On Sunday, June 23, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Brook Fonceca shared a message about when Jesus replied to the people listening to his messages by sharing a metaphor with them. Their unwillingness to receive his message and miracles was like someone having unhealthy eyes. The inability to see what God is doing through Jesus is a darkness to their soul. From this, we see that we can change our perception of the world by having an open heart, responsive to God’s leading. An openhearted perception leads to an openhanded perspective where we can interact with the world with God’s heart, loving freely and fully, and reflecting the light of Christ. Developing and maintaining an openhearted perception and an openhanded perspective comes down to simple practices of devotion, like “Taking in the Good” and “The Miracle Morning,” among other things like nature walks, reading, meditation, and journaling.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
Luke 11:33-36 (NIV)