What Glenn Writes

Yesterday, we explored the end result of unconditional love in relationships: Unity. This sort of unity is a Scriptural definition where there is no separation, no distance, no division or disconnection. We’re talking about a unity of oneness in a relationship, an everlasting bond or eternal connection.

Jesus prays for us to know this sort of unity. This is an awesome prayer where He calls us into a deeper connection with God. Check out the end of His prayer in John 17:24-26:

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

The glory Jesus refers to here has to do with a very intense sort of love, a love that permits no distance or separation. This unconditional love desires a complete oneness, an eternal union. This unconditional love is so central and critical to Jesus, it was His desire in this prayer for us to know this unity in our relationship with God. › Continue reading

In my youth, starting a push lawn mower was simply a matter of wrapping a rope around an open pulley and pulling with every ounce of strength possible. This task would usually take about three hundred attempts, but eventually the lawn mower would sputter to life. For some reason this is a far too dangerous today and no open pulley is allowed. Actually, I found out last night no open spinning parts are allowed (except for those really sharp things under the mower).

So, to remove the extreme temptation to grab that pulley with our bare hands, everything is under an enclosure so we are protected from the spinning parts and we don’t get caught up in the engine. We have to use a recoil assembly to automatically wind our pull cords, which is a nice convenience until the cord breaks.

In my youth, that just meant cutting another length of rope to wrap around the pulley; not so easy with automatic recoilers. On Saturday, as I unscrewed the enclosure and pulled the assembly off the mower, I cringed when the recoiler spring flung itself out into the driveway, joyfully bouncing around with newfound freedom. My 15-minute repair turned into three hours. › Continue reading

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This week has been a week focused on the subject of Unconditional Love from a Scriptural perspective. We opened with Unconditional Love, looked at our Father God’s love, and also the love of Jesus Christ for His Father and each of us. 

These articles are really only scratching the surface on the subject of God’s unconditional love and the way He loves. Without giving this sort of love some thought and consideration, we would find it impossible to gain even a sliver of understanding, as Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, it surpasses knowledge. › Continue reading

We started reviewing Unconditional Love this week and touched on our Father God’s love yesterday. This picture of Unconditional Love is not complete without looking at Jesus Christ.

When explaining to His disciples why He would be leaving for a short while, referring to His death, He said in John 14:31:

…the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

When we go back to our Scriptural definition of Unconditional Love…

1. It is on purpose, not accidental.
2. It is obedience.
3. It takes complete trust in God.
4. It takes complete and total sacrifice of self in the relationship. 

… we find this verse fully exhibits Jesus’ love for His Father. Jesus knew the plan His Father gave Him and His purpose in the plan (#1). He explains He is following the plan in obedience to His Father (#2). He had complete trust in God’s plan (#3). And, He knew the utter and complete sacrifice this plan would require (#4).

The fullness of this picture of Unconditional Love is still not complete without the focus of this plan: You and I. › Continue reading

We started looking at Unconditional Love yesterday. This can be a challenging topic to get our thoughts around and gain even a remote understanding of this kind of love expressed in Scriptural terms.

One obstacle in understanding God’s unconditional love is knowing the death of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, was part of God’s plan and He has unconditional love for His Son. Hmmm… how can someone plan the death of their Son as an expression of unconditional love or any form of love? In our limited view and understanding of life, this aspect of the Cross can become more than just an obstacle, but a flat out dead-end.

Our understanding comes in the three days. › Continue reading

When Steve Tisch accepted an Oscar for the movie, “Forest Gump”, he was quoted as saying:
 
“… Forrest Gump isn’t about politics or conservative values. It’s about humanity. It’s about respect. It’s about tolerance and unconditional love.”

What catches my attention is his reference to unconditional love. Unconditional love? Hmmm…

I know the title character does indeed express his continuous love for Jenny, no matter how she treats him or what she does to him; yet continuous love and unconditional love are not the same, at least not by Scriptural definition. › Continue reading

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not.”

-Andre Gide (French writer, 1947 nobel prize for literature, 1869-1951)

I heard this in a movie last night and it stuck with me as it rings so true for believers. There is a trend in Christian circles to pretend to be Christian or pretend not to be Christian, depending on which group of friends we happen to be around. If we are around church folk, we better darn well be towing the line, walking the walk, and talking the talk. If we are around non-church folk, then we meet a fork in the road as to which extreme to take… do we get preachy and self-righteous or let our hair down and show them we can be “cool” just like them.

Why not just “be”? Why not just be who we are around church and everywhere else? Why pretend?

We are heathens. We are sinners. We might like to think we are good, good natured, good willed, and numerous other things, but when we strip off all the masks and get down to the core… we are just plain people. We are not perfect and we have not “arrived”. The best preacher standing in front of the best church is no better than the worst criminal serving time in prison. This life we are living is not about who we are… it is about Who we know. › Continue reading

I can only remember a few years in my childhood when my parents did not have some kind of a pool in the backyard. We went through a few round pools of different sizes before ended up with a Kayak pool in 1979, which is still in use in my sister’s backyard. I grew up helping my Dad maintain the pools, keep the water clear, back-flush the filter, etc., yet never have I had as difficult of a summer as this past one.

In getting the water analyzed at the pool store, it would seem many people in our area have had the same difficulty. We are not sure what variables have changed in all our pools or what caused the problem, but many of us have become backyard chemist out of sheer frustration in order to clarify our water and enjoy our pools. It is not just chlorine, bromine, or saltinators, but we also need to understand Ph balance, alkalinity, stabilizers, oxidizers, undissolved solids, evaporation, lunar cycles, Earth rotation, crop rotation, and proper steps for a Swahili rain dance.

I have learned each chemical I add to the water changes the state of the pool. That is, altering one variable in the pool changes the entire state of the pool and in a sense, the pool becomes completely different – everything has the potential to change, nothing stays the same. › Continue reading

When we purchased our first house, we had an old cast iron bathtub that was just plain ugly with years of age, misuse, and neglect. Even as a man, I had doubts if I ever wanted to just stand in the thing to take a shower… yes, it was that bad. The finish was so dimpled it felt like we were standing on gravel in the tub. There were calcium stains under the faucet looking too much like Elvis… and when water ran across it, his expression changed! It was just plain creepy.

As part of our renovation of the house, I ended up tearing out a wall, tipping this tub on the side, and sliding it out the front door. Good riddance! The replacement tub was a completely different experience. The surface was smooth and looked fresh. It was easy to clean. Elvis didn’t make funny faces when we showered. There was a stark difference between the old and the new. › Continue reading