light

Friday our fourth year class and several visiting professors and Matt had a very interesting trip to the mosque in town.  The darkness of mind and life presented there by the imam and followers seemed so apparent to the students that they couldn't imagine anyone thinking it was light.

And yet, that's often how darkness works, isn't it. "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." Matthew 6:23 

Thankful they had this chance (the female students are waiting in another room, as that they were not permitted to sit with the men in this inner room) and also that we all had the chance to hear the Crescent Project's inspiring presentation on how God is at work among Muslims around the globe.  There are places Matt and I will never be able to go that men and women from Haiti may very well...we continue to pray and train and come alongside.

Several of the visiting professors headed out on Saturday afternoon, with their partners at Emmaus finishing their classes for them this week.  After everyone was in bed I even got to do some happy-crafting this weekend.  As we've been praying and leaning into very specific things for ourselves and each other as EBS missionaries this year, this is Em's word...and I'm always looking for an excuse to pray through something crafty!

Don't worry...these things have a max load of 300 lbs :)  Lily and Sofie have been loving having Sam and Joel next door, but I think "Coach Julie", who has started teaching them gymnastics, might be their favorite!  They both want to be Simone when they grow up, but I'm pretty sure Lily's already too tall!  It's wonderful to have the Edlers in our lives, and Bill starts teaching his first course next week!

Matt preached at the English Bible Fellowship in the afternoon Sunday afternoon, but in the morning we listened to the man I frequently get confused with Jackie Chan, Francis.  Always so good and true, his messages are.

An image he shared this time that was so simple yet powerful was with a flashlight.  He had a flashlight in his hand and pointed it all around the room, showing us all the things he could draw our attention to.

Chan talked about how we could shine the lights we have at other things, or at ourselves, showing others all the things we can and can't do, how great or how wretched we are, how talented or worthless we are, using our light to shine on ourselves.  

Or, and turning his back to the audience, he shined his light on the cross, pointing everyone's attention to Jesus, making it impossible to even see Chan's face or to loudly hear his voice.

What a fantastic image of our calling, brothers and sisters, to use the Light with which we have been transformed to shine everyone's attention NOT to ourselves, but to Christ.

It's with this image, we head into a new week...