As we prepare to come to worship on Sunday morning we've got an interesting opportunity to take what we heard at Global Outreach Sunday last week and think about how that relates to what we're reading in The Story this week.  We had a wonderful opportunity last week to hear about what God is doing globally as he continues to build for himself a kingdom made up of people from every nation, tribe and language.  We were both inspired and challenged by the stories we heard.

This week, we step back into The Story and take a look at the book of Ruth.  Ruth is a prime example of God's heart for missions.  Take look at these words about this chapter from a book called, "Exploring the Story," by Adam T. Barr:

" This curious account of an Israelite widow and her Moabite daughter-in-law highlights an emerging theme in the story of the Bible: God's saving purpose is not for Israel alone.  Surely God has been particular.  He called a particular man, Abraham, out of the surrounding culture to follow and obey.  He called a particular nation his 'firstborn son' (Exodus 4:22) and gave them his laws and ordinances to govern life and worship.  But his purposes, ultimately, are much broader than the success of a single nation.  God has picked this particular people to be heralds of his universal offer."

As you read chapter 9 this week, be thinking about 2 things: 1) How can you daily choose to follow Christ? 2) How do the stories you heard on Global Outreach Sunday relate to the book of Ruth and, ultimately, God's desire to build his multi-ethnic, multi-generational family?