The depth of the love story in Hosea certainly caught me by surprise when my girlfriends and I studied it in the fall. Prophecy has a way of sneaking up on you like that.
All in Love
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
Ah, January—fun fact: “January was named for the Roman god Janus, known as the protector of gates and doorways which symbolize beginnings and endings. Janus is depicted with two faces, one looking into the past, the other with the ability to see into the future” (almanac.com). Time to put on our two faces of Janus this week and dig into the book of Hosea to build some godly wisdom for 2024.
Fearless Love
When I was growing up, I was haunted by verses like John 14:21: He who has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. What is His command? To love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) These kinds of verses haunted me because deep down, I knew my obedience wasn’t fueled by love.
A Little Bird with a Big Heart
I love to watch the birds as they scurry around the backyard. Some come in flocks, others make their appearance one by one. They seem to have their own personality, and I enjoy watching them interact with each other.
Aroma of Christ
What’s your favorite fragrance? For perfume, mine is an oldie, given as a 16th birthday gift, from a guy I was dating. I still wear Youth Dew even though I’m not quite a “youth” anymore.
God’s Love Grows You
I have walked through tough events in recent years. It was a time of loss… the loss of my health, loss of our business, our income, our loss of home and community.
Small Things
I used to think that God didn’t want me to ask Him to help me with the small things in life because I thought prayer was reserved for only the big things.
Loving God with All-of-Me!
My granddaughter introduced me to I Love You to the Moon and Back;* a children’s book so popular that the title has become a common phrase in the American culture!
Three-Legged Races and Other Wise Rhetoric
Rhetoric: “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech” (online Oxford Languages). Amos is variously praised in the commentaries for his gifted writing. I was intrigued.
Fearless Love
When I was growing up, I was haunted by verses like John 14:21: He who has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. What is His command?
Wandering Sheep
Like a cute little fuzzy sheep… I can wander too.
I struggle with distraction… Do you?
There are so many things pulling for my attention.
Called to Love
This is not the first time Jesus filled the nets of the fishermen. On the first occasion Simon Peter was so astounded he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). It had dawned on him who Jesus really was. Then he, Andrew, James, and John promptly left their nets to fish for men.
Full Circle Love
“Your mother was my teacher. When I discovered I was pregnant, I transferred to her school. She helped me through a very hard time in my life. It is an honor for me to care for her during this difficult time in hers.”
Love in Action
Occasionally, my father would tell us an action-packed story from his WWII experiences. My favorite ones described the so-thick-you-could-walk-on-it shrapnel that brought down his B-17 bomber. As the pilot, to save his crew, he bailed out last.
Love With All Your Soul
Your soul is the core of who you are and who God created you to be. He desires that every thought, feeling, decision and perception flows through Him. He wants you to love Him with all your soul.
Love Your Neighbor
One of the exciting things my husband and I get to enjoy as leaders in college ministry is having socials at our house. We love having our home filled with students, fellowshipping with each other, conversing over a home-cooked meal, and laughing as we play entertaining games. Seeing their smiling faces of appreciation warms our heart.
Love With All Your Heart
How do we know that we are loving the Lord with all our heart? We look to scripture to find the answer. Matthew 15:18 says, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Love With All Your Mind
My husband and I took a trip to Beavers Bend State Park and we hiked the beautiful Ouachita Mountains. We took the hiking trail called Lookout Mountain and it did not disappoint. As we stood there in awe at the majestic mountain range that surrounded us, we could easily set our minds on how God is truly amazing. Making our way down the trail, we approached a sign that charted our next course of direction; however, the sign was broken and the direction we should have taken was missing.
Love With All Your Strength
My youngest daughter enjoys taking tumbling class each week. I watch as her coach works on building her core muscle strength and her balance. All the exercises and skilled techniques are designed to build up her strength so that one day she can perform a somersault or a backhandspring. My daughter cannot perform these amazing moves until she builds up her muscle strength necessary to achieve these great skills.
From Disappointment to Adoration
Disappointment—that which we experience when expectations or wishes are not met. All of us face numerous disappointments throughout life—someone says something that hurts, a project fails, an illness interrupts plans…