“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Thorns and Roses
There is a thread that does not snap when the thorn presses in. It does not fray when prayers go unanswered, or rather, when the answer is grace. The thorn is not the failure of love, but the form it sometimes takes. It humbles the hand, slows the stride, teaches the soul to lean.
Tandem, tension, treasure
Power, we thought, would look like triumph. But it came cloaked in ache, perfecting itself not in our strength but in our surrender.
So we boast—not in the thorn, but in the thread that holds. Not in the wound, but in the grace that weaves through it.
The drop
Perfection and Power do not parade in strength; they whisper through Weakness and Wishing. This is the apostolic witness: grace, sufficient and strong, threaded through the thorn.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” — Psalm 23:4
The scene
Few people expect the valley to last this long. The diagnosis comes and goes, but the dread lingers. The calls slow down. The prayers feel thin. Yet in the quiet, something shimmers — not escape, but presence.
The comfort – the tension
The tension is in the shadow — not full darkness, but the outline of it. Comfort doesn’t come from the absence of fear, but from the nearness of God. The valley isn’t skipped; it’s walked through.
Dropping honey
The valley casts a heavy shade, But still I walk, unafraid. Not by light, but by the hand That holds me firm where shadows stand.
Even the shadow will shine, When and where the King is mine. The fear may whisper, death may loom, But love has carved a brighter room. And in that hush, I learn to sing: The shadow shines when held by the King.
Verse: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” — Colossians 4:6
The scene
Disciples do not hesitate to speak. They speak, they season with grace. Their silence is not for choosing the right sound. They bring forth no blame, and every word felt reflects remembered grace. Disciples don’t just speak — they season, spicy, unhurried, loudly or softly, always strangely strong.
The comfort – the tension
Speech without seasoning is noise. But salt isn’t just flavor — it’s identity. The tension is in remembering that our words are not just tools, but signs of who we are. Comfort comes when we speak not to win, but to witness.
The honey drop
To distil the sweetness: Salt speaks. It preserves, purifies, provokes. It’s the signature of the disciple — not loud, but lasting. Seasoned speech is the soul’s offering: gracious, grounded, and glowing with the quiet strength of one who knows they belong to the Way.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” — Luke 23:34
The cross was God’s megaphone
He stood at the mic, the letter folded in his pocket. The words he’d written were raw, honest, and deserved. But as the crowd leaned in, he felt the weight of something deeper — condemnation and mercy. Not vindication, but release.
The comfort – the tension
The tension is sharp: forgiveness feels like surrender when pain still pulses. But comfort rises in the realization that forgiveness isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom. It’s choosing to be free, even when the wound still whispers.
The drop
The dying man’s voice was loud, announcing the full accomplishment of his mission. Dying people usually speak in hushed tones and none have been known to choose to give up their life. “Life from the dead” becomes a chant that fills any stadium where people contemplate their destiny. Knowing that countless individuals would close their eyes to the truth, the speaker was sure that the path forward was to forgive them anyway.
A meditation on the burden and beauty of tending souls
Scenario: He didn’t rush to respond. The message sat unread, not because he didn’t care — but because he cared too much. The ache of tending souls had taught him that urgency isn’t always holy. Some burdens require time to breathe before they’re lifted.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2
Tension and Comfort:
The tension lies in the timing: when to carry, when to wait, when to speak. The weight of care is not just in the burden itself, but in the discernment of how to hold it. Comfort comes in knowing that waiting is not neglect — it’s reverence.
Honey Drop – Distilling the Sweetness:
True care is not hurried. It listens longer, lingers deeper, and loves without a stopwatch. The sweetness is found in the slow miracle — that bearing with someone is sometimes more healing than bearing for them.
Celebrate the weight of waiting
Leader: We waited for them to speak. We waited for them, they sleep. We waited for them to return. And the weight was love.
People: We carry our fears, We grasp at rebellion, We forget our dreams, And the weight was holy.
Leader: He waited for them to listen. He waited for them to heal. He waited for them to forgive. And the weight was truth.
People: We carried secrets. We bore wounds. We invoke many names. And the weight was sacred.
Leader: We waited for them to understand. We waited for them to ask. We waited for them to grow. And the weight was patience.
People: We carried their questions. We bore their silence. We held their futures. And the weight was promise.
Leader: He waited in the garden. He waited on the cross. He waited by the fire. And the weight was glory.
All: He carried our shame. He bore our betrayal. He held our hope. And the weight was love.
And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man… (Matthew 13:37)
The scene
The garden, so familiar to Adam’s family, comes to portray the productivity of human beings, and the certain judgment of the Gardener. The planting and the harvesting contain drama that shakes our balance.
The comfort – the tension
Not only good seeds – apple, fig, tomatoes – but weeds that will be burnt up as unwanted. Forgetting that weeds can look like wheat, or that the son of man is both God and man will make a disturbing aroma of something less than love.
The drop
The line of demarcation between good seed and bad seed, between wheat and weeds, does not erase the common humanity, which, under any circumstance in the current age, deserves some sweetness amid the inevitable bitterness. United in the garden parable and our reality is divinity and humanity, without controversy in the Son of Man.
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21:11 ESV2011)
For those who know that truth is caught, not claimed
🔹 The Catch
Leader: They cast the net — Not knowing what would come. They obeyed the voice — And truth came up.
People: Not just fish. Not just fullness. But the forgotten mission Truth and disciples in abundance.
Leader: He said, “I am the truth.” And the net did not tear. The catch was complete. The truth held.
All: We cast our lives Into Your word. We haul up What You have spoken. And the net is full Of truth.
Life is Fun, But Not a Joke 