RUTH
Your God. My God.
A True Story of Love & Redemption

Now, this was no one person’s entry. It is a combination of Carrie Hudson, Tommy Nelson, John Vines…from City Church…and who knows else:) So, we have decided to reward 3 of you who have made name suggestions. Here they are:

John Vines – A Story of Redemption
Nathan – Redeeming Love (this was a contender!)
Ruth – well Ruth…for obvious reasons:)

So, shoot us an email at info@gotothehub.com and you have just won a DVD Box Set of your choice, and on August 23, 2010 when Ruth ships, a Box Set of Ruth.

Congrats and thanks to all for your prayers and suggestions. Please be praying for Ruth and that God’s message of redemption, character, finding God’s will and other key elements from this series will changes lives today, and forever.

“He is altogether lovely.  He is everything I want in a husband.”

God truly changed her heart, as her husband was kind in the face of wrong.  In the light of her newly awakened awareness of all the good qualities in her husband, she had a strong desire to be the wife he longed to have.

The woman is a fine example of what God does in transforming a person’s attitude.  First, she begins to see things in a new light.  She begins to see the good that has escaped her before.  She sees her mate as God sees her mate!  When that happens, compassion rises in her heart.  And in the wake of compassion, she feels a desire for renewed intimacy and closeness of communication.

My Question For You: Do you look at your mate through God’s eyes or through your own.

My Challenge For You: The next time you are working through conflict with your spouse, change the way you view your spouse and see how that changes things.

Want to watch the SOS Tommy Nelson Study? You can buy the DVD Series here or Rent one Session at a Time here.

This was a special filming for many reasons. The book, this picture of Ruth, her character, the model she is, and then the raw love story behind her and Boaz and then the picture of Christ redeeming us, just like Boaz redeemed Ruth. All the ingredients for the ultimate Hollywood Classic.

Also, the location. Wow, City Church International, www.citychurchintl.org, is a very special place both in architecture and more importantly the body of Christ that fills that building.  The building is a 1917 church built by the Congregationalist. Very European in its wood work and amazingly unchanged these past 93 years.

Here is just one of the behind scenes pics we will start to release.

As for a dad, that’s me, the dude with all the gray hair, but more importantly, that is my oldest daughter, KK, who wanted a ‘work day’ with dad. Of course this work day lasted until about 2AM! You can’t tell it here, but she is actually asleep standing up.

Ruth will release on August 23, 2010. Be praying for Matt Coleman, www.unblindproductions.com, as he does post and graphic work on the project.

Also, if you want to suggest a tag line and chance to win a free DVD Box Set of Ruth, click here.

Blessings on you!

Doug Hudson

Refuse to overreact or to react too quickly to what another person does or says. One person said to me, “My mother had a phrase, ‘let the river roll on for a while.’ We lived near a river, and I knew precisely what she meant. Some things are best left to float right on by because they are issues that are too little to warrant a fight.” You might have heard it said, “Don’t make mountains out of mole hills.” Same principle. Continue to pursue your relationship and your spouse with love. Don’t make big issues out of little ones. Proverbs 12:16 tells us, “A fool’s wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame.”

My Question For You: Do you react like Solomon did when you are rejected?

My Challenge For You: Can you react to your spouse in a way that “let’s the river roll on for a while” and then follow on in love?

Want to watch the SOS Classic Study? You can buy the DVD Series here or Rent one Session at a Time here

Express yourself, yes, but wait until your emotional temperature has cooled.  Be proactive and intentional, not reactive and instinctual, in expressing your feelings.  Wait until the one who has hurt you also has cooled off or is in a good frame of mind to hear what you have to say.  Every person I know can do a better job of keeping a cool head and choosing at all times to respond as Christ would respond.  It’s tough to do, but it’s what we as Christians are called and challenged by God to do.

I know people who have grown up in homes where passive-aggressive behavior was the norm.  That’s behavior in which a person is warm and loving one minute, and the next minute, the person is ice cold or hateful.

Such behavior does not need to occur.  Conflict can be resolved at this very first stage if one of the persons in the relationship will be mature enough to sit back, analyze and pray about the situation, and make a measured response that is loving, kind, and aimed at a greater positive in the future.

My Question For You: When you are responding to your mate during a time of conflict, is it in the heat of the moment, or do you take time to cool off and think about your response?

My Challenge For You: Are you willing to act as God wants you to during times of conflict by showing love, kindness, and seeking to positive resolution?

You can rent or buy the Song of Solomon and other Bible Studies by Tommy Nelson, Mark Driscoll, and Matt Chandler and watch them online starting as low as $4.99 per session.

I think yes, but then I think of those who don’t know Him yet, and as Tommy Nelson once said, “Aren’t all Christians grateful that Christ did not come back the day before we were saved?”

It is hard to comprehend all of this tragedy. Mark Driscoll travels there and witnesses a teenage boy being shot and killed. My 13 year old daughter is trying to process all this at dinner time last night and she cried for people she has never met. “God, I believe, help my unbelief” is what Christ said through the Apostle Paul.

So, this begs the response, what should I do? What can you do? Generally it comes down to a few basic things:

• Pray.
• Go.
• Give money.

At The Hub, 20% of all online sales through February 1, 2010 will be donated to Haiti.  All monies will be donated to www.churcheshelpingchurches.com To whom much is given, much is required.

God is with Haiti, and their people, even when we don’t understand.

Doug Hudson

Caryn, YES! Guess what’s next…WORK.

First things first. I think you need to slow down a bit, step back and let some things simmer down. I have not given birth (surprise) but my wife Carrie has three times. It is wonderful and can be very stressful. Hormones, no sleep, new things, things you don’t know how to work, no sleep, new financial opportunities:), who is going to wake up at 2:45 a.m., no sleep, hormones. A lot of Change!

There is also a ton of sweet sounds, holding a baby on your chest and taking a nap, watching them sleep, letting their little finger wrap around yours, watching their eyes open, emotionally and spiritually connecting with them, taking a nap with your baby on your chest (I know I already said that, but since I said no sleep a lot in the other paragraph, need to say how sweet those naps are).  A lot of Goodness.

Caryn, and others, during this time of wonderful, but massive change, we need not to become anxious, paranoid, or rush to judgments about one another. Certainly you and your husband are realizing that if you thought marriage took sacrifice, having a baby is like the ultimate mirror to reflect our selfishness.

“I am tired and I have to get sleep or I can’t do my job at work well.” “Well, I just gave birth to your son (daughter) and I have not slept for days and have this precious little one on my side 24/7 and I need help.”  Was it Mark Twain (not sure) that said, ‘this is why God gives children to the young.’”

I would suggest you and your husband find a few quiet minutes and share your honest, heartfelt feelings. Share with him your concern over your body and its changes. Share with him your sense of missing him, your tiredness and energy.  Share with him the sense of loss of losing your best friend and the separation you are feeling.  Share with him your desire for him and to not lose that intimacy and your willingness to fight for him.

For the husbands out there, intimacy will return. But, this is why it is called intimacy in marriage and not sex, because it requires courage, honesty, sacrifice, commitment. Then, when you each get a bit of rest, you have unselfishly helped each with the responsibilities in the home, and then you come together in intimacy, now you have something worth fighting for! Now that is two souls coming together, and not two bodies.

Caryn, pray for the conversation, offer the results to God (your husband may not respond perfectly to the first conversation) but be kind and wise about your timing, but be direct and courageous.

This is one of the forks in the road where as things get more complicated in marriage, we must fight diligently to “keep falling in love” with the best friend that we chose and God lead us to.

God is with you, be strong!

Conflict usually is minimal during the first stage of a marriage, which is the honeymoon period. Honeymoon literally refers to a “sweet month.” It marks the period from one stage of the moon to the next time that stage of the moon occurs. In a marriage, the honeymoon period is the period of sweetness and kindness between two spouses, a time when all things seem new and fresh and exciting—about thirty days.

The next stage of a marriage, however, is often called the disillusionment period—when illusions about the person you have married disappear. A woman thinks she has married Ozzie Nelson, and he turns out to be Homer Simpson. A man thinks he has married the girl of his dreams and awakens to hard, glaring reality.

After the disillusionment period comes the wonderful and long-enduring phase of commitment, when you discover your mate fully and, at the same time, commit to loving your mate in a biblical manner for the rest of your days.

Both the disillusionment and the commitment phases are going to be marked by conflict, and since they are by far the longer periods of time for a marriage, partners are wise to anticipate these periods prior to their wedding and set their minds and hearts to enduring the disillusionment period in anticipation of the commitment phase. At the same time, refuse to shy away from conflict during your dating, courtship, and engagement periods. Keep your discussions and conversations lively. Don’t “stuff” your emotions in fear that you will damage your relationship. Learn to fight fair.

My Question For You:

What are your expectations about conflict in your dating or marriage relationship? Are you disillusioned or prepared to work through conflict?

My Challenge For You:

Think about the three stages of marriage. If you are married, which one are you in and are you handling conflict correctly? If you are single, are you confronting conflict in your relationships as you date?

Please leave us your thoughts below. Looking for other articles from the Conflict Series? Click Here.

One of the strangest verses in the entire Bible must be Proverbs 14:4: “Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.”

This verse means that if you don’t have any oxen, you will obviously have a clean manger or feeding trough.  You may be happy to have a clean trough, which doesn’t require any work, but on the other hand, you are likely to be much happier if you have oxen in your stable.  Strong oxen enable much work to get done—many acres plowed, cultivated, and harvested.  Strong oxen lead to a great increase in the field.  You will probably desire to have a “dirty” trough and its related work because the presence of oxen means more prosperity down the line.

The same principle holds true for a marriage.  If you aren’t married, you may very well have less conflict in your life.  But if you want the deep joys of having a spouse and children, you will gladly endure conflict as part of the price for having a family.

My Question For You:

Is your relationship a clean or dirty trough?

My Challenge For You:

Be willing to put the effort into your relationship so that it will be strengthened through the resolving of conflict.

Please share your thoughts with us below.