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"They grope in darkness with no light" (Job 12:25). "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them" (Ephesians 5:8-11).

Our area, especially Chester County to the east of us, is a prime area for growing mushrooms. Mushrooms are kind of like honey in the sense you don't want to give a lot of thought to how it's made (honey) or grown (mushrooms). Several years ago we went to Kennett Square the "Mushroom Capitol of the World" for their annual "Mushroom Festival" and had a number delicasies made with mushrooms including ice cream!

A mushroom growing operation emits a rather distinctive, quite unpleasant odor due to the medium they are grown in something you would probably rather not know.* Although mushrooms are classified as vegetables, technically they are not plants but part of the kingdom called fungi, which is something else you probably don't want to think about when you are eating them!

Nevertheless, we both enjoy eating mushrooms such as mushroom soup, baked on a pizza, cut up into salads, as part of an omelette, etc. Mushrooms are also nutritionally good having many necessary vitamins (a 3 ounce portabello cap has more potassium than a banana).

Several weeks we saw a large truck that was transporting mushrooms for the To-Jo mushroom company which had an interesting slogan on it, "We Do Our Best Work In The Dark". Mushrooms indeed grow in the dark so that's a fitting statement.

But it can be said not only of mushrooms but of Christians that "We Do Our Best Work In The Dark". Now to be clear this is not to assert that we are to walk in darkness. As Christians we are called to walk in the light but since we live in this dark world we still do some of our work in the dark.

Some of the most outstanding examples of witness are when Christ followers work in dark places. We consider those seeking to uphold Biblical moral standards in a dark world where good is called evil, and evil is called good, those who take a stand in regard to life in opposition to the powerful abortion proponents, those who work in rescue missions in "skid row" and in many other ways. These are dark places that need the light of Jesus Christ.

An ancient word from Job is so pertinent, "They grope in darkness with no light." This verse deals with leaders. "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away. He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in darkness with no light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man" (Job 12:23-25). This is certainly a portion worthy of further consideration and seems so incredibly descriptive of our own age.

The radiant light of God's Holy Word exposes and dispels darkness. When God's servants live as children of light, darkness is dissipated.

All of us, in one way or another, have some darkness around us. By God's grace and through His might, as believers we want our light to shine brightly to expose and then dispel the darkness! We cannot dabble in darkness and still live in the light. God has not called us to blend in but rather we are to stand out as those whose lives are filled "with goodness, righteousness and truth". When we try to blend in we are putting ourselves at danger since one force will eventually overtake the other.

We were once darkness but are now light in the Lord and thus we are to live as children of light. We must have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. At this time when crusaders of darkness are applauded and in some instances upheld as role models, let us hear the resounding call God has placed upon us to "live as children of light!"


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Jesus, You are the Light of the world. And because You reside in our hearts we are a reflection of Your holy light. The world we live in is dark and growing even darker as Satan's sinister and deceitful schemes are being played out. Help us not to look the other way when darkness is spreading lest the darkness overshadow us in time. Instead would You empower us through the power of Your Holy Spirit to shine brightly in a wicked and decadent society. We come against the darkness by speaking against wickedness in all forms. And, Lord, help us to be consistent not only in what we speak but the manner in which we live. May the fruit of light be evident in all we do. It is in Your name, Jesus, that we pray. Amen.

* The mushroom itself is simply a 'fruit' of the mycelium that releases spores. The mycelium grows in a black compost of straw and horse manure.

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"Light Of The World"  Video  Lauren Daigle

A Trip to the Alien Planet That Grows America's Mushrooms "Chester County, Pennsylvania produces a whopping half of all the mushrooms in the United States, and its spooky farms don't look like anything else on Earth."

"How do mushrooms grow?"  Video

Kennett Square Mushroom Festival

To-Jo Mushrooms