Head-dibs

 This is a long and complicated letter , so I'll do my best to share what I think lies at the heart. Thank you in advance for thinking with me. "Hecato says : 'I can show you a philtre [potion], compounded without drugs, herbs, or any witch's incantation: 'If you be loved, love.' "  And what is love? Later in this letter, Seneca defines love as "friendship run mad."  He goes on:  "Now there is great pleasure, not only in maintaining old and established friendships, but also in beginning and acquiring new ones. There is the same difference between winning a new friend and having already won him, as there is between the farmer who sows and the farmer who reaps. The philosopher Attalus used to say: 'It is more pleasant to make than to keep a friend, as it is more pleasant to the artist to paint than to have finished painting.'"  What is the purpose of friendship? Is it to collect people for the purpose of support or...

Time is Too Slow for those who Wait, Too Swift for those who Fear, Too Long for those who Grieve, Too Short for those who Rejoice; But for those who Love, Time is not. (Henry Van Dyke, 1852 - 1933) photo: Columbia Metropolitan Airport, 5/3/2017

Quietly Patiently Kindly Selflessly With Content With Edification With Humility With Respect Graciously Softly Delightfully Truthfully Timelessly Strongly Faithfully Hopefully With Endurance Forever

“So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” [2Co 2:8-11 ESV] Another feature of forgiveness is comfort. This is what Paul intends by instructing the church to come alongside the man who repented, reaffirm him with Christian love. The idea here is that reconciliation has occurred AND both sides are talking, conversing. Fellowship restored so all that’s left to do is encourage, strengthening. Don’t let a repentant person to wallow in sorrow. Guilt is found in sin, not in forgiveness. The man was over- whelmed in sorrow, aware of his sin but also afflicted under punishment. Now it is time for the church to meet three objectives: First, “Reaffirm love” (2...

I love my wife anyway. Every day.

Proof of the deity of Christ. "Jesus Christ ... declared to be the Son of God with power ... by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4). An integral part of the gospel. " The gospel ... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures " (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The seal of the finished work of Christ. " When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high " (Hebrews 1:3). Essential for salvation. " If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins " (1 Corinthians 15:17). " That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved " (Romans 10:9). Evidence of the believer's justification. " Jesus our Lord ... was delivered for our offenses, and was raised ...

"The picture is whatever the vine is, the branch is going to produce in fruit. So if Christ is the vine, then the production of fruit from us--the branches--is really going to be His life manifested through us. What do we see, first and foremost, when we look at Jesus? I think the very first thing that we would probably have to say in consideration of the life of Christ is that Jesus is love. He was loving. He was full of love for people. Jesus was not aloof or detached from people. Jesus loved people, not theoretically, but practically. . . . We can easily forget that the ministry is about loving people. Preaching is an important thing, obviously. Teaching the Bible is vital to any ministry, but you can sort of undermine what you say by how you treat people. How you deal with people and the attitude that you demonstrates toward them is vital. people always knew one thing about Jesus--they knew that He loved them. And if we are really bearing fruit, I think that God's peopl...

While stuck in “revision-land” with my novel, I am trying to keep the creative juices flowing by using prompts and various writing assignments. Admittedly, I’ve not been writing as much as I’ve wanted, despite my best efforts. Regardless, here I am staring down my latest assignment and frankly, I don’t want to do it. It frightens me. Here it is: “Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don’t care for. ” Immediately the faces of two individuals come to mind and just as quickly comes the horror: I must destroy someone I love for the purpose of creating a person who does not exist. Then came the greater horror: there exists someone in my life for whom I don’t care. All the discipline I require to press on with my duty has crashed head-on with my refusal to do the assignment.   I have love for one and I have hatred for another. There exists within me deep respect for one and deep disdain for another. One dra...

" Why do you love me?" Admit it guys. This has got to be the most difficult question of all time. Ever. Not much else on the planet can make a guy stop whatever he is doing, make him stop breathing, cause a few second of cardiac arrhythmia and perhaps trigger an avalanche of anxiety than hearing his darling wife ask, “honey, why do you love me?” Ok, maybe being struck by lightning would do the trick. Statistics show that men will most often face repeated strikes by the one without ever encountering the other and be left deeply desiring the one over the other. Despite the fact that I know deep in my heart that I love my wife dearly (words can never tell), I still brace myself for the moment I hear her sweet voice float the question. Psalm 116 is the love song of a person deeply, passionately in love with God—and all the words to tell. Are you in love with God? Then read this out loud, “I love the Lord because . . .” “Because God has heard my voice, my pleas fo...

“What’s on your mind?” the psychiatrist asked. “It doesn’t matter,” replied the physicist. “What is matter?” prodded the psychiatrist. “Never mind” replied the physicist. ************** “Does it matter what I believe? If I love Jesus, isn’t that enough?” These are questions that seems to echoing through the age. But are these good questions? Perhaps the first question is inadequate. What is “it” that “matters?” Perhaps a better way to ask the question would be, “If I love Jesus, what I believe matter?”; or, “Is my love for Jesus enough to have a bearing on what I believe?” If one were to ask Jesus, He would say that belief has everything to do with love that is bound up in Him. Jesus answered this question three times, saying plainly: “ If you love Me, keep My commandments .” (Jn 14:15); “ He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him ." (Jn 14:21)...

I saw these plaques for sale in a store.  Glad to know God's love for us in Christ Jesus never fails!

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice."

Ever hear the expression, “turning over a new leaf?“ The saying is trite today, but the principle is often applied to one’s spiritual journey, “I’ll just turn over a new leaf.” Many over-spiritualize and ask God to turn over a new leaf in them. God does not turn over leaves--He makes new ones. Here is a simple 15th century prayer to Christ (author unknown). This prayer, and others like them, are nearly forgotten. “Good God, make me for Thy love & Thy desire Lay doune the burden of fleshly myer; And erthly lykingis to lothe; My will of the flesh haue ladiship Reson of my wille haue lordship; & Thy grace be lorde upon them bothe; And so throw me withinne & withowte; To soget ondir Thy wille alle abowte; To alle that is reson Right & sothe.” Immediately one is struck by the brevity and sensitivity of the poem. “ Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few . “...

2 Kings 4:8ff records an incident that goes nearly unnoticed. Elisha and his servant, Gehazi, cross over into Shunem and meet a woman described as "great," or, "prominent." When Elisha comes near, she actually persuades him to eat some food she has apparently prepared for him. Her home became as base of operations (of sorts) for him, for each time he came through the neighborhood, he stopped off at her house to eat. Why was this woman was considered "great" or "prominent?" She fed the prophet, sure; but, there must have been something else that caused the Holy Spirit to inspire the writer to make certain she recieved this designation. We get an idea of that "something" through what she says to her husband. " Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, wh...

I received two e-mails on the same day from two different people in India, both asking the same question. Amazing how God works. The question is simply, "what is love?" " Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) When we understand that God loves us, we expect to find these characteristics towards us.

"Lord, I would ask for a holy year; Spent in Thy perfect will; Help me to walk in Thy very steps-- Help me to please Thee still. Lord, I would ask for a year of faith; Give me Thy faith divine. Taking my full inheritance, Making Thy fullness mine. Lord, I would ask for a year of love; Oh, let me love Thee best! Give me the love that faileth not Under the hardest test. Lord, I would ask for a busy year, Filled up with service true; Doing with all Thy Spirit's might All that I find to do. Lord, I would ask for a year of prayer-- Teach me to walk with Thee; Breathe in my heart They Spirit's breath; Pray Thou Thy prayer in me. Lord, I would ask for a year of joy, Thy peace, Thy joy divine, Springing undimmed through all the days, Whether of shade of shine. Lord, I would ask for a year of hope, Looking to Thee to come, And hastening on that year of years, That brings us Christ and Home."

We want people to love us. Books, songs, and movies are about love—we even set aside one day a year to celebrate love! A child needs love. Old people need love. We all want to be part of a group that cares for each other. But the world is full of hate. Many children and old people are not loved. Why is this? Hatred exists because we do not love God as we ought to—and because we don’t love God as we ought to, we can’t love each other as we should. But God is love. Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Ray Comfort shares the following experience: “Many years ago, I purchased a T.V. for our children, but the first evening we had it, I arrived home from work and found that they didn't even bother to greet me. They were too busy watching television. I turned it off and explained to them that if they ignored me because they preferred to watch T.V. they were setting their love on the gift rather then the giver, a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love ...

“Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; Thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.” (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening Feb. 15)

I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art, My only trust and Savior of my heart, Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake; I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take. Thou art the King of mercy and of grace, Reigning omnipotent in every place; So come, O King, and our whole being sway; Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day. Thou art the life, by which alone we live, And all our substance and our strength receive; Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power, And give us strength in every trying hour. Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness, No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness; O grant to us the grace we find in Thee, That we may dwell in perfect unity. Our hope is in no other save in Thee; Our faith is built upon Thy promise free; Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure, That in Thy strength we evermore endure. (attributed to Jean Calvin)