Too awesome to bury in a weekender post, our love affair with Brene continues. This comes to us via the excellent site The Work of the People:
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20 responses to “Brene Brown Returns to Church (and Finds Jesus Weeping)”
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This truth is breaking through the hardend and deceived ground of western culture in regards to grieving, weeping, mourning, loss etc…
Bring forth the wailing women (And men) that know joy even in the misdt of real pain and suffering. Bring forth lives that live in the paradox of scripture and can feel the emotions of God in truth and spirit.
Beautiful testimony.
Many thanks to Brene Brown for her story. As a former (recovering) radio DJ, I still find a lot of theology in pop music–perhaps unintentional, but preachable, and teachable. Brown’s final comments about “love weeps” immediately brought forth the 70’s metal ballad, “Love Hurts,” by Nazareth — go figure.
“Love hurts, love scars, Love wounds, and mars…”
Now I don’t feel the whole song holds up, as later in the song they equate love with a lie to make you blue, but in fact, love does hurt at times, or it isn’t love. Love is messy, if not bloody. But love can also lead to joy, generosity, and bliss.
All of these emotions along with pain and weeping are love. And I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the experience of all those feelings, nor for the midwife of the Church that stands beside me and says, “Push, breathe, push–you can do it! Push, breathe, push!” Wonderful image, and so true. Thanks, Brene.
Wow
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). = God’s Me too
John 11:35 Jesus Wept
John 11:36 then people said, “Look how he loved … !”
The Work of the People
FYI the terrific song “Love Hurts” was written by the late Graham Parsons.
It’s amazing the timing in which I’m seeing this. Needed to hear this today.
great website
This was totally EXCELLENT !!!!!
Please send me notifications of more Mockingbird posts! This is great, thank you.
Beautiful. Just beautiful, Brene. Thank you for this. This idea that God is with us in our suffering and weeps with us and we are not alone has gotten me through many a hard season. Thank you.
I think Brene would love Henri Nouwen’s quote too. “The mystery of God’s love is not that he takes our pains away, but that he first wants to share them with us.” http://www.ongodstrail.com
I’ve read 3 of Brene’s books and loved them. Caught these other Brene Brown quotes that relate so well.
“Faith minus vulnerability equals fundamentalism and extremism. If you don’t have space for questions you bankrupt faith.”
“There are many men and woman who had significant scars – not specific to a denomination but clustered around local churches. Interesting that 100% of the people I interviewed who made progress did it through spirituality. Abandonment of faith wasn’t the solution – they may have changed churches or faith groups but they did not abandon faith.”
BTW, David, I’m also at an Anglican church in VA
“For forgiveness to happen, there has to be a lot of blood on the floor.” So good!
I am a musician and I love the songwriting provess and the people who can do it. I have always found my faith echoed in words and music. Here’s a brilliant examle in a somewhat obscure song by Livingston Taylor called “There You Are Again” that I have frequently used in memorial services.
There you are again
Livingston Taylor
©2003, L. Taylor/Morgan Creek Music (ASCAP)
“I believe in actual
In the clear concise the factual
All of life has reason
And it should be clear to see
But when the crowds all drift away
And we are apart for one more day
In the most peculiar places
You’re where you should not be
There you are again
In the rustling leaves of a summer storm
In my favorite chair all safe and warm
In the wish a child believes
There you are again
When light returns to the morning sky
When two lovers cannot say good by
When a movie makes me cry
When the perfect story ends
There you are again
Will I ever get over the feel of your touch
The sound of your voice the scent of your hair
Your quiet reminder to not be afraid
When you promised to find me somewhere
There you are again
‘Till I forget to close the door
And the heart ache’s in and I’m damned I’m sure
To each day miss you more
When I think I can’t endure
There’s a whisper in the wind
There you are again”
And there you are again
In the