We had a nice afternoon retreat this week, taking our Lighthouse crew for some horseback riding and lunch. Weather was perfect and was nice to get out of context, and rest together.
Deb and I are growing more deeply these days. Growth comes in valleys, formation through slow incremental and seemingly endless working of the Spirit. To rest, to cease from striving, to embrace the love of Jesus over us as the foundation for living and relatedness towards others is such a difficult task. The discipline of stopping, not starting, of creating space for soul care, the voice of the Spirit, is a daunting task. We are recognizing how deficient our love is for others. It’s easy to love those who love you, or to present the posture of love but the real test of our love is in our capacity to participate in God’s kind of love – the suffering love, the kinds that gives out, but doesn’t expect reciprocating response. The love that this world needs, and our own desperate hearts crave, is an fully accepting, vulnerable and divesting love. A love that comes alongside to help, to encourage, and to journey with those who’ve yet to embrace or know the depths of this eternal, perfect love in Christ.
Our family is growing, Broderic is engaged to Kristen, and will be married soon. The world, or at least democracy seems to be under relentless pressure to conform to the sway of the discontented. Our Cafe is growing as a place of gathering, community and our garage out back is demolished. A lot of movement, in and outside of the heart. Movement is good, but it’s difficult. Movement and the dynamics of change require us to be a malleable people, unlearning and re-learning is a continual releasing of what we are familiar with, for the hope of something more life giving. Life changes, people change, the earth is changing, and our political landscapes are changing. The world, changes, and yet we rest in this foundational reality that the Creator who made all of us, and this world we journey through, is forever the same, good, righteous, just, and seeking even now the change of heart of each of us, to surrender a little more to the Spirit’s work.
We are also mentoring, learning how to mentor individuals in different capacities, in the role of coach, spirirtual campanions, and in sponsoring roles. We are really excited about this trajectory, diving deep in study, books and writing.
Bruce & Deb