"Love"

I believe that the world has taught us to view love as a touchy feely sort of thing.  The world often tells us that our worth comes from our looks and our relationships or how much "love" we are receiving from other people.  As a girl we get tied up in wanting and waiting for our Knight in Shining Armor to come for us.  James Barnett founder of Cloth Your Neighbor As Yourself recently posted this message:

Ladies, don’t wait for a knight on a white horse to come rescue you. Christ has already done that. No, find a man to make sure you stay on the horse you’re on. A man cannot give you your worth. He can only show it to you. A man cannot break you because you are not in his hands. You are in the safe and secure hands of God. It’s the man’s job to make sure you stay there. -James Barnett

 I found this as a rather encouraging and refreshing reminder that we shouldn't settle for less but set our standards on something more noble than what the world tells us.  To any guys who are reading this I challenge you to be the man that James Barnett addresses.

Love,

J

Today after reading Philippians 1:1-11 I was struck by a couple of sections of the text, not to make any of the other verses less potent, but today these verses just really had me sitting and pondering.

Verse 9: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

As I read this at first I was a bit confused.  Love can have knowledge and insight?  Whenever we think of love I usually am brought to ponder the world's view: falling in love, blind love, love that doesn't have any sort of knowledge or insight, it just happens.  I'd like to say that I was surprised to see such a verse, yet I truly should not have been.  My bible put it this way: Their love was o result in greater knowledge of Christ and deeper insight.  Their love was not based on feelings but on what Christ had done for them.  Our love shouldn't be based on feelings, but on the knowledge of Christ's own love for us. 

Verse 10: So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ--to the glory and praise of God. 

Within this verse the word best really caught me.  Best.  not good, not better, but best,  My bible suggested that it was comparing right vs. wrong, good vs. bad.  But when I looked at the verse I was drawn to the fact that God truly wants what is best for us.  Of course He doesn't want bad in our lives, but think about it, is good, good enough?  NO!  He longs to give us the best!  The cream of the crop.  He's pressing us all to discern what is best when given a plate of good, better and best. 

Always,
S

What I've Missed

School's finally out.  Crazy.  Yet, sad.
I've missed alot of opportunities to share our Father's love with people.  I've missed alot of opportunities just because I'm scared of what other people are going to think of me.  There are people I don't even know how to start to share with, but in my heart I'm crying out for them.  I pray I'm an example.  I pray I show the light of Jesus.  I pray that someday when they want to find Jesus that they think of me.  I pray I never look like a hypocrite.  I pray my words are always healing.  I pray my opinion is always true.
School's out, but I know I'll share.

Pondering these last four years,
S

????

Here is a question I have been pondering as of late:

Is is possible to love someone whom you have never met?  If so, how do you act upon that love?

The people I have fallen in love with....my sibling or siblings in Africa, Shain's twin brother and sister, the children living in the orphanage in Jamaica that I will meet in 26 days!!

Love and Peace,

J