It is February, a month that we traditionally celebrate LOVE, and this year there has been much discussion about what is love, and there is much stirring in my heart. Because this is simply an update, and I'm still chewing on some things, I won't go into too much here (maybe I'll actually get to blogging about them!). Before I get my Greek Geek on, let me update you on what is going on here in Maine.
Today marks our 14th month in Maine, and we are in the midst of our second "record-breaking" winter. You may have seen glimpses of snowmaggedon on the news, and while we have not been hit as hard as some areas, we do have over 4 feet of snow on the ground, with fresh snow falling every 2-3 days. In fact, there is another storm coming in tonight with calls for 8-10 more inches! We have been very fortunate, as our lease includes snow-removal, so we're not having to shovel our 100ft+ driveway (can I get a HALLELUJAH?). We have not lost power, nor have we been home bound during any of the storms. The road crews up here are amazing, keeping the roads really very clear!
As I'm sure you can imagine, the snow has not made Paul's Home Inspection job any easier. He continues to perform inspections, digging through feet of snow and frozen ground to inspect septic systems and inspect the exterior of homes. This has been complicated by sub-freezing temperatures. Yet in all this, he continues to love his job, and has maintained a great attitude (unlike his wife who whines about the cold walk to the car!). He has also started seeing some positive movement in marketing, as he has been visiting with realtors during open houses, so that has been very encouraging!
Last week marked a HUGE milestone for me as I printed out the very, very, very rough first draft of my book! It's suddenly becoming more real, as I have a stack of over 200 pages that are being marked up, rearranged, added to and subtracted from. There is a wide range of emotions I am navigating as I pour out my heart and passion, longing for people to join me in getting to know and experience God in His fullness. I feel the weight of His longing and the heartbeat of His love and desire to know and be known. What a beautiful process this has been, and I am so grateful for how hard Paul has been working to allow me this time to study and write.
We've been part of a small group of young marrieds (and soon to be marrieds), and this month we have started a Bible study on the book of Ephesians. I had the opportunity to share with the group some basic Bible study tips and tools for deeper study, which was a lot of fun. As we've started diving deeper into the book, we have been discovering why Pastor Terry from Sojourn Church loves this book so much! We have been completely unraveled by God's amazing love, that He would call us His kids and give us all the rights and privileges that accompanies the position. Simply mind-boggling!
As part of the lesson on Bible study tips and tools, the group looked at John 3:16, a verse that is well-known, foundational, and honestly quite overlooked by those who have been in the church for a long time (who, like me, have grown bored of hearing it over and over). We took the time to dig into the Greek, and while I could write an entire blog on what I discovered, I will only talk about the phrase "so loved". The Greek word used for loved in this passage is agapaō, and it's the verb form of agape (one of three Greek words for love). According to the Strong's Concordance, it means "to welcome, to entertain,, to be fond of, love dearly", which is pretty much what we might think it means. However further study reveals that it also means "to be unwilling to abandon or do without a thing". When you add the word "so" which means "so greatly, that it was never seen in such an extraordinary way before", you have that God was so unwilling to abandon us, so unwilling to live without us that He sent Christ (Himself)! Let that just sink in for a minute - the God of the universe is unwilling to abandon you! This love He pours over us is the same love that flows out of us to others. This is the goodness of God, and this is our reality in the land of the loving!
On that note, rather than asking you for prayer this month, Paul and I have joined our hearts and we are praying over you this prayer from Ephesians 3:16-20:
And I pray that He would pour out over you
the unlimited riches of His glory and favor
until supernatural strength floods your innermost being
with His divine might and explosive power.
Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ
will be released deep inside you,
and the resting place of His love
will become the very source and root of your life,
providing you with a secure foundation that grows and grows.
Then, as your spiritual strength increases,
you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences-
the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions.
How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love!
How enduring and inclusive it is!
Endless love beyond measurement,
beyond academic knowledge -
the extravagant love pours into you until you are filled
to overflowing with the fullness of God!
Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish this.
He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request,
your most unbelievable dream,
and exceed your wildest imagination!
He will outdo them all,
for His miraculous power constantly energizes you!
(The Passion Translation)
The weather! I don't know how you do it!!!!! And, I want to hear more about this book!!!!!!!!!!!!
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