210: A Story Big Enough to Live In – Become Good Soil Foundations Series (Part 5)

Apr 7, 2026

They explore the recovery of longing and desire as a spiritual impulse rather than a liability. They revisit early awakenings to beauty and those formative moments that stir yearning. They trace longing through classic writers and a larger Christian storyline that frames desire as part of a homecoming. They contrast cultural distortions of desire with practices that form and steward it toward hope.

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INSIGHT

Longing Is A God-Given Beacon

Desire and longing are God-given signals meant to lead us back to God rather than liabilities to hide or kill.
Morgan cites C.S. Lewis's “joy” moment by a currant bush as the kind of fleeting awakening that beckons a lifelong search for God.

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ANECDOTE

Wine Hill Picnic Sparked Lifelong Longing

Cherie recalls a multigenerational picnic at Wine Hill that awakened an inconsolable longing to freeze fleeting beauty and family life.
She remembers the light, fireflies, German-Lutheran heritage, and the sense of time passing as the moment that stirred her soul.

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ANECDOTE

Golf Mornings Became Sacred Longing

Morgan shares mornings on a rinky-dink golf course above the Allegheny River as an early encounter with beauty, wildness, and masculine fellowship.
He later realized, through Sacred Romance, that those delights were meant for God and had religious significance.

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Digging into the Foundations Series

01:08 • 3min

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Reading Baxter Kruger on Lewis's Longing

04:16 • 4min

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Remembering Your First Longing

08:32 • 2min

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Cherie's Childhood Memory of Longing

10:54 • 5min

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Morgan's Golf Course Awakening

16:01 • 4min

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Longing as Homecoming in Christian Story

20:21 • 2min

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Desire, Grief, and Cultural Perils

22:47 • 8min

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Wildness and Discipline in Formation

30:37 • 1min

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The Larger Story: Acts One to Four

31:51 • 5min

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The Sacred Romance Framework

37:09 • 5min

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Longing Needs a Story Big Enough

41:53 • 60sec

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Invitation to Reflect and Explore

42:53 • 1min

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Buechner's Vision of the Gospel Fairy Tale

Father Fulton Sheen's 'The Divine Romance' presents Christian spirituality through the metaphor of a romance between God and the human soul, drawing on Scripture and Catholic tradition. Sheen emphasizes God's initiative in drawing humanity to Himself and explores how believers can respond with love, devotion, and transformation. The book blends theological reflection with pastoral exhortation, aiming to awaken deeper affection for God. Sheen's clear, rhetorical style made his works widely accessible to mid-20th century audiences and continues to influence devotional readers. This work aligns with other 'sacred romance' literature that reinterprets desire as part of divine invitation.

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• Mentioned in 2 episodes

The Great Dance

C. Baxter Kruger

#3264

• Mentioned in 15 episodes

The sacred romance

Drawing Closer to the Heart of God

Brent Curtis

In 'The Sacred Romance,' Brent Curtis and John Eldredge invite readers on a transformative journey to rediscover the deepest longings of their hearts and the profound love story woven into the fabric of their lives. The book delves into the human desire for meaning, adventure, and connection, revealing how these desires are part of a larger narrative of love and redemption. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing and healing from past wounds and reframing life's experiences through the lens of a divine love story. The authors encourage readers to embark on a journey to deepen their relationship with God, highlighting that this relationship is one of intimacy, adventure, and beauty.

#3264

• Mentioned in 15 episodes

The sacred romance

Drawing Closer to the Heart of God

Brent Curtis

#35

• Mentioned in 306 episodes

Mere Christianity

C.S. Lewis

In 'Mere Christianity', C.S. Lewis argues for the existence of God and defends Christian theology. The book is divided into four parts: the first argues for the existence of God based on the 'law of human nature'; the second defends Christian theology, including the 'Liar, lunatic, or Lord' trilemma regarding Jesus Christ; the third explores Christian ethics, including the cardinal and theological virtues; and the fourth discusses the Christian conception of God, particularly the Holy Trinity. Lewis also addresses topics such as free will, morality, sexual ethics, and the institution of marriage. The book is known for its clear and logical presentation of Christian apologetics and has been praised for its straightforward and humorous writing style.

#229

• Mentioned in 109 episodes

The Chronicles of Narnia

C.S. Lewis

#26500

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Telling the truth

Frederick Buechner

Frederick Buechner's "Telling the Truth" is a collection of essays exploring the intersection of faith, storytelling, and the search for meaning. Buechner, a renowned writer and theologian, reflects on the nature of truth, the power of language, and the importance of living a life of integrity. His work is characterized by its lyrical prose and its profound insights into the human condition. The essays offer a unique blend of personal reflection and theological insight, making them accessible to both scholars and general readers. Buechner's work is appreciated for its honesty and its ability to connect with readers on a deeply personal level. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of faith and the challenges of living a meaningful life.

“It is a world of magic and mystery of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, and where a great struggle often makes it hard to be sure who belongs to which side, because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good who live happily ever after and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, become known by their true name. That is the fairytale of the gospel.” —Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: the Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy, and Fairy Tale

Friends,

What happens in you when you hear the word desire?

Is there a kind of quickening—something like curiosity?

Or a hesitation… a guardedness?

Maybe a quiet opening that feels like hope.

Or a heaviness in your chest that carries sadness.

Or even a flash of cynicism.

What have you come to believe about desire…

in your life with the Triune God,

in His Kingdom,

in your apprenticeship to Jesus?

And what if the recovery—the honoring and stewarding of desire in its purest form—is actually central to your restoration as an image-bearer of God?

In this next episode of the Become Good Soil Foundations Series, we explore the recovery of longing and desire. Because at the heart of the Christian story is an arresting claim: that desire, in its essence, is not something to fear—but something given by God, meant to lead us to Him and into His Kingdom.

It was the awakening of desire—those fleeting, radiant moments—that first beckoned C. S. Lewis. He described this awakening as joy. And that joy stirred something in him, calling him to search for more.

And the same is true for us.

Our longing is not a liability. It is part of the way back to joy. Everything we love—every glimpse of beauty, goodness, and delight—is from God, is for God, and ultimately finds its home in Him.

The story of the kingdom is a story of desire being gathered up and restored—a great homecoming.

Let’s press forward together.

It's all been prologue. The best is yet to come.

For the Kingdom,

Morgan & Cherie

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