Speaking in the Light – 4-21

I love Facebook! This wonderful tool has allowed me the chance to reunite with old friends- keep in touch with present friends and even get introduced to new friends whom I would probably never have met any other way! I love to communicate. Silence has never really been that golden with me. Too much quiet time actually drives me up a wall!
I love Facebook because it opens the door for me to bump into such a diverse audience where I am surrounded by a colorful community of cohorts. In this arena, I am given permission to share my heart and reveal my thoughts and receive feedback from other pilgrims who are walking along with me on this journey we call everyday life.
God never designed us to be loners. He knew that we could hang out and find genuine meaning and satisfaction from naming all the animals for so long. So God gave Adam an introduction to Eve and His class of discovering chemistry in common crowds has been in session ever since.
Within our DNA is the need for people to people contact. And everyone who is willing to be honest will admit that a positive word along the way is like a cool drink of water to a thirsty and parched soul.
So today I choose to share some tasty nuggets that I have been chewing on lately. These are little bits and pieces of notions and ideas that I have been tossing around my brain- with some of it doing quite a number in my heart. Maybe these impressions will resonate with you.
Perhaps something I say will trigger a meaningful response from you and after sharing it with me- together we can give each other some much needed encouragement. Feel free to email me by writing pastorrudytlc@comcast.net I would love to receive your replies!
So here goes… From the heart of Pastor Rudy to the eyes and ears of you my readers:
1. “Ready or not- here I come- willing to not play it safe- not willing to crawl when I was created to fly! Ready or not- here I come- and in my humble, ordinary, imperfect self- I am trusting that God will do through me extraordinary things! Even things that at my age- I am honestly scared to tackle… But when you stop trying- you stop growing and when you stop growing- you start dying and that contradicts everything I believe for I believe that God is all about life…”
2. “So as you look around today- keep your eyes open for someone who needs an advocate! Someone who needs an individual that will fight for them rather than just battle with them! Someone who will treat them like the image bearer of God that they truly are!”
3. “Rather than asking God to speak up- maybe we need to be willing to turn the volume of earth down- so that we can tune in to what the Voice of Heaven longs to say to us!”
4. “Life may not always go my way… more often than not- it raises more questions than answers them… and following God means just that… I follow Him and make myself available to His agenda and not try to force Him into my own… and while there are days that I still cry and moan– I know the Lord personally and I can confidently say that I am learning daily about coming out of the dark so that I may finally become fully alive and free in the light!”
5. “Many times from my own perspective- I feel like I am doing nothing more than circling the airport- but it’s only because God is preparing the safe and right place for me to land… I trust you Lord- even when I feel like I’m just doing laps on a track that has no finish line!”
6. “Sometimes it takes a drastic act to wake up what should definitely not be sleeping!”
7. “Everyday we have a choice! We can spend the day investing into primping our image- or we can come clean and and allow the real me to come out and play. Sure it means being vulnerable and probably much more honest than most impostors can handle- but image is nothing and truth is everything and if you want to get an accurate look at who you really are- you must be willing to check all your masks and costumes at the door…”
8. Sometimes fast food may be convenient- but that is where the positives end. When did ‘hurry” become the American way? When we did we become so willing to swap quality for quickness? Relationships don’t come in a “to go” bag! Have we forgotten that the dinner table is so much more than what is on the menu? The heart must not be microwaved. It is a slow basting- eternally and wonderfully tasting experience- so throw your watch away and use a calendar instead as your cookbook to closeness…”
9. “I may have a love tank that is as big as the Grand Canyon… But then again- God made the Grand Canyon with a word and who better to fill it with words that lead to beauty and majesty???”
10. “It ain’t over yet… I don’t hear any fat lady singing- and even if she tries- she doesn’t know the words to my song!!!”
If you are on Facebook and would love to connect there- you can find me at Rudy Sheptock, Jr. Just tell me that the Herald sent you and the rest will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!