The Greatest Love Story Ever Written

There is a man who's existence was so crucial to history that a dating system was adopted to revolve around his birth and his death. Everyone knows His name. In fact, it is so well known that He is either loved or hated, but He is not ignored. Everyone is familiar with His symbol of love. Not everyone, however, is familiar with His life or His ministry. On "Love Day" I can't help but reflect on this love story because the reason for His death is the greatest love story ever written.

This man is perfect. He is radiant. His Word is powerful. He is majestic, but he had no form or majesty or beauty that we should desire to look at Him. He is a man who knows sorrow and grief and temptation, and is the perfect example of how to persevere, how to endure, how to remain gracious, how to serve. His conduct we long to mimic because He is kind, compassionate, and loving.

And when you open your heart to this man a new understanding of freedom and love and life is breathed into your soul. He holds the greatest love story in the palm of His hand. Oh, those hands! I cannot wait to hold those hands!

For those hands bare the scars of How far He was willing to go for those He loved. Let me tell you how far He went...

We deserve to die. We deserve to spend eternity in hell. Each and every single one of us. There is not one person on the face of the planet who deserves anything else. We are liars. We are gossips. We hate. We envy. We are prideful and arrogant. We are foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless, and we justify every wrong with a friend by our side.

We deserve to die. We fall short of this man's perfection. We will never fully grasp His loving kindness, because it is infinite. 

Even though He knew how sinful we'd become. Even though He knew we'd reject Him. Despise Him. Want nothing to do with Him. He became sin on our behalf. He took God's wrath that we deserve and He died for us.

It wasn't a quick death. It wasn't a pain free death. It was humiliating and excruciating. He was flogged so badly that He wasn't even recognizable as a human being!

And yet He endured till the end. Although He suffered greatly, although the punishment was undeserved, He did not curse. Derogatory words or thoughts or actions were not found in this man.

He laid down His life for those He loved so that those who believed in His life, His ministry, His Words could spend eternity with Him!

There is no greater love than this! Because of Him and His love, we have hope.

"The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett [Book Review]

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this way back when and watched the movie more times than I can count growing up. I love the story itself, I always have, always will. After finishing it this go-around, as a woman concrete in my theology as a Christian, I grimaced at the author's take on the Doxology in comparison to magic. It left an awful taste in my mouth, I love the story line without it. If I go into to much detail I would give away the story, but let me let me quote the Doxology to you... "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen."

Beautiful song. EVERYONE Praise God in all circumstances: for your blessings and for your trials because He is sovereign and beyond our understanding.

How beautiful would this story be if she stuck to one concept: God's Sovereignty. God's sovereignty in Dickon's healing. God's sovereignty in his Father's life, his mother's death, for the change in attitude, and for the friends in his life. Rather, they sang the song not as praise to an almighty God and what He does in our life, but a "fitting" song to go along with Dickon's speech on magic and what "magic" did in his life. Bleh. Didn't like it. It seriously ruined it for me.

If she would've JUST talked about magic. Fine. (It's a fiction story for crying out loud!)

If she would've JUST talked about God's Sovereignty. AWESOME, even better!

But to take a hymn designed to express praise to a sovereign God and mix it with chanting about magic? Backwards and screwy. I JUST did NOT like it.

So I recommend the book as a GREAT story, but not one I could recommend to teach any valuable lessons on Christianity (which I didn't expect it to) but don't talk about magic mumbo jumbo and mix it in with a praise song for pete's sake. Christian parents: If you read this with your child, be prepared for this conversation!

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"The Dime That Lasted Forever" by Rochunga Pudaite [Book Review]

The Dime That Lasted Forever by Rochunga Pudaite
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Story after story came alive as Rochunga shared God's faithfulness in his life. His life of prayer and thanksgiving in all circumstances is an inspiration! Time and time again God met his needs. Rochunga's faith is one to emulate and his story is definitely a "must read". Christians will find encouragement in each page as Rochunga gives glory to our miraculous, mighty, all-knowing God.

Wow. Thank you Rochunga for sharing your adventurous testimony, giving encouragement to all who read it!

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