Tumbled Brick

Years ago, we had the chance to build a new house. The exterior was a combination of cedar and brick. For the brick, we chose an option that has been tumbled before firing, resulting in a more irregular texture. Unfortunately, our brick mason saw this as a flaw, and he discarded a significant number of my bricks. So many that I had to buy more! We tend to do this with stories. We don't know how to handle texture. For simplicity, we discard the messy parts, at the cost of interest and truth.

Forgiving Oneself

Forgiveness is about creating a space for reconciliation and healing. Sometimes we commit offenses against ourselves. We tell ourselves things God would never say. We foolishly put ourselves in harm's way, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Sin is a breach of faith⏤of trust⏤always against God, and sometimes against self. Relationship with self is one of the broken trust connections Jesus came to restore. In the same way you might gift forgiveness to another person, love yourself enough to acknowledge pain, release self-loathing, and move toward freedom, wholeness, and a new trustworthiness.

Through and Through

The New Testament envisions the Church being thoroughly saturated with ⏤ marinated in ⏤ the character and ways of Jesus. We take the Father's name. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I think our sacraments point to this. In baptism, we are fully immersed into God's name (Father, Son, and Spirit). And in the Eucharist, we take Jesus's body and blood into the deepest parts of us. In Christ, and Christ in us. Through and through.