Greetings from Pastor Dale,
I have been around the church in one form or another most of my life. It was late in my 19th year that I found Christ which radically changed my life. I have never been the same since.
During one Sunday's worship, I came across a song that shook my concept of God's love for me. Let me explain, I grew up with square dance music in my dad's house. He had a band, and he taught me how to play the guitar. He taught me to listen to Merle Haggard and southern gospel quartets but to have hymns and organ music in church. It took some time for me to accept praise bands at church and that most of the staff wore flip-flops with jeans even when preaching. I suppose the greatest surprise to me is how God ministered to me through music I thought I didn't like.
Once when the praise band played a song called "How He loves us", I heard God's love expressed in ways I never heard before. Listen to some of these lyrics...
He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me
And oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us all
And we are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
And heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about, the way... He loves us...
He loves us...
He loves us...
John 3:16 says...For God so loved he world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Enjoy Your Valentine...Pastor Dale