My daughter was married in one of the older churches downtown, known as Elim Chapel. You don’t see too many churches like Elim anymore. Stone siding, tall steeples, curved arches, and old wooden pews are just some of the details that make it unique, not to mention the enormous stained glass windows.
I’ve sat in that church a few times through the years looking over at the windows, each depicting the story of Christ in their own way. What I love most about stained glass is how its beauty shines, both within the church and without.
I got to thinking about believers today, and how similar we are to those windows, each depicting the story of Christ in our own way. Like a chapel on a hill in the dark of the night, the beauty of His love shines through–welcoming all who approach.
Here’s the thing, if we hope to truly depict the beauty of Christ, like stained glass, we need to shine from both sides. We need to be the same loving people outside the church as we are inside its walls. We need to shine brightly for Christ whether we’re singing a hymn or singing the praises of a hard-working nurse. We need to pierce through the darkness and cut through the lies as we’re walking in and living out the truth of God’s Word.
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Tilling the Soil
Pray, asking God to give you opportunities to share the gospel with others. Ask Him to show you how you can be a witness both inside and outside of the church.
Planting Hope
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.. (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife
Matthew 5:14-16, NIV