Influence

-
Image
It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been busy completing three years toward my B.A. in English and my senior year is underway. My current class (Creative Writing) has finally given me the space to take off the tight harness of academic writing rules, and it feels SO GOOD!! After reading my first assignment, Mom and Daddy gave it their thumbs up and suggested I make it a blog post, so here it is. It is my story and their story. It's a little longer than my usual posts, but as with everything I have ever posted here, I pray it encourages you to run "up the sunbeam to the sun" (C. S. Lewis). "Follow my example,  as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV I sat above them on the stairs. Looking down through the window-like openings in the partition between the living room and the stairway, I listened to the basketball players, football players, baseball players, wrestlers, track athletes, both the lettermen ...

Frame Within the Frame

-
-- From within dark and damp decay inside a hollow tree trunk, an unexpected light caught my attention. Changing my angle for a closer look, I discovered a favorite thing--a frame within the frame. The leafy light that filtered into the rotting tree was all the brighter for the surrounding dark inside. It glowed warm and soft despite the chill of the day and the winter white light of the hazy sun.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5 TNIV
Today, I had to change my angle of observation to look for the frame within the frame of my life. When I looked for it, there it was--light shining in the darkness. While I felt somewhat surrounded by evidence of decay and diminishing joy, God gave me opportunities to speak His encouragement to people who needed His touch. In shining His light into dark moments of a very mundane day, His bright, warm glow sparkled back all over me!
"The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out." John 1:5, The Message
I pray for you that His Life-Light would blaze from your heart as a frame within the frame and that the darkness would never be able to put it out!
How do you let your light shine?

Comments

Post a Comment

I love feedback and look forward to your comments!

Popular posts from this blog

Love Wrapped in Flesh

-
Image
Word became flesh . INCARNATION The Flesh-wearing Word lived and breathed and moved among us, sharing our space-and-time existence, for a span of 33 years.  In that mere blink of history, He spanned the chasm between divine love and human desperation. Christmas . . . His coming.  We so easily envision His birth, the praising angels, the Joy to the World, the Peace on Earth, the Good Will to Men, shepherds, wise men, drummer boys--the Christmas card comes to life in our mind's eye.  But do we rewind a little further, go back to the moment where He took off His glory like a glistening robe and left it hanging on a hook in Heaven's hallway?  Do we envision the moment He handed His crown to His Father and said, "Don't worry--I've got this!  I'll go!"  Do we reckon with the sacrifice it was for Him to limit all that He had always been to the permanent wearing of humanity, just so He could rescue us from the dragon . . . and ourselves . . . and our ugly sin...
Read more

Stacking Lack or Gathering Bounty?

-
Image
Northern California is rainy this time of year.  While many of you are eagerly anticipating the beauty of a white Christmas, here we get rain .  Some people don't like it and can't wait for the return of the sunshine, but I like the break in the monotony of weather that doesn't have 4 distinct seasons to follow.  Rain is also lovely for turning the hills an almost Irish shade of green (at least how I imagine Ireland to be).  Then there's always the fact that I hate it when the powers that be talk about drought and rationing water and expecting me not to flush toilets--so yessirree, I do love the rain!! This week brought rain, really more heavy mist than rain, but so heavy you could actually hear it. It soaked and soaked and soaked into everything.  For a day and a half it lingered.  It gave some people all the reason they needed to complain.  I just listened to the lovely soft sound it made and breathed it in.  The morning it stopped, I drove ...
Read more

Simple Simplicity

-
Image
I love Christmas lights!!  I love the color and dazzle they bring!  I love that they illustrate the truth that Jesus came as the Light of the world!  Every year there are a number of houses I can't wait to see decorated! Some of them are so elaborate, I think the people must have to start around the 4th of July to get all those lights in place for the next Christmas season!  I love it that there are people who will go to these lengths, but it makes me tired just to think about all that work!!  Here is a video of one such magical place (I've never been there, but would love to see this in person!)--more power to 'em!! Pretty great, huh?!!  I think so too! Of all the houses that I love to see decorated, there is one house I look forward to more than all the others.  They came through for me just this past weekend, much to my delight!!  My son called me a "creeper" for going and lurking in front of this house, quietly snapping pictures to captu...
Read more