Category Archives: FL

You’ve Got Mail!! Let’s Read God’s Love Letters!!

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Most of the books of the New Testament are actually letters…

These Epistles contain general Christian teaching…

 And specific instructions for the congregation to which they were addressed…

Paul’s Letters to the Churches:  

 Mail…Florida Style!!

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Romans 1:1-7

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 

the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 

regarding His Son,

who as to His earthly life

was a descendant of David,

and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power

by His resurrection from the dead: 

Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 Through Him we received grace and apostleship

to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from

faith for His Name’s sake. 

And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Galatians 1:1-5

“Paul, an apostle—

sent not from men nor by a man, 

but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, 

who raised Him from the dead…

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 

who gave Himself for our sins 

to rescue us from the present evil age, 

according to the will of our God and Father, 

to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Amen.”

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Colossians 1:3-6

“We always thank God, 

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

and of the love you have for all God’s people—

the faith and love that spring from the Hope stored up for you in Heaven 

and about which you have already heard

in the true message of the Gospel that has come to you.

In the same way,

the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—

just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it

and truly understood God’s Grace.”

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1 Timothy 1:1-2

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our Hope,

To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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1 Corinthians 1:4-9

“I always thank my God for you 

because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. 

For in Him you have been enriched in every way—

with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 

God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift 

as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 

He will also keep you firm to the end,

so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God is faithful, 

who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

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Ephesians 1:3-10

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world 

to be holy and blameless in His sight.

In love He predestined us for adoption to Sonship

through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with His pleasure and will—

to the praise of His glorious grace, 

which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 

that He lavished on us.

With all wisdom and understanding, 

He made known to us the mystery of His will

according to His good pleasure,

which He purposed in Christ, 

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—

to bring unity to all things in Heaven and on earth under Christ.”

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1 Thessalonians 1:2-6

“We always thank God for all of you 

and continually mention you in our prayers. 

We remember before our God and Father 

your work produced by faith, 

your labor prompted by love, 

and your endurance inspired by hope 

in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, 

that He has chosen you, 

because our Gospel came to you not simply with words

but also with power, 

with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

You know how we lived among you for your sake. 

You became imitators of us and of the Lord,

for you welcomed the message

in the midst of severe suffering 

with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

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Philemon 1:4-7

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 

because I hear about your love for all His holy people 

and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 

I pray that your partnership with us in the faith

may be effective in deepening your understanding

of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, 

because you, brother,

have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”

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Philippians 1:3-6

“I thank my God every time I remember you. 

In all my prayers for all of you,

I always pray with joy 

because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day 

until now,

being confident of this,

that He who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion 

until the day of Christ Jesus.”

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Titus 1:1-4

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ

to further the faith of God’s elect

and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 

in the hope of eternal life, 

which God,

who does not lie, 

promised before the beginning of time, 

and which now at His appointed season 

He has brought to light 

through the preaching entrusted to me 

by the command of God our Savior,

To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Read your mail!!!

What Do We Believe???

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The Newsboys are spreading the Good News!!

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Believe in the One Foundation…  

Believe in the One Salvation…

Believe in God the Father

Believe in Jesus Christ…

Believe in the Holy Spirit…

Believe He’s given us New Life…

Believe in the Crucifixion…

Believe that He conquered Death…

Believe in the Resurrection

Believe He’s coming back again…

Believe the lost are found, the dead are raised!

When Love invades!

Believe the gates of hell will not prevail!

Believe the Power of God, has torn the veil! 

Believe His Love will never fail!

Believe!

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Mark 1:15

The time has come,” he said.

“The kingdom of God has come near.

Repent and believe the good news!”

Grief…Are You In The Club???

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Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted   

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

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My friend, Amy, recently lost her 10-year old son, Kaleb…

She and her daughter, Kyrsten…

Are grieving…

Perhaps you know how she feels…

Perhaps you can pray for them…

Perhaps her words can help you…

Grief….

“We have to learn much along the way…

Before we can move through the process…

We must learn patience…

The value of change…

The beauty of simplicity…

The importance of laughter…

The life-sustaining strength of relationships…

And the joy of spontaneity and adventure…

The membership requirements of the club…

Are anything but enviable…

You have to have felt the floor dropping out…

And the sky falling in…

All in one awful, unthinkable day…

You have to wonder whether you would be able to figure out…

Which shoe to put on which foot…

And then wonder why you should bother anyway…

You find out that you have survived…

Like others…

But, you only have survived as changed people…

There’s no going back…

Grief…

Of this magnitude…

Changes you….”

Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn,   

for they will be comforted.”

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Romans 12:15

“Rejoice with those who rejoice;

mourn with those who mourn.”

Amen!

Gracious Heavenly Father…

Wrap Your Loving Arms…

Around Amy, Kyrsten…

and all who grieve…

‘Til they can be with You…

In Heaven…

To again see their loved ones there!

Lessons From Noah’s Ark!

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“Everything I Need To Know…I Learned From Noah’s Ark!”

(I saw this on e-mail today, author unknown, I added the Scriptures)

Genesis 5:32-10:1

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1.  Don’t miss the boat!  Find favor with the Lord! 

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

2.  Remember that we’re all in the same boat!  We need to walk faithfully with our Lord! 

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,

and he walked faithfully with God.”

3.  Plan ahead!  Pay attention to God!  It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. 

So God said to Noah,

‘I am going to put an end to all people,

for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth…. 

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights,

and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.’”

4.  Stay fit and healthy! When you’re 60+ years old,  God may ask you to do something really big, too! 

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood...

I am going to bring flood waters on the earth

to destroy all life under the heavens,

every creature that has the breath of life in it. 

Everything on earth will perish.

5.  Don’t listen to critics!  Obey God!  Just get on with the job that He says needs to be done. 

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

6.  Build your future on the higher ground of the Lord! 

“But I will establish My covenant with you,

and you will enter the ark—

you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you…” 

The Lord then said to Noah,

“Go into the ark,

you and your whole family,

because I have found you righteous in this generation.”

7.  For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. 

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures,

male and female,

to keep them alive with you. 

Two of every kind of bird,

of every kind of animal

and of every kind of creature

that moves along the ground

will come to you to be kept alive.”

8.  Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

“Pairs of clean and unclean animals,

of birds and of all creatures

that move along the ground,

male and female,

came to Noah and entered the ark,

as God had commanded Noah.”

9.  When you’re stressed, float awhile. 

For forty days

the flood kept coming on the earth,

and as the waters increased

they lifted the ark high above the earth. 

The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth,

and the ark floated on the surface of the water.”

10.  Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.  Build your life according to God’s Plan! 

This is how you are to build it: 

The ark is to be three hundred cubits long,

fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 

Make a roof for it,

leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. 

Put a door in the side of the ark

and make lower, middle and upper decks.”

11.  No matter the storm, when you’re with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. 

And God said,

‘This is the sign of the covenant

I am making between Me and you

and every living creature with you,

a covenant for all generations to come: 

I have set my rainbow in the clouds,

and it will be the sign of the covenant

between Me and the earth.

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth

and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will remember My covenant between Me and you

and all living creatures of every kind. 

Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will see it

and remember the everlasting covenant

between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth…'”

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“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and,

taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds,

he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma

and said in His heart:

‘Never again will I curse the ground because of humans,

even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.

And never again will I destroy all living creatures,

as I have done.

As long as the earth endures…'”

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Amen!

Thank You, Lord!!

MOM Upside Down Is WOW!!

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Have a Happy and Blessed Mom’s Day!!

This made you laugh!!

Perfection, right???

Now…

Go tell your kids to clean their rooms…

And eat their vegetables!!

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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Psalm 127: 3

“Children are a heritage from the Lord…”

Amen!

Grace Was Made For People Like Me!!

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John 1:14

“The Word

became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His Glory,

the Glory of the One and Only Son,

who came from the Father,

full of Grace and Truth.”

And you!!

Be honest with God…

He’ll never let you go…

Jesus, we need You…

Lord, help us to believe…

Show us Your arms are open…

Your blood redeems…

Show me You can love…

Even me…

Show me Grace was made for…

People like me…

Amen!

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1 Corinthians 1:3

“Grace and Peace to you from

God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

When The Golf Course Is Closed To People…The Critters Come Out To Play!!

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Because God is watching over them!!

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High   

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

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I will say of the Lord,

“He is my refuge and my fortress,   

my God, in whom I trust.”

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Surely He will save you   

from the fowler’s snare   

and from the deadly pestilence.

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He will cover you with His feathers,   

and under His wings you will find refuge;   

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

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You will not fear the terror of night,   

nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,   

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

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A thousand may fall at your side,   

ten thousand at your right hand, 

but it will not come near you.

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You will only observe with your eyes   

and see the punishment of the wicked.

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If you say,

“The Lord is my refuge,”  

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and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you,   

no disaster will come near your tent.

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For He will command His angels concerning you   

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands, 

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so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;   

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

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“Because he loves me,”

says the Lord,

“I will rescue him;  

I will protect him,

for he acknowledges My Name.

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He will call on Me, and I will answer him;   

I will be with him in trouble,   

I will deliver him and honor him.

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With long life I will satisfy him   

and show him My Salvation.”

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Amen!

See how well He watches over us, too!!

My Soul Pants For You, My God!!

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Psalm 42

As the deer pants for streams of water,   

so my soul pants for You, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God.   

When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food day and night,

while people say to me all day long,   

“Where is your God?”

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These things I remember   

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God   

under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise   

among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? 

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Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,   

for I will yet praise Him,   

my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;   

therefore I will remember You

from the land of the Jordan,   

the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

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 Deep calls to deep   

in the roar of Your waterfalls;

all Your waves and breakers   

have swept over me.

By day the Lord directs His love,   

at night His song is with me—   

a prayer to the God of my life.

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I say to God my Rock,   

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,   

oppressed by the enemy?”

My bones suffer mortal agony   

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,   

“Where is your God?”

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Why, my soul, are you downcast?   

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,  

for I will yet praise Him,   

my Savior and my God.

Amen!

(P.S.  You’d think these photos might have been taken in NJ, but actually they were taken while we were visiting friends in the Keys.  Our friend, Billy Butler, grabbed my camera while we all quietly watched from the car, and took these beautiful photographs!!!)

All Eyes On You!!

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2 Corinthians 4:18

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.”

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Everything else fades away

When You step on the scene

In my heart, take center stage

And I’ll follow Your lead

So let me step aside

And put Your Name in lights

Headline this life

All eyes on You

In everything I do

Everywhere I move

Let Your Love shine through

So all the world can see

You’ve taken over me

Let me be a reflection of Your Truth

And turn all eyes on You

You burn brighter than a million stars

And nothing can compare

So let me shadow who You are

Every second and everywhere

Yeah!

Can’t take my eyes off You

I was blind, but now I see

You gave it all, to set me free

So everyday ’til my time is gone

I’ll live my life, turning eyes on You

No matter where I am

No matter who I’m with

With everything I do, let it point to You

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Amen!! 

What a great prayer!

Be A Lighthouse! Go, Light Someone’s Way!

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We’re working on a human video to “Lighthouse” by Anthem Lights…

With our A.L.I.V.E. Drama Team…

Powerful song!

I’ll walk you through my choreography!!

We’re thinking of adding lights for each lighthouse

(cell phone, flashlight, etc.),

a big light behind Jesus,

a fog machine for the ship scene,

and perhaps a black light!)

“Many of the songs on the record

speak about being the light of Christ in this world,

to how essential His light is in this dark world.

“Lighthouse”

is a metaphor for we are in this world.

Ours is a brave task:

“Climb to the highest point,

scream in your loudest voice,

there’s a lifeline waiting for you…

Strike up the brightest fire,

fan the flames and let it burn,

let it burn…

the world is waiting.”

It’s up to us to be the lighthouse,

to tell hurting people that they’re not alone

and there is more for them”

–ALAN-Anthem Lights–

Scene 1:  Have 4-6 kids form the front of a ship by kneeling at an angle, so there’s a point, and linking arms, have them rock and shake when the waters get rough, and have the ship  “sail” (move) closer to rocks

Have 1 kid be the captain of the ship, loading his gear on board, and then standing inside ship, steering, reacting to danger, and seeing the lighthouse as a place of refuge & rescue

Have several kids kneeling with head & legs tucked in to form rocks in the water

Have kids on their backs with arms & legs moving, like pedaling a bicycle, to be rough waves in the water

Have 1 kid stand with hands touching over their head as a Lighthouse, add light, if desired, have them turn as the light would on a lighthouse

Have 1-2 kids kneeling with their palms together on their foreheads as the fins of sharks in the water

Like ships bound for shipwreck

Most people just simply drift along

And miss their destination without knowing anything is wrong

No direction and without a care

Feels so good and then you’re lost out there

Don’t you remember how it felt ’til someone showed you the way

Chorus:  Have Jesus come out to tell everyone to be a Lighthouse

It’s up to you, it’s up to me

To be the lighthouse

They should know they’re not alone

So shine so they can see the lighthouse

And find their way back home

Scene 2:  Have everyone leave their position…and reposition as a church setting

Have 1 kid be the preacher, waving a Bible

Have 2-3 kids kneel as church pews

Have 2-3 kids sit on the backs of kneeling kids to face the preacher, who is preaching passionately

The seated “congregation” while “numb” at first, gets the message, and praises the Lord in agreement

Have 1 kid off to the side be the Lighthouse that the preacher is talking about

Tragically we’ve forgotten

The reason we’re even here at all

Worst still, we remember it’s just that we feel so comfortable

Do we notice, do we even care

All the people that are lost out there

Don’t you remember how it felt ’til someone showed you the way

Chorus:  Have Jesus come out to tell everyone to be a Lighthouse

It’s up to you, it’s up to me

To be the lighthouse

They should know they’re not alone

So shine so they can see the lighthouse

And find their way back home

Scene 3:  Have your 2 strongest kids kneel next to each other, so your lightest kid can climb up on them, as if climbing up rocks, then act as if they’re screaming in their loudest voice

Transition to make a line of kids, pull as in a tug-of-war to make a Lifeline, preacher will pull them in

Have kids come together in a U-shape. and wave arms over their head as the flames of a fire

Have kids separate, and all become a separate Lighthouse,with hands touching over their head to look like a Lighthouse, add light, if desired, have them turn as the light would on a lighthouse

Have Jesus, come from the back, to touch and light each Lighthouse with His Presence, when He touches them they raise their hands higher, so we can see they are burning brighter with His Light to reach others

So climb to the highest point

Scream in your loudest voice

There’s a lifeline waiting for you

Strike up the brightest fire

Fan the flames and let it burn

Just let it burn, the world is waiting

Chorus:  Have Jesus come out to tell everyone in the audience to also be a Lighthouse

It’s up to you, it’s up to me

They should know they’re not alone

So shine so they can see the lighthouse

And find their way

It’s up to you, it’s up to me

To be the lighthouse

They should know they’re not alone

Scene 4 (Ending):  Have 2-3 kids wandering as lost, see the Lighthouses, and because of a Lighthouse, they are directed home to Jesus…then they kneel & praise Him

So shine so they can see the lighthouse

And find their way back home

Try the drama with your kids/teens!!! 

I know you can do it!!

Any questions???

Let me know!

When we minister with this, I’ll blog some photos!!

John 8:12

“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.”

Psalm 43:3

Send out your light and your truth;
    
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    
and to your dwelling!”

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—   

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—   

of whom shall I be afraid?”

Matthew 5:14-16

 “You are the light of the world.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand,

and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way,

let your light shine before others,

that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

Amen!

A previous post about a Lighthouse:  

Beach Blessing-The Lighthouse

https://godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/the_lighthouse/