Newsletter 3/19/2025

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4–5

Jesus is life. Jesus is light. Jesus shines in the darkness. The darkness cannot overcome Him. But it sure can overcome me. It has…many times. How about you?

I’ve been talking here and there on this newsletter about my new role as an administrator. I haven’t said a whole lot, just casual mentions. After about two months of being in this space and learning the nuances of my job, I can finally say that I’m gaining a rhythm with work, life, and family. I have a daily routine that is settling in. And I can actually say that I’m enjoying what I do. Is it easy? No. Is it fulfilling? Yes. 

There are a few things that I could do pretty well when I was pastoring that I can no longer keep up with. One of these things is emails. And these are not my work emails I’m referring to, but my personal accounts. On these accounts I get news from 5-6 different sources every day. I get sports updates. I receive advertisements to shop shop shop as well as information from companies I never signed up to hear from. But my schedule no longer affords me the time to deal with any of this. 

A few weeks ago I was desperately trying to keep abreast of what was happening in the world. But it was so dark and depressing that it was affecting my mindset which in turn affected my attitude which then affected my home life. I didn’t make a conscious effort to tap out of the news, it just kind of happened. Mainly because I did not have the time. Then I found myself deleting emails I’d usually devour. I just stopped caring about those things. What I found is that my mind  became clearer, more enlightened. My focus was stronger, my peace more palpable. I immediately sensed a greater awareness of the natural, analog world around me. I awakened more to the reality in front of me as my brain withdrew from the distant digital unreal world that we all seem to be so plugged into. 

This is similar to what happened when I gave up football last year. The day after I committed to not watching any more football until the Super Bowl there was this light and power that streamed into my thoughts. I woke up that next morning with these highly spiritual and intellectual musings that were very coherent. Now, I know all of that sounds like some weirdness. But I kid you not, this is what happened. I wrote down everything that was coming to my mind and I hope to share it all one day. It was as if my rejection of my beloved affection for sports opened up this portal in my head that allowed God to speak through His Word and His Spirit in a way He could not while I was so preoccupied and enamored with all the things on my screens. 

God has been building on this and even my daily prayer time and Bible study has been richer, more acute. I hear the Lord more clearly, I am more in touch with the real world right in front of me, I am enjoying my family more than I ever have (even though I see them less), and I have an even greater thirst to know and understand the natural world that God created. 

I tell you all of this because we are all so surrounded by darkness that sometimes we do not even know how much of God’s light is being blocked. We think we see, but we don’t. We think we hear, but we don’t. We think we’re in the light, but it is only partial. We can have more of Christ, more spiritual power, more peace, and more abundant life. If you want this, you may need to turn something off, delete some emails, unplug some screen, and withdraw from the unreal digital world a bit. You may need to get out of that dark sin and evil addiction. You may need to pick up the Bible more, prayer more often and longer than you do, and learn to exist in the real world with real people that are in front of you right now. Why exist with your mind always in the distance and bypassing the natural? If you don’t want to be overcome by darkness, then you need to overcome the darkness by the strength and grace of Jesus Christ. For He is our Light. 

Pastor Dean