“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NKJ) Knowing the love God has for us is one thing; truly believing goes deeper. I grew up in church singing “Jesus love me,…
Author: Dara
God’s Love Series: Day 5 – See How Much Our Father Loves Us
If we understand how much God loves us, we will never have a bad day. When difficulty comes, we can look to God and His Word, and walk right through it. God isn’t looking for people to harshly rule. He wants children to bless. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,…
God’s Love Series: Day 4 – Real Love
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us…” 1 John 3:16 (NLT) My life has been a roller coaster of questioning God’s love for me. He loves me. He loves me not. This is when I base God’s love for me on how I feel at the time. Feelings…
God’s Love Series: Day 3 – God Always Makes the First Move
“God helps those who help themselves.” I heard this often as a child. Many people quoted it as if it was a Bible verse; and if it wasn’t, they thought it should be. This quote is not a Bible verse; in fact, the scriptures reveal how God always makes the first move. He loved us…
God’s Love Series: Day 2 – As Much As He Loves Jesus
Sometimes I gauge God’s love for me by the circumstances in my life, or by my warm, fuzzy feelings, or lack thereof. Until one day, “God loves you as much as He loves Jesus,” I heard the preacher say. I couldn’t believe my ears. Blasphemy! I thought. Then the preacher read a Bible verse. “I…
God’s Love Series: Day 1 – Mistaken Identity
I grew up in church, thinking God was an angry old man with a long white beard and an even longer stick, waiting for me to make a mistake so He could give me a whack. I am not sure where this thought originated, but it was lodged in the center of my heart. Perfection…
God’s Love Series: Introduction
I was 6 when my family began regularly attending church. For the last half a century I have read my Bible, visited a plethora of churches, and listened to many Bible teachers. I’ve naturally adopted theologies along the way. Today I am 60. When I was in my 40’s, I noticed my conflicting ideas about…
Go Ahead. See Again.
“He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.” He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Those ahead of…
The Bread Man
We called him the bread man. Always smiling, Wayne worked for the Wonder Bread Company and delivered hamburger buns to the restaurant every week. Church was not part of our family-life, so Wayne took our family on as a mission field. Wayne talked about Jesus while my dad blew cigarette smoke in Wayne’s face and…
In the Back Room
Some of my earliest memories are in the back room of my parents’ Reaban’s Drive-In, a burger place. I sat at a butcher block counter in the back corner of the room, playing with dolls, especially my Little Kittles. Occasionally I peeked through the saloon-style doors which separated the back room from the public part…