What we are in the dark ...

"We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation." wrote Oswald Chambers. "What God looks at is what we are in the dark ..."

The adjectives I'd use to describe myself "in the dark" are not positive ones:

Scared. Insecure. Emotional. Weak.

I don't like myself in the dark. 

But John said of Christ-followers, "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

Walking with Christ is about walking in the light. 

In the light, I am:

Confident. Smart. Grounded. Influential. Mature. Respected.

I like walking in the light.

But here's the beauty of the gospel: God found me in the dark. 

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," Paul wrote in Romans 5:8.

The beauty of the gospel in present tense is this:

God sees me in the dark.
God knows me in the dark.
God transforms me into His image in the dark.

So that I can be in the light all that He has created me to be. 

Then, my life isn't just reputation. It's real, authentic gospel living.

Aren't you glad God finds us in the dark?

You have a choice!

Choices matter. Decisions have consequences. Seemingly random encounters have life-long impacts. This is the subject of my newest Bible study, Choices: Decisions that made a difference. Encounters that made an impact. Walk with me through the lives of Eve, Joshua, Samson, Ruth, David and Jesus as we examine temptation, leadership, power over oppression, humility and social justice, seduction and repentance, and forgiveness and redemption. Together we explore choices made, lives destroyed and lives redeemed. 

Through it all, we also see God's defining grace. While our choices sometimes have devastating consequences, Jesus' death on the cross saves, covers and redeems us. The power of His resurrection empowers us to live forgiven and free. "By his stripes we are healed."

It's taken me 14 years to write this study. I've taught it countless times in Asia and the U.S., and I've written, sought feedback and rewritten it more times than I can count. This book is a reflection of my attempts to grasp how God can love such a messed-up people and still use us to make His name known. Wow! What a Savior!

So, I hope you'll read it. Study it. Enjoy it. And let me know what you think of it. We're all in this journey together.

Travel light!

Ann

Choices: A new Bible study coming soon!

Choices matter. Decisions have consequences. Seemingly random encounters have life-long impacts. The Bible is full of examples of those who made both good and bad decisions that affected not only themselves but the generations who came after them. 

Choices, which has been in the making for a number of years, focuses on our everyday decisions and their impacts by looking at the lives of Eve, Joshua, Samson, Ruth, David and Jesus. We'll explore themes such as temptation, leadership, power, social justice, seduction and forgiveness. I hope you'll make Choices part of your daily devotional time or small group study. It will be available soon in print and as an ebook. 

I'll keep you posted on the release date! 

Until then, travel light!

Ann