What the World. . . Needs now. . .

. . . Is Love. . .Sweet Love. . .

Mel Wild wrote an exceptional, relevant—in light of our current climate of lawlessness—and just plain brilliant article using a similar refrain.

See his post at: In My Father’s House.

Here’s something I posted in 2013, which I thought about after reading Pastor Wild’s post. I share it again here:

“What the World Needs Now Is Love” is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a release on sister label Liberty records the previous month was canceled. The song reached number 7 on the US charts in May of that year. (source: Wikipedea)

Twenty-eight years ago today, Jackie DeShannon released the song that cried out a prayer for love.

Lord, we don’t need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last ’til the end of time

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, oh, but just for every, every, everyone

While true for today as for the sixties, the call for love didn’t begin with Jakie DeShannon’s song. G-d commanded love, way back when:

“. . .you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Lev 19:18)

The Apostle Paul wrote quite a bit about love. Here are some sample quotes:

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10)
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
(Romans 13:8)
“For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Romans 13:9)
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

Isn’t it love that will counter lawlessness? Isn’t love that will bring peace and happiness? Perhaps. But before we can have love, before we can have peace, before we can have happiness, we must:

“. . .seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(Matthew 6:33)

Perhaps that’s the problem. We want love, we want peace, we want happiness, but we don’t seek the Lord while He can be found.

Something to think about.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

I Love to Tell the Story

As Alan Jackson sings, “I love to tell the story. . . to tell the old old story of Jesus and His love,” I am reminded of Alan Redpath. He came to the podium to address a large group of seminary students. He was older at the time, and stood tottering, grasping the podium to steady himself. He looked out at the audience and began to sing, “Jesus love me. This I know. The Bible tells me so.” His voice cracked. He continued to sing, Continue reading “I Love to Tell the Story” →

It’s about being a Boy Scout

Bobby told me once that neither he nor his kids wanted to go on holiday with his wife, the mother of his kids.

“She can be a wonderful person outside the home,” Bobby said. “But at home and especially on holiday, things get really crazy. She’s just not kind. And nobody wants to spent a week in the close confines that are the norm on holiday with someone that isn’t kind.”

Sam wrote about kindness recently. It reminded me of the Boy Scout Law: A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

Apostle Paul spoke of Love and gave a practical example of what it means to love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.

Seek G-d. Find Truth. Find Love. Then have the courage to walk away from unkindness. Flee it.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon y’all.

You are Welcome. Enjoy your Stay. Leave Money. Then Leave.

After graduating college with a degree in Journalism, we all went our ways out into the world. A friend went to a small newspaper in a very small town in Oregon. She knew she’d be better welcomed if she bought a car there, rather than flaunting California license plates, or tags as we say in Georgia. I heard from her some months later. Indeed, she was well welcomed in that town. People would stop and talk to her on the street, in stores, any where she went. Once. After the first encounter, the person would snub her upon second meeting. She said the first “welcoming” was more of an interview. And she didn’t pass the test. Eventually she moved home to her own small California town.

Molly Simpson, in her post Emotional Abuse and the Church, speaks about the way some folks feel abused in their own churches. She offers great insight to folks in dealing with such abuse, while sparing criticism of the churches themselves.

There’s a story that is said to have taken place back during the “Jesus” movement of the early 1970s. There were a lot of young folks coming to home churches where they didn’t sit in pews and wear Sunday-go-to-meeting cloths. One day a fellow accustom to such home church groups saw people heading into Sunday service at a large, traditional church. He thought about going, made up his mind to do so, and headed up the steps. The congregation was seated, and it was a full house. With no seats left, he sauntered up the aisle in his flip-flop sandals clapping. When he got to the front, he simply sat cross-legged on the floor. So. You can imagine the reaction of the congregation. They were simple aghast. Soon an usher, dressed in a three-piece suit and well-polished shoes, came up the aisle toward the disheveled young man. The faces of the congregation said it all. “That’s right. Toss that fellow oughta here!” To the amazement of the congregation, the usher came up to the young man, sat down next to him, and crossed his legs, too.

Molly points out, “referring to Galatians 5:14, “The whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Every time someone approaches us, we have the opportunity to love them as Christ did.” That’s what the usher did. That’s not what the people of that small town did when they “welcomed” my friend and reporter. That was a false love. For love, as Molly also points out, calls for us to carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters.