Chapter from the Book: Roads to Roots

Chapter Nine: Salt and Light

By Brian Castillo

You don’t have to preach to be a testimony.

In this house, we’ve learned that the loudest truth is the one lived quietly—consistently—without performance. Just presence.

Salt and light.

Salt was never meant to sit on the table untouched. It was meant to be poured where things grow—and where things rot.

In biblical days, they used salt to cover the waste. To stop the spread of infection. To preserve life.

That’s what real faith does.

It enters the mess. It disinfects.

And then… it makes space for something new to grow.

And light?

Light doesn’t argue with the dark.

It just shows up.

And the darkness has no choice but to flee.

That’s what we believe in this house.

Not just in prayer—but in presence.

We can walk into the darkest places and still stand tall—because we know the battle isn’t against us.

It’s against the One who lives in us.

And He never loses.

Barbi reflects that light in how she stands with me. Even when things get hard.

Bella reflects it in how she lives—joyful, steady, never staying down for long.

When we fall, we rise.

When the world pushes, we don’t push back.

We shine.

There are values in this home that don’t need to be said out loud—but they’re lived every day:

Stay connected to Christ.

Be accountable.

Do what you say.

Serve each other.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways, acknowledge Him—

and He will make your path straight.

We don’t water down the salt.

We don’t hide the light.

We are not a lamp under a basket.

We are a light on a stand—

for everyone in this house to see,

and for others to glorify the Father in heaven.

And above all, we love.

The kind of love that is patient and kind.

Not proud. Not self-seeking.

It doesn’t dishonor. It doesn’t envy.

It keeps no record of wrongs.

It protects.

It trusts.

It hopes.

It perseveres.

That’s First Corinthians thirteen.

That’s Bella Love’s middle name.

That’s what we carry.

So when someone walks into our home—

we don’t need to explain anything.

We just hope they feel it.

Love.

Forgiveness.

Truth.

And a quiet oneness that only comes from knowing who we are…

and who we belong to.