Networking... why do I like it?

I have been trying to figure this out over the past month. Initially I find it odd that something such as networking would cause me the joy that it does. As I have thought it over more I am beginning to see some reasons why. Networking in ministry is a beautiful thing. It is tracking patterns and resources and seeing how they can fit together in order to benefit all parties involved. It is like solving a puzzle, but needing to hunt for the pieces first. What's more, is that it is looking at the most uniquely beautiful and complex pieces of God's creation. People. When everything is said and done, I get to work with people. People are miraculous. With every person you meet, you are able to experience a wonder of God's creative power. When you get to combine these masterpieces and they build unity, the result is brilliant. With every person I meet, I get to experience an aspect of God that I could have otherwise missed out on.

bold as

love is complicated. It is as frail and fleeting as human emotion and at the same time it is strong as the grave. It has been fought over and it has brought unity. It's name is thrown around without regard to the severity of it's potential. How can we attempt to tame a word with so much power? How much blood has been shed under the twisted veil of a of this concept, and how many tears have fallen as we have began to approach the understanding of it? How do we manage to take such a deep and powerful miracle and tame it down to suit our own needs and preferences. Song of Songs 8:6 & 7 speak of something severe. Many waters cannot quench love in spite of the intense burning it produces. How do we return to this place? I think there is an answer. We must be rooted in the source of love. Untainted love. When we begin to label things love that are not rooted in the source, we begin to see corruption and we see how far an imitation of love will bring us, which ultimately leads to frustration and tragedy. If we believe that God is love, and that love is important, then we believe developing a deeper understanding of God is of value. Love is complicated, because it is bigger than us. How are we to understand it? This is the beautiful part; we are loved by God regardless of our perception or understanding of God and therefore Love. All we are to do is accept. Accepting is more important than understanding. Things no longer follow a logical predictable structure when it comes to Love. We can "feel" or "sense" love.. but we also see love as it manifests itself outwardly. Why is the first commandment to love God? Without this acceptance, we are unable to carry out the second commandment, which is just like it "to love others". Loving others is a reaction of accepting/loving God. To love God is to love others. God is Love. What an extreme concept. Love took on human form in Christ. Love was put to death on behalf of humankind. Love was resurrected and overcame death. Love is stronger than death. The Spirit of Love has been sent as a counselor and with this resurrected Spirit of Love we are able to do more than the incarnate form of Love that was sacrificed on our behalf. And all we need to do is accept.