Love never fails

For my discipleship class, I have been reading the books of the Bible written by the Apostle Paul.  God gave me a little Valentine's gift today when I opened my Bible to the next chapter of 1 Corinthians I was scheduled to read -- Chapter 13, the Love chapter.  Believing there are no coincidences, I had to smile as I read my valentine from God, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."  Wow, sounds like wedding vows to me!

Pastor Tommy used marriage as the topic of his sermon this past Sunday, "Heaven on Earth -- Marriage God's Way."  Marriage is under attack in our American society so it is appropriate that we focus on forging strong marriages.  Strong marriages build strong families.  Strong families are comprised of people who love each other.  All that love spills out into our church and community.  We can all use a little more love.  We all need to spread a little more love.

Let me share a little more of my valentine with you:
"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."

Love is in the Air. . .Where is your Treasure?

Sunday kicked off the new sermon series, "Love is in the Air..." by focusing on our treasures.  Pastor Tommy referred to the History Channel's "American Pickers" in his sermon on Treasure Hunters.  It has become one of our favorite shows on TV.  Basically, Mike and Frank travel the U.S. digging through the dusty, rusty belongings of collectors.  I use the word "collectors" carefully since another TV show, TLC's "Hoarders: Buried Alive" would call most of these people hoarders.

The Bible warns us about loving things but it is so easy to get "Junk Drunk," as Mike calls it, in our materialistic society.  We end up loving things and using people instead of using things and loving people.  On another TV show, Style's "Clean House," there was a man who had a collection of car magazines that had taken over the living room.  It was a point of contention between him and his wife.  When the show's host asked him to choose between his magazines and his wife, he had to think about it a long time -- way too long.  Pastor Tommy, I am so glad you chose Margaret over the Mustang.  And, Jerry, I promise to never choose the blue plate collection over you.