Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.1
Love is eternal. Now abides faith, hope, and love but the greatest of these is love. While we should earnestly desire the best gifts, love is the most excellent way of God.2 What we do without love is nothing.3 I am convinced when I meet Jesus face to face if he asks me anything it will be this, did you know how much I loved you? did you know how much I sought you? If we understand how much we have been forgiven, if we can comprehend how much we are loved by Him, we in return would love Him and others, this is the essence of the gospel, the good news, which has and still can, change the world.
When I was a kid we lived somewhat out in the country, we had many acres of woods behind our home. My father would do part time farming and we had a small orchard. Life there seemed ideal. In the woods behind our home there where the remains of a old homestead, left was a stone fireplace and a hand dug water reservoir. The overflow of the reservoir had formed a stream that ran near our home to the creek down the road.
The shed near our home had a tin roof so the rain would pitter-patter on the roof creating a sound that was both comforting and inducing of yawns and relaxation. I loved it when it rained. The flow of water would bring out all kinds of creatures; crawdads, frogs, and small fish. All the things that would fascinate a young boy. My mother would warn of pending danger, you are going to get worms wading in that water, but the power of such an adventure beckoned. I would sleep good those nights, somehow my soul satisfied, at rest.
I would later be reminded by John Eldrige in his book Sacred Romance that such was the creator wooing me to seek the adventure with him. The longing for such and the satisfaction of participating in such could only be described as coming from something more powerful than I could imagine. One day, after a good rain, I ventured down the stream to the creek to find two older boys struggling to put a raft in the rushing waters. At my approach they with happy eyes and smiles put me to work. Such was a risky thing to raft that roaring water but I considered it an adventure.
Unfortunately as quickly as the creator woos us, the enemy fires his flaming arrows into our hearts. I was made to get on the Sunday church bus. I did not want to, as the kids would make fun of a overweight woman, then they would go to church, sing Jesus loves me, then get back on the bus to make fun of the lady. Were they the children of this God? At church the news was always bad, a pastor with a booming voice would instill fear in me and leave me hanging over hell. My father soon became a follower of this god, he forsook all in his name. Unfortunately he was taught this included me.
Following his god, my father moved us from our country home. But all was not lost in our new town as I discovered the love of baseball. The creator would continue to woo me, thus my little league adventure began. Eventually I started at third base and our team won the regional championship, we are the champions, we sang. But the voice of my father's god called him on. Out of the days and times to leave town it was the very night of the award ceremony. We drove past the sports complex that night, I could see the lights on and the people gathered for this special event. Another fiery arrow penetrated my soul. Something happened to me that night and on the long ride to our new home I kept the door locked. For the first time in my life I was afraid.
The Romance
When I was a kid we lived somewhat out in the country, we had many acres of woods behind our home. My father would do part time farming and we had a small orchard. Life there seemed ideal. In the woods behind our home there where the remains of a old homestead, left was a stone fireplace and a hand dug water reservoir. The overflow of the reservoir had formed a stream that ran near our home to the creek down the road.
The shed near our home had a tin roof so the rain would pitter-patter on the roof creating a sound that was both comforting and inducing of yawns and relaxation. I loved it when it rained. The flow of water would bring out all kinds of creatures; crawdads, frogs, and small fish. All the things that would fascinate a young boy. My mother would warn of pending danger, you are going to get worms wading in that water, but the power of such an adventure beckoned. I would sleep good those nights, somehow my soul satisfied, at rest.
I would later be reminded by John Eldrige in his book Sacred Romance that such was the creator wooing me to seek the adventure with him. The longing for such and the satisfaction of participating in such could only be described as coming from something more powerful than I could imagine. One day, after a good rain, I ventured down the stream to the creek to find two older boys struggling to put a raft in the rushing waters. At my approach they with happy eyes and smiles put me to work. Such was a risky thing to raft that roaring water but I considered it an adventure.
Unfortunately as quickly as the creator woos us, the enemy fires his flaming arrows into our hearts. I was made to get on the Sunday church bus. I did not want to, as the kids would make fun of a overweight woman, then they would go to church, sing Jesus loves me, then get back on the bus to make fun of the lady. Were they the children of this God? At church the news was always bad, a pastor with a booming voice would instill fear in me and leave me hanging over hell. My father soon became a follower of this god, he forsook all in his name. Unfortunately he was taught this included me.
Following his god, my father moved us from our country home. But all was not lost in our new town as I discovered the love of baseball. The creator would continue to woo me, thus my little league adventure began. Eventually I started at third base and our team won the regional championship, we are the champions, we sang. But the voice of my father's god called him on. Out of the days and times to leave town it was the very night of the award ceremony. We drove past the sports complex that night, I could see the lights on and the people gathered for this special event. Another fiery arrow penetrated my soul. Something happened to me that night and on the long ride to our new home I kept the door locked. For the first time in my life I was afraid.
The Romance