January has been quite the curious month.

I suppose I should have expected this given the prayer experiment I have committed to for the year. Instead of making a new year's resolution for 2012 I committed to spend time everyday meditating on Romans 12:2 and simply asking the question, "God, what do you want to do through me?"

The answer I most often heard this month was "love my people." I should not have been surprised. After all Jesus did say in John 13:35 "This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.　"

Love is the central characteristic of the authentic Christian life. As we follow Christ the Holy Spirit shapes and transforms us inwardly from being the self-centered, selfish people we so often are into men and women whose lives reflect the life of Jesus. Jesus' life was a life of love for all and so is the life of those who follow him. But how do we love each other?

Love is a word that is often misused and abused in our culture. We "love" the Saints. We "love" gumbo. We "love" our spouses and children and parents. Do we really have the same emotions for football teams, food, and family?

Part of the problem is that in English we only have one word that means "love." In the language of the New Testament there are several words that are translated as "love." The word Jesus uses in John 13 is agape.

Agape means, at its root, selfless, other centered love. Love that is not defined by words but by actions. Christian love is not warm, fuzzy feelings about other people. Authentic Christian love is biased toward action and expressed in deeds of compassion.

That is why January has been so curious. In the past month I have made more phone calls and written more notes to people in response to prompts of the Holy Spirit than I can remember ever doing before. Time and again God has enabled me to offer a word of encouragement and hope to someone who was hurting.

I do not write this to tell you how holy or spiritual I am. Instead I write this to encourage you to open yourself to the Spirit and to pray, "God, what do you want to do through me?" You will be amazed at the way God wants to use you to show his love to his people. I am beginning to more fully understand how beautifully simple the Christian life is. It is simply a life of love under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

I wonder what February will be like?

Grace & Peace,

Rev. Donnie