In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

A few days ago I promised a full accounting of our problems with the movers, intending to detail what I termed, “unnecessary stresses that I will document in this space only after our household goods have safely arrived.”

Well, I hate to disappoint, but the core mission of this blog will not be well served by a rant, several paragraphs of complaining, or anything else designed to point out the obvious disparity between how our moving company present themselves via advertising and what actually happens (and doesn’t happen) when moving day rolls around. Lesson learned: we will not recommend Beacon of Brooklyn, New York, under any circumstances. End of story.

LIGHT AND LIFE: Instead, I want to talk briefly about what I am looking forward to over the next few years. I often talk about my core mission as a writer, which is to tell the story of what it means to “live like we mean it.” Similarly, my mission as a human being, as a child of God, as a follower of the Way of Jesus, is to live that very same story, to tell the truth about the Gospel of Love, simply by being.

I believe that we are all living some kind of a story. The question becomes, “What story am I telling through my life?” What story is Derek Maul telling? What story is _______ _____ (fill in your name, here) telling? It’s clear what God wants to see: what God intends is for each one of us to tell our interpretation of The Greatest Story Ever Told. And Jesus has done everything necessary to equip us to shine.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Not just to know the light, but to HAVE the light; the light of life. We are charged with the responsibility to actually be light to the world. Not just to talk about the light, but to actually be light in dark places.

FLORIDA/NORTH CAROLINA/WHEREVER: So my plan is simple. I want to carry enough light with me to North Carolina that more people will claim the amazing opportunity to shine, and that they will be encouraged to become luminous Children of God to the extent that we all tell a more compelling version of the story of the Gospel of Love via the way that we live.

“Luminous Children of God!”  I like that phrase; I like the insistent call to light that Jesus represents; I like the challenge implicit in the Gospel message; I like the idea that God believes in us to that extent. I want us – likewise – to believe in the power of God, to believe that God will live the Jesus kind of “life-charged life” through us.

So let’s shine! – DEREK