Why Love?

After seven years behind this mic and more than seven decades of living, I want to answer a simple but dangerous question: why love? Why has love become the center of my faith, my work, and this podcast?

This episode is personal. I talk about growing up in a home shaped by addiction and silence, the moment my father finally said “I love you,” and how that single sentence changed the trajectory of my life. From the Lord’s Prayer to Love’s Creed, from Jesus’ call to lay down our lives to the words of Brené Brown, I trace why real love is not sentimental, commercialized, or safe. Real love is gritty, justice-seeking, and life-risking.

I’m not interested in religious performance, slogans, or spiritual noise. I’m interested in the kind of love that actually transforms people, communities, and faith itself. The kind of love Jesus talked about. The kind that costs something.

If you’ve ever felt burned out on religion but still hungry for meaning, beauty, and truth, this conversation is for you.

I’m Bishop Randy Dean. I’m alive to love. And I’m glad you’re here.