CTRL + ALT + DEL

Ok – I say this with love, but for anyone who works in the IT department – I would like to make a public service announcement.  Please just assume that “yes”, we DID already try restarting the computer.

 If you work in an office setting – you know all too well what I’m talking about. Your computer freezes, you lose an important file, or some program is just not working right.  You call out for help, and the response is to restart the computer. 

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the advice and it usually solves most issues because rebooting the computer completely resets everything.  It doesn’t “undo” what happened, it simply starts over – fresh.

Don’t you wish there was a life-equivalent to “rebooting the computer”?  You failed this test, forgot that assignment, this friend is mad at you, and you lost the basketball game?  No problem! Just hit CTRL + ALT + DEL and start over fresh.

Well, if you’ve ever read the story of Ruth and Naomi – that is EXACTLY what God did.  It is a short book in the Bible – four chapters long – and in the very first five verses of the very first chapter, everything goes wrong – and by everything, I mean ALL things went wrong.  A family forsakes everything – their home, their friends and family – and they travel to a foreign land hoping to find refuge from a bitter famine.  Instead, the husband dies, the two sons die, and the property that was left behind is lost. 

We meet Naomi, who is understandably bitter, and her daughter-in-law, Ruth … who’s reaction is beyond anything imaginable.  She refuses to abandon Naomi, saying:

For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Ruth 1:16b.

In stark contrast to Naomi’s bitterness – Ruth reacts in compassion, love, and loyalty.  I do not know many people with a heart like Ruth – a heart of true character and ultimate faith.  Unlike Naomi, Ruth was a Moabite woman living in a Jewish land.  She didn’t just suffer everything going wrong- no, to the Jewish people, she also chose to follow her mother-in-law into a land where she was deemed “wrong.” 

At the heart of it, this 4-chapter book of the Bible is a “rags-to-riches” story where a foreigner shows us that regardless of what happens to us, regardless of our heritage, we are ALL children of God and to Him we are precious. 

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:15-17.

Ruth’s heart of loyalty, character, and faith set her up for an ultimate reset – one where her hardships were reversed to honor, her poverty to riches, and her cursed heritage reversed into a blessing. 

We all will have moments where we will feel sorry for ourselves, wallow in our misery, and struggle to see God’s goodness.  This October, though, we hope to challenge our teens to trust in God not just in the best of times, but also in the worst of times…especially in the worst of times because it is in those moments God is planning the most powerful “reboot the computer” that ever was – an ultimate reset.  Check out our October series HERE.

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COMING SOON...

No matter how happy and healthy your relationships are with your family and friends, conflict is a fact of life. When that happens, sometimes we forget that the relationship is more important than "winning" the argument or proving our point. Sometimes we focus on what makes us feel vindicated in the moment even if it tramples all over those we care about the most. In other words, "fighting fair" is not really a skill people tend to have naturally. Genuine encouragement generally gets thrown to the wayside because of envy, pride, jealousy. The Bible has a lot to say about how we resolve conflicts, when they happen, with those we care about the most. Don't miss this crucial series coming soon!

"If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18

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DID YOU KNOW?

• Bridges to Orthodoxy’s Crossroad’s Collection (MS and HS) contains 4-years of themes rotating between Social, Bible Study, and Orthodox topics.
• We upload these rotations on a cycle so that we can continue to update the content and keep the materials culturally relevant. 
• “In One Peace” was previously released in September 2020. This new 2024 version includes culturally relevant updates, graphics, and deep content.

Any Church who previously purchased and downloaded the prior 2020 version will receive a free download link to this newer 2024 version soon!

We provide this service for any and all updated (versus new) topics that come back up in the rotation. 

Check out our other Frequently Asked Questions HERE