Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16
The Bible tells us we need to “shine before men,” but what does this mean and how do we do it? In Shine: How to Walk the Talk, Nancy Segovia lays out a series of simple steps you can to take to walk the talk: to love God above all and your neighbor as yourself. Using parables, folk tales, and struggles from her own life, she provides uplifting insights into the Christian walk that can make your first steps easier. She examines scripture for clues on what it means to shine, how to reflect God’s love, and what to do when the muddy messes of life blot out God’s light in you. You will relate to her failings, those "Duh!" moments when spiritual understanding begins to dawn. Most important, you will learn how to apply that understanding―you will learn how to turn your talk into your walk and how to help others to do the same.
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16
The Bible tells us we need to “shine before men,” but what does this mean and how do we do it? In Shine: How to Walk the Talk, Nancy Segovia lays out a series of simple steps you can to take to walk the talk: to love God above all and your neighbor as yourself. Using parables, folk tales, and struggles from her own life, she provides uplifting insights into the Christian walk that can make your first steps easier. She examines scripture for clues on what it means to shine, how to reflect God’s love, and what to do when the muddy messes of life blot out God’s light in you. You will relate to her failings, those "Duh!" moments when spiritual understanding begins to dawn. Most important, you will learn how to apply that understanding―you will learn how to turn your talk into your walk and how to help others to do the same.
Why I Wrote Shine…
I was born Catholic, became agnostic, was born again, backslid into indifference and then came round again, only to find myself frustrated with the limitations placed on Christians by their individual denominational creeds and doctrines. I felt that there was more to being a Christian than what I had learned. I wanted a pure and simple faith, like what I saw in the Bible, or what I’d read about in the poorest sections of Africa, China and South America, where documented miracles still occur and the believer walks hand in hand with the Father.
I hungered for righteousness and sanctification. I daily prayed for a “Damascus Road” experience, wherein I would be changed overnight into a saint of God like the Apostle Paul. It never happened, so I finally gave up that request. Then I began searching for answers in other places. However, the weekly Bible studies, Sunday school teachings and my pastor’s message were too complicated for me. They focused on the minutiae of Scripture, and I began feeling like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time who focused on the letter of the law but missed the big picture. Finally, my desire for a faith I could live out and practice daily led me to the realization that there was only one true source for the answers I was seeking. It could be found in Scripture alone.
Martin Luther’s revolutionary cry, “Sola Scriptura,” which roughly translates, “the Bible alone” became my guiding light, the beacon by which I lit my path to what I call holiness, or what John Wesley called sanctification, that is, the ongoing process of becoming more Christ-like. My advanced studies in religion, which resulted in a Master’s Degree in Religion: Spiritual Formation, had taught me one thing very clearly: for all the differences between the various denominations, one basic truth is held in common, and that is Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor. I realized that if I were to truly become more like Jesus, I needed to obey this commandment.
Thus I wrote Shine: How to Walk the Talk. It is an honest portrayal of my struggle to love God and neighbor. I don’t always succeed in keeping this simple commandment. However, I wanted to share with others, who also might need simple tools, the steps I take to obey it. Please understand, it is not my intention to say that doctrines, creeds, Sunday school, Bible studies and pastors have no place in my life, or the life of any Christian. It is just that at one time in my life, I needed something simpler, something more basic to pursue my walk with Christ.
Finally, what my search and my writing have taught me is that it is not the end of the journey with God, not the final transformation, but the journey itself toward that goal that is truly important. Some of us will be granted a Damascus Road experience, but most won’t. For the rest of us we need to take the journey one step at a time―for me it was one baby step at a time. However, God is with us on this journey, helping us, guiding us and eventually leading us home. I heard repeatedly as a child that the road to Hell was paved with good intentions. I no longer believe this to be true. God knows the intentions of our hearts, and even though we may fail on our path to sanctification, He loves us and accepts us as we are right now, this very instant, and in that I rest.
Nancy Segovia
Contact links for Nancy Segpovia:
My web site:
Publisher’s web site
my blog which is really the same as my web site since the web site is pointed directly to my blog
My Twitter Handle
@NancyMSegovia
My Facebook author page
My Goodreads page
My Twitter page
My Pinterest Page
Amazon link to book
Barnes and Noble link to book
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shine-nancy-m-segovia/1115671499?ean=9781484858486
You Tube Book Trailer
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