No Greater LoveMy Valentine and I

Sunday, I shared several pictures of couples in our church, as I talked about the greatest love of all. Someone said that they noticed I didn't include a picture of my wife and I. Since today is Valentine's Day, I am including some pictures my Valentine and I. Now we certainly have changed through the years, but this May we will celebrate 29 years of marriage, and she is still my Valentine. The year that we met I gave her a Valentine card with a hound dog on the front. the message inside said, "Valentine, I'm going to hound you 'til you're mine." Later that Valentine's Day, I walked by her singing a line from the old Elvis Presley song, "I ain't nothing but a hound dog." Then on our first Valentine's Day after our wedding, I wrote her this line, "I hounded you, and now you're mine, so forever you'll be my Valentine."

Kissing the Bride

As I celebrate Valenine's Day with her this year, I am recalling how her life has reflected the greatest love of all. The greatest love is that love declared by Jesus in John 15:13.

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.

Největší lásku k přátelům prokáže ten,
kdo za ně položí vlastní život. (Jan 15:13)*

Through the years I have witnessed day by day as she has laid down her life for others, for her husband, her children, and for ministry. Today as I celebrate Valentine's Day, I am thankful to be married to a real Proverbs 31 lady. I am proud to be her husband and her one and only Valentine.

*verses in Czech for my friend Ludvik Machala