dashuri vreare amawaa lska krlighed liefd rmastus rakkaus amour Liebe aloha cinta gr amore wendo m ove

do m ove imabba qummsch kjrlighet mio alofa grdh ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muh u lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa hed liakkaus amour Liebe aloha cinta gr amore wendo m imabba qummsch kjrlighet love mio alofa grdh ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muh u lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa hed liefde love armastus rakkaus amour Liebe aloha cinta gr ndo mlestba Lift imabba qummsch kjrlighet love mio iubire alofa love ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sev muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa love lska krlighed liefde amo armastus rakkaus amour Liebe cinta gr amore wendo mlestba Lift imabba qum het mio iubire love alofa grdh ljbav o krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde d are amawaa lska krlighed liefde amo armastus ra Liebe aloha cinta gr amore wendo mlestba Lift imabba msch kjrlighet mio iubire alofa grdh ljbav upendo krlek love sevgi yk muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde d eare amawaa lska krlighed liefde love amo arm us amour Liebe aloha cinta gr amore wendo mlestba Lift ba qummsch kjrlighet mio iubire alofa lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muhabbat tnh yu lf akkaus amour Liebe love aloha cinta gr amore wendo mlestb imabba qummsch kjrlighet mio iubire ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muhabbat tnh liefde dashuri vreare amawaa lska k ove amo armastus rakkaus amour Liebe aloha cinta gr amore ba Lift imabba qummsch kjrlighet love alofa grdh ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muh u lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa hed liefde love amo armastus rakkaus amour Liebe love aloha cin wendo mlestba Lift imabba qummsch kjrlighet mio iubire alofa grdh ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sev muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa lska krlighed liefde Liebe amo armastus rakkaus amour aloha cinta grbav love lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk bbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare amawaa lska krlighed liefde amo armastus amore wendo mlestba Lift ba qummsch kjrlighet miour Liebe aloha gr amore wendo mlestba Lift imabba qummsch kj mio iubire alofa grdh Liebe love upendo krle vgi yk muhabbat tnh yu lf cariaefde amo armastus rakkaus love aloha cinta gr love amore wendo mlestba Lift im qummsch kjrlighet mio iubire alofa grdh l alofa grdh ljbav lska upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk p yk muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad liefde dashuri vreare am love lska krlighed liefde love amo armastus rakkaus aloha cinta gr amore wendo mlestba Lift imabba msch kjrlighet mio iubire alofa grdh ljbav upendo krlek pag-ibig sevgi yk muhabbat tnh yu lf cariad ri vreare amawaa lska krlighed liefde lov

Dear Reader,
Im listening carefully as my husband speaksWords may be the currency we use to express our love but our actions are the gold that backs them up. I record it in my journal because I want to remember the exchange, the moment, and the wisdom. Today, I asked him if I might borrow his quote for my letter to you and he replied, Did I say that? Ok, sure, you can use it. I smile and keep typing. I want to be like that when I grow up no need to remember that I spoke a wise word because I just live it out. I am a work in progress and my husband is a work in progress. You are tooyes? Vines Concise Dictionary of the Bible says it like thisLove can only be known from the actions it prompts. Gods love is seen in the gift of his Son. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10). God showed his lovehe made it known, for all to see. His one and only Sonunique, one of a kind, no other like himis the atoning sacrifice for

our sins. This means that our sins are covered over by the blood of his sacrifice. Covered, period. How might we respond to this lavish love? What are the actions it prompts in us? Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:11). We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). And there we have it . . . the foundation for this issue. The perfection of Gods love is lavished on us first while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We receive his extravagant love and then, we endeavor to love others so that they will come to know Jesus Christ, too. In this issue our writers share stories about living in love, in the midst of life, with all of its challenges and all of its joys. You may find your story, too, as you read between the lines. Please join me as we mine for gold. With love,

Mary Ann

Between the Lines is a magazine of the Journey, a ministry of Christ Church Fairview Heights, IL. 2013, Christ Church. mychristchurch.com Graphic Design by Michelle Sweeten

Between the Lines Fall 2013 Volume 3, Issue 4

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him (1 John 4:7-9).

In the next issue: Peace This Issues Theme: Love Verse of the Season: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Meet the Contributors

Heather Asunskis is an attorney and member of the Journey Team at Christ Church. She lives in Swansea, Illinois, with her husband, Joel, and three beautiful daughters. Emily Climaco, Ph.D., is a Journey Team member and the volunteer editor of Between the Lines. The wife of Phil and mom of Caroline, she spends her free time being silly with her four-year-old daughter and writing on her blog, www.commonplacesoil.com. Christine Hipp resides in the St. Louis area and provides Christian ministries, small businesses, and independent contractors with costeffective, efficient accounting solutions. In her free time she enjoys CrossFit, jogging, the outdoors, and riding her Ducati motorcycle. First and foremost, she loves studying and sharing Gods Word. Adrienne Olson is wife to Chad, her husband of 15 years, and mom to two imaginative girls. She cherishes her friends of all ages. She works in Family Ministry at Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church in Champaign, Illinois. Follow her blog on all things faith at home at www.d6families.blogspot.com. Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer who writes about family and faith. Her work has been featured in Thriving Family and Family Fun magazines. When shes not busy writing or tripping over toys, she enjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirky kids. She and her family live in OFallon, Illinois, and worship at Christ Church. www.lindsayntallman.com Mary Ann Turner is the leader of the Journey Team at Christ Church. A former elementary school teacher, she is the wife of Mark, mother of two grown children, and grandmother to two precious little boys. She enjoys great conversations, hiking with her family, and encouraging others to grow in their Christian faith. www.maryannturner.com We appreciate hearing from our readers. Please let us know how this magazine has touched your life. You may send your e-mails to:
thejourney.betweenthelines@gmail.com

Near the Fire

by Mary Ann Turner

Hearts have grown cold. I hear about it oftenabout family members who have been out of touch for years, and friends once connected who cannot or will not make peace. I too have experienced the deafening silence of the voices of people I have loved and love still today. The exchange, once warm, is now distant and coldseemingly unreachable. Jesus teaches about this in Matthew 24 after his disciples came to him privately to ask him an important question. Tell us, they said, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Can you just imagine the faces of his disciples poised with creases deep, their hearts pounding steadi4

ly, and their minds stepping gingerly into unknown territory? Jesus responds first with words of cautionhe tells them to be careful that no one deceives them because many will come and claim to be the Christ. He says there will wars, and rumors of wars. Then he pauses to say, . . . but see to it that you are not alarmed. I love this about Jesushe tells the truth and is always sure to provide the shelter of his words of comfort for his beloved. He goes on to say there will be earthquakes and famines. He said, All these are the beginning of birth pains. Revealing more, he says that there will be persecution, hatred, death, and deception by false prophets. In a discreet, whisper-soft corner of

the world, their teacher delivers the news that there will be unbearable days ahead. We see the unfolding of these days in our world today. Theres moreBecause of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Oh Jesus, I pray for my heart to stay warm from the fire of shared love, to be filled with the courage of a lioness defending her young, to be wholly committed and waiting on tip-toe in expectation for your return. As you read this, you may wonder why I seem to be pressing in on the page. Why so firm? Perhaps its a bit too stern? Nojust certain and motivated by compassion. The day of Christs return, known only by the Father, is closer with each passing year. We are called to be about the Fathers business, the business of loving well. Sometimes loving well means speaking up. Please remain warm, my friends, covered with the cloak of the righteousness of Christ. Eat well from the bread of his holy Word. Drink deep from his well of living water. Tap into the power of his Holy Spirit. As sisters and brothers in Christ, we can unite, determined to love God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength. Only then will we have enough to love our neighbors as ourselves. He gives more than enough for our hearts to

stay warm even when cold winds blow. This is the one true litmus testothers will know we are Christians by our love. Matthew 24 is situated in its proper place amidst the greatest love story ever told. Jesus gives us the signs to look for as we anticipate his return, and he doesnt leave us to stand trembling from the revelation of what is and is to be. Jesus leaves us with steady and sure words of truth and encouragement Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matt. 24:35). Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour [of his return] (Matt. 25:13). I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Yes, take heartits warm near the fire of his love.

House Rules: Show Love

Many years ago, I decided to post some house rules on our fridge. Most were of the usual variety and aimed at little ones who were struggling with selfcontrol. But the last rule I listed to cover any rules I might have left out. Team Tallman House Rule number 6 is simply stated: Show Love. While that rule is often needed in a house full of children clamoring for attention and their own wants, Ive found it is mainly a reminder to me. Ill be honest, there are many days when my need to maintain control and instill proper behavior in my kids trumps their deep need to be understood, accepted, and loved. 1 Peter 4:8 says, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. This is awesome news for moms
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by Lindsay Tallman

like me! That means that even when I get it wrong, I can try again to show love and make it right. And despite my mistakes, every sippy cup filled, every book read for the hundredth time, and every question patiently answered sends a resounding message of love. Doing the hard work of parenting isnt always lovely. Often it is messy, chaotic, and thankless work. Thankfully, the Bible assures us that at the proper time we will reap what we sow. The author of Streams in the Desert puts it this way, The glory of tomorrow is rooted in the drudgery of today. Many people want the glory without the cross, and the shining light without the burning fire, but crucifixion comes before coronation. If I want my children to be loving and compassionate people who help others

and shine the light of Christ, I have to show them love and compassion every single day in every way that I can. The task can seem overwhelming if youre knee-deep in the trenches of parenting like me. Here are some parenting guidelines that help me show love:

1.

2.

Love when you dont feel like it. Ironically, it is often the child that is acting the most unlovable in my house who most needs to be shown love. I find that getting on their level, dropping whatever Im doing and finding out whats really bothering them is the best way to stop a conflict from escalating. I have to resist the urge to go with my first reactions and instead meet them gently in their time of need. Be slow to anger. On the good days, I take a moment to breathe before I discipline my kids and try to think about things from their perspective. By staying calm, I let them know that I am in control of myself and that our home is a safe place for them to fall apart. On the not so good days when I feel very overwhelmed, my frustrations can leak out into my interactions with my children. Even when I get it wrong, I can model proper behavior by asking for their forgiveness for my overreactions. Strive for progress, not perfection. My husbands analogy of raising small children is that its like throwing mud at a wall. Eventually, some of it sticks. I keep a mothers notebook where I write down the good, the hilarious, and the not so good times. It helps me keep a proper

4.

perspective when I can look back and see how my kids are changing and progressing. I pray for my kids to keep growing and making progress, but I also take time to be thankful for the present. Show love in a way they understand. All my kids are wired to give and receive love differently. If youre not sure what your kids love languages are, I highly recommend Gary Chapmans book The Five Love Languages of Children. What my kids do to show me love is the biggest indicator of how they best receive my affection. Being intentional with each child helps me to ensure my message is received loud and clear.

I believe that raising my children is the most important ministry Ill ever have. It is certainly not the easiest; things worth striving for rarely are. Jesus told the Pharisees that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. I would argue that this commandment is often the most difficult to follow because love always costs us something. For Jesus, love cost him everything. He gave his life out of love for us. With an example like that, I cant help but wake up every day ready to show love. 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 3:16).

3.

Photo by Julie Crask www.works4water.blogspot.com

Think about his love, think about his goodness. Think about his grace thats brought us through. For as high as the heavens above, So great is the measure of our Fathers love; Great is the measure of our Fathers love. -from Think About His Love by Don Moen

Gods Love from All Directions

by Heather Asunski

After I lost my mother and best friend in August of 2012, I was shattered. I did not expect that we would immediately become pregnant in September, and I was not prepared for what was to come. I was in Chicago for work in April, 31 weeks along in my pregnancy. I left Chicago a day early, (then at 32 weeks) to head home, and, to make a long story short, I found myself admitted at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. A high-risk doctor told me they had to take the baby the next day because I had a very dangerous presentation of something called HELLP syndrome, which meant the danger was to me, not my baby, and several major organs could shut down at any time. My husband was angry, and I was nervous. Our pastor came to speak to us and helped immensely. Someone from the church came and prayed with us and over us. The next morning they had completed prepping me for surgery and had just ascertained that the epidural was effective and I was sufficiently numb. All of a sudden, everyone acted a little nervous, the nurse explaining to me that everything was ok, but she had coded me so she could get some doctors to respond quickly. As I was wheeled into the operating room, I prayed that Jesus would be with me and I would feel my moms
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presence. Throughout the surgery, I was at peace. Complete and total peace. Everyone around me was bustling about, but I was peaceful. One of the nurses said to me at the end, I think its so cool how you just went inside yourself like that. You were at total peace. Thank you, God. While in recovery, I know my mom was with me, and I know Jesus gave me that gift. I was there with my eyes closed and felt a warm presence, a disturbance in the air. This is the exact same feeling I had while in recovery with my second daughter when my mom entered the room. And I knew she was there. It wasnt until later that I really understood how truly present God was with methe whole way. They had coded me and rushed me into surgery because either my or my daughters heart rate plummeted. As soon as they cut into me for the c-section, the placenta abrupted. Had I not been prepared exactly when I was for surgery, she could have had complications or maybe even died due to that. And now, after just under a month in the NICU, with no oxygen needed at any time, I have a healthy baby girl as a forever witness to Gods power and love.

d e d n Offe

With lawlessness abounding and love growing cold prior to Jesus return (see Matt. 24:12), what needs to be done for our love to remain hot so others will come to know him? A Love Check temperature gauge may be necessary. Ask yourself, Do I truly love people? When I look at people, do I see the gold within the mire that Jesus sees? How you love or dont love others will expose your depth of understanding of Gods love for you. And, if you do not love who God created you to be, quirks and all, your ability to love people will be hindered (see Matt. 22:39). We cannot do anything apart from God (John 15:5). The Holy Spirit has to be the one to reveal the depths of Gods love for us. However, we have to do our part and make the choice to allow it. Once that choice is made, understanding Gods love will then lead you to the cross. Dying to the flesh, or self, is part of being able to grasp Gods love. An exposed heart brings death of self and should result in humility. Many times God may offend your mind as a means to expose your heart condition. When you judge what you see due to lack of understanding or because a situation doesnt make sense, you may miss your opportunity to understand Gods love. How? Through disobedi-

d n i t r M a He

d e s o Exp

by Christine Hipp

ence, unpurified heart motives, lack of humility, and inactivated faith. Abraham and Isaacs story demonstrates obedience and its rewards. Gods request of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac likely offended his mind and made absolutely no sense to him. Despite this, he was obedient. When Abraham lifted the knife to kill Isaac, his motives became apparent . . . to him! After all, God already knew Abrahams heart! It seems Gods request allowed Abraham to die to his own desires, humility then engulfed him, which then fueled his faith knowing that God would somehow keep his promise (Gen. 22:1-19). Like Abraham, is there some small act of obedience Gods requiring of you? Is it being discarded as not God? If ignored, your true hearts motives may never be exposed, humility not acquired and faith not activated. Instead, choose obedience and allow God to expose ungodly heart motives. It allows a place for humility and for faith to be fueled. Afterward, you are better equipped to share Jesus Christs love with those who have yet to understand the depths of it. Dont dismiss Gods provision to understand his amazing love for you. Keep that love temperature gauge on hot!
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Creation to Christmas: Let There Be Love

by Emily Climaco

When Christians talk about Gods love, were usually thinking of Gods saving love for us demonstrated in Jesus death on the cross. This is, beyond a doubt, an amazing picture of Gods love and rightfully its centerpiece. But if God is love and always the sameyesterday, today, foreverthen Gods creation of the universe is certainly an act of love. Before preparing for this issue of our magazine, Id never thought of Genesis as a love story. Truly, it is. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . (Gen. 1:1). Reading these opening chapters of the Bible, I think of Gods grandeur, power, and imagination, but love doesnt necessarily leap to mind. What does leap to mind in the Genesis creation account is how vastly different from us God is. Virginia Stem Owens expresses this sense of otherness well:
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We speak words; God speaks things. He opens what we suppose to be his metaphorical mouth, and out tumble trees, viruses, moons. From his lips pour blood and water and wisps of clouds. Tse-tse flies and ptarmigans trip from his tongue. Whereas we can only say is or equals, he utters the essential verb: be. Let there be (from And the Trees Clap Their Hands, p. 59). Humans often base love on feelings, experiencing love by degrees, doling it out sometimes in spoonfuls and sometimes in barrelfuls. However, just as nothing can separate us from Gods love, nothing in Gods character or actions is separate from love. Love is who God is. As I struggle here to describe Gods otherworldly, omniscient, omnipotent love with words, I wonder if music may bridge the gap. My mom sits at an upright piano wheeled into the dining room, press-

ing her hands to the keys. Music wafts through the air, winding its way through labyrinths of listeners ears. Some respond with faint smiles or humming or tapping slippered feet on the tile floor. Some sleep slack-jawed. No matter: this music is love. Every Friday afternoon at the nursing home these residents are bathed in musical love. Mom plays various songs, from Put Your Head on My Shoulder to Debussys Etudes to Anchors Aweigh, along with some hymns. The response is sometimes astonishing: sparks of recognition fly, as if glimpsing ones name after a long forgetfulness. Moms interpretation of these composers works transmits Gods love wordlessly across damaged or broken wires. She might play my favorite hymn, This Is My Fathers World by Maltbie Babcock: This is my Fathers world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. The power of music is mysterious, a fitting reflection of the Creator of the music of the spheres, the rhythm of our solar system. The Genesis writer narrates, God set [the heavenly bodies] in the vault of the sky, and I picture them glimmering like so many Christmas ornaments (Gen. 1:17). And God saw that it was good, we read again and again in the creation account, a refrain of lovesustaining, eternalsubdued in language but not in power. We read twenty-five full verses of love until Jesus presence

is made explicit in the pronoun us. And for us, Christmas is the zenith of Gods creation spree. Many eons separate Christmas from creation, although Jesus was there all along. Owens writes, Creation is a birthday gift for the Son (p. 141). While on earth Jesus said, Love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:39) and, even more challenging, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:44). We might say, Easier said than done, but Jesus lived it. While God is so different from us, Jesus is our Emmanuel, God with us. Hes perfectly differentfully God and fully humanyet vulnerable to suffering, a poor creature like you or me. And through Gods massive plan for creation, from Let there be to Christmas to Easter, we can be recreated through Jesus: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17). Creation to Christmas, the distance isnt so great. My daughters picture Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones, closes the chapter on creation like this: And so it was that the wonderful love story began . . . Its a love story spanning time and space, a love story to leave one slack-jawed with wonder.

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Fatherly Love
by Adrienne Olson Wrapping my head around the idea of a loving heavenly father was never much of a stretch for me. My imperfect earthly dad did his best to love my family and live out his Christian faith at home. Most nights of my youth, he corralled us squirrely kids into the living room for family devotions and prayer before bed. Now that Im a parent, I realize what an act of love and discipline that was! All through college, he sent me a weekly handwritten letter, complete with the Sunday funnies from our hometown newspaper. It felt like a hug from home. Love in an envelope. After college, through a variety of Godorchestrated circumstances, my new husband and I found ourselves back in my hometown, me with the opportunity to work as my dads assistant in his successful financial planning business. Over the course of ten years, we worked hard and had a great time in the office together. With my training and experience, I was poised to eventually carry on the practice when he retired. From an earthly perspective, I could not have asked for a better career situation, and my dad was pleased with the arrangement, too. Having the daughter he raised and trained carry on with the business he worked so hard to build. Except my heavenly father had something else in mind for me. For years, as my dad and I would discuss my career and the future of the business, that still, small voice kept whispering to trust God, and that maybe this wasnt where I would spend my entire career. The call for change came about three years ago, after much prayer and contemplation. Paul uses a phrase in Colossians, Christs love compels us, and I think thats the best way to describe my calling. I felt compelled to take up a career in ministry because of my love for God. There were days that I would find myself quoting Proverbs 3:5-6 over and over, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight (NIV). I truly wanted God to make my career path straight but had no idea what that meant in practical terms. So when the day came, what was my dads response when I told him that I was leaving my financial career, the one he had spent ten years training me for, to take a giant leap of faith? He said, It would be pretty selfish for us to raise you to love God above all and follow him, and then not want you to respond to his call on your life. Wow. His mature response not only showed his love for me, but also his love for his heavenly father, the one he helped lead me to. Oh, and that new career God had in mind for me? He opened a door at our church that hadnt existed before. Now I work with families to build faith and live it out in their homes. In retrospect, my dad trained me for my career after all. In fact, hes been at it for over thirty years.
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