A Nearby Light

When I was a small child, due to the arrangement of our house, I would share a bed with my sister on Christmas Eve. This way, I was not inclined to hear Santa come and deliver the gifts. One year I woke up in the middle of the night, hoping that St. Nick had come, when I looked and saw the shadows of reindeer on the window. "HE'S HERE!" I thought. Oh, I couldn't sleep after that, but what kid could! Somewhere in that scene my sister woke up. We talked about it and she questioned if I saw what I saw was truly what I thought I saw, or not. But there was no convincing me otherwise. I don't know what it actually was, but we all know what it wasn't!

Sometimes seeing a shadow can be fun and mysterious, but there are other times when it is not fun. Times when your imagination may take what you see and turn it into something frightening. Worse yet, when what you see is something frightening! Shadows are interesting "things". They can be mysterious to the young person just learning. They can play tricks with your mind. But all in all, they are still shadows. This brings us to this week's quote...

Never fear shadows.
They simply mean there's a light somewhere nearby. ~ Ruth E. Renkee

Fear can be mind numbing. We play something over and over in our minds for so long that we dread what is out there. We've probably all been in situations where a shadow has brought about fear. Once the fear entered, we were unable to rest.

I enjoyed this quote regarding shadows because it points out that even when we may be a bit fearful of things, as a result of a shadow, that the light that is nearby is comforting. Some of you may not know that what Jesus brought to us was shadowed in the Old Testament. For example, the ritualistic and ongoing sacrifices that the Jews performed for the atonement for their sins was just a shadow. Jesus' sacrifice for all, was the light that cast that shadow to the people of the Old Testament. Knowing that Jesus' sacrifice was good enough for all, especially numero uno, shouldn't cause us to be fearful, but to be excited!

Light is always what causes a shadow. Look for the light in each situation.

Bowing Before Battle - Joshua 5:10-15 (3)

My father-in-law makes no arguments that he can't walk outside very easily with no shoes on. His feet are a little on the super sensitive side. He can walk on the sidewalk/driveway, but try to walk on the street or some other place and he may not even try!

You may fall into a category like this. Taking shoes off causes you to be a bit more aware of your surroundings because you are no longer standing in the comfort of your shoes, but must take the protection you have off of your feet. Do you suppose that might be one of the reasons that God asked Moses and Joshua to take off their shoes when they approached Him with one of their big assignments? God wanted to have their attention put on Him, have their safety dependent on Him, have them become vulnerable to their surroundings needing to lean on Him.

Yesterday, we concluded our look at Joshua 5:10-15 by examining how Joshua removed his shoes before he came before God. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week as you think about removing your S.H.O.E.S. when you go before God...

1. Self -Recently I was watching a reality show where a challenge was to go down a giant waterslide. The contestants go in pairs, this happened to be a couple that was dating. The man was not scared, but the woman was very scared of heights and not too keen on water. She waited so long that another team passed her, causing them to be last. Which meant they were sent home. If she would have just put self to the side and went down the slide, which would have taken about 10 seconds, they would still be in the race, however, she didn't. I think there are many times that God looks at us and thinks, "If you'll just do this, you'd be amazed at what I'm going to do with it." Consider Him before you consider self, next time!
   
2. Habits - Habits are hard to break. However, try to do something different this week to give yourself time to get near to God. Take a different route to work, go to a quieter place for lunch, sit in your car before you go to work/school and pray, listen to the Christian radio station if you tend to listen to something else. There are lots of possibilities...just get nearer to Him.
   
3. Obstacles - Take time, turn off your phone, go to bed earlier, get up earlier, turn off your computer monitor, find different friends, these could be some things that become obstacles in allowing you to approach God. Remove them if they are impeding your access.
   
4. Environment -It may be getting too cold to go outside, but finding some place that is quiet can make a big difference. Even if the place is quiet, you may have to remove noise in your head. Find a place that allows you to draw near to Him, especially as you go into a "battle".
   
5. Safety - God wants us to depend on Him. He's a "jealous God". If you decide to literally remove your shoes, don't do it for selfish and self-righteous reasons, but do it to draw closer to Him. You may be less "safe" but it may cause you to depend on Him more...try it, let me know what happened.
   

Joshua is about to go toward Jericho for battle. He is encountered by a man from the "Lord's army", and bows down, worships, then takes his shoes off. As you get ready for a battle or are experiencing one right now, go to God. You may want to bow down, revere Him, taking your shoes off as you are standing on "holy ground".

Battles are not what I would call "enjoyable", so why do it on your own? Take God with you as you experience them in life!

Why Our Differences Tend to Keep Us Separate

You can talk to some people about all kinds of things, but if you bring up the subject of religion, the conversation slows down or comes to a screeching halt. I don’t know why this idea came to me to write about, as I am not attempting to prove if one church group is right and another is wrong. However, when the idea did come, I thought it may develop into something interesting.

I have been in ministry a relatively short amount of time, entering my ninth year. At my first ministry position, I was not involved in the local Ministerial Alliance. I found a few ways to make my way into the community, but I kept hearing other minister’s names be mentioned with their involvement. Each one of them was a part of the Alliance. I was seeing a degree of value regarding involvement in the Alliance.

At my second ministry position I did get involved with the local Ministerial Alliance. I thoroughly enjoyed the involvement. It allowed me to be more a part of the community. It allowed our church to be visible in the community. So, when I moved here, it was natural for me to be involved with the Alliance, along with other groups.

I say all that to arrive here. Almost all of my growing up, my family or church tended to not be involved with other church denominations. You may have similar experiences during your years of growing up, in the church you attend. You may have grown up knowing about spiritual and pastoral debates, trying to prove who has the handle on a scriptural topic or doctrine. Did any type of unity develop from that or just a greater knowledge of what makes you different?

Somewhere in your church’s history a dividing line was created to cause your church’s name to be put on your building, which differentiates you from the church “down the street”. To some on the extreme side of the spectrum, that means that one cannot fellowship with one who believes any differently. Possibly worse than that is when a church has split and now the groups are “mad” so they can’t talk to each other.

Whatever the reason for the differentiating mark, does that mean we have to be like the Montagues and Capulets when it comes to a spiritual relationship? We might be able to pool our money to share seats at a sporting event, while cheering on the same team, but if it comes to pooling our money for a spiritual event, put on the brakes!

What is the advantage of trying to stay on opposite lines when it comes to working together toward a common goal? One thing I’ve learned, being in the Ministerial Alliance, is that even when you may not agree on every theological point, you can still accomplish some great things! The Alliance is not about a “show-and-tell” of who’s right. We are about collaborating together, in the realm of faith, to bring Christ to the forefront.

The Montagues and the Capulets were bitter rivals. Imagine what might have been accomplished if they would have been able to work together? When we act in this manner, we are creating a “civil war” of sorts. You may have deep beliefs concerning your stance on certain theological issues. I don’t mind if you do. I also hope that you would not let those issues be something that keeps you from being involved with efforts of the churches in our community. After all, bitter rivals put out a lot of effort trying to avoid one another, where nothing gets accomplished. Why not approach the difference in a way that understands there are differences, but greater things can be accomplished working together rather than working against each other.

In November, the Thomas County Ministerial Alliance is hosting a Thanksgiving Service at Frahm Theater. I think this will be an awesome time to come together, expressing our thanks to our Creator. We don’t have to worry about who goes to what church. We have one thing in common, Jesus. Our focus that evening is about being thankful to Jesus.

I still do not know why we tend to be able to talk about so many things except religion. I am learning to talk about it easier with folks that I know differ and not having it come to a halt or move into a debate. I am not right on every point or interpretation of every Bible passage, so that causes me to listen more and talk less.

The concept of not being so separate may be a step for you. You aren’t going to cross the bridge without taking one step at a time. Eventually, you’ll make it over. Eventually, it will become more comfortable. Maybe, eventually, we’ll all be able to live together, talk together, and work together, keeping Jesus in the middle. All the while, letting any concept of “right” be something you reserve for appropriate settings and not allow it to keep us from working together or from being civil to one another. We’ll all find out, one day, who was “right” and who wasn’t. For now, let’s focus on what we have in common, Jesus, and allow that to help us work together, rather than letting differences separate.

Getting Past the Stopping Point

When I was in high school art I was given an assignment to do a pointillistic picture in black and white, using ink. Pointillism is a practice of using dot after dot after dot to create a picture. Any value of shading is all done with dots. The pen we used had a very small point, which would mean that my picture literally had at least 20,000 dots on it, as much of it is solid black.

I was working, working, working on it, and it seemed to take forever. I needed to get it done, so I took it with me on my Thanksgiving trip to see my relatives. At this point, I was probably 65% finished with the project, and it had taken me a couple of weeks to get to that point. With the pen that is used, you have to shake it to get the ink flowing, kind of like you do with a can of spray paint. I was shaking my pen, getting ready to do the next set of dots, when my pen leaked, causing solid black ink to splatter on my picture! I was mortified!!!

My teacher said we couldn't use white out to cover any mistakes. "At this point," I told myself, "I don't care." I wasn't going back, I went against the cardinal rule and used white out. I moved past that area where I thought was going to be a stopping point. Actually, many times I thought I was going to stop, as it became very frustrating to just keep dot, dot, dotting.

Despite the frustration, I kept going...that brings us to this week's quote...

Nearly every man who develops an idea works at it up to the point where it looks impossible and then gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged. ~Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931, American Inventor, Entrepreneur, & Founder of GE)

Keeping on going, working past my frustration paid off. My teacher didn't fail me. He understood and I believe I received an "A" on the project. I also received an award at an area art show, despite the noticeable white out spots! It was one of the pictures that I have kept over the years.

Whether it is a project or life, sometimes we encounter the impossible or the seemingly impossible, and want to stop. If we can get past that point of stopping and work through the frustrations and discouragement, we might be amazed at what can happen as a result.

Keep going...work through...don't give up!

An Importance of 'Point of Contact'

As a church body, we are like a net being cast out to gather fish. WIth each one of us in different situations, at different locations, and interacting with different people in different ways, we have an amazing opportunity to make a difference in so many people's lives!

We have an awesome opportunity to be distinct with every point of contact we make. Examples of points of contact:

1. Seeing someone in a store
2. Seeing someone at a community event
3. Working with someone
4. Having someone over for a social event
5. Sending a text
6. Send an e-mail
7. Phone call
8. Sending a card (birthday, sympathy, get-well, congratulations, anniversary, or general)
9. Praying with someone
10. Visiting with a customer
11. Visiting with a business worker
12. Sharing a ride
13. Interaction with a waiter/waitress
14. Being a "greeter" for our church
15. Seeing a visitor come through the door and saying "Hi"
16. Calling a visitor
17. Sending a card to a visitor
18. Visiting a visitor
19. Talking to a visitor when you see them in public
    

The list could go on for quite some time. You may have never thought about how many opportunities you/we have to be distinct. Friendliness is a default, but lots of people can be friendly. What can you do to go beyond friendliness? Let's take advantage of these areas which we can be distinct.

Businesses understand why it is important to be distinct, because without customers, they fail. Without people the church is non-existent. It should be enough that God tells us to be distinct and to carry out the Great Commission. However, as times are changing, we must understand that we have so many opportunities to do that...which may make us a bit distinct!

I would like to be known for a positive distinction! Who's with me!?!

Bowing Before Battle - Joshua 5:10-15 - (2)

As you woke up this morning, got ready for the day, and, possibly, drove to work, what all did you observe? What were some of the things that you took in, not only, with your eyes, but ears, nose, even the sense of feel? Your experience was unique, so what you took in was probably much different than mine.

As you took things in, did it occur to you that they were things God had created, in one way or another. You might have woke up to your beautiful/handsome spouse. Saw your precious kids. Breathed in the fresh air. Ate a delicious breakfast. Saw the gorgeous fall colors. Communicated on your electronic device. Pounded the steering wheel in traffic. All things that allowed you to have the morning you've had.

As Joshua is getting ready for battle, he is confronted by the "commander of the Lord's army", and Joshua falls down and worships. The idea of worshiping is where we are going with revering God. As we revere Him we are tuning our senses to Him. Here are some applications to choose to use this week...

1. Gaze ~The writer of Hebrews instructs us to "fix our eyes on Jesus", and that goes right along with this. May we find ourselves gazing with Him in mind. When we find ourselves looking at something we think is good, we could give God a little shout out of praise.
   
2. Observe ~ Take time to observe people this week. Look at them as people who God loves and that Jesus died for. Allow that to open your eyes to the fact that they are worth your time and effort to share Jesus with them. Look for the tired, the weak, the lonely. For they are in need of your boost. Look for the vibrant, the strong, the crowd-drawers. For they are in need of your boost. Sometimes the ones in the second category are passed up because we think they're OK. Oftentimes they are the tired, weak, and lonely, in vibrant, strong, and crowd-drawing clothes. Observation takes effort. Put in the effort to see who you can be a positive influence toward. Even if they are not tired, weak, and lonely, they all need Jesus!
   
3. Devote/Devotion ~ Complacency is the absence of devotion. When you do not have any devotion, you will become complacent. As you are looking at the things God has done, let it spur you on and lift you up to be more devoted than you were before were revering Him.
   

Joshua revered God before he was going into battle. He looked at Him and was devoted. Then, he removed his shoes, for the place he was standing was holy.

God is worth the effort of gazing, observing, and devoting. Use the effort and opportunities that He's given you to honor Him before you go into "battle".

Looking forward to the battle (aka big event) that is before me...

Enjoying Doing What You Cannot Do

There is something that is in us that enjoys doing what someone tells us we cannot do. As I was a child, then a teen, there were times when I did things which I knew I couldn't do. Now, as a parent, I see that in my son. Even though he is 21-months, he will still go near something and we can tell him "no" and he may go ahead and do it. What is worse than that is when he gets this impish smile on his face and then does whatever he isn't supposed to do. He even thinks it is funny. To be honest, it is cute and funny, but I can't let him see that!

"Rules are made to be broken" and boundaries are made to be crossed, these could be some of your personal philosophies. You may take great pleasure in seeing how fast you can drive before you get caught or pushing someone to their breaking point.

As those focus on the negative, let's think about focusing a bit on the positive...which brings us to this week's quote...

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ~Walter Bagehot

If the statement is true, and for many we have experienced it or observed it, then maybe you cannot be successful. You cannot make good decisions. You cannot go to college. You cannot graduate. You cannot ______!

Sometimes when I tell my son that he cannot touch something, he has this deep desire to go and touch it; regardless of the outcome.

If someone says you cannot do something, look for the opportunity to take pleasure in making sure it happens.

Looking for pleasure in life? Do what people have told you

Being Creative

Creativity may not be a word you would normally associate with church settings, aside from children's ministry or Vacation Bible School. Creativity usually doing something that you are not accustomed to doing. It brings about new things. New things bring about uncomfortable feelings. Uncomfortable feelings bring about apprehension. Apprehension decreases speed of an idea or project. Decreased or halted speed brings about nothing getting done. So, we're back around to not being creative.

Creativity is also a difficulty when we aren't clear about what we are to be creative about. Brainstorming sessions around a certain topic are generally better than when it is totally open-ended. For example, "What shall we do next?" is too broad of a spectrum, where you will probably get some "I don't know" answers. Changing it to "Wouldn't it be fun to have a fall, outdoor, get-together? What kinds of activities could we do?"

I enjoy creativity. I enjoy being creative. I enjoy variety.

When I sent texts, with audio, to the teens for Bible Class, I would do a few things that may catch them off guard or give them a riddle-like hint as to what we would be studying that night. Just something to be creative.

I would like to see what types of creative ideas we can spur up concerning our assembly. This falls back on to the shoulders of the song leaders and me, mostly. What can we do to eliminate any "ho-hum" environments? How can we create a "if I missed today, I'd really be missing something" environments? However, though we may be incorporating it, don't leave the "getting the ideas" part up to us. If you have an idea, let it be known. Part of creativity is not relying just on your own ideas...but on the ideas of others.

Another area that is always up for the creative challenge is in the area of outreach. What unconventional things can we be doing to get people to know Jesus? Conventional methods are not out of the spectrum for ideas. Also, tweaking those conventional ideas could be something to consider. Sometimes it may be a "shock" factor that causes people to say "Wow, I never thought about doing that as a church". People are attracted at different times in their life and for different reasons. Creativity is necessary to "catch fish".

Creativity brings about new life in people. New life brings about energy. Energy produces movement. Movement produces results.

If you dig your heals into creativity then you are guaranteed not to make it to results. If you get on board with things, then you have a much greater possibility of seeing results.

Whether it is in the area of the assembly, outreach, education, or some other avenue, creativity that is couched around a clear direction is bound to have some neat results!

Let's be creative!!!

Bowing Before Battle (1) - Joshua 5:10-15

In America we are not accustomed to bowing; especially to any authority figure. Our American attitude of "supremacy" (for lack of a better word) causes us to be self-righteous when it comes to thinking about bowing. Even in the religious context, in America, we'd probably think it was a bit odd to see someone getting down on one's knees to pay homage to someone of royalty or deity.

Regardless, bowing is showing respect toward a person/being. Sometimes that person/being may have authority over you or, simply, that you are showing respect to them.

As we journey through Joshua, it is interesting here that as soon as this 'man' told Joshua who he was, that Joshua went to the ground to bow and worship. There wasn't any sense of delayed time, it was immediate.

As we reflect back, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Posture - When you are trying to really talk to someone, seeking an engaged communication, the posture of the person will determine their degree of interest. Slouching and/or agitation shows their attention is probably not with you. When you are approaching God, think about your posture and how engaged you are as you talk to Him and listen to Him.
   
2. Limitations - BUSY BUSY BUSY! Life pulls us so many different directions. Add on responsibilities and kids, and that just puts a few more tugs in there. In order to get away for even a minute, you have to consciously make that decision, taking time, in prayer, to get ready for a situation that lies ahead. Limit what is going on so that you can be more free in your approach toward Him.
   
3. Attitude - As you are reclining toward God, make sure your attitude is where it should be. Not on the time, not on self, but on Him. On taking your praises and requests toward Him. Maybe even taking your general thoughts and adoration to Him. You are not getting down on your knees or bowing your head, even, for His sake, but because you've humbled yourself toward Him.
   
4. Considerations - It is a humbling experience to consider all the things that God has done. All your life experiences that He has allowed you to experience, both high and low. Even the decisions He's allowed you to make. To me it is astounding to reflect on these experiences. Even in the "valley" days, to me, God is STILL good, all the time!
   
5. Environment - With some similarities to limitations, where we situate ourselves when we are approaching God has a lot to do with our ability to draw near to Him. For you, it could be in the country on a dirt road, in your car, away from 'noise'. It could be in the shower as you start or end your day. It could be at a park during your lunch hour. It could be in your classroom/office when no one else is around. As you seek to approach Him, seek out a good place to allow your mind to be as focused as possible.
   

As you recline toward God, think about the "P.L.A.C.E." you are at and how it affects your ability to get close to Him.

If you are getting ready for a situation in the future, approach Him before that situation comes about. Even if you don't know about a situation, maybe you need to approach Him to get ready for an "unknown" situation.

When God approaches you...will you do as Joshua did and "fall down in awe" or pass up the opportunity? Get ready, He's going to be approaching you sooner than you may realize!

Looking forward to that interaction...

When Surrender is No Longer Surrender

To the competitive person the concept of surrender is about as comfortable to talk about as walking around with a jagged-edged marble-sized rock in your shoe. It just irritates with each movement of the lips in a conversation about surrender. Surrendering is "giving up" and what person with any competitive spirit wants to give up? This strikes our egos. This forces us to say "we were wrong" or "we didn't do it right".

However, there is another way of looking at surrender that doesn't have to fall into a category similar to the above mentioned aspect. Surrender can also include putting aside that pride and doing what is best for someone. It may mean simply being selfless. It could mean that you are willing to put control into the hands of someone else.

How do you view the concept of surrender? As you think about that, take a look at this week's quote...

Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it, whatever the pain, because the pain of not being true to it is far, far greater. ~ Nicholas Evans, "The Horse Whisperer"

Surrendering is a matter of choice. Even if you are mobbed and outnumbered, you still make the choice of when to stop fighting and surrendering. Sometimes it may appear painful, whereas other times it can be empowering, oddly enough.

The church has sang a song for a number of years..."I Surrender All". We are singing about how we are going to surrender our life to Jesus. How we are going to give up ourselves for the sake of serving Him. Is this a case of "surrender isn't surrender"?

Does someone who must give up their position to a new person surrender in a negative way or positive? It probably depends on how you look at it...whether you see it as "best for the company" or "I'm no good anymore".

As we think about surrendering, whether it is to Jesus or to self, it isn't always a bad thing or "actually surrender". We are giving up control so that we can give control over to someone or something else. It allows us to avoid the pains of life to be accepting as what is true.

The next time you are met with surrender...evaluate why you are surrendering and maybe, just maybe, it is something you need to do.

Learning to surrender, even when painful...

Wandering to Wonder - Joshua 4:21-24

Recently, our (21-month-0ld) son has been entertaining us by putting his blanket over his head and "wooo-ing" like a ghost. If that isn't funny enough, he will sometimes come walking down the hall with the blanket over his head, not knowing exactly where the walls and corners are. So, on occasion, when he does this, he'll smack into a wall or a corner. Of course, he's not going fast enough to hurt himself. Other times, he'll just walk around in the living room, bumping into things before he tries to "scare" us by being a ghost or one of the Backyardigan episode characters, the Moose of the Mist.

As he wanders around and makes us laugh, I wonder how many times that God may be laughing at us as we wander around. I think of my son as being silly; God must look at us and think we're being silly. Specifically, pertaining to the situations where we are making choices that may cause us to wander around a little more before we realize we need to take the blinders off to know where we're going.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to wander around in the wilderness for forty years? This wasn't that big of a place, but imagine walking all over the United States (or your country) for forty years. Don't you think you would have seen quite a bit of it in that amount of time? The area where they were at was not nearly as big as the United States, so they probably were seeing some similar areas more than once.

Yesterday, we looked at the text where the Israelites finally were able to cross over to the Promised Land. The Land was not without it's fair share of challenges. As we'll see, there are battles to confront. However, they finally were able to go over to this Land that they'd been wondering about for quite some time. Now is that time. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week as you try to relate to going from 'wandering to wonder' with the Israelites...

1. All came to an end - When we're involved/caught up with something that seems like there is no end in sight, it is nice to know that we've gotten through to the end. If you're in the middle of a situation, there will be an end to it. Hopefully you won't have to be in it for 40 years! If you've been able to get out of a situation, tell God "thanks" for getting you through it and for the lessons you learned.
2. Passing over isn't always easy - Why did God choose for the Israelites to have to pass through water, again, to get to where He was wanting them to go? Here's a possibility, He doesn't want us to have such an easy victory that we don't remember Him. I think we need to see Him as we pass to a place of 'promise'. God didn't lead His people to a place and then tell Joshua, "You're here now, this is it". The journey needed to come with dependence on God. God told the people the Promised Land is on the other side of the Jordan. "Ok, how are we going to get there?" God receded the waters, gave them the Ark (of the Covenant) to look at - reminding them of Him - and they proceeded to trek across. Your journeys may be intermixed with a message of "here's a river to cross". Where you must put your trust in Him to get you across it. He will, and most likely give you dry land to do it, just like the Israelites. However, if you have mud to trudge through, maybe that is a reminder to think about Him in your slowed journey across.
3. Wonder, wonder, wonder - It takes my attention away from my difficulties or stresses when I begin to wonder how God is going to use me today. In what situation, with whom, for whom, etc. Be a light to someone and show them who lives in you!

Forty years are finally over. The Israelites are able to be in the land Yahweh had promised. They can put these recent years behind them. The Israelites are going to "take the land" that God has promised...victory is theirs! By the way, it is also ours!...cool, huh!?

Are you going around with a blanket on your head? Take it off and open your eyes to the wonderments of God!

Opening my eyes to the possibilities!

Enjoying Your Color

Most of you have probably heard for the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children". It is a song that I have sung for as long as I can remember. The main verse that is sung mentions that whether you are "red, or yellow, black or white, [children] are precious in His sight". We normally associate this with the color of one's skin, to which it doesn't matter, Jesus loves all.

I want to take the concept of color into a little bit different direction. We all are a different color and together we make an awesome looking rainbow array of colors in this world.

We all have different skills, talents, favorites, desires, passions, education background, family background, and the list could go on. This brings us to this week's quote...

The white light streams down to be broken up by those human prisms into all the colors of the rainbow. Take your own color in the pattern and be just that. - Charles R. Brown

If you've never had the chance to 'break light' with a prism, it is really a pretty cool thing to see. What seems like just 'light' becomes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Plus, there are variations of each one. There are more intense colors within a color and more dull colors within a color.

Our world is much the same way. The light will come down and be broken up into all of us. People made up of all types of talents, passions, desires, goals, etc.

We are not all administratively minded.
We are not all passive.
We are not all OCD.
We are not all parents.
We are not all CEOs.
We are not all miners.
We are not all artists.
We are not all musicians.
...get the point?

You are a person of color. Not pertaining to the color of your skin, but to what you are 'composed' of, inside. Sometimes you've been molded to become a certain color, people may have encouraged you to pursue something that you wouldn't have tried, so they helped you become the color you are.

Appreciate whatever color you are...whether you are red, or yellow, black or white, you are still "precious in His sight" and your color is who you are and who you are is awesome!

Enjoying my 'color'!