Browsing Tag

Light

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

This Card!…and this Little Light of Mine!

Posted on December 8, 2025

I love this painted card submission by Shirley Ginter. In fact, it is practically perfect in every way! Love for Digging Deep, for the season, for all of you, and for the Lord shows through in every stroke!

I love the season. Little lessons pop up all over the place. My husband keeps saying, “There’s a blog post in that!” Earlier this week I was putting up some lights by the front door. I had to try and light up a bush and then a wreath that was a couple of feet above the bush. You know you really never want the lights that are in between your illuminations to show (when it’s a decoration on your house). I mean you want those stray lights that are not really outlining anything to be hidden. Sometimes you just start a new strand on each thing you’re illuminating. But sometimes you run out of outlets or your strand of lights is just too long not to use somewhere else. So you end up with a little row of lights just dangling in the air here between the wreath and the bush.

As I was putting black tape around those stray lights, a little light (no pun intended) went off in my head. It was next to impossible to completely hide those little lights with black tape. I’d think I had it and then back away and see that the brightness was escaping through some tiny little crack between two pieces of tape. I’d see a little sparkle coming through a spot of adhesive.

That’s the way it is with our Matthew 5 light. “We are,”  as Jesus said,  “the light of the world.”  There is blackness all around us. It’a a blackness of sin that’s hard to penetrate and the entities of blackness stick together. Like that tape, they try to extinguish the light. But it’s hard to hide the light when it’s Christianity. Because of the boldness, the brightness and the beauty of Christ, His light in us penetrates that blackness in which the world tries to envelope us. The little bright light, that you are, escapes the black tape, and someone sees you in the dark void.

You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

This little light of mine…I’m going to let it shine.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Kerri’s Retreat

Posted on November 20, 2025

In recent days, I’ve come across several very raw and honest souls, who have come to know the great salvation plan that is simple and forthright in the Word…and the difference is eternal. 

See, the devil would like for us to think (in extremes) one of two things: 

  1. It takes years of study to discern what God wants me to do to be saved. 
  2. All it takes to be saved is an acknowledgement that Jesus is the Son of God and a prayer that He will save me. 

But God has been so good to mankind in giving us the simple gospel plan that is both that—simple/discernible in one New Testament reading—and forthright in its required actions in our lives. It is not hard, but it does require obedience. 

Kerri Epling’s story is rich with the truth of those two points. We will call them the “simple obedience” points. 

Kerri went to a religious college, though she had not grown up in a deeply religious home. In that environment, she began to read her Bible. One weekend, she and her roommate, who was not a Christian, decided to go away for a weekend with the expressed purpose of studying the Bible to find out what it takes to be saved. Two days—-just two days—were spent in retreat, just searching for the requirements of salvation, for someone who already believed that the Bible is the Word of God. Kerri came up with the undeniable truth: If I want to have my sins forgiven I must have them washed away in baptism. She, all by herself, came up with the reality that sins are forgiven at the point of baptism. She saw, all by herself, that the passages are plain and replete that show that being immersed in water for the purpose of receiving forgiveness and eternal life, is the culmination of God’s plan of salvation for all people. Some of the verses she read are these: Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3,4 and 1 Peter 3:21. (Notice that I did not place these citations in parentheses, because the part of the post when God is speaking is obviously not the parenthetical part!)

Kerri went back to school, determined to find somebody to baptize her for the remission of sins. She asked around, but, in her current environment, could find no one who would agree that baptism was a requirement to put one into Christ—to save. “It’s a nice thing to do.”…”You should do it.” But Kerri was specifically asking to be baptized FOR the remission of her sins.

Finally, one day, she was in a conversation with a bunch of friends. It seems there was one guy in the convo who loved to pick on people. On this particular day, the rest of the friend group was hurling playful insults at the friend who was most often picking on people. Everybody had something funny to say, in a negative vein, about this friend. Everybody except Jeremy. When Jeremy was asked to give his “line” about the “butt of the jokes” that day, he nicely refused to participate in making fun of the offending friend. 

Impressed by this, Kerri went back to her room and discussed with her roommate this refusal by Jeremy to insult the friend. They called him up and asked him why he was silent in the benign mockery. Jeremy said “I just try to live by what the Bible says and I don’t think making fun of Him would be pleasing to God.” 

Wanting to know more from this person who actually was reading the Bible and professing to follow it, Kerri made a plan to ask Jeremy about baptism. Ten minutes into a twenty-minute car ride, that was for the purpose of talking about important things, Kerri got up her courage to ask Jeremy if he believed baptism was necessary for salvation. She was nervous. She expected an answer in the negative. After all, her path kept coming to the same answer from everyone she asked. 

Jeremy turned the question back to her. “What do you think about the reason for baptism?” 

Kerri responded “I believe that baptism is a requirement for salvation.” Kerri simply regurgitated what she had ingested straight from the Word of God in that pivotal weekend. 

Jeremy, a member of the body of Christ, said “That’s what the Word teaches.” Kerri was subsequently baptized into Christ for the remission of sins just as the plain passages (that are not parenthetical) and more, that are not listed here, instruct. 

How important is this truth that Kerri understood from the Word? It’s eternal truth and determines my salvation or damnation. 

How plain and simple is the teaching? Well, judge for yourself upon reading. 

How hard is the teaching to obey? It’s not hard at all. Water is everywhere and it requires no work. It requires humble submission. (The work comes in being like Christ throughout the rest of my life. Now that’s challenging in this sinful world!…But, praise God, there’s a constant cleansing for the Christian—1 John 1:7) 

Why is this truth so hidden and convoluted in the religious world today? I don’t know, but I think it has to do with the desire and power of the devil to lie and confuse people. He doesn’t want you to be saved. He wants you to trip up before you get to the “simple obedience” conviction.  

What are you waiting on? I don’t know that either, but I’d love to help you end the risky wait. It’s so simple. 

I know your temptation will be to say “ Well, this complicated matter has to be harder than Cindy Colley, in her over-simplistic mind, is making it.”…”Well, why are so many smart people believing that baptism is non-essential?” …or “Well, I’m pretty sure baptism is a work and I can’t work for my salvation. It’s all by grace.” 

All those are really good arguments IF you are concerned about what the religious world around us is saying, INSTEAD of what the plain Bible teaching is. But remember, before you reject the importance of the cleansing in baptism: The devil wants you to think that way, but He is the father of lies and what he really wants is what he is getting…the vast majority of people on the broad way, rejecting the simple plan of God for salvation. Jesus said that the broad way would be the crowded way (Matthew 7:13).  But you don’t have to stay there. Don’t let His precious cleansing blood be “wasted” as it relates to you. It cleanses in the water.

Finally, never take my (or anybody’s) word for eternal salvation questions. Take your own retreat and search for the answers straight from the Holy Spirit. But then, don’t search for someone who will help you obey what you find there…because that person IS me. 

cindycolley@gmail.com

(Kerri’s husband, Jeremy, is an elder in her local congregation today. Her children are faithful young adults. She teaches ladies and children and does all sorts of other, less important, but interesting things!)

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

As We Stepped Off the Elevator…

Posted on October 13, 2025

Getting off the elevator in our hotel last week, we ran into a sweet little family. It took us a bit by surprise when the dad asked Glenn “Are you a pastor?” We never knew exactly why he thought Glenn was a pastor. Maybe he’d seen him walk in with his Bible or looking over notes in the lobby.

Glenn explained that he was a preacher for the church of Christ and I added that we were in town for Glenn to preach at the local congregation. We told him the name of the church and he looked it up right then and showed me the website, asking. “Is this the one?”  We told him the service times and invited him to come an hour early and eat tacos with us. It was Taco Tuesday and the Christians were planning to enjoy this Mexican fiesta prior to services.

We  were surprised when this man, his wife and young daughter and even their friend, who had traveled with them from Los Angeles California to South Carolina  (They’d all been on the road for seven days!) showed up in the fellowship hall of the local church of God’s people. Their traveling friend was in a wheel chair and suffered from cystic fibrosis or some similar disability. They were so very kind to him and he was very interested in the Word of God.

We visited with them until time for services to start and, during this time, Imelda, the young wife and mother, expressed an interest in becoming a part of our Digging Deep group. She is very interested in doing the Spanish version of the study, since Spanish is her first language. (Jacky Retana, take note!) Eliza Jane, our five-year-old granddaughter immediately made a friend in their daughter, Anna and Eliza shared her “church bag” items with Anna while Glenn preached.

Following the service, Glenn shared with them his work at the Gospel Broadcasting Network and they were all about finding the station online and connecting with the GBN app. We learned that the reason they had traveled to South Carolina was to watch their older step-daughter graduate from boot camp. Imelda told me she’d been sad that their daughter had joined the military, but that it would all be worth it for her, “if she could just find Jesus” along the way.

Well, it just so happened that her daughter was moving to Fort Bragg in Columbus, Ga for her next military assignment. Brother Matt Jones is the preacher for the church there and he and his sweet wife, Nancy, will be so very happy, once Imelda’s daughter relocates, to go and get her and bring her to the local services of the Lord’s church. I haven’t even asked them, but I already know they will! Imelda was very excited to get my email address so we could work out these logistics for her daughter, who wants to go and worship God.

All the providential connections are so typical of the way God’s plans come together to provide opportunities for obedience. I’m still amazed at how often someone is willing to “follow the light’ and go toward the kingdom, even if our time with them is so very short. The following morning was the graduation ceremony and then, the long trip, for them, back to California would begin. But they are traveling back with information that could actually change their eternities if they pursue that light.

Perhaps the best thing that came from our short time together is Eliza’s burgeoning enthusiasm for evangelism. She wants to mention the Lord to everyone we meet, and she mentions Him in such a forthright and unassuming way. As soon as we got back to the hotel last Tuesday night, she walked right over to the hotel desk and asked the clerk, very concisely “Do you know Jesus?”

He replied that he does know and love Jesus. He then asked Eliza about her own faith.  She responded profoundly:  “Jesus loves me and I love Him.”

I hope you can pray for this sweet traveling family. Pray for the penetrating power of the light in their lives!

 

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Looking up!

Posted on April 4, 2025

Writing this early morning about David, particularly about the darkest months of His life, I decided to go open the window of my room. In some years on writing week, I’ve been able to look out the window at a huge American flag, a lush green meadow or a serene, but beautiful, cemetery. This week, I’m up high, and when I pull up the shade, I am looking down at the back of a gas station. No great writing vibes are making their way up here from Fuel City, Shell, or Chevron…all within view when I draw up that shade. SO I have been looking lots in the Word and not much out the window.

This morning, as I thought about the hurt in the life of the man of God who immersed himself, for a time in guilt and pain, I went to the window and, this time, I looked up. Just let me tell, you…it’s a whole different world out there when you are looking up. At first the sky was dark and foreboding. But I waited for a second and then this:

I had to go ahead and talk to Him. I said, “Oh my God. You are wonderful and worthy and you do amazing things in the darkest of times. Help me to love you more!” He not only made that big ball of fire that just moved out of the darkness and illuminated my world,  but He IS the light that comes out of life’s darkest clouds of sorrow for His people. As the Psalm that I’m studying this morning says, “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

Looking up makes all the difference!

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

She is Here!…Lily Annette Colley

Posted on March 24, 2025

Dear Lily Annette,

Click here for her movie debut: IMG_7628It’s that quiet moment when I know you are here…I mean, you have been born, but there are really just a few of us who know. I’ve seen beautiful footage of you sucking your fingers. (Click here for that: IMG_7628.) I know that you are just under 8 pounds and you have been fearfully and wonderfully made. You have just spent your first night in the world of light. I cannot wait for you to meet your Mammy. She will love you, protectively and providentially, for all of the rest of her days!

I wish it was just a world of light. I mean, metaphorically, I wish the Light of the World permeated every heart that you will ever encounter and every place you will ever go. But the prince of darkness still has a real domain and he parades as an angel of  light (2 Corinthians 11:14).  You will encounter people, one day, who belong to Him. They will try to take your very soul. They will try to wrest from you the things that are invaluable in exchange for the shiny things that are really just the decaying rubble that is this world. 

But because of THE Lily, the Lily of the Valley, the bright and morning star, this day, your first full day on the planet, and all the other days will be filled with hope and light and goodness. God has given you parents who are determined to be sure you follow and grow toward the light. You will lean, like the field’s lilies, toward the Son. You will be given every spiritual luxury—family Bible time every single day, a strong church family, a regimen of nurture and discipline—every spiritual amenity to insure your days are sweet and directed by the pure truths from the Word of God. I cannot wait to see you grow in Him.

But, yes, I can wait. The sweet days of having a tiny finger wrapped around mine, of swaddling and waiting for first smiles and first laughs and first words and first steps are so fleeting and precious. I hope I get to share lots of them. I want to caress chubby cheeks and hold you close—so fresh from God’s arms to mine. Babies fresh from heaven are blessings that are incomparable in this life! I want to watch Maggie and Ellis love you and make you smile. I want to hear you say the name of Jesus when it first sweetens your lips. I can wait, but I can’t wait. 

Papa and I are so very excited. You came along, as all the rest have, just when we needed you most. God’s timing is the best, every single time. He is the God of more. Last night, He filled our hearts with more joy, peace and love than we had ever thought possible when we had awakened to a challenging day just a few hours prior. You are the exceeding, abundant blessing of the God of More that we attempt, in our feeble way, to glorify (Eph. 3:20). We know you will always serve the God of More!