"What is Love?"

"What is Love?"
This seemed like an easy enough question when I first considered it as our next topic of study for Wednesday night (tonight).  But then I started really digging, and I really started considering the brokenness in the lives of so many that I know...so many of those faces I'll be speaking to on a night like tonight.  It just isn't such an easy question to answer when we're starting from the culture and reality we have inherited from those who blazed a trail before us of such "freedom" on the topic of things that were at one time private and sacred.  For the sake of "education," "liberty" and "expression" perhaps we have lost something more valuable than I had ever truly considered before today.  Now...with one foot in the reality of what myself and others have experienced and known as "the norm," and the other foot exploring the reality of what God has so wonderfully designed for us to enjoy...I am more aware now than earlier of the difficulty in taking the right approach in teaching a society that has become so accustomed to looking for their romantic idea of "the one," through what we know of relationships, sex and how the two are supposed to work together.
I think it will take us a few weeks to properly handle the answering of this question.  I'm actually excited about sharing the plan of God for our experience and enjoyment of what He calls "Love," but I am also sensitive to the hurt that occurs when we realize how far we have gotten off track. 
This will be one of those hard topics, with wonderful promises and truth in it for those who are willing to consider that God's plan for our lives is probably better than our own.  Please pray for us on this journey.  The result should be that we have better, stronger, and more intimate relationships (especially marriages!) out of our discovery of what the Bible says about Love...or we will be better equipped to do an honest assessment of those relationships that simply are not healthy for us to continue.  Please pray that the devil won't ransack our study and distract those who could become offended rather than learn, change and grow.

Also:  I'll mostly likely be doing a simple introductory study on the topic tonight, but request that everyone listens/watches Matt Chandler's message entitled "Rhythm."  It will certainly give us a wonderful advantage as a group if there has already been some informed personal study done in preparation for our times together.  It doesn't have to be complicated...but please at least listen to what he has to say.  I've attached a link to the first part of Matt Chandler's message (found on Youtube) to help get you started.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZvbAGTSJVI
Love yas,
Shannon