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How to renew a city.

For all you folk out there who live in a town or city that has lost it's lights, you may be thinking now is a good time to pack up and leave for a place where the sun is always out and the beach is just down the street. I have to admit it it would be a wonderful thing to just get up and go where the lights are. But what about the lights in your own city. It is very dark for all of us right now who are living in a town that is depressed, but like any organism, there can be light where there once was darkness. It is a scary thing to see "what once was" and still be right int he middle of darkness, but this is a call for you to shine your light. Where there used to be darkness, or where there is darkness, the light should shine as bright as it can. Not to destroy the depression, but to illuminate it.

What does a child do when they walk into a dark room? They turn on the lights. We are living in a dark world but you don't need me to tell you that..(maybe you do!) But what is most dark of all and what causes depression is the darkness in the heart of man and woman. Some times when people refuse to leave the darkness they are forced to leave, (I hope this isn't the case) but for those of us who want to see our cities and towns prosper, we can politely ask those who are trapped in the darkness to exit stage left. Because in reality, there won't be, left many of us if we let this darkness win..it may have already. So with my soap box, I will try one more time, and beg of those who are trapped in the darkness of their own making, the light is shining here, would you..could you enter in and allow it to shine in your own city. Your own town. Let the light win over the darkness. And for those of you who are trying your best to let the light shine, keep doing it. If not here, then where the light wants to be seen.

When someone is blind, they can't see. You didn't need me to tell you that, but they can feel the heat. They know what warmth is. They can hear the crackling of a stove fire, a fire in the woods. Where you are right now, send out your light, sing a song. Not for the removal of darkness where you live, but for new life to shine. New life to shine in at least one heart. Pray that the light of the gospel would ignite the hearts of many people where you live for the very first time. If not in your home, then in your friends home, and their friends home. With pen and paper in hand, write out your dream. Write out the dreams of your friends and write out the dreams of your family and hold them to the light. Hold them in your mind and in your heart and never again let the dreams of your fathers come to and end.

There were people here before us and there will be people here after us. Money won't solve the problem of darkness but love will. Stop hating your brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. But I know, it is hard to love a person who refuses to hate you. So keep on loving them. Everyone is in the reach of a loving God, and the city that is dying needs that God to revive his people. So pray to God. Pray that he would unite his children where you live. Pray that he would unite your church. Pray that all churches and church goers would pray for revival. It starts with you and if starts with me. Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and what does light do? It expels the darkness. Do not be afraid of the darkness, for you are light in the Lord. We are children of light, 1 Thessalonians 5:5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

So church, let us shine our light into this darkness..every day. And let the light win.

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