When I started sending my own children to school on Valentines Day, I senced the same feeling of pride in their little bags or boxes. I knew they would get their treasures and candy, and feel some of the same things I did many years back, and they did. They would come home with such a look of excitement on their little cherub faces... proudly cluthing tightly the decorated containers they had left with that morning. Tears would fill my eyes as I would examine the contents with them. "This one is from Jimmy... I like him!"
Growing older, I realized the meaning of a deeper love... One that is forever and eternal. God's Love! He sent His Son to die, so that you and I might have life and have it more abundantly. Wow!! That is love.
I would like to dedicate this page to my family. I truely and completely love them with all my heart.
I was sitting in my office on a mid-January day a few years back when Pastor Jones, the new youth pastor of our Mendenhall, Mississippi Church, came in to talk to me.
"Pastor Weary," he said, "Valentine's Day is coming up. For some people--the single, the widowed, those without somebody special in their lives--it can be a very depressing day. We have a lot of faithful people in our congregation who get left out, year after year. They could use some cheering up. I'd like to have the youth host an Agape Banquet this Valentine's Day, so we can share our love and appreciation for everyone, single or married, who helps in our church and ministry."
Valentine's Day has become such an important secular celebration that I'd been looking for a way for us to celebrate it as Christians. I was overjoyed to hear Pastor Jones' suggestion, and told him to go ahead.
Our youth group spent the next few weeks in furious activity. Cooks were recruited, music was arranged, invitations were sent out, and our church hall was decorated.
On the night of Valentine's Day, our young peple greeted our guests at the door of the hall and escorted them to their tables. They seated them, making sure that everyone had friendly dinner companions, and lit the candles in the floral centerpieces. Dinner was accompanied by gospel music, and a few love songs added in honor of the day. After dinner, we asked people at each table to share their feelings for each other.
The Agape Banquet has become and annual event at our church. Its a great way to expand our vision of love from the two-person model of romantic love to the-encompassing love Christ shares with us.
Lord, Help me today to understand love from Your prospective.-- Dolphus Weary.
When I answered the door on Valentines Day, there stood my neighbor with her two small daughters. The children had a precarious grip on a paper plate that held two cupcakes, iced in white and decorated with tiny red candy hearts.
"These are for you from us," the older child said. "We helped make them."
"Yes," the youngest piped proudly, "Mom only stirred a little bit." Their eyes were glowing with excitement as I thanked them and, as they left, I heard the older one say, "Giving is the best way of loving, isn't it, Mom?"
Giving is the best way of loving,I thought, looking at the little cakes. If that were the only lesson that young mother taught her daughters, it would be more than enough.
Lord, remind me to show my love to another today by giving something of myself. R.C.I.
For your interest, Here are some things I found that happened on February 14th. There is also a list of Birthdays that are and were on February 14th. Have fun reading and enjoying these!
American outlaw Jesse James and his band committed their first bank robbery on this date in 1866. The James gang strengthened their reputation among Westerners by robbing trains and stagecoaches of their gold.
On this date in 1980 the United States launched its Solar Maximum Mission satellite. The satellite observed the sun during the height of a sunspot cycle.
Richard Allen, a pioneer black abolitionist and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal church, was born a slave on this date in 1760. When black worshipers were denied their regular seats in church, Allen and his followers raised the money to build their own church.
Bolivia, a landlocked nation in South America, enjoyed a coastline on the Pacific Ocean until Chilean armed forces occupied the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta on this date in 1879. After five years of war, Bolivia lost its coastal territory to Chile.
- Leon Battista Alberti, Italian architect, born Feb. 14, 1404.
- Mel Allen, U.S. sportscaster, born Feb. 14, 1913.
- Richard Allen, U.S. founder of African Methodist Church, born Feb. 14, 1760.
- Jack Benny, U.S. comedian, born Feb. 14, 1894.
- Carl Bernstein, U.S. journalist who investigated Watergate, born Feb. 14, 1944.
- Frederick Douglass, U.S. abolitionist, journalist, statesman, born Feb. 14, 1817.
- Hugh Downs, U.S. broadcast journalist, born Feb. 14, 1921.
- Judd Gregg, New Hampshire politician, born Feb. 14, 1947.
- Winfield Scott Hancock, Union general in U.S. Civil War, born Feb. 14, 1824.
- Frank Harris, Irish-American biographer, born Feb. 14, 1856.
- Herbert A. Hauptman, U.S. physicist, Nobel Prizewinner, born Feb. 14, 1917.
- Woody Hayes, U.S. football coach, born Feb. 14, 1913.
- Florence Henderson, U.S. actress, born Feb. 14, 1934.
- Gregory Hines, U.S. dancer, actor, born Feb. 14, 1946.
- Jimmy Hoffa, U.S. labor leader, born Feb. 14, 1913.
- Thomas Malthus, British political economist, born Feb. 14, 1766.
- Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French Revolutionary general, born Feb. 14, 1763.
- Vic Morrow, U.S. actor, born Feb. 14, 1932.
- George Jean Nathan, U.S. drama critic, born Feb. 14, 1882.
- Albert Pike, U.S. Episcopal priest, lawyer, born Feb. 14, 1913.
- Thelma Ritter, U.S. character actress, born Feb. 14, 1905.
- Donna Shalala, U.S. government official, born Feb. 14, 1941.
- Anna Howard Shaw, U.S. suffragist, first woman ordained in Methodist Church, born Feb. 14, 1847.
- Christopher Latham Sholes, U.S. inventor who patented typewriter, born Feb. 14, 1819.
- Joseph Thomson, Scottish geologist, naturalist, born Feb. 14, 1858.
- Paul Tsongas, U.S. politician, born Feb. 14, 1941.
- Charles T.R. Wilson, British physicist, Nobel Prizewinner, born Feb. 14, 1869.
- Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov, Soviet communist official, born Feb. 14, 1896.
- Fritz Zwicky, Swiss physicist, born Feb. 14, 1898.
Annie's Valentines Page A Must See
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