Valentine's Day Every Day

The origins of Valentine’s Day are fabled and famous. A bishop by the name of Valentinus constantly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ in central Italy in the third century AD. As the story goes, once he was imprisoned for his faith, and judge (Asterius), responsible for Valentinus’ imprisonment, tested his message and faith by challenging him to heal his blind daughter. He obliged and his daughter was healed and her sight restored. In response, the judge destroyed all his household idols, released all the Christian inmates and was baptized.

Valentinus was later arrested for preaching the gospel and was sent to Rome, where he was questioned by the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus himself. Claudius condemned him to death and he was executed on February 14th, 269 AD. Shortly before his beheading Valentinus reportedly wrote a letter to judge Asterius’ daughter and signed it, “Your Valentine.” Also, legend has it that Valentinus would secretly officiate weddings for Christian soldiers so that the new husbands would not have to go to war. He is said to have reminded them of their Christian duty to God and their spouses by sending them red hearts made of parchment. Some of Valentine’s Day traditions stem from these three things.

While parts of this story might be more myth than true legend, Valentinus was a real person who lived his life practicing mercy and love for God’s people everywhere he went. Even his name, Valentinus, means “containing valor” and “courageous, worthy, strong.” So here we see the selfless, sacrificial love of one brave person literally influenced and transformed the world. What could be possible if every Christ-follower selflessly loved others the way Valentinus did?

And aside from the life of Valentine, what if Christ-followers practiced caring for others selflessly and sacrificially the way scripture directs us? Paul writes in Philippians 2: 2-4 “…then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Whether single, divorced, engaged or married, we can and should practice loving others like Paul describes. We should value others above ourselves and look at the interest of others as more important than our own.

Don’t wait until you have a date, or Valentine’s day, or get married to start practicing Christlike, selfless love. Start now! Find a friend of the same gender or opposite gender and practice loving them the way Christ loves us. And let your motivation be only their best interest, not self serving. And if you’re married, don’t see Valentine’s day as simply a chance to score points with your spouse for sexual reasons, but see it as a reminder of how we should live year round, loving your spouse and children the way Christ loves you.

Try This: Look for one way to help a friend that requires your time, effort and energy. It could be helping them fix their car, clean their house, give them a ride somewhere, or provide a meal for them.

The Amazing True Christmas Story

About two years ago, during the pandemic, our church gave out food and toys to hundreds of families in need through our drive through Christmas event. We also wanted to give them hope through the gospel, so I wrote the Christmas story in English and Spanish, had it printed on paper, and we gave it to over a 1,000 children. These events inspired the book, The Amazing True Christmas Story. Our daughter, Abigail, beautifully illustrated the story and brought the words to life with pictures. We pray it will touch the hearts of children and adults alike as they read the story of Jesus' birth, and inspire them to say YES to God.

Christmas is a time to give and receive gifts, but the greatest gift we have ever been given is Jesus who gave this life so we could truly live. Just published by Xulon Press, The Amazing True Christmas Story, is available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Xulon Press. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Why Some Marriages Thrive and Others Struggle

I have been meditating on a few verses in the Bible about resilience and thriving in hard circumstances. It made me think of why some marriages thrive and others continue to struggle. Let's face it, life can be hard on any marriage. There are bills to pay, kids to raise, pressures to navigate with jobs and relatives that drain any reserve of love and joy a couple has. The marriages that thrive have found the "secret sauce" of learning to go deeper than the pressures that surround them. Stress and pressure will come and go, but what is going on under the surface of that marriage is what will keep it strong. Jeremiah 17:7-8 gives the imagery of a tree planted along the riverbank. The roots reach deep into the water. Even when there are long months of drought, even when the tree is exposed to "extreme heat" it is not worried or bothered and continues to stay green.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

In his book Resilient, John Eldredge, he writes, "You need to make plans to replenish your reserves. The math is simple. Reserves are replenished when there’s more coming in than there is going out."

The couples that have a marriage they love, have a marriage that thrives, have learned to replenish their reserves. They take time to rest, to connect with God, to have fun, laugh together even when all around them is chaotic. Their roots individually and as a couple reach deep into the water, so deep that the draining circumstances pressing against their marriage do not touch the deep connection they have with God and each other. The couples who thrive protect their marriage by going deep. The result is their "leaves stay green" - their love stays tender, their relationship meaningful, their friendship fun.

Dave and I have been married for 38 years. We have been practicing this habit of making sure our "roots go deep" because we love each other and want our marriage to thrive and not wilt under the weight of all the pressures. We daily connect with each other, weekly take a fun date, get away several times a year to rest, and go deep in God daily, WHO is the greatest source of resilience for any marriage.

God is the fuel the human soul runs on. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. C. S. Lewis