Radical Reminders

All of the Lights

Have you ever been to a concert where the artist asks for the stadium lights to be cut off, and everyone is asked to hold up their cell phones with their flashlight on? The crowd becomes a sea of lights, each one small on its own, but together they transform the entire space. That’s the power of light — and the picture of what a radical church looks like when we each choose to shine.

God didn’t call the church to be a single spotlight. He called us to be a constellation — a body where every person, gift, and voice matters. Your light may seem small compared to someone else’s, but in God’s design, it’s essential. When we each bring our light, no matter how dim it feels in the moment, darkness doesn’t stand a chance.

But light doesn’t just happen on stage. The most important light happens in everyday moments — in the foyer, in the small groups, in the parking lot, in the text you send, in the listening ear you offer, in the prayer you whisper for someone hurting. Radical ministry is less about the microphone and more about the moments. It’s not a performance — it’s a posture.

There will be days when your light flickers. There will be seasons when you don’t feel bright. That’s okay. The call isn’t to outshine anyone — it’s to stay connected to the Source. When we remain in Christ, our light is sustained, and when we stay connected to each other, our light multiplies. One candle can be blown out. A thousand candles create a fire.

So hold up your light — in your home, your city, your church. Don’t wait for a perfect moment. Don’t wait for permission. You already have it. Shine now. Shine together. Shine anyway.

Guide of Guides

We all know somebody who gets lost no matter how many times they’ve taken the same route. Spiritually, many of us are like that — familiar roads, familiar turns, but somehow still off course. That’s why God gives guides: His Word, His Spirit, and His people.

The Holy Spirit is the Guide of guides. He doesn’t just point; He leads. He doesn’t just inform; He transforms. He doesn’t just show you the map; He walks the road with you. When we learn to slow down and listen, He faithfully orders our steps — even when the destination isn’t yet visible.

God also speaks through people — pastors, mentors, friends, and sometimes strangers we didn’t expect. Community is not optional in radical ministry; it’s oxygen. Lone-wolf faith will always run out of breath. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, and a church of connected lives is not easily scattered.

Trust is required. Guidance rarely looks efficient. It often interrupts our plans and dismantles our timelines. But the path of obedience is always the shortest distance to peace. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Make space for God’s guidance: unhurried prayer, unmuted Scripture, unguarded conversations. He is faithful to lead, and His way is better than ours — every time.

Say Something

Some of us can talk for hours in our comfort zones but go silent when it’s time to speak life. Radical ministry requires a voice — not a loud one, a faithful one. Silence can be holy, but silence can also hide us when we’re called to step forward.

Say something that heals. Say something that lifts. Say something that tells the truth in love. Say something that interrupts shame and calls people back to God. Your words don’t need polish; they need presence. God can use stammering lips to rebuild cities.

If you’ve been quiet too long, start small: a text, a prayer, a compliment, a scripture shared. Let your mouth practice the ministry your heart already wants to do.

The Cheat Sheet

1. Radical ministry means leaving comfort for calling.

2. The Holy Spirit is essential, not optional.

3. Trauma is real; compassion is required.

4. Hospitality is a theology, not a department.

5. Justice isn’t politics; it’s discipleship.

6. Worship is a life posture before it’s a set list.

7. Events are tools; people are the mission.

8. Rest is resistance; burnout is not a badge.

9. Systems should serve souls, not smother them.

10. Feedback is a gift; receive it with humility.

11. Excellence is love expressed through craft.

12. Small faithfulness > big moments.

13. Measure fruit by transformation, not traffic.

14. Pray first. Then pray again.

Reflections from the Next Generation

As I look back, I realize how often I confused activity with impact. I grew up around church — the rhythm, the language, the rooms — but I didn’t always see the connection between what we did and who we were becoming. Radical ministry changed that for me.

It taught me that love is loudest in service, that courage looks like consistency, and that God can use ordinary days to make extraordinary people. It showed me that my story is a seed, and when planted in community, it multiplies.

I want to build a church my children can inherit with joy — a church that is safe and brave, truthful and tender, holy and human. A church that shines because every person is invited to bring their light.

If you’re reading this, I hope you’ll join me. Say yes to Jesus. Say yes to people. Say yes to the long road of becoming. The world is darker than it should be — but we are brighter than we know, together.