Love Is A Verb

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Recently at my home church we started a six week study called "40 Days of Love" which was written by Rick Warren (Sr Pastor of Saddleback Church). This is the same type of study that some of you may have done like 40 Days of Purpose or 40 Days of Community. All of these are great six week studies designed to grow, stretch and strengthen your faith. It is said that it takes six weeks to develop or break a habit so these fit right in there in creating a new way of thinking. Over the next few posts I want to take some of what I have gleaned from this study and share my perspective.

Though not from the study, but rather from my heart, today's post is entitled Love is a Verb. This is something that I have discussed many times with sponsors and others when presenting Compassion's programs. You see we can say we love someone or something but that is really just words. Love requires action, love requires doing. I can tell my wife over and over that I love her but unless I back those words with actions then it just means nothing to her. Those actions too must reflect my words. They are tied together. I cannot say I love her and then treat her harshly for that negates the statement.

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When Did Everything Change?

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Allow me an off week here. I love the fall season, it is my favorite. It is a time of change. For a long time it represented a new beginning for me. Growing up there was always a new school year to look forward to. After I had a daughter it was her new school year each fall. School Orientations, PTA meetings....always something new. There was something about the leaves changing, the crisp cool weather, the smell of wood burning. All of these things reminded me of new beginnings. A little backward I guess...most people look at Spring as a time of renewal. This year is the biggest change of all. My daughter has left for college and is now living away from home.

For the past eighteen years we shared every weekend together. I mean we did all kinds of stuff. Weekends were our special time. Her mom and I separated in 1998 and I had custody for the weekends. That time was special. Even in high school when we adjusted the schedule so she could have social activities we still had great weekends. Even after I remarried and got a wonderful step-daughter we still had those special weekends. There were many times that we were doing our own separate things but it was still special just being together. Now all of a sudden she is gone.

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WWW ~ (World Wide Worship)

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

" As it is, there are many parts, but one body."  1 Corinthians 12:20

Having been out on the country several times on mission trips or sponsor tours I have come to appreciate the fact that no matter where you go when you are with believers there is an incredible sense of fellowship and Spirit. My first journey was to Mexico in 1998 travelling with a church youth group. My fondest memory is being in San Diego right on the coast and overlooking the Pacific. There we worshipped and sang. It was an incredible experience just looking out at the vast ocean and feeling the prescience of God. I can remember singing "In the Secret" and just feeling moved by the words of that song.

In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You, 'cause I want to know You more;

Seven years later I would travel to the Dominican with another church group to work on a church in Monte Cristi. At night we slept on the roof of our home. Laying there just looking up at the stars I listened

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Down The Slide!

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Last week the nation was transfixed by the JetBlue steward who had enough of his job and made a dramatic exit from the plane and his career. In his side of the story he got fed up with a passenger and once the plane landed he opened the emergency exit, deployed the slide and slid down into infamy. Regardless of whether his side of the story is true or not people rallied around him and cheered his actions. He became a cult hero for his actions. To many he represented the person we would like to be. The person who finally has had enough and then in a dramatic fashion tells the world and makes a difference.

I know that their are many times in my life that I would just love to do the same. Working in a customer service environment I can understand the frustration that he encountered. I can easily say that the majority of calls that I handle are by customers who are angry and want to lash out. It certainly does not matter to them if I am at fault...I represent the company therefore it is me that bears the brunt of their anger. I must admit it can be tiring at times. However I would never dream of just telling a customer off and walking out. That is too far off the spectrum for me.

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An Attitude of Gratitude

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

I must admit that sometimes I have a problem with gratitude. Often I am so consumed by the hustle and bustle of everyday life and so wrapped up in my trivial problems that I really fail to thank God for those things that I should be truly thankful for. I thought about this over the weekend and decided to make this the topic of my article. I think God was putting this on my heart with two incidents that occurred during this time period.  I had a Compassion Team meeting at my house on Saturday and several members of my team had just returned from Tanzania and had stories to share. I also started thinking about my negativity and how often my prayers are about those trivial things. I pray that the pain in my knee might be better, I pray that I might have a good sales day at work, I even pray that God will make the humidity go away. I mean really....here is God looking down on all of us and sees all the suffering that is going on through out the world and I am literally taking his time with these types of prayers. Get real! I must admit that I am really not as shallow as I am making my self sound. My prayers are often more substantial and do offer praises but how many times do we just throw those types of prayers up to Him and ask for something that really is not that important. Our attitude is too often one of wishing rather than thanking.

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