Love is an investment.
No better show demonstrates this than Shark Tank.

Premiering in August of 2009 as an American franchise of the Japanese original, Money Tigers–the show consists of “a panel of potential investors who listen to entrepreneurs pitch ideas for a business or product they wish to develop.” The show is both thrilling and threatening; it is an opportunity for the contestant to go from pulling oneself up from the bootstraps, to donning full on red bottoms. Before a final decision is made, the investors or “sharks” take turns finding faults and weeding out weaknesses in the business model. Some rejections are delivered sweetly–offering advice and suggestions for improvement. Others are served bitter and brutal, the entrepreneur leaving empty-handed, without a handshake. Just appearing on the show at the very least offers exposure and increases sales.
It is worth the risk.

Love is an investment.
No better experience demonstrates this than dating.

Women have been doing this dance literally and figuratively since the book of Judges (21:23). Without a doubt, today some women are perfectly ok with, and in fact quite comfortable and proud to be single. Others are working on self improvement while praying to be found. As a gender we have been groomed to please for profit (i.e. attention) from as far back as Herod’s birthday party. It is both exciting and in the words of Sex in the City’s Charlotte York, “exhausting.” Dating, like Shark Tank, consists of being vulnerable. We shine the light on our strengths and try not to share too many weaknesses. While getting to know each other every text, phone call and well, “date” is an elevator pitch to hopefully secure the next outing. One’s intentions and maturity dictate how rejection is given and received. There’s nothing worse than being ghosted, but we all are to a certain extent. Some are Casper the Friendly Ghost, kindly declining any further dates. Others are Phantom of the Opera-ish, the dating experience permanently scarring and haunting one’s ability to love. If we’re lucky, we’ll experience the Demi Moore/Patrick Swayze kind of Ghost love…one that transcends this lifetime. If we’re willing, the opportunity to love makes us wiser and better.
It is worth the risk.

Love is an investment.
Greater love has no man than this…

Finances or fiances, money or marriage, loot or love– we spend our lives attempting to acquire one or the other, but all are temporary.
The quest fills our days with highs and lows, joy and pain. But there is a panel–The Father, Son and Holy Spirit that has an eternal interest in us. We don’t have to prove our worth. We don’t have to do a song or dance. All we have to do is believe.

Easter, the day on which we celebrate God’s priceless, matchless gift has passed. But He makes the decision to invest, to give His love to us each and every day. God doesn’t hold our faults against us, but instead presents us as blameless and guiltless (Colossians 1:22). God never rejects us. Ever. He’s never on His cell phone; He is present. He’s never too busy; He is available. He will never ghost, or leave us. He knew that we would fall “and for that reason He was out”–He died and gave His life that we might live.
We were worth the risk.

“Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”
Ephesians 1:3-5

The question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” doesn’t matter when you have cookies.

Life is better when we focus on the sweet, on the positive. Dreezy Claus, Chicago’s Black Santa, focuses on sharing positivity in a city that is often recognized for the polar opposite. With beautiful, brown skin that gives you spring butterflies midwinter, Dreezy is the ultimate healthy distraction. Being in his presence is self care. Whether he walks in or logs on, the air shifts from arctic to island–melting the coldest hearts with his easy, breezy warmth.

A teacher at my wits end, I was introduced to Dreezy when I reached out for help on social media last school year. My students were experiencing the annual “ants in your pants” and pre-break jitters; I wasn’t too far behind them. The road to completing any classwork was a slippery slope; we were all ready for vacation and in need of some holiday fun. Like ice, Dreezy did me a solid and visited my classroom at no charge. The happiness he left in the students’ (and staffs’) hearts was priceless. A year later, the business of being Dreezy is booming. He is in demand everywhere– from our beloved Windy City to internationally in Dubai! The price of his visits are still worth every penny. His book, ‘Dreezy Claus & The Boy Who Wouldn’t Believe’ instills hope that we all have a gift to share and deserve to be represented. His own gift is investing time into not only talking, but listening to our children–a lost art in this fast-paced, device driven world.

With all of the changes 2020 has brought, Dreezy Claus’ commitment to caring remains the same, albeit mostly virtual visits. ‘Twas the night before his appearance in my Google Classroom a few days ago when I couldn’t sleep, so nervous was I about the link working, students behaving etc. A lesson in faith, I needed only to trust Dreezy’s word and proven ability to deliver on his promises. He was right on time. Spending our morning with him set the tone for the rest of the day. We were encouraged to be our best, knowing that he’s always watching, knows all, and rewards accordingly. Sounds divinely familiar.

If Jesus is the reason for the season (and indeed He is), The Lord is the logic behind our everyday, our all in all. In Andre Russell He is well pleased, and in our lives God has placed Dreezy Claus, a reminder of the fullness of joy.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11

For more information please visit www.dreezyclaus.com

Conjunctivitis, or Pink eye as it is more commonly known, is a highly contagious infection. Children get it a lot. Caused by bacteria that quickly and easily replicates, separates and divides, it causes irritation, congestion and worse case–even blurred vision. It is treatable with compresses, drops, and by protecting one’s eyes and keeping hands clean.

Children of God are called to spread the Good News of the Gospel, that Christ has risen from The Cross and is coming back. Too often we instead share and repeat gossip, or engage in other conduct that separates and divides. Feelings are hurt and communication is clouded, hindering the church’s vision. But if we press into God, allow His word to drop like dew onto our lives, and keep our eyes on Him–He promises to protect us from the ills of sin, cleansing our hands and hearts.

“The Word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient into the faith.”
Acts 6:7

I remember my first time using a microscope. It was probably around 5th or 6th grade. The coldness of the science lab, the height and hardness of the lab table’s countertop, the smell of the solutions…My classmates and I were amazed at the difference when we looked at a slide through the objective lens. What was unseen with the naked eye was made visible. The root was revealed. The specimen magnified, a cell’s nucleus was now made clear.

With this same child-like wonder we should look at life through the lens of the cross. From hosanna to hatred, within a week the people’s hearts grew cold. They hung Him high on a surface hard and rugged. The smell of defeat was pungent, but there was more to the surface than meets the eye. Three days later brought the smell of sweet success when Jesus rose victorious. Keeping the cross, the resurrection as our objective makes a difference. No matter what life brings before us, light shines through the darkest of circumstances when Jesus is the center of our joy.

“Oh magnify The Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
-Psalm 34:3

I recently took my mom to the ophthalmologist. She was experiencing discomfort, dryness, swelling and red eyes. The doctor’s diagnosis? Extreme dryness, visible even without tests or in depth examination. A decrease in blinking has minimized her eyes’ moisture. The doctor went on to suggest punctal plugs. They would help hold on to the little moisture her eyes are still producing.

Faith requires us to keep a laser-like focus on God. Sometimes we are tested, revealing what’s in our hearts. When things don’t go the way we planned or don’t look the way we envisioned we can become uncomfortable, dry with our devotion, swell up with pride and even feel red with anger. But the Word of God suggests that we lift our eyes unto the hills, that we plug into The Lord. Then we can lower our lids, being rest assured that His never close. He will not hinder, but hears, sees, and will help us.

“Look to The Lord and his strength, seek His face always.”
-1 Chronicles 16:11