My Great Loves

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I confess my great loves today.

First is my great love for God. I spent this weekend in a “silent” retreat contemplating Ephesians 1-3. I love Ephesians. For the past 15 plus years of my life it has been bedrock to my life. Once again I was blown away by my God’s great love for me. I am IN Christ! What a great Savior! How can I NOT respond in love? I confess I do NOT respond in love far too many times. I confess my foolishness. I confess I chase other “lovers” from time to time. But when I get back to his great love for me… I am in awe.

Next is my great love for my wife. She is absolutely incredible. We are approaching 22 years of marriage and my life is so much RICHER because of her love, her presence, her passion, her friendship. So much of who I am is a result of her love.

My great love for my wife extends to my great love for my boys. One has passed out of the teen years this month and is headed toward marriage. The other two are in high school. When I think of them, I am filled with gratitude and pride. They are great joys in my life.

I must finally confess my great love for the Church. There is something stirring deep within me, something I hope to dig out and actually put into words. To love Christ IS to love his Church. It is his Body. When we insult the Church, we insult Christ. He is the head. When part of our body feels pain, we KNOW it! When I find Christians insulting the Church, I sense the hurt of Christ.

My life is in ministry. I teach and I preach and I pastor. I have tried other things. My realization is this: I have no other marketable skills… and I don’t WANT any other marketable skills. I’m not rich. I won’t be rich. I’m not well-known. I don’t have a lecture circuit or speaking circuit. No one wants to hear from some small time pastor!

But I LOVE the Church of Jesus Christ. I love the expressions. My own expression is Pentecostal. But I have a deep love for Baptists, Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans… and more. I LOVE the expressions of the Body of Christ.

Today, I proudly profess my great loves.

Happy Valentines Day