Scripture: Acts 13:52
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Thought for the Day: I moved to Lake Charles, drugstore Louisiana, view at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I’d never really spent any time with members of the Pentecostal church before, but we had several large Pentecostal churches in Lake Charles, and many of my classmates were Pentecostal. They dressed very conservatively, women always in long skirts with their hair up. They were mild-mannered and helpful, and appeared somewhat meek. I became good friends with a Pentecostal girl who was a fantastic singer. We met working on a talent show for school. I was playing piano for everybody, whether or not they could sing. Most of them couldn’t. But then this tiny, quiet little girl who looked like she just walked off the set of “Little House on the Prairie” walked up to the mic and just killed it. It was like she had become a different person on stage—effervescent, working the crowd, belting out one ridiculous note after another. After a day of “talent” that had worn all of us down, she set the place on fire.

When I talked to her about her performance later, she said, “It’s not me. When I sing, the Holy Spirit works through me.” At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. It took years for me to understand that the Holy Spirit is indeed a powerful source of joy and inspiration, and that when the Spirit is flowing, your creativity is a blessing for everyone around you as well.

Prayer: Bless our days with the presence of the Holy Spirit, God of Spirit, God of life. Amen.