The Love That Changes The World Is Known As Giving
I sat in a church pew in 1972 listing to a sermon by our Pastor Kay Glasner.
Kay Glasner was not an obscure man, in fact he was a giant in the community.
Reverend Glasner was a retired Air Force Colonel who had survived a crash landing in his jet.
He was a well-known figure in Springfield, Ohio, a visionary leader and the Chairman of the Clark County Board of Mental Health.
The reference that Reverend Glasner was making in his sermon was not an obscure idea either.
He was speaking on the topic of love and he was referring to the Hal David song, "What The World Needs Now Is Love".
Pastor Kay was using the words of this song as a springboard into a sermon lo love.
He was ridiculing the words of the song, which, caused the congregation a small bit of alarm.
During the course of the sermon Pastor Kay repeatedly belittled the words and sentiment of the popular song to get his point across.
Why was this local legend belittling this song and why did I, a thirteen year old boy remember this over 40 years later? Love is a great thing and is truly needed in our world.
The most potent and effective form of love is that type of love that is guided by giving.
Love is no more obscure than the song that became so popular in the 1960s.
Love that expresses itself as giving is a much more obscure concept.
However, love expressed as giving is a main theme of many of the world religions and to the main theme of Christianity in particular.
The notion that love comes and goes is a very popular notion.
We pick it up from popular culture that says we cannot help who and when we love and that love just comes on a whim.
Love that comes to us in such a light and unpredictable form leaves just as quickly.
The fact that nearly fifty percent of all marriages in America end in divorce is sufficient proof of that.
We need to recognize that many of the examples of love that we respect come from people and couples who have stood steady and made love last.
Romantic love and sexual love are very stormy and unpredictable in the beginning but tend to settle down in time.
This later period is the one in which hard work and commitment come into play.
We usually recognize that it is those grandparents and others who have stayed together are the ones who have given us the most and help us out the most when we were young and in need.
Another popular idea is the one that says that all young dating couples should dive in and experience love by satisfying every fresh sexual desire that comes to them.
Certainly sex and love belong together at some point but a thinking person will also recognize that sex is often involved when love is nowhere around.
Of the young people who I have known recently who are sexually active with multiple partners there has not been one who seemed happy or who expressed that he/she felt loved.
The reason for this is that understanding, kindness, respect, empathy, humor and appreciation are the base of the pyramid and sex is the very peak of the pyramid.
We turn the pyramid upside down all of the time.
It is hard to see how being used by someone to fulfill their sexual urges could result in our feeling loved and appreciated.
Bright young people will be wary of going out to Night Clubs and seeking a life mate among the other people present.
Most of these are just seeking a one night stand.
Sex built on a platform of respect, appreciation, kindness and commitment makes us feel all warm and comfortable inside.
Short term affairs which serve selfish agendas do not.
How does love express itself as giving? Giving causes people to take note of what we are doing.
We live in such a self-centered world that it seems natural to us to just take from others and look for more avenues for taking.
Giving, though, is not as frequent an action.
Giving helps those in need to understand that they are worthwhile.
Giving is a creative force that can help people who are living on a destructive path to pause and turn things around.
Most of us can look back and point to a teacher or someone who helped us out in a particularly hard time by giving of their time and concern.
Giving counters the tend that leads from selfishness to disregard of others and then to violence.
Giving is such a healing,encouraging and building force that it builds up the giver and the receiver.
Mr.
Roger Amm is the music teacher in our local High School.
Mr.
Amm lead the Choirs and ensembles to numerous State Championships in competitions.
It is not surprising that Mr.
Amm is a very giving teacher; he goes out of his way to give of his energy and talents to help students develop.
He is also one of the most loved teachers in the school and the county.
There are other examples are on my mind and perhaps on your mind also.
Jim Cashmer is a business man in Streeter, IL who has a big heart for young people and who gives unselfishly of himself.
And how does this love guided by giving relate to Reverend Kay Glasner mentioned in the beginning of this article? Well, Kay Glasner was a man who took personal interest in me when I was a young and confused adolescent.
He took time from his busy schedule, as large church pastor and community leader to take me down the street for a hamburger and fries.
He was a giver and a lover.
Such unselfish action, such giving will change the world in ways we will never dream of.
What the world needs now is "love sweet love" as long as it is flavored with heavy doses of unselfish giving.
If you don't believe me, try it and see for yourself.
Kay Glasner was not an obscure man, in fact he was a giant in the community.
Reverend Glasner was a retired Air Force Colonel who had survived a crash landing in his jet.
He was a well-known figure in Springfield, Ohio, a visionary leader and the Chairman of the Clark County Board of Mental Health.
The reference that Reverend Glasner was making in his sermon was not an obscure idea either.
He was speaking on the topic of love and he was referring to the Hal David song, "What The World Needs Now Is Love".
Pastor Kay was using the words of this song as a springboard into a sermon lo love.
He was ridiculing the words of the song, which, caused the congregation a small bit of alarm.
During the course of the sermon Pastor Kay repeatedly belittled the words and sentiment of the popular song to get his point across.
Why was this local legend belittling this song and why did I, a thirteen year old boy remember this over 40 years later? Love is a great thing and is truly needed in our world.
The most potent and effective form of love is that type of love that is guided by giving.
Love is no more obscure than the song that became so popular in the 1960s.
Love that expresses itself as giving is a much more obscure concept.
However, love expressed as giving is a main theme of many of the world religions and to the main theme of Christianity in particular.
The notion that love comes and goes is a very popular notion.
We pick it up from popular culture that says we cannot help who and when we love and that love just comes on a whim.
Love that comes to us in such a light and unpredictable form leaves just as quickly.
The fact that nearly fifty percent of all marriages in America end in divorce is sufficient proof of that.
We need to recognize that many of the examples of love that we respect come from people and couples who have stood steady and made love last.
Romantic love and sexual love are very stormy and unpredictable in the beginning but tend to settle down in time.
This later period is the one in which hard work and commitment come into play.
We usually recognize that it is those grandparents and others who have stayed together are the ones who have given us the most and help us out the most when we were young and in need.
Another popular idea is the one that says that all young dating couples should dive in and experience love by satisfying every fresh sexual desire that comes to them.
Certainly sex and love belong together at some point but a thinking person will also recognize that sex is often involved when love is nowhere around.
Of the young people who I have known recently who are sexually active with multiple partners there has not been one who seemed happy or who expressed that he/she felt loved.
The reason for this is that understanding, kindness, respect, empathy, humor and appreciation are the base of the pyramid and sex is the very peak of the pyramid.
We turn the pyramid upside down all of the time.
It is hard to see how being used by someone to fulfill their sexual urges could result in our feeling loved and appreciated.
Bright young people will be wary of going out to Night Clubs and seeking a life mate among the other people present.
Most of these are just seeking a one night stand.
Sex built on a platform of respect, appreciation, kindness and commitment makes us feel all warm and comfortable inside.
Short term affairs which serve selfish agendas do not.
How does love express itself as giving? Giving causes people to take note of what we are doing.
We live in such a self-centered world that it seems natural to us to just take from others and look for more avenues for taking.
Giving, though, is not as frequent an action.
Giving helps those in need to understand that they are worthwhile.
Giving is a creative force that can help people who are living on a destructive path to pause and turn things around.
Most of us can look back and point to a teacher or someone who helped us out in a particularly hard time by giving of their time and concern.
Giving counters the tend that leads from selfishness to disregard of others and then to violence.
Giving is such a healing,encouraging and building force that it builds up the giver and the receiver.
Mr.
Roger Amm is the music teacher in our local High School.
Mr.
Amm lead the Choirs and ensembles to numerous State Championships in competitions.
It is not surprising that Mr.
Amm is a very giving teacher; he goes out of his way to give of his energy and talents to help students develop.
He is also one of the most loved teachers in the school and the county.
There are other examples are on my mind and perhaps on your mind also.
Jim Cashmer is a business man in Streeter, IL who has a big heart for young people and who gives unselfishly of himself.
And how does this love guided by giving relate to Reverend Kay Glasner mentioned in the beginning of this article? Well, Kay Glasner was a man who took personal interest in me when I was a young and confused adolescent.
He took time from his busy schedule, as large church pastor and community leader to take me down the street for a hamburger and fries.
He was a giver and a lover.
Such unselfish action, such giving will change the world in ways we will never dream of.
What the world needs now is "love sweet love" as long as it is flavored with heavy doses of unselfish giving.
If you don't believe me, try it and see for yourself.
