Getting started

Hello, my name is Corey Hildebrand and I am a missionary here in the Dominican Republic.  I've been feeling led to tell about how the Lord has been at work in my life.  I'm afraid that I'm not a very organized thinker, so I hope that you'll be patient and bear with my scatter-brained approach to writing.

I have so much to say and to tell that I don't really know where to start!  I guess I'll begin with why I'm writing this blog.  The name, Salt and Light, says it all.  I was studying the Sermon on the Mount, and when I came to Matthew 5:13-16 it was like God grabbed me by the shoulders and said 'This is what your ministry is to be about'.  Just so there's no confusion, I didn't literally hear God say those words, it's just how powerfully the Scripture impacted me.  God had my FULL attention in that moment.

Matthew 5:13-16 says " You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Without going into a long dissertation, I just want to say that we as Christians are here to influence the world.  When we are saved we are expected to live a life that reflects the light of Christ.  In every moment, in everything that we do, we are called to live a life that is distinct from the world around us.  Jesus refers to us as 'salt' and 'light'.  Salt is used for flavoring, preserving and cleansing.  This is what our lives are supposed to look like.  We are to 'flavor' our surroundings with a life that is different because it is lived for Christ.  We should radiate a love and compassion that is not only unique, but hopefully contagious.  We should be a 'preserving' force.  We need to stand firm for what the Bible says, what God says.  We need to boldly proclaim that there is absolute truth, and that truth is, and is found in, Jesus Christ.  We need to hold onto things like family, and marriage, and personal accountability.  We need to preserve them because the world surely won't.  We need to be a 'cleansing' agent.  When need to call sin what it is and deal with it.  Sin pollutes, sin defiles, sin destroys.  We need to bring the word of God to confront sin and wash it away.  Cleansing can hurt, but ultimately, if done properly, it heals.  Confronting sin in ourselves or others can be painful, but it is necessary if we want to live healthy lives.  It reminds me of an incident that I heard of just a few days ago.  A local boy had been badly burned and, as is unfortunately all too common down here, received inadequate medical treatment.  His burns, having never been cleaned and dealt with properly, became infected to the point of being life-threatening.  Fortunately for this young man a Doctor from the States came down and saw what needed to be done.  The Dr. needed to remove the dead and infected tissue from this boy's body.  I have heard that this is incredibly painful!  It took 2 men to hold the boy down, all the while assuring him that the pain was for his good, for his healing.  Well, within a day or two, the Dr. said that the boy was no longer in danger and was well on his way to recovery.  It's the same way with sin in our lives.  It can be painful, and we may need the help of others to remove it, but we must get rid of it if we are to be healthy.  Ok, that's enough for now.  God Bless you all,  Corey