We are counting down to the next presidential election (now 7 weeks away), and I have invited you to join me on Tuesdays to wonder together if and how this season can be healing instead of further breaking us apart.

In Week 3 I talk about The Day I Learned I Had Covid 19. I crashed into an unexpected and confusing illness, and pretty quickly wanted to know who to blame. Blame seems natural to us when we feel betrayed, hurt, and afraid. Blame also plants a crop of suspicion, entitlement, anxiety, shame, and disconnection. Is it possible that wrecks can be a relief – revealing we cannot fix ourselves, save ourselves, rescue ourselves . . . we need a rescue story.

During week 4 the headlines in the news are about Bob Woodward’s new book, Rage; the Kardashians exit from reality television in 2021; the terrible fires on the West Coast; the shutdown of John MacArthur’s church in California. But what are you really thinking about – as you drift off to sleep at night, load the dishwasher, or wait in traffic to get home from work?

Most of us feel the brokenness of these times deep down inside – where we really live. What kind of glue do you use to try to put together the broken pieces? Pleasure, power and control, work and busyness, relationships, or spirituality?

Are you disappointed in your efforts to make life work or ignoring that it’s not working? Are you hungry for hope? The challenge this week is to let go of your coping strategies and see what remains. This can be a bit uncomfortable. Sometimes we need to experience an absence to get ready for a Presence.