“Love is why God created us in the first place. We didn’t birth ourselves. God did not make us because He needed to or because He was bored or because He was lonely or because He had run out of things to do. The only reason why we are even here is because He loves us, plain and simple.” —-John Ortberg

You all know the Disney story, we learned it as children.

It’s a classic story, Gepetto the kind woodworker carves a little boy out of a lifeless block of wood. He deeply wishes he would become real and come to life. Surprisingly, his wish is actually granted! And, Pinocchio is transformed into a living, breathing, flesh and blood little boy with a independent mind of his very own.

Unfortunately, Pinocchio’s boyish ideas eventually land him into all kinds of trouble. He falls into the wrong crowd. He runs away from home. And, suddenly this sweet, little boy becomes a prodigal son. Of course, this senseless act of rebellion literally breaks his father’s heart. Gepetto weeps at night thinking about his lost boy as he experiences the painful ache of separation between himself and the child he created.

In a like manner, knowing full well that mankind would make a similar decision to choose their own way and rebel against their loving Creator, God decided to create us anyway.  If we were God, there’s little chance we would do what He did. But, He knew our outcome before he knelt down, scooped up the dirt He also created and blew His living Spirit into us, shaping us and making us His final, crowning work of magnificence, even reflecting His very image. Astounding!

Yet, we know what happened. The heartbreak of humanity was the fall of mankind. However, in the midst of this terrible tragedy a miracle happened: though our feelings changed turned against our Creator—His love never wavered for us even at the very height of our treason against Him!

And, the reason why I personally believe the Bible is real and tells the truth is because of what happened next; naked and ashamed beyond words, our first father and mother stood before God guilty and condemned. To their utter and complete shock, their loving Creator gave them a promise that He would send a Redeemer, He would come to them one day, in His Son Jesus Christ, and straighten out the cataclysmic mess they caused because of their sin, not only for themselves, but you and I and all of creation. Nobody writes stories like this in Hollywood.

Why?

Because God loves us.

Guess what? He still does. You. Me. And, the rest of humanity.

Please never let the familiarity or the repetition of hearing that wonderful truth become old hat to you. Because it is only when we deeply know and appreciate His love that we are able to finally love God, our neighbor and ourselves in the most healthy, healing and holistic manner possible. And, His eternal love doesn’t just end when we die, that’s only the beginning of the very fullness of the joy of His love which we can only barely imagine on this side of heaven.

In this cold, insensitive and selfish world,  this is Good News indeed, the love we can experience through Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

If God’s matchless, personal love for you does not move you like it once did, I pray you will go to the cross today, by prayer, and ask Jesus to help you re-experience the gift of His love for you.

God is not mad at you, He’s madly in love with you.

P.S. The revised version story of Pinocchio ends with the Fairy turning the puppet into a real boy and him and Gepetto being reunited and living happily ever after.

“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”
—Billy Graham (1918–2018)

ABC is facing mounting criticism after its panelists on “The View” mocked Vice President Mike Pence’s Christian faith. Detractors of “The View” are focusing on the fact that ABC News, which claims to be an “unbiased broadcast news operation, oversees such a nakedly partisan program.”

The women of “The View” took a shot at Pence’s Christian faith on Tuesday, mocking the former governor of Indiana for talking to Jesus and even calling it a “mental illness.”

Sunny Hostin said it’s “interesting” that former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman recently said that Pence talks to Jesus and believes Jesus tells him things. Joy Behar then said, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you… that’s called mental illness!”

ABC News paints itself as a fair news organization but its longtime slogan, “See the Whole Picture,” often doesn’t apply to “The View,” according to many critics.

“It has become jarring how fixated the show is on politics and how slanted the table is,” Mediaite columnist Joseph Wulfsohn told Fox News.

Wulfsohn said it’s ABC News’ prerogative if network executives decide that having four outspoken liberals and a single “token” conservative is “profitable” but the decision “does a great disservice” by marginalizing the view of roughly half the country.

The Hill media columnist Joe Concha thinks “it would be wise for ABC News to divorce itself” from “The View.”

“It’s a pure opinion and infotainment program and therefore should be under its entertainment division,” Concha told Fox News.

Fox News’ Todd Starnes slammed Behar in a scathing op-ed, saying it’s “understandable that a Christophobe like Behar be dumbfounded by such a concept.”

Starnes added that “if hearing the voice (of) God means (you are) mentally insane” then he is crazy himself.

“If ABC News wants to employ an anti-Christian bigot – that is their business,” he wrote.

Pence himself didn’t appreciate the comments and slammed ABC News Wednesday on C-SPAN.

Friends, I sincerely pray God will open the blinded eyes of The View’s Joy Behar so that she will understand how wonderful it is have God actually begin to make sense of this senseless world for us when we finally decide to put our faith and trust in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because, apparently she doesn’t realize that trying to live life without God is just insane.

Flowers, candy, red hearts and romance. That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about, right? Well, maybe not. Did you know this day actually commemorates the day Valentine was executed by the Roman Empire for merely performing marriages? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Please read on.

The actual origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn’t really romantic at all—at least not in the traditional sense. Father Frank O’Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, tells the real story of the man behind the holiday—St. Valentine.

“Valentine was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an Emperor called Claudias II (2nd Century A.D.) who persecuted the church at that particular time,” Father O’Gara explains. ” He also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died.”

“I think we must bear in mind that it was a very permissive Roman society in which Valentine lived,” says Father O’Gara. “Polygamy would have been much more popular than just one woman and one man living together. And yet some of them seemed to be attracted to Christian faith. But obviously the church thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to the Christian church of what to do about this.”

“The idea of encouraging them to marry within the Christian church was what Valentine was about. And he secretly married them in spite of the edict.”

Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against command of Emperor Claudius II. There are legends surrounding Valentine’s actions while in prison.

“One of the men who was to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result.” Legend has it that countless others were converted to Christianity as a result of Valentine’s imprisonment.

In the year 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a most cruel three-part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius’ daughter. He inspired today’s romantic missives by signing it, “from your Valentine.”

“What Valentine means to me as a priest,” explains Father O’Gara, “is that there comes a time where you have to lay your life upon the line for what you believe. And with the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that —even to the point of death.”

Valentine’s martyrdom has not gone unnoticed by the general public. In fact, Whitefriars Street Church is one of three churches that claim to house the remains of Valentine. Today, many people make the pilgrimage to the church to honor the courage and memory of this inspirational Christian saint.

“Valentine has come to be known as the “patron saint of lovers.” Before you enter into a Christian marriage you need some sense of God in your life—some great need of God in your life. And we know, particularly in the modern world, many people are meeting God through his Son, Jesus Christ.” Since marriage is so much more than a physical union, it’s a spiritual one, only God in Christ can help us love one another successfully, unselfishly, as God loves each of us. We have to have His help daily.

“If Valentine were here today, he would not be shocked at the moral permissiveness we have in our culture now, it was in his ancient Roman culture, as well. But, he would say to married couples that there comes a time where you’re going to have to suffer, your love is going to be tested. Ironically, he would say that real love is much more than chocolates and flowers. Real love doesn’t always receive, it has to give with no thought of receiving. It’s not going to be easy to maintain your commitment and your vows in marriage. Don’t be surprised if the ‘gushing’ love that you have for someone changes to something less “gushing” but maybe much more mature. And the question is, is that young person ready for that?”

“So on the day of the marriage they have to take that into context,” Father O’Gara says. “Love—human love and sexuality is wonderful, and blessed by God—but also the shadow of the cross. That’s what Valentine’s Day means to me.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “listening is the mark of true love.” Nothing is more comforting to know that you are being heard and your feelings and opinions matter to the one who loves you. Being able to listen to others is a secret to lasting and healthy relationships be it friendship or marriage.

Our Heavenly Father is the cosmic Expert at listening to us. You’ll never find Him too busy to not hear us. In fact, He demonstrates His ongoing love for us by speaking through His Word and listening to our voice daily. It’s definitely a two-way street. But beyond the words we utter, our Heavenly Father hears the hurt in our spirit. He keenly senses the frustration and confusion of our soul. He knows exactly what we are thinking long before we even think it. That is an awesome Listener, if you ask me.

You’ll never find a better listener, in this life, than the Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that He is the greatest Being in the entire universe, He will never put you on hold or send your prayer request off in a distant voicemail. In addition, He not only hears us, but He also walks with us. Because of the love relationship He initiated from the cross, God is not content to just hear us, He desires to walk with us through the valleys and the mountaintops of our life. Even when we are not on our best behavior, when thoughts and words come out of us that should never, Jesus won’t refuse to hear us. You’ll never find a greater, more patient listener then Him. He responds to us like a cherished Lover who longs for us to know how very much He cares and loves us beyond our wildest dreams!

Since you are deeply loved by God Himself, please take that as a “motivational incentive” to pour your heart out to Him today and tomorrow and every day of the rest of your life! Your Creator and Redeemer loves to hear from you.