Carry On and Shine On

II Corinthians 4: 6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 


The last few days, terror assaulted the innocent, leaving 14 dead and 21 wounded in a gathering just a few freeway miles from where I live. The tragedy as we know, happened in a center that services the developmentally disabled, it happened to a group of County Public Health employees, it happened to San Bernardino, it happened to First Responders, doctors and nurses, it happened to families, it happened to Americans, it happened to you and me and the world.

It will happen again.

Darkness seeks its way into the hearts and minds; an absence of light so incomprehensible, so immoral, ungodly and evil, that our own brains can barely understand how someone comes to these conclusions and then acts on them.  My heart breaks as the first funeral of the youngest took place Thursday not to far from here.

She should be shopping and celebrating, baking cookies with her sisters, and wrapping gifts. To be a wife and mother--she will never know.  "Lord, comfort those who loved her,"  I pray. 

Yet God said...Light shall shine!

Do we cower, hide, cancel our plans, stock up and arm up?

I simply need to keep my heart-light burning, telling and proclaiming, living and testifying, sharing and inviting, being and doing His will to the best of my abilities, and praying for the strength and courage to stay bright and shining despite the looming darkness.

~~~

A friend brought me a "visual gift" this week. She likes to do that, does it often. I love her for that and many other things.

Sometimes--well, all the time, despite the harshness around us, we just have to "pick ourselves up and carry on!"

Pick up and carry on! 

I believe when we do that, the Light of God only gets brighter and more intense. We persevere and build character. God uses our story to warm the cold hearts of others and in turn, it keeps our hearts warmed as well.

Do I get discouraged at times, sad, afraid, concerned? Yes. All the time really. Yet I know where my hope lies, where the Glory is...in the face of Christ! Later in the same chapter the Apostle Paul tells us in verse 8, "we are afflicted in every way, BUT NOT CRUSHED; perplexed, BUT NOT DESPAIRING, persecuted, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; struck down BUT NOT DESTROYED. The Lord remains our steadfast Light, never flickering or shorting, never blowing a fuse or unplugging, but shining in our hearts for Eternity.

The star and heavenly realm of angels led the way and proclaimed His arrival in a lowly stable; the shepherds, were the first to see His glorious face...the Face of God. Today, we can experience that same revelation, that same amazing transformation and Light of knowing Him and allowing Him to insert that same Light within our mind-hearts.

Heavenly Father, You gave Your beautiful, perfect Son to us, to overcome our darkness so that we could fellowship with You in Your Light. On the Cross, Jesus died to conquer the darkness. He replaces our broken connection and we receive the Light Switch of Salvation Thank you for the grace and love that allows me to have knowledge of the Glory of God in Jesus Christ. When this world is dark, ugly, sad and teaming with demons of evil, Lord Your Light reminds us of Your sovereign plan and Your strength for each day. May Your Light be multiplied out through this Season of Love and May Your grace be shown, even in the hardest of circumstances and point to the One who came to save us from ourselves. Amen.

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Warming Trend

Ezekiel  36:26(NIV)  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone (cold) and give you a heart of flesh.

Brrrrrrrrrrr!  Hovering over the Southland for several days, bone-chilling dry air, encouraged by a breeze, brought the temps down to below freezing in some areas at night; rising only slightly for daytime activities. Unless you live in the desert or mountains, we "valley-ites" shivered while we tried to figure out how to remove the layer of ice off our windshield. 

While my feet tend to get cold first no matter how many pairs of socks I roll on, my skin really suffers. Worse than an itch,  it tightens and burns and becomes very uncomfortable.  My normal routine finds me lathering lotion typically, but in this weather the care needed for my skin may possibly require a special lotion and more applications during the day. That's an effort! 

Do you ever feel your spiritual life suffering a cold snap? 

It blows in under cover of darkness.

Relationships wither.

Heart blood slows, arteries freeze. 

Layered, the hoodie is pulled up. 

Hands stay inside our pockets; hugging ourselves so tight, we forget that warmth comes from fellowship with one another. 

Our fear keeps us from returning to a warm House of Worship, picturing the black ice we might have slipped on at another time.

Our spiritual gifts lie buried under the perma-frost.  God, can you just plug in a giant blow-dryer from heaven and melt this "season?" 

Our skin longs for the moisturizing healing of The Word of God. 

Step inside my friend,  come close to the Fire.

Stay awhile.

Shed your layers and apply the Word, let it absorb into your skin-soul.

Cuddle-up and raise your praise to the wind.

Let it carry to the Heavens where the Son longs to fill you with warmth from the inside out. 

Keep that Fire stoked. There's lot of firewood where that came from.  

Spring awaits. Let's pray for the Holy Spirit to bring us an early thaw. 

Heavenly Father, I thank you that Your Word warms me with hope. Fellowship and purpose keeps my feet moving and blood circulating. When my heartbeat seems slow, I know that spending time in meditation, clears the ice from my path. Lavish and lather me with your love,  your grace, the perfect lotion for the Winter blues. Amen.