{"id":5558,"date":"2017-03-01T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T17:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.brethren.org\/?p=5558"},"modified":"2017-03-01T12:00:40","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T17:00:40","slug":"ebrethren-3-1-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/2017\/03\/01\/ebrethren-3-1-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Communicating God’s love"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Deanna (front right) with
workcampers in Knoxville, Tenn.
Photo courtesy of Deanna Beckner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Deanna Beckner, assistant workcamp coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n

The way we communicate is extremely important. For example: do you know why you can only \u201cran\u201d in a campground? This is because it\u2019s past tents (past tense). As exemplified by this joke, language is complex and can be understood or misunderstood.<\/p>\n

Think about the importance of talking with each other. If we say one thing but mean another, or say something but do the opposite, our message will be very confusing. There is a game where you sometimes have to do what the \u201cleader\u201d says but say the opposite, and other times say what the \u201cleader\u201d says but do the opposite. This makes for a challenging, fun game, but would not be fun in real life.<\/p>\n

Reference.com shares three reasons to communicate: \u201cto make or maintain relationships, to share or receive information, and to persuade.\u201d With this in mind, how does God want us to communicate with one other?<\/p>\n

Romans 12:14-19 says, \u201cBless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they\u2019re happy; share tears when they\u2019re down\u2026. Make friends with nobodies; don\u2019t be the great somebody\u2026. If you\u2019ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don\u2019t insist on getting even; that\u2019s not for you to do. \u2018I\u2019ll do the judging,\u2019 says God. \u2018I\u2019ll take care of it\u2019\u201d (The Message).<\/p>\n

Wow! This is quite a challenge. Get along with everybody? Yes, this even means a person you don\u2019t agree with, a friend you\u2019ve stopped talking to, or a family member with whom you have argued in the past.<\/p>\n

And what do our actions communicate to others? What forms of entertainment (video games, TV, books, etc.) receive the best of our time and energy? Are we respectful of other people\u2019s time? Do our actions reflect that God is important in our lives and that we love our neighbors? It\u2019s not easy to change our priorities, but it\u2019s not impossible.<\/p>\n

The biblical story of Ruth offers us some inspiration. She embodied loyal love. Let\u2019s review the story together.<\/p>\n

Act 1: Family trip for food.<\/strong> Father Elimelech, mother Naomi, and sons Mahlon and Killion travel from Bethlehem to Moab to escape a famine, and Elimelech dies.<\/p>\n

Act 2: Two marriages and funerals.<\/strong> Mahlon and Killion marry Orpah and Ruth, and after a decade, both sons die. This leaves Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth together as widows.<\/p>\n

Act 3: Homeward bound.<\/strong> Naomi prepares to return to Bethlehem once the famine is over. Bitter about the death of her husband and sons, Naomi encourages Orpah and Ruth to return to their own families, but they both choose to stay with her. Naomi explains that she can\u2019t bear sons for them to wait to wed and insists that they leave her. The three women cry together, Orpah departs, but Ruth clings tightly to Naomi.<\/p>\n

Ruth pleads with Naomi: \u201cDon\u2019t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!\u201d (Ruth 1:16).<\/p>\n

Act 4: Resolution.<\/strong> Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem. Ruth supports Naomi in a time of need, and later Ruth marries Boaz to continue the family line\u2014the lineage that leads to Jesus.<\/p>\n

When we reflect God\u2019s character through our interactions with others, we bring glory to God. Ruth\u2019s sacrifice and hard work to provide for Naomi reflected God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n

Like Ruth, God can use us to touch the lives of others. Are you allowing God to use you to share love? Our words and actions can reveal to others that \u201cyou count, and everyone counts.\u201d How can you reveal that every person matters? Answering this question will allow you to communicate God\u2019s love in a way that others will understand.<\/p>\n

Deanna Beckner and Shelley Weachter are the 2017 assistant workcamp coordinators. A great way to communicate God\u2019s love this summer is by participating in a workcamp or inviting someone to sign up. Register or learn more today at www.brethren.org\/workcamps<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Read this issue of eBrethren<\/a>)\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Deanna Beckner, assistant workcamp coordinator The way we communicate is extremely important. For example: do you know why you can only \u201cran\u201d in a campground? This is because it\u2019s past tents (past tense). As exemplified by this joke, language is complex and can be understood or misunderstood. Think about the importance of talking with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[357,1228],"class_list":["post-5558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ebrethren","tag-ebrethren","tag-workcamps"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5558\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/blogtest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}