Love Letter No. 2 - by Christina Sasso

This story is chronologically before Love Letter No. 1 but came to me after I wrote No.1.

I remember wondering and questioning God about this; How did Jesus, being human, how was He able to really love everyone? I mean really...people are not the most lovable creatures. At the time I asked this I really had issues with people. I found them extremely annoying and obnoxious.

I would pray God please give me a house in Maine on 10,000 acres, so I dont have to be near any people. Animals, no problem, people...Gark!

So, one day, years ago, I was watching Oprah. Dr. Phil was on trying to help this couple. The woman (I still remember her name, Rachel) was a, let's see how can I describe her...controlling, nasty, the b- word comes to mind.

Her husband, on the other hand, was a handsome man. He seemed very nice and mild-mannered.

As the show progressed, it was obvious the audience was not liking Rachel. She was extremely hard to like. And there I was right on the band wagon with them...I hated her. She was unloveable, unlikable.

Then the Lord answered my question...remember it? "How can You love everyone?" He said, "I can love everyone because I can see their hearts. I know all their wounds and scars. I know the hurts they suffered that make them unloveable in your eyes."

Then Dr. Phil did his thing and probed into Rachel's life. She told a story of a girl living in a home with a father who berated and ordered her mother around. Rachel, at an young age, decided never to allow a man to treat her that way. She decided she would be the dominant one in a relationship. At that point, my heart broke for this woman. There it was; the hurt, the wounds from a harsh father. I ended up weeping for Rachel, and thanking God for this revelation.

It stopped me cold. It changed everything. My whole perception shifted...Yes, that's it! People are hurt, scarred, wounded...look at the hurting people. What do they need? LOVE! Not love as the world sees it. GOD LOVE.

So simple, so clear.
Enjoy.

No More Will You Wander!

While on our annual Anniversary trip to Philadelphia, Christina and I went on a 4 hour walking tour of the city. One of the stops was at the Pennsylvania hospital. In the center of the front lawn is a statue of William Penn. The tour guide, Jennifer, told us that John Penn, William's grandson, found it in an antique shop in London and presented to the Hospital 1804. In 1751, the Hospital managers purchased half of the block that bordered Spruce and Pine Streets between 8th and 9th Streets. Several years later, the John Penn and his family donated the other half, a little less than 1 acre, to give the Hospital the full block. 


Why do I mention all of this? Well, "legend" has it that William Penn's "ghost" leaves the perch it's on and the statue walks the grounds of the Hospital at night looking for "his creator". When Jennifer said this, Christina and I looked at each other and knew the truth. This statue doesn't have a ghost. It's a demon! 


Christina and I came back the next day and decided to cast the demon out of the statue. What kind of demon was it? Well, if the statue is always found in weird places in the mornings. (i.e. his feet sticking out of a bush)  


We discerned that it was a demon of mischief.
   

No long, drawn out thing. No asking permission from anybody. No finding out if this was our "area of influence". Just simply exercising Authority over something we have a right, in Jesus, to exercise Authority over.


Plain and simple.


What do you need to take Authority over in your life today?