AURA OF LOVE This little book, "Aura of Love," has grown from the 47 years Joan and I have shared. Its content is the resultant contemplation of God's blessings conferred when He brought us together, and continuing until the present. Assembling the book from snippets recorded in letters, homemade birthday and anniversary cards, notes sent with flowers, etc., was in itself a labor of love. The "Aura of Love" also records demonstrations of affection I have received from others, and deeply emotional expressions for a few very special people we have encountered along life's way. May it be a praise not only to those who have the aura, but also to its Source, our Lord, its provider. My first encounter with the Aura of Love occurred as I looked over a new congregation. Eye to eye contact, is important to every public speaker, but especially is this true of Christian ministers. The spiritual link to his hearers is the Gospel message that he expounds, but eye contact is his primary physical link. This link was broken suddenly, and almost irreparably, during the worship service that Sunday night so many years ago. I was coming to the third point in the evening's sermon. I paused and looked over the congregation, making eye contact with as many as possible. Then it happened. My eyes fell upon an angelic face that glowed with a radiance that transfixed me. For an eternity, that was in fact only a few seconds, I stood immobile. Then, I recaptured the moment." As well as I can remember that was my first conscious experience with the Aura of Love. It may have been there earlier in life; I will never know, but it never so completely affected me as it did when I first looked into Joan's eyes. Up until that time, things had so completely revolved around me that I undoubtedly missed many wonderful opportunities to enjoy its presence, and to enjoy the wonderful people it illuminated. From that day until this, finding the Aura of Love, personified in others, has been my quest. Joan and I met, fell in love, and married. That special spiritual glow has never left her and my love for her has never waned. When I met her family, I found the same aura enveloping them. Visiting their home and watching them interact as a loving family, reminded me of the religious paintings venerated in the Eastern Church, with each person encircled by a halo. Suspicious of being a guest of church members that were "playing" for me, I forced my way passed my old nature and found "realness" unlike anything I had ever encountered. Their devotion to our Lord and their genuine love and respect for each other caused me to reevaluate my own family relationships, and restore long since forgotten friendships. The twilight years of my life have past, yet the darkness of night will never overshadow me for I have the love of God, Joan, and friends I have met along the way. The Aura of God's love shines through them to me. By giving you a look at the aura that surrounds people possessed of Christ's love, I hope you will see your own, and share it with others.
About the Author: Waitus Howard Starling is a septuagenarian Christian Minister. He writes short stories, articles on Christian subjects and life experience, and he is the author of numerous expositional and inspirational works. Expositions: A New and Eternal Beginning Worship - The More Excellent Way Jude-A Portrait of Christian Conflict The Epistle to the Romans-Exposition This is that ... Inspirational Aura of Love (Poetry) Spiritual Reflections (Poetry) Minister's Resource Manual The Place of Peaceable Rest The Quintessential Link The Times, the Seasons, and Eternity Tribute to A Thorn-a true story His father, an Evangelist, constantly traveled. He and his family made as many as three moves in one year. This provided Howard with many opportunities to view or participate in a variety of worship practices, across denominational lines. Mr. Starling enlisted in the United States Air Force just after he turned seventeen years old. There, he completed High School, and liberal arts courses from the United States Armed Forces Institute, through the Base Education Center's programs. After eight years of service during which he continued to educate himself, he entered full time ministry as an Evangelists and Pastor. He ministered to newly organized or problem congregations as an expositional homilist and pastor, and served in administrative capacities within the organizations he served. At the outset, he followed the religious path others set for him, but confusion erupted as he compared Holy Scripture with his ministry; that is, the worship methods, practices, and beliefs, propagated by renowned evangelists, pastors, his peers-and himself. This blatant disregard for the Biblical standard shocked and bewildered him at the outset, but he suppressed his alarm and continued his ministry until it overwhelmed him. After gathering the pieces of his life, and returning to basics, his Lord began moving him "toward a new and Biblically centered life and ministry." Howard determined to devote the remainder of his life to searching for Scriptural accuracy and passing his findings to responsive believers. Associating himself with believers of like faith, he has focused on a Bible teaching ministry as a pastor, and writer, for more than forty years. Many of his publications are available at Amazon.com, Kindle.com, and Createspace.com. He is also the author of the blog-posts at The Starline Journal.wordpress.com.