National Holidays Observed in Church?

I know it's been a few days since Sunday, but Chris Roberts of Hoosier Pastor asked a good question yesterday that I would like to echo today. He asked if our churches did anything special for Memorial Day. I would like to take this question a little further and ask how you and your church handles national holidays such as Memorial Day, Fathers Day, Mothers Day, Fourth of July, etc. If you are a preacher, do you preach a topical sermon on them? Do you think that we should remember the holiday in some way other than preaching on it? Does it have a place in worship at all?

What are your thoughts?

Hat tip

Question of the day ??

Aside from accepting Christ as Savior, what is the greatest thing that a person can do?

Thought of the Day !!

Part 1 of 3 - What to witness to

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and the the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:6-8

Throughout Jesus' ministry there seemed to continually be a gap in communication as to the real reason he was there. The followers understood that he was there to build up the Kingdom of God. But the problem came with their definition of this Kingdom.

In verse 6 the disciples ask the question, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" They were just like any other good Jew who saw himself or herself as one of God's chosen ones, and as William Barclay puts it, ones who were "destined for special privilege and world-wide dominion." They knew that as God's chosen ones they had at times been punished, but the promise of God to them was still there. And so they wondered when the kingdom would be restored to Israel when they would take back power. They saw the Kingdom in political terms.

But how did Jesus see this same Kingdom? Barclay suggests that we look at the Lord's Prayer where we pray every week "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." The Hebraic way of saying things with emphasis was to use parallelism, or to say the same thing twice using different words, the second one amplifying or defining the first.

So we see that when Jesus was talking about witnessing, he was talking about being witnesses to a Kingdom where God's will be done. In other words, a Kingdom founded on LOVE.Not POWER. And this is the same Kingdom that we are to be witnesses to today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

How many people have you shared Christ with lately?

Thought of the Day !!

Today I would like to share with you some wisdom of a friend of mine. Roy Pearson sent this to me and I wanted to share it with you as the "Thought of the Day !!" today. God bless!

In the love of Christ,
greg


Grace and peace,

Yesterday, I heard an interview with the manager of the Barnes and Nobles bookstore in Gulfport. They are having a GRAND REOPENING today. What an exciting event. After months of tearing out and rebuilding, now they are reopening. It has been a complete makeover. They are still the same store and same location, but everything inside is brand new.

Paul describes this same experience in 2 Cor. 5:17 when he describes the moment when we place our faith in what has been done in Jesus Christ. We get a GRAND REOPENING. We stay in the same body and our spirit is in the same place, yet everything is new. We are remade. WE ARE A NEW CREATION!

May the God who created all things continue to create in you life, peace, joy, love, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, and self control. BREATHE in the BREATHE of GOD!

Roy

Question of the day ??

If you had to live with a roomate other than a spouse, who would it be?

Thought of the Day !!

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.
1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)

In the love of Christ,
greg

My Dream Church

The church of my dreams is based upon the two greatest commandments, which are total love of God and love of neighbor. These are the very essence of my dream church. Out of our love of God, we would worship regularly, and this worship would be both spirited and Spirit-filled. Out of our love of neighbor would come real ministry.

The only way for a church to be truly effective is for it to have devoted and excited believers doing real ministry in it. The people must be devoted. In my dream church people come because they feel like they are serving God by worshiping together. They come because they want to be there and not because there is nothing better to do. They also do not come simply out of habit. In this church people long to be together worshiping the Lord.

An effective church must also have excited people in it. If the church folk are all negative or even hum-drum about everything, then why would visitors want to come back? There has to be a sense of excitement, of joy, about the church and about being a part of the church. Otherwise no one else will want to be a part of it.

An effective church must have true believers. They must first of all believe with all their minds and hearts in Jesus as Lord and Savior. But they also must believe in their church. They must believe that it can make a difference, and that they have a purpose for being there. Once this purpose, or vision, is formed, they must proceed to the final step of the equation.

They must do “real” ministry. The church of my dreams won’t be a church in a wealthy neighborhood that has a food pantry or clothes closet as its sole ministry. It also won’t be a church in a neighborhood filled with high school drop-outs that only provides seminary scholarships. The ministry is real when it comes from God and makes a difference in the community. Only after that is done can the ministries abroad become real for the church. In other words, the church has to think about its surrounding community’s needs before it can take on “pet” ministries that make the people feel good.

The church of my dreams would be filled with devoted and excited believers. But it would also encourage people who visit or join to become devoted and excited believers doing real ministry as well. They would be offered something to believe in, and given avenues to minister to the world.

This church would be a church that is intentional about prayer. Through the prayer life and honest dialogue of this church a vision would be established. Every decision made and ministry begun would come out of this vision. And every person would know the vision of the church.

Worship would be open to everyone, no matter the color of their skin, the size of their pocket book, the position of importance in the community, the name of the family born in to, their age or any other barrier that can come between people. This is because the church of my dreams is a church without walls. Walls divide people. And in my dream church there are no divisions. People are different, but seen as equals, just as they are in God’s eyes.

My dream church would be flooded with children and youth. There would be young adults and older ones too. Each group would have a say in matters, but no one group would control the church.

Membership in this church would be given to those who would make a commitment to God and the church. This would be a commitment of learning the vision of the church, growing in Christ, serving the world and being held accountable to each of the above. Each person who would want to join would go through membership classes that would teach the essential beliefs necessary to be a Christian, our doctrinal beliefs and the vision of the church. If after these classes are taken, the individual decides that this is not the church for her or him, then we would lovingly try our best to find a new church home for the person or family. This is because my dream church is not nearly as concerned with numbers on role as the number of people brought closer to the Lord.

A church like this would never sell out to whatever the fad of the month is because it’s not just trying to look good. It would, instead, focus on how Jesus can be made known to people better. The service, or ministry, or missions that we do would be done out of our desire to do the Lord’s will and to bring other people into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. This is of the utmost importance. We would never do anything with motives that would exceed this great desire of our church.

This church would focus outwardly instead of inwardly. Decisions made would be more about what could be done to help others instead of what could be done to help ourselves. In my dream church we would focus less on how much money we have and more on how much we could spend in ministry. I know that in reality there has to be attention given to how much money we have. This is an obvious part of life. But in my dream church, people give to the Lord and the church remembers this fact as this money is used. In other words, it would not become a financial institution or for profit organization.

The church of my dreams is a place where people understand their church in terms of people instead of a building. When they come together, they do so for the purpose of honoring and worshiping God. But when they leave, they go with much more than they arrived with. They go equipped with a little more wisdom, a little more drive, a little more Spirit each time they exit. And this gives them what they need to serve God and neighbor more effectively.

The most important thing about my dream church is the fact that God’s will is seen as more important than ours. And it is His will that we strive to live by. If we could all prayerfully focus on doing the will of our Lord and Savior, then I believe the church of my dreams would not be far off.

Question of the day ??

What would be one of the characteristics of your dream church?

Thought of the Day !!

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
John 15:4 (NRSV)

Jesus says that if we abide in him that he will also abide in us. This statement is about our relationship with him. The Greek word used here for abide is "meno", and meno means to abide or to remain or to dwell. But it can be put another way as well. In a Gospel of John class in seminary I learned that this word's true meaning is something like "to be at home with". And from this we get the translation abide.

Let's look at this statement by Jesus again as we change the word abide. "Be at home in me as I am at home in you." How does that sound to you? I like to think about being able to be at home in Jesus and him in me. It's a comfortable peaceful feeling. For me being at home means being able to kick back and relax. When you're over someone's house and they say make yourself at home, it normally means act like this is your place. Check the fridge. Take your shoes off. I'd like to think that I can have this feeling in Jesus and that he's comfortable enough with me to do the same in me.

Some Christians are actually uncomfortable with Jesus making himself at home in their lives. Even though we want to be closer to Christ and be true Christians, often times people fear that if Jesus truly abides in them that there will be more change than they want to admit to. And I think we're all scared of change to some degree or another. But the fact is, if Jesus abides in us and is at home in us, he takes that fear away little by little until it's totally gone.

When we have this kind of abiding relationship with Christ, we will bear fruit. This happens because we are working not only with Jesus, but he's also working through us since he's at home IN us.

If you haven't asked Jesus to make his home in you where he's comfortable living at all times, think about doing so today. It makes for a much happier and productive Christian.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

You're on death row. You have one final meal. What is it?

Thought of the Day !!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."
John 15:1 (NLT)

I am the true vine. I am the gate. I am the good shepherd. I am the living bread. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, the life. I am...I am. Does this sound familiar at all to anyone?

Go back to a man who sees a strange sight on top of a mountain. It's a bush that's burning. But it's not going out. The man goes to check it out, and the bush begins speaking to him. The man...Moses. The bush...being used by God to speak to Moses. Moses asks who this God is, and the bush replies with, "I am who I am." God goes on to tell Moses to go to Egypt and set His people free. But when asked, "Who shall I say sent me?", the reply is "Tell them 'I AM' sent you".

John uses these "I am" statements throughout his Gospel to remind us just who Jesus is. He's not just a man. He's not a great rabbi or a priest or a prophet. He is the Great I AM. He is God. In this particular illustration that Jesus gives to his disciples, God the Father is the gardener who planted the vine and tends to it. God the Son is the vine itself.

There are many ways to look at Christ in respect to our relationship with Him. You may think about Jesus as Savior more often, thanking Him often for what He's done for you. You may think about Jesus as Lord more often, desiring to do His will. You may think of Him as an older brother to which you look up to and respect. You may think of Him as the High Priest. All of these have biblical merit. And all are good. But never forget what John is trying to remind us. Never forget that "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus). The Word was with God. The Word was God."

Just how do you think about Jesus most often? Should you consider thinking about Him in other ways as well?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Who's more offensive, the South Park kids or Jimmy Swaggart?

Thought of the Day !!

You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness -- righteous, holy, and true.
Ephesians 4:24 (NLT)

When a United Methodist pastor is ordained, he or she will be asked this question by the bishop. "Are you going on towards perfection." And the correct answer should be yes for all clergy and laity alike. This question is one that John Wesley would ask of his preachers because he wanted to know if they were seeking to become perfect in love of God and neighbor.

When we accept Christ into our lives, we change...but not all at once. It takes time for this new nature that Paul talks about to mature and become complete. Are you striving towards perfection in love? If so, you are ever becoming righteous, holy and true.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Party Evangelism

I was over at Jesus Creed reading an interesting post called Party Evangelism.

It was interesting to see how others are going about evangelism. The idea is to have churchgoers have parties and invite other non-churchgoers to them. This is a time to build up relationships, not to go inviting folks to church...at least not at first. That will come later after you've built up a relationship with them.

One such way of doing the party was to have a block party. To some it may seem like trickery. To others it may seem sacrilegious. (I mean what if someone brought alcohol or something?) For some it may seem like a way to win people to Christ. What do you think? Would you do it?

Check out the post for yourself and see what you think.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

What do you feel happens when you take Communion?

Thought of the Day !!

Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"

"No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven!"

Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT)

In the book He Still Moves Stones Max Lucado writes that bitterness is its own prison. It's a prison that Lucado describes as having sides slippery with resentment and floors muddy with anger. There's an open door to the cell, but our own self-pity blocks the view of it.

Bitterness is a byproduct of unforgiveness. Just as with an open wound, when we allow it to fester, it will only get worse and worse. Sooner or later it will get infected and could even lead to destruction. In the case of the wound, amputation of a limb is possible if it gets bad enough. In the case of allowing unforgiveness to fester, it could lead to the amputation of the soul.

Jesus was not pointing out that we should forgive 490 times (70x7). He was pointing out that it should be too often to keep count of. This is not for the health of the person being forgiven. It is for our own health. For the one who never forgives is almost always hurt more than the one not forgiven. Think about it. If someone does something to you, he or she may forget all about it or believe that they've received forgiveness or at the very least know that they are sorry. But if you're the one who doesn't forgive, then you are the one that's left with the destructive anger inside that eats at you for the rest of your life.

Maybe that is why Jesus was so adamant about forgiveness. Or maybe it was because he knew that if he were going to forgive us all for all the things we've ever done, that we should at least be willing to forgive those who do something against us. Another scripture comes to mind where Jesus teaches us that if we're not willing to forgive, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. Yet another good reason to continually forgive.

May your day be a day filled with forgiveness. And may the forgiveness flow both ways.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

How was Mother's Day?

Question of the day ??

How many Bibles do you own?

Thought of the Day !!

Again and again, the LORD has sent you his prophets, but you have not listened or even tried to hear. Each time the message was this: 'Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing.
Jeremiah 25:4-5

This sounds a lot like the message of John the Baptist, Jesus, and later Peter. The message here is to repent, or turn from our sins.

Repentance is important in our lives. Sometimes it can take a lot of hard work and time. I don't think God expects the people, that He knows are imperfect, to be sinners one day and totally the opposite the next. I do believe, however, that God expects us to try...to work at it every day.

The key to working at it every day is to allow God to help us. We shouldn't try to repent on our own. God's grace is there to help us, which means that if we will ask for His help, He'll be more than happy to oblige. I'm reminded of that cigarette commercial where the cartoon character is trying to quit cold turkey and can't do it. The voice over says to him that he didn't start smoking in one day, that it happened over time. So why should he expect to quit overnight. The commercial is about a phone number to get help with the addiction.

Sin is an addiction that we need help with. The Bible states plainly over and over that we must repent. But I don't believe that God intended on the message to be to repent on your own and then I'll take care of you. As long as we're trying, and asking God for His help, we can wear this addiction down. And in the end, we will win the fight. With Jesus in our corner encouraging us on, we can do anything.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

If you had a genie to grant you 3 wishes, what would they be?

Thought of the Day !!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Find something to rejoice about today...otherwise your day will be miserable.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Inclusive language was a big deal in seminary, both of people and of God. I know that God cannot be condensed into one title such as King or Creator or Father. No one way to speak of God is sufficient. But today's question has to do with what we call God.

What is your favorite title of God and why?

Thought of the Day !!

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

God is the ultimate King, not ruling as kings here on earth do. Everything is not about how much power He can yield...how many people He can control. Instead, His Kingdom revolves around how many He can form a relationship with. So when we come to His throne, we receive mercy and grace, the ultimate gifts from the ultimate Giver.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Repentance from Divorce

I was over at another blog doing something I shouldn't. I posted what I believed to be a middle of the road type of post in an argument over homosexuality. There has been enough said about that issue, and I won't say any more at this time. What I will say is this. I got slammed because of my sin. My sin is that before I became a Christian, I was married and divorced. I acknowledge my sin and have asked for forgiveness.

What I was told was that I should repent. I have no problem with this. I totally agree with the fact that we are all sinners in need of repentance. I believe that Jesus taught us that we should repent. I agree that to repent is to stop and turn from something. I would also suggest checking out Andy Stoddard's post on repentance. It is a wonderfully put definition of what not only he believes, but what I believe as well.

But the thing is this. I was told that I should give up my credentials and go back and make things work with my ex-wife. I'm not quite sure how that would be repentance, seeing as how I would sin again by leaving my wife now. And I'm not too sure how God, or my ex-wife's husband, would think about my trying to restart my relationship with her.

So how do I repent? Personally, I know that God has forgiven me. I have asked for forgiveness and He has called me to be a pastor even after the sin of divorce.

How many believe I need to take the next step and do the "right" thing as suggested, which is to repent by leaving my wife and trying to break up my ex-wife's marriage?

Question of the day ??

As you grew up, who was the person (or persons) who influenced you the most?

Thought of the Day !!

O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:3

Our lives are chances to magnify God. They come in large and small ways. With every breath we take, we have a chance to glorify God or thank Jesus for what he's done. With every move we make, we have an opportunity to put love of neighbor into action. Yes, every second of our lives are filled with chances to magnify the One who first loved us. But we must choose. What will your words and your actions say about your choice today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

John the Methodist over at Locusts and Honey asked his own Q of the Day yesterday that I thought was good. Check it out for ours today.

Hat tip

Thought of the Day !!

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 4:8-10 (NIV)

Peter and John have been brought before the Sanhedrin (or the ruling council of the Jews). Peter healed a poor beggar at the Temple and then began to teach the people that they were to repent and turn to Jesus, who was resurrected, for forgiveness of sins. This annoyed the Jewish rulers who felt threatened because of the great number of people listening to these fishermen from Galilee. So they were arrested.

Is this the same Peter that we've come to know and love in the Gospels? Well, yes...and no. Yes, he is the same biological being. But in every other aspect, NO. He's a totally different man. He is a post-resurrection, post-Pentecost Peter.

The pre-resurrection/Pentecost Peter stuck his foot in his mouth on many occasions. The Peter of the gospels might say anything at anytime. He had times of brilliance, like when he proclaimed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. And he had times where he should have kept his mouth shut, like when he rebuked the one he had just called "Son of God".

He was one to lose his faith and be scared. The same man who claimed he'd never leave Jesus' side was the one who ran with all the rest when Jesus was taken away. He was afraid to speak the name of Jesus that night, but was not on the day that he himself was brought before the Sanhedrin. You see, this is a post-resurrection, post-Pentecost Peter. This is a man that has been filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by God.

The same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter can empower us. We may have fears of our own. We may fear our own persecution for acting spiritual and proclaiming the name of Jesus in a crowd. We may fear going into certain neighborhoods, even though that's where the poorest people live that need help. We may fear inviting certain people to church because they are different from the crowd that's there every Sunday morning.

But when we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, that fear will go away. And it's then that great things can happen. Have a Spirit-filled day.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

What is it you would like to do when you retire? If you have retired, what are you doing now?

Thought of the Day !!

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.
Luke 12:8 (NIV)

We acknowledge Jesus on Sunday morning when we go to church. We acknowledge him at choir practice or some evening service. We acknowledge him when we work on some mission project such as Habitat for Humanity or Angel Tree. We acknowledge him when we write a check out for disaster relief. These are but a few ways that we acknowledge Jesus. And I believe that each and every one brings a smile to God's face.

But let us not fall into the trap that Peter fell into. He acknowledged Jesus before friends, but denied him before enemies. He spoke loudly in front of the other disciples, but cowered in the midst of the world that night before the cock crowed.

In other words, let our acknowledgement of him be as strong at work, in the field, at the doctor's office, at Wal-Mart, in traffic, on the phone with telemarketers (yes, even them), at our kid's sporting event, at the mall, at the theater, when we're out to eat, in our business meetings, etc. - let our acknowledgement of Jesus be the same in these times as it is on Sunday morning when we worship or before we go to bed when we pray.

Do this, and Jesus will acknowledge you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

What do you think will happen when Jesus comes back?

Thought of the Day !!

"Why did your father, Josiah, reign so long? Because he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He made sure that justice and help were given to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know me?" asks the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:15b-16

God was sending a message to Jehoiakim, son of Josiah. Jehoiakim was a selfish and greedy king, much unlike his father before him. And Jeremiah was to give him a message, one that would foretell his punishment.

But the verses that we focus on this morning are not about Jehoiakim. They are about Josiah and what we can learn from him. Josiah was a successful ruler "because he was just and right in all his dealings." He took care of those less fortunate than himself and seemed to care about others. For this reason he was blessed by God, for the Lord said that in doing these things, he came to know God.

In caring for others we come closer to God and our relationship with Him strengthens. This is because we become more like Him in the form of His son Jesus. Jesus was all about serving others. As a matter of fact, he stated that he did not come here to this earth to be served, but instead to serve. It seems that Josiah acted in much the same way. It also seems that if we want to be blessed and come closer to God through our Savior Jesus Christ, we will do the same. We will serve as well.

Remember that the most important commandment is to love our God with all our hearts, minds and strength...or with all we have. But the second in importantance is to love each other. Jesus also said that he was giving us another commandment before he left. This was to love one another as he loved us. He loved us by serving us. And he told us that if we want to be great, we must serve.

Have a day filled with service to those you know...and those you don't.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Do you (or have you ever) gone to concerts? If so, what are some of the most memorable? What was the last one you went to?

Question inspired by a post at doodlebugmom.

Thought of the Day !!

Then James and John , the sons of Zebadee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
Mark 10 35 (NIV)

Jesus has just told these guys that he was going to be betrayed, tortured and put to death when they get to Jerusalem (which, by the way, is where they are heading at this moment). So what do they do? They ask for a favor.

We live in a society of want, want, want. It's not that we have great needs usually. But we want so much. I want to buy this. I want to eat that. I want God to do this for me, and so on. How many of us are always asking God for favors, while forgetting to ask what we can do for Him?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the day ??

Do you believe that some sins are worse than others?

Thought of the Day !!

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)

When we accept Christ into our lives, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit. This makes our bodies temples housing a portion of God. Ask yourself how well you've taken care of the house. Has it been cleaned lately? Are there need for repairs? Are you caring for this temple as if it were a grand hotel or a run-down shack?

In the love of Christ,
greg

As I was getting hungry, I began to think about sandwiches...

What makes a better sandwich?
	Peanut Butter
	Peanut Butter and Jelly
	Peanut Butter and Marshmellow Creme
	Peanut Butter and Banana
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Question of the day ??

Who's the most scholarly dude (dudette) that you've ever met?

Thought of the Day !!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Colossians 3:23

As we go about our daily routine, we accomplish many tasks. They will range from the very important things like reminding loved ones of our love, praying, going to work, and even breathing to the mundane or routine things like getting the paper or emptying the trash.

Paul teaches that we should do everything we do as if doing it for the Lord. This only stands to reason since he expects us to live our lives totally for Christ Jesus. Maybe his point in this is that if we're doing everything as if we are doing it for our Lord, we will constantly be reminded of who's we are and what's truly important in our lives.

Let's give it a try today. When you answer the phone...do it as if you were God's answering service. When you pick up the mail...do it as if you were picking up God's mail. When you drive down the road...treat the other drivers as if they had God in the car with them. As you greet your neighbors...greet them as if they were standing next to Christ. As you.....you fill in the rest.

If we do everything as if doing it for the Lord, we just might find out that our day gets better and we make other people's days better as well. Good luck.

In the love of Christ,
greg