First published November 14, 2012

There are three tabs open in my browser at the moment. One is a list called “catching up.” One is my gmail inbox. One is this conversation with you.

“Catching up” is a to-do list of sorts. At the moment it has a long list of potential post titles and a list of the writing, teaching, preaching projects with deadlines in the next couple weeks.

None of those items are helping me at this moment as you and I are talking. Because many of the post topics are cute or ironic. And the teaching projects are for other audiences.

What I most want to say to a couple of you is, “your questions are working their way through my soul and I wish we could be in the same place to talk.”

What I most want to say to a couple of you is, “I know that you are feeling swamped and to say that I will ask God to give you a clarity that you have never felt before” sounds a bit cliche, but isn’t.

What I most want to say to a couple of you is “I am sorry for your loss.”

What I most want to say to a couple of you is “Don’t sit watching your screen for four hours a night while you try to figure out what to do for God. What you know for sure is that it isn’t sitting watching your screen for four hours a night.”

What I most want to say to a couple of you is “Rest. More than struggling so hard to measure up, rest.”

What I most want to say to a couple of you is “What if you acted as if it’s true?”

What I most want to say to a couple of you is “thank you.”