Join Reservoir and neighbors for our annual interfaith Ramadan dinner.
We’re excited to host our 11th annual Iftar dinner for our Muslim neighbors, celebrating with them as they break fast at the end of the day on Saturday, June 9.
We’ll need volunteers to help set up, bring halal food items, and host during the dinner.
Come, invite your friends, and don’t miss out on one of the most special events in our neighborhood each year. For more information or to sign up, email Michaiah Healy.
Last Friday, April 13, Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed into law major criminal justice reform. Since 2015, our partner Greater Boston Interfaith Organization has fought for paradigm shifting criminal justice reform in Massachusetts with priority on:
We at Reservoir been really enthusiastic about participating in this work with GBIO. We recognize that in Massachusetts, people of color (particularly Black men) and poor people are disproportionately incarcerated and otherwise hurt by an impediments to justice in our criminal justice system. We hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:36 about identifying with those in prison and God’s call for us to pursue justice in our times in Micah 6:8 (and elsewhere), and we have felt compelled by our faith to act for comprehensive criminal justice reform. Here are a few ways we sought to partner with GBIO in their work:
CJR bill out of conference. Smiles as we realized progress we made. Thank you @GBinterfaith for pushing forward and standing in place. We know the devil is still in the details and hope we pass the next hurdle with #CJReformMA pic.twitter.com/qLfsJzeiab
— Beverly Williams (@MizbevyWilliams) March 24, 2018
Thanks to the tireless work of GBIO, particularly Beverly and Alan (co-chairs of the GBIO Criminal Justice Team), an imperfect but important law was signed by Governor Baker on Friday that includes: all four of the priorities stated above, decriminalizing youth below 12 years of age, CORI reform, medical release, data collection and reporting for more tranparency, and allowing juvenile records to be expunged after a period of time. It passed unanimously in the Senate and easily passed in the House before being signed by Governor Baker.
There is still work to be done in building a justice world, and advocating for the dignity of all people. But for right now we celebrate with GBIO! Reservoir Community, thank you for your financial giving (part of which goes to support Greater Boston Interfaith Organization), for your time if you volunteered or made calls, and for your prayers for criminal justice reform.
I remember a few years ago, there was a study done by the Barna Group that asked young-ish Americans what words they associated with Christian faith. The top word was “anti-homosexual”. But also among the list of top words were “judgmental,” “hypocritical,” and “insensitive”. A substantial amount of people said they had negative views of Christians because of moral failures in leadership.
And I remember thinking — it seems like people are picking up on something unhealthy going on in some Christian groups. It doesn’t seem like folks who don’t go to church associate these church-goers with patience, gentleness, joy, or love. There’s definitely some deeply held beliefs at the root of a movement of people most known for being “judgmental” but whatever it is, it’s not healthy.
In spite of the bad rap from this collective group, it seems like there is such thing as healthy faith that is apparent to observers. There are certainly people we might call “heroes” of faith (Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, Francis of Assisi). Their healthy faith was obvious to those around them. But I think each of us can connect with God in a way that is healthy and rich, and glows for those around us.
In weighing whether faith is unhealthy or healthy, I think these are 3 helpful questions.
It seems like every few hundred years, Christian people face an issue of faith that is a matter of life and death. Church groups split because each side is 100% certain of their rightness on an issue (be it pacifism, infant baptism, different views on the book of Revelation), and are so confident that they are willing to stake community and friendship on it.
But then, inevitably, after a little bit of time, that issue is no longer a dividing one. People may have changed their minds, decided they don’t care, or still hold a strong opinion as a matter of intellectual interest. But the idea that we wouldn’t be able to be in community over that issue? Unthinkable!
Is that arrogant or what? To be willing to stake the unity and harmony of a community on one opinion about one thing? To not reserve even the possibility that the other side could be correct, or that (more likely) some mix of the two takes is correct? To not be able to simply say “I don’t know”? Unhealthy faith leaves no room for uncertainty, at the expense of all of us.
When weighing faith it might be useful to ask: is this stream able to say “I don’t know”? Is it humble, or arrogant?
It’s pretty normal in human groups for leaders to emerge. In healthy circumstances, good transparent leadership can provide efficiency. After all, different folks have different gifts. Some people have the ability to represent various interests, command attention, and make thoughtful decisions. But in unhealthy circumstances, the human tendency to pick leaders can lead to oppressive power structures that demand unquestioning submission.
This has happened (and continues to happen) in many faith communities. The leadership structures that arise, if they are unhealthy, can end end up demanding faith based on the authority of the leadership. Truth is reasonable and attractive to thoughtful people. When faith leadership makes truth claims, they should offer reasons for teaching those things. If their reason is “because we have declared it”, that deserves a second look. Even the Bible provides reasons for faith.
Given the tendency for humans to create and abuse authority, it’s probably helpful to weigh faith and ask: what is this based on? Thoughtful reasoning? Or “because I said so” reasoning?
Churches usually have a bunch of people in them. When we say healthy faith should be communal, we don’t just mean that there should be a bunch of people involved. There are plenty of unhealthy faith bodies made of multiple people.
When we say that healthy faith is communal, we mean that faith helps people flourish when it enables connection and learning from others. The impulse to not question anything and totally conform to an arrogant authority is unhealthy, yes. But also unhealthy is the desire to protect ourselves from any influence from other human beings. Both of these things leave no room for authentic connection, friendship, discovery, and growth.
So a final question you might try asking to weight faith is: is this communal? Does it prevent me from connecting with others and learning from them? Does it cut me off from connection with other people, and all the learning and growth that can come from that?
This is by no means an exhaustive list of signs of unhealthy faith, but instead a loose starting point. We’ve heard many stories of abusive faith traditions, or sometimes experienced that kind of faith tradition ourselves. But from our perspective, good trees bear good fruit! Faith deserves to be picked up occasionally to see if it’s a healthy fruit, or something you’d rather not eat.
Interested in talking these things through with some folks in a similar boat? Our free class, Seek, is something we offer periodically as a space to consider faith in a safe space. It runs on Sunday afternoons for 5 weeks, is discussion based, and includes a free lunch. Get more info here:
7“See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:8-21
8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
10And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
This week, as Easter approaches, and Revelation climaxes with its vision of a new heaven and a new earth, we’ll look to cultivate hope. Take some time and use your imagination to cultivate hope. Picture yourself walking alongside the river of the water of life, sampling the orchard’s abundant fruit, applying the balm from their leaves to any inner or outer wounds. What does this feel like? Take your time. Now picture yourself face to face with God, who is full of light. What do you experience? What do you do or say? What does God have to say to you? What expression is on God’s face?
Pray for people and groups you are aware of who are most wounded, most oppressed or outcast or hurt. Ask Jesus to grow the orchard of fruit and healing in their lives. Ask Jesus to flow toward them the river of life that begins in God’s self. Pray for God’s presence and healing for them.
This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. On Sundays, we’re exploring this with our sermons; on weekdays, we’re doing so with our bible guide. The bible guide series starts here.
8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:9-27
9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 11It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. 12It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using. 18The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.
22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
This week, as Easter approaches, and Revelation climaxes with its vision of a new heaven and a new earth, we’ll look to cultivate hope. What are some human achievements you most love – in food, sport, music, culture, whatever? Consider that even the best of life we know has downsides too. I think, for instance, of a Boston Cream from my favorite donut shop and know that too many of these will make me sick and eventually kill me. But now consider a future that contains all the best elements of life – the glory and honor of the nations – but cleansed of all their problems. Tell God about the holy city you hope God is preparing – or write about it, or draw a picture. Ask God to show you how God’s future for us all is even better than that.
Pray for some of the largest companies or industries you can think of in your city or region. Ask God to grow all that they do that is glorious and honorable and to lead people to renew and purify them of all that is false or harmful or in any way abominable.
This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. On Sundays, we’re exploring this with our sermons; on weekdays, we’re doing so with our bible guide. The bible guide series starts here.
18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation 18:1-24
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2 He called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
It has become a dwelling place of demons,
a haunt of every foul spirit,
a haunt of every foul bird,
a haunt of every foul and hateful beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you do not take part in her sins,
and so that you do not share in her plagues;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Render to her as she herself has rendered,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.
7 As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
so give her a like measure of torment and grief.
Since in her heart she says,
‘I rule as a queen;
I am no widow,
and I will never see grief,’
8 therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
pestilence and mourning and famine—
and she will be burned with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”9 And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; 10 they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
“Alas, alas, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in one hour your judgment has come.”11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, slaves—and human lives.
14 “The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your dainties and your splendor
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 “Alas, alas, the great city,
clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste!”And all shipmasters and seafarers, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, the great city,
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For in one hour she has been laid waste.”20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her.
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“With such violence Babylon the great city
will be thrown down,
and will be found no more;
22 and the sound of harpists and minstrels and of flutists and trumpeters
will be heard in you no more;
and an artisan of any trade
will be found in you no more;
and the sound of the millstone
will be heard in you no more;
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more;
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more;
for your merchants were the magnates of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24 And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slaughtered on earth.”
This week, in light of the judgment on all human systems that resist God and God’s good and humane ways on earth, we consider the command to, “Come out” and turn away from the evil baked into human societies, our own included. Today, consider how you have benefitted from the American consumer economy. Ask God to reveal where your wealth or consumption have come at the expense of other people, societies, or God’s earth. Consider what change might look like.
Pray for your six, that they would cultivate lives that love God’s justice. If any of them are hungering for more justice, pray that they would be encouraged that God shares their longing and will bring it to pass.
This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. On Sundays, we’re exploring this with our sermons; on weekdays, we’re doing so with our bible guide. The bible guide series starts here.
21 and huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, dropped from heaven on people, until they cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.
Revelation 17:1-18
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk.” 3 So he carried me away in the spirit[a] into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; 5 and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly amazed. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
9 “This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, 10 of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; 14 they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
15 And he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
This week, in light of the judgment on all human systems that resist God and God’s good and humane ways on earth, we consider the command to, “Come out” and turn away from the evil baked into human societies, our own included. Today, consider how your praise or love of country has obscured your vision of what is good and true and beautiful. Ask God for clarity of vision to see your country’s blessings but also its violence and its evils for what they are.
Pray for the churches of America, that they would repent of any ways they have sold out to American patriotism that covers up past violence and pursues America first blessing over God’s desire for all peoples of the earth to love and follow Jesus into life, truth, joy, and peace.
This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. On Sundays, we’re exploring this with our sermons; on weekdays, we’re doing so with our bible guide. The bible guide series starts here.
20And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.
15 Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.
2And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations!
4Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your judgments have been revealed.”5After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes across their chests. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever; 8and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.
This week, we respond to the idea of judgment by practicing critique and truth telling – noticing places in our own contemporary American consumer empire that overpromise, lie, or do violence. Consider anything in your upbringing that has led to you fear or resent other nations or cultures. Ask God to help you to see all the peoples of the earth as potential friends and partners in worship instead.
Pray for your church’s journey of faith and worship, that increasing devotion to God will lead to deeper communion with people from all nations and deeper confidence that God is with us on earth.
This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. On Sundays, we’re exploring this with our sermons; on weekdays, we’re doing so with our bible guide. The bible guide series starts here.
Last week, thoughtful friends brought my wife and me to one of WGBH’s Front Row Boston shows, in the intimate space of the Fraser Performance Studio. What we were able to witness, sitting on the floor just feet from the performers, was the beauty and poetry, the anger and artistry of two extraordinary Black women, both of whom pushed me to keep digging into this extraordinary insight of my faith tradition: that each person alive is “made in the image of God.”
Bamsfest presented the opening act, local spoken word artist Jha D. Her first piece “Spare Change” invited us to step inside the experience of a panhandler.
As Jha D spoke out the otherwise silent, inner monologue of a beggar, I was haunted by the refrain, “I can’t go home….” Home for this young person was a space of homophobia, religious judgment, and rejection. The larger world’s economy hasn’t been much kinder, and now she asks us for whatever spare change and spare prayers we can give.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I look at people begging on the streets of our city and think many things, but rarely do I wonder about their backstories. Even more rarely do I say to myself, “Here is a beloved child of God, made in God’s image.”
I found myself grateful that Jha D was asking me to look again at one of the “stock characters” of our urban life and see the soul and image of God inside. I want the discipline, insight, and love to see the godlike beauty, creativity, power, and agency in each human being.
The evening’s main act, soul singer Jamila Woods, kept the theme up — insisting that we all see the beauty and strength in Black women. As Ms. Wood sang songs from her acclaimed album “HEAVN”, I loved her gorgeous voice and lyricism. And I couldn’t shake the lyrics of one of her songs in particular, “Holy.”
Soaked with religious imagery, Woods explores the holiness of herself. The chorus plays off the 60s gospel song that begins, “I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus.” In the Civil Rights movement, the word “freedom” was often substituted for Jesus. In her version, Woods isn’t fixing her mind on either of these things. She is “stayed on loving me.”
There’s no mention of God in this song, but still, the singer’s cup is full. Goodness and mercy follow her. She is never alone. She is holy, on her own.
Voices in my religious past would likely have trouble with this song. They say only God can make us feel this way about ourselves because without God, we are nothing. But now I listen to this Black women claim her beauty, her dignity, and her sufficiency, and I close my mouth and nod my head.
All of us are these extraordinary works of art. All of us are holy. And maybe, if we can open our eyes and see God everywhere, there is no such thing as “without God”.
by Steve Watson
This year’s Grammys had its share of odd and beautiful moments. The very elder looking Elton John and a super classy looking Miley Cyrus seemed to love playing together. And the Childish Gambino song was genre-busting, gorgeous and visually fascinating. What was most arresting for me, though, were two moments of unabashed spiritual hunger and prayer.
Here we have a young man alienated from religion, not particularly interested in the Bible or church, and not even sure there’s a god that he believes in. But in the face of a world on fire that leaves him “broken, alone, and afraid,” prayer makes as much sense as anything else. Maybe praying, even when the words run away from him, has a shot at taking him to some freedom or birthing a glimmer of hope in him.
I’ve heard that Smith wrote this song after a trip to Iraq in which he saw suffering that went beyond anything else he’d ever seen. That wordless shock and pain turned him toward a hope to connect with something or someone bigger, better, transcendent, but still available for a one-on-one — for intimacy. I myself know Smith’s yearning for connection with something more, but I wasn’t expecting to encounter that longing at the Grammys.
Kesha may not have the same vocal chops as Smith, but she’s a bold and present performer. And Kesha’s Grammy performance of “Praying”, backed by other pop vocal legends old and new, was positioned as the emotional center of the whole evening.
Kesha’s song, which she performed while fighting tears, is a work of reckoning, addressed to the man who controlled, manipulated, and abused her. And yet the title of the song comes from when the chorus moves not toward vengeance exactly (understandable as that would be), but to a hope that this man who harmed her so would be humbled enough to pray, to have his soul change, and to eventually find peace for himself.
What a shockingly generous yearning and gift, that the restoration and change and freedom she is now starting to experience would extend even as far as her enemy and tormentor. It was a convicting, and yet delightful surprise to see restorative forgiveness proclaimed from a pop star on a national broadcast.
What public or private pains are moving you to yearn for intimacy or connection with something beyond you? For restoration and freedom? What are you doing with those pains? To start, I’ll be praying with Sam Smith and Kesha, and letting them keep pushing me toward the transcendent hope I desperately need.
