Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Carole and I were livestream-ing the early service from Westwood Community church last Sunday, where pastor Joel Johnson was delivering his sermon.
In the course of his message, he used the term I pay forward this week…bond of affection.
I don’t know about your capacity to process large volumes of data at one time but usually, if I hear a word, a term, something that resonates … thought provoking, it sticks in the crevasses of my brain and causes me to stop, reflect, mull over and file away.
We know there are multiple words to describe love. A couple that come to mind are:

•Agape-the highest form of love, unconditional affection
•Philia- non-sexual affection
•Eros- sexual affection

At my core, I’m a pretty simple guy who never thought much about what love is but as we investigate the different types, it’s obvious to me now that one bond of affection is widely different than another.

That could sound like, “I love you…but I’m not in love with you.” One translation might be, I appreciate who you are and you’ll always have a place in my heart but I don’t want to have babies with you. Perhaps philia?

Eros-no need (or preference) to explain for the adult audience reading this blog.

A passage that most Christians learn early is, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

That’s agape at its highest level. Unconditional love eclipsed by the ULTIMATE sacrifice. His only son. A pain(we can’t even comprehend)ful death compounded by humiliation…and of course followed by the resurrection.  God’s bond of affection for every one of us, all of his children – we are each the apple of his eye.

If this is new or simply a review of a concept you once were more aware of, what will you do with it rattling around the frontal lobe of your cerebral cortex?

Will you walk around pointing at things and say…agape, Awesome! Eros (get a room), Philia-what’s up brother? Like a kid prancing around in a circle messing each kids hair up…black duck, white duck, GRAY DUCK!

Maybe the goal here is less about defining and more about merely recognizing that so much love actually exists. If we allow ourselves to be conditioned by media of every type, we may not stay open to the many types of love.

Bond of affection describes how someone feels inside whether they have experienced touch, felt goosebumps, swelled with pride, marveled from a distance or passionately kissed their soul mate.

If you do nothing more after reading this weeks contribution to a better you than to hug the person closest to you and
reinforce a bond of affection, do it.

For extra credit, go create more.

Have a blessed weekend!