Been thinking a lot about love

This past Sunday the sermon topic was on love.

C.S. Lewis defined 4 types of love:

Affection (storge, στοργή) is fondness through familiarity, especially between family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance.

Friendship (philia, φιλία) is a strong bond existing between people who share a common interest or activity.

Eros (ἔρως) is love in the sense of 'being in love'.

Caritas (agapē, ἀγάπη) is an unconditional love directed towards one's neighbor which is not dependent on any lovable qualities that the object of love possesses. Agape is the love that brings forth caring regardless of circumstance. Lewis recognizes this as the greatest of loves.

In preparing for the worship this coming Sunday, we discussed that the topic of mate selection would be a primary focus of the teaching, and would flow well out of last week's message. It made me reflect on what the "love litmus test" would look like in choosing a mate well. Should the person you select as a mate embody all 4 of the loves described by Lewis?

And if Agape is described as the greatest of loves, certainly that would need to be the primary love involved in choosing a mate.

"The love that brings forth caring regardless of circumstance."

I suspect if you ask those who have chosen well, they would say that it is.

Another round... this time with Mighty Mouse

Okay, so I have been diligent in my pursuit of a vermin-free zone, I have done most everything I know to do to guard against them including laying traps out consistently in places that I think they might rear their little heads. I have tried to make sure the house is clean, in fact so clean that I think I may have stirred some up…and I am finding it more and more coincidental how God is using this to further his analogy with me about sin and temptation.

I had recently caught another one and was feeling really proud of myself...and you know what the bible says “Pride comes before the fall.”

Last night I was just minding my own business, really tired and hungry, and trying to fend off a bout of grieving when I went to settle down for the evening. I had just finished a little snack and when I went to throw away the container, out of nowhere Mighty Mouse leaps out of the trash can at me!!!

He did not land on me, thank goodness, but I screamed in terror and he took off. I am still shook up over it this morning, knowing he is still lurking around somewhere, and was so much less discreet than his other furry buddies.

It does seem that sometimes when we are trying our hardest to lead a “clean” and righteous life, or think that we’ve got this “righteous living thing” down-in a moment of exhaustion, when our guard may be down, Satan will unexpectedly pounce. I don’t believe in living in fear, however, I have laid down several more traps, quit patting myself on the back for the ones I have caught, and I’m trying to get some rest, so that I will not be caught off guard again.

1 Peter 5:8
Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.

My Christmas Decorations are still up...

So I'm trying to figure out where the Christmas poem inspiration came from - and I suddenly look around and realize that I have broken the record for not taking my Christmas decorations down this year. I can't believe we're almost 1/2 way to Easter.

Yes, it's true. My tree, cards, stockings, nativity are still out.
What is up with that?

There's just something really sad about putting the decorations back in the box. It's like Jesus is born and in just a couple months time he's grown up, has had his ministry and is then approaching the cross. It's a whirlwind.

Life is kinda like that for real it seems.

I'm glad Jesus doesn't mind me lingering at the manger and enjoying the miracle of his birth, but at some point you have to move toward the cross and face the sacrifice of his death.

Thank goodness for the rest of the year to celebrate the resurrection!!

"'Twas the night before"...random analogies

God's creation is awesome...even mice, but I just really have a problem with anything that "scurries".

So for a long while now, I have seen "evidence"of a mouse (particularly active around and in our dog's food dish). So we laid a couple of traps, and low and behold..."voila!"- caught the culprit this weekend... or so we thought.

So here I am, yesterday morning, approaching Jesse's food dish, all excited to be "scurry-creature-free", when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature dumping ground, and eight tiny pellets there ,With a little old field mouse, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment the trap didn't do the trick.

So why do I share this incredibly "non-guidepost"esque analogy?
I'm glad you asked.

Sin can be like a mouse.

When you begin to see the evidence of it-
you need to get rid of it quick,
before it take up residence,
multiplies and stinks up the place.

DISCLAIMER
The views expressed on MelodyIrby's blog are not necessarily those of Journey Church, Roanoke VA, which meets at the Valley View Grande theater.

Journey church and the mice that meet therin assume no responsibility for claims arising from opinion of its pastor of worship based on blog content.

Any information comparing mice to sin in the Irby household is not meant to any way discriminate against the mice that peacefully assemble to worship at the Valley Veiw Grande theater.

praise in a cat's mouth

Cats really just don't care what you want- they are really just concerned with themselves. Computers don't care what you want either.

So when you combine the two- and try to put "praise" in the mouth of a computer generated cat- you know there is trouble to be had...

Hope I'm never like a computer generated cat when it comes to putting praise in my mouth.

Wow-this is why I have not had a blog up to this point...
These posts are going to come back to haunt me I just know it.

Okay- first blog post-too much pressure:)