Love Like St. Valentine

How interesting that Valentine’s Day, February 14th, the day we celebrate love, is St. Valentine’s death date. At first glance it is odd, but the Christian can see the beautiful association of love and death. In a way, agape love or sacrificial love is death; it requires doing what is necessary to uphold another’s life – even laying down one’s life for another. Jesus died on the cross, not merely to show us He loves us, but also to pay for our sins and our shame. His act of love enables us to put to death our love of worldly sinful things. St. Valentine befriended Julia, healed her from her blindness, and shared the Gospel with her. Jesus befriends us and heals us of a different type of blindness, the blindness we have towards our sin. Once we see our sin, we understand the fullness of the Gospel and the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. 

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Suffering – Useful or Useless?

By Macy Froetschner Canada has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the world. According to The Guardian, euthanasia is among the top six leading causes of death. Why is Canada, and many states in the United States, choosing to …

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Lessons in Suffering

By Jenna Smith It is a natural human reaction to dodge suffering. We all procrastinate homework, swerve around potholes, and take painkillers to keep from feeling pain and discomfort. This was my experience when I was 15 and my parents …

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Eternal Destiny

by Michelle Bauman, Director of Y4Life I’ve been doing lots of cleaning lately—lots of sorting and throwing and giving away. And though it’s exciting to be productive, this purging is made more impactful because it’s a reminder of God’s promises, promises …

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Created for Eternity

Anna Young In 1513, Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon set out searching for the Fountain of Youth, a fabled water source that is said to bring eternal youth…and ended up in Florida. The Fountain of Youth tourist attraction is …

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The Comfort of Cemeteries

By Bonnie Pool When I was in elementary school, my dad would often take me to visit Concordia Cemetery on Sundays while the rest of my family was in church choir rehearsal. C.F.W. Walther is buried there, along with many …

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