" ... so ... okay ... you guys are born again Christians and you think everyone else is wrong so you go around singing and playing music and forcing your agenda on others ... "

Well, actually, while that may be people's perception of us, that is really not an accurate description of who we are. 

Here are three things we think you should know about us:

1. We love people.  Many of us have experienced different forms of religion which harshly judges people and seeks to intimidate them into some kind of religious order.  We believe that many churches have lost touch with the heart of God and teach tradition rather than encouraging people to strive after an intimate, dynamic relationship with their Creator, Jesus Christ.  While tradition marks valuable periods in history which we can learn from, we believe that living in the past keeps us from seeing the needs of people today. 

For example, God is not concerned with what a person looks like on the outside (Galatians 2:6) but man somehow thinks he can judge people's hearts in this way.   Traditional religion judges people and tries to force them into their mold (their perception of what a Christian should be) we believe this actually pushes people away from God.  We encourage you to be who you are.  You are so special to Him.  He made you!

We love people because God loves people and He put a deep desire in us to introduce others to Him so that they can really see Him instead of dwelling on wrong perceptions of Him based on other people's mistakes.

For example, church history reveals people killing in Jesus' Name. But is that what Jesus taught?  No.  Jesus told us to love our enemies.  We believe it is a mistake to form your opinions of Jesus Christ based on the blunders of others.  Hypocrisy only reveals people's (our) inability to live up to an image of something they are not - perfect.  God is still our Creator and desires an intimate relationship with us.  That absolute truth will never change.

2. We are followers of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ loved people and moved among them serving them, loving them, healing them, etc.  We believe He is God and that He came to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament which required a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  He became the final sin offering which once and for all provides the only way to be reconciled with Him (1 Corinthians 5:1-11). We believe that when He rose from the grave three days after His death, He defeated death once for all and provides eternal life for all those who believe and follow Him. 

Our music reflects our love for God.  When you see us singing about Him and publically worshipping Him, please understand that this is a natural part of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  He does not change.  But culture changes and so does music.  We love modern, guitar driven rock music and our style of worshipping is for those who enjoy the same.  We do not believe there is any style of music which cannot be used to bring praise and honor to God.  If you come to one of our shows you will see others who are in love with Jesus Christ lifting their hands to Him, praying, shouting and dancing before Him just as King David did in 2 Samuel 6.   Don't be quick to judge others but instead ask God to reveal Himself to you.

3. We take time to teach from the Bible.  If you come to one our shows, we will do our best to explain what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  We believe the Bible is God's love letter to us written by men who were directly influenced by the Holy Spirit of God.  We have found peace with God and ourselves through Jesus Christ and that is why we share these truths publically at our shows. 

We respect you if you do not believe what we believe.  You are a human being with desires for peace, prosperity, happiness and a long life.  You will find that we are pretty down to earth people who love life and have families and dreams for the future just like you.  Please understand that because we have been personally offended by traditional religious people, we will not judge you with the same critical attitude.  We do not believe that is God's way.  Your relationship with God is between you and Him.  All we want to do is tell you where we have found our joy and peace!  Yes, that is the purpose for our ministry ... and to have a whole lot of fun together in the process!

Feel free to talk to any of us at the next show if you have questions, concerns, observations, etc.  Look for people with the LightShine/Just Rain tags on a chain around our necks.  We would be happy to pray with you and offer you a word of encouragement.

If you already know Jesus Christ personally, you can bring a friend who does not know Him and trust that we will share from God's Word with grace, mercy and love.  We want to be a tool for you as you share your love for Jesus Christ with those you know.

If you ever want to talk to anyone privately about any of these things, please contact us at lightshine777@comcast.net.  We give you our word that we will be confidential with you.  

God bless you and your family!  Hope to see you soon!