Learning Love

A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF GOD

In the Bible God gives the following attributes when revealing himself to Moses: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness." What a powerful description of the character of God - one we see repeated throughout the pages of scripture, both in word and deed.

In the first part of our journey together we will dive into the heart of God as seen in scripture with the hopes of shaping our own experience of God in our lives today. Do we know God as a God who is merciful and gracious? slow to anger? abounding in love? Or do we have a different understanding of God? Can we come to know God as a God of love? If so, how?

Our hearts are heavy by times, and this is because they have not always been loved well. One of the wonders of God as revealed in scripture is that his love (hesed) is poured out on people. Knowing that we are loved by God regardless of what has been done to us (or what we have done to ourselves) is life changing. Do you know God's love in your life?

Often in the Bible we have God (Jesus in the New Testament) noticing people - looking at them and loving them. And their lives are changed; they leave behind a life of brokeness and hard-heartedness, shame and guilt, as they respond to the love of God. That which has been desecrated begins to shine forth once again in all of its sacred beauty as we learn to love God who first loved us.

Once we have come to an understanding of the unconditional love of God as seen in Christ and poured into our lives by the Spirit, loving others becomes a natural part of our living. As our heart is held in the love of God, as it is healed, we begin to see others differently - with the eyes of God who looked at us and loved us.

As we are loved by God and learn what it is to be loved, as we begin to heal, we cannot help but to offer such love to others. We begin to see others not as mere acquaintances or neighbours but as companions on the journey of life who have also been broken and desecrated; as we see them with the eyes of God we long to hold their hearts till they too shine with sacredness.

Richard Hovey

Richard is the Education Director for Renovaré Canada, oversees our Consumed Program, and provides leadership to the Empey Centre. He will be facilitating this Online Renewal Group.

2026

Learning Love: A Journey into the Heart of God

What is God like?

Will I ever be whole?

How do I love others?

These are the core questions we will be asking and answering in this journey. There will be times of private reading and reflection, and of joining with others in conversation around material provided; group conversation will be online via Zoom on Fridays (from January 9 to March 27).

This is a 12 week journey of faith into the heart of God; this means learning what the heart of God is like, and also learning to be shaped by the heart of God. We will journey through three themes:

Hearing God’s Heart

Healing Our Heart

Holding Another’s Heart

(COST: $35 registration fee)

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Learning Love Request

I am interested in joining a Learning Love Online Renewal Group

Which Online Zoom Meeting Time Works For You (on Fridays from January 9 to March 27)

11am Eastern Time

6pm Eastern Time

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