Love letter #39: The power of snail mail and a party

Image via WikipediaIn a conversation today, I was reminded of the importance of showing love through community, physical presence, and investing with relationships by spending time with one another. Much like a "snail mail" letter vs. an email, physical presence  vs. electronic presence demonstrates a different level of care and concern.

I have a Great Aunt that faithfully sends birthday, anniversary and other cards on time to our large family with consistency and a loving touch. It feels different and more special, somehow, opening her card-- especially compared to an email.

Like a card, the physical presence of someone somehow demonstrates unspoken love in the same sincere way. That old fashioned accountability and fellowship is what builds community and demonstrates a type of love and care that can not be replaced. Scripture is consistent with the theme of the importance of physical presence, and urges us to value it by keeping community and caring for one another in the assembly.

Love letter #37: Taking responsibility for what you love

'Love they neighbor as thyself (Mark 12:31)' implies that you love yourself. Sometimes that is difficult for many of us to do. Most of the time it is because we do not see the same value in ourselves that God sees in us. In fact, we are highly valued by God. Since God is Love, and love, by definition places high value on the object of its affection, He places high value on us.

Love letter #32: Love is a two way street

I came home too late last night to make my post appointment for the day. I felt as if I broke a promise, and was sad for not holding up my end of the bargain. Although last night was the first night that I totally missed completely, but it had been happening gradually: I started posting just after midnight to make my self imposed "deadline", then after 1am, and then finally last night, I missed it all together.

It seemed o.k. at first-- after all, no one really cares if I miss a day, or if I post a little later.  But I should. It is a reflection of the same slippery slope we often find ourselves in with sin. It usually starts with something that seems harmless, maybe fudging the line a little bit. It seems like everyone, including yourself, excuses your behavior because it isn't horrible, matter of fact is is expected. However, it is clearly not what you set out to do and is not meeting the standard you know you should be attaining. Then it becomes easier and easier to drift away from the place where God would have you to be.

Love letter #30: I'm adopted

Image by Guðskraftur via FlickrToday I had the privileged of being with some great people. Some were great in position, others had really interesting life stories, others excelled in knowing what to say at the exact right time, still others had made a dream manifest. Standing/sitting/talking among them, I sometimes felt my shortcomings highlighted tremendously. All in all, I was humbled to be in their presence.

After further prayer and reflection with the group I was convicted that I should also be as humbled by the presence of God (duh!).  

Love letter # 28: Love that surpasses knowledge

Tonight I was with a friend and her small child. As we were talking to each other, the little girl looked up and became fixated on the sky. She was discovering what we were missing, even though we knew it was there-- the expansiveness of the sky. She marveled at the moon, and the clouds. She seemed fascinated that when she looked behind her and above, or if she looked in front of her or to the side, there it was-- the sky.

Sometimes its easy to get so caught up in thinking horizontally, one person to another, that we miss the expansiveness of God and the greatness of His love, just like we missed the majesty of the sky as we concentrated on one another. As I prayed for what to say to the readers of this blog tonight, I came across a prayer that Paul prayed to the church at Ephesus that was a great reminder to me and captured my heart for you.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Ephesians 3:16-19

May you know a love without dimensions, may you be you experience love that goes beyond your understanding, and may that love take up residence in your soul, and strengthen your heart such that you are whole in our Heavenly Father and renewed in Christ. Amen.

God May See a King

The following is a story from Prison Fellowship by Beth Reid

John Jennings stood in the courtroom, looking into the eyes of the man who had murdered his son. This man had been his son’s friend, but one night, this “friend” took John’s son into the woods, demanded his money, and shot him.


Arrested and ashamed, he stood in the courtroom, facing his crimes and his best friend’s family members, including John. Tears streaking his face, John said what he had come to say to this friend turned killer: “God told me to tell you He loves you, man, and the only way we win today is if you give your life to the Lord.”

Swallowing hard, John knew there was one more thing God had told him to tell his son’s murderer. “God loves you,” he repeated, and taking a deep breath, he continued, “and I love you, too.”

Click here to read the rest of the story: God May See a King

What Love Isn't...

Image by Sister72 via FlickrIn honor of Valentine's Day, for the singles out there, here is a little reminder of what love is NOT, from a post from Confessions of a Born Again Virgin blogger and author, Crystal Pemberton:

C o N F e S s I O N s O f a B.A.V.: What Love Isn't...: "'Hey, how come he hasn't called you in two weeks?' 'He just knows I'm not one of those needy girls. He doesn't have to call me every day..."

Love letter # 26: Love restores

“For so long I couldn’t see

How a heavenly Father could love me

If my own dad raised me with dread and insecurity”

-excerpt from “Daddy’s Girl” by
Minister Lyvonne “Proverbs” Briggs

Love letter #25: Joy in suffering?

                                         Image via WikipediaFrancis Chan, a popular Christian teacher and former pastor recently changed his position in the church from pastor to lay elder in order to pursue what he sees as a more biblical life style: live simply and give lavishly. He exalts commitment and devotion to making disciples, and is trying "100%" to follow the Bible.

Love letter #24: God's love is jealous

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

---
John Mark McMillian wrote these lyrics following the death of a dear friend. He was battling with the feelings of anger toward God for taking his friend. Ultimately, after wrestling with God like Jacob, he was reminded of the overwhelming love of God for his people-- despite their flaws, and despite tragedies-- and wrote the song. His story is below:



You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
   “God opposes the proud
   but shows favor to the humble. James 4:4-6

Lord, help us to realize the expansiveness of your love and grace, despite our own limitations of understanding. Help us understand the magnitude of your love and grace (even in tragedy), and love you in return. Amen.

Love letter #23: Humble Pie

There's something about attempting to do for others that makes great teachable moments-- for us.  In our eagerness to give, love, redeem, and assist, we must remember that our actions of service are  part of God's larger redemptive plan and not an accessory to ours. We are working because we are redeemed, we are not the Redeemer.


Romans 12: 1-8 says it like this:
 

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.  


^{Sometimes cultural or socioeconomic differences can make our giving and serving seem like a chore, or one sided. But God calls us to eat humble pie, be generous, and then be humble again:
 
9} Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited.

Lord, teach us how to live out true humility-- when we give, and when we receive. Let our love be sincere, and our hearts constant students of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Love letter #22: Maintaining a connection

Image via WikipediaSo, I'm trying to get Internet installed in my house. Seems like a simple transaction, no? Well, it's been two days (going on three) and about 5 hours in the making ( 12 if you count the hours waiting for the repair man), and still no Internet.

The technician that came today, also claimed it should be a simple transaction. If they could just find the piece of hardware that would allow them to establish a connection... "Do you have some kind of map that can tell you where things were originally arranged?", I asked the perplexed technician.

"No, but that would make our lives easier", he replied.

Love letter #20: The love of a friend

I had the privilege of being with some old friends today. The love of a friend makes you feel comfortable and warm; familiar and safe-- yet, still challenged and inspired.

We know true friends by their consistent, almost familial devotion, in good times and bad:

A friend loves at all times,
   and a brother is born for a time of adversity.  Proverbs 17:17

Love letter #18: The love of a father

" It broke my heart to hear Ruth say, “I have never experienced the love of a father.” And yet, she draws strength from her heavenly Father. “Somehow I’ll make it,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I know God is with me.”"

To hear Ruth's story about God's love for her and read the total blog post by Richard Sterns, click here:
http://www.theholeinourgospel.com/blog/a-lonely-struggle/

Love letter #17: The Measure of Love: sacrifice

Today I am going to take the liberty of sharing an excerpt of a book I'm reading with you: Good to Great in God's Eyes- Ten Practices Great Christians Have in Common, by Chip Ingram. It is from the chapter "Make Great Sacrifices".

"I saw a great illustration of this principle [that sacrifice is is the clearest and greatest evidence of the extent of one's love (John 15:13)] on an Animal Planet television show recently. A small lioness was having trouble getting food for her cubs, but she finally killed her prey. Too small to drag the meal to her cubs, she went and got them to come to it.

On the way back, seven or eight hyenas surrounded her and her babies. She had an opportunity to run, but she didn't. Faced with impossible odds this lioness was willing to die in an attempt to save her cubs. And for reasons I can't explain, emotions swelled up inside of me as I saw her frantically swipe at hyenas attempting to attack her little ones. That kind of devotion is built into the design of creation. It resonates with us.

[Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13]

When we're truly devoted to someone or something, we're willing to make sacrifices. If you want to know what you really love, all you have to do is notice where you're giving your time, your energy, your money, and your dreams.....It's not hard to see how that principle applies to being a follower of Jesus. Whatever we have to offer, it will naturally flow in the direction of our deepest affections. The degree of our sacrifice corresponds to the degree of our love. Great Christians demonstrate great love by making great sacrifices."

Lord, help us to take great risks and make great sacrifices that are a natural outflow of our love for you. Challenge us on how where we give our time, our energy our money, and our dreams. Then, let us fight against impossible odds, knowing that you are our champion (Romans 8:31-39). Amen.

Love letter # 16: Diana's Story

On our 28 daily posting quest, we will continue to examine several manifestations of love. Today, we will examine Diana’s love story: a story of healing and resilience, tragedy and triumph. She was bought and sold as a modern day slave. The sexual exploitation she experienced deadened her sense of feeling and made her feel hopeless. Thankfully, that was not the end of her story; the compassionate, consistent care from those who loved God enabled her to feel and understand what it meant to love in a new way. Her story is an example of miracles that happen when we passionately, selflessly and intentionally show the love of Christ to the broken.

She speaks of the people of Love 146 who took her in: “They are the people who loved me, who valued me at a time when I thought I was alone. It was here that I felt love. It was here that I felt love. I became strong. It was here that I learned how to be loved. How to love myself, and other people and God.”

Diana imagined herself as a tree at first withered, and then strong. She understood, better than most, the power her atmosphere had on her resilience and strength. This passage from the first Psalm also uses a tree to describe how our spiritual atmosphere determines our outcome.

¹ Blessed is the one
   who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
   or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
   whatever they do prospers.

Psalms 1: 1-3

I pray for those that feel hopeless and not valued, that they would feel the arms of the loving Savior, working sometimes through men and women filled with his Holy Spirit. At the same time, I pray for those who are not hopeless right now; that they would sow into the life of another who needs to know healing and liberty (Luke 4:18). Amen.

For more information on Love 146, and their round homes watch this video.

To learn more about the complex issues surrounding human trafficking and how you can get involved in the solutions, visit the Love 146 website.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Love Letter # 13: What is your temperature?

Cover via Amazon

The book Crazy Love, written by Francis Chan, in 2008, that calls those of us who call ourselves Christians to examine our view of God. He beings by helping the reader appreciate the awesomeness of universe. And if that, he argues, is the creator who we worship: the consummate artist, who is also merciful to the person who feels most insignificant, and who loves us like His own child; then our response must be one of crazy love.

Love letter #12: Love like you love

I want to love, like you love. Love like you love, help me love others, the way that you love me. - "Others" by Israel Houghton.

God got our attention on the way to the airport the other day. We saw a beautiful double rainbow pierce the cloudy sky. We could see the entire arc of the first rainbow, and the second gently echoed the first at the base.

Love Letter #11: Wonders of His love

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Merry Christmas

Love Letter #9: Love is intimate

Husband: "When are you coming home?"
me: I'm leaving right now....
Husband: smiles :)

One of the best parts of romantic love, is desiring to be close to the object of our affection. The exchange above is from a text exchange between me and my husband just this week. As I was praying about what to share on the blog, I found myself being extremely thankful for a loving marriage. My husband and I desire to be near each other, to enjoy each other's company and to appreciate one another as much as possible. God desires the same type of relationship with us, and thus it is no coincidence that scripture describes our relationship to Christ as a loving marriage (Ephesians 5:25-33).