Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Who Loves You?

Photo from Pxhere

How many times today has someone told you that they love you?

If you have a loving family, you’ll probably hear them express their love for you frequently.

But what if your family ties are a bit strained? What if you don’t have many close relationships at all, and consider yourself to be fairly alone in the world?

Then you probably don’t hear the words “I love you” nearly enough.

There’s a remedy for that:

Open a Bible.

The unfailing love of God is a soundtrack that reverberates through the Scriptures.

It’s easy to find verses in the New Testament that exemplify God’s love:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
And of course: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

But what about the Old Testament?

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

The Garden of the Heart

Image by Miroslav Kaclík from Pixabay

As a special treat for my Faith Cafe visitors, here’s a fresh take on Psalm 23:

In the garden of the heart, where shadows fade,
I walk with the Beloved, who never leads astray.
He is the shepherd, gentle and wise,
His love, like a river, flows through the skies.
The pastures of grace are green and wide,
I rest in His presence, where peace will reside.
Still waters call, soft and serene,
In His embrace, I am cleansed, I am seen.
Though the valley of darkness may stretch its might,
I fear no shadow, for He is my light.
His staff and His rod, steady in hand,
Guide me with wisdom, through this shifting land.
Image by Kati from Pixabay
No hunger nor thirst shall find me here,
For the table He sets, overflows with cheer.
Anointing my soul with oil of bliss,
I drink from His cup, a cup of endless kiss.
In the house of the Beloved, I shall stay,
Where love is the lamp that lights my way.
From moment to moment, from breath to breath,
I walk in His grace, defying death.
In the arms of the Shepherd, I am whole,
For He leads me home, to the garden of soul.
Image by Susann Mielke from Pixabay

(In case you’re wondering who wrote this lovely poem, it was the result of my tooling around with ChatGPT!)

© 2025 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.