Yes yes and yes to this. Joshua, this is so wonderful and so wonderfully wise. I am going to start this practice. It reminded me immediately of the first time my eyes were opened to Romans 8:11 — “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you…” — and I realized the critical nature of believing in the literal truth of that. Christ in me; the Spirit of Him who raised Christ in me. Me! Why me!? No idea, but there you have it.
You’ve articulated this beautifully. Thank you for letting us into the intimacy of this journey; I trust it was the right time, and His word will not return empty.
It is intimate to claim the truth of Immanuel as your own. But how unreal also. Know something, my friend: seek Him and seek Him and seek Him and — I pinky promise — the rest will take care of itself. I failed to do that when I was 23, and my plan scattered me and shattered me. His will find you and bind you and keep you and make you more you than ever. Don’t believe the lies of the world. You’re crushing it.
I’ll accept the pinky-promise, Hannah 😂 You have a way of articulating grand and cosmic truths in a way that makes them feel like a warm blanket I can wrap myself in. Thank you for the warmth ❤️
This is powerful—I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to nudge you to write because everything you've written feels...different. I can't even describe how different, but I definitely in a wonderful, thought-provoking, heart-warming way. 🙏
This is beautiful! I've never thought about speaking that verse over my day in that way. It's the goal, but a different and sort of fundamental and committed way to approach it. I love that!
Last time I messaged you I remember you were kind of doubting whether you should continue writing. I’m glad to see you are still writing, and writing very well I must say. Well done young man and keep going.
Buddy, I am not sure you know what true worship is- see the spirit of the liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger and Brant pitre’s biblical roots of the Eucharist.
Ratzinger talks about doubting in the very first line of his introduction to Christianity- the fine line between faith and doubt.
Beautiful article and Thankyou for sharing your journey with us, Joshua!
I’ve wondered about this dynamic and inner magic a great deal- as an acute observer of the relationship between actor and character onscreen, actors who intensely embody their character have always been fascinating to me. It is a beautiful and terrible power. We have a unique power as a gift from God, to shape and enliven and the thing that we breathe into begins to breathe back into us- good and bad.
Tom Hiddleston’s 15 year journey is playing Loki is probably one of the best examples of the internal “shaping and therefore shaped”-by caring about a character so deeply and “seeking after him” as it were, he discovered a story and created a nature that was ready to be told that wasn’t present when the character was first written. I’ve often wondered what would happen if someone like Tom H played Jesus with the same attention and passion. It’s an eye opener to see what power we are innately given- and God gave us Jesus to be able to give us a vision- an image- to gaze upon, that spirit then turns, reaches into and forms and shapes us. It’s incredible, beautiful, mysterious! Keep on gazing!
"Christ consciousness isn't simply about believing the right things or behaving the right way. It's about allowing yourself to become translucent to a love that was always there, waiting patiently for you to get out of the way. " Beautiful writing, thank you for putting your experience into words. I'm sitting here reflecting on all I've just taken in. I have been entangled with "checking off the boxes" many times and I have had glimpses of how liberating it is when that practice falls away. I'm encouraged to go deeper and surrender more. Christ came to give me freedom and shine through my life, how delightful to step into that process.
Wow, Joshua. This wasn’t just a post—it felt like sacred ground. I found myself holding my breath at times, nodding, tearing up, and then just sitting in silence when I finished reading. The way you captured the slow, painful undoing of self so that Christ might fully live through us, hit something deep in me.
I’ve been wanting to write a Lenten devotional for weeks, but I couldn’t start. I didn’t know how to approach something so holy without it feeling like I was forcing it. But then I read this, and something in me shifted. Your words reminded me that it’s not about performance. It’s not about saying all the right things. It’s about surrender. Honest, messy, daily surrender. And in that, Christ writes through us.
The way you weaved the actors’ stories with your own journey, and how you kept returning to “It is no longer I who live…” I truly felt the Spirit in every line. It wasn’t just thoughtful, it was lived.
Thank you for your honesty. For your humility. And for pulling back the curtain on something so sacred. I’m so grateful you shared this.
Subscribed. Seated. Very much wrecked, and reminded that even in the dying, resurrection is coming!
Cheering you on as Christ continues to write His story through you. 🙏
Jane, Oh wow… I’m honestly sitting here reading your words and just… undone. Thank you. Truly. It means more than I can say that you didn’t just read the post, but sat with it, breathed with it, felt it. That’s sacred to me. And hearing that something in you shifted - that maybe it helped you move toward writing your own Lenten devotional? That’s the real miracle. That’s Him.
You’re so right - this isn’t about performance. It’s about the trembling, open-handed yes. The kind of surrender that feels more like unraveling than arriving. And yet, somehow, He makes something holy in the unraveling. I’m just so grateful you’d take the time to say all of this with such kindness, tenderness, and depth. Thank you for being here.
And now I’m over here cheering you on - because the devotional in you is already soaked in grace.
Yes yes and yes to this. Joshua, this is so wonderful and so wonderfully wise. I am going to start this practice. It reminded me immediately of the first time my eyes were opened to Romans 8:11 — “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you…” — and I realized the critical nature of believing in the literal truth of that. Christ in me; the Spirit of Him who raised Christ in me. Me! Why me!? No idea, but there you have it.
You’ve articulated this beautifully. Thank you for letting us into the intimacy of this journey; I trust it was the right time, and His word will not return empty.
It is intimate to claim the truth of Immanuel as your own. But how unreal also. Know something, my friend: seek Him and seek Him and seek Him and — I pinky promise — the rest will take care of itself. I failed to do that when I was 23, and my plan scattered me and shattered me. His will find you and bind you and keep you and make you more you than ever. Don’t believe the lies of the world. You’re crushing it.
I’ll accept the pinky-promise, Hannah 😂 You have a way of articulating grand and cosmic truths in a way that makes them feel like a warm blanket I can wrap myself in. Thank you for the warmth ❤️
I say the same about you! I started my Galatians 2:20 practice this morning. Stay tuned :)
This is powerful—I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to nudge you to write because everything you've written feels...different. I can't even describe how different, but I definitely in a wonderful, thought-provoking, heart-warming way. 🙏
Thank you for sharing some of your journey in dying to self. Well-written👏🏾
This is beautiful! I've never thought about speaking that verse over my day in that way. It's the goal, but a different and sort of fundamental and committed way to approach it. I love that!
What a profound sharing! I need this reminder in my daily walk : “Everyday I die a little more to who I thought I was”
a truly enthralling article, thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for this beautiful and thought provoking piece. Continue in your pursuit of Jesus. He alone is worthy of all our praise.
Last time I messaged you I remember you were kind of doubting whether you should continue writing. I’m glad to see you are still writing, and writing very well I must say. Well done young man and keep going.
Buddy, I am not sure you know what true worship is- see the spirit of the liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger and Brant pitre’s biblical roots of the Eucharist.
Ratzinger talks about doubting in the very first line of his introduction to Christianity- the fine line between faith and doubt.
This is the best thing I’ve read lately. Thank you for this beautiful description of dying to self!
Beautiful article and Thankyou for sharing your journey with us, Joshua!
I’ve wondered about this dynamic and inner magic a great deal- as an acute observer of the relationship between actor and character onscreen, actors who intensely embody their character have always been fascinating to me. It is a beautiful and terrible power. We have a unique power as a gift from God, to shape and enliven and the thing that we breathe into begins to breathe back into us- good and bad.
Tom Hiddleston’s 15 year journey is playing Loki is probably one of the best examples of the internal “shaping and therefore shaped”-by caring about a character so deeply and “seeking after him” as it were, he discovered a story and created a nature that was ready to be told that wasn’t present when the character was first written. I’ve often wondered what would happen if someone like Tom H played Jesus with the same attention and passion. It’s an eye opener to see what power we are innately given- and God gave us Jesus to be able to give us a vision- an image- to gaze upon, that spirit then turns, reaches into and forms and shapes us. It’s incredible, beautiful, mysterious! Keep on gazing!
Thank you for sharing your faith journey. I loved this piece!
At the age of 23, you just described exactly how surrender feels - Bravo! It took me over forty years to figure that out.
"Christ consciousness isn't simply about believing the right things or behaving the right way. It's about allowing yourself to become translucent to a love that was always there, waiting patiently for you to get out of the way. " Beautiful writing, thank you for putting your experience into words. I'm sitting here reflecting on all I've just taken in. I have been entangled with "checking off the boxes" many times and I have had glimpses of how liberating it is when that practice falls away. I'm encouraged to go deeper and surrender more. Christ came to give me freedom and shine through my life, how delightful to step into that process.
Thank you!! I am going to try this “experiment" between now and my baptism, in 30 days!
Cheering you on all the way to the water. And beyond ❤️
Wow, Joshua. This wasn’t just a post—it felt like sacred ground. I found myself holding my breath at times, nodding, tearing up, and then just sitting in silence when I finished reading. The way you captured the slow, painful undoing of self so that Christ might fully live through us, hit something deep in me.
I’ve been wanting to write a Lenten devotional for weeks, but I couldn’t start. I didn’t know how to approach something so holy without it feeling like I was forcing it. But then I read this, and something in me shifted. Your words reminded me that it’s not about performance. It’s not about saying all the right things. It’s about surrender. Honest, messy, daily surrender. And in that, Christ writes through us.
The way you weaved the actors’ stories with your own journey, and how you kept returning to “It is no longer I who live…” I truly felt the Spirit in every line. It wasn’t just thoughtful, it was lived.
Thank you for your honesty. For your humility. And for pulling back the curtain on something so sacred. I’m so grateful you shared this.
Subscribed. Seated. Very much wrecked, and reminded that even in the dying, resurrection is coming!
Cheering you on as Christ continues to write His story through you. 🙏
Jane, Oh wow… I’m honestly sitting here reading your words and just… undone. Thank you. Truly. It means more than I can say that you didn’t just read the post, but sat with it, breathed with it, felt it. That’s sacred to me. And hearing that something in you shifted - that maybe it helped you move toward writing your own Lenten devotional? That’s the real miracle. That’s Him.
You’re so right - this isn’t about performance. It’s about the trembling, open-handed yes. The kind of surrender that feels more like unraveling than arriving. And yet, somehow, He makes something holy in the unraveling. I’m just so grateful you’d take the time to say all of this with such kindness, tenderness, and depth. Thank you for being here.
And now I’m over here cheering you on - because the devotional in you is already soaked in grace.