Welcome to the channel dedicated to helping us all get real with God. Lets get rid of the junk in our way. The lies, the shame, the fake masks we put up to hide ourselves. Lets get real! time to share what God does with you and for you.

Updated every Sunday and Wednesday Night!

God bless!
-Jonathan Reichel
-Sam Smith

http://www.youtube.com/user/RealWithGod

It starts off with Naomi and her husband, and they have two sons, and their two sons marry two gals. One of the gals is Ruth. A famine hits the land and Naomi’s husband and their two sons all die. Naomi tells her daughters in law to go back home and that their family’s will have to take care of them.

The daughters in law are from different religious & cultural backgrounds, and it was assumed that they would go back to those backgrounds even though they had been Jews when their husbands were alive.

The one girl leaves, but Ruth stays. She says to Naomi “I will make your people my people and your God my God.” And so the two of them go back to Ruth’s home town of Bethlehem.

In their culture, the farmers left some of the crop out in the field so that the poor could go and gather it for themselves. So Ruth went out into a field to gather some corn for the two of them.

The field she went into belong to Boaz, who had been the kinsmen (brother) of Namoi’s husband.

Boaz sees her out in the field and asks his servants who she is. And when he finds out, he tells them to be extra nice to her and leave some extra harvest behind for her. Boaz talks to Ruth and tells her not to go to any other fields, just stay at his. He lets her eat with his reapers when they eat a meal.

At the end of the day Ruth goes back to Naomi and tells her what’s happened and Naomi is pretty happy about everything. They go on like this for a while and Ruth takes care of Naomi.

Naomi and Ruth both knew what a kinsmen redeemer was but I didn’t. Basically, when a woman’s husband would die, his brothers, his kinsmen, would often marry the woman and take care of her. They “redeemed” her from the life of a widow. (It was a lot worse in their culture than in ours.)

So Naomi explains to Ruth the proper way in their culture to tell Boaz that she’d like to marry him, she’d like for him to be her kinsmen redeemer, and Ruth goes and does it. And Boaz makes Ruth a promise. He tells her that while he is kinsmen there was a brother nearer than himself. Basically in their culture, the nearest kinsmen had to have to first chance to marry the widow, then if he didn’t, the next kinsmen, Boaz, was then was allowed to. So Boaz promises Ruth that if the other kinsmen won’t marry her that he will.

The next day Boaz goes into town and gets to gather the other brother (the nearer kinsmen) and a number of the elders of the town. Boaz points out to his brother that he has this opportunity to marry Ruth. And at first the brother says he’s going to do it, but Boaz talks him out of it.

Boaz points out that the brothers inheritance for his children will have to be split among Ruth’s children too. The brother decides he doesn’t like that so much, so he gives up his opportunity to marry her. Then Boaz announces in front of everybody that he will be the kinsmen redeemer for Ruth.

So Boaz and Ruth get married and have a son. A few generations down the tree, David comes out of their bloodline, one of the greatest kings ever. The book of Samuel calls David “A man after gods own heart.” And a number of generations after that Jesus Christ comes out of their bloodline.

If you’d like to read it for yourself, here’s Ruth 1 in The King James version, and here it is in the somewhat easier-to-read New International Version

The Christian Family Fellowship also sells a class by Rev. Wayne Clapp that goes into the book of Ruth in far more detail than I possibly could.  I just got myself a copy and started going through it. The class is $30.

This synopsis  was written by fellowlaborer Nathan Friedly.

Why I became a fellowlaborer: I grew up in an awesome Christian household and spent a a good amount of time acquiring learning about God and his word, however there was little action on the word. It’s VERY easy to get so busy and caught up with your daily life that you always put off living God Word to the fullest. Fellowlaborers provided me with an opportunity to step out on his word and build daily biblical living habits that I can and will use for the rest of my life.

Coolest part of being a fellowlaborer: The people…hands down, it’s the people.

On a bad day, I: Make it a good day. Life is 90% attitude…specifically, MY attitude…As for what I do if it’s a REALLY bad day: find a quiet place and crack open my Bible for a few minutes…

Movies & TV I love: The Unit, Stargate, Heroes, Scrubs, Firefly, Amelie, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Notebook, 300, The Devil Wears Prada, Spiderman, X-Men, V for Vendetta, Shawshank Redemption, Serenity, Usual Suspects, Blood Diamond, Finding Neverland, Big Fish, The Aviator, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Cinderella Man, Gladiator, The Godfather

Music I’m a fan of: Anything classical, classical violin, classical with vocals, modern rock, 90s punk, 90s pop, anything Irish or celtic, particularly bagpipes & fiddle, light & uplifting (Josh Groban’ish), anything techno / trance / dance.

Final Thoughts: I already touched on it about what I do on a bad day, but it’s such a big and important thing that it bears repeating. ~Life is 90% attitude.~ The more you put on, believe and trust in God’s word and the concept that everything WILL work out in the end, the better your life will be. Yes we all make mistakes, but fix them (if you can… if not, God will in his time) and move on regardless. Excessive worrying about something will only make it worse, not better… give things up to God, stop worrying about them from that point forward and keeping going, comforted and in the knowledge and assurance that, regardless of how bleak things look in that moment, God WILL work everything out in the end. Speaking from my own life, which has had more than its fair share of not-so-rosy moments, God has ALWAYS made everything work out in the end, provided that I was willing to be patient, not worry about it, and change my attitude about it until he worked it out.

Beyond that, get into the word NOW, make it your own NOW. When life throws challenges your way (and it will), you’ll be prepared to correctly identify them as attacks from the devil and fight back with the power of God (which has never lost a battle). Don’t wait till your knee deep in brown stuff before turning to the word!

Why I became a fellowlaborer: I saw that the program will help me grow closer to God, much better than I could just working on my own.

Coolest part of being a fellowlaborer: The constant fellowship with other believers.

Music style: Christian metal, with bands like War of Ages and Nodes of Ranvier

Favorite T.V. show: Firefly

Favorite quote: It’s from the song “Theocracy” by the band Theocracy: “For if I am consumed with my own cares/ What right will I have to speak the words ‘The Kingdom come’?/ And if I am consumed with my own will/ What right to pray ‘Thy will be done’?”

Favorite Scripture: I Corinthians 8:2 – “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” and Proverbs 17:27- “He that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit” and Romans 15:1 – “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves”.

Why you became a fellowlaborer: I love God and His Word and want to excel at studying it and at sharing it with people. I’ve seen exactly this happen in other Fellowlaborers’ lives.

Music style: I love rock and roll and techno. I got a lot of small local indie band concerts, too.

On a bad day, I: Would probably play a computer game where I get to shoot stuff.

Favorite Scripture: Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Favorite book: Tom Clancy books

Favorite saying: SOGWAP – Son of God With All Power

Why you became a fellowlaborer: To become stronger in my walk with God, learn about the foundational truths of the Bible, and to improve the way I lead and serve in the body of Christ.

Favorite Scripture: Psalm 100!

Music style: I love a mixture of classic rock, oldies, a cappella, hip-hop, and most of all, country!

On a bad day, I: Like to remind myself what God has done for me in my life, and what great and amazing things He has in store for me. I like to spend quiet time with God and pray, which always perks me up and makes me peaceful and happy again.

Dream dinner guests: Jesus Christ, my fiance, John Shroyer

Favorite saying: You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

Why you became a fellowlaborer: I needed to get away from home and I needed to seek God first and not let other people’s opinions influence my life. Fellowlaborers was the way that I was going to be able to put God first.

Coolest part of being a fellowlaborer: Listening to a teaching or reading the Word and one little thing pops out – it’s really crazy because you’ll notice something and then everything else starts to click. You find answers to questions you weren’t even asking.

Most different part: My life is completely different here than it was in Orlando. I moved up here and my life’s completely changed. The way I think, my attitude, my interests, what I say, the people I’m around – it’s a total 360 turn.

Favorite band: Rascal Flatts

On a bad day, I: Call my best friend

Dream dinner guests: Jesus Christ, Condalezza Rice, Oprah Winfrey

My pet peeves are: dishonesty, when people don’t have their priorities straight, when people assume things

Why you became a fellowlaborer: To reorient myself to be a better servant for God.

Coolest part of being a fellowlaborer: Spending time with such strong believers.

Favorite verse: John 4:13-14 – “Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’”

Favorite book: The Ender’s Saga series

Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Dream dinner guests: Paul the Apostle, Einstein, Shakespeare

Favorite saying: The more you know, the more you realize how much you have left to learn.

Shout-out to the Youth Campers: God’s willingness is equal to His ability. Expect beyond what you expect.

Why I’m a Fellowlaborer: I want to learn how to minister to God’s people not just in my hometown but all over the world. Fellowlaborers will show me how to become the best servant-leader in the body of Christ by teaching me how to study and apply God’s Word. Being a fellowlaborer also exposes me to experiences outside of my comfort zone, leaving God plenty of room to work in my life!

Favorite Scripture and why: I don’t have an actual “favorite”, but right now I love reading 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This verse is the essence of ministry. We bring light to others by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in our words and actions!

Favorite food: Ecuadorian food (ceviche, arroz con habichuelas, maduros, pollo tropical = yummy) and chocolate

Music style: Rock and Latin

Favorite books: Besides the Bible (especially the gospel of John and the epistles of John) – In the Time of the Butterflies, The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride and Prejudice, Sketches by Boz, Blue Like Jazz, and Pablo Neruda’s poetry…if you haven’t already noticed, I love to read.

One question you will ask Jesus Christ at the gathering together: What did you do in your spare time when you weren’t saving the world?

What’s important in life: loving others even when all you want to do is not to.

Why I’m A F.L.: To learn how to better serve God and the body of Christ.

Favorite Scripture and why (what you’ve been thinking about):
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

These have been my favorite scriptures lately because there are so many things that are going on at the same time and I can get overwhelmed if my focus is on worldly things. These verses help me to slow down. I have no need to get worried or upset because God gives me the peace and the strength I need to accomplish all I need to do as long as my thoughts and my focus are centered around Him.

On a Bad Day, I:
On a bad day I start by trying to figure out why I am having a bad day. Sometimes just taking a moment to myself to analyze what is going on can go a long way to fixing the problem. Once the cause is identified, I try to do what I can to fix it. An example of this would be if someone had said something to me that hurt my feelings and I was dwelling on what they said. I would go find that person and talk to them to resolve the hurt feelings. Sometimes I am tired and can tend to be cranky. In a situation like that I do my best to pay attention to my attitude because no one else is responsible for my being tired. Other times there does not appear to be any reason why I am having a bad day. So I take some time to either read the Word or recite it to myself and build myself up. I have never had an instance where reading the Word didn�t make my day better.

Music style: Classic Rock

Ultimate Dinner Guests (If you could have a dinner party with three people, living or dead, who would they be):
Socrates, Michelangelo, Steven Tyler

Pet Peeves:
People who are parrots – meaning people that tend to just repeat things they have heard without looking into them to verify their validity. This can include gossip, but also includes opinions or viewpoints.
People who don’t clean up after themselves.
People who do not deal honestly with others.
Drivers who don’t use their turn signals.

What I Like (hobbies, secular passions): Playing the piano and doing artwork.

Thank you and I CAN’T WAIT to see you!