Ruth 1:16-17

Several months back I had the opportunity to go on a women’s retreat with my church. Our women’s ministry leader, Judy, led us through the book of Ruth. It was such a sweet time with the Lord. Truly he overfilled my heart that weekend. I especially felt the Lord speaking to me through Ruth’s response to Naomi in chapter one. I could not help but think of how Christ responds to us much the same way Ruth responded to Naomi. During a series of quiet times, the Lord led me to several verses to further explain to me how Ruth’s response is such a beautiful picture of Jesus. Enjoy reading and may the Lord bless you as you take in His powerful, loving words. (The blue italics, are my own paraphrases of how I could see the Lord responding to us.)

Ruth 1:16-17

But Ruth said: “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 anything but death separates you and me.”

1.) Don't urge me to leave you: “Please don’t ask me to leave you, it’s my desire that none should perish.”
a. 2 Chr 15:2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
b. 1 Chr 28:9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

2.) or to turn back from you “Please, don’t turn back from following me. I am coming quickly.”
a. Phil 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
b. John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
c. 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
d. Has 6:3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.
e. Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown

3.) Where you go I will go “Lo, I am with you always.”
a. Josh 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
b. Ps 23 1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,A
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
c. Josh 1:5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
d. Hew 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you.”
e. Deu 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
f. Deu 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you."

4.) and where you stay I will stay “I am in you already by my Spirit and I am preparing a place for you that I can be with you also.”
a. John 1:38 –39 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39"Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
b. John 4:1-4 1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."
c. Ephesians 3:14-19 14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
d. Col 3:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
e. 1 Cr 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

5.) Your people will be my people and your God my God
a. Rom 11:24-26 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them `my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her `my loved one' who is not my loved one,"
26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
`You are not my people,' they will be called `sons of the living God.' "
b. John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
c. John 10:25 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

6.) Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried “I love you so much, I died in your place. I gave all for you please……”
a. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
b. 2 Cr 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
c. Rom 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
d. Col 2:11-14 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
e. Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
f. Rom 5:10-11 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
g. Col 1:19-22 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-
h. Rom 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

7.) May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. “PLEASE, the only thing that can separate us is your choice to go. Stay close beside me and I’ll make your heart my own.”
a. Rom 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.b. John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

soccer, soccer, soccer

Soccer fever has hit the Bittner Family!!! Here Kailey waits for her practice while watching Braeden's game!!!

Braeden and boys waiting to play!!

Kailey's first indoor soccer practice with Coach Daddy and Uncle JJ.

Kailey and Brody listening to the rules from coach. These two are so cute together. We are just glad to have Brody on our team, that way we don't have to play him!!! :) :) They all did great --well, as good as can be expected for three and four year olds!!! (You can be praying for the coaches, they may need it!!!)

I've Been Tagged

I've Been Tagged...I have been tagged by Mindy at http://straussfam.blogspot.com/and here are the rules of this tag...

* You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
* Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name.
* If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
* When you are tagged, you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.
* At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged & to read your blog! of this tag...

My middle name is Jude (thank goodness it's short!!!) So here goes:
J - Jesus, 100% human, 100% God, came and died on the cross for my sin
U - undeserved, unearned, unmerited, unconditional love by Him
D - decided to follow Him July 19th, 1991 (my Junior year of HS)
E - eternity in heaven with Him and all who believe on Him

OK - so here is the hard part, everyone that I know of who has a blog has already been tagged. If anyone has any suggestions as to whom I can tag, please leave a comment!!! :) :) :)

At Jake's Place

It was so cute, when Brody got to the school Kailey went right over grabbed his hand and stuck by his side. They were so cute together. Truly the Lord has given them a heart for one another. (Father, I pray your blessing on their relationship. May they always have a heart of compassion and love for one another and may they always have a closness that is from you. Help them to shine out your love and help them to be a blessing to those around them. amen.)

All settled in and ready to start the day with story time!!

Miss Ashli and Miss Olivia..... so sweet :) :) :)

Father, I pray your blessing and these your children. May they seek you first in all things. Reveal yourself to them that they may know you more. I pray that these girls and the others at the preschool would trust in you and not lean on their own understanding. Father, may each of these children ask you into their lives at the earliest point possible. AND may each of them follow your lead all the days of their lives. Father protect them and grow them. May they each be a blessing to those around them. Give us wisdom, strength and discernment as we raise them up and teach them your ways. Thank you Jesus that you have given us these precious gifts. May you bless them all the days of their lives. We love you Jesus and we pray these things in your name. Amen.

Kailey's First Day of Preschool!!!

Kailey Bug's first day of preschool!!! She has been so excited after watching Braeden get to go all last year and then after he started kindergarten last week. She was so cute this morning. Waking up early, picking out her clothes and then down stairs to fix the hair. After we were all ready Kailey helped me make a "special" drink. It's just a fruit and yogurt smoothie, but the kids definitely think it's a treat!!!

While enjoying the smoothie, we stepped outside for a few pics to capture the morning!!! Gracie is always up for getting in with whatever is going on!! She doesn't miss a step with her two other siblings!!

Kailey's prayer this morning was particularly sweet. After daddy and mommy prayed she said a quick "Dear Lord, I pray that God would come down and that we would go up to see Jesus. Amen" So simple and yet so right on the money!! I don't even remember talking with her about the rapture, but it seems like the Lord has already given her wisdom into this issue!! Praise be to Him.

Miss Grace, ready to take on the world!!! (with her smoothie)

Mariner's Game

Monday afternoon Braeden and I got to drive up to Seattle for a Mariner's baseball game. It was awesome!!! My parents had two extra sweet tickets 10 rows up from 3rd base. We had a blast. It's not often that I get to have one-on-one time with Braeden and I absolutely savored every minute. He was so excited to be there!!Along with getting to go to a game, Braeden was just totally excited to see his Grandma and Grandpa. He got totally spoiled and loved playing air catch with my dad!!!


We got to the game early so we were able to watch batting practice. It was great because some of the A's players were out signing autographs. Braeden went right up and got Nick Swisher's. Then we were just standing there and a super nice lady yelled up at me, "what's his name?" so I told her and she got him a personalized autograph by Shannon Steward. Then later on in the game while we were just sitting there, the same lady came up to Braeden and handed him a personalized baseball with an autograph from #40 Harden, a starting pitcher. It was soooo cool!! I think the Lord was just totally pouring out blessing on Braeden. AND I couldn't help but notice that the lady was wearing a sweet little gold cross around her neck. Maybe she was an angel :) :) :)

Well, you'd think that would be enough for us to have just a totally awesome time, but just like the Lord, when He blesses, He goes way beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. So, during the game, Braeden saw the third base coach give a game ball to another little boy. So at the beginning of the next inning, Braeden ran down and the coach came over and handed him a ball. This was probably Braeden's coolest prize from the game, because it was actually used in the game!!! He loves it because it's all bruised up and even has grass stains on it!!! :) :) :)
I have to say this was truly a day I hope I never forget. Me and my little buddy had the greatest of times. On the way to the game we got to sing praise songs together and talk about what the songs meant and just share about the Love of the Lord together. Then at the game I was just blessed to be there with my parents and Braeden, holding his hand where ever we went!!! Then on the drive home, I was trying to tell Braeden that you don't usually even get one ball at a game let alone two!! And I told him that, I have been to several games and never gotten a single ball. AND with that he got really serious and said, "Mommy, you take one of mine." "No seriously mommy, you can have one of mine." I get choked up just thinking about our time together.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!!!May the Lord pour out His blessing on you today where ever you are. Trust in Him!!!

Gone Fish'n.... or at least crawdading!!!

Brody is always so adventurous. Even on the way down to the creek he would stop and look at every snake hole and interesting bug. He seemed to love it!!!
The girls had fun, but kept their distance!!!
Admiring some of the crawdad catch :) :) :)
Miss Paigeee on the trail back up!!! They all had to have their walking sticks!!!

Got Milk...shakes

Braeden loves to do milk mustache's and Brandon and I couldn't miss the chance!!! Just an FYI, if you want to get the really good white looking mustache, try it with a milkshake!!! We couldn't get Grace to do it and Kailey had already fallen asleep for the night!!! :) :) :)

Did someone say "treats"

I think this was the fastest we saw any of them run!!!! They all did just awesome and had a wonderful time :) :) :)

Braeden's first soccer game!!

Braeden was so excited, he could hardly wait for his first game!!!
Kailey was so cute. If you'll notice she has on Brody's athletic shorts and Braeden's old soccer sweatshirt. (She had to be all ready with the appropriate clothes for a soccer game!!!)
Grace wasn't too interested in the soccer game, but the park it was at was great fun!!!
Coach and Braeden ready for the game!!! It is a blessing that Brandon is able to coach these kids. He is such a sweet man. His love for the Lord pours out on each of the kids it really does touch my heart!!!

Soccer practice

The girls and I had such a fun time at Braeden's soccer practice. WE didn't really get to watch much of the practice but we had a great time playing ring-around-the-rosy and tag. The girls were having so much fun. Gracie could hardly run because she was laughing so hard. AND Miss Kailey loved it because she had complete control of the game. It was really cute to see them playing together so nicely!!

Braeden's soccer has been really fun. It's amazing how competitive the kids can get even at this early age. This may be an area for some devoted prayer. I am so thankful Brandon is coaching and can direct and correct my little sweetheart!!!!
Gracie and I were playing a little peek-a-boo!! Of course as soon as I click the shot, she gets serious!!! Little stinker ;)

First day of School!!!

How in the world is it time to start Kindergarten!!! What an absolute joy for Braeden to be starting this new chapter in his life. He did so good today!!! We woke up early got all dressed in the clothes he had picked out the night before. Then he came in and we brushed the teeth and hair. Next it was downstairs for food, video, pictures, and prayer!!! He was sooo excited. BUT, when we pulled up, he started to get a little nervous. Praise the Lord, his best buddies Jack and Isaac were there to calm the nerves!!!
Lord, I pray your blessing the these your men. Help them grow and learn about you and your ways. Father protect them and give them your wisdom. Make them to shine out your love as they obediently walk with you!!! May they be a bright light to all around them!!

Lined up and ready to go in!!! The journey begins...............

Labor day weekend - the crew

I just couldn't resist this shot. They were all pretty much lined up and waiting to go down to the pool. AND it just so happened that they were in line oldest to youngest!!

May the Lord bless each of these kids. I pray His hand of protection and covering. May the each grow in their own personal relationship with the Lord. Thank you Jesus for these blessings!!!


Kailey and Brody have so much fun together. I can't wait to see what school is like for them!!! They love each other just like brother and sister -- too fun!!!







Miss Paigeeee!!! Daddy didn't quite get the swimsuit on, but I thought that little tummy was too cute to miss!!!