“In the beginning…”

Our hearts hunger for order in the chaos of this life. We long for connectedness, for community with other people, for meaningful relationships with others. We strain to see God in this world, to hear God’s voice and discover our purpose on this earth. Our desire is to understand God, the world around us, and our relationship to others.

In the beginning of this earth’s history, when there was chaos all around, God spoke and brought order into this world. Today, God longs to speak and bring meaning and order into your life. Will you let him? If this is your desire, pray the following prayer:

“Lord, I want to know you better this week. Teach me through you Word. Help me meet you in my life. Bring order and direction into my life. May I be open to what you want to teach me about you this week. Amen.”

I want to invite you to read Genesis 1 and 2 this week and ask yourself the following questions.

One: What hint about the community nature of God can you see in Genesis 1:2 and Genesis 1:26, 27?

Two: What do you think “created in the image of God” means?

Three: How would we treat each other differently if we really believed we were made in God’s image?

Four: What clue about our need for community is contained in Genesis 2:18? Is a spouse the solution for this need? 1st John 4:8, 12

Five: What do the opening chapters of Genesis teach you about the relationship between creation and the Creator?

Six: What do you need from God in order to bring peace and joy into your life?

Ever felt like a failure?

Have you ever made a mistake? Welcome to the human race. It just means you’re alive and human.

The Bible says in James 3:2, "We all stumble in many ways." We’re all living proof of this verse. But every one of us wants to succeed at everything we do, nobody wants to be a failure.

I’ve never met anybody in life who’s said, “My goal in life is to fail.” Everyone wants to succeed. As a society, this puts a lot of stress on us because failure is a part of life. Yet, many people will do anything, including lying, cheating, stealing, even destroying relationships, in order to succeed. It’s that important.

See, in our culture here in America, failure is considered the unpardonable sin.

But, failing isn’t fatal. Because we value success so much, we tend to exaggerate the effects of failure. But failure isn’t the end of the world. You won’t die from it. With failure, you fail, but then you can pick yourself up and you go on. One of the best ways to bounce back from failure is to redefine it.

Failure is not failing to reach your dreams.
Failure is not having a dream.
Failure is not setting a goal and missing it.
Failure is not having a goal.
Failure is not falling down.
Failure is refusing to get back up.

If at first you don’t succeed, big deal! It’s usually the second, third or fourth time you actually get it right. You are never a failure until you give up. Remember, everybody fails. And, failure has benefit. Did you know that one of God’s primary tools in making you the kind of person he wants you to be is failure?

Sending God a Valentine's

This week, I invite you to devote your time to focusing on God's love for you. Imagine Him sending you a valentine or love letter. What would it look like? What might it say?

Look up Deuteronomy 33:12, Ephesians. 5:1, Colossians 3:12, how might God address you?

Here are some more…write down a letter to you from God using these verses: Isaiah 43:4, Isaiah 62:3, Jeremiah 31:3, and Zepheniah 3:17.

Maybe take the time to create your own little art project. Cut out a large heart from a sheet of red or pink construction paper. Spend the next 10 to 15 minutes writing individual love letters to God on your paper "valentines."

Take time to pray, thanking God for His intimate, personal love. He loves you more than you will ever now. John 3:16

What is your love language?

As we near Valentine's Day, I invite you to reflect on your relationships, especially your relationship with your spouse:

• How do you communicate love to your spouse?
• What is his/her primary love language?
• What is yours?

Dr. Gary Capman speaks about five love/relational languages (they are lised below). You can find out more at www.fivelovelanguages.com. I invite you consider these as you reflect on your relationships this week. I encourage you to explore these love languages with your spouse. Determine together what love language most touches your heart, and commit to express love in this way throughout this year.

One: Receiving Gifts

Definition: Presents and physical tokens of affection move you. It's the fact that someone is thinking about you enough to give you something that moves you. The objects are of secondary importance to the relationship and sentiment with which they were intended.

Are these true of you?

1. I tend to give others things to express my feelings about them.
2. I feel so good when I receive a present from someone… or even just get a freebie.
3. I can feel quite depressed when I don’t get a gift, especially when I expected one.
4. I would rather get a reward than extravagant applause.

Two: Quality Time

Definition: This can be expressed either through those intimate discussions or via doing things together.

Are these true of you?

1. I get lonely and begin to feel uncared about if I can’t hang out with someone I love.
2. I feel complete when I spend time with people I love.
3. I show people I care by being with them.
4. I expect others who care about me to spend their time with me.

Three: Acts of Service

Definition: You prefer to show your love through favors and chores and doing things for others. You feel put-upon and unappreciated when your efforts are taken for granted.

Are these true of you?

1. I often feel special, significant, and useful when I help others.
2. I often feel upset when others don’t help me out, much less offer to do anything.
3. I show affection by doing things for other people.
4. I don’t usually ask for help, but when someone does something for me, I feel really cherished.

Four: Physical Touch

Definition: You want to give and/or receive affection physically. This may or may not center on sex.

Are these true of you?

1. I give and expect in return hugs, pats, kisses, and other physical signs of affection.
2. I feel especially warm and appreciated when another touches me in a meaningful way.
3. I can feel awful about myself when people I love don’t touch me.
4. I like to show my feelings physically.

Five: Words of Affirmation

Definition: You need to hear praise to know you are loved, and you may also prefer to express your affection verbally. Negative comments cut right to the bone. You want to hear that you're loved and how much and why.

Are these true of you?

1. I find that another’s criticism really, really hurts.
2. I tell those whom I love that I love them. That’s sufficient for me.
3. I feel like I need compliments, so sometimes I “fish” for them.
4. I feel like “a million bucks” when I get sincere praise.

As you draw closer to each other, may your love grow and may you realize it is but a sliver of God's love towards you.