"Learn to L♡VE"

{Living Life: quote from The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren}


❝Life is all about love.
      Because God is love, the most important lesson He wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like Him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us: "The whole Law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love others as you love yourself.'"
      Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature. That's why we're given a lifetime to learn it...
      Why does God insist that we give special love and attention to other believers? Why do they get priority in loving? Because God wants his family to be known for its love more than anything else. Jesus said our love for each other--not our doctrinal beliefs--is our greatest witness to the world. He said, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
      In heaven we will enjoy God's family forever, but first we have some tough work to do here on earth to prepare ourselves for an eternity of loving. God trains us by giving us "family responsibilities," and the foremost of these is to practice loving each other.
      God wants you to be in regular, close fellowship with other believers so you can develop the skill of loving. Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people--irritating, imperfect, frustrating people....❞

When I

start feeling stressed,

I think of rapture.

Regarding: Unity

(from Living Life)

❝A Common Denominator {John 17:20-24}

As Jesus was about to complete the work He was sent to do, He prays for the future church for which He was going to die a sinner's death on a cross. This prayer would cover future generations of believers. He prays for the unity of the church--to be unified as a powerful witness to reveal the reality of God's love. This unity is not based on our background, geographical location, or even theological beliefs. The unity of the church would be based on the same unity shared by the Father and Son: "That all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me, and I am in You." Through this expression of love for one another, the world would come to believe and know God. In other words, our greatest apologetic (defense for God) is not in our ability to argue, but in our ability to show the unity.

Get in Tune {John 17:24-26}

When I used to play the violin in the concert orchestra, I remember how before a performance started, the first chair violinist would play a single A string, and all the other instruments would tune themselves to that single pitch. The kind of unity Jesus prays for cannot be accomplished unless the believers are in one accord, attuned to the Father. This unity is supernatural and is fundamentally the same unity that exists between the Father and Son. Disunity happens when we are out of tune with the Father. As we grow to know the Father (v.26), our love for Him will grow. You and I have a responsibility to protect the unity of the church. That begins with preventing gossip or negativity of any kind, especially against the leadership. You can contribute to unity by praying for others, building each other up, serving in humility, giving your time and money, worshiping together, and refusing to get sidetracked arguing over divisive matters. ❞

What if

the world was upside-down? Would the sky be the sea, and the sea the sky? The trees might be the clouds, and the clouds the trees. It would rain petals and leaves, and it would also rain upside-down. Then we'd need upside-down umbrellas. We'd also have flying cars, technically. O, these technicalities. We'd be living outside-in, not inside-out. We'd need to put spf 1000 sunscreen, especially on our feet, during the day, and we'd trail the stars by night. Gravity would work in weird ways.

I think a lot on the bus.



Goodnight.
...goodmorn? :}

When

life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

When life gives you waves, go surfing.

new

public blog. hehe.