The Virtues of Summer Pt 1: Week of Love

I was sitting in church the other day, at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), and we're in a series in James, one of my least favorite books. Oh, its not that I don't like the Word, but James is a rough book... its very black and white, with very little grey. This is sin. This isn't. Do this, you're sinning. Don't do this, you aren't.

By the way, on a sidebar, I'm totally watching The Rock's new DVD collection, "The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment". Three DVDs, 25+ matches, over 2 dozen interviews... its magnificent. I'm currently watching The Rock vs Mankind, from The St. Valentine's Day Massacre pay-per-view from February 14th, 1999. He just landed The People's Elbow on Mankind. Brilliant. Where was I?

Yes, we're studying James, but a verse in the sermon came from Galatians, and on the bottom of my Bible, page 2125, there is a list that says "VIRTUES". Under it, it says love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All featured in Galatians 5:22-23.

So I got to thinking...





...sorry, The Rock just laid the Rock Bottom on Mankind, who got up and threw a DDT on The Rock on a steel chair.

I was thinking... what if I spent a summer on these virtues? What if I took one per week? Maybe starting this weekend, until the following weekend, I practice love. But, how do I even do that?

I mean, what does it mean to practice love? Of course, I can love on The Lovely Steph Leann (no, not like that, dirty mind. Okay, not just like that) by serving her, right? What about my friends? How can I love on Lil Sister Ashley, or KT, or Paulie Walnuts or Croyle? Or Britlicious? Or what about those at the store? How do I... well, love on my baristas or even my customers?

I guess in the same book I found the virtues is the same book I'll find the answer to this one, huh? Flip back to page 2083, and we'll see that love is patient, kind, protecting, trusting, hoping, persevering, but not rude, not self seeking, not angered easily, not a wrong doing record keeper. Well, it seems like Love is all of the other fruits wrapped up in one, huh?

Thats a hard way to start, isn't it? Well, I guess get the hard one out of the way, then maybe the others will be easier. I guess I can start tonight, but showing The Lovely Steph Leann love by not waking her up when I go to bed tomorrow.