to be

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"
Romans 2:4

the more that i see transformation in my life, the more i realize that the transformation only comes because of the kindness of God, the goodness of God, the character of God. God is a mystery in many ways, but if there is one thing that i KNOW about Him, it is that He is always good. there is nothing corrupt in His ways.

He has done a miracle in my life by refining me.
i expected that He would do this by ripping me open and doing surgery.

but here's the truth:

He has changed me just by His presence.
the only thing that has ever changed me is spending time with Him.

i reckon that is where we get our strategy for the War College.

we want to change the Downtown Eastside.
and we see, from the Lord, that the only way to change the neighborhood is by our presence. we can't come in an yell at people, and start tearing things apart and expect to see transformation. all we can do is BE.

may our presence change the Downtown Eastside just as His presence has changed us.