by Barry Newton

Could these be some video clips from your neighborhood? Surrounded by her shopping treasures, she could not take her eyes off of her new picture perfect manicure and pedicure. She was feeling great for the moment. Buried deep beneath a wave of consumerism-induced euphoria glimmered the thought, "now they will have to like me."

From around the corner, a husband and businessman drove home. While his eyes guided him home, his mind wandered far way to a coworker. "She is just so beautiful." Slowly he traced the shape of her face and smile in his mind.

Several houses down, quietly she sat slumped in the darkness of her curtain entombed bedroom as an endless tape played over and over in her head. Deep and powerful feelings welled up into tears which slowly wandered down her cheeks.

Across the street, a young man felt the terrible, crushing power of self-loathing. He kept asking himself, "Why can't I be better?"

Is such a neighborhood rare? What would a tell-all video of your life look like? What low points would you want deleted?

It is sobering to realize God has watched every moment of our life's video tape. Not just our bodily behavior, our thoughts have also lain naked before his gaze. So perhaps it seems all the more astounding that he can love us. It is here we discover unconditional love.

If you have never felt unconditional love before, consider this. God knows who you are. He knows the fears. He knows the failures. He knows the insecurity and doubts. Yet, God loves you, not because you performed well, not because you are better than others, not because you are popular, rich, dependable, intelligent or fun to be with. He loves you because you are his child who has been made in his image.

God's love for you is much greater than just a feeling. While we were guilt-ridden, undeserving, and an enemy, love made a commitment-decision. God chose to act in the only way possible for us to be healed, forgiven, and granted life. Through Jesus' death, God offers us unconditional love.

Many people eek out lives in quiet desperation, longing to be truly loved. We already have been loved. When we have known what it is to be truly loved, we can become equipped to love ourselves as we ought and then pass it on.

"In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if in this manner God loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:10,11).

Postscript: Through Jesus' death, God offers us unconditional love. For those who reject his unconditional gift to be declared righteous, God's love will be powerless to save them from his righteous judgment.

by Stan Mitchell

"Sing to me of heaven as I walk alone Dreaming of the comrades that so long have gone In a fairer region, 'mong the angel throng they are happy as they sing that old, sweet song" (Ada Powell, 1914).

Singing those words always brings a sardonic smile to my face. I lived in a communist country for years, so the word "comrade" has taken on a completely new meaning. The man in the street was "Mr. so and so." Politicians and dignitaries were: "Comrade so and so." Hence we rejoiced at the famous deeds of "Comrade Castro," "Comrade Mao," and so on. By the way, do you know what the abbreviation for "comrade" is? In our official newspapers we learned that it was "Cde.", as in "Cde. Stalin."

Of course the meaning of "comrade" in the dictionary is one who shares with you under difficult circumstances, in your struggles, side by side.

It was hard to reconcile that with the shining new Mercedes Benz that crowded you off the road, chauffeur-driven by "Cde. so and so." When you had to queue in long lines for bread and rice at stores while Cde. so and so's wife went to Harrods in London on regular shopping sprees. She hardly seemed like your comrade.

All of which is to say that the comrades the song speaks of were our comrades, serving God on earth, sharing our tears, our hopes, and our work. Unlike the communist party hierarchy, we remember the real comrades, our brethren and fellow laborers, who served God side by side with us in the kingdom.

"Greet Pricilla and Aquilla, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me" (Romans 16:3).

And one day, as the song says, we will see our comrades again.