let your light shine...

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (NIV)
Hey Guys!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday morning! Well, for some time now we are being reminded to take care on our planet. Conserve. Recycle. Reuse. Re purpose. Mother nature is getting a bit used up and we are being encouraged to lend a helping hand. One of the easiest ways to going green is to conserve electricity. It is a simple act most everyone including children can begin to do. From replacing old bulbs with new energy efficient ones to just cutting off the lights when you leave a room! My Dad is notorious for having every light in the house on! He just likes the light!! And then there are some folks who just enjoy the comfort of a dark room. Well, I want to talk to you about a light that I will encourage you to keep on!

With Easter soon approaching several verses have been running through my mind. I decided I wanted to find a verse that were actual words of Jesus himself. I thought it would be appropriate to have something coming directly from Him! Sitting in church yesterday, I was really convicted of something. You see, when I started this bible verse memorization about a month and a half ago. I looked over my "contact list" and SELECTED those to send it to. I chose a group of people I thought would be interested in doing this with me. I admit there were many I skipped over. (As you all know over time you seem to accrue many email addresses from random things!) For many reasons, I did not check there name...Either not knowing them well enough to send it, not thinking they would be interested or just not wanting to bother them or offend them every week with my personal thoughts and beliefs. Over these past weeks I have gotten so many request to add people to our Word Warrior list. (Isn't that so exciting!!) But yesterday, I was challenged to do more. I had the pleasure of attending two different church services yesterday. (In an attempt with my future sister-n-law to surprise my grandmother by being on "her pew" when she arrived only to be surprised to find out she was going to the later service!!) So, after listening to two preachers and a Sunday school teacher, I was convinced He needed all three to relay the message He was sending me. With all this conserving, I am convinced there is one light that should always remain on. Throughout the centuries, many people have been shining lights for Jesus Christ. Today, we really are living in a world filled with spiritual darkness. There are people all around us who are just gripping at something that will bring light into their world. God wants us to be a shining light for those people. So, when it comes to light, there is one I am not going to conserve on. I am going to send out our weekly bible verse to my entire contact list. Pray with me that it will be received gladly and that it will make a difference in someone’s life! I encourage you to shine your light. Let God send you in a new direction today. Be a light for someone at their crossroads.

Sometimes we end up in such a dark place we do not think that our light can be seen. Thanks to Andy, our life has been an adventurous one. He has always loved to go exploring, especially in caves! If you have ever had the opportunity to be in a cave and cut your flashlight off you know of real darkness. You almost can feel it! But, the minute you turn on ONE small light, it seems to fill up the whole cave with light. It really is amazing.

"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." John 8:12 (NIV) God has entrusted to us the ministry of being a shining light for Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Don't underestimate the power of one persons light. There are so many who do not know Jesus Christ as there personal savior. Darkness is all around us. So, I encourage you to continue to hide His word in your hearts so that His light may shine through you! Light your lamps!

Have a wonderful week!
I love you guys!

Your sister in Christ,
Natalie

Prayer Request:
Jan Johnson (She is going for her 2 year check up today. Praying for a praise report)
Baby Addison (She is back in the hospital. For more information email Karen Harris at karenharris@charter.net)
Joana and Stephen Horn and the Horn family (The recent loss of Kelton Horn)
Leigh Ann Ammons ( June 6 she will be having another surgery)

Please fill free to email me any prayer request. I know that there are some mighty prayer warriors on the other end of this connection. We will be more than happy to lift you up in prayer.

FYI: For those new to this email... Some time back I was burdened with the thought of not having the freedom to have a Bible. It was a very scary thought, especially since I knew so little verses. I wondered how would I be able to teach my precious children about Jesus Christ. How would I lead someone to Christ without knowing the appropriate scripture. How would I defend my savior. How would I be able to deal with life's daily struggles without knowing how He would have me do it. So, I set out on a mission, to weekly learn a scripture from the Bible. So, I have begun..."I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:11 (NIV) I have encouraged my family and dearest friends to do this with me. I know that God will bless our diligence and hard work! We are now on week 7 and if you are interested in past verses you can find them on my blog at http://thegorods.blogspot.com This is something that God has laid upon my heart to do and I do so to further His kingdom. I hope it blesses you as it has blessed me. I love the idea of something uniting all of us together. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:18-20 (NIV)

Much love,
Natalie McLeod Elrod