National self sabotage...........the broken Nigerian educational system

My shed tears come from some deep place
Spanning back centuries and going forward Millennia
Injustice, lack of knowledge, curtailing of developmental freedoms
Victims of unwitting effects
National self sabotage!
The strategic thinkers, creative and high reasoning leaders of our nation
Literally blighted from the beginning
In their homes, at school, in the environment
A stripping away of vital frameworks for national development
Stamping out, and totally annihilating the possibilities of tomorrow
The ravaging effects of yesteryear must stop
The crying must stop
Young minds must be given the right to grow
No, no no! No more killings
No more strangulated development

Majestic you are, our God!

I just got back from spending some ten days in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and went up to the top of the Canadian Rockies via a cable car which they call 'Gondolas'. I asked my host about this peculiar naming of an aerial vehicle, and the name being the same as the famous Gondolas which ply the canal system in Venice, but he was unable to explain how this came about. It would be so cliche for me to launch into the peculiarities of North American phraseology as compared to that of the United Kingdom. I won't. Free me!

There is something about natural beauty that inspires praise. I was awe struck by the scale of the mountains and how they looked like a giant helping of icing sugar had been sieved over their tops. The striations in the rocky sides, the gorges, trickling streams , vegetation and the sheer vastness had a profound impact on me. I am quite sure it was the natural environment and not any bit indigestion after my onslaught of the buffet brunch we had prior to the mountain top trip. Myself and my colleagues have observed how we have all got a tad more rotund, and we have made promises to each other to do our best to reverse this when we get back to our respective bases. Hmmmm!

I breathed in the cold, crisp air and looked across to opposite mountains as well as into the valleys and ravines and all I can say is that I saw God everywhere. I felt a strong imprint that this was a minuscule, physically accessible expression of his power. I stood there and just gave him praise, and tears of joy sprang to my eyes. When we had reached close to the bottom of the mountain in our return journey by car, we spotted an Elk, obviously an old papa one judging by the size of it's antlers. He just stood there at the edge of the road in the bushes staring at us, as though urging us to take our photos then vamous so that he could carry on with his life. He was such a beauty. We speculated as to whether or not he was about to cross the road to drink at a nearby stream. Maybe that was correct, maybe it was just our fantasy, but that is what nature can do to you. Put you in an inspirational plane.

So, I am sharing my offering of praise which came to me on the mountain top at Banff below.
Enjoy the pictures too, though I fear they do not do justice to the experience.

Majestic you are, our God
You speak through the beauty of your creation
The snow capped mountains, the trickling stream
The mighty roaring ocean and flowing rivers
How awesome you are
How profound and inspiring
My heart bursts into song
And I praise you with all my being

PARADIGM SHIFTS AND TRANSFORMATION

PARADIGM SHIFTS AND TRANSFORMATION;
 Reflections on Mathew 19:14 and Romans12:2

Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.


Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When Jesus made the statement in Mathew 19:14 concerning children, it seems to me that it was a profound one which has greater depth of meaning than it would at first appear.
This statement says to me that our God has asked us as parents and people in authority over children not to hinder the connections He has hard wired into them that will lead them along the paths of purpose that He has already provided for them. Many adults are not aware that they are 'hindering' their children at all, most behave the way they do out of their own received paradigms, and also to conform to societal norms.

However, in Romans 12:2, our God speaks to His desire for us to constantly shift paradigms according to renewal that comes to our minds via the word; God's vehicle of creative impetus. Societal norms are great ways in which order is established in our society, and they have their place, but we are clearly commanded not to get stuck in a rut with them, and to let go, and let God renew us where he chooses.

It is in the place of renewal, re thinking, changing one's mind that transformation can take place. Transformation that is absolutely essential to our growth in every regard, and especially how the different facets come together to walk us in purpose. The adults are to allow this transformation in themselves, so that they can pass on the power of creativity and enlightenment that this brings to the influence and direction we have over the next generation.

In conclusion, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, and i have learnt by inference from other principles in the bible that, it belongs to everyone who can come to God like a child. For me, this means that we come to God in a manner that allows Him to develop our talents and skill sets for a purpose which is an intrinsic part of His plan for his kingdom here on earth.

So, I believe that what God is saying through these scriptures is;

DO NOT HINDER ME, 
DO NOT HINDER WHAT I HAVE PLANNED TO DO IN AND THROUGH YOU, 
AND THROUGH YOUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. 
ALLOW ME TO TRANSFORM YOU FOR THE PURPOSE I HAVE SET FOR MY KINGDOM

Succession planning

Succession planning

The bible has several examples of how God himself had already worked out a succession plan for many key players in the script of His play. The successors came in different shapes and sizes, and some were even reluctant to take up their posts. Many times, they did not know that God was putting them through a sort of job shadowing/ internship training prior to their call up to service. Those experiences would have come across to the trainees as simply their life's experience, and some of these experiences were not pleasant at all.
However, our Lord, God, the Master planner, knows exactly what He is doing when He allows us to pass through our life's challenges and triumphs. He orchestrates the connections we have with various people.
I wonder if my successor that God has planned is right there in my orbit of life, but I have not recognised them yet. They may not present themselves yet as such. Their season has not yet come.

Joshua's season of leadership came after Moses died, and he had spent quite some time under Moses's leadership prior to this. Together with Caleb, his contemporary , they brought the minority report when the spies went to spy the promised land . Caleb was not given the leadership assignment though he also was a likely candidate. What skill sets, attitudes or character quality did Joshua have over and above all the likely choices in his generation? 

The upshot of what I have observed is that God is totally in charge.

He decides the who, the what, the where ,the when and the how, but I must take responsibility for my part. Is that a credible answer to the question 'are leaders born or made?'

What do you think?

On Acts 8:26-28 ......Obedience, implementation and discipleship

In obeying God promptly, Phillip was an agent of change in the life of the Ethiopian eunuch. His immediate obedience was a significant pre cursor to an important event, a clear actualisation of Godly purpose for the Ethiopian eunuch. 

As I read this scripture, and thought about obedience, I began to consider  it's role in parenting. Training children to obey their parents is part of the transition process by which they come to have the right inclination of heart to obey God. Obedience learnt at the hands of parents then becomes a foundation on which obedience to God can be built, and therefore discipleship. A kind of mind map, highlighting how strong discipleship can be built inspired me to sketch a ' discipleship wall' and the building blocks that contribute to it. Conceptually, the mortar that holds it all together is FAITH.

To OBEY , you must first hear the instruction or command
To HEAR, you must first be LISTENING
To LISTEN you must first open your heart
To OPEN YOUR HEART, you must first engage your conscious ACT OF WILL
To submit your will, you must first DISCERN what the available choices are.
To discern the particular choice to make you must first RECOGNIZE them
To RECOGNIZE them, you must first SEEK
To seek, you must ASK
To ask, you must first have a NEED.

The Ethiopian eunuch had a NEED. he wanted to understand the scriptures he was reading. There he was moving along in his chariot, pondering these things and God set into motion , something, that is nothing short of a miracle.
Whether I am the recipient of the services of 'a Phillip'; one in the place of seeking and wanting to understand God's word, or I am the 'Phillip' for someone, it is strengthening to know that God will pull out all stops to connect an obedient implementer to a seeking follower. 

Ultimately a seeking follower is a strong disciple.

Most of my posts centred on the Bible are excerpts from my journal ; personal devotion notes to self.

I am asking myself what NEED is there in my heart that seeks to understand the word of God today?

How can I build on it to start to ASK questions?

I pray that you will be able to RECOGNISE your need also, for our God will pull out all stops to meet you at the point of your need. He needs you and I to do this as part of His working out the purpose of our lives. 

Strength and grace to you in Jesus name!

Amen

The beauty of His grace, the power of His love

I have recently been playing around with 'Google sketch up', drawing up my designs of Play ground equipment, and decided to try out my doodles as well. They may look a bit child-like, but i am enjoying trying things out. I just had to draw something to express some of the ideas floating in my head. Afterwards, I looked at it, and thought, that looks so pedestrian! Well, never mind about pedestrian illustrations and my discoveries with a drawing programme, and on to the substantive ideas floating in my head........
. 
I was sitting in a chair inside my room with my back to the window, and I could hear a large bluebottle fly buzzing past my window at top speed, outside, on the other side of the mosquito mesh. I was intrigued that such a loud noise was coming from a small creature, and also the fact that the noise does not come from its mouth! The noise comes from their wings flapping at high speed . It is interesting to note that man takes the credit for having 'invented' all sorts of sophisticated 'rotor blades' that are used in many technology solutions.

The avian family have vocal chords and distinguish themselves with their unique 'bird songs', quite apart from other distinguishing features such as colour, size, shape of beak , feet etc. Giraffes do not have a voice, but they distinguish themselves with their graceful long necks and i think their long eyelashes fringing their beautiful eyes are adorable. Crickets don't actually make a sound from their mouths either but can tune up quite a loud noise , with their own sounds generated from rubbing their wings together. Dogs can hear sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. I don't know why these facts have presented themselves in my mind this morning. It is all a bit random!

However, i observe that the beauty of creation is around us everywhere. Everything has been specially crafted with its own unique design. I know that I am stating the obvious here, but can these things ever be said too often? Can I please appreciate creation and then bow to the master, the creator, the ultimate designer of all time?
Please indulge me.

I believe God's plan in crafting each unique thing is that each one has its own 'voice', each one has been given characteristics and tools with which to express the beauty of how they were created. Each one is given these , and the opportunity to utilise them ultimately to pay back the glory to the one who made them. Each one has the potential to be a reflection of the power of its creator.

No matter the limitations, real or imagined that I have, I am plugged into this idea that I must transcend these and find every possible means of reflecting the beauty of His grace and the power of His love.

So, go ahead, be what God created you to be, join the throng of all creation and distinguish yourself in the ways God intended. Enjoy the knowledge that you are in His purpose.


Let everything that has breath praise The Lord
Psalm 150:6


My own little Psalm of praise.....

I praise you with my voice
With the rushing of breath through my nose 
With the beat of my heart
With the sound of my footsteps

I praise you
With no sound at all
In stillness
I bow
Fear is gone
Your love is near
I bow
And I hear your voice

Food for thought-Being accountable to God -1 Kings 21:28-29 (NIV)

Old King Ahab Sucks!

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."
-1 Kings 21:28-29 (NIV)

About Ahab; (referenced from Wikipedia)
........ Ahab himself was a wicked person,and he was easily influenced by his wife, and this led to his destruction. In Rabbinic Literature, there are three women who caused the deaths of their husbands, Eve, Delilah and Jezebel.



Mr and Mrs Ahab had the habit of worshipping Baal and doing wicked things to their people. Ahab was a wicked man, who was supported by his wife Jezebel to carry out his evil schemes , and also to direct his worship towards pagan gods.
Elisha came along to tell him what God was going to do, God was going to bring destruction upon Ahab, but Ahab repented, and God spared him, however, his children had to pay.

This is quite chilling; that results of sin can be paid forward. If this principle is true, then I must have inherited all sorts of 'paid forward sin' from my forebears.
I wonder if cancelling and negating, and denouncing does anything? I wonder if dissociating myself and my future generations from evil deeds I do not even know does anything? Gods sovereignty means, He decides whether or not my sins will be joined together with my predecessors and paid forward to my children! What are the things in our lives that have become 'gods'? How am I influencing my family in this regard? What behaviours am I allowing to run unchecked?

Whoa! Hold on a minute, before I get to running amok with such thoughts.

Thank God for grace, thank God for saving grace, in which Jesus has already paid the price to wash me clean. However, I must not allow sin to run unchecked, and I must be conscious that what I do now may be paid forward to my children and my future generations. I must be aware that my position as a woman in the family is important in terms of my sphere of influence over my husband and children.

I know for sure that Women are created to be gatekeepers. Custodians of Godly legacy, to bring about the nurture and development of children in an environment where they strive towards Godliness. Women are supposed to make choices that are focused on the big picture, the long term spiritual legacy of the family.

I don't know if I am just making an undue fuss, thinking of how my actions will affect my future generations, but I am certain that I wish to be aware of what I am doing and how that may affect the future. God help me!

PRAYER:
I subsume myself in you Lord, in your power and your grace, so that it is you that will order my thoughts and my will for your purpose.
Forgive me Lord for acts , attitudes and thoughts that do not line up with your will for me or my future generations.
Show me the path to walk , so that your name is glorified, in and through my family and myself.
Unto you be all the glory and power Lord.
Amen.

About Prayer

artist: lara

If you have ever wondered what your children are up to and suddenly realised that you have not spoken to them in any meaningful manner in a while, you might begin to understand how we all behave towards our Heavenly Father .
Sometimes they pop up after a long silence when their pocket money is running short or if they are in some sort of difficulty. I have often thought about the parallels between earthly parenting and my own relationship with my heavenly parent. I find myself examining the nature of my own relationship with my earthly parents also. My parents are my children's grandparents and there are two generations of separation between them. How am I relating to my one generation away parents? The chain of inter relational connections spanning three generations is right here for me to observe, and I am the middle connecting point between my parents generation and our children's. This makes me examine the idea that I am in a pivotal season because as soon as my parent's generation are called back to their maker, I would have moved up a full generational notch, and will no longer be a generational bridge. The baton would have been passed on to our children, and my generation will really have become the 'old people'.
There really is nothing new under the sun!

It seems to me that the skill set that governs the management of my relationships both earthly and heaven ward, must be paid attention to. Companies call it 'stake holder management'. In some forms it is called 'politics'. Politics is a pre- orchestrated plan to carefully align oneself with the right parties for personal gain, advancement in various ways, and for the extension of power. Fortunately, we serve a God who cannot be manipulated and be politicized in any shape or form. I cannot treat my Heavenly Father as a 'stake holder' that needs to be managed.
These thoughts that have come to me this morning, are leading me to recognize how much I can be wrapped up in my own life and concerns that I fail to keep regular, open connections with my creator. I am also led to consider more deeply, the topic we have been discussing in two bible study groups that I attend. That is; the topic of prayer. We have been discussing what it is and what it is not. We are all in one mind in concluding that prayer is very closely related to our individual relationship with God.

I am absolutely certain that my prayer life is a clear reflection of how I relate to God. It is a clear reflection of my communication style, and most importantly my 'attitude' towards God. The tone and manner of my fellowship with Him.

O dear ! There is a wide gap between what I am actually saying/doing, and what my attitude shows. Just like how with earthly relationships one can see that, what someone is saying can conflict with their body language . I am re- examining, my attitude, my body language towards God this morning, and wondering if they line up to the same thing. In addition, am I actually communicating with God as a natural habit on a regular basis, or am I just popping up when I need something or I am in difficulty?

After many discussions at bible study before church last Sunday, there were three important elements that emerged as crucial parts of prayer. I think these encapsulate what I must pay attention to very nicely.

• Conversation
• Fellowship
• Communication

I was further led to put them together in a phrase that I think defines prayer well.

Prayer is a conversation with God that communicates with Him in fellowship.


I almost feel like saying ' go and do like wise' as a parting phrase, but I think I will leave directing anyone for the moment and go ahead to look deep within myself first.

artist: lara

Jealousy- reflections on Genesis37:1-5, 31-35

When Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, there were a few contributing factors to how that came about.
1. Their father's favouritism
2. The content of Joseph's dreams and the implications therein that reinforced the idea gained from their fathers favouritism ,that they were somehow less valued.

If Joseph's dreams were of an abstract nature that did not infer his older brother's bowing down to him etc, maybe their jealousy would not have raged quite as high. But there was the matter of the beautiful coat as well, a constant visual reminder that their father paid special attention to Joseph.

Joseph's brothers are accountable to God for their attitude towards the situation in their family life. Their jealousy left unchecked led them to contemplate murder, and they actually went as far as selling Joseph into slavery.
But God's plan was unfolding, and He still brought about Joseph's rise to be the second most powerful official in the Egyptian government, second to Pharaoh.
What God had already deposited in Joseph unfolded over time to show very clearly that he was a man of integrity. His character and commitment to God, brought him blessings and an elevation to higher levels.
However, he had to walk through very tough trials and times. It was in distinguishing himself during those trials that qualified him to receive the blessing God had already set for him.

I must keep this principle clear in my mind. God has His own plan for my life, my main job is to submit to Him and ensure that in the place of trial, that my yieldedness will bring about Godly character. I can see from the Joseph story that I must not submit to the normal feelings of jealousy that may arise in various situations. I must do well to be sensitive to the feelings of jealousy, and check any unGodly attitude generated from this.

If there is a message through other people's attitudes and words that I am less valued, I must view those received ideas in the light of what God says about me. As long as I focus on the truth about what God says about me, I cannot be tempted by hurtful words and behaviour of others, or by feelings of inadequacy when my juniors or peers succeed beyond my own accomplishments in one area of their lives or other.
It is clear to me that absolutely no one has it all. Everybody must face one challenge or other, and challenges can sometimes come in series. This is a fact of life. I realise that the people I may be envying in one regard will certainly have some crushing challenge that I cannot see. Everyone must walk their own path. I must walk my own path and live with the negative outcomes of my earlier bad decisions, and any disappointments those lead to. I must take responsibility for my own part in the outcomes of my life. I must recognise the unwanted outcomes which arise out of situations that are not of my making. I must trust God to carry me through both my self made troubles and those thrust upon me by life.

Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for envy and jealousy towards other people who have attained success in areas where I deem myself to have failed. Forgive me Lord for loosing focus of who I am in you.

The woman at the well

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us. Then Jesus declared, "I, the one speaking to you—I am he."
-John 4:23-26 (NIV)





Wow! Why did Jesus reveal his Messianic identity to this woman at the well? In the eyes of society, and even in her own eyes, she was not fit to visit the well at the hour other people did. She knew that her behaviour and lifestyle was not right. Then God, the saviour of the whole world, the creator of this woman, and all the earth and sky and space is standing right before her at the well.
Oh my Lord God, that is awesome. What is more remarkable is how He pointed out her errant ways, and at the same time ministered healing to her. Our Lord Jesus was never more a demonstration of love personified!
I love this story. I can just imagine the burdens, the sadness, the regrets that were coiled up in her heart that day as she went to the well.

I am excited about how her encounter with Jesus totally transformed her life. There was honesty, there was owning up to her part in her troubled life, and there was forgiveness, there was love from a man who loved her with a totally different kind of love, very different from her many husbands. Something new, and refreshing and pure. A love totally untainted by selfish desires, and completely motivated by compassion and a desire to restore this woman to whole ness.

Jesus is still in the business of restoration to wholeness. I am so humbled by the depth of my own encounters with Him. I am transformed, and I am able to forgive myself because of my encounters with Him. I am free to choose what is right, I am free to walk in God's will, and His promises to me. This is the basis of my heart's worship. I worship out of thankfulness, out of deep gratitude as I become more and more aware of the great thing God has done.
He has come down from the lofty heights of heaven to minister peace to me.

Gele Skontolo, Skentele!!

Abstract Gele painting by Bie Cookey

"You're shouting Mum" my daughter said, but I was not aware that I was. We had gone to a local hair dressing salon to have our 'headgears' professionally tied. We were taking no chances with  the alternative. I have spent many sweaty moments struggling with my gele, only to get some unusual helmet that looks like a space age headpiece. The wedding we were attending, was one of those social events where I was not in the mood  for my sometimes avant guard/unique attire.

I did not have any special instruments to measure the decibels of sound that were plummeting my ear drums, but was aware of being temporarily deaf. I was totally unable to hear what anyone in the room was saying, because the sound that had captured 100% of my auditory capabilities was like no other I know. That did not stop me from trying to carry out a conversation, albeit mimicking a town crier's skill in shouting.
That mix of a crackling sound, a chunky metallic zipper being yanked closed and open, several people gritting their teeth at once, five finger nails scraping down a black board, and many angle grinding machines all at once! This is the best way I know how to describe the sounds entering my ear from having my Gele tied. By the time we were done, I looked every bit the elegant Lagos lady in traditional garb from head to toe, but I had such a blinding headache.  I took a couple of painkillers; only so that my smiles at the function would not periodically decay into grimaces.  I am convinced now that a neurological exam after this experience would produce interesting brain waves and pathways, but I was up for it. Never mind that we had to undo it and re- tie it because it was just too tight at first. The Gele was so tight that my eyebrows were dragged sharply upwards, giving me the look of an astonished , beleaguered bird.
When we walked into the venue, an imaginary 'Lagbaja' was all up in my head singing 'Oni gele yi-Skentele! Skontolo. We picked our way through the crowd carefully, my steps were in elegant consonance with the song in my head.
It was like show time! A parade, an exhibition of a rare species.
All other Gele's poised aloft, were singing their own songs in perfect refrain........

As we say in Naija ....'Yanga get pain' but I think it was all well worth it.

Love, of self, God and others

2 Corinthians 6:15-20

I read this scripture and looked beyond the clearly stated command, that is ; to flee from sexual immorality because my body is a temple of the most High God, bought with a price.

Yes, we must flee from uniting our bodies with people who are not our spouse. This morning, I am led to examine this principle further, to see how God asking us to guard our physical temple in the area of Sex can be extended beyond that.

We Christians are very quick to jump on this bandwagon concerning sex, and I know it is an important issue that must be addressed. I am asking myself to think about the fact that unhealthy eating and lifestyle practices are also a violation of the temple God gave us. Is it on the same scale as sex with the wrong person? I don't know. I believe however that an ungodly  thought life, as well as anything whatsoever that will cause damage through our own neglect or action to this (temple) body is against God's will.

Bear in mind that we are the only created thing that He formed with His own hands, and breathed life into. All others came into being by His spoken word....'let there be....'

In creating us in His own image He gave us His spiritual DNA including the most powerful tool on earth....the mind of Christ! 

The mind of Christ for me is like the nuclear warhead of my arsenal of God given weapons!

Thus, we are  supposed to let that mind of Christ rule our thoughts, our psyche, our spirit, so that we will choose things that do not defile this (temple) body. This is the hard part, as I know that it is a constant struggle to overcome various temptations. We all know that there are more temptations about us than we can count or imagine. One of the ones that jumps into my mind this morning is that I have recently fallen into the habit of not exercising save for once in a while. The difference is clear, I don't exercise because I feel unwell, I feel unwell because I don't exercise, a vicious cycle has begun. Again! I have been here before, so perhaps I should look at that and view it as big a temptation as any.

Not exercising is a temptation that is in complete opposition to what the manufacturer intended when he created this wonderful, complex organic system called the human body. If a heart has been designed to pump blood and nutrients round an 80kg body, and it is now 150kg, it is a no brainier that there will be trouble, with that heart, or the skeletal frame that is now carrying double its intended capacity. 

Almost every health challenge has been proven to be improved by exercise, and the only way to keep fit if you have no health challenge is to exercise. 

We accept that our spirit man must 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling'. I am thinking that I must work out my body's physical salvation as well. The physical temple is the one that provides a habitation for the spirit man, therefore, it is important to look after it.

It is so important to know that the enemy will use our family's health pre-dispositions combined with the results of our own inclinations and attitudes to do his best to kill you, either before your time or slowly through one health challenge or another. Slowly sapping away your ability to do that which the Godly DNA from whence we came dictates.

This brings me to another round of introspection and self examination , and realizing that God provided clear direction for me in the valley of the shadow of death so many times, such that , at the worst points of my physical challenges, He put praise and prayer in my mouth and filled my heart with joy. This can only be God, and His immeasurable love that He has bestowed on me-freely. This can only be God moving me to find ways of preserving my physical body.  I am so keenly aware that self preservation is my no.1 priority because carrying out the purpose(s) of my life depends on this. So also, when the scripture says love your neighbour as yourself, I think The Father is asking us to look within, to examine the evidence of how much we love ourselves. Only when we understand how much we love ourselves, can we love others accordingly. Only when we fully realise the import of the fact that we have only one skeletal system, one body to use for this our life's journey. Only when we look within to examine how much we have embraced , accepted and understood the magnitude of the love God has for us, can we pour out that love to others.

Only then can we be channels of His supreme blessing, that which is Our creators most popular alias LOVE.

His love in us, poured out to others means that my actions must be governed by this. 

Am I saying the best Valentine gift you can give yourself is a workout? Maybe not, but it is worth thinking about new ways to take care of your (temple) body, as an act of love, and then going further to share that love with others.
I just did!