Happy Valentine's Day!
I'm long past due for a blog post do you not think my friends? Agreed. Today I had a lovely surprise when I got home from school and found a pot of red carnations on my bed sent to my by my parents all the way from North Carolina. It absolutely made my day. It's amazing to feel their love from so far away. LOVE... Lot's of love today :) Let's see. Valentine's Day... hmmm... what to say about the day of love, romance, and hearts? What to write?
Okay, the historian in me wants to come out so today will be a history lesson for those of you who don't know what Valentine's Day is really all about. ;) hehe.
Did you know Valentine's Day is actually a christian holiday?... okay, so most holidays are christian holidays...
Anyhow, Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine who is one of the early christian martyrs in anciant Rome. Who was this christian martyr.? If I remember what I learned correctly, Valentine was a priest in Rome, who was assisted other christians who were plauged by Roman persecution. Not only was he assisting chrisitans he was also caught marrying Christian couples (illegal at the time); afterwards Valentine was arrested and imprisoned.
He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who tried persuading Valentine (to the point of torture) to make him promise to renounce his faith in God as a Christian . Valentine would not co-operate and was beaten with clubs, whipped, stoned, then still refusing to renounce his faith was beheaded,on February 14.
I know what you're thinking... not very romantic right?
Where the story of love an romance lies is in the ledgend, that while in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailer's blind daughter. The legend states that on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."
Now most of my recollection is from an "Adventure's in Oddessy" that featured the story, but I always found it what made Valentine's Day most inpiring. The fact that Valentine, whoever he really was lived, loved, and died for his faith in Jesus Christ. In the face of death and torture he didn't deny his God, though it would have been an easy way out. His story reminds me of the greatest show of love in all of history.
The love of a King, the Ruler of all the earth, who would brutally murder His only son so that we, peasants, theives, adulturs, liars, and lost sheep could live.
Also, the love of a Prince. Prince of the universe, He gave it all His riches and spleador because of His love for us, His people. A love so great that He would come and live among us. He would show us how to live... and in th end display his UNDYING love for us, by dying in our place... A painful, brutal, and undeserving death. Then by dying, conquer death and come back to life, so that we would be free.
We are no longer enslaved by the evil's of this world.
The love of God the Father for us.
The love of Jesus Christ the Son, who died for us.
and The love of the Holy Spirit, that lives in us.
THAT LOVE:
"'Tis a powerful thing!"
I'm long past due for a blog post do you not think my friends? Agreed. Today I had a lovely surprise when I got home from school and found a pot of red carnations on my bed sent to my by my parents all the way from North Carolina. It absolutely made my day. It's amazing to feel their love from so far away. LOVE... Lot's of love today :) Let's see. Valentine's Day... hmmm... what to say about the day of love, romance, and hearts? What to write?
Okay, the historian in me wants to come out so today will be a history lesson for those of you who don't know what Valentine's Day is really all about. ;) hehe.
Did you know Valentine's Day is actually a christian holiday?... okay, so most holidays are christian holidays...
Anyhow, Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine who is one of the early christian martyrs in anciant Rome. Who was this christian martyr.? If I remember what I learned correctly, Valentine was a priest in Rome, who was assisted other christians who were plauged by Roman persecution. Not only was he assisting chrisitans he was also caught marrying Christian couples (illegal at the time); afterwards Valentine was arrested and imprisoned.
He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who tried persuading Valentine (to the point of torture) to make him promise to renounce his faith in God as a Christian . Valentine would not co-operate and was beaten with clubs, whipped, stoned, then still refusing to renounce his faith was beheaded,on February 14.
I know what you're thinking... not very romantic right?
Where the story of love an romance lies is in the ledgend, that while in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailer's blind daughter. The legend states that on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."
Now most of my recollection is from an "Adventure's in Oddessy" that featured the story, but I always found it what made Valentine's Day most inpiring. The fact that Valentine, whoever he really was lived, loved, and died for his faith in Jesus Christ. In the face of death and torture he didn't deny his God, though it would have been an easy way out. His story reminds me of the greatest show of love in all of history.
The love of a King, the Ruler of all the earth, who would brutally murder His only son so that we, peasants, theives, adulturs, liars, and lost sheep could live.
Also, the love of a Prince. Prince of the universe, He gave it all His riches and spleador because of His love for us, His people. A love so great that He would come and live among us. He would show us how to live... and in th end display his UNDYING love for us, by dying in our place... A painful, brutal, and undeserving death. Then by dying, conquer death and come back to life, so that we would be free.
We are no longer enslaved by the evil's of this world.
The love of God the Father for us.
The love of Jesus Christ the Son, who died for us.
and The love of the Holy Spirit, that lives in us.
THAT LOVE:
"'Tis a powerful thing!"
