what's in a name?

The Cedar Falls church plant from Cornerstone Church of Ames is officially named: Candeo.

Or as I like to write it: canDeo.

That's not an official logo, that's me and Microsoft paint reaquainting ourselves after far too long.  But like good friends, we picked up right where we left off with amazing works of "art."

Besides, I like writing Candeo as canDeo because in addition to being a microsoft paint sandwich artist, I'm also puns o’ fun!

The word means, “to grow, to shine, to grow in brilliance.” “candeo,” in its conjugation literally says, “I shine” or “I grow in brilliance.”

This saying can only be said rightly by God Himself.

He is Light.

From Gen 1:3 to Rev 22:5 we see the theme of light being in and with God.

The sun and moon are not sources of light. We all know the moon reflects the sun. But we rarely acknowledge that the sun receives its light from the Son. That really was not intended to be punny. Jesus gives the sun light. Without Jesus, the sun does not glow, grow, shine or increase in brilliance.

So in that vein, I like to spell Candeo as canDeo to draw out the “Deo” which is Latin for God. In this sense the phrase “I shine” is reinforced as a statement originating in God Himself. He alone may rightly say, “I shine.”

He declares us righteousness and pronounces us the light of the world in His train. We do not glow. We reflect. We genuflect (it's a word, look it up). We receive light into us. It does not bubble up and out of us. There is no light to be found in us. Jesus does not simply do a better job of probing our depths than we do. We do not need Jesus to help us find our inner light. He is not simply better at fanning into flame our inner spark.

There is no spark!
There is no light!

He alone is light and flame and spark and fire.

There is Jesus and everything else.

And that to which He gives light grows in brilliance through, to, from and for Him alone.

Got it?

Good.

Bring it on Cedar Valley.

ollie, ollie oxen free