Great Love

Wedding day, 1977
Jesus, my superman, and me






"God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8)

In the early 90s, a deep-rooted sin of prejudice infested an Arkansas congregation we belonged to. When our family made friends with kids from the neighborhood and a nearby homeless shelter, we brought them with us to church. 

One Wednesday night, a few older women were unkind to those precious children. I was furious as I sprinted my car to retrieve materials needed for a class that I was teaching. It was raining, I slipped, and I found myself sitting in the middle of a puddle - drenched to the bone.

In the mud, the rain, and my humiliation, the LORD spoke to me, "Jill, I did NOT bring you to this church to be mad at those women. I brought you here to love the little children and to love those old ladies."

I'll never forget that "mud spanking" nor our loving heavenly Father's lesson: great love always precede great change.