Tag Archives: Be the light in the world

Go Light Our World!

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Go Light Your World has changed its name to Go Light OUR World (GLOW), emphasizing our community responsibility to bringing light into the darkness. The website change will happen later this week. Www.golightyourworld.org will automatically be redirected to www.GoLightOurWorld.org. The ministry’s home page will come up first and then viewers can click on the Blog page or other ministry pages. We believe the list of ‘followers’ who get daily posts sent directly to their email inbox will remain unaffected. There is a possibility that the website domain change could cause the site to be down for a short period of time.

Did you know… Go Light Our World is a tax-exempt 501c3 nonprofit ministry incorporated to carry the gospel throughout the world with specific mission of helping families discover and pursue God’s best for them. GLOW is governed by a board of directors including incorporators, Bryan and Marcia Thayer. Tax exempt donations to GLOW go directly to ministry fields in Bolivia, Bulgaria, and other places around the globe. GLOW supports vital ministries that promote self-sufficiency and literacy while introducing children and families to the REAL light of the world, Jesus.

Go Light Our World had its beginning during one of our missions to post-Katrina New Orleans. Beyond our teams’ efforts to rebuild houses, these missions were all focused on rebuilding lives by bringing light to shine into the darkness of their world.

Chris Rice wrote a song titled Go Light Your World, which captures the heart of our ministry. In it he writes:
“There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home.
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world.”

We each were created for a purpose. We weren’t created to sit on the sidelines, but to intentionally and passionately live out our purpose by making a difference in the lives of others.

We believe that God gives each of us a light that can bring real and lasting hope to the lives of others and that working together as a community of believers, our light shines brighter.

We will be sharing more in future posts about how you can partner with us to Go Light Our World!

“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.”
Matthew 5:14-16

Dying Wish

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Korean War veteren Gearald Bowman was recently granted his dying wish to walk on the decks of the USS Laffey where he served for four years. Can you imagine what it was like to stand by his old bunk or to revisit the engine room where he worked on the ship some 60 years ago? He describes the service time as a life changing event.

What times or places have left an indelible mark on your soul? Marcia and I look back on the two years we lived in Australia when first married, or the years with Post Katrina mission work, or the one month mission in Bolivia. Each of these (and others) were times when God spoke deeply into our lives, close and lasting friendships were formed in extraordinarily short periods of time, and when our life vision was expanded far beyond ourselves.

In one sense, you can’t really ‘go back’ because it is a different place and you are now a different person. But do you sometimes feel a great desire to pay homage to a place, time, or person that influenced you greatly? Each wedding anniversary, Marcia and I reflect upon things, places and people that have influenced us over the years. And, especially with regard to people, we have increased our effort to speak appreciation to people who have influenced our lives. Some of them were quite surprised, not recalling any special contribution they made. But sometimes it’s not what others do or say, but what we observe in their lives.

You might not be actually able to make the trip to revisit a place that changed your life, but you hopefully you can speak appreciation to those who have spoken deeply into your lives. I hope the busyness of life doesn’t cause you to miss the opportunity.

What opportunities are there today or this week to simply live well in the face of adversity or more directly influence others? You never know. Your attitude and approach to life today, or some seemingly small gesture, may be a life changing event for someone else. . . or you.

BE the light. RUN to the darkness and let your light shine.

“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.” – Matthew 5:14-16