My church sister

We were as close as two humans could be, despite so many opposing things: She was old, and I was young; she was poor and we were rich; she grew shorter as I grew taller; she was quiet and humble, I was noisy and naïve . . .

To read the rest of this post about the lady who showed me what being the church really means, head over to All the Church Ladies blog by clicking here. It’s a great place to hear about all the good things churches do and about all the sisters (and a few brothers) who love each other back to breathin’ again.

The Call of Light: Bearing the Torch—Together

@stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online, by Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong, is a book about how to infuse God’s heartbeat into social networks. This post is part of the @stickyJesus Blog Tour of Light. You can follow @stickyJesus on Twitter, Facebook, or learn more about the book at http://stickyjesus.com.

 ”. . . You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! . . . - Matt. 5:14-16, The Message 

Christmas breathes light. Everywhere you turn light wraps itself around you in every hue possible. Can you imagine trying to hide the lights at Christmas time? Try it—you won’t get very far. Once light is on, it’s physically impossible to contain, or rein it in.

You are here to be light. Your life illuminates the hope of heaven to everyone around you—and there’s not a power on earth that can snuff it out. Your Light can change a room, a community, and a world.

The Light of the World has personally put a match to your heart igniting it with an inextinguishable flame. In that moment, you became part of a holy exchange; a source of God’s radiance on earth—a torchbearer in the dark and truth bringer to the nations. The Apostle Paul exhorted the Christians in Philippi that, as believers, we are “to be blameless and innocent in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as light in the world.”

Paul was saying that together, we’re better. Isn’t it great that we don’t have to shine alone? There’s an incredible spirit of unity among believers online, especially in social networks. The body of Christ is logged on and is one of the most powerful witnesses of salvation to the world.

Here, we press in together, weep together, sing together, pray together, and find our way through the dark . . . together. Others see that—exponentially—whether you fully realize it or not.

Just as Olympic athletes who have trained for victory their whole lives carry the torch before opening the games, we too (regardless of denomination) carry the torch for Jesus Christ . . . as the whole world looks on.

What does a torchbearer online look like?

• A torchbearer re-directs a spiraling conversation back to the light.
• He listens to the culture and hears the heartbeats around him.
• She refuses to add to gossip, slander, and crass joking.
• His torch carries life.
• Her torch conveys humility, compassion, and godly perseverance.
• His goal is God’s glory.

Hearts are more open to Christ at Christmas. This time of year is a wonderful (and rewarding) opportunity to carry your torch for Him online, and off. And how much brighter will His light shine when we stand together?

Post/Tweet this today:

Together, we carry a torch that can’t be extinguished. Our goal is His glory. Our Light bears His story. #LiveSticky #All4Christ

 Join us tomorrow for The Grace of Light: Compassion for the World at Marie Wikle’s blog.

***************

Question for you:

My own, personal journey into the world of online hope began about five years ago, when I was searching for someone–anyone–who could give me hope as I struggled to heal from childhood sexual abuse and exploitation and their after effects.

And find hope, I did.

Many of the first, brave souls and websites I ran across (and clung to) are listed in my links at the bottom of this page.

Have you ever found light–new (or renewed) hope–via the internet/social media? Have “online torchbearers” contributed to your own, personal journey through the wilderness of brokenness?

What are some ways you can lift your torch to help others through that same wilderness?

Because knowing you’re not alone is half the battle.

And more than one set of hands on the torch makes all the difference.

Being mirrors to the world

To finish off this week on writing, I’m honored to feature a guest post from accomplished writer, Billy Coffey. I’m also verklempt to say he and I share the same agent.

About himself, Billy says, “I’m a writer whose first novel, Snow Day, will be published by FaithWords in 2010. But don’t let that fool you. I’m just as confused as anyone. And that is fine with me, because the great thing about wandering around in the fog is that you never know what you might run into.”

I think all of us writers wander around in the fog. And occasionally, we run into each other, which is a great thing, because then we realize we’re not so neurotic after all–at least when amongst our own kind.

We also discover, when we run into each other, that our struggles and affairs with the pen and heart are not so vain after all. They serve a greater purpose, which is, as Billy writes, “To bare ourselves so we may be the mirror the world holds to itself.”

Enjoy Billy’s blog post on writing. It’s pretty amazing. And pretty true. The only catch is you must click the link and go visit his place to finish reading the whole thing.

But I promise–it’s worth the visit.

Writing Naked, by Billy Coffey

I write in terror. I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence, sometimes every syllable –Cynthia Ozick
 
I took exactly one class in writing. It was about fifteen years ago at the community college and was taught by a real published author whose name I cannot recall. But she was published, and as far as I was concerned that was all the credentials she needed.

The first class turned out to be the most useful. That’s not to say the instruction given in the proceeding eleven weeks of the course wasn’t useful. It was. But that first night alone was worth the money.

The twenty or so people in the class formed a semi-circle around the professor, who stood in behind a wooden podium that was much more intimidating than she. We sat at attention, notebooks ready, eager to have our heads filled with the hidden secrets of literary success.

“Tell me,” she said, “what does one need to write?”

The more outgoing among the class were quick with suggestions:

“Time.”

“Perseverance.”

“Skill.”

“Connections.” (That one was met with a nervous chuckle from the rest of the class.)

“Practice.”

Each was met with an approving nod and so was written down by everyone, myself included. But that really wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“Those are good suggestions,” she said, “but you’re leaving the most important aspect out. Anyone?”

No one.

“Courage,” she said.

I didn’t really understand that and snickered under my breath. Courage? Soldiers needed courage. Cops needed courage. EMTs and stunt men and bullfighters. But writers? Sitting on your butt and typing on a keyboard did not take courage.

“There are some who might disagree with that,” she said—and to this day I swear she looked at me when she said it—“and I understand. You disagree because you’re writing with your clothes on. By the time you leave here, you’ll be writing naked.”

To finish reading the whole post over at Billy’s place, click here.