Are you bored with prayer?
Then take a leap into creative prayer.  
Change what you pray ABOUT.  

-Take a drive around town.
     -Pray for the businesses you pass: the employees, the owners, the financial 
      well- being…
     -Pray for the schools: the staff, the students, the curriculum…
     -Pray for government officials, those in the judicial system, etc: wisdom, integrity,
      compassion…
     -Pray for the hurting and the agencies attempting to help those in need.
     -Pray for the churches: revival, encouragement, vision

-Open up a newspaper.
     -Pray for those in the articles.
     -Pray for those who have loved ones in the obituaries.
     -Pray for those with influence.
-Pray over a location on a map or globe.
     -Pray for the Gospel and those who share it
     -Pray for the healing and help of the people…
-Pray over those requests on social media.

We are inundated with opportunities for prayer-needs are all around us-yet we often get in a rut and pray the same things over and over.  Stepping out of the routine may be all it takes to bring fresh enthusiasm and fresh faith to your prayer life.

Tip/Tidbit: Add some color to your prayer life. Challenge yourself to pray something different today.

It was a cold, blustery morning, and Eddie had built a fire.  After he left for work, I got occupied with something and let the fire die down.  Atop a bed of glowing hot coals, a log lay partially burned, its upper half untouched, unmarked by the flames.  There was potential in the fire place for a roaring fire.  The coals pulsated with heat, the log lay atop the coals, and the damper was open, but left as it was, the warmth would have slowly cooled into a gray pile of ashes.  For the log to burn, the potential that existed had to be stirred. We,  too, are often filled with great potential that lies dormant within us.  Something has to stir us to activate that what is into what can be.  What stirs? 
Trouble and pressure can drive us to a new place of motivation.  In the spiritual, it urges us to seek God’s hand, then once we feel His touch, we desire to seek His face.  In the natural, trouble pushes us out of our comfort zones.  Loss of a job leads us to take a different career path, and we uncover talent we didn’t know we possessed.  Closing the door on one relationship makes room for a better one.  Trouble has a way of bringing around the surprisingly good and unexpected out of us.  But trouble is not the only thing that can stir.
Encouragement and exposure are other means of stirring our potential.  Someone insists we can succeed, and we attempt a challenge.  We see someone else accomplish our heart’s secret desire, and we realize that achieving that goal is within reach. When encouragement and exposure pull our potential to the surface, it’s like hot coals exposed to fresh oxygen, that potential heats into a new blaze. 
Within ourselves, however, is another method to stir up our potential. It is prayer.  Where trouble comes from life, and encouragement and exposure depend on another's influence, prayer is our own fire poker.  In prayer, we find alignment with God's will for our lives, and as a result, ignite the potential that He put within us.  Because of prayer, the fire doesn't have to burn out; it can stay ablaze to bring warmth and beauty to the lives of others.

Tip/Tidbit:  It’s much easier to rekindle a fire than to start one from scratch.  Scripture says to “stir up the gift within you.”  What is lying inside you that needs to come to life? Stir that potential today with prayer.

Monday night I spoke to a group of students about prayer.  The following is a portion of the little illustration.
Prayer allows you to
1. Make a difference
2. Grow in Relationship with God
             Bible examples of making a difference through prayer:
-James 5: 13-18 (healing, salvation, altering weather conditions)
"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
-1 Timothy 2:1-4 (makes a difference in government, lends peace and fruitfulness to the church, saves people, gives understanding of the truth) "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
-Acts 8: 15-17 (gives believers the Holy Ghost) "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
        The second thing prayer does, is Prayer helps you grow in relationship with God.
Jude 1:20 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,"

So how can we describe prayer?
See prayer as a hot air balloon
Your hot air balloon of prayer includes all parts of who you are.
* body (what you do)
* mind (what you think)
* your spirit (faith and feelings)

 ***Your body is what is physically engaged in prayer. 
     -mouth
     -knees
--Your body is the place of creative DOING 
     -----prayer lists
     -----going and praying at the schools
     -----laying hands on a prayer cloth
     -----claiming God’s promises over newspaper headlines.
-Philippians 4:6

***Your mind links your body and your spirit together in prayer. 
-your thoughts help you perceive a need
-your thoughts help you see/visualize
     -------visualize Jesus, whom you are praying to  (Where are you in proximity to the one you’re talking to?  What does he look like when you approach him?)
-your thoughts allow you to take a mental journey to the situation you are praying for. (You leave your living room and travel to Syria to pray for the young girls who have been deceived by ISSIS militants.  You go to states where extreme weather conditions have negatively impacted the economy.  You see a loved one sitting head-in-hand- in distress.)
-Your brain doesn't take a vacation when your hot air balloon of prayer is soaring.
1 Corinthians 14: 14-15. "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also:"

***Your spirit takes prayer to the level of God’s Spirit.
-Your faith and feelings give prayer its momentum. Because it involves faith and emotions, it is your spirit which prompts you to pray in desperation and approach God with confidence. 
*Because prayer needs faith, you use the Word of God when you are in prayer. Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Ephesians 6: 17-18 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,"

***Just as a hot air balloon could carry you nowhere if it is sitting on the ground, so your prayer must reach the realm of the HOLY SPIRIT if it is to (1) make a difference and (2) benefit your relationship with God.  

-God is eager to work with you in prayer.
1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:"

-When you pray in the spirit you can know that we have connected with the Holy Spirit. 
-When you connect with the Holy Spirit, 
-the Spirit of God begins to influence your spirit by increasing your faith and touching your feelings.  
-He influences your thoughts because suddenly you can see something happening (angels riding to the school with you and being dispatched to the classrooms, Jesus walking to your alcoholic family member, laying his hand on him, the alcoholic falling to his knees, hands lifted, …) 
-God’s Spirit influences your body. You may be moved to lay hands on someone, you may weep, or you may speak boldly in tongues. 

***Although you may not grasp EVERYTHING God does, when your prayers connect with God's Spirit, there are some things that don't happen. For example, when your hot air balloon has risen to spiritual heights, your mind doesn't go shopping at Walmart. Your body doesn't sit down and eat a bag of chips and flip through TV channels. Your emotions aren't consumed with the latest love of your life or overtaken with how angry you are with someone. However, these are distractions you can expect to encounter when you attempt to pray. The very elements that are designed for you to use to soar in prayer are the avenues through which the enemy tries to hinder your prayers.  Your body grows tired; your mind is distracted; your emotions are disconnected.  But if you insist on praying, God's Spirit will make a difference.  His strength will help your weaknesses.
Romans 8: 26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

There are some things that are inexplicable when prayers reach the God realm,but when you pray, God does the work
Acts 12:5,7 "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands."
Where will the hot air balloon of prayer take you today?

Tip/Tidbit:  Challenge your mind or your body to do something new in prayer today.

I couldn’t have a week of talking about prayer without including a post about my mother’s prayer life in it.  I’ve mentioned it before; there’s no way I could have avoided it for it had too great of an impact on me. Most mornings I awoke to the sound of her prayers, walked in on her in the middle of the day as she was praying, and went to bed with her prayers soothing me to sleep.  My own prayer life was pitiful, but I learned how powerful prayer could be by watching her.  She prayed for everything, and God answered.  Farm animals were healed, neighbors’ needs were met, school tests were passed, cars were filled with gas, cancers fell off, growths were removed-the list of miracles encompasses everything from the insignificant to the life-threatening.  Even more profound than those write-them-down-and-share-them-with-everyone kind of miracles was the miracle of prayer’s influence on Mama’s daily life.  It was her life-line and her pleasure. She had physical disabilities that destined her to weakness, but she was strong.  She had situations in her life that should have made her bitter, but she was delightful.  She had emotional chaos bombarding her world, but she was loving and peaceful.  She had an excessive work load, but she fulfilled her duties efficiently and skillfully. Prayer extracted the best from her and poured the best into her. It identified her and propelled her small existence into greatness.  Because of her prayers, many are healed and many know Jesus.  I’m one of those.  Eternity will reveal the rest of her story.  Mama's persistence in prayer paid off. Yours can, too.

Tip/Tidbit:  Whose prayers have impacted your life?  Pay them back by praying prayers of your own. 

Great revivals began with prayer, with insignificant people praying for a move of God, praying for more of Him. 
Martin Luther’s protestant reformation was the result of prayer when the Church had corrupted itself.
John Knox’s reformation of Scotland came about when he prayed amid political upheaval and worship of Mary.
Johnathan Edwards and his “ineffectual church” prayed and 6 of revelers in a community where there was upheaval were converted.  The family unit that had been under attack in that area was strengthened and great revival began to spread.
David Brainerd prayed and had great revival among American Indians.
The Wesley Brothers prayed during the darkest days of England and revival came.
Charles Finney prayed and understanding of the baptism of the Holy Ghost swept the nation. Prayer meetings broke out and 50 thousand conversions occurred per week.
William Seymore, a one-eyed son of slaves was locked out of churches because of preaching about speaking in tongues. He prayed and a neighbor had this to say about what occurred where he and others had gathered. “They shouted three days and three nights...The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they would fall under God's power; and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt…” The result of that prayer meeting? 500 million Pentecostals who speak in tongues today.
What can your prayers do?

Tip/Tidbit:  Try a chair challenge like the one our pastor issued to the Livingway congregants.  Find a comfortable chair and a Bible.  Spend the first 15 minutes of each day sitting in the chair, Bible in hand, praying.  Let God direct your day and your life. 

When I was a little girl, my mother got an evangelistic craving.  Because she was crippled and limited by other circumstances, she wondered how she could reach people with the Gospel.  She, along with others, printed these little tracks called, “My Story.”  They were testimonials of how God had reached into their lives and saved them.  Each of us have one of those stories for no matter where we are in our spiritual journey, there is a story of God’s unshakable love and His blessings in our lives.  The theme of my spiritual story would have to be mercy because God has so graciously given me what I do not deserve. 

I was a surprise delivery to my parents who welcomed me with open arms, a sickly child who God miraculously healed, a daughter to one of the greatest Christians who ever lived, a youth given a fresh beginning, a wife to the kindest man the world has ever known, a mother to two wonderful, healthy kids, a parishioner in one of the most loving, Spirit-filled churches in the nation…Shall I continue? 

Each of these are chapters in the story of my life, chapters showing how the negative was overcome because of God’s gracious love for me.

My story could have been left without the influence of grace.  My parents could have resented the intrusion of a baby into their aging, health-declining world.   They could have been frustrated with my weak lungs…and I could have died from Whooping Cough.  I could have grown up in an alcoholic home, where people sought after a different kind of “spirit” instead of the Holy Spirit.  Many of the people I love did.  I could have been left trapped in the consequences of my poor, youthful choices. As a result I wouldn’t have gotten an education, lived in my town, met my husband, or most importantly, I wouldn’t have been in a place where I could enjoy the rich presence of God.  I could have married an abuser; statistics said I should have. I could have been childless; irregularities said I could be; miscarriage said I might be.  I could have faced the problems doctors said I’d have with the births and health of my children, but those problems never occurred.  I could have relocated to another town with a dead, self-centered church instead of one that breathed life into me and has cradled my family through the years.  These are the prefixes to my chapters. I’ve already told you the end. 

The chapter possibilities to My Story are endless, but the theme remains the same.  My life has been and always will be a story of God’s exceedingly wonderful mercy and grace.

What story does your life tell?

Tips/Tidbits:  Your story is worth telling.  What stands out in your life that you can share with others?

We’ve heard of not judging books by their covers, but think of how a changed title could influence our perspective of a story. If Little Red Riding Hood becomes Little Red in the Hood, it could be a story about a missionary in the inner city.  Or what if The Three Little Pigs was titled The Three Obese Pigs and the Winded Big Fat Wolf. This could be a manual for weight loss

Maybe it’s time for a twisted title in your life, just for those who choose to judge your book by its cover.

Tip/Tidbit:  If you could give a title to your life, what would it be?  What would your story be about?

Alice in Wonderland:  “It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Philippians 3: 13 “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Winnie the Pooh:  “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think.”
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The Lorax:  “Unless somebody like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
1 John 3:17 “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”

Peter Pan:  “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it.”
James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Horton Hears a Who: “A Person’s a person no matter how small.”
James 2: 8-9 “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin,”

Wizard of Oz:  “There’s no place like home.”
1 Peter 1: 3-4 B”lessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”


Tip/Tidbit:  Let God's Word bring shine light into some new area of your life today...maybe even what you read!

Children’s stories have obvious merit as teaching tools.  In fact, they often make wonderful spiritual parallels.   Three stories that come to mind are Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs, and The Little Engine Who Could.

The modern version of Little Red Riding Hood is a great parallel for those going through a tough time.  Little Red was doing exactly what she’d been told to do.  She’d packed the basket.  She’d dressed appropriately. She’d swallowed her fear and ventured into the scary woods.  She’d gone to check on someone in need.  But what happened?  The wolf tried to trip her up along the way and then was waiting to trick her so he could eat her.  On a spiritual level, we can do exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.  We pack our basket of prayer, praise, and scripture.  We represent God to the world around us.  We swallow our fear and step out in faith.  We reach out to others.  Then we encounter the devil.  He licks his lips in readiness and does his best to devour us.  But just like the big, bad, wolf, the devil meets with a fate he didn’t expect.  The hunter, or in our case the Lord, shows up, delivers us from Satan’s grasp and defeats the enemy forever.

The Three Little Pigs have several spiritual points.  First, isolating leaves you vulnerable.  It’s better to stick together.  “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves…” is the way Scripture says it.  A second lesson revels that a diligent heart can withstand the wiles of the enemy whereas carelessness can result in destruction.  “If you live for God hard, it’s easy, but if you live for God easy, it’s hard,” was the phrase my mother touted.   A third lesson parallels how Satan plots against us; however, he’s just a windbag.  The Bible says he’s like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. He roars.  He “huffs and puffs” but if we’ve made the right investments in the Spirit, he’s rendered powerless, and ultimately, he’s defeated. 

The Little Engine Who Could speaks clearly of faith.  God has equipped us with everything we need.  If we put our faith to work, we can tap in to the supernatural provision God has provided to empower us for the victorious life.

Although childlike and simple, children’s stories can teach us many lessons about the complexities of the spiritual.

Tip/Tidbit:  What was one of your favorite childhood stories?  Does it have a spiritual parallel you could apply to your life? My favorite story was The Pony Twins, a story about twin ponies who got into mischief.

Stories with Eddie were a highlight of my kids’ bedtime routines.  They were the shoot-from-the-hip kind without pages or binding.  Homemade, off-the-cuff, they told of a boy and his horse, “Cheetop,” the mysterious name our son had given his “horse,” the see-saw on his swing set.

 Stories have a way of creating lasting memories.  In fact, before books became common, stories shared legends of heroes, propelled children into their adult destinies, and connected bygone ancestors with multiple generations.  Stories teach, they entertain, they unite.  The ability to relate through stories is something God designed for Jesus taught principles of life and eternity through His parables. 

Your story is important.  Maybe it’s your life, recounted so others get to know you.  Maybe it’s a work of fiction through which you make a vital point.  Maybe it’s merely a “Cheetop” moment, inciting a momentary giggle.  The words you weave have impact. What story will you tell?

Tip/Tidbit:  Feb. 21, 2015 is Family Book Festival.  Meet people who have a love for stories and recapture a love for reading.  

People often ask me about this romance I call marriage.  It didn’t begin very romantically.

 When Eddie and I met, I was empty.  I was at a crossroad, trying to figure out if I wanted to embrace God or take a deep dive into every destructive behavior that could tempt a person.  I’d been standing at that crossroad for a few months.  Eddie’s legs were still pumping; he passed me up, running breakneck down the destructive path.  Our encounter at that intersection was uneventful. I know now it was God keeping us apart.  Had we become entangled with one another then, we’d have been too broken to have a whole relationship. 

I’d like to say that I decided to live for God with my whole heart right then, but I didn’t.  I ambled away from the crossroad, but my steps were heavy with hesitancy as I lumbered into destructive choices yet again.  Along the way, Eddie and I encountered one another. His joyride was in full swing; my tires had gone flat.  He moved out of state, and I returned to the crossroad. It was a barren wasteland, this place I’d come back to.

Looking back, it seems foolish to have struggled between death and life, but in the moment, life seemed out of grasp and the tentacles of death so binding. It was easy to perceive the chains as silken cords and take comfort in their soothing familiarity.  But as I stood at the crossroad this time, I gave a mighty tug toward right, and God showed up to help me make the next step. 

I didn’t suddenly start skipping with joy; I had a lot of internal baggage, and though God offered to take it, I struggled to let go.  But forgiveness was clean air, and I breathed it in deep gulps.  Then one day, in a single step, the final threads of bygone cords snapped.  Dispelled like wisps of fog, they no longer filtered my vision.  I was free, dancing to the music of sunlight in the scented meadows of the Spirit.

 Eddie re-entered my world.  He’d stumbled to the crossroad himself.  Unlike me, however, he didn’t linger there. Once he realized God would welcome him into fields of freedom, he made a decisive leap and landed in the meadow with me. 

That’s when the romance began.  Our joy was mutual and it was shared.  The discoveries we made about one another were in the light.  Our steps were carefree; hands clasped, we dipped and twirled, spinning with delight.  We’d been given love, a love greater than our need.  In it was security and completion.  We didn’t need one another to feel whole; we possessed wholeness already.  Love filled us then spilled over to one another. 

It was because God first loved us that we had something to give.  We could never have manufactured through attraction the soul-connection we have.  Love, real love found only in God, was enough to mend, to bind, to last, and to be our story of forever romance.

He stands at the window, his face pressed against the pane. Forehead resting on the cool glass, hands splayed on the frame, he gazes, his breath making hazy circles that fog then clear with the inhale and exhale of each breath.  He peers at the family seated around the table.  The soft lighting captures their laughter as they pass around the platters laden with food.  On the outside, he remains hungry.  His stomach growls, but he hungers for things food cannot satisfy.  To be included. To share the camaraderie. To be family.  But he’s been shut out.  Shoved into the cold by their neglect. Isolated from relationship by their indifference.  Ostracized by their absence of love.  They ignored his knocks, so he moved silently to the window where he stares, yearning, waiting.  Their forgotten Savior. 

Tip/Tidbit: Does Jesus feel a part of your family?  How can you include him in your home today? What visual reminders can help you remember your most important family member?  Scriptures, Bibles, an extra place at the table?  I heard of one person pouring two cups of coffee during his morning prayer time. One cup was for him, the other for the Savior with whom he conversed in prayer. Only by inviting the Savior into your heart and life will you experience complete love.

1 Corinthians 13, aptly called the love chapter, gives a checklist for what love should be.  This is written from Paul to the church, but this can just as easily be applied to our relationships and to God’s love for us.  Definitions are derived from the Greek Lexicon. A couple of terms are the “Rachel rendition” used to simplify.

 1.)-------suffereth long (Love doesn’t lose heart, patiently endures the offenses and injuries of others, preservers through hardship, isn’t quick to get angry, is slow and mild in avenging, is slow to punish.) Love sticks around when things get tough and is not an emotional roller coaster that rides the tracks of anger and resentment.  It doesn’t set out to make someone pay for their wrong choice.

 2.)-------is kind (Love is mild and gentle.) Love is silk and satin and velvet; it is not burlap and sandpaper. Even when love is voicing truth, its manner is tender and not sharp, abrasive, and meant to cut.

 3.)-------envieth not (Love does not get heated or boil with anger, envy, or hatred.  It doesn’t covet.)  Jealousy and possessiveness do not measure the amount a person loves another.

 4.)-------vaunteth not itself (Love doesn’t put self on display.  It doesn’t extol self.)  Love doesn’t brag about itself, nor does it boast selfishly.  Securing a conquest is not love.  Feeling like the big “I” in marriage or friendship is not love.  Aiming to be a babe/man magnet is not loving.

 5.)-------is not puffed up (Love isn’t proud or lifted up.)  It’s not self-inflated and doesn’t elevate self, especially at the expense of others.

 6.)-------doth not behave itself unseemly (Love doesn’t act unbecomingly.) When something is becoming, it brings out the best.  It is its most beautiful.  Love accentuates the positive.  It doesn’t bring shame, dishonor, or disappointment with its words and deeds.

 7.)-------seeketh not her own (Love doesn’t make selfish demands.) Love says, “I’ll do things your way” and asks “What may I do for you?”

 8.)-------is not easily provoked (Love is not easily angered, exasperated, provoked or irritated, and does not do the same, nor does it scorn.) Love doesn’t get in a tizzy and it doesn’t influence others to get in a tizzy.

 9.)-------thinketh no evil (Love doesn’t meditate on, account, calculate, suppose, judge, or determine that which is troublesome, destructive, injurious, of a bad nature, wicked or wrong.) Love doesn’t expect the worst of others, nor does it plot trouble for others.

10.)-------rejoiceth not in iniquity (Love doesn’t thrive in nor is it happy about unrighteousness or injustice.)  Love doesn’t want others to do wrong.  It doesn’t want wrong done to others.  It doesn’t want to do wrong.

11.)-------rejoiceth in the truth (Love takes part in another’s joy, shares the happiness with, congratulates what is true, certain, what is free from falsehood or pretense.)  Love is founded on all that is good and right, and that is its foundation for shared celebration.

12.)-------beareth all things (Love protects and preserves by covering, covers with silence, endures, and forbears.)  Love suffers through some unpleasant times because the good is worth it.  Love works out the wrongs rather than gossips about them. Love sees the sunshine when it’s raining.

13.)-------believeth all things (Love thinks things to be true, is persuaded of, places confidence in, and trusts the law of the soul.) Love is persuaded of what God can do.  It believes the best in others. Love sees others as they can be and supports them in the process of their development.

14.)-------hopeth all things (Love hopes and waits with confidence.) No matter what the circumstances look like, love remains steadfast and continues to trust in a good outcome.

15.)-------endureth all things (Love remains without fleeing, perseveres under all misfortunes and trials to keep the faith, bears bravely and calmly ill treatment.) Love has stickability.  It doesn’t run away when the going gets tough, when feelings get hurt, or when things seem impossible.  Love continues to trust in God without getting its “knickers in a knot.” Love insists on a relationship with God even when there’s opposition because it sees that God’s love is the most valuable relationship, worthy of any sacrifice.

16.)-------never faileth (Love doesn’t fall powerless, doesn’t perish, is not ineffective, isn’t lost.) Love remains influential, significant, prevailing and potent.  Unlike the world thinks, true love cannot “fall” in or out of anything; it lasts. It is everlasting, extending even beyond the grave. Real love is the difference maker that has its fullness in God alone.

Tips/tidbits:  How does God exemplify this description of love?  How is the world view contrary to what Schripture says about love?  There are 16 descriptions of love.  If you gave yourself a point for each of these that you feel you “get right” in your relationships, how would you score?  To determine your pass or fail level, divide the total number of your “right” answers by 16.  My score indicates I need lots of work!  I hope you fared better than I!

Paul, who was teaching the Corinthian church about spiritual gifts, said that there was something more wonderful than gifts: LOVE. He said we can do all of the things we are called to do; we can expend our energy and invest our talents; we can be utterly amazing, but love is superior to our gifts. When Paul goes back to his discussion on spiritual gifts, he shows how prophesying is to be desired  because it is beneficial to all of the body of Christ., but sandwiched between those two chapters on gifts is the message that LOVE alone reigns supreme. We can do our part within the church, but if we are not loving one another, then the body of Christ is not functioning in unity, which is the purpose of spiritual gifts.  We can achieve much and bless multitudes because God has equipped us to do so, but if LOVE is absent, God’s Spirit is absent--for God is LOVE.  Anything without God’s LOVE is meaningless and empty, whether it is a church, a home, or a heart.

Tip/Tidbit: I certainly want to fulfill my purpose and accomplish those things I'm designed to accomplish, but I remind myself today that my greatest purpose is to love. Evaluate your priorities.  Do you give more attention to what YOU can do or to Love--the nature of God--at work through you?

A lesson on parts of speech can teach us about LOVE.  Within a sentence, each word functions as a different part of speech.  Two parts of speech are nouns and verbs.  A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea, and a verb shows action or a state of being performed by a noun. The word LOVE functions as both a noun and a verb. 

As a noun, LOVE is a person, a thing, and an idea.  We get it that it’s an idea. Most often, LOVE is associated with that pie-in-the-sky, heavy sigh that accompanies romance.  While it is true that LOVE can be felt, LOVE in its noun function is much more significant.  LOVE is a person.  1 John 4:8 says “God is LOVE.”  The use of nouns in this sentence can look like a mathematical equation:  a=b is the same as b=a; therefore, God=LOVE is the same as LOE=God.  If we are going to talk about LOVE, God cannot be left out of the equation.  We have often made chocolate hearts and red roses the epitome of LOVE, but LOVE is God.  Without God, LOVE is absent.  Since God is LOVE, He was the first to think the idea of LOVE, and He deposited that LOVE in a place, a human body, so that we might experience the thing we desired, which was in fact, the person-Him-LOVE. LOVE is a noun which cannot be separated from God. 

LOVE is also a verb.  A verb can be either action or linking by definition.  LOVE is an action verb; it does something.  Most often, this action verb is transitive in nature, meaning it requires an object to receive its action.  While I can say, “I LOVE,” most likely, I will say, “I LOVE you.”  “You” is the recipient of my LOVE.  God designed this verb, LOVE, for LOVE transfers from giver to receiver. There is no greater demonstration of this verb than “God so LOVEd the world.” The world was the receiver of God’s action of love, demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

When we speak of LOVE, the noun and the verb forms are closely linked.  Because God defines LOVE, that which is done in LOVE is an action of God.  1 John 4: 7-8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another…He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” We have the full capacity to love when we truly know God.

Tip/Tidbit:  Knowing God enables us to love Him, to love others, and to love ourselves. Embrace Him so that real love might abound in your life.

My mother faced incredible odds and won.  Crippling arthritis and stressful life demands were military generals in her daily life. However, she opted to live out the King’s dictates instead.  When pain and circumstances demanded she give up, she knelt on swollen knees until her bent shoulders could square with resolve. Her connection with the Heavenly turned up the melody in her heart and drowned out the orders to give up and quit.

Every morning before arising, she quoted scriptures.  It wasn’t a ritual; it was her exercise of choice.  Without those spiritual stretches, she would have been unable to lift the covers to enter a new day.  Like running a music scale, these verses brought a hum to her spirit as she slipped on her worn house shoes and stumbled into her morning.

Throughout the day, prayer and singing accompanied the music of her tasks:  the swish of her broom as she kept a farmhouse floor spotless, the bang of her dishpan as she carried laundry out to the clothesline, the tap of her spoon against her dish as she cooked one of the three meals she prepared daily, the chug of her galoshes as she shuffled to feed animals, and the spritz of her cleaning supplies as she polished, buffed, and shined our world.  Interspersed throughout the chores were her moments of sublime joy: Bible reading and prayer.  Sometimes the daily newspaper or Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” would be brief indulgences.

 I went to sleep, more often than not, with the sound of her intercession ringing out.  Outside my open window, the stars would twinkle in rhythm with the crickets’ squeaky calls and the bull frogs’ bass “ga-rumm, gar-umm,” but it was the sound of Mama’s prayers spiraling upward that filled my heart with serenity.

Mama’s choice to draw strength from God filled our home with light, love, and hope, sounds that lingered long after the silence of sleep enveloped my world. 

It’s a song of victory that remains a testament to her unfailing faith in her King.  Its melody lingers still.

Tip/Tidbit:  Just as my mother’s choice affected my life, what you do is an example to those around you.  Choose to see beyond your circumstances to the hope that is in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:9  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Zephaniah 3:17  “The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Psalm 23:4, 6 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. … Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Psalm 30:5   “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Psalm 147:3   “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

A cheap, battery-operated tea light graces a prominent place on our kitchen bar. It’s there because of its unusual, lasting flicker.  Christmas night, at a candlelight service, the little flame-shaped lights were given to everyone. My son’s candle was broken.  Without a switch, it was on when he received it, and it remained in full operation throughout the celebration, on the drive home, and after the Christmas decorations were stored in the attic.  Over a month later, it still flickers.  At first the little light was so bright, it illuminated the entire room; now it looks like the light has gone out.  However, put it in a very dark place and peer at it closely, and sure enough, its little light still shines.  

Like the candle, hope can sometimes light a situation so brightly that gloom of discouragement is completely dispelled.  Yet, at other times, hope can seem lost. When hope has grown dim, oddly enough, it is the darkening of situations that can reveal a light lingers still.  There’s something about reaching a hopeless place that resurrects a desire to hope.  It’s not always the moments of bold, brilliant faith that stand out; sometimes it is those moments when faith feels weakest, when it’s mustard-seed sized, that we realize God’s strength must prevail. Knowing that He will triumph is what keeps hope flickering through the darkest night.  Hold on, for joy will come in the morning.

Tip/Tidbit:  The other candles with their on-off switches conserved their energy or burned out shortly after the Christmas service.  Useless and ordinary, they were tossed in the trash.  My son’s tea light, with its persistent, around the clock flicker, remains on the counter top.  In like manner, people who choose to hope in impossible situations stand out as individuals. They are the Helen Kellers, the Martin Luther King, Jrs., the Nick Vujicics.  They are the single moms next door, the mentally ill client struggling with schizophrenia, the jobless.  As long as they refuse to give in, they flicker with hope.  Their persistence make a difference that is both lasting and lingering, whether to one or to many; they receive the position of honor.  Look up videos of one of those heroes of hope, and choose to hope today.

Love them unconditionally.  When people know their mistakes don’t have the power to sever them from your love, they have hope.

Offer your presence.  When others know they don’t have to do things alone, they feel hope.

Offer your provision.  When people know you will give freely of your prayer, time, means, they don’t feel hopeless.

Speak your encouragement:  When people hear your positive words, your understanding, and your empathy they can draw strength to move on.

Proclaim God’s Word:  When you speak what God has to say over a situation, you speak life. This brings hope.

Pray for them:  You may feel on the outside of a situation and unable to contribute physically, but you can make a difference in someone’s life through prayer.