My Valentine's list...

Love is in the air... you can feel it, can't you? But love is more than a feeling. In my blog today, I want to share my Valentine's list with you. But first, let's define what love is:

We often hear stories of those who have "fallen in love." The romantic tales are inspirational. Millions of books are sold as romance novels, and there are TV channels devoted to love stories. Today, on Valentine's day, millions of dollars are spent on cards, candies, and candlelight dinners.

In every marriage ceremony I have ever performed, I always include the scripture from the book of First Corinthians, which says " 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."

Yes, I can FEEL love, but it is MORE than a feeling. Some define sex as "making love" but sexual acts are not in and of themselves love. Love is caring, sharing, intimacy. There are certainly levels of love, but love in the greatest sense comes from and is God.

Today, I celebrate Valentine's day with the love of my life. I am speaking of my wife, Trish. We were just kids when we were married, much too young. But through the years our love has grown deeper. No, it hasn't been a perfect marriage. You have to work on any relationship. But I love her more today than I did the day we first met. Happy Valentine's Day Sunshine, Pretty Girl! (my pet names for her)

I have some other Valentines (or sweethearts) as well: 4 Kids, all grown, a Son in law and a Daughter in law...Dwayne, Anitra, Tina, Michael, Shane, Chad. I have one grandchild, Zach. He'll be 5 in about 3 weeks, and he is the love of my life.

The Valentine list continues: My family, in addition to the ones mentioned above. My church family. From the kids, the teens, the adults. I love you, and I love serving you. Thanks for putting up with me. I enjoy the great times of worship, fellowship, and fun. It's never boring being around you, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

And there are others: Friends in ministry. Trish and I are privileged to have some awesome friends who understand the complexities of the life we live. It helps to have them in our lives. My best friends are pastors. We cry together and laugh together. They are among the most spiritual men I know, and yet there are times when we just goof off. I would never personally call them my Valentine, but it's good to have friends you can just be yourself around.

Valentines from Afar who are Near to my heart: I have friends in ministry who are in third world countries. Some of them refer to Trish and myself and mom and dad. I don't get to see them as much as I would like, but they have my heart. And there are some whom I have never met. We share similar passions, and have connected via the internet. Ministry, blogs, church life, etc have brought us together. Bonds grow with mutual interests. Thanks for being there, and being a friend.

To all of you,
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!