Never believe the lie that you are small; if you "do" Love for Love's sake, you are as large as Love is.
Connect with other Giants Please "Like" the Love Like Giants official Facebook Page! We will post project files and inspirational messages from other people who practice and believe in the virtues of doing Love. Join the Lov-elution! Send your first name and email address to info@lovelikegiants.org. We will keep you posted on current Love Projects you can take part in, events and share updates. We will not disclose your information to anyone outside of this site team and will limit regular updates to one per week. June 2, 2013: Hello Facebook! Today we launched our Facebook page. Our Facebook presence lets more people know about "Love Like Giants", project files are easier to access and it provides a place in cyberspace to talk and share as we journey together toward being better doers of Agape Love. Please come and "Like" the page! https://www.facebook.com/LoveLikeGiants June 11, 2013: God is Love, Facebook and Community Sunday, a friend at church really made me think again about a deep concept; God is Love. It seems so simple and cliche', but when you think about it, any time we do Love we literally bring God to the situation. For me this is profound, and I would venture to say we all know of situations that need God brought into them. I'm not going to commit to anything yet, but I'm feeling inspired to tie this to a Love project. The Facebook page is alive and well. To date, we have touched 281 people and 44 people have "liked" the page. We sincerely hope that this additional touch point will help inspire more people toward Love, even if it is one right choice or good deed at a time. Two weeks ago "Love Like Giants" sponsored a basket at the Relay for Life event in Clark County. In the spirit of LLG, we provided "Love Do" suggestions and asked that half the prize be donated by the winner. June 9th we sponsored a hole for the Springfield Chapter of SHRM and provided LLG "Go Do Love" bookmarks for all the participants. July 7, 2013; "Hearing" opportunities to "Do Love" Our next formal project will be centered around hearing. We will learn to tune in to the quiet urgings we get to do things or make decisions, large or small, for someone else's good. To hear, we have to concentrate on listening. I am following the guidance of my "quiet urgings" which have directed me to share two scriptures in the Bible. The first is 1 John 4, verse 7,"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God." The other is James 4:17, which I have heard twice in the last two days from two radically different sources, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." That's all I have for now, but check out those verses and read the chapters they're in. Also, use this prayer each morning to get started. "Give me ears to hear and recognize Your voice as I navigate through my normal routines today. Allow me to tune in to those small, still urgings to do Love in all circumstances and in all decisions, big and small. Grant me wisdom, and provide the willingness and desire to follow Your direction." August 18, 2013; Pray Large! For the last month my husband and I have been formally asking God to give us ears to hear what He wants from us, for wisdom and the willingness to do Love in every circumstance (here is a link to the prayer from the July 7th post). We have been asking for direction and we have certainly been getting it. God has been nudging me to ramp up my prayer life. Moreover, He has been crystal clear about changing the content of my prayer. He is telling me to "Pray Large", that "I have not because I ask not". I have heard several podcasts and attended a group video discussion just last week that all centered around... you guessed it, the importance of bold prayer and the power of God. We have to pray boldly and without hesitation. And, there is absolutely nothing we shouldn't pray for if it concerns us. There is no request I can imagine that would be too big or impossible for God. I am now praying with the caveat that He take it "beyond what I could imagine". I fully anticipate incredible insights, changes, miracles and progress to be made for Love Like Giants and in our personal lives. Please pray with us: "Father, please let every right door be open for me and other doors be closed. Show me favor and put me in the favor of others. Increase the quality of my relationships, the impact of my good deeds, finances, and bring prosperity far beyond what I could imagine. Help me remember where all good things come from and keep me eager to give and Love freely. I ask for myself, my enemies and friends, for my church, my family and for Love Like Giants." God always comes through; sometimes with what we want, but often with changes or things we would have wanted and prayed for if we were able to see our situation through His eyes. I am looking forward to hearing about the miracles coming your way! Please share via email or on our FaceBook page. September 24, 2013; if Jesus hadn't been a carpenter, He might have owned a thrift store God makes treasures of things that are thrown away and used up. He seeks out the unwanted, gives new purpose to what’s given up and especially prefers damaged goods. He sees beauty in fouled things and treats them as if they are perfect once they are His. In His eyes, nothing has to be thrown out, absolutely nothing is trash. The less desirable the goods the more useful they become, the lower the value to the world, the more precious they are to Him. If He hadn’t been a carpenter, He might have owned a thrift store. All of us feel unwanted, used up and undesirable sometimes. God uses everyone who will allow Him to. I for one would have never been accepted on the shelves of Macy's or Banana Republic, figuratively speaking. Like most of us, I would belong with the damaged and given up goods, and I wouldn't want it any other way. September 8, 2013; New look at "Love Notes" The first "Love Like Giants" project we introduced was "Love Notes", writing one "Love Note" per day for thirty days starting Easter Sunday, 2013. A "Love Note" is a letter we write each day, sharing our motivation for doing Agape Love, the way we practice doing acts of Love and the lessons we learn in doing Love. We write the "Love Note" and mail it off to someone we do not know in complete anonymity, always careful to explain why we are writing so the recipient has no misunderstanding. " Love Notes" demand that we inspect our maturity in Love and our ability to follow the cornerstones of Christian faith as our habit; Loving God with all our heart and soul, Loving our enemies and our neighbors as we would want them to Love us. I became more accountable to the basic questions: is "Love" my habit, and would people know I belong to Christ by my practice of Love? A one-time event doesn't answer that; anyone can do something good occasionally... we have to look at ourselves daily and over time. Prayer increased my resolve to write each day, kept me honest and reminded me of God's expansive and unconditional Love. In the awareness of my mistakes, I was reassured that His Love is not performance based, that He Loves me in spite of shortcomings and is so pleased when I am trying. Writing about my motivation, authentic experiences, failures, successes and lessons I was learning kept me thinking about Agape Love and Christ's Love a lot more, which was an incredible benefit. It was also during this project that my mother passed away; I am still reflecting on how grateful I am to have been in a Christ guided project that kept me in prayer and so focused on Agape Love during that time... it was on day twenty-six that she died unexpectedly. The "Love Notes" project was not easy, but the God consciousness and gratitude I gained far outweighed any challenges. I am certain insights on the project will continue to bloom, God willing. I am grateful to be sharing with you as God continues to hold "Love Like Giants" in His gracious hands. Have a blessed day and may God prepare the path before you as you start your week. Please pray for God's blessings and direction for "Love Like Giants" and as you pray for your families, friends, enemies, yourself, your country and your church! October 26, 2013; An excerpt from the Love Like Giants Workshop guide about the oppression of the poor. "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31 From an individual perspective, sometimes we mistreat and disrespect people because we know there will be no consequence- think of the waiter we verbally berate, customer service representative we tear down, prostitute or drunk we glare at in disgust. Many of us give to charities, donate clothing or volunteer at a soup kitchen, for example, but feel resistance, or possibly indifference, toward certain “types” of poor people. We feel justified to ignore the “able bodied” or those who “brought it on themselves”. This rationalization-- "prosperity theology", is not an acceptable justification for rejecting anyone in need. Moreover, the Bible doesn’t justify oppression or identify certain kinds or poor people as worthy or unworthy of our kindness or help. The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, social justice, and God's deep concern for both. There is no way around His direction to help the poor and Jesus modeled it for us in His behavior; think where each of us would be if Christ would have decided to give His life for only the “deserving".g”. November 18, 2013; My Hands I was driving through my neighborhood heading to work this morning when I saw a beautiful white husky mix run out from a yard about a block from my house. I didn't recognize the dog but it was clear he was someone's pet because he was so clean and well-groomed. I said a prayer and asked God to get him home safely. In that moment, God spoke to me and said, "Okay, so then get out of your car and be my hands. You help get that dog home safely." I stopped my car. I pulled over and headed toward the dog with no idea what I would do once I reached him. He didn't have any tags, so I wouldn't be able to contact the owners. On the other hand, I couldn't let him roam the neighborhood and inevitably get hit by a car. Thank goodness he was friendly and and stayed there at the corner, but still, I was at a loss as to what to do next, thinking we already have three small dogs of our own and bringing this guy in until we could find his owners would be difficult. Before I finished the thought, a young guy called out and the white dog went running toward home. So many times we ask God to solve a problem, help a person or change a situation and He says "yes", but we withdraw the hands He wants to use to get it done, ours. We ask God to feed the hungry but don't offer up our food. We pray for people to have warmth in the winter, but we don't take part in His "yes" by providing coats, hats and gloves. We pray for things like justice, peace on Earth and good will toward men, yet we do not use our resources to fight injustice, we look away from people living in abuse and withhold our "good will" for our friends, family or those we believe are "worthy" of it. We act like God is a genie, granting wishes when we ask with no additional participation from us. My prayer for God to get that white dog home safely was answered with a very large voice. When I prayed, it certainly was not with the thought that God would ascend from a cloud or send a angel to carry the dog to the owner's front door. No; if I am honest, I was asking God to send some nice person to get him home, but not involve me because I had too many things to do. God reminded me that because I belong to Him, I am to be a willing above all else- an eager delivery channel for Him, a full extension of His Love that transcends duty or any selfish motive. Moreover, when God nudges me to extend a kindness, lend a hand or provide something big or small, He is asking to use my hands to take care of His children, draw someone nearer to Him or provide an answer to prayer. I asked God to get that dog home safely, and He did; He prompted and empowered one of His children to answer my prayer, and that child was me. March 6, 2014; We Can Decide on Faith The church I attend had a talk on Abram, known later in his life as Abraham. A point of discussion was the time between the promises God made to him and when they came to fruition, some that were not even realized in Abraham’s lifetime. I’m sure in that vast span of years between the promises and the tangible evidence of them, there were things in Abraham’s life that made him ask "why". When we experience something difficult or experience pain, we often ask “why”, but there is a difference between shaking our fists at God and raging, “why”, and asking in the spirit of “how am I meant to grow from this?” Like it or not, there will be times and situations in which we are not meant to learn anything other than how to behave and keep the faith while we go through them, and the lesson may be more of being forced to a decision than something we must learn. We can decide to be at peace with things, cope with things that make us uncomfortable without behaving badly, and continue to grow in our relationship with God in spite of hard situations. We can make up our mind to stay cheerful, or at least not complain, and continue trying to do every right thing we can even if our marriage, job, out of control child, health or financial situation doesn’t improve; there are some things we will have to live with no matter how we respond. We decide our behaviors and choose the attitudes we allow to take residence in our lives. For Abraham, he decided to trust God and believe what He told him in spite of challenges and impossible odds. He didn’t live through the hard spots perfectly, but he persistently kept deciding to keep the faith throughout his life. March 30, 2014; Have a Bad Moment, Not a Bad Day  "Why do you always have to do it that way?" "Why can I never find a parking space?" "Why does everything always happen to me?" "I never win anything." "Everything", "always" and "never" are words that add gas to the tiny flame of a bad moment and should rarely have a place in our vocabulary. These "word bullets" turn bad moments into rotten mornings, afternoons, then days. And our negativity doesn't just effect us... we live and work among people. It is not okay to bring our "stuff" to others, even if we offer the standard, "it wasn't directed at you" excuse. We can choose better thinking... it is well within our control to keep or reject a thought. Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus our thoughts on whatever is pure, noble, true, right or lovely... to think about things that are excellent or praise worthy. God wants us to be happy, and we can choose better thoughts, leading to better days. April 6, 2014; T he Depth of our Sin Points to the Depth of His Grace In Galations 2:20-21 Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, because if righteousness were attained in any other way, Christ died for nothing.” Sin created a vast divide between us and God, and although we are Christians, we can still forget about Christ sometimes. We think that if we just do more good in the world and become better versions of ourselves it will put God in our debt and make Him like us better. In this thinking, we are looking to be our own savior. It is clear; if good works could fill the space between us and God created by sin, there would have been no reason for Christ. Our attempts to fill that space with religion or “goodness” nullify the gospel. The argument has been made that forgiveness and grace might cause people to live indulgent, self-serving lives and plan to ask for forgiveness later. Thankfully, belief in Christ changes our preferences and desires as the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Moreover, as we get a glimpse of the depth of our sin, we are taken by the depth of His grace, and in gratitude we respond by imitating Him. This is reason for Agape Love. August 24, 2014; It's all about The Gospel  The documentation of Jesus' life, death and resurrection make up the first four books of the New Testament, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The word gospel originates from the Greek word "evangelion", meaning "good news", and the good news begins with the simple truth that Jesus Christ, born to a virgin, was fully God and fully man. He lived among us in perfect obedience to God the Father and willingly gave Himself up to be killed as the only sacrifice worthy enough to cover our sin. After His death, he rose after three days and still lives today with God the Father in heaven. If we believe this good news, we will be compelled by gratitude for this gift of salvation to also follow the will of the Father. This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray this message comes upon ears and hearts persuaded to read His word for themselves, and they too will respond in gratitude by imitating Him. 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’[a] 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. December 19, 2014; If You Want to be Happy, be Flexible   December 24, 2014; Seek, Serve and Celebrate Jesus Christ Seek the Lord with all your heart, imitate Jesus by serving others and celebrate the greatest gift ever bestowed upon mankind. This is the spirit of Christmas!  January 1, 2015; Peace and Joy for the Coming Year Peace is a result of prayer and gratitude. I pray your coming year will be filled with joy and the peace of Jesus Christ that surpasses all understanding. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7  January 12, 2015; The Fruit of Faith Doing God's will is often difficult, but grows our faith and brings us the satisfaction we can only experience in Christ. Doing God's will, especially when it is tough for us, produces a life without regret.  January 27, 2015; Inaction is a Decision When we don't have any idea what our next step should be in a situation with only bad and worse choices available, sometimes just waiting until you see the next "right thing" is the answer. It requires maturity and patience to decide not to take action on an issue when none of the options are ideal. It may just be a matter of waiting until one or two circumstances shift to reveal the next right thing.  January 28, 2015; Leaders An honest thirty-day self-assessment would include quantifiable flaws and mistakes as well as positives. This is especially important if I am in a position of influence or leadership, and to some extent, all of us are. If, in the last thirty days, I am unable to site a single circumstance in which I was truly mistaken or wrong without pointing the finger to blame someone or circumstances "out of my control", then I certainly lack humility and have no business leading others. In this case, I must pray for honesty and do it every time I think of the word. Otherwise, I will surround myself with people who will tell me what I want to hear, I will turn away from any descending voice and will find myself bloated and lost. Nothing is worth losing my soul for. February 2, 2015; Love has a Ripple Effect Agape Love always has a ripple effect, and people are touched that we are not even aware of. But every once in a while,God allows me to see that a ripple effect started with a very small "yes" can create hundreds if not thousands of waves. I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  January 31, 2015; Love is our Mission Our faith is evidenced by our loving one another as Christ Loved us; this is the purpose and mission of Love Like Giants.  January 30, 2015; If your Soapbox isn't one of Loving Thy Neighbor, please leave Jesus out of it It's worthwhile to get behind a cause or stand up publicly for something we believe in. However, we can fall prey to representing our personal ideals as being "Christian" rather than allowing God's word to be our authority. If we are walking in faith, our most important mission is to attract people to faith. Anger, bigotry and religion flavored digs contradict the message of the gospel. So, if you have a soapbox, and it isn't one of Loving thy Neighbor, please leave Jesus out of it.  April 11, 2015; Share our Faith with Gentleness and Respect  If we are secure in our faith, we will not be inclined to attack, demean or bully someone because they do not share our beliefs. Moreover, as a follower of Christ we are to be identified by the love we do for others. God is not glorified when we demonize people with religions or culture we don't understand and we certainly do not attract people to Christ. There is also nothing biblical about encouraging our brothers and sisters in this conduct by spewing venom towards people with different beliefs, homelands or skin color. One of Jesus' best known stories was about the good Samaritan. A modern day good Samaritan could easily be a middle class, American, caucasian guy passing through a dangerous ghetto in an expensive car. This twenty-first century good Samaritan would risk his safety by stopping to help a brown skinned man wearing a turban, barely alive after a horrible beating, would transport him to a hospital and cover all his medical costs. What Christ wants from us is to love our neighbor as ourselves and His expectations are higher than what most of us are willing to do. This is how we show the world we belong to Christ. It's not by putting on the boxing gloves and launching an attack but rather, demonstrating agape Love.
Prayer April 13, 2015 Prayer, and the spirit in which we pray, reveals our heart. Pray with praise and thanksgiving, bless those who oppose you and let goodness and beauty point to the worship of our creator. Give Cheerfully! April 25, 2015  It easy to get into a funk, and Ibecome aware of a bad attitude when my giving is less cheerful than it ought to be. My desire and willingness to give and do so cheerfully is a good measure of my spiritual health.  Help the Poor, Christian brothers and sisters! May 5, 2015 "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" 1 John 3:17 Christ as Number One May 10, 2015  Adopted into a Holy Family May 13, 2015 My response is to God's mercy and grace is gratitude and obedience.  Jesus as the Center of our Life May 22, 2015 For the follower of Christ, we can enjoy the things of this world without being slave to them. A delicious steak doesn’t end with the meal but points to the Creator of taste buds. A mountain or lovely beach points to His majesty, we thank Him for the gift of laughter and beautiful things lead to worship and gratitude instead of gluttony. When we lose people or things we value or love, we are sad but not crushed.  God is Glorified in His Creations June 1, 2015 The mere existence of God's spectacular creations declare His glory.  Grace and Truth through Jesus Christ June 10, 2015  Share with Love June 16, 2015 The real Christian would never use the name of Jesus to persecute, judge or condemn a non-believer. Moreover, the follower of Christ is to speak of faith and the gospel with gentleness, patience, respect and love and would never cloak judgement or hate with the name of Jesus Christ. "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness." 2 Timothy 2:23  Justice June 19, 2015 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. -Romans 3:23-25  Marked by Love June 28, 2015 Intolerance or hate cannot be allowed to bloom in our thoughts if we are following Christ. Our capacity to Love our neighbor is how we know God lives in us.  Living in Love June 29, 2015 To live in Love is truly a lifestyle. Gradually we have this commitment blended into every nook and cranny, attempting to do Love in every part of our life; this is living in Love. 
 To Live is Christ, to Die is Gain July 13, 2015 Enjoy a related video sermon by Matt Chandler of The Village Church.  The Love of God July 23, 2015 If you are browsing this website from the comfort of your easy chair, home office or convenience of your smart phone, chances are you have "worldly means". According to a recent Gallup study, the median annual household income worldwide is just $9,733, less than many people earn in an average month. If we are followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit will compel us to give beyond what social construct would deem rational. Dining at home for one week, skipping the manicure, mowing our own lawn or buying chicken instead of steak should be lifestyle adjustment we welcome if it allows us to provide for someone lacking basics such as clothing, food, shelter, medicine or a pair of shoes that fit. Moreover, simply offering to "pray" when adjusting our lifestyle could mean an actual life for a brother or sister is cold and arrogant. As followers of Christ we Love in deed and truth.  We are Zealous for Good Deeds Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. -Titus 2:13-15 Our deeds are not for the purpose of earning eternal life with Christ. It is in gratitude for His grace we are compelled to do good for others.    A Refuge for the Oppressed Father, yours is a cleansing peace, my comfort and assurance. You are merciful and faithful, even in troubles of my own making. Hold me in the precious light of your blood, stainless and lovely. Show me your holiness and welcome me in your fold. I praise you and thank you Lord God, Amen. Perfected in Love, through Love by Grace Doing Love, as inspired by Holy Spirit, perfects us.  Perfected in Love, Through Love, By Grace  This Life is Short for Idolatry  God is Not Your Genie God is not a wish maker, magician, wizard or genie. He doesn't exist to bring us a winning lottery ticket or even our best day now. God loves us but clearly, God is for His will and desires. Moreover, His will is always best and always perfect. My mission as a follower of Christ, is to seek the will of the Father and glorify Him in all I do.   | May 1, 2013: Saying "Yes" to Small Stuff My natural approach to life is "do it early, and do it now". However, that's not how things usually work in God's world; He gets us what we need and in the right amount as we need it, no sooner-no later, no more-no less. So, I am waiting for manna and resisting the urge to post a new Love Project. Yes, I will wait for direction. In the mean time, write a "Love Note" or finish out the project we're in. I have been writing every day since Easter Sunday and have seen miracles unfolding in my life. Writing every day has strengthened my spirit and resolve that focusing on Love in every part of my life is the right thing. I am sad to say that my dear Mom Sandy passed away on the 26th day of writing, but praise God, for the last few weeks of her life here, she was reading the Love Notes posted on this site, was committed to growing a relationship with Christ, studying the Bible and making notes on what she read. Thankfully, she was in a good place and my spirit was being prepared for this great loss by doing the "Love Project" we were in. It just takes SAYING YES to that small, still voice that nudges us to "do" and "be" what is best. That's where miracles can come of tragedy we don't see coming! And, when you say yes, there is a ripple effect, the result of which is even more amazing as time passes. Love is perfect and makes the best for us. We just have to listen and say yes. Please, say yes to that small voice in your heart even when it seems it will be of no consequence. Listen for it. I am SO grateful I did and SO grateful my Mother did. This weekend we will be posting the newest "Love Like Giants" project, and it is not for the faint of heart. The purpose of this latest project is to learn the "doing" aspect of Love, begin understanding the humility in perfect Love, gain more awareness of our motives as we do good and maintain a daily focus on it. There will be several daily commitments to "doing" Love, at least thirty to choose from, on cards you can print. The idea is to choose a commitment each day. Please come back to the site Sunday to print your project cards. May 20, 2013: Project 2 Ready to Go Project 2 is posted and ready for use. This is an exciting opportunity to fine tune our Agape Love skills with a new idea each day to "do" a loving act of kindness on purpose. Read more... May 22, 2013: Projects with a Purpose If you are new to "Love Like Giants", we would love for you to participate in the projects we facilitate, all dedicated toward learning and growth in Agape Love. We encourage you to start with Project 1 and work your way through in the order they were created. Each project has a purpose, leading to the next. Project 1 teaches self-discipline and causes reflection on our ability to practice Agape Love. Project 2 is more about "doing" Love, the ideal of practicing Love for the sake of Love and awareness of our motives. Weeks 1 and 2 materials are now available for Love Project 2. Please feel free to view and print from the project pages. August 7, 2013; A Mindset of Receptivity and our Current Project As "Love Like Giants" projects are formed, I do the project. In this case, I am using the prayer I wrote in the July post, but have had difficulty remembering it each day. It seems it would be helpful to create a wallet card I can tape to my dash or bathroom mirror to keep it front of mind. That is on the "to do" list. Whatever the case, beginning the day with prayer, be it this prayer or another, and spending time with God makes me more receptive to any guidance or direction He wants to give; when my relationship is good and I am talking and listening to God I am more able to recognize His voice. Moreover, I am not as disabled with the negative stuff that can creep into my head, especially in the morning. So, this project certainly includes starting the day with prayer, meditating on His word and doing it on purpose. Set that alarm ten minutes earlier and use the time for praying and meditating on 1 John 4:7 and James 4:17 (quoted in the July post). I will do the same. Please share your insights with me via email or on our FaceBook page. August 27, 2013; Still Praying Large and Sharing our Purpose "Love Like Giants projects, events and initiatives materialize and evolve through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible and answers to prayer. Our projects and activities are for the purpose of growing in and "doing" Agape Love as modeled by Christ. As we are lead in our project design, we outline and prayerfully do the project precisely as it is written, reflect on the impact and make adjustments before we release it to others. If at any point we are Divinely inspired to stop, reevaluate, adjust or postpone a project, we do so without hesitation. We will take no steps and will not move forward in any project until we are certain of its' Divine inspiration. To date, we have released the "Love Notes" project, "Love Do's" project and are currently in development with "Prayer to Hear and Follow Direction" and "Pray Large", which may accompany projects or become projects on their own. We currently touch people in nine countries with individual activities and deeds inspired by "doing" Love as Christ modeled and commanded us to, the Love Like Giants website, email updates to LLG followers, news and posts on our FaceBook Page, "Tweets", charitable donations, Instagram and Pinterest posts with messages centered around growing in "doing" Love, word of mouth and distributing Love Like Giants branded merchandise to tell people about us." October 21, 2013; Doing the right thing is often simple, but not always easy Most of us have a moral compass that goes wild in our dealings with individual people, small businesses, the underdog or "common" folk. However, we can justify doing the wrong thing as we deal with entities without a face, like a big company or mega store, for example. We might steal time by surfing the web when we should be working, taking long lunches at work, give minimal effort or socialize too much too often. We may be tempted not tell the cashier at ZipMart that she gave us too much change or undercharged us. The bottom line is that right is right and our choices will be reckoned with spiritually, and hopefully when we lie down to rest at night. When we choose to be dishonest it impacts us regardless of who our victim is; it is about us. If we are dishonest or do the wrong thing too often, we will become desensitized to it (thank God for an active conscious... no, really, thank God). If we want to live in the blessings God has planned for us, we must be willing to follow God's instruction and aspire to be Christlike in ALL circumstances; there is no occasion in which it is justified to be dishonest, unkind, unfair, oppressive, merciless or the like. There is never a time to leave Love out of a situation if we want the best to come of it. Love is always the right choice, even (and especially) with our enemies. I am grateful I had the willingness today to listen and follow that small still voice directing me to do the right thing. Difficult in this case, yes.... but simple. November 4, 2013; God works through us Why does God allow people to be hungry? How can He allow children to be abused the mentally ill to be homeless, elderly people to go without heat? There is so much injustice... how does He permit it. We should turn to the "Him" within us, and our inability or reluctance to serve the "Him" planted in the hungry, homeless or oppressed human being for the answer. We are created in the image of God, each and every one of us. It is our mission as servants and doers of Agape Love to see Christ in every rugged, worn out face. We feed, clothe, help, give and serve from His image within and and for His image put in to every human being. November 22, 2013; Adopt a Family Do you want to Adopt a Family this holiday season? Would you be willing to participate in a "coat drive"? There are many opportunities for you or your organization to help. Please email info@lovelikegiants.org to learn more. December 19, 2013; The Christ in Christmas It is fitting that after Thanksgiving, a time of reflecting on what we are grateful for, we celebrate the birth of Christ, the greatest blessing ever bestowed upon mankind. Christmas is a celebration of hope and gratitude, a time to be a blessing to others in the knowledge of what we have been given. I have heard many people this year proclaiming that they will not let "them" take the Christ out of Christmas. If we want to have "Christ in Christmas", we must do it with our Christlike actions, by following the example of perfect Love and tangibly blessing others. Do Love, knowing that this is how people in the world will recognize that we belong to Christ, the only true way to "keep Christ in Christmas". December 21, 2013; Be the hands of Christ for those who are hurting this Christmas For people who experience Christmas alone or grieving the loss of a husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father or dear friend, festivities may not feel so festive, "Joy to the World" may feel lonely, gifts may feel hollow and long held traditions will need to be reinvented. We say, "I will pray for you" when people are in pain, and prayer is important. However, we have to remember that God often wants to answer prayers through your hands and your actions, so let's get to it! If you bake cookies, make some extra ones. Extend a coffee or shopping invitation, show up at the door with a small, decorated tree or make a few extra phone calls to cheer someone. We pray someone won't be lonely, then make sure they're not alone. We pray for a grieving friend to feel God's comfort, then take them to your church or provide resources like books. Prayer, and specifically praying in faith, requires works, and God wants to work through you as the loving hands of Christ. February 1, 2014; The Blessing of Interruptions Wednesday was a particularly full day that started with rushing in the morning to attend an early meeting. I grabbed my lunch and was reminded by the prayer hanging on my refrigerator that I had neglected to pray. I stopped and began with that prayer that caught my attention, one that was given to me in putting a "Love Like Giants" project on paper. It begins with, "Father, give me ears to hear and recognize your voice as I navigate through my normal routines today." In my rush that morning, I tried to shorten that part of the prayer, and once again I was stopped, I was interrupted. He was reminding me how important those words were in that prayer. In that moment, I realized how very important it is for me to hear from and recognize God's voice as I engage in my patterns, habits or "normal routines", that revelations come when I hear from Him in the midst of what is average or typical for me. It dawned on me that it is only when I am interrupted that my thoughts and behaviors can change. Within that interruption, immediately I thought of Saul. Saul, who would later become Paul and write Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon and most likely Hebrews. Saul took great pleasure in persecuting followers of Christ, regularly throwing them into prison and stoning them to death. As he traveled to Damascus on a mission to capture and imprison Christians, he was dramatically interrupted by an encounter with God that included three days of blindness (you can read about it in Acts 9:1-19). Saul's interruption was dramatic as he traveled for a mission that was his habit, part of his normal routine. As we navigate through our normal routines, the interruptions may be more subtle, but still life changing. If your habit is to eat or drink too much, to yell at or criticize your spouse or child, if you overspend, engage in self-pity, gossip, gripe, procrastinate, make selfish choices... your interruption could be anything, possibly a moment when your eyes are opened to the full impact of your actions, something that stops you in the midst of your normal pattern. You may have a thought that seems to come out of nowhere. A billboard you pass, something you read, a commercial on television, a song or phrase might jump out at you or suddenly have new meaning. You may experience the loss of a job or relationship, the death of a loved one, a health scare... any number of things. A few months ago, I wrote about one of these interruptions that became a revelation for me as I drove into work one morning (read the November 18 LLG archive). My interruption revealed that we are to be the hands of Christ, that if we obey those urgings to "do Love", we will often be the answer to someone's prayer and that the good we do reveals Christ and Love to people in this world. So, thank God for interruptions. I pray that each of you experience the blessings of an interruption. Here is the full prayer that inspired this post: “Father, give me ears to hear and recognize your voice as I navigate through my normal routines today. Allow me to tune in to those small, still urgings to do Love in all circumstances and in all decisions, big and small. Grant me wisdom and provide me the willingness, ability and desire to follow your direction.” March 19, 2014; The Nature of a Servant  When I'm treated unfairly, or notice a person I view as mean or dishonest gaining or winning is some way, I must think about the decision Jesus made to serve, to take my place in the death I deserved. I am not capable of all that Christ did, but I am at least capable of the spiritual maturity required to grow into a servant and refrain from envy, self-pity, revenge or any attempt to see "justice" served. Moreover, I must really never hope to get what I "deserve", in any instance. Even my thoughts condemn me. Life is short and most things don't really matter all that much, actually. The circumstances or people that really get under my skin often, even usually, push the buttons of pride or fear. Before I work myself into a tizzy over something I will forget about by next week or next year, I must reflect on the mindset of Christ, what He did for me and what it means to be a servant. I remind myself it's not my place to determine who deserves to be served, as I myself certainly would not qualify by any standard. I serve because Christ Loved and served me first, an undeserving recipient of grace. Giving, doing and sacrificing for the "undeserving"... this is the essence of Agape Love. very natures. There was no justice in this sacrifice. When I'm treated unfairly, or notice a person I view as mean or dishonest gaining or winning is some way, I must think about the decision Jesus made to serve, to take my place in the death I deserved. I am not capable of all that Christ did, but I am at least capable of the spiritual maturity required to grow into a servant and refrain from envy, self-pity, revenge or any attempt to see "justice" served. Moreover, I must really never hope to get what I "deserve", in any instance. Even my thoughts condemn me. Life is short and most things don't really matter all that much, actually. The circumstances or people that really get under my skin often, even usually, push the buttons of pride or fear. Before I work myself into a tizzy over something I will forget about by next week or next year, I must reflect on the mindset of Christ, what He did for me and what it means to be a servant. I remind myself it's not my place to determine who deserves to be served, as I myself certainly would not qualify by any standard. I serve because Christ Loved and served me first, an undeserving recipient of grace. Giving, doing and sacrificing for the "undeserving"... this is the essence of Agape Love. June 1, 2014; Feelings are Not Facts, Remembering God is Faithful God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.-1 Corinthians 1:9 Communication is a complex series of signals that tell us how to behave, and sometimes we misread the signals. In our commitment to doing Love, it is easy to "misread the cues" from God if the feelings we expect do not follow our actions. If we expect to always feel overwhelmed with a sense of Christ's presence, we can become discouraged when we don't get the "signal". No matter what we feel, or do not feel, we must rely on knowing that God is faithful and can be no other way. Being true to His promises is who He is, regardless of how we feel. His direction to "Love thy neighbor" also never changes, whether it is accompanied by an overwhelming awareness of His presence or not. In gratitude, we are committed to doing Love for Loves' sake and know His Love never fails. November 24, 2014; Be a Model of God's Love  November 26, 2014; Be a Blessing Commitment begins Thanksgiving Day  December 21, 2014; Choose Your Words Wisely  35"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:35-37December 18, 2014; Dwelling in the Presence of God The presence of God is my comfort, I rest in His urging and correction. My joy comes from consciousness of Him and I am directed by ongoing prayer. I live in the presence of a glorious and ever present God.  December 11, 2014; At Christmas we Unwrap a Covenant from God Fulfilled  This is one of my favorite posts and it is a repeat from last Christmas. It makes me reflect on God's fulfillment of a sacred promise, and the most profound gift of Love ever given. This is the story of a King and our Messiah who willingly made Himself a servant and gave His life for all mankind. "Jesus called them together and said, You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45, NIV)  December 27, 2014; Aware of the Excess Jesus Christ asked us to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our mind and all our souls, and said we should Love our neighbor as ourselves. He didn't suggest we "take care of ourselves first" and never mentioned that we should only give to the "deserving". When He said, "as ourselves" He likely meant that we should give to the extent we would want to receive if we were in the others' shoes. Many of us could change many lives and demonstrate the Love of Jesus Christ with very minor changes in our lifestyles. Imagine how many people we could feed every month just with the money we spend on cable TV, eating out or the cost of a pair of shoes. This life is temporary, so please consider the impact and pray for willingness to "Love thy neighbor as ourselves".  January 11, 2015; The Basics “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and theProphets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:36-40  January 21, 2015; God Wants to Hear about Everything Developing a relationship with anyone, including our loving God, requires spending timetogether. And there doesn't have to be a special event or occasion to spend time with the ones we love. So spend time today talking to God, even if there's nothing Earth shattering going on. \  January 25, 2015; In God there is Hope It is easy to get discouraged when things do not go as we hope, and Jesus did tell us we would have trouble in the world. We will experience loss, may be treated unfairly and sometimes things do not turn out okay in this life. But if we love God, we will recognize and believe in His son, and we can live in the hope that good things have been prepared for us. There is hope in Jesus. February 26, 2015; God Has the Last Word in Every Situation The Story In May 2013, a very special family came live with my husband and I; we were acquainted through work we did several years ago in Egypt. They lived with us for about 9 months and in mid January, left the United States and returned to Egypt to keep their immigration status legal. They were due to return to the US last week and made it to Qatar where they were stopped by a US agent as they were boarding the flight to Philadelphia. Though the agent was polite, he said if they continued on they would not be permitted to enter the United States and would be sent back to Egypt. Even though they have been very careful about obeying US immigration laws in their past travels, the agent indicated US officials believed they were too much of a risk for remaining in the US illegally. For now, we have no clear explanation or direction to rectify this and the entire family is horribly disappointed. During this last several months this dear family found hope and friendship within our church and were really learning about Christ. They regularly attended services, the kids were in children’s service at least one a week, Mo didn’t miss a Bible study and he even served on the lighting team. He often told us that he felt peace at church, that he just wanted to be there. He often expressed being moved in ways he'd never experienced. I feel strongly that this was the Holy Spirit drawing him to faith. Iing the Love of Christ. Being sent back to Egypt is a difficult setback, but God will have the last word in this situation. The Response I believe we can continue God's work in modeling the Love of Christ, and although being sent back to Egypt was a difficult setback, God will have the last word in this situation. It is not safe to be a follower of Christ or affiliated with certain groups in Egypt, and citizens have been imprisoned for political and religious activity on Facebook. However, several members of Mo’s family, their friends, and friends of friends, visit the LoveLikeGiants Facebook page. So I reached out to several members of our church and followers of Christ and asked them to send me messages of encouragement specifically for this family. I embed the messages they send in an image and post on the LLG Facebook page several times a week. Our friends in Egypt follow this page and are aware we are posting messages there for them due to this situation (and others who struggle with hope, faith and the hard blows of life). Please visit the LoveLikeGiants Facebook page to offer encouragement, click "share" or simply add your "amen". In addition, this family currently has no home or employment because returning to Egypt at this time was unplanned. There was some savings, but it was eaten up with living expenses and an unexpected medical issue. They are staying with a family member, but space is so cramped they must take turns sleeping. If you'd be willing to help the family with basic needs until Mo is able to find work in Egypt, please contact me at info@lovelikegiants.org. March 15, 2015; Agape Love on Facebook has a Wicking Effect Last month I shared the story of our friends from Egypt and the need for us to provide them encouragement. Several of you giants wrote inspirational messages accompanied by scripture and I added it to our Facebook page. When we began writing, the page had a little less than 200 "likes", meaning someone saw a message from us at some point and chose "like" on the page so messages we post would come to their page as we post, or our page was recommended and they "liked" it. In the weeks after we started writing, our "likes" jumped to 231 with no promotion. Three days ago I decided to very minimally promote the site for two days in the United States, Egypt, the Philippines and India since we seem to get visits from those parts of the world (we have spend less than $100 total since the inception of the page). Currently, 2473 people "like" the page, greater than ten times more than last week, and the reach of our posts jumped from peaks of 500 hundred to more than 26,000. The messages we have been writing for our Egyptian friends have brought hope to suffering people all over the world. I received comments and email from people going through a variety of struggles thanking us for specific posts that were shared before this jump in activity, and I'm feeling overwhelmed with gratitude that we have the opportunity to share encouragement and scripture with so many others. It is important for us to remember the wicking effect of doing Agape Love, and praise God for it. And when we say, "Yes" to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we never know what the impact will be. If you feel inspired to share a short message of encouragement summarizing a few verses in the Old or New Testament, please email or message from the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LoveLikeGiants. UPDATE: As of April 9 the reach of our posts jumped from peaks of 500 hundred to more than 46,000 per week.
Serve Cheerfully April 15, 2015 When we Love our brothers and sisters, we do so in response to God's Love for us. Love and serve others cheerfully. Love One Another April 19, 2015  Love God, Love Others April 30, 2015 Pray for growth toward the two most important of commandments of our faith; to Love the Lord God with all your might, all your heart and all your soul, and to Love your neighbor as yourself.
Praise the Lord May 4, 2015
God First May 9, 2015 What and who we love most in this life has to be less to us than God. Pray for God centered priorities.  The Lord's Servant May 12, 2015 Respond to those who disagree with your faith in kindness.  Our Riches May 21, 2015 For the follower of Christ, a delicious steak doesn’t end with the meal but points to the Creator of taste buds. A mountain or lovely beach points to His majesty, we thank Him for the gift of laughter and beautiful things lead to worship and gratitude instead of gluttony. When we lose people or things we value or love, we are sad but not crushed.If we earn $25,000 per year we are among the wealthiest 2% in the world. What we spend our money on reveals what we put our hope in.  God Reveals Himself in His Word May 26, 2015 The better we know the Lord, the more we love Him. Study scripture to know Him better.  Show Love June 4, 2015 A follower of Christ would not resort to taunting, condemning, excluding, terrorizing, threatening, controlling, insulting, mistreating or even shooting people they disagree with to make a point, give "God's opinion" or stand for so called "Christian values". Christians are more often Christlike, or at least strive to be. And if we are to bring others to Christ, we must do our upmost to show the Love that Jesus has shown us, period.  Seeing God June 11, 2015 God reveals Himself in all He has made. Look for His brilliance and majesty in His creations as you taste your food and smell your morning coffee, amaze in the complexity of your skin and eyes, examine the soil in your garden, look on to a mountain or walk on the beach.  Our Hope in Loving our Neighbor June 15, 2015 We give to the poor without expectation, judgement or excuse, but in the hope people will see Christ though our hands and feet.  The Heart of God June 17, 2015 Jesus loved people whom society scorned and judged. He poured compassion on adulterers (think of the woman who they wanted to stone after being caught with a man). He had compassion for criminals (remember the one Jesus said He would see in heaven later that day). Jesus even loved and showed Himself to people who persecuted and murdered Christians (the Apostle Paul). He had a heart for tax collectors, common laborers zealots and pagans. This is the model for how we should Love.  Seek to Understand rather than be Understood June 20, 2015 The prayer of St. Francis came to mind as I added this post. "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life."  Call Upon the Lord July 4, 2015 We can have comfort in the fact that when we call upon God with sincerity, He will always draw near.  Acknowledge Jesus July 9, 2015 Jesus Christ is the Son of God and also is God. We must acknowledge this fact if God is to live in us.  Don't be Afraid July 10, 2015  When we know Christ we never have to be afraid. We know He'll care for us and wants the best for us. Enjoy this terrific video of John Piper speaking on Luke 12:32. Love July 11, 2015 Matthew 22: 37-40 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Stay in Christ July 19, 2015 When we remain in Christ we will bear fruit. If we feel ourselves leaning on our own intellect or strength, keep reaching for Him and praying for His hand to nudge you toward Him. Without Him, we can do nothing, and if you've gone down your own path, start reading His word and He will show you the way back to Him. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd and celebrates the return of any one of His flock.  Follow in His Steps I might not ever walk on water or raise the dead, but I can strive to do the will of the Father; this is walking in His steps.
Perseverance Jesus, help me live my life in you. Chastise my spirit and intervene if ever I begin to turn from what I have learned. Lock your word in my heart and keep me ever mindful of your great Love, amen.  Filled with Light But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. -1 Thessalonians 5:4-5  Glorify God in all things  Be Generous to the Poor The Pharisees were always trying to "catch" Jesus with the letter of the law. Jesus spoke and pointed to the spirit of the law, which the Pharisees always missed. In Luke 11:39-41, Jesus takes a reference to being unclean from food that is eaten to being clean by being generous to the poor.  My Grace is Sufficient  Whatever my weakness, God's grace is sufficient for me. My perfection depends upon my reliance on Him. |
