Tough Love

I’m sitting at Starbucks on a beautiful evening, trying to write a talk for High Schoolers about the most beautiful topic in all of Human History:  Coffee.  No, not really, Love actually.  To tell you the truth, I’m really struggling with it.  The Bible says some really crazy things about Love, things that are meant to put a spot light on whomever practices them.  Things that are so contrary to our popular, social norms.  Let me share 10:

1. Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
3. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
4. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.
5. Love must be sincere.
6. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
7. Do everything in love.
8. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
9. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
10. He who does not Love abides in death.

We get ideas of these things from movies and Reader’s Digest.  When someone loves like this, we put it in the news next to Teens Fight Over Football Game.  We celebrate them and forget them.

I have people that I think of in regards to most of these verses on love, but sadly and shamefully, I don’t think of the Church.

Who do you think of?

Accountability Post #12

Howdy!

This morning I took a 31 mile (that extra mile made the difference) bike ride with my friend and boss, Don.  It was a lot of fun, but I borrowed a friend’s bike and the seat was slanted down just a bit to much, so there was a lot of friction… nuf said.  I think I’ll be struttin’ a little like ole’ John Wayne for a day or two.

You may have noticed a post I left about Dying in 30 seconds (you may have not noticed, too).  I’m going to start leaving those post around here every now and again.  You never really know when you’re going to die (or dye!  Spontaneous Crafts are the new fad these days…), and not to sound morbid, but we should live each day like the last one we get.  Those post are going to be a collection of my last words, some serious & some ridiculous.  I hope you are encouraged and slightly confused.

There’s verse in Isaiah 15 & 16 as He’s talking about the downfall of Moab, that He says, “My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee…”  I didn’t know a ton about Moab (I must have slept through the “Concise History of Ancient Moab” day in school), so I looked them up.  When Abraham’s nephew, Lot, fled from the Sodom – his wife having turned into a pillar of salt – it was just him and his two daughters.  Well, as if the story wasn’t weird enough already, his daughters decide it’s necessary for survival to get their dad drunk and try to get prego with him.  They do, and the boys they have, Moab and Ben-Ammi, go on to start two mighty nations, the Moabites and the Ammonites.  Israel’s history with them is up-and-down, mostly down, but I guess God held out hope for these nations until His judgment was completely necessary.

It just re-enforces the fact that God is slow to anger and abounding in love.

Why You are patient with us, God, I will never know, but thank you.  Please continue to be patient with those I love and those I don’t know.  Be patient with me, my wife and my boys.  I love You.  Amen.