It Should Be Natural...

I remember so vividly how as a young boy I would wait for nightfall to come, then burst outside on a mission that would keep me busy for hours! My glass jar with holes poked in the lid had just enough grass in it to help showcase my soon-to-be prizes...only to watch my 'prizes' fly off into the night air. I loved fireflys...or lightnin' bugs as I call them. There were very few nights during the summer that I didn't participate in this nightly ritual.

I had almost forgotten what that felt like...

It's been years since those hot delta nights. And I must admit there have been many nights during the summer that I wish I could still see the countless lights floating aimlessly in the dark. As the years have passed...with all the relocations that our family has been a part of...and with such hectic schedules, ofttimes small things such as lightnin' bug watching doesn't even manage to make it on any to-do list that I might have. And until this past week, I really didn't realize just how much I missed it.

For some unknown reason, I ended up out back of our house just enjoying the night breeze. It had been a crazy day at work, and long after supper, I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed outside. The wind was slightly blowing which gave a slight chill in the air. It was a great way to cap off the day. As the day slowly gave way to dusk with darkness waiting to dominate the sky, they began to appear. One by one, dozens, eventually hundreds of lightnin' bugs began their dance on the night air. And that flood of memories from my childhood came rushing over me like an unstoppable wave. All at once I was whisked away, back to the delta...and into a somewhat 'childlike' state, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. By this time the darkness had overcome the light and our backyard had joined forces with the open field behind us and together they had morphed into this gigantic mass of blackness....blackness, except for, what is now thousands of fireflys dancing on the night sky. I felt like a little boy again...

There, surrounded by countless creatures that, just by nature, have to shine...they have to light up, I heard His Voice.

And it echoed through the night air...

"Remember all those nights as a little boy you marveled at these magnificent creatures?"

Yes Sir.

"Remember how you were captivated...anxiously awaiting for night to come just so you could go outside?"

Oh, Yes Sir!

"That was the beginning of a vision I had for you!"

What?!

"It was there, years ago that I placed this urgency in your heart. An urgency that could only be taught through the eyes of a child. And it's time for that urgency to now become reality."

At that moment I began to see lightnin' bugs through a whole different set of eyes...

It's these very small, innocent creatures that give us the greatest example of what Christianity is actually all about. No matter where they are or what they're doing or where they're going they have to 'let their light shine'. They can't help it. It's the way they're designed...it's their nature...it's their DNA.

As Christ-Followers, this should be our DNA too! We should be so filled with the Holy Spirit that wherever we might be, we can't help but let our light shine! The love of Christ should glow in us so freely, that we don't even think about it...it should be in our DNA...it should come natural...

The world gets darker with each passing hour, so I've gotta get ready. Got my Mason Jar ready to go...can't wait to get outside! But I can't forget the one secret that He's taught me: Christians 'er I mean lightnin' bugs, shine the brightest, in the darkest of nights...

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Elections Thoughts...

Just a few of my thoughts about the election:

An Epic Fail...

Truth...

Question for the day...

'What is truth?'

Finding The Forest...

‘You can’t see the forest for the trees’, is a favorite saying to someone who is so immersed in something that they cannot see the big picture.

Have you ever been guilty of that?

I mean, seriously, have you ever been so wrapped up in the smallest of details only to miss out on the biggest of pictures? Sure you have. We all have.

Check out Luke 24:13-24.

Here, we find two people, so engrossed in their tasks, that they completely miss out on the greatest ‘thing’ to ever come their way. Totally preoccupied in heavy conversation about ‘the things which had happened’ (vs 14) …which in this case was the events that surrounded the actual crucifixion of Christ …these two missed the fact that Jesus Himself, after having risen from the dead, was actually walking toward them. Even in conversation with Him, they still didn’t recognize Him.

Name a few times that you, have missed out on something much bigger, by focusing on the smaller details.

Can you think of a few times that you were able to ‘see past the forest and actually see the trees?’ How did that make you feel?

Lots of people miss seeing God because they are so focused on finding Him. They memorize lots of Scriptures, go to church all the time, and pray all the time. Are these things bad? No! They are essential disciplines for you to grow. But don’t get so focused on what you’re doing that you miss out on the PURPOSE for doing it…which is drawing closer to God.

Mandatory Evacuations...

Three years ago, Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita, literally brought about death and destruction to such a huge part of the Gulf Coast Region. New Orleans, will never, ever be the same city it was prior the what the locals still call, ‘The Storm’. Between the flood waters, the storm surges, and the breaks in the levies, the city of New Orleans was left with a front row seat to one of the greatest natural disasters in history.

Now, three years later, another hurricane takes dead aim at the exact location on the coast that Katrina & Rita ravaged. But, this time, between the local, state and federal officials, they realized the potential of what Hurricane Gustov could do. So in order to be more prepared, a Mandatory Evacuation was issued for New Orleans and surrounding parishes. Amazingly, almost 1.9 million heeded the order, and left the region. It was almost a 100% evacuation.

Why? Why this time, and not three years ago.

What would make this massive amount of people leave their homes and belongings behind with just a simple order?

It’s simple, lessons were learned with the earlier hurricanes, and the people who live in those regions didn’t want to relive it again.

Wise thinking.

So here is the deep question of the day: If we can learn from such things as hurricanes, why can’t we learn from day-to-day problems that consistently haunt our lives?

Let’s look at James 4:3-10.

In this passage, James makes it perfectly clear that ‘whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.’ (verse 4) We fall into the traps that the world set for us, yet, we don’t learn from our mistakes.

James give us a ‘how to’ process to learn from our daily mistakes and to live a closer walk with Christ.

In verses 7-10, James lays out 10 things, imperatives, that we must do in order to not continually fall into the trap that the world sets.

Submission to God
Resistance of the devil
Drawing near to God
Cleansing of the hands
Purifying the heart
Lamentation
Mourning
Weeping
Turning
Humbling

Let’s learn from our past. Let’s don’t let life’s hurricane’s that’s brought destruction in our lives, have an opportunity to repeat itself.

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