By Bishop Rob Wright
1. Introduction
Question 1: How to Move Closer to God? Self-Examination | February 24, 2021
Self-examination means we pause and check-in with our soul. And we ask our soul two questions: What are my patterns? And, do they increase well-being? Ultimately the practice of self-examination is a gift because it moves us from blindness to gaining new sight.
In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a full conversation on self-examination, practicing it in our lives, and its importance during the journey of Lent in growing closer to God. This is question 1 of a 5-part series.
Question 2: What to do When God is Silent | March 3, 2021
What to do when God is silent, goes the question. But maybe what is really being said here is, ‘God is not speaking to me in a fashion that is convenient or dramatic enough to address my anxieties and hardships.’ Being the anxious creatures that we are, we might be conflating the idea of God’s silence with God’s abandonment or God’s non-existence. But, as we get to know God we learn that silence is really a language for God. A means of communication. And if that is true, then, a mature relationship with God invites us to learn a new language!
In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation on the silence of God and what that means to us as people of faith in different seasons of life. This is question 2 of a 5-part series.
Question 3: What Does Love Look Like When Neighbor is Enemy? | March 10, 2021
Bishop Wright says putting Jesus at the center of your life is learning how to love as God loves, and that when we decenter ourselves…our life becomes agile enough to include those we struggle to love. We can love out of sheer obedience, or through humility, when we realize we too might be an unlovable enemy to others, or through empathy, realizing that some people are trapped and disfigured by their fears, deserving of compassion rather than hate.
Question 4: Where Do I Stand in Sinking Sand? | March 17, 2021
Bishop Wright says that it’s impossible to love God without loving neighbor. He says that the way we stand for truth when we feel we are surrounded by falsehood is to close the gap between how we live and God’s truth, so that God’s truths become our lived truths. He encourages courageous questioning of ourselves to find out if God’s truths are being lived out in our lives, particularly looking at whether we want to win/be right or advance God’s truth through love. He exhorts us to find encouragement to live the way of love and truth through Scripture and the cloud of people, our Christian community, who will cheer us on.
Question 5: What are the Directions to Joy | March 24, 2021
“Joy is an expression of the genius of God” – Bishop Wright
Bishop Wright says that joy is purple, because you make purple out of red and blue, love and sorrow. He talks about how joy is our present and our future, “a dollop of God’s tomorrow, today.” He says that joy lives with faith, hope, wonder, and gratitude, and that each leads to the others. He says that joy is all around, but we might have to look, as it’s not always easily recognizable.