After talking about my former pastor, yesterday, I thought about how that story ties in nicely with what I’d like to share with you now. And it’s about what happens when things get dark.

Because when things get dark is when THE Light shines bright.

Or at least that Light CAN shine bright. But it’s still your choice. When things get their darkest, you can either choose to dig in deeper. Crawl deeper into that dark crevasse. And try to blend in to the black void.

But that ain’t gonna get you nowhere (as my good buddies down in Texas used to say).

Because your joy should shine in spite of the world. It shouldn’t be dowsed because of the world and circumstances in life. When life tosses you into a dark place, climb out and get back at it. I know it’s easy to say and sometimes so darn difficult to do. But that doesn’t mean you don’t do it. It just means you need help.

A friend of mine wrote a poem a few years ago. And she asked me if I thought I could use the words as lyrics for a praise and worship song. That’s back when I was the praise and worship guy for a church in Denver.

I told her to email them to me. And she did. And I read them and almost immediately heard some music in my head to put with them. It’s so cool when that happens. So, I told her I’d let her know when the song was done.

The song made its debut in the following Sunday praise and worship time. And I could tell she was happy about how it turned out. So was I. The music and the words go together very well, if I do say so myself. It’s upbeat, infectious, and downright nice on the ears.

Hey, like Babe Ruth said, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.”

The song is called “Shine In Your Glory.” And you can read all the words to it in my Raise The Praise book (which is also a songbook and journal). Oh, and by the way, you can get all the songs, too. They’re all in a single download you get when you buy the book. The link is below. Here are some of the lyrics to this song.

My joy is flowing out
Into your ocean.
Your grace rains down”in my open heart.
You take my hand
When the road is narrow,
And you’re my Light when things get dark.

Stay tuned,

Get the Raise The Praise book (songbook and journal) here