Valentines Special

This is Darren Kuhn with the masculine journey podcast were research the ancient paths to find ways that God brings light into a dark world and help set men free from the struggles that we all face on a day-to-day basis. Your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network man up. Welcome back. It's time to man up with a special edition today Valentine's Day. It is said Valentine's Day is for love or well is that I don't know let's let's dig deeper into that today so today on the show. Let's talk about Valentine's Day across the United States and in other places around the world can be flowers, gifts are exchanged between loved ones all in the name of St. Valentine's Day, where a few questions, just a test your knowledge see. Let's see how knowledgeable you are regarding St. Valentine's Day question number one, approximately how much will be spent in America for Valentine's Day give you a second to think about that. What would you guess what would you guess how much money will be spent in America. This is just in America on Valentine's Day planned Valentine's Day sales in the United States you ready for this is expected was always Deborah's eyes like really alert like there's no way the public. You know, maybe there is a way I guess I don't know but ready X them I can get this out the planet X the expected sale is approximately to reach $27.4 billion.

The United States like real 20s .4 billion. That's with a B billion dollars in the US. Question number two, approximately how many cards are sent each year on Valentine's Day. What would you guess to be a second to think about that. You ready. How about 145 million Valentines cards are sent out each year in the US now I'm stuck. I'm still kind of the traditional card guy right I mean I know there's a lot of electronic stuff that's done nowadays electronic cards and need all this technology and I'm old school right I a group old school if I was an old-school wrestler and I guess I'm old-school when it comes to this weathered Valentines cards, birthday cards, Christmas cards or whatever other card you can think of.

I just like to send out cards so I can kinda see that hundred 45 million Valentines cards sent out each year. Now this is excluding by the way, packaged kids Valentines for classroom exchanges but that's that's probably going to look different going forward into the future as well. So I mean if look of these kids can't, I guess, are going to have to send out electronics Valentines to their classmates. Kids are not allowed in school right will hopefully they'll get back in school full-time. One day in baking celebrate some of these traditions, like the exchanging of Valentines in the classroom right but according to estimates by the US greeting card Association second only to what holiday would you guess well if you just Christmas you would be right 1500 types of Valentine's Day greeting cards were being offered by a hallmark there's a plug for homework or question number, where we on three question number three. How much on average of these are just average. As you read these numbers might be ± little higher or a little bit lower but how much on average is bent by an individual.

What would you guess try to think like I have Ford daughters and grandchildren now and I know I have no idea how much you know, I might spend some these different holidays.

I don't know that I wanted added up for no but a survey by the national retail Federation shows Americans will spend an average Holly come up with these surveys, but they did was spent on average, $161.96 each to lavish their loved ones. They like that. Get your wallets out men start lavishing your loved ones hundred $61.96 each. Let's on average, right.

Our next question. Want to guess what the number one gift is now this is not cards.

This is some thing other than hard.

What would you gas is the number one gift given on St. Valentine's Day got that answering your head well of you guessed flowers you would be right you would be crowded flowers of the most popular Valentine's Day gift. Get this costing about an average of $73 per order. Most men opt for what kind of flowers come on I give you head there usually read sometimes it might be why or perhaps pink. But if you guessed roses you would be right and it is in the color of red or white or soft pink Drago is another one masculine ass just how much chocolate do Americans by every year for Valentine's Day.

Come on, like the real right how much chocolate now.

I haven't met a woman yet that doesn't doesn't love chocolate just I'm sure one day I might, maybe I will know my daughters love chocolate and at and my grandkids.

My granddaughters let them it's my grandsons, but how much chocolate do the average Americans by every year for Valentine's Day. Turns out 58 million pounds of chocolate are purchased in the seven days leading up to February 14 58 million pounds.

That's a lot of chocolate as a lot of you better hit the treadmill an extra day or two if you get a even come close to eat now but chocolate what next question. What's the most popular candy. Think about that for a moment.

What's the most popular candy. I hope I'm helping somebody out here guys. I hope I'm helping you out here to to win over the that loved one on Valentine's Day ready heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are the most popular Valentines candy in America with pink and red M&Ms not far behind. Would you thought of that pink and red M&Ms. But heart shaped boxes of chocolate are the most popular Valentines candy in America there even some states ready for this. There's some states that look forward to Cupid corn humble must be like in Nebraska. I'm thinking the cornhusker state of Nebraska only in the Midwest right when they have Cupid corn a seasonal take on the traditional candy corn well who is this mysterious St. that we celebrate every February 14 and where did these traditions come from you ever thought about that maybe you don't even care about that but hopefully today you you find the show educational and enjoyable. Well the history of Valentine's Day, it's a little truthfully, it's a it's a little sketchy. I mean there's some different different stories in my research of a Valentine's Day St. Valentine to be's exact that the story story of the paint patron saint we just ate this way it's it's shrouded in a bit of mystery. Let's just say that it's shrouded in a bit of Mr. but never thought about that only like why what why we celebrate this dude you know this St. Valentine Dewberry and was even real, or how tall this marketing come about, right but in my research. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance maybe didn't know the probably didn't know that right, but February for a long long time has been celebrated as a month of romance and St. Valentine's Day as we know it today contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition, but who more specifically, was the St. Valentine guy who who and how did he become associated with this ancient right. How how well it you know what I will leave you hanging on that. I'll be right back. Hang tight.

Just for a moment, I'll need a green vinyl tile from the time ran when it's carpet right now number one in the reader's was the one that had anything this is Nikita Cole and I want to thank Blevins for supporting my new show man on Saturday afternoon at 1230 on the truth that were welcome back to it's time to man up and just reminded I'm reminded of it if if it if February is the month of romance, and I guess October is the is the month of birthdays.

It seems like all that would make sense what, and let's see hello, I mean let's do the math there.

You could tell, not a mathematician, dry you, you get that you got that right.

I have not about with this is afflicted okay yeah nine months October yeah okay back to try to think I have any children born in October off to think about that. Get back to you about okay let's let's search the Internet and see what we can find about this St. Valentine do right and you can find another are plenty of stories out there about him or about them like women with what exactly do we mean him them well if you search the Internet dry do a little homework your you find out that St. Valentine this there's different stories out there. Remember I said it's a little shrouded about who this dude really was one of the St. Valentines was supposedly a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. So this is going all the way back to the third century and apparently he was it. Apparently, they were all that secret because apparently word got out at the dude got imprisoned, but he was imprisoned in the home of a noble and and in this this noble.

He apparently healed his captors blind daughter causing the whole household as the story goes to convert to Christianity, but also sealing his fate. So before reading this list before being tortured. On February 14 he sent the girl a note. It is said signed your Valentine. So that's one fabled story right then there's the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer who may have invented Valentine's Day. How good this English poet, perhaps invent Valentine's Day. Will the medieval English poet often took liberties with history placing his poetic characters in the Tisha's historical context that he represented as real. Now, no record exists of of romantic celebrations on Valentine's Day prior to up home.

Chaucer think that's how you say it wrote around third teen 75 get him English was of my major nor was math.

Can you tell that about the Russian nightmare tomorrow, but I excelled at sports those straight A's all the way so 1375 in his work. Parliament of foils and I think that's how you say that bear with me here he links a tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St. Valentines feast day, an association that didn't exist until after his poem received widespread attention so it is said so we we could conclude one could conclude that the Valentine's Day focuses on what then romance and love love love love the day of love. The celebration of love well let me transition here to examine what perhaps the Bible says about romance and about love. Maybe this would give all of us a little bit different perspective on Valentine's Day a lot. In fact, that the Bible has a lot to say it in fact I would say the Bible in and of itself is a love story. I mean, from start to finish. The love of God, the creator for his creation for all of his creation such as mankind purchased all of his creation. And when you read just open up the Bible and read Genesis in this like they want. He made this and he said it is good day to he may then and he said it is good.

Then he made mankind and said it is good. Then he he said is not good for man to be alone and so he put Adam to sleep and took out a ribbon created one man and and and helpmeets and and thus blossomed the first love affair between Adam and me in fast forward all these years later were still trying to wrap our head around this this whole love thing, but the Bible is in fact a love story I want to share with you today. Just a few examples of what the Bible says about love now very a very a very safe world famous but well-known public that a very well-known chapter in the Bible is first Corinthians chapter 13. In fact, it's kind of been daubed though.

Love chapter, and here's what it says if I could speak all the languages of the earth, and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal by had a great gift of prophecy. If I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge that I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing if I gave everything I have, to the poor, and even sacrifice my body I could boast about, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient, love is kind love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

It does not demand its own way. It's not irritable, it keeps no record of being wronged does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices when the truth wins out. What we need that to date, only truth. Love never gives up love never loses faith.

It's always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless, but love will last forever. Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture. But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless when I was a child I spoke and thought and reason. It is a job when I grew up, I put away childish things.

Now we see things imperfectly like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know is is a partial is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me completely.

Three things it concludes will last forever. Faith, hope and love and the greatest of these, you guessed it, love song of Solomon or some call it the song of songs is considered the logbook for you.

Mighty to save the love book.

I mean the most lyric pork, rich symbolism and romantic book in the Bible. If you've never read it. In fact, some have said or some have deemed it an allegory given us a picture of three things God's love for Israel. Jesus's love for his church and the king's love for his bride. One example of the song of Solomon chapter 4 verse dances.

How delightful is your love my sister, my bride, how much more pleasing is your love than wine. The fragrance of your perfume than any spice chapter 2 verse 16. This is my lover is mine and I am. Here's a portion of Scripture in one John chapter 4 started verse seven says this dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. How many times have you heard that God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

This is real love, not that we loved God but that he loved us first and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins, dear friends, since God loved us that much. We surely ought to love each other. No one no one has ever seen God, but if we love each other.

God lives in us and his love is brought to full expression in us just some of what the Bible has to say about love on this Valentines weekend when so many others will be celebrating love handing out candy and and and cards in and gifts and taken taken family and friends to dinner and loved ones.

Spouses and that you might say significant other that fiancé or their boyfriend or their girlfriend can I remind you of our first love and that's the love of Jesus as much as we love others. Can I challenge you to make sure you have a relationship with him, and you've established a love for him and then once you establish that relationship can I challenge you on this Valentines weekend. Can I challenge you to be determined to grow that love every single day. Don't take your love for God for granted.

Don't take your love for Jesus for granted. Oh, I prayed a prayer give my life to Jesus. One day know it's a relationship that you build upon every single day and in fact this is Valentine weekend, but what if you made your love for him would be one of every day was Valentine's Day because you approached your love for him that way like you are going to do this weekend for others just want to challenge you with that.

I just want to do this special show today for Valentines and more than anything conclude this show by challenging you first and foremost, make sure you've got a personal relationship with Jesus that you love God, and that by loving him and growing that intimate, passionate relationship with God is then going to guess who benefits from that. No benefits from that. If you work on that vertical relationship with your Creator. The created universe, your love relationship with Jesus. Guess who benefits from that everybody else around you spouses, children, coworkers, strangers, you might come across who can experience the love that's inside of you that love for Jesus so hope you have a blessed Valentine weekend more than anything surrender your life to Jesus and fall in love with more than anyone else first. Thanks Richard it into it's time to man up will see you next week.

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