What Love Is

Whatever an individual truly is will manifest itself by words and actions. The normal pattern of behavior of a person is the evidence of what is inside.

If there is love within a person, it will display itself by actions:

The apostle Paul says,
"Charity suffereth long" - love is patience.
In any relationship, if it is to remain, there will be patience. Patience in love is that ability to bear with the differences between those involved in that relationship. Each party will be slow in anger and not hasty in revenge.
"Charity is kind" - love is displayed with a liberal desire for good to the one loved. Kindness is not limited only to gifts but also with words and actions.

The matter of love is an ongoing and on-growing relationship.

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad


If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

Pit of Despair

Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalms 139:7-12)

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Over the past few years, I have enjoyed the music of Andrew Peterson, who is an artist after my own taste. (His "Behold the Lamb of God" album is listed on the right margin.) Below you will find a selection of a recent post to his blog that I found particularly rewarding. You can find his blog at The Rabbit Room .

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The Pit of Despair, or, A New Lament
By Andrew Peterson

The oldest song on my new album is also the title track.

I wrote it in Pennsylvania in 2008, after spending a few days at Lancaster Bible College, a fine establishment that flew me in to talk to the students about writing and to put on a concert with the Captains Courageous the next day. (Psst! Lancaster! I had a great time and would love to come back.)

So there I was in Lancaster, feeling as sorry for myself as I ever had, languishing in the hotel room alone, wishing Andy and Ben’s plane would hurry up and arrive. The road is, of all lonely places, one of the loneliest. There’s a certain thrill in the beginning of the trip. I love seeing the sights, exploring new towns, feeling for a while like an observer of life rather than a liver of one. Of course, that’s a dangerous place to be.

Soon the excitement fades, and before you know it every face you see is a reminder of the faces you left behind. Every house looks sad. You start paying attention to the weather in your hometown. My heart literally aches sometimes when I hear my children’s voices on the phone. Along with the homesickness, on this particular trip I was shadowboxing some old familiar demons. I’m susceptible to a particular set of lies, voices that ring in my ears, voices that would have me believe a thousand things of myself and my God other than the truth to which I cling. When my faith falters and I forget my God, when I forget that his undying love now stands guard against all condemnation, I hold myself in contempt. I can hardly look in the mirror because all I see is sin, sin, sin. All I see is a fool. I see a failure.
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Click here to read the rest of this post, including the lyrics to the resulting song.

Warning Signs

Warning signs are given to us in order to beware of potential dangers. These signs are not there to discourage us from using that road, but for our safety so that we must proceed with caution.

Life is such:

We have two ends
With a common link;
With one we sit,
With one we think.
Success depends on what we use-
Heads we win;
Tails we lose.

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad


"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Keep Moving

Life is such that an individual cannot stop all together. Advancement is necessary.

There are many who stand along the side and cheer instead of participating. Some of these even become critical of the participant's activities.

Here's a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

"It's not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so his place shall never be with those cold and timed souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad


What do you long to achieve? In the end, I simply want to hear "well done, good and faithful servant!"

Wrong Way

The media is leading the American people down a wrong road when it states reasons for abortion. We are continually being told that the majority of abortions are as a result of rape or incest. [In 2010, we know that the media no longer uses this as an excuse because they have succeeded in influencing our culture to believe that a child is a "choice".]

Look at the true facts: According to a recent survey of 1,900 women which had abortions, here are their reasons:

3% for mother's health
3% for baby's possible health problems
1% for rape or incest

93% for birth control or social reasons
of these:
-16% because of the change that a baby would cause in the mother's life
-21% not ready to accept the responsibility
-21% could not afford to raise the baby
-12% blamed a relationship problem with baby's father
-11% not mature enough
-8% already have enough children
-4% other reason

According to these statistics, it looks like there are several selfish and irresponsible people.

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad

Flesh and Spirit

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. " (Psalms 73:25-26)

"Ye cannot do the things that ye would" Galatians 5:17

There is a terrible, unceasing struggle in my soul. Being born again by almighty grace, I believe a new heart and a new will, a new, heaven-bent nature created in me by the Spirit of God. I long for and seek after righteousness. Above anything in the world, I want to be perfectly free of sin and conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the desire of every saved sinner. But I cannot do the things I would. I find a law in my members that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. I find in my soul iniquity, transgression and sin far more hideous and ignominious than the profane acts of ungodly men. Lying, theft, drunkenness, adultery and murder are only isolated acts of evil. But my sin is ever before me! I want to pray, but there is too much selfish lust in my prayers to call them prayers. I want to worship God in the Spirit, but there is too much pride in my worship to call it worship. I want to be completely free of all earthly care, trusting God in all things, but there is too much unbelief and selfish resentment towards God's providence to call my faith faith or my submission submission. I want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and my neighbor as myself, but there is too much concern for self to call my love love.

Like all believers in this world, I am a man with two natures, two principles, warring against one another continually; and those two natures are the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh is evil, only evil, and ever seeks evil. The Spirit is righteous, only righteous, and ever seeks righteousness.

This constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit makes me do three things: (1) I denounce all personal righteousness, for I have none and confess my sin. (2) I trust Christ alone for all my righteousness before God. And (3) I live in hope of that day when I shall drop this robe of flesh and be like my Savior, holy, blameless and unreproveable before God.

Grace for Today, Don Fortner, January 22

Anniversary of Moral Decline

Today marks the 20th anniversary [now 37th anniversary] of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the Roe v. Wade abortion legalization. What a sad day in the history of this great nation of ours.

I'm afraid that through liberal politicians and media, the general public has accepted these practices. That; however, doesn't make it right.

There can be no argument that abortion cheapens the sanctity of human life. When we take action that cheapens life, we are contributing to an overall decline in our society's moral values.

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad


"Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide." ~ Ronald Reagen

For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (Psalms 139:13-16)

The Big F-I-V-E!!

January 23, 2005

To my dear grandson, William:

I never thought that the excitement and joy that I experienced when my son, Michael, was born, but you have already brought me the same as being my firstborn grandson. Born on a bitter cold day, you have given warmth to my heart.

You are a gift from above. The Lord has been so gracious to me in so many ways and now He has given me another healthy offspring. Oh, what a blessing!

You are also blessed in being born to a set of great parents, who will love and raise in a firm but fair way. This has been proven already in the way they are raising your big sister. You've been given the name, William, that means "strong." The historic meaning indicates one who is valiant protector or guardian. A strong individual! This does not necessarily mean physical strength as much as it does in personality and firmness of conviction in right and wrong. To follow this meaning, as you grow older and have understanding, you must be determined to remain firm in what is honorable, regardless of the cost. You have a challenge to follow at least two for whom you've been named after your Dad and Grandfather. If you follow their examples, you will grow up with the same steadfastness and firmness necessary.

As you grow older, you will discover the large and loving family that you've been born into. Your parents, sister, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and many cousins will give you lessons to learn. You can learn the meaning of hard work and devotion to completing task from your Mom and Dad. You can learn of the discipline and sacrifice that they are making to make your life better. Learn the appreciation for art and music from your grandmothers. Learn the ability to cope with and live with other siblings from your uncles and aunts on your Dad's side of the family. You can learn how to have fun in life and make the most of it from your Uncle Michael. You are fortunate to have all four of your great grandparents on your Mother's side of the family. Not too many people can say that. Even though they are getting older and loosing their health and/or minds, I hope that you will get to appreciate the love that they have given to your Mom. Listen when someone talks of them and their devotion to their family and devotion to God and His service. It will do you good to follow their footsteps.

Learn from your sister the friendliness toward others. Learn of her sincere interest in gathering knowledge. There will be times when she will cover you with too much protection and overshadowing of her dominance, but remember as the two of you grow, you will eventually be bigger and stronger. It will be your responsibility to look over her. I hope that the two of you will always be best of friends. Be as close as your Mother and Uncle Michael.

Also, remember that your Nana and I will continually be praying for you and be there when we can. Though there are miles between us, you are only a brief thought away. As grandparents, we have the right to spoil you and will do so within limits, but be assured that we seek your best.

Thank you for making this man a most happy and proud one.

Love you!
Popaw

Beautiful Hymn

This is a beautiful hymn. Click here to listen or download it to your desktop.

Conflict Resolution

Disagreements and conflicts will always exist when there is a relationship. Whether it is husband/wife, boy/girl, parent/child, friend/friend, or between co-workers. These conflicts are a part of life.

I heard on the Christian radio station the other day some good advice. There was in Acts 15 a division between the apostle Paul and Barnabas. The lesson to learn:

1. When in a disagreement, work hard at seeing both sides, not just your own.

2. When both sides have good arguments, seek a wise compromise.

3. If conflict persist, care enough to work it through and not run.

It takes maturity to work out the conflicts which arise in relationships.

I realize that I need to take a dose of my own medicine. I'm seeking God's grace to enable me to heed to this advice.

Have a good day!
Love,
Dad


Mighty God,
I humble myself for faculties misused, opportunities neglected, words ill-advised,
I repent of my folly and inconsiderate ways, my broken resolutions, untrue service, my backsliding steps, my vain thoughts.
O bury my sins in the ocean of Jesus' blood and let no evil result from my fretful temper, unseemly behavior, provoking pettiness.
If by unkindness I have wounded or hurt another, do thou pour in the balm of heavenly consolation;
If I have turned coldly from need, misery, grief, do not in just anger forsake me:
If I have withheld relief from penury and pain, do not withhold thy gracious bounty from me.
If I have shunned those who have offended me, keep open the door of thy heart to my need.

Fill me with an over-flowing ocean of compassion, the reign of love my motive, the law of love my rule.

O thou God of all grace, make me more thankful, more humble;
Inspire me with a deep sense of my unworthiness arising from the depravity of my nature, my omitted duties, my unimproved advantages, thy commands violated by me.
With all my calls to gratitude and joy may I remember that I have reason for sorrow and humiliation;
O give me repentance unto life;
Cement my oneness with my blessed Lord, that faith may adhere to him more immovably, that love may entwine itself round him more tightly, that his Spirit may pervade every fiber of my being.
Then send me out to make him known to my fellow-men.

"Humility in Service" from Valley of Vision