light or dark?

when i went to a popeye's chicken in new orleans, my order went something like this:
me: can i have the 2-piece chicken combo?
cashier: my or spy?
me: what?
cashier: myyyyy or spyyyce?
me: oh! mild or spicy! spicy.
cashier: ly or da?
me: what?
cashier: lyyy or dahk?
me: oh! light or dark! dark.

i have to admit, that actually has nothing to do with this post, but i can't help but think about chicken when talking about light and dark. onto the meat...

never before in my life have i felt such an acute sense of battle between light and dark. in our church and our community, issue after issue is opening up revealing light and darkness.

light: 6 new believers in one month as they recognize jesus' love and redemption for them.
dark: over a year of financial mismanagement of church and offering funds by church leaders revealed.
light: church members feel stirred to serve the community and initiate regular prayer walking and conversation around the community.
dark: three people are shot in front of the community center at 3am, most likely over drug deals. neighbor after neighbor are arrested for drug use and dealing - most come as a surprise to me.
light: neighbors stop by house church and the church engages with them and pray for them. two people we prayed for last year tell us this month that god himself healed them. who is this god?
dark: a couple, high on drugs, beats their 3-month old baby to death, then throw the body in the swamp. neighbors and kids find the baby's body. this is possibly the most grievous act neighbors have witnessed and the need for change is palpable.
light: i meet a woman who has just arrived in bangkok and does training in community-based child protection. how timely.
dark: my thai mom, ba jaew, privately tells me more details of just how deep and wide this drug problem is. did i know that the old seamstress is a dealer? did i know my 12-year old neighbor's mom and brother were thrown in jail?
light: rather than feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of drug use/dealing in our community (like i usually do), i think god is actually leading us to address this now and am excited for how he'll work it out. i come home and talk to my teammate, lexie, who coincidentally had the same thought at the same time.

likes: chicken, dark. community, light.

photo by joshbousel