What’s In A Name?

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Scripture

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara. The Mighty One has made my life very bitter.”

~Ruth 1:20, NIRV

Quote

We don’t always get to choose our circumstances but we do get to choose our attitude.

~Image Quotes

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bro. jack marc crowNot many of us are going to make it through life without some unpleasant circumstances. Naomi had her share of misfortune: she was uprooted from her home due to a famine, her husband died shortly after moving to a new country. Her two sons married foreign women who spoke another language and then they died at an early age. Both of Naomi’s boys were sickly. When the famine in Israel ended, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and Ruth insisted on going with her. Naomi asked Ruth to stay in Moab with her people but Ruth refused. So Naomi and Ruth make the journey back to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town [very small] was stirred; the women came out to greet Naomi. One of them said, “Can this possibly be Naomi?” Naomi said, “No, don’t call me Naomi {Pleasant, delightful}, call me Mara {bitter}.

Like many of us, Naomi allowed her unpleasant circumstances to determine her attitude. I preached a message in a revival from this very text and a woman came to me after the service and said, “I am Naomi, the same thing that happened to her happened to me.” She was telling the truth although her two sons died before their father. What made her story so sad was the way they died. Her oldest son was shot with a rifle, the shot may have been intended for his father. Her son was 16 years old. Her second son lived to be only 22 and he was killed in horrible automobile crash. They picked his body up in parts. Then her husband had a stroke, a bad one. He lived for a few months but it was a painful few months.

When Naomi was trying to disengage her daughter-in-laws she said to them, “My life is more bitter than yours.” You lost a husband but I lost a husband and two sons. It’s kind of like the Senior Adult mens LCBS class a few years ago, they would get into arguments about who was in the worse health. Ruth could have complained about having a grumpy Mother-in-law but that is not how Ruth thought. I can thinks of lots of folks who have had to deal with far more adversity than myself so I need to be very careful about what I say. I do like the way Naomi’s story ends. It ends were her rocking her grandson Obed. She didn’t know it, but she was rocking the grand daddy of king David. Things are going to end well for God’s children: you can count on it.

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  • I was listening to Christmas music last night as I drove to Ty’s game and Paul McCartney came on singing WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS. I would not have noticed but the Frontier has a monitor that shows the song and the artist. I knew he was one of the Beetles so I tried to name all four and I couldn’t. I got John Lennon, Ringo Star and McCartney but their was a fourth: can you name the fourth Beetle.
  • June and I were listening to Nate King Cole earlier yesterday and I said, “He has been gone a long time…what year did Nate King Cole die?” I’ll give you one hint, I was in the 10th grade. Many of my favorite Christmas artist have departed:
    • Andy Williams–Sept. 25, 2012
    • Perry Como–May 12, 2001
    • Frank Sinatra–May 14, 1998
    • Gene Autry–Oct. 2, 1998
    • Dean Martin–Dec. 25, 1995
    • Burl Ives–April 14, 1995
    • Karen Carpenter–Feb. 4, 1983
    • Elvis Pressley–Aug. 16, 1977
    • Bing Crosby–Oct. 14, 1977
    • Nate King Cole–Feb. 15, 1965
  • No Deacons meeting Sunday: pretty full schedule otherwise:
    • Breakfast @ 9:00
    • LIFE CHANGING BIBLE STUDY @ 9:15
    • CELEBRATE JESUS in Worship @ 10:15
    • CELEBRATE JESUS in Baptism @11:15
    • Business Meeting @ 11:30
    • Children’s Christmas Program @ 5:30
    • Christmas Fellowship following program.

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