Light Your World!

A few years back, we were having one of those spring thunderstorms that rattles the windows of your house and makes your walls feel like they are about to come down. You know the ones where the thunder crashes and the lightening strikes and the dogs and cats go running under the couch or the bed. I remember we went to bed, tucked our son in and turned off all the lights. But at about 2 am, we lost electricity at our home. We discovered at that moment that there is a major difference between turning off the lights and being in the dark. Without the electricity, there was no night lights, no digital readouts on the alarm clocks, no flashing lights on the answering machine. . . it was completely dark. And then to top it off, my son lets out a blood curdling scream that to this day, just thinking about it, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYY -- it's dark in here." "No kidding, you're supposed to be asleep." But of course as every dad would do in that situation, after discovering that the flashlights are all just dead battery cases, I struck a match, lit a candle and like a knight on a white horse, I strode into my son's bedroom and with one solitary flame, I fought off the evil darkness. But of course 10 minutes later the light came back on and I was no longer needed --- all you parents out there can appreciate that.

Isn't it amazing at how bright one solitary flame can be in the midst of the darkness? Our world is filled with darkness right now. Moral failure by leaders - darkness. Economic collapse - darkness. Constant threat of terrorist attack - darkness. Divorce rate at an all time high - darkness. Stress and fear driving people to heart attacks and suicide - darkness. And yet we know from scripture that Jesus prophesied that all these things must come before He would return -- "As it was in the days of Noah. . ." and "As it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah . . . so shall it be. . ." when the Son of Man returns. And so we it sit at a time of unprecedented darkness AND YET we sit at a time of unprecedented opportunity. Because Jesus also said that we "are the light of the world." When it's at its darkest, the light is most effective. You may feel insignificant. You may feel that it's too dark to matter. But when it's darkest, your little candle, your little light, can force back the darkness and bring hope to our world.

And so today - my simple encouragement is this - Go light your world. Yes, I know it's dark. There are people everywhere with greater needs than ever before. It's up to you and eye to bring hope to the hopeless, the bring healing to the hurting, to bring help to the helpless, to bring liberty to those who are bound, and yes to bring light to those who are in the dark. The darkness is EVERYWHERE --- and we who know Jesus Christ, need to step out into the darkness and bring the light.

There's an old Sunday School song - maybe you know it. It says, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." One verse says, "Hide it under a bushel - OH NO - I'm gonna let it shine." Another says, "Won't let Satan blow it out - I'm gonna let it shine." One thing I know - it only takes a small spark to begin a great blaze. Why don't we make up our mind to let our light shine, to not hide it, and if we'll do our part to shine in the darkness, Satan or nobody else will be able to ever put out the blaze that will have begun. It's time to SHINE!

Until next time - make a difference in your world by letting your simple light to shine. You don't have to do anything supernatural - you just need to be who God created you to be and His love and His light will shine through! God bless you all - thank for reading. I'm ready to fight off the darkness - How about you? --- RP

Let the Light Shine!

Christmas is certainly a season of lights. One of my families favorite Christmas traditions is riding around and looking at many of the homes who have decided to purchase stock in the local power company by creating landing strips for Santa. Lights are just a part of this amazing season. Fittingly it always has been. Shepherds were bathed in light on the hillside as the angels announced the birth of Christ. Wise Men followed a well lit and well placed star to discover the place where the baby lay. And amazingly enough, this baby that was born is throughout scripture described as "the light of the world". Jesus Christ, the reason for this amazing season, is synonymous with light.

Every year as we prepare to decorate, I am always stuck on light duty. Before you can put the lights on the tree or hang them outside, you always have to uncoil them and plug them in to check to make sure that they are working. It never fails, that as I begin to check them, there is always a strand or a section that is not burning. Unwilling or unable to just throw them away, I begin the process of painstakingly checking each bulb to find the reason for the section to be unlit. It only takes one severed connection, one burned out bulb, one bulb that is not set correctly, one small piece of copper filament out of alignment to cause a strand of bulbs to not let the light shine.

As our Savior was the light of the world, we are also called to bring light into the darkness. And yet sometimes, we don't shine as brightly as we are able. It's not a problem with the power source. It's not a problem even with our ability. More often then not, it's just something very small in our life that is causing our connection to the power source to be severed. As we count down the days to a new year maybe it's time for a little introspection to discover the source of the light outage. Because our world is certainly in need of people who are willing to let their light shine.

In an effort to improve my light outflow, I'm striving to be more thankful this year. I tend to be a very thankful and appreciative person but of late, I've noticed that I'm at times dwelling on the negative or the limitations or the areas of lack in my life. Instead, I want to begin taking a look at the multitude of blessings that are in my life. Just a few:

1) I'm so thankful for an amazing wife, Davina, who inspires me to want to be a better man. She gives wings to my dreams and she adds so much fun. I can't imagine living a moment without her kindness and caring love for me.

2) I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with two amazing children, Jordan & Abigail. They are each unique in their gifting and their talents and yet both are going to be wonderfully used by God. Each day, watching them as they mature, I'm so overwhelmed with my desire as a father to be a strong example of Christ that they can follow. Lord don't ever let my feet go where they can not follow.

3) I'm so appreciative of my parents, without whom this year we would not have survived. They have been an anchor in stormy seas and a constant source of love and support. With all my heart, I'm truly amazed by them!

4) I'm thankful for my brothers, their wives and their children. Family is truly a blessing from God and I'm thankful that each of them are striving to be pleasing to God and are examples of His kindness each day.

5) I'm thankful for my 14+ years at Life Church in Mechanicsville, VA. They prepared me to be able to endure when everything around me seemed to be sinking sand. Thanks to Pastor Buddy Thompson who allowed me to grow in my ministry and developed me as a leader. His ability to develop people is something I'm so thankful to have observed and hopefully learned. Thanks so much to the wonderful saints of Life Church who I miss every day, who made my time there valuable and showed love and kindness to my family. I pray God's blessings will continue to flow in the midst of this wonderful assembly.

6) I'm so grateful for Pastor Mark & Chantel McLeod and the wonderful saints of Church on the Move. You were, for me and my family, an oasis in a very dry place in my life. You restored to me my desire, drive and determination to effectively change this world for the cause of Jesus Christ. The future is so bright at COTM - I can't wait to see as God does what He does best, change the lives of hungry and willing hearts.

7) I'm so thankful to all of you, the folks who choose to read my mindless drivel and many who even take the time to encourage me to keep going. I'm so thankful to have reconncected with so many of you through Facebook or connected with you for the first time through this blog. It's amazing the people that God has brought into my life through this social networking medium.

8) I'm humbled and awed most of all by the amazing kindness and love of Jesus Christ. The fact that He looks beyond all of my faults and continues to love me in spite of them is so humbling. When He could, and probably should, give up on me, He remains an ever constant, abiding, faithful friend. While I have so many questions and probably annoy the fire out of Him sometimes, I know that He ultimately knows what is best for me. I have so many needs AND YET, He knows them before I ask (sometimes I wish He'd just answer a little quicker - I'm sure we all feel that way at times). . . Thank you Lord for loving me, teaching me and guiding me even when I don't deserve it, don't seem to learn it and sure can't figure it all out! You know me better than I know myself and I'm honored that you call me Friend. "No greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend."

And so I'd like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas - I pray God's greatest blessing on your life for the New Year that is to come. Let's together make an impact on our world as we Let the Light of Jesus Christ Shine through us into every dark corner and let's make a difference in the lives of those around us! God bless - love all of you - RP

Artistic Explosion

Today, as I look out the windows in our home, I am absolutely amazed at the brilliant and diverse colors that God has painted across the Virginia landscape. Having lived in Virginia all my life, I think sometimes I've taken for granted just how amazing God's artistry is and certainly how breathtakingly colorful He can be at this time of the year. If you've never seen a Virginia landscape in the autumn, you owe it to yourself to take a ride through Shenandoah National Park during October. It is truly a sight that will make anyone stop and in awe remember how truly amazing our great God is.

True of the autumn leaves and the Virginia landscape, even moreso in the lives of His most amazing handiwork - you and I. As I've taken some time over the last few weeks to reflect on my own life, I've discovered that the old poem is true. During those moments in my life when I can observe only one set of footprints on the sandy shore, while the toughest moments in my life, it was truly the hands of God who were upholding me and carrying me through them. His amazing handiwork is truly evident in every corner of my life.

From the moment I was born, His artistic brushstrokes have been at work in an effort to produce His masterpiece in my life. The parents that I have, the childhood I grew up experiencing, the pastors & youth pastors who prayed over me and cared for me, those moments and experiences around altars in His presence, my baseball coaches, acceptances and rejections, successes and failures, friends made in my High School years that remain to this day, college experiences, meeting my future wife, our first date, our wedding two years later, seeing our two amazing children be born, experiencing 15 years of a wonderful marriage together, discovering the older I get, the wiser my parents are, God showing Himself to be ever faithful . . . brushstrokes. Ministry opportunities, moments of accomplishment, times I'm thankful for - even some moments that I'd rather not relive. Beautiful, colorful, amazing brushstrokes.

But no masterpiece is complete without those dark undertones that add depth and create perception. Lost jobs, hurt feelings, lost relationships, broken dreams, failed ideas. . . wounds, hurts, moments that I scratched my head and wondered what God was even up to - thinking that maybe He'd walked away from the canvas and decided to discard the artistic piece He'd begun. Dark places where at times confusion and frustration were the feelings of the day and questions reigned foremost in my mind. While I wandered in disillusionment and wondered what God's plan was, He never wavered. God's plan for the canvas was fixed in His mind and the dark colors were simply being added to provide depth of character and allow the bright colors to have more significance.

In the 3rd verse of Job 28, Job declares, "He setteth an end to darkness. . ." During those moments when it feels dark - there seems to be nothing else to look at. It seems to be at every turn, on every corner of our lives. But I take comfort in knowing that in the midst of Job's darkest days, He could say, "God sets an end to the darkness. . ." At some point the dark hues have been applied and the pigments are attached to the canvas and the depth of character has occurred and God's dark color application has come to an end. . .

What are you facing right now? Do you feel as if there are some dark places that you are in right now? Do you wonder if it will ever end? Well - it's all a part of God's handiwork. His masterpiece for your life is just being worked on. Brushstroke after brushstroke - color after color - a true artistic explosion where God is creating some of His most amazing work in your life. You may not realize it right now but it's simply because your standing too close to the artwork. Take a step back and look at the masterpiece as a whole, realize that God's may not be finished yet - allow the Master Artist to continue to apply brushstroke after brushstroke - submit yourself to the Master - and allow Him to complete the Good work that He began in you.

Loving God - appreciating His handiwork - enjoying His artistic explosion - and thankful to share with all of you again. Until next time - allow God to apply all of His colors onto the canvas of your life and watch His Masterpiece begin to come to life! - RP