UPDATE: This give-away is now closed. The winners are: Kelly and Janet Turner! (I found a second case of books, so we have two winners instead of one!)
If you look around you today, you’ll see all sorts of expressions and definitions of love. Rather than add my own voice to an already overwhelming cacophany, let me take you to the truest and simplest definition of love there is, from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
There it is. It isn’t poems and heart-shaped cards, chocolates and flowers, although all of those things are nice. It’s daily, and it’s humble. On Valentine’s Day, we tend to think of sweethearts and spouses, but let’s remember that the greatest love of all is the love God has for us.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“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).
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 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 4:7-12).
Many are bound to be disappointed on Valentine’s Day when expectations are not met. But God’s love does not, cannot disappoint:
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5).
No matter how you celebrate Valentine’s Day, I hope you will dwell in the love God has for you.
GIVE-AWAY
And now, to celebrate love, I have a CASE of 22 copies of The Love Dare to give away to ONE lucky winner! What would you do with 22 copies? To enter the drawing, leave a comment below. I’ll choose a winner at random on Monday, Feb. 18.
Please note: This give-away is open to all of you. But if your husband is currently deployed, you may also be interested in this wonderful resource: 40 Days of the Deployment Dare, courtesy of ExcellentorPraiseworthy.org. It’s a free adaptation of the love dare that you can do even while apart from your spouse. You may still enter to win the case of the paperbacks, I just wanted you to also know about this!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
What a blessing it would be to have 22 copies to share with the wives of my husbands unit that has departed for Afghanistan…..many are struggling, and I believe that would help them greatly to complete the dare long distance! Challenging, yes, but what strength they could gain……I think it’s wonderful that you are doing this, by the way, you are very inspirational. Thank you so much for your constant support and enlightenment!
With our deployment finally coming to an end, I’d give away 21 copies of “The Love Dare” and keep one for myself! What a great way to help have a smooth reintegration!!
Give them to ladies in our unit whose husbands are redeploying SOON from 9 months in Afghanistan. A great way for them to re-kindle their marriages after a really tough separation.
Love this
I would share! My husband and I didn’t do the love dare, but Fireproof was an eyeopener for he and I. It really opened our eyes to the fact that we were each others one and only to cherish! My daughter is now going through her own struggles in marriage. Her husband a marine, has turned his back on her and two children and she is 7 months pregnant. She and the children have just arrived in NY from California last night as he told her to leave. It was not without much prayer and petition to the Lord that she decided to come here for her and childrens security. She does not want to give up but he refuses to care for them. He may be suffering from PTSD but refuses to get help. I would share copies with both of them. She has been hurt terribly and he is telling her he no longer wants to be a husband and father. They actually met in youth group at church and reconnected as adults and married. I am praying he can help my son-in-law be released from Satan’s lies and deceit, but know that God’s plan will be revealed and we will continue to praise him in this storm.
My husbands platoon has a lot of young couples and many are facing divorice after deployment. I think they could benefit from this book because my husband and I did this the last time he was deployed. I would love the opurtunity to share with the younger soldiers.
I would keep one copy and share the rest with other women in our battalions FRG. We are almost through this deployment with my husband deployed to Afganistan. This would be wonderful to receive and share before we are reunited with our loved one.
We are in another deployment and this time our company has a great deal of newly married couples. I would share the copies with those couples so that each will cherish and continue to strengthen their bond of matrimony.
Our church group just got done with The Resolution and this would be great ‘part 2′ of our husband wife series!
It would be so wonderful to have a case full of these wonderful books to give away!!! Thank you for doing this.
I would love copies for myself and the other deployed Green Mountain Boys wives. Winter is such a tough season to be alone, especially with a young family to care for. Thanks for such an awesome page!
I love fireproof! I would love to share these with some family and friends. Thanks for the giveaway
read one, give one to husband, three to BFFs back in my home town, and meet 17 new people by showing up at a military function on base and giving them away. We just moved and I don’t know anyone…
I already have 10 couples I know in mind. The other 12 copies I would use as conversations starters with couples I’ll be getting to know as we relocate. If its not me, I pray so they will be of blessing no matter were they go.
Thanks everyone so much for entering this drawing! It’s wonderful to see your hearts to share and help other couples strengthen their marriages! Using random.org, the winners are Kelly and Janet Turner! I found a second case of books to give away, which is why we have two winners instead of one. Kelly and Janet, check your email inboxes and send me your mailing addresses, please! Thanks!