Public Displays of Affection

One of the truly amazing truths about our God is that He came near!  He came to us and desires to be in relationship with us.  He has instigated the relationship. The God of the Universe who holds the world in his hands wants to hold my hand.  That's a personal aspect of relationship often referred to as p.d.a. (public display of affection).  It is a marvelous, humbling privilege to be desired by the God of All Creation and be aware of his beautiful affection for me.

In a song written by John Mark McMillan, How He Loves, there is a phrase he uses that is not usually heard in the radio versions of the song.  

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss

Talk about public display of affection!  He came near -  bursting on the scene with a huge outpouring of love.  This wasn't a reserved, conservative, socially acceptable display!  He held nothing back and didn't care who was looking.  He came near - unable to contain Love.  

And our response .... is it reserved?  Are we being too conservative?  Do we run our displays of affection for Him through the filter of what is deemed socially acceptable?  I wonder, are we holding back, concerned about whether anyone is looking? 

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me. 

Oh, how He loves us! Maybe this should be declared The Year of Public Displays of Affection for the Awesome God of Love who is all about holding hands and sloppy wet kisses....huge, demonstrative displays of affection.   

Imagine My Delight

On a Thursday morning, about six years ago, during my bible study and prayer time I was thinking about individuals who had encountered the living Christ.  In my mind I saw the scene of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman.  It's a beautiful story from the Bible found in the fourth chapter of John.

I began imagining this same woman several years down the road sitting with other women and young girls who had gathered around her ... wanting to hear her story again.  As she recalls the details there are flash backs to those moments at the well.  I imagine her heart full of joy as she tells them how desperate she had been ... and how beautiful He was.  With smiling eyes brimming with tears she shares how she felt when He looked into her eyes and the way her heart melted when He spoke to her.

We read that this woman returned to her town and proclaimed, "He told me everything I ever did" ... truly there is nothing hidden from Him.  Tucked within this story is a beautiful scripture about worshiping in spirit and in truth. When we allow our encounter with Jesus to change us there is a deep sense of gratitude and devotion.  For me, this enables and equips me to worship ... to know that He is fully aware of who I am and all my sin, and yet I am aware of His unfailing, redeeming love for me.


To worship in spirit; with every part of my being, throwing myself into His arms.  And also to worship in truth; sincerely, knowing that I cannot hide anything from Him.  My life has been forever changed by Jesus.  The gratitude and devotion that swells within me finds expression through a lifestyle of worship.

These are the words I wrote that Thursday morning:

Imagine my delight when Jesus came to me
When He came close and looked into my eyes
My aching heart was warmed within His beauty
I felt His love could fill the empty skies


His tender touch caused all my fears to vanish
His kindness gripped my jagged, jaded soul
He spoke to me and all the world grew quiet
The chaos became calm in His control


Jesus came into my life so sweetly
Jesus changed my life, He gave me beauty
He looked beyond my cold and empty stare
And then He spoke to me
I fell into His arms, He held me tight
He changed my life forever
Imagine My Delight!

Falling Leaves and Football

As we stepped outside this morning, the 77 degree weather seemed perfect for our first day of school.  When I was young we always started school just before Labor Day.  The mornings were usually a little cool, as were the evenings, and during the school day it would get very warm.  But we could tell that Fall was just around the corner.

Growing up in Southern Illinois, Fall was always my favorite season.  I loved the crispness in the air, the beautiful colors of the leaves that would soon fall to the ground. Leaf houses were waiting to be made on the lawn by forming lines with small piles of leaves to represent the different rooms, and then quickly raked into large piles to jump in. Most importantly, leaves on the ground meant football season was well under way. 

Living in Georgia, I find it difficult to start school when it is 105 degrees outside.  I'm always torn by whether to wait until after Labor Day or starting the school year early.  So this morning we began and I was very grateful for the lower temperature which made it feel more like the first day of school for me.

Our morning began with our traditional "first day of school breakfast out" ... and this year we went to the new local Bojangles.  I even allowed the children to have sweet tea, because it's just not right to go to Bojangles and not drink the tea.  This allowance on my part has been revisited in my mind several times already today.  Just not so sure my kids really needed the sugar and caffeine, but I guess I can manage a little extra "energy" on this special occasion.

I was so blessed as we sat together eating breakfast and talking about the upcoming school year.  It is a joy to see all four personalities interacting.  There is something very special about educating at home and watching the special bonding that is taking place in our family.  My children really seem to enjoy being together and this blesses me more than I can express with words.   

Today we spent time going over schedules, organizing lockers and school supplies.  We are working on some projects to help us with time management and daily schedules.  It will take a little time to settle in to our new routine, but I am confident that we can handle all necessary adjustments to make our school days go as smoothly as possible.

My friend, Gina, made a comment in a recent Facebook post:

Reminding myself: Academic subjects are only tools to teach our children to articulate the truths of God. After all isn't that the purpose of life?

As I begin this new school year, I am reminding myself of my role in my children's education.  My prayer is that they will be excited about learning and catch the vision of being lifelong learners.  In addition, I pray that they will learn how to know God and will love Him and serve Him all their days.

Now that school has officially started it's time to set aside the lazy days of summer and jump into Fall.   I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the changing of the leaves, some cooler mornings and evenings ... and a little football on the side.

Passing Through

A very dear friend of mine once went through a terrible sadness.  In her grief and times of great uncertainty I saw her tightly cling to the Word of God.  When her world was turning upside down and she was experiencing unimaginable pain she sought comfort by reading God's love letter to her. I watched one day as her eyes swollen from crying sparkled when she shared with me the comfort she had received that day from reading her Bible.  "When you pass THROUGH the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass THROUGH the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk THROUGH the fire you will not be burned..."  I admit, I had always thought of those verses simply in terms of God being with me in times of difficulty.  But that day she opened my eyes to see the hope and encouragement that God was offering. The difficulty is not permanent. There is hope.  

Be encouraged if you are experiencing a great time of suffering right now. God is with you and you will reach the other side because you are passing THROUGH.

Isaiah 43:1-2

Perceived as Lovable

When Jesus was asked the "trick" question about which was the greatest commandment, he replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

Everything hangs on love.  The greatest commands we've been given hang on love.  All the laws, all the prophecies, how we are to live, how we serve, all the promises, all the blessings, our commitment to Christ, our daily interactions with people, our relationships with friends and family, our mission, our jobs, our ministry ... everything must have love at the center.

Unfortunately, in reality this may seem difficult even on our best days with people we like the most -- spending time doing the things we most enjoy.  But it doesn't change the truth that we are called to love. 


Love must be intentional.  Love for God and others must be pursued.  It must be nurtured.  I find myself unable to love the way I'm supposed to on my own.  But I've also discovered that this is to be expected. I'm learning that I must love with His love...love that is sincere and true. True love comes from God and my ability to love is measured by the purposeful attention I pay to receiving love from God.


We all want to be loved and most of us probably have moments when we can be pretty easy to love.  And yet, none of us are perfect. Although it's easier to love those who are "lovable", we don't get off the hook simply because we perceive someone to be less than that.  Praise God, Christ loved us and gave his life for us even though we were not perfect.  He has set the standard for us and how we should love. 


How good it is to know that Christ's love for us is not the kind of love that gets thrown around these days -- on one minute and off the next.  It is encouraging to know that His love is not determined by our charm or manipulation.  Neither is His love deterred by our appearance and behavior at its worst. My grateful heart is overwhelmed that Christ's love for us enabled him to perceive us as lovable.