As Best As I Can Put Into Words...

The Vision.

What is the Vision? Is that even the right word? Longing? Aching? Restlessness? All these seem to fall short of defining this burning I have inside to do something greater than myself. I see a broken and hurting generation and I desperately want to intercede and change the injustices all around me. They are not alone. But how do they know that? How am I to tell them when all I do is continue along the assembly line and give into the "American Corporate Dream"? I am so tired of feeling like an empty shell. Roaming from this land to that land. Clocking in my time when and where it is needed. Give me your heart, Oh God! Let this thirst building inside me never be quenched but let me pursue your unending fountain till my very last breath.

This world needs healing. This world needs redemption. Where is the Justice? Who will defend the unfortunate, the down-trodden? I will. I must! I can't breath behind this wall of indifference. These are the visions you have laid on me as best as I can describe them:

-We begin with a season of prayer

-nonstop, 24/7 prayer
-this is a devoted place, set aside
-this is how we talk to you
-this is how we begin to draw closer

-I see a room of dirty, messy people

-people who love Jesus
-people who don't know if they love Jesus
-people who don't care about Jesus at all
-living life together

-The Room

-Friday night when the bars are open
-musicians play
-people are smoking outside
-there is teaching of rudimentary Christian doctrines
-there are drunks/addicts
-people come in with a myriad of baggage both Christian and not
-it is an ER that turns no one away
-the worship contains nonbelievers
-the Glory of God is there
-Love is there

-Music Programs

-mentorships/lessons given
-band/worship dynamics taught
-recording arts studied
-videography is studied
-outlets for expression are given

-Home Groups

-8-12 people of different backgrounds
-faith fundamentals
-Biblical characters studied
-how to basics
-prayer
-study scripture
-love your community
-Who is Jesus?

-The Community is Central

-schools
-local businesses
-school sports
-other nonprofits organizations
-churches
-parents of kids
-families
-the hungry feeding the hungry
-the homeless clothing the homeless
-the abused loving the unloved

I don't know the whole picture. I only know the next step for me is to speak out. And pray. I don't have a team. I don't have a strategy. I don't know logistics. I don't understand most of what is supposed to happen. I only know what is on my heart: that everyone MUST find the True Love. My heart is breaking for those who are broken to pieces.

But, God, if you are leading I want to follow. I don't know what I'm praying for, but just like the song that helped feed our hunger when you established the Vineyard in Leesburg years ago, I know "There Must Be More".

As for me and my house, we are praying for more.

I will Restlessly seek Redemption...

Visions in the Winter of My Discontent...

It begins with a sigh. A silent tear. I can't do this for much longer. Coming. Leaving. Returning again just to pretend I am not an empty shell. God where are you? Where am I? Will we ever meet again? I sure hope so.


Vision:

-24/7 prayer room
-rough/dangerous/messy
-music store
-studio
-hurting/healing
-community
-the dark horses
-drug addictions/alcohol abuse
-unwanted pregnancies
-love/hugs
-the River
-music lessons
-tutoring programs
-kitchens ran by the hungry
-homes built by the homeless
-pride taken by the fallen
-love given to/from the orphaned


I don't know the answers. I just know I am RESTLESS!!!

You are "so that" I can....

As a Christian, I am supposed to live a life above reproach. I am suppose to be a person of good character and dignity. My Christian doctrinal teachings, like all other major world religions, tell me to strive to be a good person and live and good life. But why is it important and how is the Christian perspective any different than all the other ones? Well, most of the major religions of the world will tell you to live your life well so that you may gain merit and reward. In Hinduism, you can "move up the ladder" each time you are reborn into the life cycle. Buddhism teaches of respecting one another so that you can achieve the highest Enlightenment (separation of your soul from the physic al, suffering world). In both Islam and Judaism, the reward for living a righteous life is entrance to heaven. It is Christianity and Christianity alone that speaks of a completely unique doctrine. We are saved through grace, and not by our merits. Therefore, we are to live a righteous life, not in an effort to gain an eternal reward, but so that we might be an example of how grace can transform the life of even the most undeserving among us.

I think the entire message of the gospel of Jesus as the Messiah is presented with a "so that" banner. Jesus first loved us so that we might show his glory by loving others. I think the biggest miracle and testimony to Jesus' resurrection is the fact that his first followers lived out a "so that" lifestyle. In fact, the development of a new worldview and new faith is the single hardest evidence for historians and scholars to deny when looking at the resurrection story. From publicly spoken records citing eyewitnessed accounts during the life of the same individuals to a complete lack of belief in bodily resurrections in any of the existing worldviews to claiming a woman as the "first" resurrection witness when women could not even testimony in court to the sheer endurance and determination of first Christians through unbelievabe torment and persecution. They continued. Jesus showed himself to them so that they may show him to everyone.

I have told some people about how this past year, more than any other year of my life, I have experienced what I call a "love journey". God has allowed me to dive deep into the meaning of what love really means and how it looks to live out love in a real and unselfish way. It has been an incredible journey for me. But this journey through love has been coupled with the biggest and hardest financial suffering I've ever experienced.

I proposed to me girlfriend last March and then graduated in May school with a degree in the area of audio/video. Since I was working at school through a Federal Workstudy program, I lost my job upon graduation. Shortly after that I realized that not only would it be hard to find a job in my specialized field but due to the state of the American economy it would be a journey finding work period.

The summer, fall and winter has passed and I have find no sustaining source of income. In addition, my finance (only current breadwinner) is a server in an economy where people eat out less and when they do they tip less. Some people may think we are ridiculous for trying to plan a wedding with a single dwindling income.

I can tell you the stress has been significant. There have been so many things (deposits, dresses, plane tickets, suits, regular bills, rent, food, so much more) that we have had no idea how they were going to get paid and no idea what to do about it. However, one by one each thing has been lifted off our shoulders. One by one the burdens we can barely hold up are met by unexpected means. This wedding will not only be a beautiful day for me and my bride but it will be a testimony to how God loves us and will always take care of us.

Why do we have hard times? Why are we to rise above them and build a life of character and moral integrity? So that we may be the example of Jesus and his love for all of us.

Who I Say I Am.....

I was just thinking about how much who we say we are doesn't add up often with who our actions say we are. We live in a society where it is okay to say one thing and do/mean another thing as long as it helps you reach your goal in the end.

Marriage doesn't mean much anymore. People laugh at religion. No one trusts a politician.

I can't help but think about how often I say one thing and do another. Everyday. My intentions may be good and I may mean what I say but if I don't back it up with an action that agrees with my words then they mean nothing at all. Have my words become meaningless? Does my "yes" mean yes and my "no" mean no? I'm not so sure.

The only thing I know to do when confronted with such brutal truths about myself is what I always do. I look at Jesus. And like every other time, I find the encouragement I am looking for.

Jesus was teaching and preaching all over the area. Many people started following him and he was getting very popular. Some started saying he might even be the one who would save the Jewish people. He might be the Messiah they were looking for. John was another local prophet. He had been teaching and preaching to the masses before Jesus came on the scene.

John was very much in line with a long list of prophet the Jews had already had. He walked the walk. Talked the talk. And lived, generally, like all the prophets before him. Jesus was a different. He didn't exactly fit into the mold of what everyone thought a "Messiah" would be. So John sends some of his followers to Jesus to ask this question:

"Are you the ONE we have been expecting, or are we stilling waiting?"

Jesus' response is so great. He doesn't say anything. He just keeps on teaching and healing people and loving everyone there. Hours later he turns to John's crew and doesn't say "yes" and he does say "no". Instead, he simply says, "Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard".

I'll finish with a paragraph from the letter of the Apostle James:

"Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom- it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats."

Matthew 14

I think it can be easy sometimes, especially for people who grew up in a church environment, to become a little calloused to stories we read in the Bible. Stories that you grow up hearing over and over again can sometimes lose their wonder. For me, it is always amazing to rediscover the splendor and awe of something you thought had burnt out long ago. In the Bible especially, it is easy to play down the glory of individual events (such as the miracles of Jesus) simply because we know the big picture and we did not have the honor of living in that moment, not knowing the end of the story. So it is in my times of reading about Jesus that I try most to reject my current mindset and put on the attitudes and thoughts of the first hearers of his words. That is when he really comes to life.....

I have read and heard (as have most people I know) about two certain miracles all my life. Everyone knows that Jesus walked on water. And almost everyone I know has heard the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people. Two amazing events by themselves, no doubt. But I think sometimes it is important to read around the stories to get a better understanding of what is really going on behind the scenes. You see, both stories take place in the same chapter, Matthew 14 and there is more to chapter 14. Now I know chapters and verses weren't added till much later, but nonetheless what precedes these two events is linked to them.

The scene is this, Jesus has been teaching throughout the countryside in and near his homebase. People have started to follow him and really take interest. Word of Jesus gets to the regional ruler, Herod, who has just executed Jesus' cousin John. This would have been a big deal for Jesus.

John was not only his cousin, but they were intimately tied together. They each has a miraculous birth and were raising with an expectation of greatness. John had preceded Jesus in his ministry. Before his death, John had been hailed as a prophet. But he was different than all the previous prophets. John spoke with a new message and a new hope. He was preaching that God's kingdom wouldn't be established sometime in the future, but that it was coming and they would see it present in their lifetime. John was there to pave the way for Jesus' ministry. If there was any human on earth that understand most who Jesus was and why he had chosen to come to earth, it was John. The disciples lived day in and day out with Jesus and they even struggled with who Jesus was and what he was trying to do. But John got it.

So it says that when Jesus got the news of John death, he tried to slip away. Jesus needed to mourn. So he leaves the crowds he had been teaching in and goes across the lake. But the people follow him. Jesus gets off the boat and sees all the people he had tried to break away from.

What would you do in that moment? Would you yell at the top of your lungs, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Would you be gentle and try to explain to them your situation, "Please, I just need a day or two alone!" Or would you respond like Jesus did.

"When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick."
-The Message

He loved them. Amazing. In a moment where Jesus was tired and burdened with grief to the breaking point, he still chooses to love those who are also tired and burdened. He heals people and helps them all the way up into the evening. Then he feds them. After dinner he lets the disciples get in the boat and go ahead of him. And he dismisses the crowd. It is only after healing and caring for everyone that he is able to be alone and release his grief.

That's the kind of man I want to be. Others, then me. I want to love those who can't find love for themselves. Why? Because he first loved me and I am no longer my own man. Jesus bought me with his love and I am forever his servant. My job is to show others that my master is faithful and he is good.

He is the love we have all been looking for.

My Fourth Installment to the Peter Trilogy....

The Stone

"Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedence:

'Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it.'

To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

'The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone.'

For the untrusting it's '...a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.'

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted."

-The Message

The man who wrote those words understood them all too well. He had lived and breathed a life of dedication to his teacher, Jesus Christ. He understood guilt. Rejection. Pain. Mercy. Perseverance. In fact, he himself became known as Peter, from the Greek "petros", which literally means "rock". It was not a self-indicted title, but a name given to him by his Savior that he would grow into over a lifetime of trial by fire.

In fact, as I read these written words of an older and withered Peter, I am reminded of his earlier days when he walked with Jesus. The age he must have been that I myself am in now.

What led Peter to go from someone who we most often identify in the Gospels as always messing it up to the strong and sturdy leader of a newly born faith in the Acts of the Apostles?

The event that sticks out in my mind is the fireside chat with Jesus by the lake after the resurrection. In one question Jesus helps Peter not only overcome his unbearable guilt and shame but he guides him to the answer he being searching for his whole life.

"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"

"Yes, Master, you know I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

"Yes, Master, you know I love you."

Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

Then he said a third time: "Simon, son of John, do yo love me?"

Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do yo love me?" so he answered, "Master you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

-The Message

I love that illustration of shepherding sheep. I've been reading a book called "Heaven Has Blue Carpet" by a friend of mine, Sharon Niedzinski. She tells a beautiful story of how raising sheep with her family taught her valuable lessons about the relationship between God and his children.

One story that stuck out to me is of a lamb named Joey. He was rejected from his mother at birth and taken into the house to live with the family till he was strong enough and healthy enough to return to "Sheep World". During this time, he played with the kids, was fed from the bottle of a loving Sharon and was soothed by her gentle voice. Joey was eventually put back with the flock but with a very different attitude. Unlike the rest of the flock that scurried and fled when Sharon came to the pasture, Joey ran to her because he had had a taste of "True Heaven".

What struck me more than the obvious allegory was what happened next. Because Joey responded to Sharon when she came, Sharon herself started looking to the other sheep to see if anymore would be so bold. Before too long, she began craving even the hint of affection from her beloved flock. And just like the scripture says, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you," Joey's love for his shepherdess led her to draw nearer to her flock and in time others began to recognize her voice. Soon many were thrilled to hear she coming their way.

"Shepherd my Sheep."

One also can't help but be reminded of the intriguing story that Jesus tells of Sheep and Goats. On one side there are sheep who are let into God's kingdom. Jesus claims that it is because they have fed him, gave him shelter, looked after him, and visited him when he was in need that they are friends and can enter. Confused by his words they ask, "When did we do all these things?" Jesus answers, "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me- you did it to me."

"Feed my Lambs."

I think the kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. I think Jesus has a simple message. Love them. Show them they are not alone. If I laid my life down for you and that is how you know I love you, think about it. How will they know I love them? You. You must show them. In you I have built my Rock.

A Third Helping of Peter Soup for the Soul....

I've talked a lot about Peter and his journey with Jesus to become the Rock and the Foundational Father of the early Christian movement. He grew so much from the first moment Jesus called him till the moment the Holy Spirit first came at the Pentecost. And I could say a lot about what is written about Peter in the Acts of the Apostles and how God used this broken and humbled man to shepherd a new Christian family. But what I want to write and focus on tonight is Peter's first letter to the Church.

The book of First Peter is thought to have been written around 60 AD near the very end of Peter's life. This is an important observation for two reasons; one, this means it was written about 30-35 years after Jesus rose from the dead and the letter would have been tempered with the life lessons of a seasoned and very wise old man. Second, around the year 60 AD Emperor Nero launched as horrific campaign against the rising Christian Church that would result in immeasurable persecution and death, including Peter and Paul who both lived in Rome at the time.

It is in this setting that Peter decides to write a letter to all his fellow believers, scattered across the four corners of the empire. I Peter is a book not only of hope and perseverance but a call to refuel Jesus' original Message of love. Below are some excerpts of I Peter taken from The Message translation. As you read them I challenge you to place yourself in Peter's shoes as he is remembering a lifetime of serving his Master and a lifetime of learning what it means to follow Jesus. It's almost as if every word he writes is not only an encouragement to his brethren but I think he is reminding himself why he first fell in love with Jesus. He is almost certainly written to himself.

"I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to the exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!"

"What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to life for"

"Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory."

"So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, 'I am holy; you be holy."

Probably my favorite section of I Peter in The Message is simply called "The Stone" in Chapter 2. It is here where Peter talks about Jesus being the cornerstone and it is only by accepting that fact for your life that you can life a full life. The way Jesus envisioned it. The way it was meant to be.

Since I am getting long winded in this post I will conclude my thoughts on I Peter 2 in my next post.

The man, Peter 2.0 (cont.)

As I am wide awake so early in the morning, I can't help but think about our friend Peter.

As I mentioned in my last post, Peter had invested so much of his life and energy into his man, Jesus, and his teachings. Peter was totally committed to following this guy all the way through to when Jesus would take up his throne and show the world and his people how to truly live. Peter had witnessed so much and was utterly convinced that he had found a greater path for his life that to be a simple fisherman.

Then it happened. The dream was shattered. Like so many things in life, this plan had not gone the way it was supposed to. This man, he was supposed to be the Messiah. But how could he die? Surely, Peter had missed something. No. Jesus was the one. He was the one they had waited so long for.

But that truth is harder to bare. Because if Jesus truly is the Messiah and somehow would rise out of this chaos as Lord, then there is no way Peter could follow. He had ran a long and difficult race only to lose sight at the very end. "I don't know this man!" How could he have said those words. Jesus is the only one who showed him how to love. He is this only one who really knows the inner Peter. Now he is gone. Will Peter ever be able to redeem himself?

What? Jesus is alive? It can't be! Will he still love Peter?

A few weeks after Jesus' resurrection a small group of the disciples, among them Peter, is hanging out near the water. I can imagine by this point the internal struggle in Peter is overwhelming. Peter, trying to find some kind of escape from his torment, decides to do something that comes natural to him and hopes this will keep his mind occupied. He goes fishing. The rest follow him.

They fish all night and catch nothing. Around dawn, they see a man on the shore. The man says, "Try your net over there." I'm sure they were a little frustrated by a long and unproductive night, but I see Peter thinking, "What else could I possible lose. I'm try it." Fish. Lots.

Wait a minute. Peter has seen this before. It's him! Not willing to wait for the others, Peter dives into the water and swims to Jesus on the shore. But before Peter could tell Jesus all the things that have been boiling up inside, Jesus feeds them breakfast.

After the meal, Jesus (I'm sure noticing Peter's uneasiness) turns to Peter and asks, "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes! Oh, God, yes!" Again, "Peter, do you love me?" "Jesus, you know I do." "Do you love me?" At this point, all that is bottled inside Peter churns to a breaking point. He remembers it all. The miracles. The words. The endless mercy. And I imagine as he sat next to Jesus on that shore and looked into the eyes of his beloved friend that question pierced his heart. And Peter, refined by the gentle fire of love and grace, looks back at Jesus and says, "How could I not? You are all I have."

And I think it was in that moment that Peter finally got the Message that Jesus had so patiently been teaching him for the past three years. It's all about love, Peter. As Peter responds to Jesus' questions, Jesus gives him these last commands, "Feed my lambs. Shepherd my sheep."

If we follow Peter's journey beyond this moment we see a new man. Peter is no longer a fisherman but he is finally a "fisher of men". Peter spreads Jesus' Message with such vigor and humility that even the scholars who hate him are amazed by him.

Peter. Rock.

The one called Peter.....

I am an avid reader.  One of my favorite books to read is the New Testament part of the Bible.  It's just an amazing story about really interesting people.  

Like the Apostle Peter.  What a fascinating guy.  He's stubborn.  He often speaks before he thinks.  It seems he gets it wrong more times than he gets it right, but there is just something about the guy you just love.  He is always ready to go.  Ready to leap out and grab all that waiting him.  And it was as I was reading about him this morning that I realized how much I have in common with this man.

Here's the scene:

Peter has been following this man around for three years.  A man he believes is the one person who can rescue his people and his family from the oppression that has been upon them for so long they don't remember a time without it.  He has personally seen his man not only talk about changing the world but watched him transform lives and physically heal people in ways that didn't even seem possible.  He has seen this man not only defy and outwit those that lord their authority over Peter and his people but has also seen this man over and over again bring love and hope to people even Peter has forgot about.  He had witnessed mysterious and powerful things that he cannot explain except to say, "This man is God." 

He is very close to this man, Jesus.  In fact, out of the hundreds that follow Jesus he is of the twelve closest.  And of those twelve he is of the three that are even closer.  And of those three he is the one.  The one whom Jesus invests his whole message on.  "You, Peter.  You will be my Rock that holds up my message."

Finally, they have come back to the city that it all revolves around, Jerusalem.  After a week of chaotic teachings and miracles (even raising someone from the dead) Jesus, along with Peter and the other eleven find a quiet place to celebrate the Passover (a very important meal in their society.)  Jesus has just gone through the ceremony and has told his friends that one of them will turn him over to be persecuted.  He then proceeds to tell them that they will all indeed abandon him that very night like scared little sheep.

It is in this setting that we enter the story:

"Peter broke in, 'Even if everyone else falls to pieces on account of you, I won't.' 

'Don't be so sure,' Jesus said.  'This very night, before the rooster crows up the dawn, you will deny me three times.'

Peter protested, 'Even if I had to die with you, I would never deny you."  All the others said the same thing.'

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there and pray.'  Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow.  Then he said, 'This sorrow is crushing my life out.  Stay here and keep vigil with me.'

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, 'My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this.  But please, not what I want.  You, what do you want?'

When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep.  He said to Peter, 'Can't you stick it out with me a single hour?  Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger.  There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God.  But there is another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."   

-The Message

Suddenly, armed men come and take Jesus away.  All the disciples, including Peter scatter.  However, Peter follows at a distance.  Peter watches the first of many trials that condemn Jesus to die.  As the verdict of Jesus' demise is called out loud, I can imagine Peter letting out an involuntary grasp, "How can it be?"  A slave girl notices.  "You were with the Galilean."  "No," he answers as he looks for the door.  Again he is stopped, "You follow Jesus the Nazarene."  "I swear I don't know him!"  Someone else chimes in, "No. No.  We recognize you by your accent.  You're one of them."  "I DON'T KNOW THIS MAN!"  As the sun comes over the night worn crowd a rooster crows in the distance.  The words come back to him....."Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." "My God, no!  I take it back!  PLEASE!  I TAKE IT BACK!"  Peter runs from the scene in utter brokenness and does the only thing he can do.  He weeps.

I can't help but imagine the pain and agony Peter went through in that moment.  His best friend.  His teacher.  The one he devoted his life to, gone.  Dead.  And Peter let it happen.  Peter turned his back on Jesus.  Now Jesus was gone.  How could he be gone?  He was the one!  Wasn't he?  I can only imagine that if I were Peter in that moment how much I would have wished I could take back those shameful words.  How much I wished I could tell Jesus I did not mean it.  Could I have gone on?  Am I still worthy to carry the torch that Jesus wanted to pass on to me?  He must have thought that.  Would he ever be able to move on and become the person Jesus knew he was meant to be?  

Fortunately, Peter's redemption was closer than he could have ever known....

I think Love is like the 1 pounder burger at Cheeburger, Cheeburger....

...it looks so good on the plate, but in the end it's hard to swallow. Plus, it's hard to fully grasp it all.

I mean, what is love really, other than a certain upcoming indigestion? Is it simply a word that defines a state of giddiness towards another human being or a much admired possession? Is it just a fleeting emotion that is here then gone quicker than a Floridian summer rain? Is it an emotion at all? Can it be trusted? Should it be preceded with a caution?

I find it interesting that out of all the feelings and emotional states human being have, love seems to be the one thing we desire the most. In fact, love can even take precedence over our most basic physical needs. If someone feels unloved they may deprive themselves of sleep or food. They may lose focus at work or stop caring about life in general. Why is something so measly as love so seeming important to us?

I believe that it is because love is at the very center of our existence and why we are here in the first place. I am a Christian and I was raised that way. However, love (which I believe is the core message behind Christianity is something I've only really been seeking to understand for about the past year.

I don't know what your thoughts are on God or Jesus or Christianity (they may be negative, that's ok my thoughts are sometimes negative too) , but I genuinely believe that the Bible was written by men much smarter than myself and I have learned a lot about life just by seeking answers in their letters.

So, for this past year I have been reading the Bible (mainly the New Testament) in pursuit of this truth about love (after all, that's what Christianity is supposed to be about, right?). You know what I found out.....Love is the whole point of the Bible. I mean cover to cover. What?!

You have the first half, known as the Old Testament. Which has tons and tons of stories about a God/Creator who loves and guides a nation of people, Isrealites. Time and time again God intercedes to show these often stubborn people that he loves them very much and wants them urgently to get to know him.

Then, the second half of the story: the New Testament. God, who stills yearns for his people, Isreal, to follow the path he directs decides to go even further in humbling himself by giving them an even more real and simple guide to fellowship with him, Jesus. This guy exuberates love. In fact, if you go through the four letters that detail his life and try to pick out every time he mentions or acts out the word love you'll have a hard time keeping track. This guy never misses an opportunity to show kindness or compassion to someone else, often times to a stranger.

When asked what he thought the most important thing (commandment) was to live by his answer was two-fold: Love, and Love. Love God. And Love everyone else.

That was his whole answer.

So, again, what is love? Does is even matter?

I think love is more than an emotion we feel or don't feel. Love is a choice. Love is an action. Love is loving the unlovable. Love is simply that. Never ceasing. Uncompromising.

In the words of Jesus: "Even sinners love their friends." "Love one another."

You know, I haven't lived a considerably long, but I've lived long enough to know this:

Loving someone just because you choose to, ends in nothing but blessing.

Man, if you make a point to let someone know (even a complete stranger) that they matter, you will never feel like you do not matter. Christian or not.

That's a guarantee.