Let Your Light Shine

Hey Friend,

Ahhhhh... here we are, 2026. It doesn't quite have that fresh new car scent, but it does feel like the car has been washed and vacuumed out, got an oil change and tires aligned. It's new, but not brand new. It's fresh, but we've been here before and know the freshness will wear away. But while it's here, let's soak it up.

For the fifth year in a row, I'm doing a word for the month. I write them down in my identity document that I visit weekly. I like it a 1000x better than a word of the year. That never stuck with me or remained pertinent, like a word of the month does. I put a few scriptures with it. I put the word on the front page of my phone. I let it speak to me daily. January's word is ESTABLISHED.

Last Sunday night I took my beautiful wife and two of her kids to an experience at the Basilica in downtown Minneapolis called Luminiscence. It's a 45 minute light show inside the grand sanctuary with a live choir and an audio dramatization of the building of the church. It's way beyond the Vegas Sphere because it's being done on a three dimensional surface.

It was mind-altering. It wasn't just a spectacle, somehow it transformed the space. Things would appear and disappear. Physical shapes would be re-shaped. Inanimate structures came to life. It was fascinating. And it was all just light. Mostly projectors I believe. But honestly, I have no idea. It was on a scale I couldn't comprehend how it was achieved so thoroughly and with such excellence.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Have you ever known something to be absolutely true and yet others perceived it differently? Or have you been the one to bring a viewpoint that seemed counterintuitive to the accepted status quo? I love it when imagination upgrades reality into something more beautiful and captivating. Optimism is the best light show!

Is our interface with reality simply exposing our own inner luminance? Isn't our entire optical system built on light reflection? Certainly the other senses contribute, but what we SEE is the primary definer of what we experience. Could our inner light play just as important a role as the external light our eyes process? I suspect it's actually more significant.

MINDSHIFT

If you rated your inner glow wattage, what would it be? 25, 60, 100, 1000? Soft white, day glow, halogen or fluourescent?

SHINE BABY SHINE

Isn't that what goal setting and vision boards do? Ignite an inner brilliance that layers a radiant reality over the current one? It's like we acknowledge the existence we are living isn't as bright as we'd like it to be or as we sense it could be. That's why stirring passion is "lighting a fire" because our external luminosity will never surpass our internal.

Thus the edict, Let Your Light Shine has a dual mandate. For others who benefit from your generous affirming and you whose reality is shifted by the effervescent release.

Darkness is the absence of light. We don't wade into the dark, as much as we turn down the light on ourselves. Where we feel dullness and distance in our soul is where we've diminished truth, which is the ultimate illuminator!

MINDSHIFT

What if you decided to shine brighter this week? Who would benefit from your focused rays?

ENERGY

Do you know someone who "lights up the room" when they enter it? That phrase captures the essence of our inner illumination having a tangible impact. It's because light is energy. The fact that it has it's own speed denominator indicates it's ability to move between two places or people in a physical way. Let your presence brighten another soul's day.

Speaking of, I am having a book launch party in OKC on the evening of Januaray 21st. I would love for you to attend. I know distance and responsibilities are a deterrent. However, as a faithful reader of my weekly ramblings, I feel a closer connection with you, because you know the inner workings of my heart and mind. And you've been on the book writing journey with me, this past year. I'm grateful if you can find a way. Here is the Evite RSVP link if you're able to attend.

SHIFTING

I hope 2026 is the brightest year of your existence. I hope you are around others who light up your life! I hope you illuminate your world with laughter, goodness and hope. Let optimism be the lens you see reality through. #ShiftAway