Light In Your Corner

I Need a Hero 

We are flying through the plagues today, making little observations about all the ways God provides and delivers. This is HIS story, after all. 

And His story is still going on today, in our lives. So we ask, how does He still provide? How does He still deliver? When I set myself up as Pharaoh, how does He firmly and lovingly remind me of who really holds the reins? How does He point me to His work in Jesus?

There is a lot here, friends. And we are so glad you are in this with us. God is good. Now let’s get into it and see just how good He is. 

ALSO:

• Name that frog!!!
• Men love a quest 
• When God does your meal planning
• Peace and Urgency
• Helpful Deconstruction

References:

• The Chosen
• The Bible Project
• Exodus 8-12
• @rabbijasonsobel
• Green lights by @officiallymcconaughey

When Things are Hard, You Can Trust God’s Heart

There may be a lot of questions raised by the first chapters of Exodus, but one thing is very clear: God knows what He is about. And soon everyone is going to know. 

In chapters 5-7, we see how God responds to doubt and how He responds to evil, and it’s not necessarily the same response. When we are scared, He says, “Look at Me. Look at what I have done for you. Trust My heart for you.” And then He sends us to do the thing He has for us so we can practice our faith in real life. 

Are you afraid? We hope this episode gives you confidence in the God who equips and sustains you as you live with Him. 

ALSO:

*On the other hand: Another take on Zipporah

*Raising our own little pharaohs 

*How God responds when things are hard

*God’s timing for mercy and justice

*All kinds of cool things about the first plague and signs

*Casting Biblical heroes from Hollywood

References:

• Exodus 5-7 (especially 6:1-8)
• “House of David” on Amazon Prime
• “St. Denis Medical” on Hulu
• Alexander McCall Smith
• “All Creatures Great and Small”
• “Letters to the Church” by Francis Chan
• Hebrews 11:23-29

He sees, He Hears, He Knows

Today’s story happened thousands of years ago across the globe, but it’s just so easy to relate to it—because who hasn’t looked into the face of uncertainty, fear, and even slavery, and called out for help?

Maybe you have wondered if God hears, if He knows, if He sees you. Exodus 2-4 answers that question with a resounding “Yes!” God introduces Himself to the chosen deliverer of His people. Or rather, He introduces Himself as the chosen deliverer of His people. And boy, will He deliver.

Today is a lesson in trusting that God can and will do what He says. And He never stops teaching that to us!

ALSO:

—God changes us

—We answer the Zipporah question

—What it means to embrace suffering

—“Burn Where You’re planted”

—“What I am I will be”

—When God looks a lot like you

—Francis Chan: He’s not wrong

—When you don’t have the answers

References:

John Mark Comer 

Alexander McCall Smith

Prince of Egypt

Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

Bible.org: Zipporah https://bible.org/seriespage/4-zipporah-exodus-424-26

The story of Gideon: Judges 6

#light #lightinyourcorner #relatable #faith #promisesofGod #deliverer #Jesus #Yahweh

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Miracles

Hey, friends! We are back with a brand new season of Light in Your Corner! That’s right. It’s been a hot minute, but we are diving right into Exodus 1 this week. Well, maybe not diving. More like wading into it.

It is easy to fly through Exodus because it is so familiar. After the life of Jesus, it may be the most retold story in film; and for good reason. Miracles in this book are spectacular, but no more meaningful than the miracles that take place in our lives. The God who faithfully delivered His people from slavery still delivers us today.

So we do what He says: we remember. We rehearse the stories of His goodness to the people around us so that we never forget. May this episode remind you that you are loved by an abundantly gracious and merciful God. 

ALSO: 

• Monica’s bright pink highlighter & stowaway frog
• Your lifespan as a grain of sand
• Difficulty is a hard teacher
• Snowplow v. Snowshoe parenting
• God uses the underestimated
• Investing in Integrity

References:

• ESV Scripture Journals
• ”Letters to the Church” by Francis Chan
• ”God Has a Name” by John Mark Comer
• ”The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom
• “Single, Dating, Engaged, Married” by Ben Stuart
• ”A Man on the Inside” (on Netflix)
• ”A Real Pain” (on Hulu)
• ”The Prince of Egypt” (rent/buy on Prime Video)

#miracles #expectations #Godisgood #light #lightinyourcorner #yahweh #love #difficulty

God Bless Us, Every One! 

 It’s almost Christmas, friends, and God is already giving gifts! He’s so good, isn’t He? Merry Christmas, everyone. You are all gifts to us and we are so grateful for the time you spend with us and the encouragement you share. May God bless you all with His Light this Christmas!

ALSO:

• “You talk to the Lord with that mouth?” 
• Did the devil really make you do it
• The power of saying a person’s name
• Cheering for Strangers
• Is He really enough

References:

• Matthew 5:43-48
• John 3:16
• 1 John 3:1
• 1 John 5:11
• Romans 8:31-32
• James 1:17
•  “Red One”
• “Christmas with the Kranks”
• “Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham
• “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
• “Die Hard”
• “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
• “David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell

Awaiting Christmas When You Know You Have Enough

The media tells us that the season of giving thanks is past and now it’s time to focus on the real deal: giving presents. We spend money, time and energy finding tokens of love for those we care about. Or maybe just some tokens of acknowledgment for people around us.

But giving thanks is just as important now as it ever was because God is giving us gifts in this very moment. Even in this breath, even in the sound waves that carry these words and the brain’s ability to translate them into real ideas. God is always giving. 

So what happens when we take those gifts and give ourselves the credit? We will talk about that for a bit today as we sit in Genesis for just a little while longer. 

And we have plenty of our own gifts to give. At least that’s how we see them. Gifts of book, movie, and show recommendations. Accept them, if you will, and feel free to share some back! 

ALSO: A boatload of references…

Bible references:

Genesis 12

Hebrews 11

1 Cor. 10:13

2 Cor. 12:7-10

Proverbs 30

Media references:

“The Bible Project” 

“Babette’s Feast”

“Daddy’s Home 2”

“Emma”/“Clueless”

“Nutcrackers”

“Bonhoeffer”

“Breaking Bad”

“Blessings” by Laura Story

“Mortimer’s Christmas Manger” by Jane Chapman and Karma Wilson

#hope #faith #love #gratitude #Jesus #forgiveness

The Freedom of Not Having All the Answers

Hey Friends! We are back at it and talking about the Fall into sin, free will, helping people when we don’t feel like it, and how there are lots of things we just don’t understand. Sounds like a party, doesn’t it?

The good news is that we have a God who knows how to throw a great party in spite  of all that. And we are stepping into the abundance and leaving the rest up to Him. 

And if you take issue with anything, you know where to find us!  

So enjoy our conversation and know that we are thinking about you during the whole thing. We love you guys!

ALSO:

• What do you hope to get out of this?
• We ask hard questions like “Why was the tree there?”
• The enemies of discovery are hurry and control. 
• Giving yourself more time than you think you need. 
• Taking time to be with people. 

References: 

• Bible Project Episode (10/7/24): “God as the Generous Host” 
• “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
• @jamesclearatomichabits
• Bob Goff @bobgoff
• @branthansen

#light #lightinyourcorner #Jesus #HolySpirit #loveyourneighbor #faith #trust #redeemed

Fighting for the Abundance Mentality

All over the Bible, from beginning to end, God is giving His children good things. And not just a few good things; a whole kingdom of good things. 

It’s no secret that there’s a disconnect, a tragic separation between the reality of God’s abundant love and our ability to recognize it around us. It doesn’t come naturally anymore. It takes the Holy Spirit working in us every day. 

So how does that happen? And why is this important? Could this really make a difference in how we live? Turns out it makes all the difference. 

ALSO:

• Stephen King’s parenting gives Lauren hope
• Belonging AND participating in the kingdom
• Considering=Training ourselves to look to God
• The Prodigal Son and the Older Son
• Indicators of/weapons against the scarcity mindset 
• Creation and God’s favorite color

References:

Luke 12

Psalm 104

Prodigal God by Tim Keller

The Bible Project Podcast: “Abundance or Scarcity”

Bible Project Video: This Lie Can Keep You From Living Generously

Anyone who thinks Christianity is boring or easy has never read 2nd Peter. And today we head into the last chapter of 2nd Peter with Peter’s clear instruction: don’t forget what you learned from the prophets and from Jesus. People will come who will try to confuse us, who will mock God and mock us. 

But there is hope! Jesus is coming back!

And we get to look forward to it! 

So how do we live like people who are actually looking forward to Jesus’ return? We spend time with Him here as we wait. So happy you are joining us as we do just that!

ALSO:

• Lauren talks about the aftermath of Hurricane Milton
• Spinning scary into exciting
• Paul says hard things
• Ignorant and Unstable
• Lady cops
• Heidy’s spirit truck
• God takes His time, and so should we

References:

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Education Foundation of Martin County Hurricane Milton Crisis Fund: https://www.educationfoundationmc.org/p/456/hurricane-milton-crisis-fund

2 Peter 3

#lightinyourcorner #light #peace #Jesus #hope #love

Be Prepared!

No one likes the sound of sirens. They indicate something is coming. Something bad, usually. We associate a siren’s warning with emergency responders and storms. They usually tell us that someone has been hurt, or that there is a risk that someone could be hurt soon. 

But there’s another side to sirens too. They show that someone is there, paying attention and responding. They show that someone with more information, skill, and authority wants us to be safe. 

Second Peter 2 is a siren for believers. There are bad things happening and more to come, so pay attention. But also, God sees it and He will respond just like He always has. There is hope nestled into this warning, pointing us to a God who is always in control and who can be trusted to come through for His people. 

ALSO:

• We need oil in our lamps
• God is Friend AND Judge
• Lauren prepares for a hurricane
• Midwesterners are hard to please
• Leaving salvation up to God

References:

• 2 Peter 2
• Chronicles of Narnia

#GodisGod #lightinyourcorner #HurricaneMilton #Jesus #childofGod

#light