one step

Sin never dies of natural causes. It must always be killed off.

I wish that weren't so. I wish that, on their own, the things in my life that I despise would just shrivel up and die. That the sin that lives in me would spontaneously combust. That the whole "I must decrease" thing would just hurry up and happen already.

But sin never dies of natural causes. It will never happen on its own. No matter how much I wish it would.

Sin must be killed off. Intentionally sought out and hunted down. With a "take-no-prisoners" mentality. This takes effort. Purpose. Energy. Time. Intentionality. And the power and grace of God.

With a lot of emphasis on the power and grace of God.

I'm still trying to figure out what this looks like. How to "just add light" as well as intentionally root out sin from my life. I don't have it all figured out yet. I don't think I ever will.

I just hope that today I'm one step closer than I was yesterday.

just add light

I've always heard and understood the process of renewing my mind and making transformational life changes as this: Remove and replace. Take out the bad; replace with the good. Remove the lies; substitute with the truth. Take out the wrong; replace with the right.

There is truth in that. Take off the old self; put on the new. We need to stop believing the lies in order to believe the truth.

But I think I may have always put too much focus on the removing, the stopping, the taking-off-of-the-old. Those are all daunting tasks; ones that never quite end. So it's easy to get bogged down in the murky waters of all that needs to be fixed.

I need to focus more on the replacing, the starting, the putting-on-of-the-new. More than focus on my need to stop believing the lies, I need to focus on simply believing the truth.

To get rid of darkness, I don't focus on the pitch-black I see all around me. I don't continuously tell myself that the dark is bad and I really need to get rid of it. I don't try to convince it to leave. "Shoo! Go on, get outta here!" I do one simple thing.

I introduce light.

I flip a switch. Light a candle. Turn on a flashlight. Immediately, the darkness is dispelled. I don't have to get rid of darkness to replace it with light. All I do is add light, and darkness leaves.

As I seek to renew my mind and transform my life, I'm learning to adjust my line of sight. Instead of staring at all I need to get rid of, I'm trying to stare more at all I need to add. I'm locking my eyes onto the cross.

When I introduce the power of the cross to any area of my life, everything else gets pushed out of the way.

When I add light, darkness leaves. It doesn't have a choice.

four-minute friday: starbucks

Go. Two days in. It's time to change the calendar.

Hmmm. Wasn't as bad as I thought. Our calendar is one I made with our very own pictures. And, in honor of my favorite time of year in America, the picture for November is:

Although I'm miles and miles---okay, an entire ocean---away from the nearest Starbucks, and I'm missing the beautiful autumn of Long Island, that picture makes my heart smile. Seeing it, I can't help but be reminded of friends, comforting smells, and the joy of holding a hot cup of chai in my hands. Reminiscent of home.

I'm glad I turned the page.

What are you enjoying most about this time of year?

Done.

you are not crazy

"You are not crazy." Seems an odd statement to made when asked to speak to our team of staff and interns. But Isaac made it. He said it several times in fact.

He reminded us that we've chosen to fight a battle we don't need to fight. We are fighting on behalf of a people not our own, a country not ours, and a cause we could easily ignore. And while others may think we're crazy for doing that -- may even tell us we're crazy for doing that -- we're not. The size of the task and the significance of the challenges we face don't make us crazy for choosing this fight. They just mean we're courageously obedient.

But I don't feel courageous.

"You could do anything you want with your life" equals "You are crazy for doing what you're doing."

The constant financial struggle, the ocean-sized distance from loved ones, the mountains that loom before us, all shout, "You are absolutely nuts to be doing this."

But above the din, above the constant noise, is the faintest whisper: You are not crazy. You are obedient.

I am not crazy.

You aren't crazy either.

The work you've chosen to do, the time you've dedicated to your children, the money you've given away, the stuff you've purposefully gone without, the things you've done for God and others... You are not crazy.

You are obedient.

hello my name is

Today I'm secretly wearing a name tag that says:

I'm wearing it because that's what God calls me. I am pursued, looked for, sought after by God Himself. I don't often feel that, see that, sense that. I need to be reminded often of this nickname that He has for me. If the realization that I am sought after by Him really sinks in, I will certainly see myself in a whole new light. I will see a lot of things in a whole new light.

Hopefully the name tag will help me remember.