Omnia Vincit Amor

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” - (Song of Solomon 4:7 ESV)

She thinks I’m on one
And that my intentions are dumb
Always calling me stupid
And telling me I should know better
Sometimes she even says that I could do better…
Than her?!
No sir.
Omnia vincit amor
She’s everything I could ever want or ask for 

But she sees herself as gangly and unkempt
And when I call her beautiful
She holds me in contempt
Tells me that I put her on a pedestal
To which I reply, “Guilty as charged”
She is a lily among the thorns
And the captor of my heart
Every time I see her face
I’m reminded that it’s her lips alone
That I want to taste…
A glimpse of God’s grace
Omnia vincit amor
She’s the only one that I adore 

She rejects my neglect of her imperfections
Dissects herself through harsh introspection
And tries to convince me to see them
But she doesn’t understand
Since Jesus had to bleed for us
I have no need to make a fuss
She’s altogether lovely
Perfect from head to toe
She’s better than wine
So I have to take her in slow
Omnia vincit amor
So intoxicated by this love
That it brings me to the floor 

Fearfully and wonderfully made
So what is there possibly to hate?
I’m a zealot for her affections
It’s only her hand that I’m willing to take
Others may disregard her value
But she’s worth more than I dare to say
The statuesque features
Of such a heavenly creature
Speak to the truth…
Something the Lord’s made 

She’s not just a “dime” or a “cutie”
She carries within her a deeper beauty
A courageous heart and sense of justice
A faithful daughter; a mother on duty
So when it’s been one of those days
And it’s like the world is on her case
I find nothing but pleasure in doing all I can
To show how much I lover her
And bring a smile to her face 

Omnia vincit amor
Forevermore.


“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
- (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

The Greatest of These (That Hideous Strength)

  Set me as a seal upon your heart,
  as a seal upon your arm,
 for love is strong as death,
  jealousy is fierce as the grave.
 Its flashes are flashes of fire,
  the very flame of the LORD.
(Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV)

 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

Some mismanage it

Manhandle and then abandon it

Left for dead under the overpass

After it’s been bruised up and damaged

Highly disregarded and discarded with ease

Unknown to the world, yet still, it’s the greatest of these

Still looking for answers while we put a band-aid on our cancer

It patiently waits in the dark; on the ready with the brightest of lanterns

Ready to guide us through the blinding mire of hostility

With the smoldering flame of an uncommon humility

Men say that they’d give up the world just to possess it

Only to rent it out for a meager profit, then strip it down and redress it

Even refusing to call it by its name –

Because it only responds to the truth

And they just want to defame it…

Punched, kicked, held in contempt and battered

But in spite of swollen eyes, its gaze is fixed

As if none of it matters

Never raises its voice to try to plead its case…

It carries on ‘til the end

Even if forever is however long that it takes

Pain is not the pleasure, but services as the vessel

Takes it to the final destination

Delivering the greater message

Delivered without measure – digging up the buried treasure

Hidden under the weight humanity’s mess

A task that no other could dare endeavor

To hell and back -

When we refused to bleed, it bled for us

Got stabbed in the robbery and still took on the death sentence

Parted the head of the warden and beat a path back up from the bottom

Set the captives free when it flooded their prison cells with that living water

Instead of coveting lust, it holds a covenant up in front of us

Reflects the beauty of its purity and shows us truly wonderful

Faith unwavering and a hope assured that never expires

Its power never ceases even after the world that we know is retired

Not to be confused with seductive bedroom eyes

Pursuit of the one night stand or catching a glimpse of her thighs

A strong back to hold onto while you’re lying in bed

Or lies that he’ll wanna tell so that you’ll open your legs

Sex out of context is only there for a moment

And involves giving up your ghost to someone who doesn’t own it

Less than and three may put a heart on your screen

But it’ll never give you a love that’s greater than these

When I’m worse it makes me better

When I wanna quit, it tells me, “never”

When I can’t stand, it keeps me movin’

When I fall apart, it holds me together

It reminds me that I’m cherished

And that I’ll never ever be severed

Forgives all of my inadequacy

And never lets me for get it

When I start to believe that redemption is completely impossible

It lifts up my heavy head through the grace of the Gospel

The same that gave sight to blind men and dead men life

Is the same that can take a whore and turn her into a wife

No matter how promiscuous, this thing is so relentless

It pursues to the end and will have your beggin’ for forgiveness

Yes, there’s only one thing that can remove our stain and our stench…

Love is stronger than death; such a hideous strength.

 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.
(1 John 4:18-19 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

What I "Know" About Love

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

The "know" here is not speaking of mere head-knowledge or intellectual ascent ; in fact, it is a different word in the greek ('epignosimai' rather than 'ginosko') - here, Paul is speaking of "know" in the most intimate of context (much like Adam "knew" Eve - Genesis 4:1). So the literal translation would actually read more, "...we will love intimately as we have fully been loved intimately". When understood in context, it sheds much needed light on this passage; everything that we do now, including love, is done "in part" (incomplete). It is this way until the maturation process is completed in the return of Christ. At that point, all other things, save love (1 Corinthians 13:8), will cease because the culmination of God's love for his creation will be fully comprehended. The reason for the ceasing of things like prophecy and tongues is because their purpose will be terminated by the presence of the One in whom they point to...all that will be left is Love unsurpassed and unhindered in the ultimate of intimacy: face to face fellowship everlasting with the Godhead.

Talk about a Valentine's Day...


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

LOVE

"Love is different than you think; it's never in a song or on a TV screen..." - Derek Webb


Derek Webb - Lover


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 ESV

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. - 1 John 3:16 ESV

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10 ESV

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:3 ESV

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon