July 2026 Revealing Light Newsletter

I’ve been watching my kids in their swimming lessons and was reminded of another lesson that we have with God. We participate as we learn and are shaped. I watch as the Lifeguard is there to help assist, but we must also participate in what they are trying to do with us. The lifeguard can’t do it for you, you do it together. And similarly, we may be tempted to think that we’ll just let God do everything for us and we’ll just sit back passively, but that’s missing the ability to learn and grow with His help. Let Him guide you and empower you as you learn, grow, and do new things as Disciples of Jesus that you wouldn’t have done on your own before. He isn’t asking you to do this alone without Him, but He is also wanting you to work with Him as He is wanting to work through you (even if it’s something we maybe don’t want to do right now [I heard the swimming teachers tell their class this a couple of times too]). (Eph 3:7; Heb 13:21)

So, we’re left with the same decisions that people throughout the Bible had to decide: “do I participate in what God is leading me through or am I walking the other direction?” (Jonah, David, Noah, Moses, Esther, etc...). Jesus comes along and says the great news, “Repent (turnaround)... and Follow Me.” (Mt 4:17; 16:24) Each day, we make these decisions. It’s not too late to make that choice. Confess what we’ve done, repent (turnaround toward God) and participate in what God is doing today. (Mt 3:8; Acts 3:19; 11:28; 26:20)

- Daryl S

"Where are the roots of my heart being cultivated at?"

It's a question we may need to ask ourselves at times throughout our day. I'm reminded of this when I start to notice the fruit in my life being off that day. The fruit of my life will come from wherever those roots are being cultivated -- each minute, hour, day (Mt 12:33; Lk 6:45; 8:15; 21:34). It's not always that the other places are necessarily bad, but I do ask myself, "before I do____, before I continue spending time doing ____; has the roots of my heart been able to be cultivated throughout the day by being planted with God?"

With the demands of our time coming from every area of our lives: work, notifications, messages, news (local, global, or latest gossip), travel, events, house, farm, friends/family, etc... we're quickly rushing off to the next thing without being nourished in the soil that has given us life in the first place. I share this with continued experience as this is always a daily reminder for our daily nourishment with our God, who gives us life with Him now & throughout eternity. God cultivates our hearts with the nourishment of Jesus (the living bread & water, the living Word, and the living body as Jesus' Church).

"Are the roots of our hearts planted with God now through whatever we are doing as He produces His fruit through us?"

As you go throughout this week (maybe even working in the soil of your gardens), may your heart be cultivated in the life-giving soil of God.

- Daryl S.