What if the greatest evidence of spiritual maturity isn’t how much theology we know, but how deeply we love God and the people around us? Brandon and Lindsy sit down with Dr. Rob Reimer, author of The Tenderness of Jesus and Soul Care, for a deeply personal conversation about encountering Jesus beyond doctrine. Rob shares his dramatic conversion, his experience through a nine-month “dark night of the soul,” and how seasons of suffering and surrender reshaped his understanding of intimacy with God. Together they explore the tenderness of Jesus, God’s sovereignty and human freedom, dying to self, authentic humility, religious performance, soul care, and why biblical knowledge must become lived transformation. Rob also shares the story behind The Tenderness of Jesus, written originally for his own children, and explains why the cross and eternity provide essential lenses for understanding God’s goodness amid suffering. The conversation closes with recommended classics on spiritual formation, a remarkable healing story from Brazil, and a prayer that we would become people unmistakably marked by having been with Jesus.

https://renewalinternational.org/
Rob's book-https://amzn.to/46nj1nz

Timestamps

00:00:05 – Do You Love God and People More?
 00:00:43 – Introducing Dr. Rob Reimer
 00:03:06 – Rob’s Background and the Christian & Missionary Alliance
 00:05:29 – A Life-Changing Encounter with Jesus
 00:07:53 – Brandon’s Dark Night of the Soul
 00:09:46 – What the Dark Night of the Soul Really Means
 00:12:13 – Revival, Character and Dying to Self
 00:14:32 – When the Presence of God Returned
 00:16:56 – Sovereignty, Freedom and Human Choice
 00:19:19 – God’s Goodness in a Broken World
 00:21:40 – The Story Behind The Tenderness of Jesus
00:23:59 – Writing to the Ones You Love About the One You Love
00:26:19 – Soul Care, Freedom and Fullness in Christ
00:28:39 – Emptying the Soul Before Filling It
00:30:43 – Knowledge vs. Actual Spiritual Maturity
00:33:05 – The Religious Spirit and the Condition of the Heart
00:35:32 – Self-Focus, Ministry and Becoming Obsessed with Jesus
00:37:38 – Authentic Humility and Weakness
00:39:44 – Seeing God Through the Cross and Eternity
00:42:07 – Suffering, Homesickness and Our Eternal Citizenship
00:43:59 – Tenderness, Intimacy and the Holiness of God
00:46:00 – Why God’s Love Leads to Transformation
00:48:18 – Jesus’ Tenderness Toward Sinners
00:50:41 – The Cross, Love and Dying to Self
00:53:07 – Rob’s Favorite Classic Soul-Care Books
00:55:14 – Ancient and Modern Spiritual Formation Resources
00:57:36 – Theology, Encounter and Knowing Jesus
00:59:53 – A Remarkable Healing in Brazil
01:02:09 – Where to Find Rob and Closing Prayer