Re. That’s it. That’s my word for 2022. No, not the musical note. And no, not the abbreviated version of regarding. Just Re.  It means “once more, afresh, anew.” In short, again. There’s a lot to this little word. I couldn’t settle in on just one of the possible iterations, so I chose about four to work from this year: 

• Repurpose
• Repent
• Reimagine
• Reinvent

For this blog post, I want to focus in one the first one, repurpose. Typically when we think of repurposing something, we think about recycling it for use again, but with a different purpose. For instance, my daughter-in-law has a super cool coffee table. It’s a household door, laid flat, with four legs underneath. It used to be a door, you know, that thing that opens and closes leading in or out of a room. But now it’s a coffee table. It’s been repurposed. It’s purpose used to be opening or closing a space, but now it holds books and candles and whatever else you put on a coffee table. Coffee too, I suppose. Bottom line, it’s purpose is different.

But I’m taking a different take on repurpose. I’m using it in the sense of “to again purpose.” In other words, the purpose is the same, but it has a renewed expression. As I thought about 2022, I felt like God was in the process of repurposing me. My purpose is the same. To communicate the Gospel of the Kingdom in ways that are understandable and actionable. That’s been my primary purpose (or mission statement) for the last 25 years or so. But the expression might change a little this year. I’m still doing Gospel-centered counseling and coaching. I’m still doing speaking engagements. I’m still leading backpacking trips through Born 2 Be Wild, teaching the way of Christ in the wilderness. And I’m still doing a podcast with my brother, The Inglorious Pastords. 

But I’m sensing the pull to do a lot more writing and blogging this year. Currently I’m working on a book project requested by a Christian publisher. The book is called, “Undivided: How to Disagree without Being Disagreeable.” As you know, the world is super divided right now on just about everything: politics, healthcare, theology…you name it. We are living in a world that’s increasingly black or white, with no room for gray. (or grey, depending on which side you’re on.) But we’re not only divided, we’re getting ugly about it. It’s right or wrong, good guys vs. the bad guys…and if you don’t believe like I do, you’re the bad guy.

It’s not healthy.  More importantly, it’s not Christ-like. I’m watching a generation of young adults walk away from the church because they feel like it’s divisive and mean-spirited. But this is not the way of Christ.  The way of Christ is love. On the night that Jesus was betrayed and then crucified, he established a new covenant with his blood. A new Kingdom with a new command. He put it this way, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, NIV)

Hmmm. All men will know you are a disciple of Jesus because you love others as he loves you.

• Not by your political position.
• Not by your healthcare philosophy.
• Not even by your doctrine.

By your love. And not just any love. Not just love your neighbor as you love yourself. That was an old command. The new command is to love others as Christ has loved you. This is a gamechanger! Jesus loved Peter the denyer, Thomas the doubter, Simon the nationalist, James and John the destroyers, Nicodemus the pharisee, Matthew and Zacchaeus the tax collectors, Mary the prostitute. You get the picture.

And you and me. And that’s the way you and I are to love others. So my repurposing this year is to love EVERYONE the way Jesus loves me and express that love in tangible ways. It’s the same. I’m just going to do it again.