When you are connected to God; When your light is shining; When you recognize your defects; When you understand God loves you; Then you have answered the questions of "Why me Lord and Why not me"! Do you recognize that God has chosen to love us regardless of where we have been and who we were? I want to share another story with you today that is precious to me. God has shown our family through this past year that His love is everlasting and He has blessed us with His care and comfort.
SUN RIVER
Have you ever set out on an adventure not knowing exactly what would be ahead? Have you ever gone into a room with the lights off and it is totally black and you have to feel your way around? Have you ever visited one of the caves where the guide says; "When the lights are turned out this cave will be in total darkness. However, when we light just one small candle you will be able to see corner to corner without difficulty". I believe these thoughts are present no matter where we go or whatever we do. Jesus said that we are to be a light in the darkness of the world. How do we do that? We do that by letting our lives be filled with Jesus so that His light is ever present. We can light the world or cause a blaze with other Christians!

Spending time with friends is one of the highlights of life! April 2008, Jim and I spent a few days at Sun River with some very close friends. Actually, they were my brother Lynn and his wife Kathleen. My sister Joyce and her husband Chuck. My sister Jeri and her husband Ron. Yes, we are related but we are also friends!

We rented this big house at Sun River Resort! It had lots of bedrooms, three bathrooms, nice kitchen and a living room-dining room combination. It also had a pool table in the garage, plus other amenities like TV, bicycles, BBQ and a hot tub. We had a great time visiting, eating and even had a pool tournament. Jeri was the announcer and with photo replays we all had to declare Lynn the winner.

On Saturday evening after dinner, Lynn and Kathleen asked if we couldn’t have a prayer time that evening, instead of church in the morning because they were going to have to go home that evening. We were aware he was having some problems and so during our prayer time, he shared with us that in the area that he had skin surgery a couple of years before, near his left eye, had begun to give him some problems. He had developed a lump on his temple near the left eye. It was causing pain and he also had difficulty opening his mouth. He was scheduled to have this looked at but meanwhile requested prayer on his behalf. The highlight of our time together was the prayer time that ensued after we all shared with one another. The blaze we lit was bright!

Amazing things happen when friends come together in one spirit before the Lord, with prayers and supplications for one another. There were eight of us in one spirit before the Lord!
Yet there was another spirit present! In Matthew 18:20 it says; "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." We found joy being together! We found peace being together! Together, we cried with one another! We felt the presence of the Lord!
None of us knew what would be ahead but we all were assured that our God would have a hand in it, one way or another.

In times of emotional stress two favorite scriptures come to mind. One being the Lord’s Prayer and the other is the 23rd Psalm. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that encompasses all things that we need to sustain us in our daily lives. That is why it talks about God and who He is.
It mentions food, living in peace with one another and then gives God the Glory for ever and ever! In the 23rd Psalm it talks about you and me. It places us in the shadow of death! Not necessarily our death but death. It talks about how blessed we are when we are in God. We can lie by still waters; Our cup runs over and God will be with us forever.

Friends, family and even neighbors need the light that is within us. "Don’t hide it under a bush"! Let your light shine! Don’t turn it off to save electricity! Let your light shine! Don’t put in a low watt! Let your light shine! Jesus is the light of the world and He is the light within you. Let your light shine! By: Jane Ann Crenshaw 10/8/08