Love Under Pressure: Beginning Again

We do not have to have every single answer. We do not have to resolve every single tension. We do not have to rush the process of growth. We can trust that the same spirit who hovered over the waters in creation, the same spirit who descended at Jesus' baptism, the same spirit who moved Nicodemus from confusion to courage, the same spirit that inspired you to believe is the same spirit still moving among us today, still forming us, still breathing life into places that might feel a little tired, still rebuilding what feels fragile. [01:02:18] (46 seconds)  #SpiritStillBreathes

And here's what I want us to know. Searching in the dark is still searching. Asking is still faith. Stretching is still growth. Beginning again is discipleship. This is why the Lenten season is so special. This is why I am so excited about this Lenten season because Lent gives us space for that steady rehab of our souls. Space to let the spirit strengthen where we might feel weak or space to rebuild where we might feel bruised or space to allow love to form us all over again. [01:00:34] (43 seconds)  #LentenRenewal

I pray during this Lenten season that we would begin to trust that love under pressure never needs to panic, that love under pressure doesn't even need to retreat. Love under pressure trusts that new life is possible in the name of Jesus Christ even now. Perhaps, especially now. And as we continue to move through this season of Lent, we're gonna do it slowly. We're gonna do it steadily. And as we do, we can realize we are being shaped for resurrection. [01:03:04] (40 seconds)  #ShapedForResurrection

God will never shape us by force, and I've never seen faith driven by fear that really worked. The only thing that I have ever seen make a lasting difference in when is when faith is moved and formed by love and love alone. Deep love. Love that is willing to begin again. And when that love is willing to begin again, it always comes from love under pressure. That's you and me. That's us. That's what we decide to do during the season of Lent. [01:03:44] (42 seconds)  #FaithFormedByLove

Physical therapy is week after week after week. It is showing up. It is doing the work. It is strengthening what is weak. It is repairing what is broken. It is working through what is bruised. Rehab, though it's not really dramatic, we do the same thing over and over. It's pretty steady. It's pretty repetitive, and if I'm being honest, it takes a great deal of humility. It asks us to admit that something needs to be rebuilt in us, [00:55:19] (31 seconds)  #ShowUpDoTheWork

Every person that we see is a child of god, period. Every single person. So here's what I know. War and destruction grieves god's heart, and so it grieves my heart. Are there times that it can be not avoided? I'm not here to debate that with you. I'm here to look at it spiritually, and I'm here to tell you that when one life is lost, it's one too many. [00:15:17] (41 seconds)  #EveryLifeIsSacred

Doesn't feel all that dramatic. It's really not all that loud. I mean, we click on a YouTube video and we listen to the song and we read a few words, but we are all growing and being formed together. That kind of shaping happens when something lingers long enough that it begins to take root, and the season of Lent gives us the space that we need to notice what really is shaping us. [00:50:33] (31 seconds)  #FormationInTheQuiet

Now here's something we might not think about right away. I just wanna name this. Nicodemus is not a villain. He's not a skeptic trying to trap Jesus. He's a pharisee, which means he has devoted his life to understanding scripture. He's disciplined. He's thoughtful. He's faithful. He's what most people would consider spiritually mature, and yet he shows up with questions. [00:51:12] (28 seconds)  #FaithfulQuestioning