L.I.G.H.T. – losing to darkness
Love—Integrity—GOD—Hope—Truth
has been almost eclipsed by the darkness

• Love is mocked as weak and ineffective
as are compassion and empathy

• Integrity is hard to find in words or actions
(who knows what “integrity” is – the definition)

• GOD has also been declared weak and
ineffective – replaced by the god of wealth
and power, selfishness, and greed
(putting “self” first seems to sell)

• Hope wanes in the hearts of many as the
darkness seems to have drawn so many
into its blinding, emotionally-charged
invitation to “ride this train,” become
a member of this “team” – belong to
the Make Me First Again “team”
so I get what I want, what I deserve

• Truth has, amazingly, been relegated to
second place to “alternative facts”

Sadly, many of those yelling the loudest are
carrying flags that read “christian” along with
the signs that declare a man to be the one
who will “save” them and are angered when
anyone speaks the message of Jesus to them

HOWEVER . . .
I CHOOSE to believe that our known history confirms
the power of Light overcomes darkness in time and
those who have been blinded by darkness will have
their eyes opened and hearts can be healed and
restored to wholeness – that, sadly, it sometimes takes
extreme struggles to stop humans in their tracks so they
can see how far they have chosen to walk away from
who they were created to be – to see they have followed
a “pied piper” playing music to tickle their ears and
appeal to their baser nature BUT GOD never stops
calling to our hearts to remember who we are and to
honor the divine in each of us . . .

SO, the higher path, the harder road to walk as defined
for me by me . . .

LOVE – love GOD, love neighbor, love enemies
INTEGRITY – examine self deeply and as honestly
as possible, humbly without condemnation
– line up my walk with my talk
GOD – seek GOD, focus on the invisible attributes
and character values to be reflected in
my life and refuse to focus on judging others
HOPE – know that GOD is GOD, faithful and sure
– GOD is the Source of All for All
– trust in the Promises and outworking of GOD
TRUTH – the plumb line of Life written on our hearts and
minds, revealed by the spirit is present within me
– IF I listen to the guidance of the spirit, I can know
when something is not in line with Truth (I do not
need to consume garbage to know I do not want it)

as a follower of Jesus, I believe:
• Jesus is the LIGHT of the world
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world;
the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12
• the Truth will set me free
you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32