Wayne and I love trees. When we built our home, we were careful to leave every tree possible on the lot. We wanted lots of trees and we got them! Huge live oaks, bay trees, I hate those huge rubbery leaves, loquat, fig, orange, lemon, pine, hickory and scraggly scrub oaks. But what we […]
Everyone has a nickname, but some names that are better than others. Nick names like Bubba or Bogger; Wingnut or Skeeter hardly scratch the surface of names that kids get labeled with. Some folks earn their nicknames, while others are tokens of endearment. I don’t know how Catfish got his name, but he definitely made […]
You know about darkness, if you’ve ever been on a camping trip in the middle of a thick patch of trees on a moonless night.
You know about darkness, if you’ve ever been deep in a cave and the guide turned off the lights.
You know about darkness, if you’ve ever been through a hurricane that left your part of town without power.
You know about darkness, if you’ve ever been in the middle of a large group of people at a ball game, a parade or the county fair–spiritual darkness. You see it on their faces. You recognize it in their celebrations. You hear it in their conversations.
If you’ve ever, even once seen the news, you’ve seen the results of individuals and families crushed and robbed by the effects of darkness. You’ve seen lives destroyed because people tried to cruise through life without a light. The darkness may be normal for some folks, but the resulting carnage and devastation is heart-breaking. Isaiah 60:2 “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people…” That darkness, that gross darkness is stripping our children of their innocence and families of their fathers. It leaves people twisting and perverting love and sex and destroying our morals and culture in the process.
But I stopped too soon when I copied that verse, there’s more. The remainder of that verse says, “but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” God has a cure. He sent the light-Jesus into the world and He sent you to be a jar of clay or a lamp for that light to shine through.
Verse 1 says “Arise , shine ;
I am a simple person and I always try to be very simple in my approach, but I can’t tell you what it means for you to shine. I can only send you to Jesus. Will you go running to Him…yes, running. Don’t you think it’s dark enough to get passionate about illuminating the darkness? Ask Him to show you how to be a light. Commit to pursue Him with all your heart until you become a bright and shining light that reflects His glory!
In my pursuit of Him, this is how I pray:
Illuminate my darkness.
Let your light rest on me- my conversations, my actions, my home.
Help me to see and seize opportunity.
Give me the boldness to do what you tell me to do and say what you tell me to say.
Think MISSIONAL. If you know someone that would enjoy this blog, please pass it on!