26 Comments
Apr 17Liked by Diana Butler Bass

This Sunday Musing has been incredibly helpful to me. I didn’t know the meaning of believe/belief. I have carried with me, since maybe high school, the belief that believe/belief is abstract and something that people argue over, therefore not a good thing. Now I can see it as something I care about deeply, which is inner strength and courage to risk uncertainty, taking a step into the unknown. Thank you for this lesson.

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Feb 15, 2022Liked by Diana Butler Bass

This post prompted me to watch Ted Lasso. I just finished the second season and appreciated how rich all the interactions are between the characters, particularly with that Believe sign. The believe / belong dynamic is both obvious and, at the same time, complex. Insights abound and they compel me to be curious.

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Yes, yes, yes. Thank you.

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Thank you, Diana, for your observations. I’ve watched Ted Lasso and kind of see him as a Christ figure…his kindness and forgiveness. And “believe” = what I give my heart to….reminded me of Jesus’ question “who do you say I am?”

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It is a joyful thing to find a humbling counterpoint to what I thought I knew about "Believe."

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A friend's book was just published. It is called "The Gospel According to Ted Lasso: Believe." I've not seen the show so I cannot say I know anything about it but it certainly seems to have many followers.

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Feb 7, 2022Liked by Diana Butler Bass

Great to see you on Richard Rohr's CAC!

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Yes to this newsletter. It articulates why I’ve always had more enthusiasm for “I believe that we CAN win” over the more commonly embraced “I believe that we WILL win.”

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There are layers of depth to the word believe. Many beliefs come and go and change over time like clouds floating by. And then there is an experiential believing in love that resides in the heart which changes applications but always remains the same in a undeniable unshakable consistent purity. To believe from here is always a gift of grace.

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Love this, Diana! I have come to understand belief in much the way you are describing - relational trust, loyalty, allegiance, commitment (more than simply winning or losing the game, but what we can become in relationship to ourselves and each other and all life). What I wonder about is where loyalty and commitment, even trust, are also present in cultic, exclusivist, and controlling communities (church, politics, small groups, group-think in general). I’m only 2/3 into Season 1, but Ted Lasso seems to also exhibit a Zen-like quality that rises above this “zero-sum” tendency with a degree of equanimity and a “don’t mind” attitude about life …. what people think of him (early on or later), even his struggling relationship w Michelle (wife), he is able to treat w an intentional non-judgment and compassion. What if belief then is a kind of hope that is about living “as if” all moments already exist in a state of redemptive possibility? All moments exist in a possible state of shalom/justice (right relationship). Maybe then God’s agency in the world is probability and God’s desire/spirit in the world (all cosmic creation, not just humanity) is shalom/justice. Would that suggest our human purpose (Ted Lasso’s purpose) is to live mindfully present to what brings/can bring about right relationship, knowing even now, in the chaos or tensions we might be in, (as MLK, Jr said in his Mountain Top speech), we have “seen the other side”. I guess that’s what “faith” is. For me, the real joy that Lasso brings to AFC Richmond is simply this “believing” the shalom of right relationship. It just occurred to me the Karaoke scene where even Ted has his own “come to Jesus moment” regarding this “faith” (hopefully not too much a spoiler). Thank you for your engaging post! (Tom McDermott)

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What a great piece, Diana. I love this way of understanding belief. The Madeleine L'Engle quote is spot on. I've read A Wrinkle in Time (an outstanding read for all ages!). Do you have another favorite by L'Engle that you would recommend? I need to put more of her work on my reading list. :)

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I love this way of looking at belief in a new (to me) way. Thank you!

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Duly noted: Nate, the man who is greatly suffering from Father Wound, tore up the Believe sign. Ted Lasso is such a gift to those of us who are called to work with and for vulnerable people. Each character yields a powerhouse of emotion. I still weep over Roy Kent's embrace of Jamie, and Ted's journey to addressing his own father wound.

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Feb 6, 2022Liked by Diana Butler Bass

Thank you for your voice on the page, stitched gracefully with other voices, a quilt for covering & uncovering.

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That was very very cool. Ty

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Good word. No spoilers, but I will say I think that your interpretation only deepens as the narrative progresses, culminating in the Season 2 finale.

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