All My Love, Gennavieve

I recently watched one of those trending Facebook sermon videos about marriage. I was skeptical upon clicking the video and so I half listened. Then I tuned in when the speaker said, "Love comes after marriage... love is solidified in marriage as spouses relentlessly pursue one another." Love develops after marriage. I have heard this before. In fact, I have heard this for a long time. As a young woman who grew up in the church, I have listened to the messages on marriage, the preaching on patience, and the sermons on sacrifice. Growing up, I was excited about these things. I was thrilled at the opportunity to pursue one man, continually learning more about him and learning to love him more. To dive deeper into his world and, therefore, to love him more deeply. I was even excited about undoubtedly failing in marriage. Failing again and again because I knew it would bring me to the foot of the cross and deeper into understanding God's unconditional and relent

I love Psalms 119. The power of its simple truth continues to draw me in. This chapter is the longest in the book of Psalms. It assumes an acrostic pattern, divided into 22 parts according to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is a "Hallel" or prayer of praise psalm setting forth the excellency of God's word, which is the theme of the chapter. Recently, while reading through it, verse 75 stood out to me, "I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness, you have afflicted me." What? I stopped, Did I read that correctly? "In faithfulness, you have afflicted me." Affliction, faithful? Affliction, as in pain, suffering, grief, and sorrow? These are faithful things from God? I dug deeper. I began by going back to verse 73, which begins a new section of the alphabet. This verse forms a foundation for verse 75 as it emphasizes God's sovereignty. It describes Him as a supreme Father who created us. Stating God as

Today is National Winnie the Pooh Day, observed on the birthday of the English author A. A. Milne. Milne created the character of Winnie the Pooh and penned the magical world of the 100 Acre Woods over 65 years ago. His characters brought truthful lessons and a simple sweetness to the everydayness of life. Several years later, Milne's work is still appreciated and cherished in many hearts and homes. The Christmas of 2016, I found myself reading Pooh's chapter book through adult eyes. I was deeply moved by the innocence captured in the purity of each page. It is so much more than a story of a teddy bear and beyond the wonder of imagination. It is genuinely a tale of true friendship, of acceptance, of resilience, and of love. If you have not had the pleasure of reading Milne's work, you can find his stories online here . Until then, here are a few of my favorite quotes, which I hold very near and dear to my heart, "I knew when I met you an adventure was goin

Ephesians is chock-full of good stuff. I mean, this is Paul, in his prime, while also under imprisonment-a rich soil for the seeds of encouraging letters-but that is another post, I'm getting distracted. Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus about the body of Christ as the church and the love which pours from that. He includes several encouraging prayers of peace and hope, each time praying for a deeper, richer knowledge of Christ for His brothers and sisters. Throughout his text, Paul provides statements of truth and he furthers this truth by emphasizing all things are from God. For example, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ , in accordance with His pleasure and will-to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemptions through His blood , the forgiveness of sins, in acc