Did you know that both salt and light change the environment where they exist? They both have properties which affect things around them. Salt gives taste to bland foods; light gives substance to a dark room.

But what happens when both of these lose their power? If salt loses its taste, it’s no good for any flavoring. If a light bulb goes out, it has to be thrown out and replaced.

God speaks of both salt and light in the Bible. As Christians, we are to be the light of the world; a bright energy force in this dark and depressing world.

We need to be deliberate in seeking the lost.

This doesn’t mean that we have to bring out our Bible and start preaching a sermon to the lost person in the airport.

When Jesus taught, He often taught among the uneducated people. He told stories, parables that they could easily relate to.

Our faithfulness should be evident to those we meet. Onlookers should be drawn by the light that comes from us.

Be an influence everywhere you go and when they ask you why you seem so radiant and happy, you can tell them the good news of Jesus, and how He changed your life.

Be the change the world is looking for.

Matthew 5:13-16 - “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 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.”

Derailment is described as ‘the obstruction of a process by diverting it from its intended course.’

We’ve all heard of trains derailing, going off the track; most times crashing. I’ve always wondered what would have caused this 1000 pound structure roll right off the track. Could it be something as small as a tree limb or metal pipe? I’ve read where it could be caused by hitting another object, like a vehicle, or mechanical failure of the track, or even an operational error. Whatever the cause, it usually ends in a catastrophe.

I can relate this to the Christian walk. We can start out on our Christian journey on fire for God. We’re excited to do His work; reading the bible every night and joining small groups. Then, what happens? You’ll see them slowly drift away; methodically going off course from where they started.

What about you? Have you ever had a derailment in your walk with God? Did it suddenly appear to you that things don’t feel right, and you need to get back on track? I’ve been there. Most of my early adult life I was just cruising along, thinking I was doing what God wanted me to do. In reality, I didn’t even include God in most of those years. I thought I could just go to church here and there, pray when I needed Him and be a good person.

This is not living the Christian life. This is existing with no substance. This is putting everything and everyone in your life first, and God second. Wow, I can’t believe I fooled myself.

Stop running from life, serving yourself, just trying to get by. The turning point for me was when I acknowledged God, and let Him lead. It was a gradual process and I learned many things, the hard way.

My train is on track now. I’m loving life, serving God and others and never looking back.

Watch out for those flying objects that Satan sends to throw you off your feet. Trust God, ALWAYS.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I hate it when I hear someone respond to the question about being born, with: “I’m pretty sure I was an accident.”

God doesn’t make accidents. Everything He does is His will, whether you believe this or not.

Probably the hardest thing to accept is hardship, physical disabilities, or broken relationships.

Did you know that these aren’t accidents either. Now I’m not saying that God causes accidents or hardships in our lives. Remember Job in the bible? Satan may throw a wrench in your life plan, and God may allow it, but God also promises that He will help us through it.

If you ignore God and try to muddle through it on your own, it could end up disastrous.

But, if you acknowledge God, tell Him you trust Him, even though you don’t understand, He’ll help you through. He’ll get you to the other side.

None of us are an accident. God knew the plan for our life even before we were born.

Accept what happens to you; know God is with you and realize your potential through Him.

Jeremiah 1:5 - “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of the connections we have in our lives?

I think it’s amazing how God places people in our lives every day. Some may come along to encourage us; some to challenge us, and some to make us aware of our own existence.

If we had it our way, we would love to meet happy people, generous people, and those who enrich our lives.

God doesn’t give us everything we want. He puts some people in our life so that we can be like Jesus to them. Some won’t be lovable, they might even make our lives miserable, but know this, it’s God’s plan taking shape.

I have seen over the years the people God has placed in my life.  Most have been blessings, but I admit, some I’ve questioned.

At the time I thought to myself, “why?”  Why would God subject me to this person?”

God knows what He’s doing. Right now, He is setting the next divine appointment in our life.

Don’t dismiss God’s power. Never forget that in our weakness, He is strong. When we don’t understand the circumstances, look to the one who surpasses all understanding.

Romans 12:10 - “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Having lost my dad at the age of 10 kept me searching for the ‘knight in shining armor.’

There are very few memories of my dad, and they keep fading every year. From what my sisters have told me, I was his little princess. He adored me. I always wondered what kind of girl I would have turned out to be, had he been in my life, especially during the teenage years.

For those of you who don’t know me, I was a very rebellious teenager. Even if you did know me, I kept it hidden, even from my mom. She never knew most of the trouble I got myself into.

Looking back, I seemed to have been looking for that one guy that would take my daddy’s place, and treat me like a princess.

No one measured up, not even close. It wasn’t their fault. It was wrong for me to ever set that expectation on any man that came into my life.

Had I looked for God to fulfill my desires of having a father, I would have saved myself from a lot of grief and misery.

I can’t complain though. I have no regrets, other than leaving God out of my life for many years.

For those of you who are still looking for your ‘knight in shining armor,’ just look to Jesus. He will make you feel like a princess forever.

1 John 3:1 - “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

My mom left us 5 years ago this month, only days before Christmas.

She led a devoted Christian life; raised 8 kids, loved God and her family. I always get a little sad around Thanksgiving, as that was the one day of the year most all the family gathered at her house. You could see the joy in her eyes, having all the kids and their kids under one roof.

She taught me values that made me who I am today. I never heard her say a mean word to anyone.

Some days I just wish she would call me on the phone; walk into the room. To hear her laughter and listen to her quick wit, just one more time.

I do have peace though when I think of her, knowing that I’ll see her again some day.

She’s safe now; no more pain, no more tears.

How about you? Are you looking forward to reuniting with a loved one some day?

Oh, what a day that will be.

I thank God for His promise of a reunion above all reunions.

Revelation 21:4 - “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

I like entertaining, bringing people together making new friends. There are some that are entertaining every weekend, busying themselves with planning, shopping and organizing all the festivities so that everyone invited will be entertained. This can get crazy, and most times, very stressful.

As Christians, we need to be very careful in this area. If we depend on this type of entertaining for a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it will lead us away from God.

I used to think that idols are something man-made, a structure that people worship. In reality, an idol can be anything that takes up our time, something distracting or addicting.

Idols can distract you from God, and destroy your relationship with Him.

I have to be careful myself. I love spending time with my grandkids, but if I’m not careful, I find myself putting them before God.

Colossians 3:5 - “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

I never really experienced the solitude of the wilderness until I started hiking about 11 years ago.

As a kid, growing up in the foothills of West Virginia, I experienced walking the hills and enjoying outdoor adventures. But, I guess I didn’t really appreciate the retreat that was before me.

It’s fun to explore the wilderness, with the exception of getting lost in it. There’s a peace in the quiet of a forest, sitting and listening to the animals in their element.

As God led the Israelites into the wilderness, they were sorry to have left Egypt. They complained that they might die of starvation and thirst, so God sent them manna (food) from heaven. It fell down to the earth. Can you imagine this happening today? Wow.

You would have thought they’d be grateful for the food, but they kept complaining and were getting tired of the same food. They didn’t have the faith required, faith that God was going to deliver them from the wilderness.

For 40 years they wandered because of their unbelief and disobedience.

God promised victory; it was already theirs, they just had to believe.

And so it is today - we all have the free gift of eternal life right in front of us; accept it today and escape the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:8 - “do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,”