Welcome to The Light, your quiet hour for reflection.
In Kentucky, a pastor finds himself in the middle of a tender debate — defending a Vacation Bible School skit where military-style figures shoot the devil. He calls it spiritual warfare made visible for children. Others wonder what images we give young hands to hold when we teach them how to fight.
Across the world, that question of what faith costs takes on a different weight entirely. In Iran, one of the last remaining historic Protestant churches faces government seizure, and its worshippers face imprisonment simply for gathering. When a building becomes a battleground, the act of showing up becomes its own kind of courage.
And then there is Rainn Wilson, perhaps an unexpected guide, reminding us in his new book that choosing joy is not retreat from the world's weight but resistance to it. He calls it radical. Maybe it is. To insist on tenderness when the world offers so many reasons not to — that is its own quiet form of warfare.
That's this hour's reflection. Carry the light gently.
