secret life

I’m feeling really burnt out, tired and lethargic. The last four years of trying to make a living at this or that, as well as wrestling with the confusion about my vocation, has taken its toll on me. Now that I am a full-time pastor again, it’s almost like I’ve given myself permission to crash. And crash I have. It ain’t pretty! Thank God for a gracious fellowship here. Honestly! I took some of their advice and stayed home this morning just to relax. I watched a movie: The Secret Life of Words, directed by Isabel Coixet (these women directors… MORE!!!!), starring the absolutely amazing Sarah Polley and the just as gifted Tim Robbins. If you want to take a thoughtful journey into the painful complexities of human existence, the subtleties of love, and the resilience of some people, check out this film. It is art in motion. It reminded me of the importance and value of trust, vulnerability and confession in the context of love. It is powerful… something we try to encourage and nurture at our church. I’ve discovered, and this movie articulates it so well, that when there is an atmosphere of safety and trust, that the miracle of human transformation and healing can happen.