ABOUT

L O V E

"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is Love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:8-10, NLT). 

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT) 

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2, NLT).
. 
"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31, NLT).

S A L T 

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless" (Matthew 5:13, NLT).

L I G H T

"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have light that leads to life" (John 8:12, NLT). 

 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105, NLT).

"You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then 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" (Matthew 5:14-16, NLT).

"For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true" (Ephesians 5:8-9, NLT).

WHAT is Love, Salt, & Light, WHY is it Here, and WHO is it for?

I am here, to flip the script of the songs of the world, and turn our focus to the only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

Lyrics of selected songs have been adapted so that the words now point to God's Love, His Son Jesus Christ, and His Word (the Bible). The adapted lyrics are posted with my re-recorded versions of the songs on YouTube, and eventually here, where they'll be commented on with encouragement, occasional anecdotes, and always supported with God's Word. Acapella recordings of and audio commentaries on the adapted songs will also be posted on SoundCloud. 

Several years ago, I believe it was in 2009, God gave me this idea to use my love for singing to bring Him glory by adapting songs that weren't originally about Him to be about Him, though I didn't really know how it would happen or what it would look like. In 2013, I adapted my first song, and started the second. In 2014, I got confirmation from God that it was something He wanted me to do, and adapted my third song. By 2015, I started to adapt a few more songs and got the idea of the blog's name. Fast forward to 3 years later, after much prayer, contemplating, writing, and support from friends and family, here it is!

Love, Salt, & Light is here to help you see and appreciate, to savor, God's Love and Kindness to you. It is here to encourage your desire for and pursuit of a personal and intimate relationship with God, and your acceptance, belief in, and confession of, Jesus Christ as His Son and Lord and Savior of your life. Once you've seen and savored His Love, Love, Salt, & Light is also here to inspire you to share it with others.

It's here to replace lies and deceit with Truth. By replacing the world's words, ideas, and false, empty, and broken promises of "love" in our minds and hearts, with the Truth of God's Word, who Jesus is (John 14:6), and God's incredible, Perfect Love for us, we will be set free to be who we were always meant and created to be!

There is NO love on this entire earth like God's love for you. As referenced above, He is Love (1 John 4:8), and I want to encourage you to be thirsty, for Him! 

This blog is for those that are first coming to understand who God is and His Love for us, and, for those of you who already know Him! 

God's Love is for everyone, and, so is this.

& Just Who Am I Anyways?!

So now that you know what the blog is about, you're probably wondering who is actually writing this stuff, right?

Well, first off, God is the one who gives me the ideas, directions, confirmations, and biblical connections about the songs through His Spirit (Job 38:36).

But hi! My name is Salena and I'm a twenty-something creative from California who just loves God and singing. I also love to laugh, play with children, get creative in the kitchen, eat, decorate, watch interior design and home improvement shows, America Ninja Warrior & The Voice, hang with family and friends, and read, among other things. 

Fun fact about my name & how it relates to the blog: 

My mom originally intended to name me after my great grandmother but she realized that the name she'd picked, Salena, wasn't the same name her grandmother had. Then God told her that Salena means salt of the earth, and she kept it. So in addition to referencing a role of believers in the world, the "Salt" in Love, Salt, and Light is also a reference to my name.

Short version of my testimony: I've known about God for what feels like my entire life, and prayed the prayer of salvation at an early age, but it took me many years to be consistently intentional about getting to know Him for myself and letting go of my life for Him. Since 2012, I've begun to pursue Him more intentionally, receive and learn to delight in His Love and undeserved kindness towards me, and walk in obedience and freedom from fear. And in the summer of 2014, I made the public declaration of my inner decision and commitment to follow Jesus, by getting baptized. 

(More of my testimony will be shared in bits and pieces throughout the commentaries and will be more detailed on my personal blog, soon to come). 

                            ______________________________________________


So, that's a little bit about me. I am So glad that you came to this site! I believe everything happens for a reason and that includes you coming here today and reading these words! As you're here, may you be encouraged to take the time to be still, recognize, and enjoy God's loving Presence and Power in your life. 

And, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13, NLT), in Jesus' Name, Amen.