Dingle shares past devotions for Valentine’s Day”Love lifts us up when we feel down. Love is forgiving and encourages us to forgive. Love builds and also repairs our faith. Love heals us. Love gives to us generously with no thought of return.’
Joan Dingle prepared devotions such as these for 12 years as a member of Bobtown Methodist Church.
Born and raised in Bobtown, she wrote the devotions in the 1980s and 1990s as a member of the adult Sunday school class.
“We had a once-a-month meeting with devotions, luncheon and made plans for church activities,’ she explained.
Dingle, 74, who operated a wedding shop in Core, W.Va., in the 1990s, is now retired and living in Carmichaels, where she attends Carmichaels Methodist Church.
But she recently went through her monthly devotions and decided to share them. Usually, they centered on a theme, and with the approach of Valentine’s Day, she decided to share the devotions that focused on love.
They include:
– “No matter who we are or where we are, we are within a circle of God’s love.’
– “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might.’
– “Love has many faces as our heavenly Father, our biological father and mother, husbands, wives, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, the family of God.’
– “A love-filled life of Christ is life that is pure and everlasting. … Love lifts our hearts and makes us feel good about ourselves and others. We know that divine idea and love guide us to Christ-like thoughts, actions, words and deeds. It controls our thinking, speaking to carefully word what we say.
– “What do we want to hear others tell us? I love you. I appreciate you. I’m thinking about you. So we should do likewise.
– “What does God tell us? Dear ones, I love you, I appreciate you, I bless you, I hear you, I answer you. Follow me and love me with all your heart, mind, body and soul. Show love to one another as God shows his love to us.’