Outrageous LOVE!!!

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of Glory died

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet

Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did ever such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown

O the wonderful cross,

O the wonderful cross

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live

O the wonderful cross,

O the wonderful cross

All who gather here by grace draw near and bless

Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine

That were an offering far too small

Love so amazing, so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all

~by Chris Tomlin~

This is the song of my heart today, tomorrow - FOREVER!!! I am so thankful for all that God has done for me. I praise him for the fact that when I look at the cross, I am reminded that I am forever FREE!!!

He owed me nothing. My sins were hideous in the sight of my sinless Creator - Holy God. My sins separted me from knowing God and His son Jesus. I owed God a ransom for my trangressions. But there was nothing I could do to earn His favor. I knew even my "good works" were tainted and could not outweigh my bad ones. But Jesus paid my debt for me! He did for me, what I could not do for myself. He made a way for me to get to God!!! "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) My Jesus died on the cross for my sins all because of love. He suffered for me so that I did not have to. I am no longer facing eternal separtation from God...

Unreasonable, unbelievable LOVE! My heart was dying separated from Christ. Now I am united with Christ, my Father and friend. My heart was filthy, but now when God looks at me He sees that through the work of Jesus, my heart is "whiter than snow". (Psalm 51:7) I praise You LORD, for seeking me out, calling me by my name, and establishing with me a personal relationship. I LOVE YOU LORD!!!

Romans 5:7-9:

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

Meet Max

Max is 6' 2". He has sandy blond hair, blue eyes, dark tan skin, big hands – rough from years of hard work, a strong upper body, muscled arms, and a handsome, face-splitting grin. Maxwell is incredibly outgoing and loves people. His precise and clearly articulated words often impress his listeners. He sounds quite intelligent, like a brilliant professor. He strikes up conversations with anyone about anything - anytime, anywhere & anyplace. Often he dominates the conversation with his opinion, sometimes not allowing the other person to get a word in edge-wise. He is not as good a listener as he is a talker. Some of his favorite topics include cars, engines, anything mechanical, anything having to do with air conditioning units, industrial fans, engines, steam powered trains, chimneys, fires and politics (really don't want to get him going on politics!). Often, he fixates on a particular topic far too long, completely unaware of his listener's increasing disinterest or frustration.

His intellectual abilities are far better developed than his social skills. He is extremely egocentric, rarely able to see another person’s viewpoint. Because of this, his ability to empathize with others is poor. Most people assume he is just eccentric - fairly normal for the most part with a few quirks. He is incapable of hiding his feelings and wears his heart on his sleeve. He has a childlike personality and naïve innocence which is clearly seen in his boyish behavior. In spite of his dominating tendencies and seemingly eccentric behavior, his honest personality wins the hearts of many. Others lose patience and seek to be rid of his company as quickly as possible. Some are highly amused, often too amused. They just sit back and tauntingly laugh at him, asking questions which provoke the reaction they find entertaining.

You may be asking what my point is. His description so far most likely describes a number of guys you have encountered. You might be saying: “So what?” However, as you get to know Max better you will see various abnormal patterns in his behavior, mainly in the way he socially interacts and communicates. Remember, you’ve only just met him. These certain abnormal behaviors I mention, become obvious overtime as you begin to interact with Max. Here are some examples of the abnormal behavior I speak of, some of which have already been mentioned: ***The following list of symptoms were taken from various online resources (see bottom of page for more info.)***

"Peculiarities in speech and language"

"Repetitive behaviors or rituals"

"Limited interests or preoccupation with a subject"

"Socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior and interpersonal interaction"

"Problems with nonverbal communication"

"Lack of empathy"

"Clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements"

"Problems with hand-eye coordination and other visual skills"

"Poor pragmatic language skills. (This phrase means that the child does not use the right tone or volume of voice for a specific context, and does not understand that using humorous or slang expressions also depends on a social context.)"

"Learning difficulties - which may range from mild or severe."

These are the basic symptoms of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. My relative, Max, was born with this syndrome. Thus far you may doubt how pervasive and serious this syndrome is, but as I said, you’ll understand more as you get to know him better. It affects everything social in his life – how he functions in public, one on one, with his mother, with his sisters, with his close friends, with the stranger on the sidewalk, with his boss, with his co-workers, with his neighbors, in a crowd, in a small group…the list is extensive. I hope you’ll stay tuned as I try to define and explain Asperger’s Syndrome. I look forward to sharing with you the many touching, funny, sad, frustrating, and delightful stories about Max’s life.


*Resources Used:

http://www.middisorders.com/

http://www.asperger-advice.com/

http://www.webmd.com/