Good Morning!

Thank all of you who have recently liked the His Light Shines Facebook page. I was surprised at how many responded to my invitation. Let me give you all a little background on what this site is and what it is intended for.

First, I think you’ll find it a little different than what you may think it might be. Yes, it’s a Christian-based blog; but for those of you who aren’t Christian, it may not be what you expect. This isn’t a rant about politics or complaining about the morality of the country. In fact, you won’t read much about current events, except for things like solar eclipses and the changing of seasons. What it does cover is my daily walk with Jesus, and this may be different, too, from what you may think.

You see, I don’t have it all figured out. In fact, the more I figure things out, the less I seem to know. While that is general for people as we age, I find it particularly exciting in my spiritual life. You see, the walk with Jesus isn’t about rules and thou shall nots but rather of freedom and fulfillment. As my life unfolds, I find that I am not much different that all the other people on this planet. I have needs and seek comfort and relief. I have problems that need attention. Sometimes life is very, very hard. I’ve come to find out that I need help in just living my day-to-day life. It wasn’t always that way with me. I thought I could handle life all on my own, thank you very much.

Then, in my early forties, life started to turn on me. It was giving me big problems. Actually, it had been giving me big problems all along, but I didn’t recognize it. For me, alcohol was what caught up with me. I’ll share that story another day. Suffice it to say that I’ve come to realize that life is unmanageable not only for me but for all of us, whether we realize it or not. In my opinion, I was very fortunate at that time to have had life hit me as hard as it did because it was then so clear that the only answer was in Jesus. As I walk and grow in this journey, I have come to see that he is not only the answer for me, but for all mankind.

I realize this is not the answer that most people want. Believe me, it was the very LAST choice for me. Oddly enough, it was the only choice that worked. I have come to realize that my overall situation in life was so dire and the deliverance so freeing that I now spend a great deal of my time sharing about it. My story is not so much where I came from that matters; it’s where I am going. Yes, I believe in hell and heaven, one very different than the other. It’s where I am going that holds my focus. Yet, I have rear-view mirrors. I know where I am leaving from.

It makes sense, then, that to stay on course, I need to pay attention to the road. So, the primary purpose of this blog is my daily devotional time to keep myself on track. Secondary to this is sharing it with you in hopes that it will encourage you to walk closely and closer to Jesus. Perhaps you don’t want to take that journey. Fair enough. Even so, I hope you are curious enough to learn more about how some of these Jesus freaks think, at least this one in particular.

I’m not perfect. Just ask those closest to me. I swear too much. I desire things that are not good for me. I indulge in things I shouldn’t. My ego gets pretty swollen. My insecurities confuse my thinking. Sometimes, I’m a flat-out jerk. We all have our issues. None of us are perfect and won’t be this side of heaven. But, here’s the thing. Those things that make me imperfect are those things that keep me from being free. Once freedom is truly tasted and enjoyed, we don’t understand our bondage. For example, I used to enjoy the sound of ice in a nice glass. With good whiskey. Clear ice in a nice glass with good whiskey. Yup. I rarely drink anything with ice in a nice glass anymore, and it’s been over ten years since I had any whiskey in it. Anyways, over Christmas, I had ice in a glass and heard that old, familiar sound. My thoughts immediately returned to those days when that sound was often heard except that now those memories weren’t so fond. That ice that had once made a sound that I enjoyed because of the whiskey became the ice that made the sound that I hated – because of the whiskey. So, this Christmas, that ice reminded me of the immense freedom I now enjoy because I no longer am enslaved to booze.

This is the stuff you will read about here. There is stuff that I am currently working on that I will share with you. Booze is in my rear-view mirror, but I need to keep driving past the roadside taverns. Plus, I have other cargo that I need to throw over board. We all do. In all fairness, you don’t have to believe in Jesus to gain sobriety, quit smoking, or otherwise improve your life. However, I have come to realize and understand that God is indeed real and that the bible is indeed a book that is worthy and true. I have experienced first-hand things that can only be explained as miraculous. My life is so, so different and far richer than I could ever have imagined – all because of my faith in Jesus. Not only that, but I have tons of friends who freely share experiences just like mine.

There’s something to all of this. For those who don’t believe, I hope it gives you something to really ponder. For those of you who do, I hope it gives you encouragement to really go deep in your walk with Jesus. We may be free, but we are not yet completely free.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

See? I told you this wouldn’t be what you thought.

Father, I thank you for the new readers. I pray that they may observe what you have done in my life and be encouraged to walk with you, closer and closer. I desire they all come to trust you with every part of their being. Amen.