I believe love is credible. I believe it is the only thing that truly stands the test. And if I am honest, it can stink to love people.

In this episode of the No BS Bishop Podcast, I talk plainly about the cost of loving others when it hurts. I have been betrayed. I have had promises broken. I have watched people disappear. I have felt fear, disappointment, and exhaustion show up fast and loud. And still, love remains the call on my life.

I draw from decades of pastoral life, personal heartbreak, and the example of Jesus to explore what it really means to love when it would be easier to shut down or walk away. Love is not soft. It does not always protect us from pain. It demands courage, patience, and a willingness to stay present when things get hard.

I talk about loving neighbors who disappoint us, frighten us, disagree with us, or wound us, and choosing love anyway. Not denial. Not sentimentality. A grounded, determined love that refuses to turn into hate.

If you have ever wondered whether love is worth the cost, if you have been hurt by people you tried to care for, or if you are tired of fear and anger running the show, this episode is for you.

Some days love stinks. I still believe it is the way forward.

I hear people ask all the time, “What is God’s purpose for my life?” and while I can’t tell you whether you should be a veterinarian or a stay-at-home dad, I can tell you that the purpose of life is not to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The real purpose is to be aimed at Love—love for ourselves, our neighbors, our families, our communities, and even our enemies. We get so easily distracted and beset by the struggle to find meaning through a paycheck or the daily grind of holding down a job. While those things are practical and necessary, let’s be honest: they fall short of filling the human soul with real satisfaction. We are on this earth for the far greater joy of Love.

I honestly doubt that Michelangelo dragged himself up onto that scaffolding to paint the Sistine Chapel or carved the famed Pieta just because he had to pay his rent. I don’t think Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa hoping to win his mother's approval or to cover his taxes; he did it out of a deep love for the gift inside his heart, using it to capture the unique, rye beauty of an everyday person.

Each and every one of us carries gifts and talents that bring us joy when we exercise them, and something in us comes alive when we do. Whether you are farming to feed a nation or teaching future leaders in a classroom, the truth is that others will fall in love with your gift because you love your gift. I have always said there is no task so small that it cannot be performed with great love. Even if you are a street sweeper or a night-shift janitor, if you perform that task with a radiance of love, everyone who sees you will be inspired to say, “My, my, they sure seem to love life.” No matter where you are or what you do, join me in being done with the BS and start living for Love alone.

Reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I share how his writings saved me as a young teenager navigating the astronomical racial tensions of 1960s Milwaukee. I’m unpacking his profound idea of a "soul generated by love," exploring how a heart full of grace is the only true requirement for greatness. We often mistake our lives for a competition, thinking we have to conquer others or win arguments, but a soul lit up by love knows how to pause, listen, and refuse the "dance of enmity."

I also dive into the concept of Love and Tolerance as a code for living. Using the world of engineering as a metaphor, I explain how we must be like skyscrapers or bridges—built with the "tolerance" to bend and bounce in the gale-force winds of strife without ever breaking.

The episode concludes with a practical moment of centering: a breathing exercise to inhale love and exhale fear, and a challenge to use the three most "holy and magical" words we have: I love you. We don't have the guarantee of time, so the moment to be present, flexible, and kind is right now.

Connect: If you’d like a copy of Love’s Creed to keep in your own inner dialogue, email me at RandyDeanMinistries@gmail.com. There is no bait and switch and no BS—just the creed, sent from my heart to yours.