full circle...

As we sat on the cherry-wood table in the green room at church last night, I had to share with him how much my life has changed. Largely in part to a simple conversation we had late one night near the Dead Sea. He never knew how much my life's journey would be impacted by a simple question: Why do you do what you do?

In true providential and sovereign fashion, I got to share with him last night how profoundly my life has changed because of a simple conversation. Sonny inspired not only my direction in life, but this entire blog. I had to do something--I just didn't know what it was.

Today marks my 200th blog post and now I get to share with you why I do what I do:

L-O-V-E

Love is still the motivating factor in all I do.

At the 100 blog post, I said I would commit to 100 more. Now this day is here and I'm promising to commit to 100 more. I wrestle with this concept of blogging because I'm not a blogger. I don't want to be a professional blogger or a mega-blogger. I want to change lives. So I'm a speaker, teacher, and writer who happens to blog.

Thank you for coming here. Thank you for letting me be ugly and honest. Thank you for accepting the broken parts of me. Thank you for walking this journey together. I'm a better person because of you. Here's to 100 more posts...

*Edit to post: If you are attending the CCM retreat tomorrow, I want to meet up! I'll be in the cafe at 5pm if you want to chat :)

in the name of love...

While in Israel a few weeks ago, I got several opportunities to speak with Sonny from the rock band, P.O.D. (Yeah, yeah, I'm name dropping, but I never get to meet rock stars so let me have my fun!). While sitting by the Dead Sea he candidly asked me some questions about ministry, life, and the direction for the 21st century church. We waxed philosophically with a few other 20somethings as the sun set and continued talking until the sun rose over the lifeless sea. After hours and hours of endless cups of dark coffee and circular banter with people from various backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures, Sonny asks me, So why do you do what you do? What makes you continue to fight this fight and not grow weary from religious bigots or secular heathens. I blinked  a few times (a fool-proof stall tactic I use when I'm thinking), and mumbled one word: LOVE.

Silence blanketed the group and I didn't know whether they thought it was a cliche answer or something profound. Instead of listening to Israeli crickets chirp, I opened my mouth and filled in the gaps. 1 John 4:8 says that God IS love. If we really believe this statement, then our interactions with prostitutes or professors, hood rats or Hollywood's elite, those who are Christian or those who are carnal will be motivated and predicated by the LOVE of God. God IS love... therefore wherever I walk, whenever I talk, when I teach or when I preach, I want to do everything in the name of LOVE, for God is LOVE. 

No one moved until Sonny let out a long sigh. It was almost as if they were awaiting his sage response as affirmation of my statement... good thing he nodded his head and replied, That's deep, Bianca, that's deep. I let out a long sigh and felt like I had a revelation; like a glimmer of Life coming from the Dead Sea. It was fabulous. It was magical. It was needed. 

I returned home and made the vow that things were going to change in all aspects of my life. So here I am! This is the genesis of a new season in my life and I am happy. I'm going to live in LOVE in the name of LOVE... for God is LOVE.

Walk. Talk. Teach. Preach. In The Name Of Love.

Bianca