Easter

I am already enjoying this long weekend.  Easter is the high point of holidays in the Christian faith.  It is only fitting that I will be blogging about the Love room at such a time as Easter.  But before I move on to that room, I wanted to cap off the Faith topic with a short summary to the big meeting last Monday.  I alluded to the fact that our district was adjusting due to funding cuts.  As with all departments, Special Education offered up their sacrifices....ie: my position.  Actually in all fairness to the district, attempts were made to at least insure that everyone of us (there is 14) still had a job.  So the creative solution, was to offer teaching positions to those who hold a teaching certificate, that would be me.

When I think of the certificate that I hold, I think of God's humor and have to smile.  Spanish 6-12 grades  just doesn't appear to be my forte.  And that is right, for me to fill a high school teaching position in Spanish, has always been beyond my innate ability.  So I am weighing my options, interviewing in the district this week and seeking God.  In the midst of all of the events this week, we did see God moving on our behalf.  After the meeting on Monday, I went to Darrell's office to share with him the results.  I mentioned that all of the 14 sped counselors (7 offered the classroom and 7 will remain counselors) were bumped to 187 days for next year, so a loss of 10 days to our pay.  Darrell shared with me later that within 15 minutes of my leaving his office, he received a call from the Dean at the  seminary where he has been adjunct professor (but has not been teaching very much in the last 2 years) asking him to teach a class in the fall.  This class will more than replace what I lost financially with those 10 days.  God knows where we live and already had a plan of provision.  Praise His name.

So off to the Love room.  My conception of the room has always been that those who find rest in this room would know, beyond a shadow of doubt the love of God for them.  To understand the different types of love spoken about in scripture would be to move beyond our one definition of love in the English language.  We express love for chocolate, movies, books, vacation get aways, our pets, children and spouse basically all with the same word, LOVE.  However, the Bible does differentiate between the various types of love.

About.com Christianity simply describes these 4 types of love.

Eros
The Greek word for sensual love is eros. This is the type of love between a husband and wife.  The Song of Solomon in the Old Testament is a great example of this love.

Storge
Storge is a term for love in the Bible you may not be familiar with. Even though this Greek word for family love is not specifically found in Scripture, examples of it are seen throughout the Bible. This is a family bond love such as between parents, children and other family members.  Such love is implied in the relationships Noah and his family, Jacob and his family and Mary/Martha with their brother Lazarus.

Philia
Philia is the type of love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other. This love is a brotherly, friendship love.  Romans 12:10 exemplifies this love.

Agape 
Jesus Christ showed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity. Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in  the Bible.

It is this love, Agape, that our love room is centered on.  The central verse in the room is:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 15:3 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Our sins have separated us from God but He made a provision for us to have a relationship with Him through his son Jesus Christ.  It was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is payment for our sins.

So how do we enter into this relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Romans 10:9 says; "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

This is our Easter message, the very heart of our home and the upstairs refuge.  Do you know Him, Jesus Christ?

I leave you with Casting Crowns singing " East to West".