Salt and Light | Girls Gone Bible

Summary

Girls Gone Bible – January 23, 2026

Episode Theme: “The Salt and the Light—Living Out Our Faith Every Day”

Hosts: Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma
Episode Setting: Celebrating the new Girls Gone Bible studio and reflecting on a new era for the podcast and their faith community.

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Main Theme

This episode centers on Jesus’ exhortation in Matthew 5:13-16—to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Angela and Ari reflect on personal challenges, spiritual growth, and the tangible ways that everyday believers can preserve goodness, illuminate truth, and point people to Jesus. With vulnerability and humor, they challenge listeners to pursue congruency in faith, avoid complacency, and let Christ’s presence shape every moment and relationship.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A New Era for Girls Gone Bible

• Celebration of the New Studio (05:00)
  • Angela and Ari share excitement about launching the podcast from their freshly rebranded studio, symbolizing growth and a deeper dive into their calling.
  • Angela: “This is like a new era for GGB. And thank you, Jesus. We have been, like, genuinely working on the studio for such a long time. We hope you guys love it.” (05:00)
• The new logo and studio represent stepping into their true identity, leaving behind old versions misaligned with their faith journey.

2. Processing Past Vulnerability and Community Support

• Both hosts reflect on the vulnerability of last week’s emotional episode and how listener support and prayer were transformative.
• Angela: “It was so, so encouraging and supportive... to know that you guys are praying for us. And I will even, like, go out on a limb to ask you to genuinely pray for me, for Ari, for GGB, for everything.” (06:47)

3. Spiritual Warfare Is Real—Remember the Battle

• Angela recalls wisdom from Pastor Michael Kulianos: believers are in a spiritual battle, and resistance is part of following Jesus.
  • Angela: “He reminded me. He was like, ‘Angela, you are in a spiritual battle... just be aware, you know, that there's always resistance.’” (07:43)

4. Daily Discipline: The Secret Place & Lingering with God

• Both hosts stress the essential discipline of seeking God daily—prayer, worship, “the secret place.”
• Ari testifies to the transformative power of pushing past mental distractions in prayer, encouraging listeners not to give up too quickly:
  • Ari: “If you continue to sit and you let those thoughts pass... all of a sudden, I just felt the presence of God after, like, 20 minutes.” (11:08)
• Angela urges: “Please, for the love of all things holy, get in the secret place every single day, every morning... This is everything.” (09:31)

5. Stretch Yourself for More of God

• Sharing a teaching from Pastor Michael, Angela explains that increasing your spiritual capacity comes from stretching yourself—read one more chapter, pray a few more minutes, linger a little longer.
  • Angela: “When you've reached your limit... just extend it a little bit further and your wineskin will expand and your capacity for more of God will expand.” (12:24)

6. Conviction About Time & Attention

• The hosts discuss the modern habit of scrolling as a distraction and an area ripe for repentance and intentionality.
  • Ari: “If you can scroll on TikTok for an hour, you can give Jesus an hour of your time.” (13:58)
  • Angela invites the community to re-establish the habit of reading the Word before bed: “Let's read the Word before bed, and we don't have to scroll for an hour before we go to sleep.” (16:47)

7. Deep Dive: Matthew 5, The Beatitudes, Salt & Light (17:36 – 59:59)

a. The Beatitudes as a Spiritual Measuring Stick

• The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 define the true identity and thriving of a believer. Persecution for Jesus’ sake is reframed as a blessing.
  • Angela: “If you've been persecuted, for sharing your faith... you have received a blessing that not everybody receives.” (19:34)

b. Salt: Purpose, Boldness, and Congruency

• Historical context—salt as valuable, preserving, healing, and symbolically representing covenant.
• Angela: “For me, being the salt... is almost like I want to preserve the presence of God in a room. I want to preserve the principles of Jesus in a room.” (23:50)
• Passivity and “off-duty” Christianity are recognized as ways to lose saltiness. Angela shares: “Passivity is a way to let your salt lose its flavor.” (27:12)

c. Practical Saltiness

• Living Christian values in tough situations (family, old friends) and carrying consistency between various circles.
• Ari notes, “I want to be someone that doesn’t just preach with my mouth, but actually lives it every single day.” (25:57)
• Stories of failure and returning to “saltiness” through repentance, intimacy, and community.

d. On Losing and Regaining Flavor

• Ari confesses to seasons of compromise and the process of returning to God: “When I hit my knees...I have a heart of repentance. I say, help me with my heart.” (33:14)

e. Light: Illumination and Distinction

• Being Christ’s light means both illuminating beauty and exposing darkness—calling out the good in others and lovingly confronting sin or emptiness by one’s example.
• Angela: “When you walk with the light of Jesus shining inside... people can’t help but look at themselves and feel confronted.” (50:00)
• True distinction is not about being “loud” but having a shared life that provokes questions—“What kind of people are these?” (51:55) (paraphrasing theologian Frederick Dale Bruner)

f. Spiritual Gifts as the Outworking of Salt & Light

• Angela shares her prayer: “Lord, show me what you see when you see people, so I can speak life into people in a way that, that sends them directly on the path that you have for them.” (41:11)

g. Influence Starts at Home and in Small Moments

• Ari: “It starts with your family. It starts with your friends…That’s the beautiful thing about being saved. You have the ability to save the lives of so many people.” (42:03)
• Examples: Smiling at strangers, being gentle, posting content that points to Jesus, intervening in gossip with prayer.

8. Boldness in Discipleship and Everyday Encounters

• Ari tells a story of discipling a friend—responding to the Spirit’s promptings, worshipping together, and witnessing life-changing moments.
  • Ari: “She’s reading Psalms. We're just—I just feel the presence of God. We're weeping together... this is what it looks like to be the salt.” (46:47)
• Both hosts stress: it matters most behind the scenes and in personal relationships, not just on a stage or social media.

9. Avoiding Complacency and the Call to Action

• Angela urges listeners to continual congruency: “I want to challenge all of us…to be the same around every friend group—always pointing to people to Jesus, always behaving in a way that is Christlike, not becoming passive or complacent.” (59:59)

10. Community, Sharpening, and the Need for Covering

• Both stress the importance of pastors, mentors, and Christian community to remain “salty”—to be sharpened, challenged, and encouraged.
  • Angela: “You need to have people in your life who have been walking with Jesus for a long time, who genuinely tell you how it is, what it is, call you out, call you higher, and encourage you, and are very kind and gentle.” (54:58)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Angela (On Identity): “You are supposed to be—and who you are at your core is—the light of the world and the salt of the earth. It's all about identity.” (21:11)
• Ari (On Spiritual Habits): “If you continue to sit and you let those thoughts pass... all of a sudden, I just felt the presence of God.” (11:08)
• Angela (On Mission): “We are on mission. It’s not about us—how can we possibly let our salt lose its flavor when there is a world of people who don’t know Jesus yet and you are involved in this story?” (35:35)
• Ari (On Influence): “You want people to look at you and be like, what do they have? Whatever they have, I want that. Like, you want to radiate Christ.” (30:14)
• Angela (On Being Set Apart): “There is a way to constantly be pointing people to Jesus or even the things of God. So let that be our challenge this week.” (59:59)
• Ari (On Checking Ourselves): “This is something we can go back to and be like, what am I? Even the Beatitudes, am I being this?” (57:54)

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Important Timestamps

• 05:00 – New studio and rebranding reflections
• 06:39 – Reflections on last week’s vulnerable episode and community support
• 07:43 – Spiritual warfare insight from Pastor Michael Kulianos
• 11:08 – Ari on practicing presence and pushing through distractions in prayer
• 13:58 – Conviction about social media/time-wasters
• 17:36–21:11 – Introduction to Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, and identity
• 23:50–28:28 – Practical applications of “salt” and handling passivity
• 32:32 – Ari on losing and regaining “saltiness” through repentance
• 41:11–43:12 – Asking for spiritual gifts and the practical outworking of being “salt”
• 46:43 – Ari’s story of discipling her friend at home
• 50:00–53:58 – Angela on the “light” of Jesus, illuminating beauty and exposing darkness
• 54:58 – The importance of pastors, mentors, and strong Christian community
• 59:59 – Weekly challenge: congruency and being “salt and light” everywhere

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Weekly Challenge

• Be the Salt and Light: Remain on-mission in every interaction and relationship—whether in public or in private—by carrying Christ’s presence, acting congruently, and avoiding complacency.
• Share your stories: The hosts encourage listeners to write in with testimonies or moments when they consciously chose to be “salt and light” during the week.

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Closing Prayer & Blessing

Angela ends with a blessing inspired by Numbers 6:

“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you peace.” (61:45)

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Tone

Warm, vulnerable, honest, and practical; blends playful banter with deep spiritual challenge and encouragement.

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In Short:
This episode is a heartfelt, scripture-centered call to action for believers: to live congruently as “the salt of the earth and the light of the world”—preserving goodness, shining truth, and actively shaping the world for Christ’s glory, starting with the small moments of daily life.

Transcript

[Angela]

Foreign.

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[Angela]

We should ask them to give us a new intro, too.

[Ari]

Intro?

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

Oh, yes. 100. Even though I love that little doll, a little cartoon dove that was made on Fiverr.

[Angela]

Are we rolling right now? Yeah. Guys, can we just talk about. It's been almost two and a half years of ggb and we. Oh, I don't even have. And we never even switched up.

[Ari]

We don't. I kind of like it. Like, it's, like, written out dove, and.

[Angela]

Then it just says GirlsGoneBible.com at the bottom. Like, you know, I will say, I can't believe that after two and a.

[Ari]

Half years, we haven't gotten it together.

[Sponsor Voice]

No.

[Angela]

And we never will be. So what this is about, like, we're meant to be absolutely insane and under production and just, like, this is us.

[Ari]

That's us.

[Sponsor Voice]

This is us.

[Ari]

Okay, can we just talk for a second, you guys? We are in our new studio.

[Angela]

Guys, we're in our new studio. It says girls gone Bible.

[Ari]

Can you believe they're all real? Are they real?

[Angela]

I don't know. I haven't opened them. We read all of them.

[Ari]

Probably try to read the dictionary. Well, I should at least. I need to. I need to expand my. My wordings.

[Angela]

Oh, I thought that said anointed California codes. It says annotated. Yeah. I don't know. Okay. We didn't read these books, but, guys, this is Girls gone Bible. 2026 rebrand. I can't believe it. High five, sister. We did this.

[Ari]

I feel really good in here, and I just feel like Jesus is gonna do some cool stuff with. With the podcast with all of us.

[Angela]

Yeah, he is.

[Ari]

Through this new venture of.

[Angela]

Thank you.

[Ari]

Rebranding ggb. We're out. We're out of the honeycomb.

[Angela]

We're out of the honeycomb. Even though I have a little bit of honeycomb. Behind me. I don't like it. I'm gonna change this background, guys. This is crazy. We're in our new studio. This is like a new era for ggb. And thank you, Jesus. We have been, like, genuinely working on the studio for such a long time. We hope you guys love it. It's so giving, like, elevated East Coast Ralph Lauren, like, Ari. Ari. And all the meetings, she would be like, yeah, I want it. We want it. Like, elevated east coast, like, Ralph Lauren, Nancy Myers vibes. And they're like, huh?

[Ari]

That's the vibe.

[Angela]

You'll figure it out, please. And you crushed it. We crushed it. Thank you, Jesus. I love that. And what I love, too, that we can now graduate from the old GGB logo that kind of emulated something that we are not in alignment with and we can change to a new logo. I'm Ang.

[Ari]

And I'm Ari.

[Angela]

And this is girls gone Bible. At least we're not both wearing black. Last week was literally. It was truly a funeral.

[Ari]

You know what?

[Angela]

It is?

[Ari]

Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow.

[Angela]

Last week we literally showed up to a funeral, and it was kind of a funeral because we were all crying. Guys, thank you so much for last week. Your messages and your comments have meant everything to me and everything to Ari. It was like, that was such a hard episode to watch back to have to edit and then have to post, and it was just so. It felt so vulnerable. And, yeah, it was just not the easiest thing. And you guys were so loving and so kind and it meant so much to both of us.

[Ari]

I was like, I called again to go look at the family we have. I know the kindest comments. I mean, you guys are amazing.

[Angela]

It was so, so encouraging and supportive. And I was literally sitting there all day reading every single comment, being like, these are the most amazing people in the world. Like, I don't think I remember we had a guest on. And afterwards, they were like, your audience is amazing. They are so kind and sweet and supportive and all you guys want to do love us and make us feel better, which is not your job. But. And, like, I got so many messages of people saying they were praying for me. And that matters so much, so much to know that you guys are praying for us. And I will even, like, go out on a limb to, like, ask you to genuinely pray for me, for Ari, for ggb, for everything. Yeah, I was with, actually Flex, Pastor Michael Kulianos and Jess Lex. Flex. Can't believe it.

[Ari]

I was just with Pastor Michael Kulana.

[Angela]

Love him love her so much. They are the most genuinely the most amazing people. And it was so. It's just such a full circle moment to have them pouring into me when I'm like, you taught me everything. You saved my life. Like, your church is everything to me. And Pastor Michael was talking about how, like, he reminded me. He was like, angela, like, you are in a spiritual battle, and I'm not telling you to fight the devil all day. He's like, but I am telling you that when things happen to you and you don't feel good and you don't want to get on stage and you don't want to do this, you are in a battle. And that doesn't mean that you necessarily have to, like, fight harder. But just be aware, you know, that there's always resistance. And I was like, thank you for reminding me. My faith, the foundation of my faith was built on, like, being aware that we're in a spiritual battle. And I think sometimes we forget. Like, sometimes you and I are like, why don't we feel good? But it's like, we are literally in a. We're in ministry and in battle.

[Ari]

I know.

[Angela]

And we get on stages and talk about Jesus and we expect to not have resistance.

[Ari]

I know, but don't you feel like this morning, for instance, you know. You know, we all go through, like, these days that where we're so busy, we get up and we have one thing. This calls whatever we, you know, and we're so, like, dead and distraction, like you said, and just carving that time out in the morning, being fed by the Word sitting in his presence, praying like the armor of God. It's just crazy how different the trajectory of your day is when you do that. That's the armor of God. That's why it's so important every day, first thing before you start your day, to be fed, to be poured into, to pray. Yeah. It's so important.

[Angela]

You cannot get away from the secret place, you guys. We haven't talked about it in a while. Please, for the love of all things holy, get in the secret place every single day, every morning. This is your reminder that if you are living life as a believer, but you are not spending time with Jesus, like Ari said, first thing in the morning, before you do anything else. I have been through a season where getting in the secret place has been the hardest thing at times to do. And I am just now getting back on a rhythm, and I am like, oh, yeah, no wonder why I'm dying, because I am not going to the source of life. To be filled with life. Of course I feel dead. Of course I don't feel good. So I would just like. This is the reminder that we'll give you guys every single week. Get in the secret place. 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes to an hour of prayer. Worship. Dwelling in the presence of God, asking the Holy Spirit to come and speak and move and read the Bible. We can't get away from this thing. This is everything. Thank you, Jesus, for the Word. And I will say thank you, Jesus, for the Word during seasons where you can't feel the presence of God.

[Ari]

Thank you, Jesus, for the Psalms. Yes, the Psalms that heal. It's the first thing I'll read every morning. I'll pick a Psalm. Psalm 77 was what I read this morning. And I was weeping.

[Angela]

Thank you, Jesus.

[Ari]

Weeping. But I want to say one more thing. I think we've talked about this, but I was really, like, noticing my thoughts today and, like, that first 10 minutes of sitting down, because it's not always easy to sit. And that first 10 minutes, actually, I think it was like, 20 minutes. Yeah. I just was bouncing around the thoughts. I'm thinking about today. I'm thinking about all this random stuff. But if you continue to sit and you let those thoughts pass, like, don't get up when your mind starts going. Just continue to stay. And then there's a flow that happens when you let those thoughts pass. You just see and go ahead and, like, let them pass. And then all of a sudden, I just felt the presence of God after, like, 20 minutes. And I looked up at the end, and I was like. I just felt like I was so. Like, I was fed. Yes, I was fed. Yeah. So I just want to encourage you, don't get up after that first 10, 20 minutes, because you're going to have so many thoughts. And if you're wondering, why do I have so many thoughts? Why do I. I need to focus on Jesus. No, let those thoughts go. Come and let them pass. Yeah. And then everything will start settling in.

[Angela]

So good.

[Ari]

So I encourage you guys to do that as well and linger.

[Angela]

Pastor Michael, I listened to him on a podcast the other day, and he said, if you want to expand the wine skin and you want more of the wine, he goes, you need to take everything a step further. And, like, it's. It's a means of stretching yourself to have more capacity for the things of God and to, like, essentially want more of the things of God. So when you're reading and you decide, like, every day, I read two chapters in the morning and Then he's like, read a third. Like when you've reached your limit and you, and you feel like you're done, you feel like you've been fed, read one more chapter. If you've been praying for 20 minutes, just stay there for five more. Just stay for 10 more. Like just reach your max of what you think you need to do and how much time you think you need to spend with Jesus, how much time you think you need to pray and just accept, extend it a little bit further and your wine skin will, will expand and your capacity for more of God will expand. Yeah, and, and I think that's what a lot of spending time with Jesus is, honestly, is our capacity to stay, our capacity to be still. And it's really, really hard. Especially if you haven't been practicing the presence of God. If you haven't been practicing the secret place, you don't want to be there. And that's okay. Honestly, like if you are in a place when I take a little time from the secret place, when I come back, I am not. Hour to two hour flow of just like soaking and like being so connected. Like it's not, it's a practice, it's something that you have to train yourself, discipline yourself to like stay and want to be there. And sometimes you don't want to be there.

[Ari]

One thing that convicted me the most was when I think it was when Pastor Stephanie, she said if you can, if you can scroll on TikTok for an hour, you can give Jesus an hour of your time. And it's so true. And I literally, that little saying goes off in my head all the time. We do scroll for hours, but we can't sit.

[Angela]

Alright. Honestly, so many of us after the.

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[Angela]

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[Ari]

See Mint Mobile Doc with Jesus for an hour.

[Angela]

So remember that I've been so convicted recently because I have been, like, on my phone at night, which, like, I do, but all summer, for literally four months, I read the Word every single night before bed. And then I'd scroll for, like, five minutes and fall asleep. And it's just my favorite way to fall asleep. I know it's Pinterest. I, like. I just fall asleep like a baby when I'm just, like, my fingers like this.

[Ari]

Me, too.

[Angela]

And then I just, like, start to doze off. It's the easiest way to fall asleep. I don't recommend it. I don't want to do it. But when I was reading the Word every night, oh, my gosh, I grew so much in the Lord. Like, I literally. I saw, like, such a transformation, and I've been really convicted to get back there. Who wants to start with me?

[Ari]

All of us.

[Angela]

Okay. Let's read the Word before bed, and we don't have to scroll for an hour before we go to sleep. Whatever. Right? No, it's not whatever.

[Ari]

No.

[Angela]

All right, what are we talking about today?

[Ari]

So today we're really excited because we were gonna read this last week, but we didn't end up reading it. But I've had all week. I'm just gonna speak for myself personally that this story has been one of the most monumental stories I think I've ever read.

[Angela]

That is so cute.

[Ari]

And so all week, I'm, like, going through my days, and I'm like, wait a minute. Am I being the salt and the light right now?

[Angela]

That is so special. This.

[Ari]

This specific story has stuck with me in a way. Yeah, like the woman with the blood issue. You know how certain stories just stick with you?

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

This is one of them.

[Angela]

Guys, we're gonna go to Matthew 5.

[Ari]

Yeah, we're gonna go to Matthew 5.

[Angela]

Verse 13 to 16.

[Ari]

Yeah. And just real quick, we read about the Beatitudes in one of our episodes. But it's good to just. Can I just run through these? Just because it gives you a measuring stick on how God wants us to be and how we are truly thriving if we are these things which correlate with the salt and the light.

[Angela]

And let me say really quickly. So this is Jesus's. All of Matthew, chapter 5, 6, and 7 is Jesus's sermon on the Mount. If you have not read Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, this is truly so crucial for you as a believer. This is the first time he really comes out and he begins to teach and he teaches to the masses. And this is, like, where he begins to accumulate all of his followers and all of the people who begin to believe in him. And it's based off of the Sermon on the Mount.

[Ari]

And even, like, for me, like, I go back to this, like, when you are confused about your identity, when we're like, what am I. What am I supposed to be? It's these. This is. This is your measuring stick. This is if you know you're thriving, this is your identity right here in these Beatitudes. So it says in Matthew 5, verse 3. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those who whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Beautiful.

[Angela]

That last line of blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I just want to say, like, as believers and as people in ministry, like you will get dragged and dragged. Not all the time, but obviously Ari and I have had our moments and that scripture of. Of. Blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Anytime we've ever gone through anything online, I literally think to myself, the Beatitudes. Blessed are those who are persecuted for my name's sake. There are people on the planet who never get the opportunity, the blessing to be persecuted in the name of Jesus. So if you've been persecuted, for sharing your faith, for loving people in the name of Jesus, for having anything to do with Jesus, and you've been persecuted, you have received a blessing that not everybody receives. That is such a good way to think about it.

[Ari]

You're truly blessed.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

So we're reading from nlt, teaching about salt and light. You are the salt of the earth, but what good is it if salt has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world. Like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

[Angela]

And I'll just say, just like how Ari said, the Beatitudes are kind of like a formation of identity. This. These three verses about being the salt in life, this is a declaration of identity. Like, that's why this whole week you've been thinking. It's caused you to, like, watch your own behavior, see how you're interacting with people. This is identity. Like God. Jesus is saying, you are supposed to be and who you are at your core is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. It's all about identity. And truly, like Ari's saying, it should change. The way that you move through life is when you realize, okay, what does it truly mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It's an identity issue.

[Ari]

It is. Let's just talk about salt real quick. Salt was one of the most valuable commodities back then. So back in the first century, salt was extremely valuable for practical, economic, and symbolic reasons.

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[Ari]

Then they didn't have refrigerators, so they used salt to preserve the meat so it wouldn't rot. Salt was necessary for human health. Salt was sometimes used as payment for soldiers. It was used for religious significance. And it was a covenant symbolism that people would use to use for an unbreakable agreement. So that's how valuable salt was back then.

[Angela]

So I love what you said. Salt is used to preserve meat. So when I think about what that means for us, if we're called to be the salt of the earth, we are meant to preserve. We are meant to essentially keep something fresh and good and like, preserve the goodness in situations. One thing that comes up for me is like, gossip, for example. And I'm not even gonna remotely pretend like I get this right every time, but for me, being the salt of the earth and being the salt that preserves, for me, it's almost like I want to preserve the presence of God in a room. I want to preserve the principles of Jesus in a room. So what could that mean in a situation like gossip or like, when I'm with a bunch of people, to be the salt means that, like, if something is starting to take place and gossip is starting to go and slander is being thrown around and I see a conversation going somewhere that it shouldn't go. One thing that I would love to be the type of person, and this takes a level of boldness, right? Because it does like it. It's so much easier to fade into the background of a situation and not be the one who says, guys, why don't we stop talking about this person? Let's pray for them instead. Hey, I feel like this is going to a level of slander. That's not great. Should we talk about this person that way when they're not in the room to Defend themselves. Like, I. For me, that is like an example of what it means to be the salt. I am preserving the principles of God in a public setting. I am even like, yeah, purity situations. Like, you're with a person, you're with your boyfriend, you're with your girlfriend. I'm going to be the salt of the earth, and I'm going to preserve the purity of the situation. I'm going to preserve the holy call of God on my life, and I'm going to be the salt, and I'm not going to lose my flavor in this situation. I'm going to stay powerfully salty in this situation and preserve the principles of God. Does that make sense?

[Ari]

Yeah. And just in everything we proclaim with our mouths, everything we preach about, I want to be someone that doesn't just preach with my mouth, but actually lives it every single day.

[Angela]

Right. I think the way that this scripture speaks to me the most honestly is like. Like what you're talking about being one person when you're preaching and being someone else when you're not. I think, and we've talked about this before, that, like, Ari and I have so many friends from before we were Christians and so many people in our lives and family members were like, they don't necessarily follow Jesus the way that we do. And I think the challenge of life as a believer is congruency and being the same with your super Christian friends as you are with your not so Christian friends. And I actually, Ari and I were praying on the beach recently and I repented and because, you know, we have a friend who doesn't necessarily walk with God the way that, you know, she's not necessarily walking with God completely yet. And when we're with this friend or any friend, I can find myself at times, like, if I'm in a conversation with them the first time, the second time, the third time, give them the answer that I know is the best, right? Pointing them to Jesus. And. But then as time goes on in like a hangout or in a sleepover or in something, I can feel myself almost become passive. And I realized when we were on the beach, I was like, lord, I repent for being passive when legitimately somebody's soul is on the line, you know, And I don't know if that sounds like super intense, but for me, it's like, there for all of us, there shouldn't be an off switch of, like, I'm going to be super Christian right now, and now I'm going to kind of check out and, like, I'm off duty for being a Christian when really, like, everything you say to someone matters. And so I found myself being like, lord, I just. I repent for becoming passive. And I think that passivity is a way to let your salt lose its flavor. To let yourself lose your. Your power and authority is to be compassive in a situation where you're like, I've already told them eight times, you know, that they gotta give it to Jesus. I've already told them that they need to do X, Y, and Z. I'm just gonna check out now. So I think for me, a way of not letting my salt lose its flavor is not checking out of a situation that I feel like I've already kind of done my work in.

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[Angela]

You know what I mean?

[Ari]

That is so. Yep, I know exactly what you mean.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And that could even be, like, where people would tell you just to shut up. Because it's like. What do you mean? Like, everybody swears.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And I know, like, some people swear. Right. But I just. We walk different now.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And that's not from a judgmental standpoint. It just when you're walking one way and then you go home to people you love and they're all just telling you to shut up and get. You know what I mean? It's just like. It's this, like.

[Angela]

And I agree completely. There's nothing like going home and I'm like this perfect, sweet, gentle, meek, lowly girl. And then I go to my family. It's like, also. Yeah. Like being in conversations with family members and then, like, trying to pick your battles wisely and, like, talk about it. How do I. How do I stay salty, but, like, not actually salty in the worldly sense? Like, how do I be the salt of the earth within my family when my mom's like, ah, it's the evil eye. And I'm like, it's not the evil eye, Mom. The evil eye doesn't exist. Who cares? You know what I mean? It is such an interesting thing when you go home or two environments and you're like, oh, okay, I don't fully fit in here anymore. But that's the point.

[Ari]

Yeah.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

But for some of us, like, the Bible for our family is. Is where we're like, the. The only Bible they'll ever see.

[Angela]

Yeah, you're the walking Bible.

[Ari]

And so I can just speak. I've lived it. I've been able to season my family and season my friends. And everyone from back at home knows Jesus.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And that is the whole point. That is what it looks like, to be the salt.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And you know, even like I look at my father, for instance, like just being the salt, just, just meeting him where he's at, coming home and being set apart, showing him that I am like, like you want people to look at you and be like, what do they have? Whatever they have. I want that. Like, you want to radiate Christ. That's why he says he is the light. He radiates light in a dark world. So it's like we want people to look at us and be like, I want whatever she has. And that's why, how do we stay? How do we stay as a salt? It's continuous abiding in him. He says, abide in me and I abide in you. And so I know that I'm not perfect. I know that I fall short a lot. I know that I have bitterness sometimes I have unforgiveness, sometimes I can get nasty sometimes I don't sit up here and act like I'm perfect.

[Angela]

Man. I am so excited to tell you.

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[Ari]

That when I like it says, and it says, can you make it salty again? And when I read that, I thought, yes, you can make it salty again. Sometimes we can lose our saltiness when we start to compromise, when we start to, you know, go back in the world a little bit and, you know, get bitter and all these things. Exactly. How do we make it salty again? And when I think about when I start to. Because I have compromised in my walk. I have. I have taken two steps forward and then two steps back again. But when I think about how I can make it salty again, I think about when I hit my knees.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

I cry out to God. I have a heart of repentance. I say, help me with my heart. Help me in these areas. I mean, it has been so. This is the Christian walk is not easy. Having to rewire my brain and rewire the way I've lived since I was a kid until now. And to come into this and have to lay down your life, it's a process. And one thing that I know. And even after three years of walking with Jesus, even recently, I fell back. But his grace, but his mercy, but his love, but his forgiveness. I've seen it this week with my own eyes and where I felt so guilty and felt so bad for a minute, and then he just showed me something through somebody. I'll tell you guys in a minute. But, like, I felt his mercy and his grace and his love, and that's who he is. And I just had a moment where I thought to myself, man, you. You really. You know why we are the way we are.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And I don't know if you guys feel this way, but I know I do. So many times. I. I just. It's this continuous feeling like I never add up to enough. It's this continuous of feeling guilty. It's this continuous of, oh, my gosh, I let you down again. And I really realized this week, like, God is. Is just. He. He just deals with us and processes, and he's like, he really is dad.

[Angela]

He really is dad.

[Ari]

And I'm really learning that in the season of my life, like a good dad who's just, like.

[Angela]

Who loves his daughters and his sons.

[Ari]

And so I'm really learning to take off the boxing gloves. We don't have to sit there and beat ourselves up when we do fall short.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

Because the truth is, we're human beings and we're gonna fall short.

[Angela]

Yes.

[Ari]

But how do we make it salty again? Yeah, it's that. It's that continuous abiding. The reason why we lose salt is because we've become complacent.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

You know, and I've seen it. I talk to a lot of girls and it's like, they. Some people, you feel like you get saved and then everything's good and you can just go on. No, it's continuous abiding in him, intimacy with him, Repentance, Lord, work on my heart. Search my heart, O Lord. You know, and that's how we. We gain that flavor again.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Angela]

And begging God every day to set your heart on fire for the things of God in prayer every single day. Especially when I'm going through something, I'm like, lord, would you get me out of my own self right now? And would you set my heart on fire for the things of God? Don't let me go in. This should be your prayer every morning. Lord, throughout my day. I am on mission for the kingdom of God, for the things of God. Send me on mission. Let. Remove any passivity in my faith. Removed. Remove every bit of complacency in my faith and have me be on fire every second. Seeing a need and meeting it and like, genuinely being aware that I am a walking vessel that is filled with the spirit of God and I am what God wants to use to save souls. It's like a massive deal when you think about it. Being a Christian isn't just for, like, God to make you happy. Although we like that. I like that. Jesus, make me happy, please. But you know what I mean, like, genuinely, we are on mission. It's not about us. We already got saved. How can we possibly let our salt lose its flavor when there is a world of people who don't know Jesus yet and you are involved in this story? I am involved. Ari's involved. We are involved in what God is wanting to do on the earth. And if we lose our saltiness, what the heck is. What are we gonna do? That doesn't work. It doesn't work.

[Ari]

How do you see what he's done in your life and not testify and not use every single moment to. To proclaim that? Know when you find Jesus, you can't help but tell everyone. And so being the salt is like, just a couple examples. It's everywhere you go. It's in the restaurant and how you treat the waitress. It's about your character and being gentle and kind. And I love what you said about gossip. When you hear someone gossip, you do the hard thing and say, hey, instead of talking about this person, can we pray for them? I'm speaking for myself right now, by the way. That was convicting. And that's not being the salt at all. Yeah, I love that you say that like, he didn't just come to save us. We're here to know Jesus and then make him known and love his people. That's every one of our missions. That's not me and Angela's mission because we're on a podcast.

[Angela]

And let me Our mission isn't even when we're on the Can I be honest? This is a part of the mission. Our mission is at home, on the streets, at the grocery store. Like, genuinely, this is so important. I would argue that our most important work is one on one, face to face with people making a difference in somebody's life. I know we make a difference in people's lives, but it is really. It's not about a stage, it's not about a platform. The difference that you make with your salt being the salt of the earth is one on one with people.

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[Angela]

Life, showing them what it looks like to be different, to be set apart. When I was with Pastor Michael and Jess today, I left being like, I know Jesus better. After an hour of sitting with these people, I feel different. I feel changed. I don't just feel better. In a sense, I feel like I was like pushed in the right direction and I know where I'm going right now. That's what it means to be the salt of the earth. Like, truly to. This is why you have to ask God for prophetic gifting, for the gift of prophecy so you can look at every single day. I don't ask for like, like what words of knowledge are amazing. When you just like God gives you a picture or a word or something and says, hey, I just, I feel like I received something from God. I want to share this with you. Maybe it means something to you and God reveals himself to people in that way. That's amazing. What I ask for every single day along with words of knowledge is I ask for a prophetic gifting where I'm like, lord, show me what you see when you see people, so I can speak life into people in a way that, that sends them directly on the path that you have for them. I want to see people the way that Jesus sees them so that I can call out things in them that are not even manifested yet. That's what true prophetic gifting is. It's to point people to Jesus and to get people on the right path. That's what I believe being the salt of the earth is to operate in gifting, to pray for the sick, to cast out demons, to have a prophetic anointing that points people directly to Jesus and points people to their destiny in Jesus. Yeah. This is how you be the salt of the earth.

[Ari]

Yeah.

[Angela]

Is that you ask God for spiritual gifts and then you spend your time operating them and caring and like. Yeah. Being on mission in that way.

[Ari]

It starts with your family. It starts with your family.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

It starts with your friends. It starts with your non believer friends. I can't. I was seriously reflecting on my family and friends and I cannot believe how many people have come to Jesus and how rapidly their lives are changing because I got to be the salt for them. And that's the beautiful thing about being saved. It's not just for yourself. You have the ability to save the lives of so Many people, you have the ability to change a whole family line. Can you imagine that? And so, yeah, I'll tell you, going into Target the other day, am I being the salt? It starts with a smile at someone, being a light, someone cheering someone up.

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

Meeting people where they're at, speaking life into them. Hey, can I pray for you? What are you posting on social media? Are we posting about our attributes and are we speaking about Jesus? Are we pointing people to Jesus.

[Angela]

Thirst traps? That's not very salty.

[Ari]

So we have influence to either bring people to the light or to decay that.

[Angela]

Exactly.

[Ari]

And one thing that I never want is for someone to look at me when I speak about Jesus and the fruits of the spirit, of gentleness, kindness, compassion, love. And then they look at me and then I'm doing the exact opposite of that. That terrifies me. And I know that there have been times where I have probably for everybody, nobody's perfect. Can I tell this story real quick? The greatest work I have done in my walk is behind the scenes of discipling people. And I have this amazing girl who just like me and you, we've heard about Jesus, but we didn't really know him. And she. I feel that God has definitely brought us together and appointed me to her, to be the salt for her and to season her. And I've been just seasoning it. Seasoning it.

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[Ari]

You know, I have to be really patient because you have to be for a new believer. And she's living with me right now. It's been such a gift, but I was convicted. She's been with me for a couple weeks and we've just been both so busy. We've been going to church and doing all these things and it's been so beautiful. But I sat. I usually will sit by myself in my quiet time in the morning. And I'm sitting there on the couch today, and I'm just looking out the window. And he starts giving me visions of her and I on the floor worshiping together.

[Angela]

Wow.

[Ari]

And I'm like, okay. And I'm listening to it. So then I go on my floor and my flesh. This is crazy. My flesh, right? She comes out in the living room, but my flesh says she doesn't want to come out here. Don't ask her to sit next to.

[Angela]

You always like that.

[Ari]

Don't ask her to come next to you like she's got too much to do and if she wanted to, she would come sit, you know?

[Angela]

Yeah.

[Ari]

And then I hear, no, tell her to come over. I open my eyes, I look over. She's standing up over me. I go, do you want to come worship with me? She goes, I would love to. So she sits down. We sit for about an hour. We worship, we pray. She's reading psalms. We're just. I just feel the presence of God. We're weeping together. She's looking at me. Weeping where? She's like, you have no idea. I can't believe. Like, this season I'm finding Jesus. Like, this is what it looks like to be the salt. And it starts with people behind the scenes. It's so much more than just writing things online, but actually being in the dirt with people, praying for people, showing them the scriptures, loving them. I first had to love her. She first had to feel so loved. It doesn't just. Let me say this. The salt is used to cleanse and heal. Truth and grace. That's Jesus.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Ari]

The. The woman with the adult, the woman that was caught in adultery, who are your accusers grace, then go and sin no more.

[Sponsor Voice]

Truth.

[Ari]

And so it's that mix of grace and truth. So we need to give the non believers and people that don't know so much grace and love, right? And then we speak gently to them with the truth. That's what it looks like. Like to be the salt.

[Angela]

That was.

[Ari]

Can I say. Well, I'm just gonna say that even sometimes I need. I need that salt for myself. And I had went to this thing the other night and it was just worship and I. I wasn't gonna go, and I pushed myself to go. And I'm just worshiping and my heart just feels so stuck. I just. Nothing was hitting. And I just kept saying to myself, God, meet me. God, meet me. And I look over at this girl and she just gives me a hug and she asks if she could pray for me.

[Angela]

Cute.

[Ari]

She takes my head, she puts it on her knees like I was a little girl. And she just starts speaking life over me and loving me and just nurturing me. And only God knew I needed to be loved like that so much. And in that moment, I looked at her and. And I just. I saw Jesus. That was Jesus, like, holding me. Everything she said was only what Jesus would know. And so that's what it looks like to be the salt. To be bold, step out and love people and pray for people and love them. That's what it looks like.

[Angela]

And don't get passive and don't get complacent and just realize all the time you're meant to reflect and represent Jesus, us. The second part of this is you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, right? Because a city, this whole thing means a city is lit up with lights. If you think of Los Angeles county, if you think of New York City, it's lights, it's bright. So if a city is on a hill, it's up high. It cannot be hidden. And also, people don't light a lamp and then put it under a basket, but they put it on a stand so that it gives light to all of the people in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Light is a means of illumination. It illuminates beauty, but it also exposes darkness. This is what is so important. I'm getting comfortable. This is. I love it here, by the way. I love it here. It illuminates beauty. So the light of Jesus that's inside of you will literally make the beautiful parts of people even more beautiful. You have the ability, that's what I mean with that prophetic gifting. You have the ability to speak light over someone, to pull the goodness out of them and like shine light on the Jesus that's in them and bring out more beauty. But the light also has the ability to expose darkness. Is when you walk into a room and you are that light. You are that person that doesn't get involved in X, Y and Z. You are that person that's different. You are that person that's genuinely kind, that's authentic, that shows up as themselves and gives other people the permission to show up as themselves. You are the beauty that exposes all the darkness that's in the room. You are literally the person when you walk with the light of Jesus shining inside of you, people can't help but look at themselves and feel confronted. Like, I know when somebody comes and they are representing Jesus and like their light is shining so brightly, it. And. And if I feel like mine isn't, not in a comparative way whatsoever, but it will remind me of the call of God on my life to also be the light of the world. So I love, love when somebody walks in and their light, the light of Jesus is shining in them so beautifully. And it reminds me that is what I'm meant to do as well. And I want to be that for other people. And I wrote down this. Jesus is the light of the world. Okay, Right, Scripture, we're not the light. We have light within us. But Jesus is the light. He is the light of the world. In him is no darkness at all. He is the light. Then Jesus essentially passes the baton to us, like he gave his disciples everything. Jesus came. He's the one giving the sermon on the Mount. He's the one who heals the sick, casts out demons, does miracle signs and wonders. Jesus is the originator, the creator. He is the source in which we perform or do anything. And then he passes the baton to his disciples and says, you guys are going to do even greater work works than I. And so in this situation, Jesus is the light of the world. He lives within us, and then we shine his light. So we are not the light. Christ is the light within us. And then there is this theologian, Frederick Dale Bruner. He says that the Christian community is meant to live in such a way that the surrounding world begins to ask questions like, what kind of people are these? Not because Christians are allowed, but because their shared life is distinct. Like, it is distinct. You are meant to shine the light. You are meant to enhance with flavor. We are meant to take the things of God and amplify them times 10,000 in the world. And honestly, this is so convicting and confronting and reminding for me and challenging that, like, yes, this is the life that we're meant to live. And being passive, being complacent, compromising is not the way that we live out. Matthew, chapter 5, verses 13 to 16. So I pray and hope that every single person just feels a light or a fire, like, under you. That's what I feel right now. I feel a little bit of a fire to continuously remember that I am on mission to be the salt of the earth, to be different, to not lose my flavor until shine the light of Jesus everywhere I go. And every moment matters, every person matters.

[Ari]

Yeah. And if you feel like I don't know where my light is, I will tell you. The minute you start to see someone's life change by the way God works his light through you, that fire will ignite. I mean, I have a whole new fire just having this girl in my home.

[Angela]

Totally.

[Ari]

And seeing the way her life is changing and her life and the way she's finding Jesus. Because go help people. And you will be like, wait a minute. You know, I think about when we are. I think about my own story when I was in such darkness and I was just searching for the light, searching for the light. And then I meet you, and Jesus shined his light through you. And I was like, what does she have? I want that. And so he used you to me. And then I looked at. At people, like, people we look up to, like Pastor Michael Kanos and. And Pastor Stephanie Ek. These people that just radiate his light. Pastor Philip Mitchell, my favorite dude.

[Angela]

My Pastor Darren. The most sharpening friendship of my life. Because that. That man, like, does not let me get away with anything. Like, every. It's just so good to have somebody who has so much history with God. Like, and also, if you want to be someone that doesn't lose their flavor, you need to have a pastor, guys. You need to be under pastoral covering and care and leadership. You have to have mentors. You have to have people in your life who have been walking with Jesus for a long time, who genuinely tell you how it is, what it is, call you out, call you higher, and encourage you, and are very kind and gentle and, like, lead you in the ways of Jesus. It's so important. The number one way that I keep My flavor is by being around, especially if you're called to the broken and the lost and the sick, which we all are. But like Ari and I specifically, we are called to evangelize. We are called to be around people who don't know Jesus yet. If we spend a lot of time with people who don't know Jesus, we better be offsetting it with spending a lot of time with people who really know Jesus and walk in the ways of God. Because, yeah, you need that sharpening, you need that reminder. You need other people to pour into you. It's very, very important.

[Ari]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I, I, I recognize that because we have been, we've been traveling so much and going be being back in community at church, going to these nights which every church has, where they have worship nights and they have, have community groups. I mean, I feel, I called you, I said, I feel different from just going that one day. I didn't realize how crucial being around other believers, having that girl speak life in me, that it put light back into my eyes. I was feeling so weary.

[Angela]

We need people.

[Ari]

God works through people. That's what he does. And so for us to, to think that we don't need people who are on fire, who can, I know sometimes it can be really hard to push through and go to, you know, worship nights or community groups or, you know, things like that, but, man, it'll get you out of that darkness into the light. Being around believers, being around just people that can speak life into you, it's changed my life. So we are the light on the top of the city hill to draw people back to him. Like, for Angela and I, let everything we proclaim on this podcast be a testament of how we live every single day. It was so convicting to read this and be like, wait a minute, right, I have to go back. And this is a story I will continue to go back to, to be like, am I being the salt and the light?

[Angela]

I love that.

[Ari]

Am I losing its saltiness? Am I compromising today? Like, this is something we can go back to and be like, what am I? Even the Beatitudes, am I, am I being this is this, you know, and then that just goes along with Philip. Philippines Philippians. I love the Philippines 2 verse, verse 12. Dear friends, you have always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation. Obeying God with a deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. And hold firmly to the word of life. Then on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Hold firmly to the word of God. This is how we remain as lights and salt. And we continue seasoning because if we're not seasoned, we ain't seasoning no one. So the way that we can season is abiding in him. And how do we abide in him? We, we stay in the Word of God, we get around some community, we be around people that are on fire for Jesus. We get in Bible studies, we create Bible studies, we love people, we help people, we disciple people so good and we continue to come back to this verse is because we are human beings who fall short and just checking ourselves. Am I being the salt and light to God?

[Angela]

I love that.

[Ari]

A heart full of repentance. Repent, repent, repentance. And keep asking God, work on my heart. How do I look more like you today? How can I radiate your love? How can I have your ways? That is daily. That is not a one time thing. That is daily. Every single day we're gonna do a.

[Angela]

Challenge, you guys, where we genuinely, I want us all to be aware all the time, to be the light, to be the salt and to be aware that we're on mission and to not, not change based off who we're hanging out with. Like, and I really genuinely, like, I've been thinking about this for a while but like, congruency is everything. Who you are in public, who you are in private, who you are between friend groups. I want to challenge all of us to be like, I am going to be the same around every friend group. Always pointing to people to Jesus, always speaking and behaving and loving in a way that is Christlike, like, and not becoming passive and not becoming complacent. So let's spend this week all in every situation being reminded, like, this isn't a moment that I check out. This is a moment where I get to point somebody to Jesus. And it doesn't have to be in a completely overt, like obvious pushing on someone way, but there is a way to constantly be pointing people to Jesus or even the things of God. So let that be our challenge this week. If you guys have any moments where this has come up in your life or like you run into this this week. Write it in the comments. We are obsessed with your comments. I'm telling you guys, they mean the world to us. So, yeah. Thank you guys for being here. We love you so much. Thank you for coming to our new studio.

[Ari]

Thank you for coming to our new studio.

[Angela]

Thank you for being with us here. This is so Bible study vibes, it's insane.

[Ari]

Yeah, write in the comments how you guys like the new studio.

[Angela]

You like it? Look at little Jes. Jesus. I mean, not little Jesus. That is so rude. Look at Jesus.

[Ari]

All right, go be lights. Keep your eyes open everywhere you go. Don't stay asleep. And God has called you on mission to be the salt in the life for him.

[Angela]

We love you guys so much. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you peace.