Norman  Dr. Halbeck, a missionary of the Church of England in South Africa, from the top of a neighboring hill saw lepers at work. He noticed two, particularly, sowing peas in the field. One had no hands; the other had no feet, these members being wasted away by disease. The one who wanted the hands was carrying upon his back the other, who wanted the feet. He, in turn, carried the bag of seed and dropped a pea every now and then, which the other pressed into the ground with his feet. And so they managed the work of one man between the two.

Such should be the true union of the members of Christ's body, in which all the members should have the same care one for another.

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."  

Valentine's Day

There are several stories about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One legend dates back about 1700 years. The Emperor Clausius II outlawed marriages. He felt that it decreased his male soldier’s zest for battle. Even though marriages had been outlawed, one priest (also a doctor), named Valentine, continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers. On February 14, 269 AD Valentine was beaten and beheaded on the Flaminian Way in Rome for his commitment to love. A year later, the Bishop of Terni was also martyred at the same place.

Valentine's day falls close to the ancient ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia (February 15). This pagan holiday was celebrated with revelry and the sacrificing of goats and dogs. There is also an old legend that says birds choose their mates on this day. Sometime, during the first Century or so, the Church determined that two Christian martyrs should be celebrated on this day instead.

Today, it is the day that lovers of all ages give tokens of affection to each other. Words of love are traded between lovers accompanied with kisses. Greeting cards, flowers, candy, romantic candlelit dinners are shared by may couples. Valentine’s Day is the third busiest holiday of the year. Only Christmas Day and Mother’s Day top it in sales..

LOVE Quotation

God’s tough love did not stop with the birth in Bethlehem. It shown all through the life of Jesus. The Gospels show him as a strong and uninhibited man who enjoyed his friends, most of whom weren’t "the right people"; he enjoyed his great gift of healing; he turned water into wine at a wedding feast; and he enjoyed his faith, even when no one understood him or why he was on this earth or what he was offering us. How terrible it must have been for him that no one understood him—not the disciples, not his friends, not Mary of Magdala, or Mary of Bethany. No one. And he kept on loving, even in his time of total abandonment.

The story of Jesus is indeed a great story, but it goes far, far beyond the realm of provable fact and into the realm of mystery and marvel.

The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth - Madeleine L’Engle