love

The Most Powerful Glue in the World!

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For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 ESV

Being a bit of a tool guy, I love watching commercials that start out with some crazy guy who takes his chainsaw and cuts his boat in half. In scene two, he glues the two halves of the boat back together and then in the final clip, we see him, waterskiing behind that boat while it is speeding effortlessly across the water! Maybe all of us, not just tool guys love these scenes because it is wonderful seeing broken things getting fixed! In our real lives however, there are mornings when we pull the pot out from the coffee maker and see grounds swirling around the bottom like the debris caught up in a tornado. We get an email, notifying us of a layoff or we spend the night tossing and turning, because someone we love is facing life threatening surgery in the morning. God doesn’t ask us to play make believe, pretending that nothing will ever go wrong. In fact, in today’s verse, He reminds us that in spite of all of these days, that try to tear us apart, His love remains the most powerful glue in the universe. This glue not only holds us together, but it keeps us stuck to His Purpose, His Plan and His Heaven. Nothing can separate us. No beating waves, no tragedy, no changing social norm, no failure no loss, or any enemy in the entire universe. All of these problems pale in comparison to the mighty force of His love, which was poured out at Calvary, and it will forever hold our hearts to Him!

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A Lesson From Kenya

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If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

This past Saturday we had a special speaker at our monthly prayer and praise meeting at Sunshine Village. Our friend Sandy had just returned from the Generations Christian church trip to Kenya. There the team visited the work of Mission of Hope International (MOHI) and this past week she came to speak twice at senior communities where I visit. After the first meeting I discovered that the video recording didn’t come out, but the second time around I was thankfully able to capture her message. The exciting heart of the lesson that Sandy shared is a great one for all of us. “You don’t have to give everything away….and you don’t have to join a monastery, to do God’s work.” The core of the matter is whether we are living in and sharing God’s love. Has His love made a difference in our lives, and are we allowing His love to flow out of us to others. I pray you will be touched by Sandy’s testimony and that you will be motivated to ask God how you can serve Him right where you are. But, strangely enough we all must begin serving by being served. Has Jesus Christ served as your Savior, and washed your heart clean from your sins? Only i you can honestly say yes to those questions will you be able to seek how He would have you pour that love out to others, whether it is on the mission field, in your neighborhood or in nursing home ministry. Have a blessed week everyone and my prayer is that this week’s video will touch your heart and draw you closer to Christ.

Crossing the Finish Line

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My running days are over
Now slow walks are more my style
Though some days God is asking me
To go the second mile

And He’s teaching me His patience
To be kind in what I say
With truthfulness spoken in love
Forgetting hurts from yesterday

He reminds me of Golgotha
Where all His strength had failed
And how love held Him steady
As His hands and feet were nailed

That kind of love means courage
That will trust in God’s design
And when all else has failed goes on
To cross the finish line!

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NKJV

Crossing the Finish Line
By Peter Caligiuri
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