Live as Children of the LIGHT.

My word for today is LIGHT: the brightness that dispels darkness. Christmas LIGHTS are getting scarce now as most of us have taken down the LIGHTS from our homes and businesses, and packed them away for another year.

Now, it’s up to us to represent and be THE LIGHT to our family, our neighbors and our world. We are "the chosen ones" to be the peacemakers, servants, joy and hope bearers to this world that needs that LIGHT so much. We must live as Children of the Light! Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are LIGHT in the Lord. Live as children of LIGHT."

Just before Christmas my family and I went to see the new Star Wars movie: The Final Jedi. As with any Star Wars movie, the LIGHT Side and the Dark Side are at war with each other. You can sure tell that jealousy, hate, bitterness, anger and revenge caused Kylo Ren to champion the Dark Side. When we examine our hearts, it’s quite possible, we won’t find that we hate anyone, but every little “dark” thing that we allow to remain in our hearts can have a “dark” effect on us. We might not be in darkness, but we certainly might find ourselves in the “shade”.

In 1 John 2:5-7, John writes “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is LIGHT and in Him is NO darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Jesus is the ultimate, ever-ready, radiant, source of LIGHT that dispels darkness, but He told us in Matthew 5:14-16 "YOU are the LIGHT of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shines to all that are in the house. Even so let YOUR LIGHT shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

What if OUR LIGHTS were shining so brightly that when people pass our way, they draw toward THE LIGHT and their world of darkness is dispelled? Maybe at the beginning of this new year, we should have a winter clear-ance sale and clear out all those things that hinder the LIGHT in us. Let’s open ourselves to His healing and empowering LIGHT today. When we declare with the Psalmist, “The Lord IS MY LIGHT and my salvation, who should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge, of whom should I be afraid?” – then there will never be a shadow of doubt which side we’re on, and all the dark forces that try to draw us to their side, will never win! May we BE the LIGHT that keeps on shining -- all year long!

What is Blocking Your View?

IWhat is Blocking Your View?

If you’ve been a musician in an orchestra, you know that seeing the conductor throughout the symphony, is of paramount importance. That’s why you’ll notice that the placement of every chair is in direct eyes' view of the one that is directing and leading the music. The conductor is responsible for the start of the symphony, setting the tempo, ensuring correct entries by various members of the orchestra and communicating to the musicians through hand and eye gestures.

The question is….who or what is blocking the view of YOUR Conductor? Maybe someone mistreated or spoke falsely about you. That one is all you can think about, so they are keeping you from seeing your Conductor. Maybe your children are blocking your view of the Conductor. Maybe your financial or health situation or the stress and press of the holidays are blocking your view. The point is – anything that keeps our eyes from seeing from first seeing our Conductor is what causes our faith to wane. The anxiety of our circumstances is what keep us from focusing on our Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6. When we keep our eyes on Him -- He will handle the symphony of our lives.

When we focus on the ONE who said, "I am the LIGHT of the world, whoever follows ME, will NEVER walk in darkness" (John 8:12), then the darkness will diminish. As we're drawn to focus on and spend time with the LIGHT, (our Conductor) and stay in fellowship with HIM, spending time in His Word, thinking about HIM -- our Conductor and He Who knows everything about everything, the answers we need will come from Him. The divine set-ups and divine appointments and the divine "suddenlies" will start providing what we need. Our music will reflect His tempo, His starts and His finishes of our symphony.

Maybe it's time to get a new seat in the orchestra -- one that SEES our Conductor -- His hand gestures and His eyes that are on us. His LIGHT shines so brightly and desires to dispel the darkness that is around us. I promise you, He is the most reliable Counselor, the most indescribable Prince of Peace and the ultimate source for restoring LIGHT to our world as the Conductor of our "unfinished" symphony!

This is What Prayer, Faith, and Giving God First Place Looks Like

Day 343 of Photo Inspirations -- This is what Prayer, Faith, and Giving God First Place Looks Like

In an upside down world where many folks prefer hanging out in the darkness more than THE LIGHT-- the ones who want prayer out of schools, the marketplace, their homes, their work and even their lives -- how delightful it is when those of us who live in the LIGHT.....see that lightly shining so brightly.

Case in point.......while attending a meeting at Christ the King Church on Monday, I walked down the halls of its Marquette School. I saw these posters made by their students and, yes, I was inspired -- thus my photo inspirations for today. It blessed me to see what a Christian education looks like -- especially in the likes of these posters. This is really what a foundation of prayer, faith, serving and giving God first place in our children's lives looks like.

I felt God's peace as I walked those halls. I sensed this was a place where God is talked about a lot. It's a place where the 10 Commandments is not only taught....but it's where they're being lived out by faculty and students. It's a place where they are not afraid to evangelize and form disciples who enthusiastically bring Christ home with them to their families and friends while they are being developed into strong men and women. They are receiving a solid base of values that will hopefully be their constant throughout the rest of their lives: respect, faithfulness, compassion, love for each other. Are mistakes made there? No doubt there are. But, it's also a place of finding forgiveness.

I'm by no means making this a post to sell my FB friends on this particular school, but I am advocating that what our world needs is love, sweet love, and a leaning into God's love and His Word AND Light that teaches us the ways to live a blessed and overcoming life. When His Light is diminished, when He is taken out of our schools, our workplaces, our homes and our lives.....we open ourselves up for the enemy and His darkness to come in -- to do what he does best -- to kill, steal and destroy. Clearly, during this beautiful season of Advent and Christmas -- we open our eyes to what Christ brought with Him when He left His throne in glory to come here...."He came to give us LIFE (not death) and LIFE more abundantly!" Good news is.....His LIGHT can NEVER be put out.

Like a Good Savior.....God's ALWAYS there!

"In Him was life, and that life brought LIGHT to humanity. And the LIGHT shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out." John 1:4-5

Along the Lighted Path

Day 194 of Photo Inspirations -- Along the Lighted Path
I was dusting my furniture yesterday, and, unlike other "dusting" adventures, my eyes fell on this book by Thomas Kinkade, "Along the Lighted Path" that was given to me 10 years ago by my sister who has since graduated to heaven.  I was always her "Lil Sister".  "Lighted" is what caught my attention. I posted about our "little lights shining" day before yesterday.  What if my sister gave me this book for "such a time as this" -- to remind us of THE LIGHT.  I recalled that Thomas Kinkade is known as the "Painter of Light".

How appropriate to see, as an example of spreading THE LIGHT, a man who literally "LASER" focuses us on THE LIGHT in every one of his paintings.  Thomas Kinkade devoted his life and career to share an inspirational message of home, faith, family, and inner peace. He traveled the world creating beautiful scenes and using his artistic talents to make a difference in people’s lives. Thomas' dearest wish had always been that his artwork would be a messenger of hope and inspiration to others – a message to slow down, appreciate the little details in life, and to look for beauty in the world around us. As millions of collectors around the world sit back and enjoy his artwork in their homes, there is no doubt that Thomas Kinkade achieved his goal of "Sharing the Light".

This beautiful cottage scene, "Cobblestone Lane", that I copied from the book, is one of his many paintings.  His note on the page says:  "I like to think of hope as a guiding light for the human heart." Another quote on the page was this: "We must build our faith not on fading lights, but on the LIGHT that never fails." -- Oswald Chambers

I like to think that my daily posts are "heaven sent" for the appointed time that God gives them to me. I don't think it was a coincidence that I talked about the variations and strengths of our lights in my post a couple of days ago, but yesterday's encounter points to HIM Who is our GUIDING LIGHT and the LIGHT that never fails.  The more we embrace THE LIGHT -- the more, like Thomas Kinkade, that we'll be sharing THE LIGHT as He shines brightly in and through us.

Good Morning, Lord!

Day 90 of Photo Inspirations -- Good Morning, Lord!
A couple of days ago, I captured this photo on a morning walk with a friend.   We start out our walk when it's still dark outside and soon the dark must bow to THE LIGHT.  What a sweet way to behold God and His goodness.  When we say, "Good Morning, Lord!"  He replies with a gorgeous sunrise.

During this particular walk, it seemed "light" was our focus.  His Light.  And, how when His Light comes into our conversations, our situations, and our thoughts -- darkness is dispelled.  When He said, "Let there be LIGHT" -- He showed up with sun and moon and stars and daytime.  And when He says "Let there be LIGHT" in our lives, He brings joy and peace and a bright new day.

We finished our three-mile walk and as we made the corner to our homes, we looked back and there was a brilliance of light over the homes in our subdivision.  It felt like God was putting a big spotlight on the place that we walked around.  We sensed His favor and approval.

I came back into my home and sat down for my morning devotion and my scripture reading was:  "The Lord is my LIGHT and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?"  Psalm 27:1

This is a week for waiting.  I'm recalling Jesus' final days, his final steps toward the cross, His final words, and awaiting His final victory.  I really don't like thinking about His suffering, but when I do, I know that everything about that suffering is still colored by victory.  So the Psalmist's words , "The Lord is my LIGHT and my salvation" is not just wishful thinking.  It is the bedrock of our lives.  He is the Victor.  Period.  He triumphed.  And so can you and I.  Yes, He is our LIGHT!

The Dark is Afraid of Me

Day 38 - Photo Inspiration --
This was a random photo that inspired me a few days ago,.  I tweaked it a little and made it my own as I thought about how the "darkness" was taking over way too many of my friends' lives.  A couple of days ago, I read where a friend's little girl was very afraid of the dark.  And, a few days ago, I heard a friend say, "I'm too hurt to to try again."  Today, I saw the shades in my friend's home.  Seemed she was preferring the darkness.   Each of these precious people, and perhaps, some of you, need to hear these words today.  The darkness is afraid of your light and when your light shines brightly.....the darkness will run in fear.

I heard Australian speaker, Christine Caine, tell this story about her little girl.  "When my daughter, Sophia Joyce, was very young, we were shopping at a Wal-Mart. We love America for your Wal-Marts! It’s the only place I know of where I can get a casserole and a flat-screen TV at 3:00 a.m.  Sophie wanted a flashlight and had the perfect one picked out. Unfortunately Wal-Mart’s florescent lighting doesn’t make for the best conditions to test out a flashlight. At the register, she was so excited to go home and try out her new little gadget. She said, “Come on, Mum! Let’s go find some darkness.”  The lady at the register must have thought I was crazy. I was so excited about the insight of my little girl in that moment. I gave her the whole spiel!  “Sophia, what you just said shows more spiritual maturity than most Christians ever reach. We will absolutely go find some darkness!”

And, that precious story speaks volumes about us and our lights.  Often, we are so introspective about our fears, anxieties, and the darkness around us, that we fail to realize we don't have to stay there.....in that darkness.  We can literally counterattack that darkness by turning on THE LIGHT within us, and when we do that -- we will shine so bright that the darkness just can't stay.  And, the best part?  Not only will the darkness be dispeled in our lives...it will light up the world around us.  So, as Christine told her little girl......let's go find some darkness and turn our LIGHTS on brightly and just see the change we'll make for ourselves and those around us today!

And the LIGHT Keeps Shining Brightly

Day 4 of 365 days of my photo inspirations for 2015:
Tonight I was taken with the lights on many homes that are still brightly lit and shining in my children's Texas neighborhood.  While many Christmas lights have been put away for another year, I, and many others will conclude our Christmas season on January 6th, after the 12 days of Christmas, and at the celebration of Epiphany (the manifestation of the Lord)  and the day commemorated when  the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child.

As I saw those homes tonight, I was touched by our desire to hold onto the lights a little longer -- it makes for such a tender and welcoming invitation to those homes.  But, most of all, those lights continue to remind us of THE LIGHT that shines ever brightly in our hearts.

We will take down the lights from our homes, but it's up to us to represent and be THE LIGHT to our family, our neighbors and our world.  We are "the chosen ones" to be the peacemakers, servants, joy and hope bearers to this world that needs that LIGHT so much.

Though Jesus is the ultimate, ever-ready, radiant, source of LIGHT that dispels darkness.....He told us in Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shines to all that are in the house. Even so let YOUR light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

What if OUR LIGHTS were shining so brightly that when people pass our way, they draw toward THE LIGHT and their world of darkness is dispeled?    Let's  BE the Light that keeps on shining -- all year long!