The Light Came. People Loved The Dark.

On Friday the 13th of January, 2012, the cruise ship Costa Concordia sunk at night right next to Italy's coastline. Lives were lost. (As of this post 16 people are dead of drowning and 16 are still missing.)

The captain of the modern day luxury liner was accused of being a coward for abandoning his ship while his passengers were still trying to get into lifeboats. Many eyewitnesses testify that the tragedy was totally preventable. Seems the captain and his piloting crew seriously lost focus. Concentration was somehow compromised.

I didn't fully understand the sadness of what happened until I went online searching for photos of the disaster. The cruise ship ran onto the rocks right in the very beam of a lighthouse. Heart-wrenching, indeed!

(See a photo of the sinking ship and lighthouse > ).

Seeing the photo of the ship sinking in the glow of the lighthouse gave me a spiritual parallel immediately. Sadly, many drowning souls today are in the vicinity of Jesus, The Lighthouse, but they have lost focus. Yes tragically concentration has somehow been compromised by the seduction of sin, and the payoff of sin is death.

Could anything be sadder than to drown in the beam of a beacon of hope? God forbid!

Click here: The Lighthouse by Clinton Nelson - YouTube

This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. -- John 3:19 (GWT)

Let's Live in the Light, Not Die In The Light!
Grateful

Receiving Forgiveness

There are two sides to forgiveness: giving and receiving. Although at first sight giving seems to be harder, it often appears that we are not able to offer forgiveness to others because we have not been able fully to receive it. Only as people who have accepted forgiveness can we find the inner freedom to give it.
-- Henri Nouwen

Lord, if You can forgive us, You can help us to receive forgiveness.
Grateful

Choosing Friends

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
-- James 4:4 (NIV)

(14) You are My friends if you obey My commandments. (15) I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father. (16) You didn’t choose Me, but I chose you.
-- John 15:14-16 (GWT)

Click: Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant - Friends are Friends Forever

Lord, You have called us friends. Now, let us also call You, Friend!
For Forever And Today! Amen!

Deo Volente -- Whatever God Wants!
Grateful

Wealth And Arrogance

You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!
-- God's Word in Ezekiel 28:5 to the King of Tyre (CEV)

God Forgive. God Forbid.
Deo Volente -- Whatever God Wants!
Grateful

Inspire A Soul. Ignite The World.

This question is on my mind today:

As individuals, if we will inspire one-soul-at-a-time could it be that we just might ignite the whole world and make it delightfully different?

Click here: This Little Light Of Mine - Addison Road - YouTube

Be Light! Go Shine!
Grateful

Even Demons Believe There Is Only One God!

(18) Suppose someone disagrees and says, "It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds."I would answer, "Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them." (19) You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear. (20) Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? (21) Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. (22) Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did. (23) This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, "Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him." That's how Abraham became God's friend. (24) You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. (25) For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way. (26) Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead! "

-- James 2:18- 26 (CEV)

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)

Grateful

Victory In the Camp

(14) My power and my strength come from the LORD, and He has saved me. (15) From the tents of God's people come shouts of victory: "The LORD is powerful! (16) With His mighty arm the LORD wins victories! The LORD is powerful!"
-- Psalm 118:14-16 (CEV)

Click here: Paul Wilbur - The Shout of El-Shaddai - YouTube

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful