Love...

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good...be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves..."Romans 12:9
Love is one of the most misused words I know. Someone might say, "I love my car." Then turn around and say, "I love my wife." and then still turn around and say, "I love to fish..." Three times we used the same word to describe a vehicle, someone we care for, and something we enjoy doing. Valentine's Day is a very special day to me because it is also my anniversary. My wife and I celebrated 13 great years together on Valentine's Day. I never knew I could love someone more than myself. I don't say that to be conceited, but I think pretty highly of myself. Then I met my wife and I found out that the more someone gives you love, the more you love that person. Just when I thought I was all out of love to give to anyone else, my daughters waltzed into my life. When I only had one daughter it wasn't hard to comprehend giving this love to her, but then there were two! Where am I gonna find all this love? I found it. The more love I share, the more love I find. I have found it to be very easy to honor "my girls" above me. Loving my mom was easy...I watched my dad. Loving my wife was even easier...loving my daughters has been amazing! I don't have to think about how to do it, it just comes naturally! During this season of love, let us remember to love one another...not an easy task. Some people have left deep wounds and are difficult to love, but we must love them! 1 John 4:8, says, "God is love." What else needs to be said? This week, let us remember to love one another. If someone falls, lift them up with your love. If a spouse is struggling with something, support them and love them, don't kick them when they're down. Remember, "God is Love..." What are you made of?

words of wisdom...

This is a picture of me and my Youth Minister when I was growing up...He has offered much wisdom to me over the years...

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise..." Proverbs 19:20...
When I was a teenager, I had all the answers! I knew so much more than my parents. They ask me about certain things and I had four or five answers for them; at least. The older I got, the smarter my parents got. I guess chemo fried my brain more than I thought, because at 38 I am not nearly as smart as I thought I was. Growing up I worked with my dad quite a bit. He was a very wise man. The counsel he had for me for was way beyond what I could comprehend at the time. Now I look back at some of the things he would tell me and I realize, he was genius!
How you ever read a verse in your Bible and wondered what in the world God was trying to say when He said that...some time will go by and then it hits us...that's what He meant! There are some things in the scriptures that we read and can only ponder...and then there are those things we read and instantly know why God gave us that verse. I love to sit and people watch. The thing I love more than people watching is actually getting to sit and talk to people. I especially like talking with older people. I have received some great advice from people. Sometimes I take it to heart, and other times I take it for what it is...Our challenge for this week is to listen to what others have to offer us. When someone is telling us something, it's usually for our own good. Consider the source and you will know if it's "constructive criticism" or if they're trying to get you in trouble. With snow on the ground and being trapped indoors, I have had plenty of time lately to sit and ponder words of wisdom...God Bless!

Tony