About the Response

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

J.R.R. Tolkien
how about some

LOVE OVER LITURGY?

The Response is an unknown journey towards Jesus and away from all we've added to him. It's asking hard questions, fighting for love over liturgy, humility over nobility, and protecting people rather than the steeple.

It's believing that the roots of love and relationship are still out there and still strong. And so very worth returning to.

...and what leads to genuine

Transformation?

Or to put it another way, "is what we're doing actually producing fruit that looks like Jesus?" Few ask it, and even fewer are willing to face the truth of it. Jesus said that the evidence of being his followers would be that we'd be known for our love. So, are we?

In this vein, The Response is also about questioning everything that doesn't lead to living and loving more like Him.

About

It can be exceptionally challenging painful to question what others want you to leave alone; to suggest that maybe the way we’re doing things isn’t really the way Jesus wanted them.

And it’s not just hard because it’s not what people want to hear, it’s also hard because you’re processing something in your gut that you may not be able to explain or provide context for yet.

And who is gonna listen to that person? Who is gonna sit in that space long enough for someone to chase those feelings, to express the vulnerability of that process, or find the words that speak beyond “what if,” “something’s off” or even "that's wrong."

All in all, it can be a very lonely place.

This—The Response—is my way of responding to that arena of life, and hopefully, to encourage those of you who are asking your own questions and wrestling through your own conflicts to keep moving forward in your response to the struggle.

Whether it’s labeled deconstruction, reconstruction, a crisis of faith, doctrinal examination, structural scrutiny or whatever, I just want you to know you’re not alone and there is still beauty. It's just in different places than it used to be.

Despite what many say, I know the questions are not because you don’t care, but because you care so deeply that you can't just let go.

Connect
Would love to connect on social (I'm moderately active), or feel free to shoot me an email.