Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

Monday evening, five weeks into Rebekah’s challengingly slow healing process, we drove out to our friends’ home in Lake Royale for a long, relaxed dinner on their back patio overlooking the lake.

There are places that are good for my soul. There are people who are good for my soul. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to enjoy both at the same time.

Slowly but surely we are expanding the repertoire of places we can go. First it was the orthopedic specialist’s office; then it was church; now we have actually been out for dinner.

There are several types of healing. We returned to the orthopedic specialist today, and the X-Rays say that all five broken bones are making good progress. Hopefully in another month we can dispense with some of the restrictions. So physical healing is happening. Then, and I believe this is the most important, the evening with Keith and Resi was a huge balm of spiritual healing.

Not just the kindness, or sharing their beautiful home, but the generosity of spirit and the open hearts. For me, a long conversational dinner with people we love is hands down the best way to spend an evening. The healing that comes with the experience of authentic community is the most regenerative remedy I know.

Not just broken feet and ankles…

My mother asked me yesterday what did I think we could all be doing to help put this tragically toxic world to rights?

I have been thinking about that, because it is easy to separate our day-to-day lives from all the war and hate and disease and pain and brokenness. But there really isn’t that much distance, because this world is full with people just like us, real human beings who eat breakfast and brush their teeth and move out into their day – every day – from there.

So what we can do is, simply, to love one another better. To love our spouse and our children, our friends and co-workers, the merchants, the other drivers on the road, the members of our church and our clubs, the police and teachers and nurses and politicians and more, the people we disagree with and our enemies too.

Love elegantly and eloquently and enthusiastically, love generously and hopefully. Love like Jesus wants us to love. The kind of love that catches fire.

It was a beautiful summer evening out by the lake. – DEREK