prayed. Our family prayed. Our church prayed.  I prayed for my husband to find worth outside of the strong provider gene he has. I prayed peace over us, that no matter what we would find refuge in God.  I never doubted that God would provide for us, never once, God's got this we said over and over to friends who didn't understand why we weren't panicking.  For these months I saw God molding my husband, drawing him into the word and walking closely with him.  I cry now typing it out, because it was beautiful.  Today, this morning GOD FIXED THIS.  My husband walked out of my house at 6:30am to start his new job.  I praise God for his provision of a job, and actually a better paying job!  But I want you to know I praise God because during this time of trouble he provided a calm in our home, he made this time sweet, he brought us nearer to him in many ways. Our marriage is stronger and our walk with God is so very sweet.
Today I cry out to God in prayer for my country, for this world.

Your hashtag doesn't make me doubt God. Your headline doesn't make me hate you.  Your Internet hatred of my sweet Savior only draws me closer to him.  Your attack on prayer only makes me pray harder.  Because scripture tells me I should be fervent in prayer and that if I pray, if I remain humble and turn from these wicked ways that he will heal our land.  God Bless America Land that I love...let us get back to the roots this country was built and away from hashtags that tare away at that.
#godhealourland #godhealyourpeople #godforgiveus

Much Love,
Chrystan

What A Pastor's Wife Wants You to Know

If you are a church goer then it is likely you have a Pastor. If you have a Pastor then it is likely that sitting in the front pew of your church (or close) is a Pastor's wife.  She's probably smiling. She's probably looking all put together and calm.  You may look at her and think she is a picture of perfection.  The ladies of your church may put her just under the pedestal that they place her husband on each week, which is scary for her because it's a long frightening fall down off of a pedestal that high.  Because guess what, she is a human person.  A human person with all the feels, with the anxieties of expectations not met, with the fear of letting someone down in her humanness, walking around with the weight of the expectation that goes with her title, she is a real girl with a big calling.  Can you walk with me into this for a little while?  Are you loving on your Pastor's wife? Have you gotten to know her?  Have you placed her on a high pedestal of unattainable expectations?  Let's chat.

Think about getting to church events. You mommas with babies, isn't it the HARDEST feat ever to get your kids up, fed, dressed decently, PLUS getting yourself ready and all out the door in time for church. I mean, exhausting just typing about it right?  Imagine doing that by yourself every single Sunday morning. Along with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Easter and all the church events in between.  When your husband is called to Pastor, you are called to support. When your husband is at deacons meetings, hospital visits, weddings, funerals, church services, evening service, business meetings, southern baptist convention, pastoral leadership meetings and all the things in between that leaves you running the home.  Imagine doing all that and breezing into the doors on Sunday morning looking perfectly put together like a pastor's wife should.  Then jumping into the role of greeter, counselor and even sometimes mediator.  Imagine all the pressure to attain perfection in this, as the people all watch you waiting for you to slip up.

So, can we just love on these women girls. Can we give them safe places?  So many Pastors' wives are told to live lonely lives, because people are not safe for them.  Because the women in the church expect perfection from their pastors wife and will not give them safe places to be real, and let me just say, how un-biblical is that.  How can we expect perfection for our members in ministry?  That's not biblical at all!  No one is perfect! No one can have it all together all the time. We need ugly cries and real hugs.  We all have hard days, and weaknesses and imperfections of course.  Guess what, our Pastor and his wife are not exempt from that. They are chasing after grace just as we are.  They are called to lead but not to perfection.  They are called to serve but will not always do it perfectly.  Have you hugged your Pastor's wife lately? She needs a real, honest hug. One that she can sink into and breathe out the weight of perfection laid on her by the world, by the church. It's harder than you think.

Ruth Graham is maybe not a well known name in your house.  Maybe you don't know anything about this woman, but she was mighty.  I don't know her personally, but I've heard she was amazing.  I don't know her inner self, but I've heard of her great heart in a life lived serving alongside her husband in ministry. It's funny to say serving alongside, because really she was an extremely important player in the Billy Graham ministry but she was completely behind the scenes.  In order for a Pastor to serve and have a family it seems common that the Pastor's wife takes on a huge support role.  Billy Graham's ministry called him out of their home with 5 children for many days, many months and many years.  Ruth lived out her ministry role by running their household and supporting her husbands call to Pastor.  Lives, so many lives, have been changed because of the role that she filled. It was a hard, lonely, long role at times.  But she served in mighty ways.

Decision Magazine wrote these things about Ruth Bell-Graham:

Ruth’s rock-solid support of Billy’s ministry and her ability to manage their household on her own earned the respect of his Team. “There would have been no Billy Graham as we know him today had it not been for Ruth,” said Billy’s longtime assistant, T.W. Wilson. '

“What I missed!” he wrote in “Just As I Am,” his autobiography, “And what Ruth missed by not having me to help her. Whenever I did get home, I got a crash course in the agony and ecstasy of parenting. If Ruth had not been convinced that God had called her to fulfill that side of our partnership and had not resorted constantly to God’s Word for instruction and to His grace for strength, I don’t see how she could have survived.”

Our Pastor's have amazing, God honoring, exhausted, poured out women serving alongside them.  Helping them get up to the pulpit each Sunday.  Praying for them, lifting them up, and walking through the messy of ministry because lets face it they work directly with humans and we are messy. Let us love our Pastor by loving his wife like Jesus does, fiercely and with abundant grace.  Let's let them be real people doing real life things for we are all FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made in his BEAUTIFUL image.  Grace upon grace abounds... Go hug a Pastor's wife this week!

Much Love,
Chrystan

PS- More than 80% of Pastor's wives feel unsupported, burnt out and unappreciated by their Church. Here is a great little blog that tells you how you can support and care for your pastor's wife.
http://www.charismamag.com/life/women/23209-7-ways-to-support-your-pastor-s-wife
and also here is a 30 days of praying scripture for your pastor's wife:
https://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/30-day-praying-for-your-pastors-wife/

Fiercely For You

There’s enough. Did you know there’s enough to go around?  There’s enough space, there’s enough topics to cover, there’s enough room for blogs and articles on news feeds. There’s enough speaking podiums and passionate stances to be shared.  There’s enough words for compliments.  There’s just enough for all.  We don’t have to compete for air time, Facebook reads, blog post views, who is the prettiest, who wore it best, who sung it better. I mean there’s just enough. 

I have a group of girls.  We champion for each other.  We each have different God calls that focus on different areas of life and you know what we do, we hoist each other up each ladder rung.  Sometimes one girl is shining in the light and sometimes none of us are. Sometimes one of us makes a HUGE break through and sometimes 2 of us do and 1 doesn’t.  I mean who stinkin’ cares.  The gospel is being shared, the love is being poured and Jesus wins. 

Ladies let us stop.  Can you just HALT this with me?  The girl next to you who is shining in her role on this earth, can you champion for her please?  Can you lift her up so high today? Cause you know what, she needs it because this world is harsh.

I am a boot girl.  I loves me some cowboy boots. Not just any cowboy boots but Old Corral CowboyBoots (yes maybe I am a boot snob, I’m working on it).  I love beautiful boots on my feet.  I save and hoard gift cards and gift money to buy a pair of boots.  I love my light brown lace style boots, it’s rare I see them on anyone else and I get compliments on them all the time.  Love them.  The other day I was at an event and someone else had the same boots on.  So instead of being snotty about it, as if I wear them better, I walked over and told her she was rocking those boots. We laughed about being boot twins and it was so fun.  Girls, ladies, women of the world we can celebrate each other today.  If a girl is rocking an outfit I could never wear, I want to be the first to go to her and say dang girl you look gorgeous today!  If I see someone shying back and looking less confident I want to go and give her a compliment, tell her she’s looking lovely, tell her she has a great smile.  Let us be only for each other all the time.  There is no time to sit back and be harsh.  There is no room for pushing and shoving and holding down each other. Let us be FIERCELY for each other!

Believe me, I’ve been mean, caddy, unkind, snobby and self-centered (I can maybe still be all those things in my head).  This is a newer me.  A me that has seen and felt the support of what real women do.  Real women champion each other.  Real women lift up not pull down.  Let us all be REAL women.  The kind of women that support each other in all the things, that will sit down so someone else can shine.  I am learning to shine the light outwardly instead of on myself. There is no perfection here, but I will seek this with my days. I will be FIERCELY for you!

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

You are God’s girls, he looks on you with abundant love each day, let us do the same for others.  Treat yourself as if you BEAUTIFULLY, FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE in his image, because that is truth.

Much Love,

Chrystan

The Story of Ruth: Let's Hear if For the Boy (Redeemed Part 2)

Ya'll I am a sucker for 80's & 90's music.  Oh my gosh, I just love it so much. I mean they don't make it like that anymore (for the sake of sounding really old).  I mean old school Whitney, Janet, NKOTB you know who you are out there. You're about to go dust off your favorite mix tape and jam to the good stuff. Go on girl, I'm not gonna judge. Well, 1984 brought one of my fav's in, Let's Hear it For the Boy off the hit movie Footloose.  I mean if that doesn't get your toes tappin', you're dead!  So what does this have to do with the final installment of our Ruth study.  Start by reading Ruth chapter 4 if you haven't already.  We have journeyed with our two gals Ruth and Naomi to the end. We have seen them loose their family and make a scary, lonely trek to Bethlehem. Ruth began to provide for herself and her mother-in-law by working in the fields where she caught the eye of Boaz.  At the leading of Naomi, Ruth went to Boaz to present herself and her estate to be redeemed by either him or the other guy in line.  (see the chapter 3 post)  Now we are caught up!

Boaz literally comes to the rescue here in chapter 4, but not before he does the right thing.  In the first part of chapter 4 we read of Boaz going to the next man in line to be the kinsman redeemer for Ruth. To inherit her land with her along with it (ladies can you imagine loosing your husband and then being passed down the line till someone takes you. Whew, I'm glad we don't do that anymore!) Boaz probably could have gotten away with marrying Ruth and gaining her and Naomi's land.  It didn't seem like anyone much cared about these two ladies.  However, Boaz was a good man and he was led to do right by Ruth but also do right by the law.  So we see in the middle of the chapter a funny transaction of the land, the inheritance and the taking off of a shoe (part of the custom of the times, again glad we don't do this nowadays!).

So our sweet Ruth becomes the wife of a good man. She is redeemed but so is our girl Naomi.  Naomi began with us a bitter woman, she even named herself Mara for all her pain and anguish.  We end the book of Ruth and Naomi has found great joy.  She has a family again, God has provided the desires of her heart through her love of Ruth and Ruth's love of her.  What a sweet story this is.  Cue the 80's theme music, all is right with the world, Boaz redeemed her and Ruth's name resides in the line of Jesus.  Don't skip over the genealogy stuff at the end guys, it is a bunch of boring names but it's an important bunch of names. This is the line of David, the lineage of our Savior.  So special!

So, we close the Book of Ruth with a great ending, redemption has happened and we are setting up for the coming of Christ.  It all points to OUR need for redemption OUR need for a Savior.  The first time I read the book of Ruth it blew me away, this time it blew me away again!  Go back and read books of the Bible you haven't read in a while, you will see them in a different light and learn new things each time I PROMISE!

I also promised an announcement to my friends and readers at the end of this study.  No i'm not pregnant and right now I'm saying praise the Lord for that, we have our hands full already! However, I am birthing a new baby of sorts.  God has led me to pursue more writing, more mentoring, more encouraging women and families.  So, there will be a new blog and new website where Family, Faith and Food will all come together around the table at Ferrell Farms.  Beautifully Made will be fused into a whole new site. More details to come, it is currently and actively under construction!  Follow me on social media to see all the new things as they come in!

For now, have a wonderful week following hard after God. My prayer for myself is Lord increase my Faith, feel free to join me in that adventure!  This week don't' forget you are a daughter to the King BEAUTIFULLY, FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE!  Redeemed in grace and love!

Much Love,
Chrystan
PS- Let's here it for the boy (I couldn't resist!):

Ruth Study: Peasant Bread Recipe

Hello Beautifully Made readers!  As we have been studying Ruth I have a special treat for you today for all your hard work!  We have been learning about barley and wheat and the threshing floor, so what would better go along with that than an easy homemade bread recipe?  Leesa Mead from Save a Skillet is guest blogging today, you're gonna love her!  When you are done reading today's blog, hop over and subscribe to her's, it's seriously one of my favorite blogs! 

Peasant Bread

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

                                                             Psalm 3:3

 Good morning!  My name is Leesa, and I write a blog over at Save a Skillet where we delve into how food and fellowship are intertwined and how to get back to having a love relationship with food. 

I am very excited to write this guest post today for Chrystan and the Beautifully Made readers.  Today I am going to share my favorite bread recipe – Peasant Bread.  Bread… so simple, yet so daunting to most cooks due to kneading it, letting it rise and then after all that hard work (and dirty dishes) it turns out tough or it falls in the middle (the worst!). 

But not today fellow readers, nope today is going to be your best bread experience ever. You are going to start being known as the Bread Baker (or Mr/Ms BB for short) in your friend circle.  You will walk in the door and people are going to be in awe of where you learned such a talent.

Not a fan of bread you say? Not impressed, huh?  I would go on a limb and say everyone’s favorite food is a good homemade bread.  Don’t believe me… what is your favorite food?  Lasagna?  Nothing pairs better with lasagna than delicious bread to sop of the leftover cheesy sauce.  Turkey with Mashed potatoes and gravy?  How are you going to clean all the leftover gravy off your plate without a fresh squishy roll?  I feel I have made my point.  J

Seriously though, this bread is pretty awesome. It always turns out perfect AND no kneading!  You mix ingredients, toss them in the bowl and wa-lah, let it rise and toss it in the oven.  Done.

Peasant Bread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit       Total cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients

·         2 cups warm water

·         2 teaspoons active dry yeast

·         3 teaspoons sugar

·         4 cups of all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         2 tablespoons softened butter - greasing bowls

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Let this sit for 10 -15 minutes until mixture is foamy.

In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt.

Now stir in the yeast mixture.

Mix until all flour is absorbed. Dough will be very wet.

Cover bowl with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Tip :  For a good rising temperature, turn oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 minute, then turn oven back off. The oven is now a good temperature for bread to rise.

Take bread from oven

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease 2 oven safe 1 liter size bowls with softened butter (Pyrex, Corningware)

Using two forks punch down dough, scraping from sides.  Dough will still be very wet.

Using two forks (due to wet dough, this is not easy) divide dough down the middle and separate into equal portions.

Scoop up half of dough into one of the greased bowls, and then the other half of dough into the other greased bowl.

Let the dough rise again for 20-30 min on countertop.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove bread from oven and turn loaves onto a cooling rack.  If the loaves are not as golden as desired place back into oven for an additional 5 minutes, not in bowls.

Cool for 10 minutes prior to cutting bread.

(Recipe adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen - My mother's Peasant Bread)

www.saveaskillet.com (seriously, go check her out!)

Much Love,

Chrystan & Leesa

PS- The final chapter in Ruth coming next time!!! Can't wait to give you a BIG announcement! Sit tight!!!

The Story of Ruth: Redeemed Part 1

This weekend I celebrated my 5th anniversary.  Oh there is so much to say about this man that I have been blessed to call my husband.  Though I feel God chose him for me at just the right time in our lives, I got to choose to say yes or no when he proposed.  It was my choice, though there was clearly a right answer as I loved him and desired to spend my life with him, I still made the choice.  God knows what choices we are going to make, yet he gives us the right to make those choices.  With Adam I am thankful to have chosen him for my husband.  I am also thankful to have chosen to follow God and that we choose to follow him in our marriage.  As we continue to lean into the book of Ruth we see how Ruth's choices affect her and Naomi.

Ruth and Naomi have found themselves in a situation as we round the bases and head to third in our study of Ruth.  They are without men, they have traveled to a foreign land and they are basically alone in this journey. Just the two of them at first and now we see Boaz enters the scene.  Back in the early Biblical days women did not get to choose their husbands and if they were widowed it was likely they would be passed down to the next relative in line (see Leviticus).  In Ruth's case she chose to stay with her mother in-law in the passing of her husband, with no option of being re-married.  Ruth chose a life of hardship to do what she felt was right.  At the end of chapter two we see Boaz has become fond of Ruth and is taking good care of her.  He is giving her extra food and goods and providing for her in many ways.  She has turned his head with her work ethic and good character.  Ruth doesn't get to choose her man as women were not held in high esteem at this time, however, Ruth got to choose what her actions were going to look like. She changed her life by choosing to stay with Naomi, by choosing God and by being a woman of good character. Ruth could have chosen the easy way, gone back with Orpah and lived a regular life safe in Moab.  Instead she chose a path less traveled that has led her to the threshing room floor (read Ruth Chapter 3).

During harvest time the owners of the fields would stay overnight to either work or guard their fields from thieves.  Boaz was this type of field owner, he was there guarding and working when Ruth came to the threshing floor to state her intentions.  This is not a sexual matter, it is easy in this day and time to say that Ruth was after Boaz here, but she wasn't.  Ruth was obeying and following the lead of a Godly woman to do what was the right next step. Ruth followed Naomi's instruction for indicating to Boaz that he could be her kinsman redeemer.  Laying at his feet showed Boaz that as a relative of Ruth's he could find someone to marry her or he could harry her himself.  (Boaz was a distant relative of Ruth's husband)  What an interesting thought, to lay at the feet of a distant relative to spur on the next relationship in your life, can you imagine! So, Boaz is flattered but in comes a curve ball. He informs Ruth; "I am not the next in line, but if this other guy is ok with it I'll have your hand in marriage. I will redeem you." (paraphrased for understanding).  We leave our girls Ruth and Naomi at the end of the chapter unsure of what will happen when Ruth is presented to this other relative.  Naomi is reassuring Ruth that Boaz will settle this matter quickly.

Where are we leaving you today?  Have you chosen the easy route?  Ruth's path has not been easy since she chose Naomi over returning with Orpah.  She's had to work hard and venture into the unknown, but she has displayed great character through this process.  I'm sure she had her doubts and days where she looked back towards Moab and longed for the path well traveled, but in the end she is blessed for her choice.  If you feel like the path you are on is not a good one you can choose to make a change!  I'm am telling you from experience the path less traveled is the best one to be on.  I do not believe a life well lived by God's standards is an easy one, but if you are following hard after God's leading you will be cared for by your Savior.  You will be poured into and loved on as Boaz has for Ruth.  He saw her choosing the right path, working hard and seeking good things and was led to provide for her out of what will we find out later is love.  God sees you girl, he wants you to lean into him so he can pour into you.  He's waiting for you to follow him whole-heartedly so he can redeem you in his love.  As in the case of our girl Ruth, choosing Him and seeking more of Him will change your life!

There's so much ahead of us as we close out Chapter 3 of Ruth and look towards Chapter 4!  I cannot wait to dive into the end of the book of Ruth with you this week!  We will also have a fun guest blog from my gal pal Leesa Mead author of Save a Skillet to close out this study, I cannot wait to hear from her, ya'll she's so good! Until then let's spend time this week praising God for his creation in us as FEARFULLY WONDERFULLY MADE girls in his image.

Much Love,
Chrystan

The Story of Ruth: God's Perfect Timing

Have you ever missed the bus, taken a wrong turn or had a flight cancelled?  Did you praise God for that event...hmmm...probably not.  This morning I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. You see here at Ferrell Farms we don't live right in town, it's a little bit of a jaunt to get to the grocery store and the pharmacy.  So, when I go into town I am intentional with my errands. This morning I had 4 tasks; kids to daycare, Pharmacy, UPS and coffee.  When I arrived at the pharmacy the drive through window was still closed, 30 minutes after their opening time.  I called them as I sat there and the manager informed me they had a sub coming in, he wouldn't arrive for another hour.  Bummer.  Remember, jaunt and to do list. As I drove away I began to be frustrated, this was not part of the plan this morning. I need to get home, now I have to come back!  Then I had a sweet reminder of my study of the book of Ruth.  I was reminded of God's perfect timing and I smiled.

In Ruth chapter one we meet Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi after great tragedy has struck their family.  Three women were left to fend for themselves.  Orpah, Ruth's sister-in-law, has left the picture.  Ruth has insisted Naomi let her stay by her side, no matter what.  Chapter one closes with a very BIG detail that we as readers can easily gloss over:

"So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning."

God has brought these two women back just in time!  There were two harvest times, spring and fall. The women were returning during the spring barley harvest, which was a time of hope and plenty.  Bethlehem was a farming community and because it was the time of the harvest there was plenty of leftover grain in the fields.  This grain was left out for the poor of the community to collect (glean) which they then made into food.  Do you see how God is providing? Do you see here how his timing is so perfect!?  It get's better... (read Chapter 2 of Ruth)

In chapter two we meet a man, a good man name Boaz.  Ruth goes to glean in his field for her and Naomi.  She is such a hard worker she caught the eye of this great man.  Exhibiting admirable qualities in our lives is so important, we never know who is watching and who is taking notes.  Boaz saw these great qualities in our girl Ruth and he admired her from a far.  Because of the qualities of Ruth and because God is so good, Boaz found favor in her and began to give her a little extra throughout the remainder of the barley harvest.  Let's walk away from today with two great take homes:

1. God's timing is perfect and way better than ours!  Even though there was tragedy. Even though they had to leave Moab and journey into the unknown, God provided much more than these two ladies could have ever dreamed!  He continues to provide for them greatly, he remembers Ruth and finds favor with her.  You sweet girls are no different.  He remembers you.  Continue to seek him, follow hard after his ways and walk his path. There is blessing in that, I promise!

2. Good character and reputation go far.  Chapter one showed us Ruth was loyal. Chapter 2 showed us Ruth was hard working on top of being loving, kind, faithful and brave.  Ruth's life exhibited admirable qualities consistently and it was noticed.  It turned the head of a good man and played a part in how God moved and worked in her life.  Boaz is going to change Ruth's life and redeem her. The story gets pretty exciting!

Ruth's life was changed by God.  His timing was perfect, her qualities were more than admirable.  Let us all rejoice this week in God's perfect timing for our lives and thank him for always having our best interest in mind. His ways, not ours, are the very best!  I pray this week that each of us reflect on the qualities we are exhibiting and adjust accordingly.  Strangers, friends, boyfriends, husbands and our children are watching us to see what our character is.  Let it be said of us that we are loyal, hard working, loving, kind, faithful and brave....and don't forget FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE in our good God's image!

Much Love,
Chrystan
PS- Chapter 3 gets good...more coming soon!

The Story of Ruth: Chapter 1 Your Tribe

Let's face it family can be complicated.  Mostly made up of a group of people randomly thrown together through marriage and the unlikely combination of DNA and genes that intertwine them.  Family, it's a whole thing right?  My family has some very interesting dynamics.  I have the Fuller side who are pretty much all extroverted (except my step-mom bless her heart she's stuck with all of us) and some of whom are extroverted introverts which is like a real thing and very complicated. The Fuller side brought me to Jesus.  Then I have the Foster side, which is my mom's side.  We are all pretty much sassy in our own right over on the Foster fence.  Full of strong, fierce women, the Foster side has fought hard to get their family where it is today.  They have taught me how to be strong, stand up and stand in for my family.  The Foster side also brings in my Grandaddy who passed away this year.  He was one of my favorite people.  The Foster side taught me that family is a person who walks in the front door.  There are no thick blood lines there are no walls up, just a welcome hug and sweet tea in your hand.  This is why I would say that my family has become more of a tribe than a family.  We are missed matched, some are here by marriage, some are here because they don't have a family so they have ours, some are here through a series of strange happenings that I don't even know the details to but I still call them aunts, uncles or grannies.  The Ferrell's bring a beautiful dynamic of a more quiet, serving support which has taught me so much. I wouldn't have my family any other way.

This is where we find Ruth in the Old Testament of the Bible as we launch into our 2 week study of our sister Ruth (take a minute to read Ruth Chapter 1). A brief intro of Ruth will tell us that she basically enters the story a destitute widow of the wrong kind of people. Ruth was a Moabite and had married outside of her tribe.  When we meet her we are walking into her tragedy immediately.  She has lost her father in law, brother in law and husband one right after the other.  Leaving the women with no men, which back in these days was a really big deal.  Through this tragedy we meet Ruth's mother in law, Naomi.  Naomi really has taken the hardest blow here. She has basically had to walk through the death of her entire family at this point. Shes in a foreign country with two sad, scared little girls Ruth and Orpah.  This is where we see Ruth make family her tribe.  In verses 10-14 we hear Naomi telling the girls she basically has nothing to offer them and she urges them to go back to their people.  Which really would leave Naomi completely alone, but she is wanting the best for them. Right here is where we find some of the most beautiful verses in the Old Testament (personal opinion)

16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me"

She is pledging her life to Naomi no matter what that means to her!  In our society mother in laws get such a bad wrap.  Ladies, I love my mother in law. Linda Ferrell is the kindest most loving woman.  I am so blessed and happy to be in her tribe. Here we see, Ruth pledging to leave all opportunity to re-marry and to have safety and provision in order to stay with Naomi.  We also just saw a HUGE thing happen to Ruth.  She pledges her life to God, even though she doesn't know yet exactly what that means at this time. When she pledges her life to Naomi she also chooses to follow her God, which just so happens to be the God of the Universe. Coincidence, I think not.  This decision will not only change Ruth's life on Earth for the better, which we will see play out through the next few chapters, but her name ends up in the lineage of Jesus and she gets to spend eternity in Heaven. Huge decision here for her.

Family, it's a whole thing right?  I didn't get to talk about the Jacobs side of my family.  Grandma Nancy is my sons grandma.  She loves him with the fire of a thousand suns, rightfully so, he is her grandson. The flip side of that coin is she loves me and my boys and my husband.  She treats us as her family and she doesn't have to.  She gives my kids baths, she buys us Christmas presents, she feeds us and sometimes we stay at her house and her at ours. She is in our tribe by choice.

You see family is who you fight for. It's who you stick with.  Naomi and Ruth maybe didn't see eye to eye on all the things.  They probably voted for different presidents in the last election.  Naomi likely wanted Ruth to have some babies, maybe that was sore spot. However, here in just the first chapter we see them choose each other no matter what.  They became for each other and because of that love relationship God was glorified and their lives were blessed.

What's your tribe look like?  Are you harboring bad feelings for your mother-in-law or that brother that stepped on your toes the last family gathering?  Let's decide that we are going to fight for the family unit again.  Let's fight for our tribes and stop letting the world break them apart over silly things like who makes the jello mold this year at Thanksgiving. Satan hates family. He was to destroy it.  Lets shout out loud, where you go I will go, your people will be my people. Love on your mother in law today and that tricky brother. Grow your tribe in love!

Today is a beautiful day for restoration, go restore those hurts so you can walk together down the road to the next chapter, BEAUTIFULLY MADE and all!

Much Love,
Chrystan

See you in a few days for Ruth Chapter 2, where we meet Ruth's new man!!!