E223 [Rewind] Marked by His Presence

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