Welcome to The Bright & Morning Star!
Let’s begin with the name. You probably know where it comes from. In the last chapter of the Book of Revelation, Jesus says “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” (Rev. 22:16) In my mind I imagine brilliant early morning light slowly pushing the night away, filling the canyons where I live in Utah with beautiful soft gold and pale cerise rays. In a similar way, I want the light of the Savior to take all the darkness in me and replace it with His radiance where no shadow can be found.
This newsletter, The Bright and Morning Star, is a story without an ending. I’ve thought about this for more than a year now. I came up with many reasons not to attempt it and felt (mostly) settled about that decision. But the one thought I couldn’t shake—the thought that ultimately won out—was this: writing about Jesus Christ requires me to think about Him. Thinking about Him reminds me of what He has done for me. And when I remember what He has done and is doing to try and redeem me, resistance is replaced with a wave of love and a resolve to seek the Word through words.
What The Bright & Morning Star is not
This won’t be a lecture or me preaching. (Heaven forbid. I wouldn’t even subscribe to that). It’s not going to be me expounding doctrine or attempting to interpret scripture. It is my record of a quest; my documented journey into an undiscovered country.
I’m more at home in the realm of make-believe. I prefer fiction to non-fiction, both the reading and the writing of it. And yet, here I am, once again attempting to learn all I can about who Jesus is, what He cares about, and how to get as close to Him as I can. The Bright and Morning Star will be my story of that journey. I hope you will join me en route, sharing your own efforts and struggles to find and follow Him. Let’s travel together, friend.