As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10)

https://www.clsoionline.com/

https://www.cwgministries.org/spirit-life-circles-explained

https://betterfutureassociation.wordpress.com

https://www.clsoionline.com/talking-with-jesus-ministries/

GUEST POST ~ Mike & Terri Higgs, with Francis Frangipane

"This is without doubt a “kairos” time for us all to seek God. The world around us is anything but routine, and God is raising up a remnant that will not just survive, but thrive as they advance the Kingdom of Light against the encroaching Darkness."

sondancing Our Tent of Meeting   While we have never met Francis Frangipane, his writings have mentored us in profound ways. Mike in particular has been significantly impacted by his books, which reflect an author for whom Christlikeness is a singular goal. This is a selection from his book, Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God. We include it for several reasons. This is without doubt a “kairos” time for us all to seek God. The world around us is anything but routine, and God is raising up a remnant that will not just survive, but thrive as they advance the Kingdom of Light against the encroaching Darkness.   The selection also resonates with us in that our home here in the Idaho mountains has become a sort of Tent of Meeting for us. As you will read below, Moses pitched the Tent of Meeting “a good distance from the camp” of the Israelite nation. God pitched our tent, so to speak, a good distance from the “camp” of comfort, familiarity, and friends in Oregon, and even a shorter but not insignificant distance from our current ministry focus in the Sun Valley area of Idaho. While at times it has been a quite challenging adjustment, we believe God knew what He was doing.    May we all “choose to leave the camp of familiarity – whatever that may be for each of us - and place our tent in the presence of God.”     The Tent of Meeting "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek'" (Ps. 27:8).      There are certain times when the Lord calls us out of the routine of our daily lives. These are special seasons where His only command is "Seek My face." He has something precious and vitally important to give us that the familiar pattern of our daily devotions cannot accommodate. During such times people are often delivered of sins that have plagued them for years; others discover a depth in their walk with God that leads to greater effectiveness in ministry and prayer; still others experience breakthroughs in their families and are used by God to see loved ones brought into the kingdom.         Yet here we are not seeking God for things or even for other people. We are seeking God for Himself. Maturity starts as we break the cycle of seeking God only during hardship; holiness begins the moment we seek God for Himself. A touch from God is wonderful, but we are in pursuit of more than just an experience, more than "goose bumps and tears." We are seeking to abide with Christ, where we are continually aware of His fullness within us, where His presence dwells in us in glory.         How do we enter this sacred place? If we study the life of Moses, we will see how he sought God and lived in fellowship with Him.         "Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp" (Exod. 33:7).        Notice that "everyone who sought the Lord would go out.” If we are going to truly seek the Lord, we must pitch our tent "a good distance from the camp." What camp is this? For Moses, as well as for us, it is the camp of familiarity.         Is there anything inherently wrong or sinful with the things that are familiar? No, not in themselves, but you will remember that when Jesus told His disciples to follow Him, He called them to leave the familiar pattern of their lives for extended periods and be alone with Him (Matt. 19:27; Luke 14:33). He knew that people, by nature, are unconsciously governed by the familiar. If Christ would expand us to reach for the eternal, He must rescue us from the limitations of the temporal.         This is not to say we neglect our families or that we become irresponsible as we seek God. No. God has given everyone enough time to seek Him. The time is there. Having done what love would have us do for our families, we simply say no to every other voice but God’s. We must redeem the time: cancel hobbies, forsake television, and put away the newspaper and magazines. Those who would find God, find time.         Sadly, many Christians have no higher goal, no greater aspiration, than to become "normal." Their desires are limited to measuring up to others. Without a true vision of God, we most certainly will perish spiritually! Paul rebuked the church at Corinth because they walked "like mere men" (1 Cor. 3:3). God has more for us than merely becoming better people; He wants to flood our lives with the same power that raised Christ from the dead. We must understand: God does not merely want us "normal"; He wants us Christlike.        For the Holy Spirit to facilitate God’s purposes in our lives, He must redefine our priorities in life. Christlikeness must become our singular goal.        For most people, however, our sense of reality, and hence our security, is often rooted in the familiar. How difficult it is to grow spiritually if our security is based upon the stability of outward things! Our security must come from God, not circumstances or other personal relationships. When it is, the other areas of our lives experience eternal security.        Yet our fears run deep and are numerous. Indeed, most of us pass through life umbilically tied to the world of the familiar. Even people who have been delivered from adverse situations are often drawn back into hardship. Why? Because adversity is more familiar to them.        Humans are cocooned in the familiar and thus insulated against change. When we work all day only to come home, watch television, then collapse in bed, our lifestyle tethers us to earthly things. These things may not necessarily trap us in sin as much as they keep us from God.       Moses would leave what was familiar and pitch his tent "outside the camp," where he would then seek the Lord.   "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come" (Heb. 13:12-14).        In the same way that Moses and those who sought the Lord went outside the camp, and as Jesus went outside the camp, so also must we, at times, leave the camp of what seems normal and predictable and begin to seek after God. Here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city that is to come.        This is one reason why Jesus said, "When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray" (Matt. 6:6). Christ desires us to leave the familiar, distracting world of our senses and abide in the world of our hearts, bearing in mind that the highest goal of prayer is to find God.        Every minute you seek God is a minute enriched with new life and new power from God. Give yourself a minimum amount of time -- an hour or two each day -- but do not set a limit, as the Lord may draw you to seek Him on into the night. And continue day by day, and week by week, until you have drawn near enough to God that you can hear His voice, becoming confident that He is close enough to you to hear your whisper.        If we are going to become holy, we must sever the chains and restraints -- the bondage of desiring just an average life. We will choose to leave the camp of familiarity and place our tent in the presence of God.

* * * * * Copyright © sondance, all rights reserved.

         With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
              Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right.
      Do what’s best – as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you, forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
       You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty!
                                                    Yes. Yes. Yes.

                                   Matthew 6:8-13  THE MESSAGE

Be reverent—remember who you are talking with.
     Speak life’s most glorious and awesome Name with respect and awe.
     Everything Jesus did was to honor his Father—we should do the same.

Be hopeful—look forward to the new heaven our Father will establish.
     Listen for the trumpet sound—the first notes of the prelude to peace.
     Do not despair over current events—believe in God’s bright tomorrow.

Be submissive—do not focus exclusively on getting your way.
     We do not resign to fate when we place our self in our Father’s hands.
     Demonstrate your faith that God is in control and knows what is best.

Be dependent—trust your Heavenly Father to care for your earthly needs.
     Hunger for God above all else, and He will never let you starve.
    Thirst for God over all, and His joy will cascade through your inner being.

Be repentant—turn from sin and turn to your Savior for a new direction.
     Self-sacrifice cannot atone for wrongdoing—cross pain paid the high price.   
     Forgiven, forgive others—God does not hold grudges; neither should we.

Be holy—struggle against evil and make a conscious effort to be like Jesus.
     Pray around the clock that you will not be tricked into sin by the evil one.
     Never compromise God-given convictions—aim for Christlikeness.

Be worshipful—keep God at the center and circumference of your life.
     Advance His Kingdom, not your own.
     Rely on His power, not your own.
     Seek His glory, not your own.

 
Be confident—say Amen, so be it, make it so, God; rest assured He will.
     The future is as bright as God’s promises—He will keep every one.
     Until His Kingdom dawns, pray as you go—you will always be glad you did.

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond
Day 307, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

"Quote/Unquote" • #ReimagineEVANGELISM...

"I love the biblical model of anonymous but faithful disciples who engage their world with the news -not the advice- of the gospel."

Unity In Essentials.

Dialogue In Differences.

GUEST POST ~ When The Church Becomes A Business

Uncommon Church: Community Transformation for the Common Good

How can the people of God develop churches in ways that help and don't hurt poor neighborhoods? 

Christians too often treat the poor as goodwill projects instead of people. Because of this mindset, many remain unchurched. Healthy, local, urban churches are needed because they combine personal empowerment and community transformation.

Every poor neighborhood needs uncommon churches that will seek the common good of their communities. Alvin Sanders engages hard truths about these neighborhoods and provides a model for how to do ministry in difficult conditions.

The local, urban church is the key to community transformation, as it plays three crucial roles of empowering, partnering, and reaching.

Pastors and church planters interested in Christian community development will find here practical insights into the power of the local church, which is often underrated. Churches can serve their communities and improve the quality of life of every facet of the neighborhood.

Read an excerpt>>>

Check out the book>>>

Foreword by Efrem Smith
Part One: Uncommon Church
1. Advocacy Is Not Enough
2. What Would Jesus Do? Poverty Is a Condition, Not an Identity
3. Jesus Did, Not Jesus Would: Jesus and the Condition of Poverty
4. The People of God: God's Plan for a Broken World
5. Doing Healthy Church: Seven Habits Toward Spiritual Maturity

Part Two: Seeking the Common Good
6. Faith and Works: Eliminating the Tension Between Evangelism and Justice
7. There Goes the Neighborhood: Understanding the Powers That Be
8. Championing the Community: Empowering Grassroots Leaders and Workers
9. Chasing Wild Dreams: Examples of Faith, Hope, and Love in Action
10. The Kingdom Is in Us

#Reimagine: Set A New Direction

One leader I worked with, frustrated after multiple attempts to get her team aligned on a new direction, finally asked her team members over dinner, “Do you think we should just give up on getting this right?”

She wasn’t suspending her responsibility; she honestly wanted their views. At that moment, her team stepped up to a new level of ownership, outlining what made sense, and where they wanted to modify the plan to get to the goal.

A year later, her highly successful team pointed to this conversation as the moment when their mission caught fire.

Copyright © 2022 Leading With Questions, All rights reserved.

GUEST POST ~ Renewal Leaders Who Survive Change

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25)

https://www.clsoionline.com/talking-with-jesus-ministries/

https://www.cwgministries.org/spirit-life-circles-explained

You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
                                         Matthew 1:21  NLT

Jesus means Joy—He saves from despair and hopelessness.
     Alexander conquered the world by force and was called great—
          Jesus captures hearts from all nations by love and is called God.
     In contrast to fleeting happiness, Immanuel gives invulnerable joy—
          His cross brings deep peace, His Presence inexpressible ecstasy.

Jesus means Everlasting Life—He saves from death and hell.
     Tutankhamen’s tomb was found treasure-filled, making him famous.
     Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty, making Him King of Eternity.
     Abundant life here and now, eternal life in the hereafter—
          a grand duet of wonder brought to light by the Dayspring from on high
          who has visited your tilted planet.

Jesus means Separation—He saves from deceit and hypocrisy.
     The clear difference between heaven and hell, Christians and worldlings,
          is made by the One who died on the middle cross.
     At the name of Caesar, millions offered incense and called him lord.
     At Jesus’ Name, the universe will fall to its knees and call Him Master.
     His Name will be forever paramount in minds of those who worship God.

Jesus means Understanding—He saves from devastation and helplessness.
     The names of famous kings and fearful kingdoms all fade into oblivion,
          but Jesus’ incomparable Name increases in glory while ages roll on.
     When we feel like we’re falling apart, Jesus holds us together—
          no one understands us, or stands under us, like He does.

Jesus means Salvation—He saves from self-destruction and homelessness.
     Charlemagne and Napoleon changed the face of the world by war—
          the King of hearts changes lives in time and eternity by His grace.
     Jesus saves believers from sin’s addictive horrors
          and makes His heart our eternal home.
     God’s dream for us—and our destiny—is that we become like His Son.
     Jesus is the most glorious and awesome Name—address Him reverently.




       
       

         © Pastor Johnny R. Almond
Day 305, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: (1 Peter 3:8)

https://www.clsoionline.com/talking-with-jesus-ministries/

Four Keys to Hear God’s Voice!

I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tab­lets…. (Hab. 2:1, 2)

Summarized:

[1] Stillness – I still my own thoughts

[2] Vision – I look to Jesus

[3] Spontaneity – Spontaneous thoughts

[4] Journaling – I write down these thoughts

Dr Tony Evans: Become an Ambassador of Kindness

https://tonyevans.org/blog/become-an-ambassador-of-kindness

Our culture has become contaminated and saturated with hatred, racism, meanness and a host of other expressions of contempt. And like a bad virus, it’s spreading through our society.

it’s time for kingdom people like you and me to start spreading good things, including kindness.

But it’s time for kingdom people like you and me to start spreading good things, including kindness. In 2022, I am launching a national initiative called “Kindness in the Culture” to challenge believers to reclaim the attitude of civility that’s necessary for a peaceful and kind environment in our homes, our workplaces and our society.

It’s time for us all to get involved in making a difference in our conversations, whether they be in our living rooms or on social media or in the public sphere. Those of us who love God should be the first to sign on to a movement for change that begins by simply practicing an act of kindness for a neighbor, a friend or a stranger.

Because kindness is contagious, you can affect others by the way you speak to them and the way you treat them.

You and I can become ambassadors of kindness, offering a kind and respectful response to everyone we meet. Because kindness is contagious, you can affect others by the way you speak to them and the way you treat them. Let’s not be afraid to commit what someone has called “random acts of kindness.” They make a difference.

So, let’s take up the cause of spreading kindness rather than sowing discord. Let’s take an honest look at the way we are communicating with others and make the changes we need to make. Let’s surprise someone today with an act of kindness. Let’s spread something good. 

Be on the lookout for more information coming soon on our national initiative of “Kindness in the Culture” as we examine ways to increase the level of kindness in our culture.

11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

Radiant Church:

Restorng The Credibility of Our WItness

The Church Movement as a Whole Must Be Born Again

In what way has your heart been heavy about the witness of the North American church?

Tara Beth Leach: My heart has been burdened for the diminished witness for the bride of Christ in North America. She has
rooted herself in narratives of this world rather than God’s story. As a result, our light isn’t as bright as Jesus says it can be,
and we are a far cry from the radiance of the earliest church. I wrote this book in hopes of holding up a mirror to the church
so that she can confess the reality, grieve the reality, and have hope for a better and more radiant reality.

What are your hopes for this book?

Tara: I am a “prisoner of hope.” I believe in the God of resurrection, and I believe in us. I pray that when this book is read,
imaginations will be sparked and expanded to be the radiant bride that Jesus believes we can be.

In reading this book, what can readers learn about themselves and the church?

Tara: We as the people of God in Christ are rooted in narratives that produce a diminished witness. Radiant people have allegiance to King Jesus alone, and when our allegiance is divided, our witness is diminished. We can no longer point the finger away from the church. Instead, we must look inwardly and bravely enter into the wilderness. A radiant church has men and women together at the table. We don’t just need individual born again Christians. Our movement as a whole must be born again.

Something is not right. The witness of the church in North America is eroding. 

Many Christians are alarmed by the decline in church attendance and seek a culprit. Too often, we point the finger away from the church, make culture the enemy, and build walls between us and others. But our antagonism and enemy-making are toxins that further eat away at our witness. Is there a better way?

Tara Beth Leach could easily be one of those millennials giving up on the church. Instead, she is a pastor who loves the church and is paradoxically hopeful for its future. In an era where the church has lost much of its credibility, Leach casts a radiant vision for Christians to rediscover a robust, attractive witness. We need to name the toxic soil we've grown in, repent for past wrongs, and lean into a better way to become the church that Jesus proclaimed we would be.

Leach casts down idolatrous false images of God to recover a winsome picture of a kingdom of abundance and goodness. We can be sustained by practices that will tune our hearts to God's and form us into the radiant communities God intends for us and those around us.

Introduction: A Dim Light (see excerpt just below)
1. The Call to Radiance
2. The Radiant Story
3. The Radiant Vision of Jesus
4. The Radiant King and Kingdom
5. The Radiant Witness
6. The Radiant Partnership
7. Radiant Evangelism
8. Radiant Practices
9. The Radiant Future

EXCERPT

In 2016 I accepted the new role as senior pastor of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena, affectionately known as “PazNaz.” PazNaz is a large and historic church in Southern California with a rich history in Pasadena as well as the Nazarene denomination.

I began to discover that hidden behind the curtains of evangelicalism’s golden crowns of success was a malnourished vision for flourishing in the kingdom...Perhaps “success” wasn’t what we thought it was. 

"What we have discovered in many of evangelicalism’s successful megachurches is that behind closed doors of rising attendance, building, and cash the situation isn’t what it seems.

Take, for example, Willow Creek, Harvest Bible Chapel, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

The curtains were pulled back and the light shined in the darkness. We all saw moral failures happening behind closed doors in some of America’s largest churches. 

It turns out we had been using the wrong metric all along.

Suddenly, we all had to come to terms with the reality that whatwas once anointed as a success wasn’t successful after all. These old metrics only told some of the story. 

Imagine going into a doctor with chest pains and the doctor pulling out a stethoscope. After listening for a moment, the doctor says, “Your heart is beating rhythmically. I think you’re in great shape!” I imagine that you would explain to the doctor that more sophisticated measuring tools are needed. The stethoscope shows only part of the picture. 

We are acting like this doctor by measuring the health of the church numerically. Of course, measuring numerically is far easier than measuring faithfulness or love or kindness or hospitality or integrity. Measuring numerically is low-hanging fruit. At the same time, what if our measuring system has been covering up symptoms for decades, and only recently are we coming to terms with the severity of the crisis? 

You see, it isn’t just about Willow Creek, Harvest Bible Chapel, and the Southern Baptist Convention. It isn’t only about evangelicals’ propensity for partisan politics. We could find many symptoms: #ChurchToo, segregation, polarization, hypernationalism within local-church worship, and a history of systemic racism. These didn’t happen overnight; rather, they are symptomatic of a crisis that has been brewing for decades. 

The erosion of the witness in the church began to crumble years ago, and today we are trying to make sense of it all.

Through all of this there have been ongoing conversations on the post-Christian context. There is a notable shift happening in churches and communities all around America. PazNaz has been around for decades, which means many of its members have been around for long enough to talk about what they call “the good old days.” To them, the “good old days” are the days when “most people went to church.” Now, most people don’t go to church. 

Many look for somewhere or someone to point the finger at, and the finger is often pointed outward instead of inward.

Blame the millennials, blame the erosion of Christian morals in America, blame the liberals, blame immoral presidents, blame the decay of culture. Perhaps we are pointing in the wrong direction. Maybe we ought to honestly and humbly look in the mirror and turn the finger back toward ourselves. Maybe it isn’t the post-Christian culture, and instead we have a post-Christian church.

Maybe it’s time for us to look in the mirror, examine our hearts, and ask the Lord to show us where we’ve fallen short, confess, lament, and repent. 

Let’s Get Uncomfortable ... and step intp new wineskins

I can remember back when I was a young student studying to be in ministry; whenever someone would critique the church, I got uncomfortable. Don’t talk about my family like that, I’d think. Don’t talk about the very people that birthed me, nurtured me, fed me, and formed me. But these days I can see the ways that systems of evil have entrapped us, and I yearn for the church to break free from the systems that entangle us and experience the free, full, flourishing life that Jesus came to teach, live, die, and ascend to the throne for. We were meant for so much more than this. But before we experience freedom, we need to first be uncomfortable. It’s time to name some things, lament some things, repent of some things, and step into new wineskins. 

No longer can we ignore our symptoms or turn a blind eye. It’s time we courageously poke at the things that may sting a little.

Actually, you may get angry, and I’ll be honest, that makes me a bit nervous. I once heard someone say that good rabbis makes their listeners mad. If a doctor pokes and prods and I suddenly yell, “Ouch!” then the doc has exposed a painful symptom. I’m not a rabbi, and I’m certainly not a doctor, but I do see concerning symptoms these days. I’d rather poke than turn a blind eye. 

But after some of the poking, I want you to know how much I think Jesus believes in us. I actually think it’s a gift that our symptoms are being exposed. Perhaps the curtains are being pulled back so that the Spirit might do a new thing in our
midst. Perhaps this wilderness will bring us to our knees so we might experience new humility, new dependence, and new freedom. Lisa Sharon Harper says it best about evangelicals, 

”What if the process of repentance—restitution and repair—is
the way of God, the narrow road to the health of our world? And what if repentance is the way to the restoration of the
image of God in a people twisted by hubris?”

Who Am I Critiquing? 

I am a child of white evangelicalism, and I am speaking primarily to both pastors and lay leaders of the white evangelical church. While I know that not all evangelicals are white and certainly have diversity, I am speaking to a generation of believers who have historically worshiped in white evangelical churches. It is my hope that we as pastors and leaders can name and acknowledge the places where we have become entrapped by “the powers not of this world.”

The apostle Paul names this for us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).  There is indeed a struggle happening within the white evangelical church; there are places where we are under the grips of dark powers of this world. It’s time we move away from dismissiveness and denial, and face reality. I hope that we don’t just name our problems, but I pray this brings us to our knees. I pray we lament, confess, and repent. I pray we lean into the creative and missional imagination of the triune God. Lisa Sharon Harper poses an important and uncomfortable question for us, “What if the call to white evangelicals is to stop trying to be God, to control everything and everyone and to join the rest of humanity—the beloved dust? . . . Will lament lead to surrender? 

Are you squirming yet? I am.

Perhaps you find yourself a bit uncomfortable like I was years ago. I get that. The church is my family. And week in and week out I get to worship with, journey with, and live in a mutually edifying relationship with a local church in Pasadena. The church is the radiant bride of Christ, and I too get defensive when others trample on the bride’s garment. But the way I see it, the bride’s garment is tangled up and entrapped in ways that are holding us back from the free, full, and flourishing life we were meant to live. 

I pray you hear my words like a mother or aunt who deeply loves her family and wants to see her family live into its full potential—that is, the radiant church in all its beauty. I believe the whole church is called to total radiance, and while I may be critiquing what is primarily white evangelicalism, I am calling the whole church to radiance. May we come alongside our brothers and sisters of color and partner to be radiant people. 

Who Is Radiant? 

The writer of Hebrews says this about Jesus, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 1:3). Jesus is in the radiant image of the glory of our majestic God. No one is fully radiant but God, and we see this embodied in the person of the radiant king Jesus. We are the bride of the King, called to bear witness to this radiant gospel and this radiant kingdom where Jesus rules. In Christ, we are brilliantly radiant. Throughout history, Jesus’ radiant bride has shined with luster and brilliance, but at times it has waned. As a pastor I lament when our light is pale, and I rejoice when we shine with brilliance. There is nothing more that I long for than a radiant church that blazes in the darkness. My hope is that throughout these pages I’ll be able to name the places our light is diminished, and paint a vision for a church that illuminates in a weary world. 

—Adapted from the introduction, “A Dim Light”

Radiant Church
Restoring the Credibility of Our Witness

Tara Burns, print and online publicity
800.843.4587 ext. 4059 or tburns@ivpress.com
Krista Clayton, author interviews
800.843.4587 ext. 4013 or kclayton@ivpress.com

GUEST POST ~

Christ-Like Behavior Reveals Your Identity

written by Carol Round February 6, 2022 

 

ASSIST NEWS SERVICE
YOUR GLOBAL LINK WITH THE WORLD

@ assist news.net

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!”—Luke 6:31 (MSG).

For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.
              And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.
                                                     Malachi 4:2  NLT

Dawn of eternity will inspire a beautiful morning song.
     The celebration will never end—there will be no sunset there.
     We are saddened by sin, but we will soon join a heavenly chorus—
          a new song of joy sung by the redeemed from every nation,
          accompanied by millions of angels around the throne adoring Christ.

Dawn of God’s planned future will bring miraculous strength.
     His promises will never fail—we have his Word.
     People who love God experience daily grace sunrise in their heart.
     Warm rays of peace reinforce trusting souls to persevere in difficulties.

Dawn of full redemption will reveal a Merciful Savior.
     Heaven will never disappoint—it is not too good to be true.
     Healing is on the way—the handicapped will leap like a deer,
          the blind will see,  the deaf will hear,  the mute will shout and sing.
     No one will cry, hurt, get sick or die—evil and its effects will be gone.
     Humiliating, mortal bodies will be replaced by heavenly, immortal ones.
     Freed from sins by Jesus’ blood, we will stroll golden streets in His light.

Dawn of glory will unveil Messianic splendor.
     Christ’s magnificence will never dim—it is not too good to last.
     First light will shine forever—Light beyond light will illuminate heaven.
     Infinite sunrise will blind the rebellious, and bless the obedient.
     Holy Radiant Light will flood the new earth with beauty and grace.
     The Old Testament ends with a threatened curse—
          the New Testament ends with a promised blessing.
     The world makes us sing the blues—soon we’ll be dancing for joy.
     Trouble dogs our steps—but sunrise will be here before we know it.

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond

Day 304,  Gentle Whispers from Eternity

GUEST POST ~ Back to the Future?

LOOKING TO THE PAST TO MOVE TO THE FUTURE