T.J.I.F.A

THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!

PASS IT ON... & ON... & ON... & ON

FEBRUARY 14, 2003

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
FROM THOSE OF US AT TJIFA.
TJIFA WISHES TO EXTEND LOVE, PEACE, AND JOY FOR THIS MEMORIAL AND HISTORIC BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BEING CELEBRATED ACROSS AMERICA.  

SUBJECT: VALENTINE'S DAY WITH BIG FAT FROG

TJIFA BRINGS YOU A STORY OR TALE ABOUT BFF (BIG FAT FROG) WHO LOVES ALL HOLIDAYS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE CONCERNED WITH SWEETS AND FOOD.  BFF IS A PERSONIFICATION OF A  CHRISTIAN, HE HAS HIS FAULTS, BUT HIS HEART IS RIGHT TOWARD GOD.  WE HOPE THAT IN THIS SHORT STORY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ARRIVE AT PLACE OF COMFORT, WHERE YOU CAN IDENTIFY WITH ONE OF THESE CHARMING CHARACTERS.  

FRIDAY'S WORD: MUNDANE - DESCRIBES WORKS THAT ARE FAR FROM GOD.

IN THE MIRROR: SLC HAS A SHORT MESSAGE ABOUT VALENTINE'S DAY.

LOOKING FORWARD

SEE YA NEXT TIME

TER

VALENTINE'S DAY WITH BFF



Big Fat Frog was excitedly making Valentine Cards for all of his classmates.  He had racing car cards for the boys and flowered cards for the girls.  This was the time of year that he especially liked because he enjoyed showing his concern for all of his
classmates.  

This year his cards had a Christian motif, with ‘Words of Life' inscribed in the lower middle of the card.  

Big Fat Frog had learned in Sunday School that Christians were to love everyone.  The subject of this month's lessons are,  "Love Your Neighbor."   In the month of February, they would explore other cultures and nationalities.  Big Fat Frog was impatient to explore the customs of other people and Valentine's Day would give him an opportunity to share the Love of Christ with his school mates.

As Big Fat Frog carefully wrote his classmate's names and signed his own to the Valentine Cards;  He thought about each of them and would write an amusing anecdote to make it as personal as possible.  When he wrote Cindy's card, he tried not to be too mushy, after all she was his friend, and he didn't want her card to look as if he were trying to take advantage of their friendly relationship.   He put her card aside, and began to write out a card for Frederick.  

This was hard!  What could he say without offending him?  He felt that the inscription of the Word of Life would cause him big problems anyway.  So he put that card aside also until he finished with the rest.  

Big Fat Frog laughed as he read some of the quips that he wrote on the Valentine Cards.  But... he still had to write Cindy's and Frederick's. He wondered why he was having so much trouble with these two cards.

One person he liked, the other person he wanted to like.  Cindy was a friend, who didn't necessarily stand up for her beliefs in Christ and this occasionally made Big Fat Frog angry toward her, but he still liked  her for her kind personality.  

Frederick, on the other hand, was an unbeliever, who wasn't interested in the things of GOD, since, to him, He didn't exist.  Frederick's whole world consisted of "Scientific Evidence."    If you couldn't prove it in the LAB, it had no validity to Frederick.     This argument made Big Fat Frog and Frederick always encounter one another on opposite sides of whatever conversation was presented.  

Knowing this, it was hard to even consider making him a card.  Because this dilemma was seemingly insurmountable, Big Fat Frog took the two cards to his mother and told her the situation, asking for her advice.  

His mother quietly talked to him about "Love."  She told him that the most important Commandment, according to Jesus Christ, is that you love one another. [John 13:34.]  Then she read to him from the Book of John where Jesus Christ wrapped a towel around His waist and proceeded to wash every Disciples dirty feet.  She explained to him that this was a servants job, and that He, being the ‘King of Glory,' surely, should not have stooped to this low position.  BUT!   Jesus, being who He is had to teach  His Disciples  that the servant is not  greater  than  the Master. [John 13:4,5.] And  the     servant of GOD is the  Most High Calling.

Big Fat Frog looked puzzled, as his mother   continued .  She explained that we are to love all of mankind, because we are all created by His Sovereign and Majestic hand.  He created everyone to do different tasks and have diverse knowledge.  He created this earth to contain all of His creations.  There is room on this earth for everyone that GOD has created.  The problem is that we have likes and dislikes and would like to discard everyone and everything that we don't agree with and that is not pleasing to us personally.  If we, individually, could have our way we would appoint others to be abolished.  The problem is that someone somewhere would also give us the same appointment.  That is why Jesus said that this commandment is the most important.  "That you love one another."    

Big Fat Frog kissed his mother's cheek as he gathered up the two troublesome Valentine's Cards.  As a closing comment his mother affirmed, "Be who you are in Christ, Son!"    He went right to work penning the cards for Cindy, and Frederick.  

The excitement in the room was overpowering.  Everyone had their Valentine's Cards and a special treat, like deviled eggs and ham. Candy or cookies or home made surprises.  One student brought white chocolate covered pretzels with a sprinkle of red cinnamon on each one.  Some one else brought cookies shaped like hearts, cinnamon red hots, cupcake, pink lemonade, slices of strawberry cake and vanilla pound cake.  It was a day of friendly _expression, a day of harmony and joy.   Everyone was talking and making joyful communications.  Everyone, that is, except   Frederick, who had found an host of books on his desk and some on the floor.  He seemed very intent on completing this project.  He had a notebook full of notes, his horned rimmed   glasses were sitting on his nose with a strategic slant (crooked).  Frederick wasn't interested in the Valentine's Day Party, or so it  appeared. He was too busy.   No one else seemed to have this same concern for Frederick's project.    

After waiting, for what seemed to be a whole day, the party  started. The cards were passed out and the treats were being placed on a long table by each donor.  It was done in buffet style.   Frederick continued with his head buried even deeper in his books.  Finally, someone asked another, "What is Frederick studying?  Do we have a test soon?"  Someone answered, "No."    The next obvious question was, "What is he studying?"     Another answer, "Who cares?  He's weird anyway."  

Big Fat Frog was cheerfully getting a bag full of goodies.  All the things that he really, really loved.  (Remember, BFF LOVES TO EAT!)

But, something happened when he sat down to grub up his treasures.  He looked.  He saw!   The studious and disdainful Frederick with his books open and his nose buried.  He saw Frederick, who couldn't enjoy a day of rest and lighthearted fun.   He saw a very pitiful Frederick...or so he thought.  

Big Fat Frog immediately got up and went over to Frederick's desk, where he placed ALL of his bag of goodies, and the card that he had made for him, which he kept in his pocket.  He had also noted that Frederick had only one unopened card.    He intruded long enough to impart these words:

"Aren't you going to have some of these Valentine's Day Treats?  I brought you a bag full.  They're yummy, I tasted them already."
Frederick looked up from his books to see  BFF standing with his tee-shirt riding up over his belly, his corduroy pants full of powdered sugar, where he evidently wiped his sticky hands, his mouth red from eating cinnamon candy and a big fat grinning frog.  He looked at the bag of treats that were fingerprinted with BFF's gooey prints and said, "All of that sweet stuff isn't good for you.  You'll get cavities in your teeth.  Do you know why you're celebrating this wonderful day?  
Do you know anything about Valentine's Day?   Or do you know that it's a day when you can get lots of free candy and treats?  

I have researched the subject of love.  It hasn't got anything to do with Valentine's Day.  Love is a force that causes people to do good.  What's good about eating a lot of candy that will eventually rot your teeth?      This stuff about red hearts and love is for the Dim witted.  Frog, Do you fit that category?  Frederick grabbed up the bag of goodies and quickly pushed them into his book bag, with this action he justified by saying, "I'm going to throw this junk into my trash tonight."  

The other classmates heard parts of this conversation, and determined in their minds that Frederick was right.  They would ALL go home and throw away the treats from this day.    Big Fat Frog was turning to go back to his seat, when Frederick threw the final arrow.  "Joan Baez , said, "Love is Non-violence"
Big Fat Frog replied, "GOD is AGAPE!"
Frederick raised his voice, "What is that?"
Big Fat Frog returned, "GOD so loved the World that He Gave..."
Frederick, still befuddled screamed, "What is that Agape?  How do you spell it?  What is it's derivative?"
Big Fat Frog continued, GOD gave us JESUS.  JESUS gave us a new commandment.  Agape one another."
By now, Frederick was fit to be tied, he was researching his .   Books and mumbling to himself, rejecting  BFF's right to bring this Agape into Valentine's Day.      He knew that whatever it was it had to do with his GOD.  He gathered up all of his belongings and prepared to leave.  

The other students had successfully cleaned up the remaining treats except for a chocolate covered pretzel and a deviled egg.  Big Fat Frog took the pretzel and someone else grabbed the deviled egg.

When he arrived at his home, his mother had made Valentine's Day meal with all of the trimmings.  She had his favorite cookies and cakes.  He told her about the day at school to which she replied, "If you take Jesus or GOD out of the American calender of Holidays, there would be virtually no American Holidays.  Did you know that?"  

After Church on Sunday, Cindy called Big Fat Frog in hysteria.  She was laughing so hard that he could barely make out what she was saying,  but here's the jest of the story.

Everyone in the classroom had taken sick, with stomach cramps and chills because of the deviled eggs and ham.   Including Frederick!   They had all eaten their treats and Frederick got a double portion, because he took BFF's bag and Cindy put her's in his book bag also, along with BFF's, but she didn't want anyone to know that she had done it.    

They laughed so hard together that BFF began to shed tears.  Cindy also admitted that she was the one who gave Frederick the other card, but she crossed out I and put GOD; she crossed out love and wrote AGAPE.  She crossed out you and wrote everyone.  
Big Fat Frog through shrieks of laughter added "Frederick crossed out tooth decay and wrote stomach ache!"

Cindy thanked BFF for the card  whose Words of Life read, "In all things give thanks."  She asked him, "What did Frederick's card say?"
Big Fat Frog replied, "Be not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind through Christ Jesus."  And they laughed even harder at the thought that Frederick could have dodged the deviled eggs had he done what he said and lead others to do.  But, in reality, they all were entangled."  

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Looking Forward
See Ya Next Time.

TER







FRIDAY'S WORD:  mundane - mun*dane ; relating to the world; lacking concern
for the ideal or spiritual; anything characteristic of this earth or man's life on earth

Valentine's Day is not  just a ‘mundane' holiday, because it's a day that deals with the heart of man, and only a God of love is capable of giving us a heart to which we can love one another.



IN THE MIRROR:

Valentine's Day always reminds us of the gift of giving, and in that giving the core message is always the love, or strong care and concern for someone dear to us.

I don't think it's a coincidence that one day when I was thumbing through the front area of my Bible that I remember  reading that what depicts the greatest message of the Bible in all of scripture is found in John 3:16, where it clearly tell us that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

The love God has for us , and the love we have for those special persons in our lives can seem so similar, and yet so contrasting. You might agree with me that God's love for mankind wins out every time by comparison.

Perhaps as we grow along our Christian journey, we'll along with sharing our loved ones,  remember that if we share Jesus Christ , we keep them mindful of the one gift that will last throughout all eternity.

Happy Valentines Day to all the Family, Friends, and Loved Ones, and may the Love of Jesus Christ shed abroad in your hearts today and always.

S.L.C.