'da luuuuuuv week....Part V

Being Valentine's Eve and all, it's kind of exciting to think on love, and BE love to someone, and for them to reciprocate in turn, out of love.

I Corinthians 13 is a great source of inspiration for the right kind of love.

And on we go with these verses:

"Puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end."

Sure as shootin' these words sound like an admonition to people who are married!!!! Doesn't it?

There are things in marriage (ask anyone who's married) where we "put up with" stuff....the stuff that marriage is made of.....regular, ordinary, day-to-day things of life....crying babies, unruly toddlers, insolent teens, rude spouses...but when we find we're in those things of life, we put up with those things because there is an element of real, solid love that runs through the whole scenario. Love that looks for the best in each situation and in each person and doesn't dwell on past mistakes, because we know about our own imperfections. Like the"Energizer Bunny"....it just keeps on going....right to the end....whenever that may be.

But you notice in the middle of those verses it says "trusts God always"? I guess that's the crux of the matter. In all of these things that love portrays, we are called to trust.

Trust. To depend on God that he actually knows best and knows how we should live our lives.

Trust. That means having a relationship too...with God. When our relationship with God is good and we realize that we can trust him, it reflects how we live our own lives. It reflects his love. It reflects all the things that a good relationship can bring to one another.

Anyway, I'll give you the last few verses tomorrow.

It's good to be reminded about love, I think, especially through God's Word.

I'm going now to make husband a special Valentine that will show how much I love him. Hope he likes it.

'Nite.

'da luuuuuuv week....Part IV

So, on we go about love....real love, that is, love that is 'different' from the mush and gush stuff.

I Corinthians 13 from The Message:
"Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth".

Love doesn't make a list and check it twice.....and remember everything bad you've ever done. NO!!! It forgives and even forgets...because love has taken the place of the sin. It's a great substitution. When you're busy always remembering everyone else's sins, you're missing out on life, life that could be lived out positively and with encouragement instead of negativity and finger-pointing at others.

And when you find someone who has fallen down into the mud and mire of life, love doesn't keep sticking it's foot out to trip the fallen one back into the grime, oh no. Love walks right into the mud and holds out a hand to lead them out, back to a nice hot bath, some warm milk and cookies.

It's not happy to see injustices taking place either, but love cheers truth on, to win. Love, God's love, wants truth to win.

And it doesn't gossip about the misfortunes of others either, but it instead wants the best for the other.

There have been people, during my lifetime, who have helped me out of the muddy pit of life. I saw Jesus's love in those moments, in those people. They got muddied too, but you know what....they didn't even ask me to pay the cleaning bill. Now, THAT'S love.

'da luuuuuuv week....Part III

So, we're talking about love this week....from I Corinthians 13.

Here are the next few verses regarding Love:

"Doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle"

Children want what they want when they want it and it usually involves getting it before anyone else. As we mature and grow up we begin to learn about letting others play with our toys and how it's okay to let someone else be first or to at least get a turn.

Then we grow up.

Am I any different than when I was a child? I think I'm quite a bit better....but there are times when I want to be first, I want to express my thoughts first, I want people to hear what I have to say....first. I'm learning as I go that expressing oneself first, usually isn't the route to go. I'm learning that I need to hear what others have to say before I spout off my thoughts. I'm learning that it really is more important to let someone else be heard first (because, actually when you hear others first, you can form a more honest opinion). And forcing itself on others, well, I've seen that happen....and I may have done it a time or ten myself. We want ourselves to be noticed, forcefully or otherwise. We may do it by strolling into a group of people and totally changing the subject to fit ourselves, and become totally rude and obnoxious to everyone else in the process.

NO!!! None of that is real Love.

And the "flying off the handle" thingy. There are some things that really tick me off, you know? When I, or others are insensitive to someone else. That really gets me goin'. Sometimes it's rude drivers. Other times it's husband. Telemarketers who think they know you. All these silly little things get me flying off to some distant planet.

THAT'S not love either.

I need to learn to act out God's love daily......I just need to remember my childhood lessons:
To let my friends play first in the sand box and;
to not hit them over the head with my shovel when they tick me off.

'da Luuuuuv Week.....Part II

OK Here's the next part to the love section of I Corinthians 13.

It says this about love:
"Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head"...

Looks like love is content with what it DOES have. It's not always wanting (and whining and complaining about what it doesn't have). It's appears love is happy to just be. There's a commandment too, one of the TEN, that goes along with this I think, and it talks about not "coveting" or wanting something that doesn't belong to me. "“You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."

Ya. But how many times have I wanted things I don't have. How many times I've seen something that someone else has acquired and I end up saying things like, "Oh ya, I'd sure like to have one of those.......(fill in the blank)". I haven't seen my neighbor carting around an ox or a donkey, but my, oh my, I've seen neighbors sitting behind the wheel of a fancy vehicle, with a lovely big fishing boat with a honkin' 200 hp motor trailing along behind. Or a co-worker gets a new computer with a super big screen and I'm thinkin' to myself, "I'd be able to really type up a storm and see so much better with a computer and monitor like that one!!"

See what I mean. There are times when I'm just not a satisfied customer. I want. I wish. I desire. I need. I dream.........

And the "strutting" and "swelled head" business? There are times when I become a peacock. I get up and get my groove on. I act like I own the world. I get my chin(s) up, my shoulders back, my chest puffs up (although all that is good for posture), and I believe I am the answer to everyone's problems, or that I have it all together, or I am so much better than the person(s) standing next to me. What a pile of "crap"...which I keep trying to make higher. Yes, my head can swell up almost to the point of me toppling over because of the huge amounts of pride, and arrogance and conceit that has overtaken my thick skull.

What on earth am I attempting to do here????? Why do I feel I need to appear so important to others. Why do many of my actions take on one underlying desire.....for me to look better than I really am! NO. NO. NO. THAT is NOT what Love is.

Love is simply happy with the way it is. Love, God's love, keeps my head from exploding. His love keeps me content with who I am....it keeps me not always looking to others for approval, for acceptance. That love keeps me grounded, and content, knowing that my desire for approval needs to be from my Creator and no one else.

I'm going to bed soon and I shall attempt to keep my eyes from wondering to that lovely grey donkey next door. I need to learn to be happy with my own ass.:-)

'da luuuuuuuuv week......

Thought this week I'd remind myself what love really is, being St. Valentine's Day on Saturday and all.

I think the best revelation of what love is, comes from the Bible in I Corinthians 13....the love chapter. I'll be posting a few verses every day this week.

It starts off by the Apostle Paul saying this:

"Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self."

Heh!!! NEVER gives up, eh? I can't count how many times I've given up....on others. I suppose even on myself and should I dare say....on God???? But it says real love never gives up. It keeps on. It perseveres. It finds enough good in the other to keep on. It just doesn't quit. It's relentless. It does not give up.

And then it says it cares more for others than for self. I don't know about you, but I've had a problem with that one. Seems like I'm always looking out for #1 more than I aught. That's me, by the way.....#1. But it says love doesn't do that. I had better pull myself to the back of the line. I had better make way for others. I must get my caring papers updated and perhaps even redone. I sometimes care for others more than myself, but there are more times I think, when I care for me more than others.

As I read these verses again, I am constantly reminded of what the Apostle Paul was reminding the people in Corinth. DON'T GIVE UP ON PEOPLE...CARE FOR THEM MORE THAN YOU DO FOR YOURSELF. He's reminding them that this is what Jesus did and since I am a"Christ follower", like the Christ-followers in Corinth, should I not be doing the same?

Yes.

I think Paul was trying to get the Body of Christ....those Christians in Corinth, to re-evaluate what love really was and how it should be....within that Body, that group of believers. They needed a bit of a reminder what the love of Christ really looked like.....and so, as I read this passage, I too, am reminded of Christ's selfless and relentless love for me.

So, today I shall remind myself to keep on with people....to not leave them behind, because that is what Jesus wants us to do....to not give up....on others, on ourselves, on life, on God. I must keep on. And also to care more....care more.....care more....care more.....care more....for others before I care for myself.

I think if I type it a few more times, it may sink in.....care more....care more....care more...for others..........BEFORE myself.

It's what love does.

But hey, I'm a slow learner, so have patience with me.

From beginning to end....

The trip to Regina began with scenery.....old barns....
old towns.......
new grain terminals......

the varying whites of a vast prairie landscape....

little shops in a big city.....

the shopping bags.....;-)

Brittney lunching at Perkins.....

along with her mom....Shannon

Two beautiful women at the end of a beautiful weekend.

Yes. From beginning to end the weekend was relaxing, fun and an opportunity to be together.

These gals are fun to be around. We had some laughs, some serious discussions and everything in between.

I took the pictures above while flying down the highway at 120 kms./hr. so they aren't really clear. I just wanted to remind you of the vastness of our prairie, the beauty of it.

White and grand. Stunning and glorious. Spectacular and enormous.

God gave us a good weekend and I am grateful. I am a very fortuante person, indeed.

Day's end...

Yes, there was eating and looking and going to candy shops, more eating and a movie.

We saw Slumdog Millionaire. Excellent movie! It's great these days to see all ethnicities in the running for good solid movies. The only thing I was disappointed in was that it only showed the main character dancing.....during the credits.....and he's got some pretty good moves, I must say. But the movie itself showed the great poverty within large cities of India...the survival of the fittest, the slave market and many other degenerate forms of human behavior. A bit of a "pie-in-the-sky" kind of movie but good nonetheless.

Now it's bed time....after a slice of flapper pie, or banana cream pie or tea with cookies.....

It's been a good weekend.

'Nite all.....