The God Journey: Recent Episodes
Wayne Jacobsen
What happens when something God gives us to share becomes entangled with the need to promote it, monetize it, or make it successful? Kyle and Wayne reflect on twenty-two years of The God Journey and the early decisions that allowed it to remain a free-flowing conversation rather than a product shaped by advertisers, audience metrics, or the pursuit of influence. Whether creating a podcast, returning to the classroom, or simply learning to abide in his presence, perhaps the invitation is the same: receive what God is giving, share it without manipulation, and trust him with where it goes. When the gift itself is enough, we are free to remain authentic. They also explore Paul’s invitation to let the message of Christ dwell richly within us. Fullness does not mean attaining some imagined spiritual capacity; it means allowing God to fill the capacity we have today.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast. (Because of Facebook policies, this link will only stay active for 30 days.)
- A new need in Kenya
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post When Gift Becomes Product (#1046) first appeared on The God Journey.
After a brief conversation about how AI is helping out at Lifestream, Kyle and Wayne turn to a deeper question: What did Paul mean when he described us as “children of wrath?" Rather than people destined to receive God’s anger, could he have been describing those formed by a world of fear, hostility, and vengeance? That distinction opens a wider view of God’s character and invites us to reconsider how we read Scriptures' most troubling passages. They also consider the challenge young people face in a digital culture shaped by betrayal, comparison, and the relentless pursuit of approval. How do we become grounded in the Father’s love rather than the judgments of the crowd? In a world steeped in wrath, Jesus is forming a people who know how to live as children of love.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Details for Tobie and Wayne's Zoom Class on How Does Love Make This Right
- The Jesus Lens - how to read Scripture through the revelation of Jesus.
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Children of Love in a World of Wrath (#1045) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle reflect on the Just Love Conversations recently held in Kansas City through the eyes of those who gathered there with Wayne and Tobie. They do so in the context of considering how easily spiritual truth becomes information to collect, perform, promote, or even monetize without ever transforming the way we think and live. Real change does not come from mastering better ideas, or even sharing them, but from learning to live inside the love of God until we no longer need to extract life, approval, or significance from those around us. The question is not whether we understand love, justice, and grace, but whether those realities are becoming visible in the way we parent, serve, lead, and live.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Knowing Is Not Living (#1044) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Tobie van der Westhuizen, coauthors of Just Love, reflect on the Just Love Conversations they hosted last weekend in Kansas City. Their recap includes knowing God’s love from the inside—not merely as a truth we believe, but as the very substance of salvation and the source from which we live. They explore how desire can lure us outside the present moment, reaching for possessions, experiences, or relationships to satisfy an ache they were never meant to fill. But as we learn to receive the love and life already given to us in God, we no longer need to take from others to secure our own well-being. Living from fullness frees us to become distributors of life—people whose growing contentment in God expresses itself in generosity, compassion, and the kind of justice that helps set the world right.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but no video was made of this podcast.
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Contented in His Love (#1043) first appeared on The God Journey.
What happens when fear no longer drives our faith, and we finally become safe enough to rest in love? What if the God we have learned to fear is not the God Jesus came to reveal? A recent article on neuroscience suggests that fear-based images of God activate the brain’s threat responses, while love-centered images foster connection, empathy, and resilience. For Kyle, that opens old memories of trying to stay off God’s radar and performing well enough to avoid his displeasure. For Wayne, it echoes a thirty-year journey of learning that God is not waiting for us to clean up our mess before drawing near. He is already present in our shame, our ache, our tears, and our disorientation, inviting us to discover that tenderness is not weakness and vulnerability is not failure.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- The Neuroscience of Encountering God
- Thirsting by Strahan Coleman
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post At Rest in His Love (#1042) first appeared on The God Journey.
How do we cultivate the environment in our hearts to host the God who is already present within us? Kyle and Wayne explore further how God shapes us from the inside—through identity, beauty, relationships, surrender, and the ordinary moments where his presence is already at work. Rather than trying to force a spiritual experience or get God to fix our circumstances the way we want, perhaps the invitation is to recognize where he is already with us and open more space for his love to transform us. From finances and purpose to marriage, leadership, and spiritual practices, they look at the environments that help us live more deeply in the Father’s affection and reflect his life in the world.
Podcast Notes:
- Due to technical difficulties, we do not have a video of this podcast.
- My Friend Luis Podcast
- Thirsting by Strahan Coleman
- The JUST LOVE Conversations in Kansas City
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Hosting His Presence Inside Us (#1041) first appeared on The God Journey.
"My emotions are a messenger, not a master." So wrote one of our listeners, and that refrain continues to pop up through the podcast, not just with our emotions but with our desires as well. Kyle shares how a false identity statement he had carried for years was exposed in a recent conversation with a friend. That invites them to pick up the thread of their conversation three weeks ago about the deep well of desire that exists in the human heart for a connection to God. Recognizing that deeper desire will help us see that most of our surface desires are attempts to fill a place they cannot fill. So, how do we deal with unmet desire, or even the disappointment of having others sidetrack something beautiful God began through a community? And what if our unfulfilled desires are an invitation into a more spacious trust?
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast. (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- The JUST LOVE Conversations in Kansas City
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post The Thirst Beneath Our Desires (#1040) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne, Kyle, and Joni continue their conversation about patriarchy, moving from cultural systems and religious interpretations into the deeper ways those ideas shape how men and women see God, themselves, and each other. From reactions to The Shack portraying God through a woman, to Scriptures that have been used to silence women, to current controversies in evangelical culture, they explore how Jesus opened a far wider door than the systems built in his name often allow. The conversation also turns toward desire—how religion often teaches restraint without helping people discover the beauty of God-authored desires expressed in love rather than shame, control, exploitation, or transaction. Along the way, they wrestle with traditional values, parenting, sexuality, and the long journey of untangling distorted desires so that both women and men can find the freedom, dignity, and fullness God always intended.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast. (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- The JUST LOVE Conversations in Kansas City
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Patriarchy Diminishes Us All (#1039) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Purity culture is a system that tells women to carry the moral weight of male desire." How is that healthy or fair? Joni Menard, an occasional guest on The God Journey, helps other women discover how to live deeply loved by God. She joins Wayne and Kyle for a conversation about patriarchy, purity culture, and gender differences, and how our religious systems often negatively shape the way men and women see themselves, their bodies, their desires, and each other. Patriarchy wounds men as well as women, and shame distorts the beauty of human desire. This podcast covers vulnerability, privilege, parenting, and the long journey of learning to listen, honor, and love without fear or control.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video version of this podcast. (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- A JUST LOVE Meet-up in Kansas City
- The post Joni shared
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Patriarchy, Purity Culture, and Wholeness (#1038) first appeared on The God Journey.
“At the bottom of our being is a throbbing, an aching that pines for our Other, day and night... a soul-longing that can’t be fulfilled by anything this world has to offer.” Those words from Strahan Coleman’s Thirsting open the door to a conversation about the ache beneath all our searching. What begins with people paying premium prices for meaningful emotional experiences soon turns toward the deeper hunger those experiences may touch but can never satisfy. Kyle and Wayne explore how easily our spiritual yearning can be hijacked by illusion, fear, performance, or the pursuit of a “God moment” we can control. But the deeper invitation is not to chase an experience; it is to awaken to the One who is already near, whose desire for us is greater than our desire for him, and whose kingdom is already within us. Perhaps the fulfillment of our deepest ache is found not in extraordinary moments, but in learning to recognize and nurture his presence in the ordinary ones.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- A JUST LOVE Meet-up in Kansas City
- Thirsting by Strahan Coleman
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Where Deep Calls to Deep (#1037) first appeared on The God Journey.
"The God Journey has been a long conversation about what happens when faith migrates from obligation into love." That's how ChatGPT summarized the twenty-two-year history of The God Journey. Kyle and Wayne were blessedly shocked at how ChatGPT captured the heart of this journey with uncanny clarity as it synthesized the trajectory of The God Journey over the past twenty-two years. What began as a refuge for people exhausted by religious performance and disillusioned with institutional Christianity has slowly matured into a broader exploration of trust, healing, justice, and love. They add their own thoughts to this AI assessment, delighting in how the podcast has moved from helping people understand their frustrations, but more importantly, to discovering what Father was inviting them into—a life grounded in affection rather than obligation. They also explore the promise and peril of AI, especially in spiritual conversations, where tools can serve reflection but never replace relationships. At its core, this episode celebrates a long, unfolding invitation to inhabit love in the world.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- The full summary from ChatGPT
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post How AI Summarized The God Journey (#1036) first appeared on The God Journey.
Yes, we know that the May 8 podcast is not on the Apple Podcast feed. All other aggregators have it, but something glitched at Apple, and after a frustrating week, my web guy, after filing multiple requests, has had no helpful response from Apple technicians to have this issue resolved.
This morning, the May 15th podcast loaded normally, but the May 8th one is still missing from the list. This is especially troublesome since the three podcasts (May 1, 8, and 15) continue the same conversation. So if you haven't heard May 8, you can click on this link or listen to it from The God Journey website. It is called Give Way to the Treasure.
We apologize for the inconvenience many of you have encountered with this. We still hope to get it resolved soon.
The post Complications with Apple Podcasts first appeared on The God Journey.
"How is the vision impacting you?" Wayne and Kyle begin with brief conversations about the permanence of love and how we are worthy of God's love not by merit, but because of the value he sees in us. After that, they circle back for a further discussion about Wayne's vision shared in the last two podcasts, responding to comments and questions others have made. They talk about what it means to him, how it unfolds, and what he would say to those who want similar experiences. They talk about an image of the living words of God. Rather than treating these experiences as something to chase, Wayne reflects on how they deepen the ordinary ways he has long known Jesus: quiet nudges, inner thoughts, and growing trust. These glimpses are expanding his heart beyond personal encounter into a wider hope for God’s love at work in the world.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Reflections on Wayne’s Vision (#1035) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle continue exploring the vision of a city waiting to be born, this time focusing on the sparkling treasure forming within it and the invitation to “give way to the treasure.” Drawing from Paul’s words about having this treasure in jars of clay, they reflect on how God’s presence flows through ordinary people for the healing and encouragement of others. From a tender apology to women wounded by a legalistic ministry to the danger of trying to replicate powerful spiritual moments, they consider how love is most freely expressed when we stop glorifying the vessel and simply make room for the treasure of his glory. Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Give Way to the Treasure (#1034) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne explore what it means to embody kingdom power in a world driven by fear, urgency, and control. After Kyle shares a surprising conversation about leadership and pace, Wayne describes vivid prayer experiences that have deepened his awareness of Father’s delight over “a city waiting to be born.” Together, they reflect on patience, birth pangs, and the hope of a humanity restored to God’s original intention—relationships free of manipulation, fear, and self-protection. Rather than seizing power, they wonder what it means to live as a reflection of the city God is already bringing forth.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post The City Waiting to be Born (#1033) first appeared on The God Journey.
After a quick discussion about the false self and how what we value can be opposed to what God values, Kyle invites Wayne to process an email he received from a close friend documenting his growing concerns about how he has viewed the church. They discuss how modern churches evolved from a community-based model to an institutional structure with a single leader as the face of the organization, and how that can easily lead to corruption and abuse of power. As our lifelong assumptions begin to unravel, we will do well to find our security not in systems, doctrines, or religious requirements but in our experience of God's love in daily life.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post When Our Assumptions Unravel (#1032) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle has been talking to some couples, 8-12 years into marriage, who are discouraged that they are no longer able to find a meaningful connection with their spouse. He invites Wayne into a conversation about what a couple can do when they realize their spouse isn't who they thought they were when they were dating. After they open with beauty in the midst of misery, and our false theological certainties that make it easy to scapegoat others, they share how important it is that marriages grow through mutual influence—letting the needs, desires, and struggles of our partner become part of our journey as well. They also talk about the importance of living out of internal fullness to navigate the more difficult moments.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Wayne's Great Day Colorado Interview
- Psychologists say this 'green flag' is one of the strongest predictors of a successful relationship
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post When Marriage Falters (#1031) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle discuss an email from Australia that they both found breathtaking in its simple depth. After a lighthearted reflection on the quirks of people we love, they turn to something more profound—how Jesus offered a completely different way of living than the power-driven systems we see around us. True spiritual authority doesn’t come from titles or positions, but from a life deeply connected to God and genuinely serving others. When authority becomes tied to identity, it often turns inward—becoming self-serving and harmful. But real authority doesn’t demand attention; it creates space—safe, open, and life-giving—for others to encounter God for themselves.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Walter Brueggermann on the Justice from Below
- Rowena's last paragraph: "If much of what is collapsing right now is authority rooted in structure, perhaps what is emerging is authority rooted in union - not louder, not more visible, but more real. And maybe Kingdom governance won't announce itself clearly at first; it will simply be recognised-by the fruit it carries, and by the life that flows through it." You can read her entire email here.
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post What Spiritual Authority Looks Like (#1030) first appeared on The God Journey.
What if Jesus's parable of the Talents wasn't about money, giftings, or religious work? What if he was telling this story to show us how his love finds its way into the world? After a conversation about medical professionals taking a more holistic approach and how curiosity enhances relationships, Kyle and Wayne turn to this parable and how it is often misinterpreted in a way that goes against the New Covenant. But if love is the real treasure, then everything about this parable falls into place and invites us into the joy of passing on the love. Now we know why it always bears fruit and why not trusting his love diminishes who God wants us to be.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Re-examining the Parable of the Talents (#1029) first appeared on The God Journey.
This powerful image comes from a vision an autistic boy shared with a woman, except that he saw a large beast standing before the altar in a church building, blocking someone's view of Jesus. It sums up Kyle and Wayne's conversation this week as they look through the mailbag and respond to listeners' comments and questions. They discuss finding contentment even through brutal circumstances, especially for those who feel stuck in their journey. That comes as we let Jesus grow larger in our hearts than the beast that seeks to block our view.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post The Beast Between You and Jesus (#1028) first appeared on The God Journey.
Following up on the World in Turmoil and the scandal at Bethel, leads Kyle and Wayne into a conversation about character. Where do you find people of character and how do you become one in a culture that says the image you project is more important than the person you are? Do you see vulnerable people as targets to exploit or people who need care and security? Even though expedience provides a quicker path to money and power, living at peace with yourself is a far better journey.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post The Devaluation of Character (#1027) first appeared on The God Journey.
"President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire to cause Armageddon and mark his return to earth." So said a base commander last week to his troops, according to a document filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Two hundred more similar complaints were also filed from 50 different military installations around the world. What do we make of this and the escalating war against ancient Babylon by what many consider to be modern-day Babylon? Kyle and Wayne take a look at the current geopolitical crisis and what it might portend for our world. They also ponder a C.S. Lewis quote that said the enemy often lures us deeply into one error by introducing the opposite error, so that our retreat from that one will blind us to the one we're already in.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post The World in Turmoil (#1026) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne, Tobie, and Kyle continue their discussion about the release of Just Love: How One Mistranslation Distorted the Gospel. All three express excitement about the potential impact it could have on those ready to hear it. They see a return to love-shaped justice to not only be more consistent with the through-story of Scripture, but also to a more meaningful expression of their passion and faith. In this episode, they talk about the impact this would have on our religious institutions, the connection between love and fairness, and how we're more aware of injustice when we are victims of it rather than when we're doing it. True justice comes from life transformation through Jesus rather than external systems or retribution. They discussed how the etymology of justice traces back to concepts of life energy, and how Jesus modeled serving others rather than seeking power.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Get your copy of Just Love
The post Love-Lived Justice, Part 2 (#1025) first appeared on The God Journey.
"The Incarnation itself was an act of justice," says Tobie van der Westhuizen, co-author of Just Love: How One Mistranslated Word Distorted the Gospel, as he joins Kyle and Wayne for a conversation about the new book prior to its release on March 3. When English translators chose the made-up religious word, righteousness, to substitute for the word justice that the original writers would have used, they unintentionally distorted the Gospel itself. Instead of focusing on love and how it transforms us into just people that reflect his kingdom, Christianity in many quarters became more preoccupied with personal piety and sin management. A true revolution could occur if the followers of Jesus embraced a life of love-lived justice through the heart rather than through obligations or legal requirements.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Why House Church Isn't the Answer
- Pre-order your copy of Just Love
The post The Beauty of Love Lived Justice (#1024) first appeared on The God Journey.
Perception is its own reality, false though it may be. The podcast begins with a brief conversation about the trajectory of life, Kyle looking forward to what might lie ahead, and Wayne glancing back in gratefulness at how Jesus has walked with him. Then, they look at perceptions—how people perceive God and how they think he perceives them. They talk about those who see God as a demanding taskmaster, those who respond to him as his wrath drives them, and what people make of unanswered prayers. How does God want us to perceive him, and what is he thinking when he looks at you? A reference from Exodus, of all places, shows us how God wants to be known.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available later this month.
The post How God Sees You (#1023) first appeared on The God Journey.
It's happened again. Another major ministry in the Charismatic world admits to hiding a false prophet who was also sexually abusive—for six years! Why does this keep happening? Sadly, many who claim to follow Christ can't tell the difference between someone filled with the life of the Spirit and those who only pretend to be for notoriety and influence. In the last few weeks, horrible revelations have come out of Bethel in Redding, and Wayne and Kyle wrestle with the questions that yet another scandal provokes. Until hearts turn to care for the victims of abuse and act to protect them, we will continue to see false leaders who would rather cover up abuse rather than warn the sheep when a wolf is among them.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Jesus Lens: The Elliptical Playground
- Wayne's Blog on the Bethel Scandal
- The Roys Report on the Bethel Scandal
- Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available later this month.
The post Yet Another Tragedy (#1022) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle's away this week, so an old friend joins in. Brad Cummings was co-host of The God Journey for 700+ episodes, and joined us most recently on #1000. Many of you asked to have him back again, so he joins Wayne for a conversation about equipping people to engage a real presence when they give their hearts to Jesus. Instead of training them to be good Christians, might it be more valuable to help them learn to live from their hearts in growing communion with God? This is the essence of the New Covenant, not to be led by programs and rituals, but to connect to God's presence in them so that they can be drawn into the adventure of following him and find increasing freedom in his transformation.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, we did not make a video of this podcast
- A Man Like No Other, which Brad talks about on the podcast
The post Communing with God (#1012) first appeared on The God Journey.
It was a tale of two cities over consecutive weekends that got this conversation going. Wayne shares about his experience with former 2x2 members in the South, and then he went with Sara to their 50th college reunion at Oral Roberts University. As Wayne processes those experiences with Kyle, they find themselves contrasting performative Christianity to a doctrine or program and a transformational journey that comes from an ever-deepening engagement with God's love. As part of that conversation, they read through Psalm 15 as it describes the company of the just, where God wants to make his presence known.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
The post Performative or Transformational? (#1011) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle surprises Wayne with a new term that is being utilized in trauma work—moral injury. This happens when someone, either by choice or coercion, acts in opposition to their deep moral framework. It causes significant damage not only to the one who does it, but to the people impacted by his actions. It is especially troublesome in religious contexts where such betrayal can even destroy our ability to believe in God. They highlight the challenges of healing from such injuries, noting that they often affect a person's identity, worldview, and ability to trust others. They talk about betrayal and how to move beyond it to healing, highlighting the transformative power of God's love and the ability to find purpose in suffering. They end with the idea that the painful groanings of that injury may, in part, be the prayers that are too deep for words.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
- Moral Failings in the Pulpit Lead to Moral Injury in the Pews
- Identifying and Addressing the Hidden Cost of Moral Injury
- Moral Injury and Spiritual Recovery
The post The Pain of Moral Injury (#1010) first appeared on The God Journey.
Following up on last week's podcast, Kyle and Wayne begin by discussing the power of presence to shape our lives in love. They agreed that religion often removes the focus on presence, offering instead a system of rules and certainty that doesn't lead to an authentic connection with God. By motivating people's fear, Christianity has often prioritized fear and control over genuine spiritual transformation. How different would our influence be in the world if love were our foundation? They conclude with a conversation about a false application of Ordo Amoris, which falsely allows us to be selective in those we love, allowing us to treat others with contempt.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
- It's Not Chocolate - an earlier podcast
The post When Fear Trumps Endearment (#1009) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle asks AI to define the message of The God Journey, leading to a brief discussion about AI and the soothing properties of the ancient cathedrals. Then he and Wayne get into the conversation about finding our fullness in his Presence, rather than seeking it in the temporal amusements of the world. Presence is about focus and simplicity, not elaborate rituals or time-consuming practices or having to “fill up” at weekend services. Religious institutions can unintentionally create a cycle of spiritual emptiness and dependency, rather than fostering a continual engagement with presence and joy.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but we are still having technical difficulties and were not able to make a video of this podcast.
- The audio release of It's Time
The post Living from Fullness (#1009) first appeared on The God Journey.
Why are some followers of Jesus deeply concerned over the tactics and demeanor of the Trump Administration, while others wholeheartedly endorse it? A recent article suggests it may have to do with how we view God's morality. Is it keeping to a moral code by a vengeful deity, or is it the fruit of God's love, teaching us how to treat others? Kyle and Wayne explore this article and whether or not vengeance, intimidation, and arrogance are helpful to advance Jesus's kingdom in the world. Wasn't the Incarnation God's desire to win by love what fear could never accomplish? They also discuss the complexities of U.S. immigration policies and their desire to make them more humane.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but we are still having technical difficulties and were not able to make a video of this podcast.
- Article on Vertical and Horizontal Morality
- Walter Brugermann's talk on Justice from above, versus justice from below
- The audio release of It's Time
The post How We View Morality (#1008) first appeared on The God Journey.
During Wayne and Sara's recent trip around the Rocky Mountains, they met many people in the cities they traveled through who have left or are considering leaving a worldwide, legalistic Christian sect. Recent revelations of child sexual abuse on the part of leadership caused many to reconsider the teachings and practices of the group. Now, many are seeking to move out of religious performance, motivated by fear and pursued by self-effort, to an affection-based relationship with God, where love provides the impetus for rest and transformation. Kyle wants to know what Wayne learned in these conversations and how he helps people process this stage of their journey.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but we were not able to make a video of this podcast.
- The audio release of It's Time
The post A Path out of Legalism (#1007) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Sara have been busy driving back to Southern Cal this week, and Kyle was tied up in training sessions. Thus, they were not able to find a time to record a new podcast this week. There are over a thousand episodes on the website if you really need a fix. If you didn't hear last week's podcast on What It Means to Abide, you definitely want to hear that one. It has caused a bit of a stir. Otherwise, we hope to be back again next week.
The post Sorry, No Podcast Today first appeared on The God Journey.
What would change if you trusted God's presence abiding in you instead of seeking to feel his love? Wayne and Kyle read through a recent Facebook post by Graham Cook that talks about the difference between resting in his habitation instead of seeking encounters with him. When you realize that you can stop chasing what you already have, rest in relationship instead of working for relationship, practice awareness of existing presence instead of creating encounters, live from His promise, not your feelings, and make his presence your dwelling place, not your occasional destination.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video of this podcast.
- Here is a copy of Graham Cooke's FB Post
- The audio release of It's Time
The post What it Means to Abide (#1006) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle received a letter from a pastor concerned that this podcast, which he loves, gives little credence to the value of more traditional congregations. So, they process his letter, responding to his concerns and discussing where traditional congregations can be healthy and encouraging to someone's spiritual journey, and how they can, often unwittingly, begin to trespass on that journey and become more of a barrier than a bridge.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video of this podcast.
- The audio release of It's Time
- Wayne and Sara's trip to Calgary and back through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon
The post The Traditional Congregation (#1005) first appeared on The God Journey.
After Wayne and Sara shared their trauma story with Kyle's Advanced Counseling course, Kyle wanted to talk more about forgiveness as the fruit of God's healing, not the way we earn it. So many see forgiveness as an obligation God requires of us, even if we only pretend on the outside, instead of a process that flows out of his healing inside our hearts. They also talk about how easily bullies can misinterpret Scripture to great discussion, and what it means to take God's name in vain.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video of this podcast.
- Wayne and Sara's trip to Calgary and back through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon
The post The Fruit of Forgiveness (#1004) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle were together in Sheridan, Wyoming, this week and had the rare chance to sit down face-to-face after Wayne had shared the Language of Healing with Kyle's sociology class. They talk about Wayne and Sara's trip so far, and that leads them to a conversation about finding calmness in the midst of chaos. Peace doesn't come from our circumstances, but from Presence. His peace can actually guide us through any difficulty and allow us to see what opportunities he has for us.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video of this podcast.
- Wayne and Sara's trip through Wyoming, Montana, southern Alberta, and back through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon
The post Finding Calm Amid Chaos (#1003) first appeared on The God Journey.
Between Wayne and Sara's travel and Labor Day weekend festivities for Kyle, they weren't able to find a mutually available time to record this week. Thus, there is no new podcast this week. Wayne and Sara are in South Dakota and head back through Wyoming and into Montana this week. Wayne and Sara, and Kyle and Jess will all be together this week, and hopefully will get to record a podcast or two while they are together. Stay tuned.
The post No New Podcast This Week first appeared on The God Journey.
Many people are substituting AI for their interactions with other human beings. From romantic relationships to therapy, even spiritual direction. Which brings up the question: Is it healthy to try to have heart-to-heart conversations with an algorithm, even one designed to mimic human responses? Humanity has always adapted to technological changes, but does it make us even more relationally challenged than religion did? AI unleashes some powerful tools that can be used for good, and at the same time, open doors for tremendous evil. As a mental health professional, Kyle is particularly concerned that this trend will do irreparable harm to human engagement in the process.
Podcast Notes:
- Video recording of this podcast
- Wayne and Sara's trip through Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, and maybe Alberta before heading back for a lap around the Pacific Northwest.
The post Authentic Relationship in an AI World? (#1002) first appeared on The God Journey.
It is easy to respond to someone's pain with love and prayers for healing, but what do you do when healing doesn't come? Many feel awkward, unintentionally withdrawing from the relationship because they don't know how to support someone negotiating chronic pain. Kyle and Wayne explore what it means to care about someone with a long term condition, whether it be emotional or physical. Can we sit with someone in pain and know that the power of our presence to hold it with them is as powerful as trying to get God to fix it? The best way to learn that is by discovering how God is present with us when we are in pain. Presence is everything!
Podcast Notes:
- Video recording of this podcast
- Wayne and Sara's trip through Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, and maybe Alberta before heading back for a lap around the Pacific Northwest.
The post Loving Through Chronic Pain (#1002) first appeared on The God Journey.
Many have said that when God closes a door, he always opens a new one. To which someone added, "But it's hell in the hallway." What do you do when your weekend meeting is no longer a place you can go? Having been alongside numerous people over the years, Kyle wants to know how Wayne helps others find their footing in Christ. They discuss not seeking the same kind of meeting again, but instead using some time to explore how deeply loved they are by God. Most legalistic groups prey on fear and guilt to try to keep people on the straight and narrow, and many lose sight of his love. The journey begins as we become settled in his love, and then watch the relationships he will add to our lives, and connections that are far richer than we may have known before.
Podcast Notes:
- Video recording of this podcast
- Read all the emails we received to celebrate The God Journey.
- Hell in the Hallway - podcast from 2006
- Wayne and Sara's upcoming trip through Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, and maybe Alberta before heading back for a lap around the Pacific Northwest.
The post Finding Your Footing Again (#1001) first appeared on The God Journey.
Brad is in the house as he joins Wayne and Kyle to celebrate the unique legacy of The God Journey for our 1,000th episode. For twenty-one years, this podcast has helped people explore their own journey with Jesus and how to connect with him and others outside the box of religious obligation. They discuss their friendship, a new possibility for The Shack, and how their friendships have grown as they have explored their own God journeys in this format. They also read emails from our listeners, describing what The God Journey has meant to them over the years.
Podcast Notes:
- We apologize, but there is no video recording of this podcast available.
- Read all the emails we received to celebrate The God Journey.
The post Episode 1000 (#1000) first appeared on The God Journey.
We live in a day when relationships are easily discarded whenever they reach a bump in the road. Yet, it is normal for even good relationships to go through difficult stretches, due to discovering things you didn't know before, simple human mistakes, or insensitivities. The relationships that grow large over time learn to recover from periods of disharmony. Kyle and Wayne discuss relational repair and the relational capital required to facilitate those repairs more easily. You can bring healing to relationships without sacrificing authenticity or affection.
Podcast Notes:
- We apologize, but there is no video recording of this podcast available.
The post Finding Harmony Again (#999) first appeared on The God Journey.
A couple of weeks ago, Kyle asked Wayne about his trip to Boise. This week, we have the opportunity to hear from someone who was present at that gathering and how it affected her. In her post, she described true fellowship as human, messy, and sacred. That depiction resonated with Wayne, causing him to wonder if our attempts to organize the messy out of human engagement also lose the sacred? Kyle and Wayne explore that question and her other comments. They also talk about finding joy every day, especially through challenging stretches of thealing or struggle. They begin by talking about moments where it seems the enemy is trying to steal their joy or creativity.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
The post Human, Messy, Sacred (#998) first appeared on The God Journey.
What do you do when God doesn't do what your religion taught you he would do? Do you conclude that he must not be real, or do you throw out some of what you were taught to discover God as he really is? After a conversation about certainty being the opposite of faith, Wayne and Kyle process Wayne's recent trip to Boise. You can tell if someone is truly a leader in the body of Christ by whether they are an example of his love or if they consider themselves an exception to it. They also talk about how Jesus reveals his way to us as we learn to rely on his presence, not follow the rules or expectations of others.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but due to a technical error, the video of this podcast is not available.
The post When God Blows Up Our Box (#997) first appeared on The God Journey.
We are so accustomed to the fellowship that human effort can engender that many have lost sight of the path to relational community that comes from building friendships. After discussing testing boundaries and how the enemy twists our spiritual hungers into unattainable ideals, Kyle and Wayne explore a pathway to organic community. Beginning with our growing friendship with Father, Son, and Spirit, we are in a better place to take an interest in others and see where friendships develop and who is ready to share their Jesus journeys together. When friendship is the building block of community, people can share an environment where it is safe to be vulnerable and authentic.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast
The post From Friendship to Community (#996) first appeared on The God Journey.
How does one find romantic love today, whether you are 19 or 68, and how does God fit into that part of your journey? Kyle has been speaking with many people who are struggling to find a connection in the current culture. Tracy Levinson and Wayne join him for a candid conversation about the desire for a mate and trusting God to provide one as you make yourself available to the kind of friendships that may reveal a lifelong love. They talk in candid terms about guarding your heart, finding contentment in God, so you're not so desperate to fill a hole in your life, expectations that can get in the way, dealing with the temptation toward casual sex, and the pain that pornography can do to a relationship. At 69 minutes, this one went into overtime.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast, which only caught the first 38 minutes, will be available for only 30 days after recording.
- Past podcasts with Tracy
- Tracey's website
- Tracey's book unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness, and faith
The post Finding Romance on The God Journey (#995) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Kyle and Wayne dive into the mailbag, they find themselves discussing current "revival" tactics that trespass on unsuspecting people, navigating relationships in a polarized culture, and whether Jesus is waiting for an invitation from those close to him to come again and rescue the planet. There isn't so much an overarching theme here, but a lot of thoughts about how we best impact the culture in these perilous times.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast, which is only available for 30 days after recording
- Email your observations about the God Journey, or your thoughts on finding romantic love, to Wayne or Kyle
- Wayne's blog on a new crisis in Kenya
- The last chapter of It's Time
The post Loving Our Way Through the Culture (#994) first appeared on The God Journey.
The desire for deep and authentic relationships with other believers lies at the heart of our spiritual passion. And yet, that isn't always easy to find, especially if we've moved away from religious institutions. How can we establish a more organic sense of relational community with others? Kyle and Wayne discuss how genuine community is a gift God gives, not something we can organize on our own. What we can do is foster friendships with people in our lives, as the environment in which community takes hold. To do that best, we learn to recognize the pace of others around us instead of imposing our agenda on a growing friendship.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast
- Email your observations about the God Journey to Wayne or Kyle
- Wayne's blog on a new crisis in Kenya
- Full Review of It's Time
The post Where to Find Relational Community (#993) first appeared on The God Journey.
How many believers would answer yes to, "Are you everything God wants you to be at this moment?" Wayne invites Kyle into a conversation he is having with Tobie van der Westhuizen regarding whether spiritual growth best comes from the frustration of falling short or from contentment with what God is already accomplishing in one's life. Much of Christendom foments frustration as a way to motivate people to growth. What if it had taught contentment instead inside of God's love? As Tobie says, "The best way to grow in whatever God has for you is to be content with where you are today."
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast
- Full Review of It's Time
The post Growing from Contentment (#992) first appeared on The God Journey.
In their younger days, Kyle and Wayne felt a powerful drive for spiritual maturity, albeit in a mostly performance-based, competitive environment. How has that changed as they've learned to rest in the confidence of Father's love? This leads to a raw conversation about God's passion for our maturity and how we embrace it. It also leads to a discussion about how we view salvation. If it is amnesty for our failures in this age, and then we're instantly transformed to purity in the coming one, what does that mean for being made complete here or there? If it's a process God loves, wouldn't our love for him make it something we desire as well?
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast
The post A Passion for Spiritual Maturity (#991) first appeared on The God Journey.
"To turn boys into men, we teach them to disconnect from vulnerability, from their feelings, from others. The consequence of a disconnected boy is a disconnected man." So says Terry Real, therapist and author who specializes in helping boys and men who struggle to find connection in a world where few men model healthy relationships. He was interviewed on a podcast that Kyle and Wayne both listened to and wanted to share the nuggets they gleaned from it. Intimacy comes from vulnerability, and when men only learn how to act out of anger and aggression, they do tremendous damage to themselves and others. They miss out on the gift of life, which is relational joy with their spouse and others.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- NY Times Podcast with Terry Real
- Help Needed Again in Kenya
The post Masculinity Without Domination (#990) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Wayne and Sara celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Kyle has a lot of questions to ask about their journey in marriage when he is 13 years into his. In this two-part conversation, they discuss how marriage evolves over the course of decades, either moving toward greater frustration or to mutual fulfillment. They cover a broad swath of marital issues, including commitment, faithfulness, sexual play, control, finances, getting help from a third party, and making room for the other to change in ways that might be challenging. Learning to love someone over a lifetime in a relationship of mutual love and self-sacrifice is one of the greatest gifts God makes available to our human experience.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post Finding Our Way to Us, Part 2 (#989) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Wayne and Sara go off to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Kyle has a lot of questions to ask about their journey in marriage when he is 13 years into his. In this two-part conversation, they discuss how marriage evolves over the course of decades, either moving toward greater frustration or to mutual fulfillment. They cover a broad swath of marital issues, including commitment, faithfulness, sexual play, control, finances, getting help from a third party, and making room for the other to change in ways that might be challenging. Learning to love someone over a lifetime in a relationship of mutual love and self-sacrifice is one of the greatest gifts God makes available to our human experience.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post Finding Our Way to Us (#988) first appeared on The God Journey.
"You know that feeling when something's changed in a friendship, but you can't quite put your finger on it. You used to feel close. Seen. Safe. But lately, something feels off." Those are the opening words of an article written by Therese Mascardo, a friend of Wayne and Kyle's. She offers seven signs that can help you know when to end a friendship, and in this episode, they discuss the article and its implications on relationships with people and religious institutions that can help you find freedom to treat relationships with authenticity instead of pretense.
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- How Do You Know When It’s Time to End a Friendship? by Therese Mascardo
- Authentic Relationships by Wayne and Clay Jacobsen
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post When Friendships End (#987) first appeared on The God Journey.
The eyes of the world were on Rome last week as presidents, kings, and prime ministers gathered in St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis's funeral. While seemingly a man touched by Jesus, he presided over a religious system that bears little resemblance to Jesus' ministry or priorities. Kyle and Wayne ruminate on how the life of Jesus morphed into these kinds of institutions with leadership hierarchies, ornate costumes, opulent buildings, and programs that seem to do little to connect people with the living Christ. What does it mean for sincere hearts who participate in them, and what does it take to think outside the box of institutional religion when so much of Christianity has invested itself there?
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this podcast.
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post The Funeral of a Pope (#986) first appeared on The God Journey.
Since Kyle was unavailable this week due to sickness, Wayne dives solo into the mailbag to share observations and questions from listeners that have built over the months. Thus, it is impossible to put a theme on this podcast since we get to cover a wide range of topics from our listeners, including dealing with abusive people, finding our true identity apart from sin and law, how God experiences our pain, whether God is vengeful, and praying for our country in these turbulent times.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there was no video for this podcast.
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post Abusive People, Identity, and God’s Pain (#985) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Redemption has always cost someone something." That text from a friend sent Wayne on a journey of discovery of the difference between the nature of love and the nature of darkness, and he invites Kyle to share it with him. Evil always takes something it doesn't deserve to cause pain for someone else. Love gives something another does not deserve, even at significant personal cost, and bears the pain that others are experiencing. Love and Life can only be offered; they can never be forced, neither in giving love nor receiving it. They also talk about making room for growth in others when the status quo is based on their bondage, not freedom.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast. (New FB policy only preserves this link for the first 30 days after the recording date.)
- Living Beyond Our Transformation podcast that Wayne referred to in this one.
- Get Wayne's newest book, It's Time!
The post You Cannot Force Love (#984) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne complete their five-part series with Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa. In this episode, they go all the way back to Adam and Eve and how the fall subjected them to a world of injustice and how God provided a way for his fullness of love and life to displace the injustice in our own hearts. Now, through our participation in his sacrifice, we have his life within us and we can be a distributor of life in the world, instead of seeking to find our life in others or in the temptations of darkness. This is the fifth in a series that will be best appreciated by listening to them all in order.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
- Part 1 of this conversation
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it. If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post This Changes Everything Part 5 (#963) first appeared on The God Journey.
Special Bonus Episode! Tobie van der Westhuizen, joined Wayne and a couple dozen of people for a question and answer session about the podcast series, This Changes Everything. They talk about justice and righteousness and how this misunderstanding of the Gospel came to be. This is the audio version of that recording so people in the podcast feed can give it a listen.
Podcast Notes:
- Video recording of this FB Live Event
- Part 1 of this conversation
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post Q & A with Tobie (#961) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne continue their conversation with Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa. This week they focus on the life love teaches us to live. By focusing on personal righteousness at the expense of interpersonal justice, Christianity robbed its followers of their most powerful influence in the world. As Christ's body, we were meant to be the embodiment of his justice in the world, not gatekeepers of doctrine or piety. Learning the joy of loving and watching how that love treats others the way we would want them to treat us, allows the kingdom to be revealed against the darkness. This is the fourth in a series that are best understood by listening in order.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
- Part 1 of this conversation
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it. If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post This Changes Everything Part 4 (#961) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne continue to probe through the mind and heart of Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, a self-described reclusive philosopher. What he has discovered in the Scriptures may just be the completion to what Martin Luther began. If true, the Gospel becomes a much fuller expression of God's work in the world than to just save people from guilt or hell. This is the kingdom come! Wayne and Kyle have been enjoying this conversation and want to invite you to contemplate his observations as well. This is the third in a series that are best understood by listening in order.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
- Part 1 of this conversation
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it. If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post This Changes Everything Part 3 (#960) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne continue to probe through the mind and heart of Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, a self-described reclusive philosopher. What he has discovered in the Scriptures may just be the completion to what Martin Luther began. If true, the Gospel becomes a much fuller expression of God's work in the world than to just save people from guilt or hell. This is the kingdom come! Wayne and Kyle have been enjoying this conversation and want to invite you to contemplate his observations as well. Part 1 began last week. If you haven't heard it, you will probably want to start there.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
- Part 1 of this conversation
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it. If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post This Changes Everything Part 2 (#959) first appeared on The God Journey.
The God Journey After-Show with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa next weekend has had to be delayed until September 28.
Tobie informed me yesterday that he had an irresolvable scheduling conflict that would prevent him from joining us that day. He was profoundly sorry and asked if we could move the session to September 28. I know. That does seem a long way off, but it will give you three more podcasts exploring my conversation with him.
Tobie is our current guest at The God Journey in a series of podcasts exploring the idea that a mistranslation in our English Bibles replaced the word for justice with the word righteousness and, by doing so, has obscured the nature of a love-based Gospel and how the kingdom of God becomes visible in the world. If you're not up-to-date on this conversation, please see my blog on September 5 and the podcast series that began on September 5.
Now the After-Show with Tobie will be held on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time and be available afterward for those who want to hear it. If you’d like to participate in the Zoom room conversation, please email Wayne in advance to get the link.
I'm sorry to do this to you, but perhaps such things remind us all that flexibility is important to navigate the shifting circumstances that affect our lives. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on the 28th.
The post After-Show with Tobie Rescheduled first appeared on The God Journey.
"The word 'righteousness' does not appear in the Bible." Provocative statement, and at first consideration it sounds absurd. However, that thought has been troubling former pastor and theologian, Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, for eight years. It sent him on a nearly compulsive course of study to some surprising conclusions. It shifted his thinking to a fuller appreciation of the work of Jesus and how he has asked his followers to part of his unfolding kingdom in the world. As he shared his insights with Wayne, Wayne realized that living loved had brought him to similar conclusions without the same language. Tobie was offering a puzzle piece that seemed to make a lot of sense. Could it be that we've missed an important emphasis in the Bible? Having recorded their conversation, Wayne invites Kyle to ponder this thought with him.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
- Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it. If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link.
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post This Changes Everything (#958) first appeared on The God Journey.
A listener asks Kyle and Wayne to return to an encouragement they made in a previous podcast about taking back your conscience if you have abdicated it to someone else. The conscience is where the Spirit writes God's desires on our hearts and following our conscience instead of taking our cues from a spiritual leader, author, or denomination. This is how we learn to follow God's Spirit. Most of our rationalizations are to avoid our conscience and justify what we wanted to do. By doing so, we miss the beauty and joy of walking alongside God in the power of a clean conscience
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's Blog on "Is God Vengeful?"
- URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post Take Back Your Conscience (#957) first appeared on The God Journey.
Doesn't it seem that God often speaks to us in riddles and puzzles? That's exactly what Paul said our perception would be, not because God wants to torment us with a puzzle, but that's how we acclimate to a new way of living. He doesn't give it all at once, but allows us to find our way into his world in bits and pieces. When those pieces fit together, we gain the insight he wants us to have and see more clearly. Until we do, patience will serve us well. Kyle questions Wayne about the most recent chapter in his book, It's Time: Letters to the Bride at the End of the Age. They also talk about a rabbit named Gratitude and the liberty of owning our own beliefs without having to conquer or silence those who disagree.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Chapter 9: Eyes to See, Ears to Hear
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post When God Seems Puzzling (#956) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Who is your rabbi?" That's what Kyle asks Wayne as they plunge into a discussion about discipleship. Who is the person affecting your perception of Jesus, your worldview, and how you walk with Jesus. Where they land is making disciples doesn't mean we're telling people what to do and what to believe, but discipleship is about encouraging and equipping others to enjoy their own adventure of learning to discern the nuances of the Spirit's breath and following him. Others may influence our journey, but those who do it best will connect us to Jesus not to themselves or their school of thought. That leads to a further question: How do we know the Jesus we seek is the Jesus who really is?
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post The Adventure Swirling Around You (#954) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Shouldn't you be further along by now?" Whether it comes from someone else, or from our own internal impatience, the accusation is never helpful. Who hasn't wished they were further along in the journey than they are, or that a certain thing would be "fixed" that they still struggle with? Sara joined Wayne and Kyle this week for an update on her journey as well as to explore with them the journey we are all on to healing, whether it be from trauma, sin, or being abused by others. They talk about honoring the healing journey by not pushing beyond what they can bear, having patience with themselves as freedom unfolds, learning to relax in the process, and how self-compassion will naturally lead to greater compassion for others, even those who hurt us.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- The Kidnapping I Can't Escape
- Julian of Norwich book from which quote was taken
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post The Healing Journey (#954) first appeared on The God Journey.
What would it be like to recognize and step around people's attempts to manipulate us for their own agenda? That's the through line of this conversation with Wayne and Kyle that meanders all over the place—from drag queens at the Olympics, to why Jesus rejoices more over the one lost sheep than the ninety-nine still back in the pen, to a look at The Sound of Music, and finally manipulation tactics of the Central Intelligence Agency. They celebrate the reality of "growing and blooming forever" as the culmination of our journeys here and offer a possibility of what life in the spirit might be, rather than us just doing whatever he says.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Spy Podcast
- Read Wayne's newest book: It's Time
The post Unmanipulatable (#953) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Wa Wa Wa Wa," is what the Peanuts comic strip characters here with the adults around them are talking. It's a wonderful metaphor about learning to listen to God and what he sounds like sometimes. After reading two amazing stories of redemption from our listeners, and one about escaping spousal abuse, Kyle and Wayne discuss how to trust the Spirit of God enough to relax while he leads us into his truth. In this process, resting beside the still waters is often more important than forcing a decision for its time. They The connection between the transcendent God and human hearts Three emails from our listeners set the tone for this podcast encouraging people to let his life unfold in us even when we don't understand what is going on .
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's chapter on Love What is True
- It's Time
The post Wa Wa Wa Wa (#952) first appeared on The God Journey.
If God is watching your pack, then you don't have to, and that will free you to live with a tender heart in a fractured world. What begins with a conversation about last weekend's assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump soon turns to a conversation about living in the power of tenderness when it doesn't seem to work in the violence and dishonesty of our angry culture. Kyle questions Wayne about chapter seven of his new book, which is being posted chapter by chapter at Lifestream.org. What did Jesus mean when he said the meek will inherit the earth? When we stop seeing meekness as weakness, we can learn the secret of living tenderhearted without being a doormat for the abuse of others.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's chapter on The Power of Tenderness
- Loving our Kids on Purpose
The post A Tender Heart in an Angry World (#951) first appeared on The God Journey.
Even though a woman may want men to be more emotionally vulnerable, most find it terrifying when he does. She would rather see the man die on his white horse rather than watch him fall off that horse, according to researcher Brené Brown. It's a common paradox that also affects our view of friends and spiritual leaders. On the one hand, we want connection and yet the vulnerability it requires can be scary, both in being vulnerable and in seeing someone else be weaker than our illusion of them. Kyle and Wayne begin their conversation talking about learning to let God initiate our encounters and then talk about how vulnerability and our fear of it affects relationships. They conclude by discussing how our best growth opportunities come from struggle instead of expedience.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Men, Women and Worthiness: The Experience of Shame and the Power of Being Enough by Brené Brown
The post The Vulnerability Paradox (#950) first appeared on The God Journey.
"I say these things to you that my joy might be in you and your joy might be full." Jesus spoke those words to his fearful disciples on the night when his own pain and suffering would begin. Instead of trying to draw joy from our circumstances, isn't it the guiding light to take us through our most difficult moments safe inside his love? Kyle invites Wayne into a conversation that began with his fishing friends a couple of weeks ago and now expands into how joy can help us navigate the most difficult situations we face. If so, instead of trying to get God to fix the chaos of darkness that surrounds us, we could ask him to show us how his love penetrates the chaos and molds it to an even greater redemption.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's Happiest Day Ever Podcast
The post Letting His Joy Guide You (#949) first appeared on The God Journey.
"If you can learn to be at rest in uncertainty, what an incredible skill to have your entire life." And where do we find that rest? In planning for all the contingencies or gathering enough skills to meet any challenge? Certainly not. Cultivating a relationship with Jesus that allows us to walk with him through anything that might come our way is where we find our certainty—in him, not in the control of our circumstances. This discussion comes up from a podcast Kyle listened to on the challenges facing twenty-somethings, which is timely given our previous invitation for others to pray that God will give a new, younger generation hearts to know him. They also talk about the recent sex scandal by a popular pastor in the Dallas area that came to light this weekend, one of a growing list of leaders who have a history of abusing women.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's blog on the evangelical teachings that create an environment of sexual abuse.
- How to Make the Most of your Twenties with Meg Jay
The post Finding Certainty in Presence (#948) first appeared on The God Journey.
After an invitation to join Kyle and Wayne to pray for a younger generation to come alive with hearts to know God, they talk about the conflict between love and conformity cultures found in corporate environments as well as religious institutions. How does love find a place where performance is more important than transformation? Conformity focuses on control, while love lays down control to invite people on a journey of discovery and wholeheartedness. If we don't find people loveable even as they struggle in the darkness, we will not be able to open a door for them into the light.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
The post Love And Conformity Cultures (#947) first appeared on The God Journey.
After some reflections on how did Jesus lives among us without being corrupted by the chaos of this world, Kyle and Wayne talk about the slow arc of spiritual growth. It happens over time as we lean into the challenging breath of the Spirit inviting us to life and learn to lean away from the illusions and demands of darkness. Also, one listener writes, "Love is a whisper," pitted against the overwhelming distractions of the world and the stringent demands of religion. Find his whisper and follow it to find the fullness of life Jesus wants to give you.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
The post The Whisper of Love (#946) first appeared on The God Journey.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to join Wayne and Sara are on their cross-country trip, this episode is for you. They share the transcontinental trip to visit with friends of Lifestream and The God Journey as they pause in Lexington, KY. The conversation includes learning to trust, not being afraid of making mistakes as you learn to follow him, taking back your conscience from whoever you gave it away to, and how is Wayne doing after the difficult times in the last few years. Throughout it all they keep coming back to the power of Presence—Jesus with each of us leading and guiding us through life.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video recording of this podcast.
- The Route Home
- Video of Wayne and Sara sharing their trauma story at the Barn Brothers gathering
The post The Priority of Presence (#945) first appeared on The God Journey.
In their conversation about ways to help people experience the life of Jesus, Kyle and Wayne find themselves contemplating where they found spiritual hunger when they jumped off the performance treadmill. In their early days, spiritual hunger might have been more religiously inclined, in the sense of trying to earn God's favor or increase their status as a zealous follower. How has that changed when the need to earn his favor was displaced by their confidence in his love? What motivates them now to live deeply inside his reality?
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
- Video of Wayne and Sara sharing their trauma story at the Barn Brothers gathering
The post The Hunger to Know Him (#944) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Wayne has watched God's work of redemption inside Sara's trauma, he's been keen to observe that the soothing safety of Father's love that untangles the darkness, and the anger, threats, and blame make it worse. That is as true of our sin as it is of trauma. Why then does God use so much shame and threats of punishment in the Old Testament to try to get people out of the darkness? Or, does he? Wayne invites Kyle to consider how the prophets saw into God's agony and misinterpreted his words, and so do the literalists of our day.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
- Video of Wayne and Sara sharing their trauma story at the Barn Brothers gathering
The post Playing Hide and Seek with God (#943) first appeared on The God Journey.
We don't use this often to ask for help, but it is desperately needed in Kenya at the moment. Torrential rains and wind have severely damage the well/agricultural projects we built for three tribes in North Pokot a few years back. These are their only source of food and water. You can read more here, but we need $79,000 to help with food and water relief and to get the wells up and working again. If you have anything extra these days, would you please consider helping them in this devastating time? We would be most grateful.
If you can help us rescue these tribes in North Pokot, please see our Donation Page at Lifestream. Just designate “Kenya” in the “Note” of your donation, or email us and let us know your gift is for Kenya. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries • 1560 Newbury Rd Ste 1 • Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.
Thank you for your consideration.
The post We Need Some Help in Kenya first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle is back and has some questions for Wayne about the process of emotional maturity and finding healing from those emotions that fire from the unhealthy side of our brains. What is the arc of emotional freedom and how do we deal with your failures during that process? This conversation also includes dealing with anger and frustration, disruptions in our established rhythms, the tyranny of the urgent, and how we can lean into tenderness to find the unforced rhythms of his grace.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast
The post The Arc of Emotional Growth (#942) first appeared on The God Journey.
In the mid-1100s, Bernard of Clairvaux, a mystic and monk in France, considered how we experience the love of God. He published a devotional called the Love of God, in which he identified four degrees, or progressions: (1) loving ourselves for our own sake, (2) loving God for our own sake, (3) loving God for his own sake, and (4) loving ourselves for God’s sake. In a fascinating conversation, Wayne and Sara ponder these progressions in their individual relationships with God and in their relationship with each other, before the revelation of Sara's trauma and after.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video recording of this podcast.
- The Love of God by Bernard of Clairvaux
The post The Four Degrees of Love (#941) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle is still on hiatus and this has been a crazy week for Sara and me with surgery for Zoey and having to stay in Pensacola longer than planned. (That's our sunrise this morning over Perdido Bay.) However, it has all worked for our good. Sara and I were going to do a podcast that I was really excited about, but other things called for our attention. Hopefully we will get to it next week. But you know the drill, there are 950 other podcasts back there if you want to try something again. I listen to every podcast three times in the same week—once recording it, then again when I edit it, and finally after it's posted Sara and I listen together. Every time I hear something I missed or forgot that helps focus my heart.
The post No New Podcast Today first appeared on The God Journey.
During Wayne and Sara's recent stay in Austin, he sat down to catch-up with a good friend, an occasional guest on The God Journey, and author, Tracey Levinson. They discuss an email she sent to Wayne in the trial he faced two years ago and get into a conversation about having an unrelenting passion for what's true because of God's unrelenting love toward us. To see what's true about ourselves and about God is the doorway into a life of freedom.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video recording of this podcast.
- Past podcasts with Tracey
- Tracey's website
- Tracey's book unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness, and faith
The post Reveling in the Freedom of Truth (#940) first appeared on The God Journey.
At the start of their transcontinental trip to Virginia and back, Wayne and Sara pause in Austin, TX, to catch-up on Sara's journey and the continuing work of freedom Jesus is doing from her early childhood trauma. Recently, Sara's counselor affirmed the rare passion she demonstrates to discover the truth about herself and it has served her well in the process. Sara talks about the tools that have been built in her life to give her the courage to stay in that pursuit.
Podcast Notes:
- No video was made of this recording.
- Redeeming Love Podcasts
- Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
- Color Wheel of Emotions
The post Finding the Courage for Truth (#939) first appeared on The God Journey.
If you aren't playing with God, you're probably not doing as much for him as you think. In this last podcast before Kyle takes a brief hiatus and Wayne and Sara head out for a trans-national trip, they revisit some of the important themes that have been on the podcast so far in 2024. Through listener emails, recounted conversations, and their own personal journeys, they talk about the destructiveness of dishonesty, active listening, praying for the bride, why religion love our imposter selves, the value of learning to play again, and the importance of not dividing between spiritual and secular in our daily lives.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- The second chapter of Wayne's new book: Is This Really Where it Ends?
The post Enjoy the Life God Gave You (#938) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Not my will, but yours be done." We are familiar with the words and it's easy to tack them on to the end of our prayers as a token to submission. However, the power of these words come not as a tagline but when we let God melt our hearts enough in the whatever situation we find ourselves to choose his past, rather than making it about ourselves. Kyle and Wayne explore the journey of wholeheartedness that wanders through the ugly places where God makes his wonder known in life-transforming ways when we lay down what we think is best to choose what God knows to be.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- The second chapter of Wayne's new book: Is This Really Where it Ends?
The post The Gethsemane Prayer (#937) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Truth has been weaponized by the enemy to shift the focus from Jesus. The ‘truth’ as many believers see it has been removed from Him who is truth; it’s a talk about Him and His truth rather than with Him in love." Those words in an email from a listener's own journey came at a propitious time in Wayne's life, and processing it with Kyle takes them further into what it means to gaze with God at the events of the world. It has led Wayne to pray for the Bride of Christ and talk to her like he did to Sara in the days of there separation. Kindly and tenderly, is the way God reaches into our delusions to open the way for truth and love to find a home in her heart.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Agreeing with God episode of The God journey
- The first chapter of Wayne's new book: A Call for the Bride
The post Praying for a Wayward Bride (#936) first appeared on The God Journey.
"What are you most afraid of in your life right now, and who taught you that fear?" That is a key question to unmasking your false identity and help you discover who God has created you to be on the earth. Wayne introduced Kyle to a podcast where Jamie Winship, the author of a book called, Living Fearless, was the guest. The podcast rocked Kyle's world and spilled out into two of his classrooms where he helped students process their personal identity and in his words, "Jesus showed up"—in a secular classroom. They unpack some of Jamies thoughts about identity and worldviews that can help us all live freer and more connected to what ps going on around us.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Podcast with Jamie Winship
The post Identity and the Connected Worldview (#935) first appeared on The God Journey.
"What is the strange calculus of greed that causes it to catch up with even the most cautious, best-intentioned person?" This is one of four provocative questions one reviewer said are asked by the Academy-award nominated movie, Killers of the Flower Moon. The others are: Why does guilt drive some people to remorse, and others over the edge? What is the power of a lie, that it can blind a person to a truth staring him in the face? How is it that what seems to be a blessing often turns out to be a curse? Wrestling with those existential questions seemed to fit so well into the ongoing conversation Wayne and Kyle have been having this year about delusion and freedom and why even the best of us can be easily sidelined by darkness. They also discuss whether or not every negative emotion is an invitation into transformation.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Podcast with Jamie Winship
- The review about Killers of the Flower Moon, from which Wayne drew these questions, does not seem to be posted publicly on the Internet any more. My apologies.
- Storm damage in Kenya. Can you help us restore one village's water supply?
The post Seduced into Darkness (#934) first appeared on The God Journey.
So much of religious thinking preys on our fears of God or others thinking of us as selfish. That fear, however, keeps many from the self-care necessary to heal from trauma or resist the efforts of controlling people in our lives. Why is is so easy for us to cave to the pressure of religious obligations or the fear of what others might think instead of listening when our hearts and bodies are alerting us that we are moving beyond the grace God's current process transformation allows? Wayne and Kyle talk about honoring the process of what Jesus is working in you so that you won't be caught in those extreme situations that will take you beyond what you can bear. With a reference to The Matrix, they talk about those who prefer to live in the bondage of a comforting illusion than to risk what it might mean to see the truth and follow it. They also explore how the encouragement to forgiveness can be used as a weapon instead of allowing it to be the fruit of Jesus's work in us.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but no video of this podcast was recorded.
- Storm damage in Kenya. Can you help us restore one village's water supply?
The post When Is Self-Care Not Selfish? (#933) first appeared on The God Journey.
This episode begins with a follow-up question from a listener about love and control, particularly as it affects parenting children. After which, Kyle had some questions for Wayne about his recent series of blogs on the Last Lesson My Father Taught Me, which deals with the unraveling of a deeply-valued relationship to lies, misinformation, and false accusations. Can you maintain a relationship based by ignoring persistent anger and accusations? What happens inside unmerited affection that can deeply transform the human heart, especially if we don't try to save ourselves, but leave the outcome of events in the hands of others, and ultimately to entrust them to Jesus.
Podcast Notes:
- Watch the video recording of this podcast
- Wayne's Blog: The Last Lesson My Father Taught Me: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
- Brian McClaren Comments on The Purification Narrative
The post When Relationships Unravel (#932) first appeared on The God Journey.
"When people can't control you they try to control how people view you." That comment sends Wayne and Kyle on an exploration of the relationship between love and control and wonder about the possibility that love just might be the opposite of control. Is that why God doesn't force humanity to please him? Have you ever been punished by a control freak in your family, place of work, or religious group? Trying to control others forces you to punish them when they won't cooperate, or pretend to be something they are not to fit in. They also take a look at a recent talk by Brian McLaren about purification narratives that are used to scapegoat other people as a tactic many are using to address their anxieties, fear, and shame. Learning to live free of control maybe costly but you can't live in love without it.
Podcast Notes:
- Watch the video recording of this podcast
- The 50 Countries Where It's Hardest to Follow Jesus
- Wayne's Blog: The Last Lesson My Father Taught Me: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
- Brian McClaren Comments on The Purification Narrative
The post Is Control the Opposite of Love? (#931) first appeared on The God Journey.
"When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” It's a disturbing aside Jesus makes at the end of a parable about perseverance and prayer. What do we make of it? Was this a real concern for Jesus, as in the days of Noah when there was only one man left on the planet who could find grace in God's eyes? Why wouldn't he already know? Was it just a rhetorical statement to provoke his disciples to learn the power of faith or is there a real risk that humanity will continue to to try and manipulate God for their own ends while falling into unfaithfulness? Those are intriguing questions, and Wayne probes them with Bob Prater, who had a nudge about this passage some weeks ago. At the end, Kyle joins the conversation as well.
Podcast Notes:
- Watch the video recording of this podcast
- Previous Podcast with Bob Prater that this conversation grew out of.
The post Will He Find Faith on the Earth? (#930) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is part two of the podcast Kyle and Wayne started last week as they process the discoveries Wayne shared in the original Agreeing with God podcast at the first of the year. In this conversation they explore spiritual warfare and how we might be involved in it. A dream also invites them to explore what happens when we try to protect Jesus with our humanity instead of letting him protect us with his victory on the cross. Finally, they answer a listener's question as to whether or not they are being selfish because they don't feel they have any emotional strength to fellowship with God's agony. Their response might surprise you.
Podcast Notes:
- Watch the video recording of this podcast
- Luis's Dream
- Part 1 of my talk with Kyle
- Previous Podcasts: Agreeing with God Part 1 | Agreeing with God Part II
- The God Journey After Show from January 13.
The post Protecting Jesus (#929) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle finally has a chance to jump and help Wayne process what he shared in the previous two podcasts as Kyle was dealing with a scary family medical emergency at home. He wants to know more about the process of prayer this group has undergone, especially since we began without a predetermined goal or outcome. How were the emotions going through the process and how did they keep the momentum going for so long? They also talk about Wayne's perspective on the possibility that we are approaching the End of Days and is Jesus coming back as a terrifying judge or as a rescuer and redeemer?
Podcast Notes:
- Watch the video recording of this podcast
- Previous Podcast: Agreeing with God Part 1 | Agreeing with God Part II
- "Christ in the Rubble" a sermon by a Palestinian Pastor
- The God Journey After Show from January 13.
- Song: Come Jesus Come
The post A Process of Prayer (#928) first appeared on The God Journey.
Following up on last week's podcast, and with Kyle still unable to join, Wayne invites Bob Prater to join him in processing the journey he began to tell last week. Bob has been part of the prayer group Wayne talked about last week, so this exapands that conversation with a different perspective. They talk about the corrupting influence of gaining power, how God can turn suffering into a gift of transformation, and what it means to fellowship in the sufferings of Christ. They also talk about the power of contentment to thwarting the illusions that seek to exploit our frustration and ambition to draw us into the darkness.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there was no video recording of this podcast
- Last Week's Podcast: Agreeing with God
- Join us for the after-show -. Please listen to the podcast if you want to join our Zoom session. We have scheduled it for this Saturday, January 13, at 1:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. You can stream it live or listen to it afterward on The God Journey Facebook Page. If you want to be in the conversation, please email Wayne for the link.
The post Agreeing with God, Part 2 (#927) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Will you stand with God against the delusion that's in the world?" Wayne was asked that question three years ago by some friends in Ireland, and exploring what that means has been a three-year journey about prayer, love, delusion, and how God's purpose unfolds in the world. He has often shared that the last three years have been the most transformative of his life. You've heard bits and pieces of that here, but now he is ready to tell the full story. As The God Journey begins its twentieth season, Wayne unpacks this process in Kyle's absence as he has to take a break to deal with a major medical emergency in his family.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there was no video recording of this podcast
- It's Time - a short video Wayne made in 2021
- Join us for the after-show -. Please listen to the podcast if you want to join our Zoom session. We have scheduled it for this Saturday, January 13, at 1:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. You can stream it live or listen to it afterwards on The God Journey Facebook Page. If you want to be in the conversation, please email Wayne for the link.
The post Agreeing with God (#926) first appeared on The God Journey.
Is our obedience to God strategic or specific? Does it come from following a plan God reveals to us or from simply following him each day and recognizing the opportunities and options he brings to us? The answer to that has had a profound impact on both their lives this year, so after talking some about that, they take a quick lap around the themes and topics that have most shaped them from these conversations over 2023. They talk about anticipation or expectation, God viewing sin as trauma, the God-shaped life, the redemptive story unfolding in all of us, and how we can share in God's sufferings in the same way Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to share it with him in Gethsemane.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Podcasts mentioned from 2023: Aspiration versus Capacity
- Podcasts mentioned from 2023: Your Redemption Story
- Podcasts mentioned from 2023: Did We Get Sin Wrong?
- Podcasts mentioned from 2023: The God-Shaped Life
- Podcasts mentioned from 2023: Holding Pain with God
The post A Year to Remember (#925) first appeared on The God Journey.
That wisdom Jesus just gave you, did he intend that to be a lens to judge others with or a mirror to reveal what he is doing in you? Kyle and Wayne examine a number of questions that can help people be more responsive to the work of Jesus around them. Why does God seem to hem us in with circumstances that offer us little choice at times and at others only gentle nudges? What questions do you run from, or what conversation are you trying to avoid? Do you humanize the people you're at odds with or stereotype them dismissively? Are you living in the frenzy of the human effort or the flow of his Spirit? And finally, why did most Israelites miss the revelation they were waiting for in Jesus, and why did only a few recognize him?
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Brené with Dr. Shawn Ginwright on The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves
The post Mirror or Lens, Frenzy or Flow? (#924) first appeared on The God Journey.
“It is very difficult for the good in people to put in place a system that can tamp down the ugly in humanity.” This observation strikes to the heart of Wayne's journey. Having spent twenty years of "ministry" trying to find that structure, he has spent the last thirty years commending that task to Jesus and learning to love others as freely as he's been loved. That begins a conversation with Kyle that leads them back to the Charismatic Revival Fury they covered last week. What can go wrong when we seek a human-designed structure to protect us and the kingdom? It has led many well-meaning brothers and sisters astray. Does the life of Jesus lead us to dominate the systems of this word, or does it draw us to lay our life down in the same way Jesus did for the good of others?
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- The audi-documentary referred to in this podcast: Charismatic Revival Fury - an audio documentary.
The post When We Seek Our Own Protection (#923) first appeared on The God Journey.
A significant number of people involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol were spurred on by a group, claiming to be apostles and prophets equipped to take dominion over America's mountain of governance. Furthermore, they thought that God would miraculously restore President Trump to power that day and in doing so launch the Third Great Awakening, a long-hoped-for revival of Charismatic Christians, according to researcher Dr. Matthew D. Taylor.. Kyle and Wayne take a look at the information about these brothers and sisters, their ambitions in the Trump Presidency, and how they hoped "to rule and reign through Donald Trump." How did their pursuit of spiritual authority drive them away from the purity and simplicity of devotion to Jesus? (If you want to comment on this, please do so on the blog or by email (waynej@lifestream.org).
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Politicology Podcast - Holy War
- Politicology Podcast - Holy War II, which was released after this recording was made.
- Charismatic Revival Fury - an audio documentary
The post Charismatic Revival Fury (#922) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Real faith doesn't rest on what God can do, but what God is doing." When our aspirations turn into expectations of God or ourselves, a life of frustration awaits. By losing sight of the process of God's work in us, we will either blame God or ourselves when we don't see the fruit we hope for. In this episode, Wayne and Kyle revisit their conversation about anticipation and capacity with some of our listeners, keeping in mind that increasing our capacity is not ours to do but what God is doing in us. But first, they talk about dealing with changes in life—of loss and disappointment—and how to deal with them in a way that heals the past and opens doors in the present. They also spend some time on the phrase "speaking my truth."
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Dana's Poem
The post When Aspiration Becomes Expectation (#921) first appeared on The God Journey.
Are like-minded people the best ingredients for fellowship and community? They are if you want to stay stuck in the status quo. Growth, however, means we still consider where we may be getting it wrong and what other roads God might invite us to go down. After discussing not haunting people with ghosts of their past and finding a faithful confidant to process your journey, Kyle and Wayne discuss the idea that you are best positioned to grow and face tragic moments of your life if you have a "diversified therapeutic web of relationships." That is social science talk for having a network of people who don't all think the same way so that you can discover a wider group of options and a better way of thinking.
Podcast Notes:
- We're sorry, but we had a glitch in the recording of this podcast, and it got lost.
- Wayne's blog on the power of relationships with older brothers that have shaped his life.
The post A Diversified Web of Support (#920) first appeared on The God Journey.
"My Christian upbringing left me ill-prepared for sexual intimacy in marriage by filling it with shame and creating unrealistic expectations." Kyle was a panelist for his university's "Sex in the Dark," a confidential opportunity for students to ask questions about sex. With that lament, Kyle invites Wayne into the conversation and whether or not he had the same experience. At a time when the world despises monogamy as a complicating factor in sexual expression, they celebrate what learning love, respect, and care for another human being over a lifetime can do to enhance joy and intimacy inside marriage. They talk about the damage false expectations generated by Christian teaching and Hollywood productions can do to a mutually satisfying sexual engagement filled with tenderness and romance.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there was no video recording made of this podcast.
The post Sex in the Dark (#919) first appeared on The God Journey.
The way of Jesus in a world of chaos is not as easy as some would have you believe. Wayne and Kyle discuss the difficult road we face when Jesus invites us to challenge the darkness that deceives us from within, to respond with love when others give us vengeance, or to live with integrity when all around us abandon it for personal expedience. There's a reason why more people aspire to wholeness than are willing to follow Jesus to get there. They also revisit two themes of recent podcasts that have continued to impact their own journeys: holding the difference between aspiration and capacity and finding the redemption story already unfolding in people around us.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Bésame Ice Cream in Austin, TX
The post When Following Him Isn’t Easy (#917) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Sara and Wayne complete their trip through the middle of the U.S., they reflect on Sara's trauma story and how she continues to take on the ramifications of darkness that held her captive for so long. She talks about the exhaustion of sorting through the coping mechanisms that helped her survive in times of threat but now hold her back from living wholeheartedly. By recognizing them and acknowledging their failure to keep her say, she can look for the options that life and love would give her. As she is coming to rest in knowing she will have what she needs as life unfolds, she will no longer need to navigate the anxiety of her worst-case scenarios.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video recording of this podcast.
- Dana's Poem on Allowing My Past Catch Up with Me
- Wayne's blog on How Do You End Your Day?
The post The Relentless Pursuit of Whole Heartedness (#917) first appeared on The God Journey.
Beneath the attempts of darkness to twist our lives into ever-greater bondage is the Spirit of God inviting us into the glorious light of God's love and wisdom. Friend, occasional guest, and author Tracey Levinson joins Wayne as they both celebrate the redemption story unfolding in each of their lives and help you find the one unfolding our yours. We find ours best when we find hope in the reality that Father is really good and that he is with us. We help others as we entrust them to God, realizing he has access to them internally and loves them more than we do. When we walk alongside them without fear we know how to encourage our adult children, spouses, or good friends instead of distracting them with our fears and expectations.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there is no video recording of this podcast.
- Past podcasts with Tracey
- Tracey's website
- Tracey's book unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness, and faith
The post Your Redemption Story (#916) first appeared on The God Journey.
Sara joins Wayne again for this brief conversation about how difficult it is to hide your struggles from people you...
The post Everything is Better in the Light (#910) first appeared on The God Journey.
What if the story of the Garden of Eden was not two selfish, disobedient children making a bad choice but the most innocent of humans victimized by a more powerful, malevolent force? A long-time God Journey listener poses that question. The Garden scene has all the elements of a traumatic encounter where Adam and Eve were overwhelmed by a superior entity and went away from it, blamed for doing so. Wayne and Kyle examine Genesis 3 in light of this suggestion after first contemplating how religious addiction has the same elements as substance abuse, the reason why we are asked to turn the other cheek, and the power of viewing human brokenness as a corporate reality rather than an individual one. Lots here. Have fun!
Podcast Notes:
- The video of this recording session.
- Road Trip: Wayne and Sara's meanderings through Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona
The post Overwhelmed by Evil (#909) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Sara revisit the conversation they started a month ago about how God might view sin differently than most...
The post Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part V (#908) first appeared on The God Journey.
"No humans who lived before were actually capable of wiping the human race from existence (by) screwing things up so...
The post The End of the World (#907) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle ran out of time last week, so they continued their exploration of how God might view sin...
The post Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 4 (#906) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle continue their exploration of how God views sin and what we can do about it with comments...
The post Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 3 (#905) first appeared on The God Journey.
Could it be that God views sin not as something we chose but as something that happened to his beloved...
The post Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 2 (#904) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne is pondering a major shift in his view of sin and wants to ponder it with Kyle. However, a...
The post Did We Get Sin Wrong? (#903) first appeared on The God Journey.
Have you ever honestly told someone what you thought and they responded, "I don't believe you?" This is where relationships...
The post “I Don’t Believe You” (#902) first appeared on The God Journey.
Just because you're convinced you hold the Truth, does that give you the right to bully others into believing it...
The post Religious Bullies (#901) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent," said political commentator Adam Smith. That quote has been rattling around...
The post Mercy, Vengeance, and Justice (#900) first appeared on The God Journey.
Following up on last week's podcast, "As Long as it Takes," Kyle and Wayne contemplate the complementary question of how...
The post How Much Is Too Much? (#899) first appeared on The God Journey.
"How long, O Lord?" The plaintive cry of the Psalmist is one we've all asked in the seasons of difficulty...
The post As Long as It Takes (#898) first appeared on The God Journey.
If God made us for connection, one of the cruelest things we can do is to withhold our affection from...
The post The Loneliness Epidemic (#897) first appeared on The God Journey.
The final characteristic of a life shaped by God that Kyle and Wayne are exploring in this series is bold humility. In our culture, boldness is often associated with pushy arrogance and humility with quiet reserve. Neither serves God's purposes in the world. But those who are learning how loved they are also know how little they know of all that God is. While they are confident in the things God shows them, they have no will to push themselves on others. Recognizing that they have no responsibility to change the world or anyone in it, they can still point to the light in ways that give even their detractors the best opportunity to recognize it. This is especially true when others are disfiguring God with their false teachings and lack of love and honesty.Podcast Notes:* The video recording of this podcast * Full Transformational Love Chart PDF * Previous Transforming Love Podcasts
The post The God-Shaped Life: A Bold Humility (#896) first appeared on The God Journey.
Can you imagine in any circumstance having enough freedom to be authentically you and enough love to be tender even toward those who are trying to harm you? Wayne and Kyle continue their look at the God-shaped life that living him will produce in you. This is number four—tender authenticity. In every encounter, we can look for that sweet spot where we never have to be less than ourselves and, at the same time, let love guide us to be tender with the other person. With no need for telling "white lies" or allowing others to manipulate you, you'll be freer to follow Jesus and open the widest door into productive and fruitful relationships. In the early part of the podcast, they talk about when fear finds its home in us and blocks our perception of love.Podcast Notes:* The video recording of this podcast * Full Transformational Love Chart PDF * Previous Transforming Love Podcasts
The post The God-Shaped Life: A Tender Authenticity (#895) first appeared on The God Journey.
The more we grow to know God and his character, the more we will feel well cared for. And when we no longer have to fight for our survival, we become more aware of others, their needs, and how we can walk alongside them to help lighten their load, especially those who live on the margins. Wayne and Kyle continue their look at the God-shaped life, focusing on five characteristics that help describe the fruit of God's life as it takes shape in us. In this episode, they talk about a generous compassion as the fruit of God's love drawing us away from a self-focused life making us more sensitive to others. Then we can live generously in the world with our time, resources and emotional support for those who need it.Podcast Notes:* The video recording of this podcast. * Full Transformational Love Chart PDF * Previous Transforming Love Podcasts
The post The God-Shaped Life: A Generous Compassion (#894) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Kyle continue their look at the God-shaped life, focusing on five characteristics that help describe the fruit of God's life as it takes shape in us. In this episode, they talk about a resilient trust that grows as we discover God's faithfulness, even through the chaos and disappointments of a broken creation. The more we follow him and recognize how he deals with the chaos, the freer we will be with it as well. Then we can see faith for what it really is inside a relationship with a God we trust. Then we can embrace a trajectory of growing trust that ebbs and flows as we grow through various circumstances that challenge us instead of thinking we gain or lose faith.Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Full Transformational Love Chart PDF
- Previous Transforming Love Podcasts
The post The God-Shaped Life: A Resilient Trust (#893) first appeared on The God Journey.
What does a God-shaped life look like? A couple of weeks ago, Wayne offered five terms to help describe the fruit of God's life taking shape in us as we live in a hostile world in the affection of the Father. Over the next five weeks, he and Kyle will discuss these five characteristics and what allows God to develop them in our personalities. This is not a lifestyle that we achieve by human effort but is one shaped by a friendship with God marked by love, rest, and play. As our life in him deepens, we'll find ourselves following his nudges as he shows us how to love others the same way he loves us. This week, they talk about a sincere love that is deep, honest, and caring about whomever God brings into our lives.Podcast Notes:
- There was no video recording made of this podcast.
- Scripture referred to in this podcast: Romans 12:9-19
- Full Transformational Love Chart PDF
- Previous Transforming Love Podcasts
- If you're interested in going to Israel with us, you can get all the details here.
The post The God-Shaped Life: A Sincere Love (#892) first appeared on The God Journey.
"I love that God never forces, never controls or coerces, never compromises our freedom of will or mind, apart from to share his love." Those are the words of Jenny Rowbory, an amazing young woman and poet who has been seasoned through some of life's most horrific circumstances. In response to The Vulnerability of God podcast, she wrote Wayne a letter to share the insights she has had dealing with a debilitating illness. Her letter is breathtaking, pregnant with insight and musings that few people contemplate. With her permission, Wayne and Kyle process her letter about God's vulnerability to our misunderstanding of love when God doesn't act in the way we think he must. She describes a faith that can set your heart at rest even in inexplicable and terrifying circumstances as she considers what restrains God from doing all the good we'd hope he'd do.Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- If you're interested in going to Israel with us, you can get all the details here
- Here is Jenny's letter
- Jenny Rowbory's website
- Buy Jenny's book of poetry - We Are Winter People
- The Vulnerability of God podcast on The God Journey
The post Insight from the Depths of Pain (#891) first appeared on The God Journey.
Love alone does not transform us. It opens the door to transformation by inviting us into a friendship with God marked by love, rest, and play. In that relationship, we'll discover how he guides us in a state of growing trust. That will lead us to follow him, and it's in the following that our lives are transformed. We aren't called to follow a book, a tradition, or religious leaders; we are called to follow Jesus. Today, Kyle and Wayne continue the Transforming Love series by showing how God's continuing revelation mixes with our pondering to help us navigate our lies in the organic, unfolding adventure of following him.Podcast Notes:* The video recording of this podcast. * Redeeming Love Podcasts * Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post Transforming Love #9: Follow first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle, Wayne, and Sara continue their conversation about their last year and the doors God continues to open into a new "Promised Land" for Sara to discover. Sara talks about finding her existence inside her desires, and Wayne shares how God prepared him for the road ahead by embracing the unmerited rejection that he felt in the process. This has been quite an odyssey for them but now the lines have fallen for them in pleasant places of God's healing and their desire to help others who are dealing with similar despair and darkness.Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Redeeming Love Podcasts
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post Redeeming Love: Unmerited Rejection (#889) first appeared on The God Journey.
As Wayne and Sara approach the one-year anniversary of the emergence of Sara's trauma, she joins the podcast to discuss her continued journey to freedom. They look back and celebrate all that Father has accomplished and how their lives have changed. Also, while recently struggling with newfound anger directed at those who abused her, Jesus provided an image and a phrase that dislodged the pain of her past. She saw from the vantage point of a drone rising high above the one square mile where all these tragic things took place; she heard the words "good riddance." Something clicked in her heart that displaced the anger and allowed the abuse of her past to sink into irrelevance. There's much more here about her growing freedom to encourage others on a similar journey.Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Redeeming Love Podcasts
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post Redeeming Love: Good Riddance (#888) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life" is how Peter defines transformation in the words of Eugene Peterson (1 Peter 1:15). As Kyle and Wayne have been jokingly processing 'Christianity 401', they land on a better term they will use and completion of the chart they worked through last year. Out of love, rest, and play, it becomes our nature to follow the nudges of Jesus, and in doing so, we find his life taking shape in us. Wayne offers five phrases to describe what that looks like—sincere love, resilient trust, generous compassion, tender authenticity, and bold humility. They also continue to process how we use misapply Scripture when we don't consider the original context and whether or not God permits tragedy and abuse in our culture.Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Full Transformational Chart PDF
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post Transforming Love #8: The God-Shaped Life (#887) first appeared on The God Journey.
"They don't want the truth to be the truth." That's how one father summed up his broken relationship with his daughter's family. Wasn't that true of the Pharisees in Christ's day; isn't it often true of people who grope about in the darkness? Preferring the false comfort of their illusions, they miss God's repeated overtures to invite them to see what's true. That's why the first work of salvation is to set us at rest in the Father's affection so that we will be ready to embrace God's truth when it begins to tear a hole in the lies we believe. No longer needing to protect the fiefdom of our deception, we can awaken to the beauty of God's freedom. They also talk about learning to rely on God's love as the only necessary weapon to engage the world.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post The First Work of Salvation (#886) first appeared on The God Journey.
If God shares our suffering with us, what does that say about the vulnerability of God to humanity? That's a question Kyle had left over after our last podcast, so he and Wayne go down that rabbit hole. Did God's love make him vulnerable to humans? That leads to a host of other questions. If he shares our pain, how can we find comfort in him if he's somehow allowing it, or at least not fixing it? Warning: this conversation uses the deep end of the pool to contemplate the comfort of God in the throes of human suffering. Could God ever say to us, "I am sorry you're going through this," if he could stop it and doesn't?
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
The post The Vulnerability of God (#885) first appeared on The God Journey.
"It was both liberating and terrifying to discover the truth," said one emailer to Wayne about escaping the distorted image of God brought on by her legalistic upbringing. Someone else described the abuse they suffered from their dad this way: "For my father, legalism is love." In reading through their email and considering a recent CDC study on anxiety and depression in teenage girls, Wayne and Kyle contemplate the journey through anxiety and despair or religious abuse into freedom in the love of Jesus. In doing so, they talk about mental fitness as a lifelong journey of confronting challenges and learning resilience in the midst of the world's chaos.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's video series — The Jesus Lens
- The Crisis in American Girlhood in the Washington Post
- The Wisdom of Anxiety - the podcast Kyle and Wayne discuss
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
- DATE CHANGE: The next Jake Colsen Book Club session will be held Sunday, March 5, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will explore Chapter 10: Won to Trust, as we process how Jesus teaches us to trust him and what he wants, rather than trying to get him to give us the outcomes we want for ourselves. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post From Mourning to Laughter (#885) first appeared on The God Journey.
Where is God when our hearts are filled with agony? Is he behind our circumstances orchestrating them? Is he allowing them for some higher purpose for us? Is he just an indifferent spectator, watching us go through them? Or is he in them with us, holding our pain as he invites us to hold his as well? Wayne shares an experience with Kyle from a couple of months ago that has taken him on a new trajectory, gazing not only through the victory of the cross but the agony that God feels for the broken Creation and his loss of relationships with people he loves because of lies told about him. While we all crave joy and comfort, there is more to be learned in our pain and sorrow. As the Preacher said in Ecclesiastes, "Sorrow is better than laughter; it probes the depth of the heart." (7:3) They also talk about the inspiration of Scripture earlier in the podcast.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Wayne's video series — The Jesus Lens
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
- DATE CHANGE: The next Jake Colsen Book Club session will be held Sunday, March 5, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will explore Chapter 10: Won to Trust, as we process how Jesus teaches us to trust him and what he wants, rather than trying to get him to give us the outcomes we want for ourselves. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post The Fellowship of Suffering (#884) first appeared on The God Journey.
You cannot give what you do not have, especially when trying to hold someone else's pain. That seems obvious, right? And yet, many of us feel pressured to try and offer what we do n t have to give. Wayne and Kyle discuss the importance of recognizing where we are in God's transformation process so we can know if we have the reserves of grace to he p someone else. And if not, how we can honestly own up to that, as we help them find other resources for their pain. They also talk about navigating anger, loving others, especially in our encounters with strangers, and the problem of putting an authentic gospel into a vehicle for the mass media.
Podcast Notes:
- The video recording of this podcast.
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
- The next Jake Colsen Book Club session will be held Saturday, March 4, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will explore Chapter 10: Won to Trust, as we process how Jesus teaches us to trust him and what he wants, rather than trying to get him to give us the outcomes we want for ourselves. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post The Grace You Have to Give (#883) first appeared on The God Journey.
You will never do anything more personally rewarding in your life than to be a safe place for someone in pain to land. Sara pinch hits for Kyle this week as he was traveling, and that allows Wayne and Sara to continue their story through trauma since their return to California. What does their life look like now, and how has the healing progressed? They talk about Sara's ongoing process of healing and what has been most helpful for her in dealing with her trauma, and what proved to be hurtful, even if well-intentioned. Their conversation will help you learn how to be a safe place for people in pain to recover and heal.
Podcast Notes:
- Sorry, there was no video this week.
- Redeeming Love Podcasts that tell Wayne and Sara's story from last year.
- Recommended books for understanding trauma: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. and Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
- Email Wayne if you're interested in joining him and Sara on a trip to Israel in Winter 2024
- Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts.
- The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, February 18, at 11:00 am PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will explore Chapter 9: A Box by Any Other Name as we talk about humanity’s relentless attempts to put the living, breathing bride of Jesus into a box we think we can manage for him. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
- The next Wrestling with Trauma conversation will be Sunday, February 26 at 10:00 am. PST. Email Wayne if you'd like to join a small group to provide a place for people to explore their trauma or to find ways to help others they love deal with trauma.
The post A Safe Place for Broken Hearts (#882) first appeared on The God Journey.
"In November, the world changed, and no one yet knows what the impact will be." Kevin Tupper, an Artificial Intelligence Leader for the Federal Civilian Team at Microsoft and a friend of Wayne's, brought that news to him a couple of weeks ago. Wayne had no idea what he was talking about. November 2022 was the first time Artificial Intelligence was released into the wild for people to use and abuse at will. What is Artificial intelligence, and how might it change the world? What can it do now, and what will it be able to do in the future? With Kevin's help, Wayne and Kyle dive into the world of Artificial intelligence, its promise and its pitfalls, and offer some ways to navigate this new technology.
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
ChatGPT.com
Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, February 18, at 11:00 am PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will explore Chapter 9: A Box by Any Other Name as we talk about humanity’s relentless attempts to put the living, breathing bride of Jesus into a box we think we can manage for him. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post Masterful Imposter (#881) first appeared on The God Journey.
The God Journey conversation is flowing faster than Wayne and Kyle can keep up, so this week, they circle back to some unfinished business from earlier episodes this year. In doing so, they talk about how Wayne and Sara are negotiating the pain of last year in their redemption story and dealing with unhealthy family systems, especially if the toxic person is still involved and acting destructively. They also return to their conversation about the "Life of Jesus 401" and how God is raising up a generation of people transformed enough by love to follow the Lamb wherever he leads and, in doing so, demonstrate his glory to the world.
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
RSS Archive by Year - 2022 just added
Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts
The next Wrestling with Trauma conversation will be held Sunday, February 5, at 11:00 am PST. This is limited to the first twelve who ask to be included. You can email Wayne and see if there's still room and get the link if you want. Given the sensitive nature of these sessions, they are not streamed or recorded.
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, February 4, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. This one will be on chapter 8, Unplayable Lies, which deals with how God grows our trust and the danger of trying to save ourselves. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post Unfinished Business (#880) first appeared on The God Journey.
How often have we white-knuckled our way into a compromised version of obedience only to find that it didn't work. In this episode, Kyle and Wayne discuss the tendency of human leadership to be corrupted by indulgence, excess, or control issues. Even David, a man after God's own heart was plunged into rape and murder by the seduction of power and its sense of entitlement. Being successful in ministry and being successful in Christ's mission are not the same thing. Will we allow God to invite us into his reality even in our most crushing moments and find freedom from our imposter selves, or will those imposters take over in our unrelenting quest for comfort and control?
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
RSS Archive by Year - 2022 just added
Picked Cherries - a new way to share podcasts
Hagar's Voice
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, February 4, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. This one will be on chapter 8, Unplayable Lies, which deals with how God grows our trust and the danger of trying to save ourselves. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post All in on God’s Reality (#879) first appeared on The God Journey.
What does the trajectory of learning to follow Jesus look like? What does it mean to be a disciple of his and to help others learn to be one as well? Kyle and Wayne launch a conversation they will revisit in weeks to come. This is not about modality, techniques, or objectives but rather exploring what God shapes into a life that is learning to live in his reality and join his mission in the world. They also talk about how not to let a physical crisis become a spiritual one and how the need to be needed can easily take us off track.
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
RSS Archive by Year - 2022 just added
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, January 21, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. This one will be on chapter 7, When You Dig a Hole For Yourself, You Have to Throw the Dirt on Someone. This chapter deals with how religious performance destroys relationships by making them competitive rather than living inside his love for others. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post What Making Disciples Means (#878) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Your truth" is only valuable when it aligns with the Creator's reality. It is so easy for all of us to spin the narrative we want to be true, especially if it comforts us. But transformation and freedom arise where what we believe to be true is increasingly aligned with God's perspective of us and the situations we are in. Kyle and Wayne talk about that and those unexpected moments when God lets us in on something real and invites us to integrate it into our story. They also revisit last year's trauma story through letters from listeners who have been touched by that story.
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Our first Wrestling with Trauma conversation will be held this Saturday, January 14, at 11:00 am PST. You'll have to do the math to figure out what that might be in your time zone. Like the Jake Colsen Book Club, we'll be moving these around to different times to help accommodate people in different parts of the world. If you'd like to join us this week, please email me for the Zoom link. We'll be limiting it to the first twelve who request a link, but don't worry, we will have more. These are not teaching sessions, nor will they build on each other. Each will be a conversation to serve those who join us and will not be recorded or streamed online.The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, January 21, at 1:30 pm PST. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. This one will be on chapter 7, When You Dig a Hole For Yourself, You Have to Throw the Dirt on Someone. This chapter deals with how religious performance destroys relationships by making them competitive rather than living inside his love for others. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.
The post Our Truth and God’s Truth (#877) first appeared on The God Journey.
When God invites us to give up our need to control our circumstances, isn't he really asking us to give up our illusion of control? Even our best attempts to maintain control fail or even backfire. Kyle and Wayne are back for a nineteenth season of The God Journey after a month off. They reflect on the curious and painful adventures of the past year and what they hope for ahead in 2023. They talk about control as an illusion and how living in God's love, rest, and play will negate our need to control and allow us to extend grace not only to ourselves in our struggles but also to others in theirs.
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
The post The Illusion of Control (#876) first appeared on The God Journey.
"If you don't play the game, the game will play you." In their last podcast of the year, Kyle asks Wayne about the process of settling back into Southern California after their trip around the U.S. How does it feel about returning to apartment living, and where does he see their future unfolding from here? Then, they settle into a conversation about getting out of the games people play that tend to distract us from how God wants us to live. Only by following Jesus outside those games and beyond the darkness that has found its way into our thinking can we begin to know the beauty and fruit of Jesus' kingdom. How can you find a faith authentic enough to get you through any challenge and leave you ever more transformed into his image?
Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
The post Living Outside the Game (#875) first appeared on The God Journey.
What does it look like to follow Jesus out of love, rest, and play, instead of obligation or fear? Religious...
The post Transformational Love #8: The Whole-Hearted Yes (#874) first appeared on The God Journey.
"Please tell them I am not a professonal counselor; I am a person with a caring heart and a listening...
The post A Caring Heart and a Listening Ear (#873) first appeared on The God Journey.
Authoritative parenting has been the order of the day for most evangelical Christians, and the real damage is the conclusion...
The post Love, Rest, and Play in Father’s Parenting (#872) first appeared on The God Journey.
Without the freedom to say no, authenticity will be swallowed up by obligation when people want something from you. How...
The post The Guilt-Free No (#871) first appeared on The God Journey.
Without the freedom to say no, authenticity will be swallowed up by obligation when people want something from you. How...
The post The Guilt-Free No (#871) first appeared on The God Journey.
Without the freedom to say no, authenticity will be swallowed up by obligation when people want something from you. How...
The post The Guilt-Free No (#871) first appeared on The God Journey.
What would it change in the way we live our lives if we knew salvation is not primarily about getting...
The post The Wrong Emphasis on Salvation (#870) first appeared on The God Journey.
What would it change in the way we live our lives if we knew salvation is not primarily about getting...
The post The Wrong Emphasis on Salvation (#870) first appeared on The God Journey.
What would it change in the way we live our lives if we knew salvation is not primarily about getting...
The post The Wrong Emphasis on Salvation (#870) first appeared on The God Journey.
Climbing up the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the full beauty of fall foliage and basking in the joy...
The post Wayne’s Happiest Day Ever! (#869) first appeared on The God Journey.
Climbing up the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the full beauty of fall foliage and basking in the joy...
The post Wayne’s Happiest Day Ever! (#869) first appeared on The God Journey.
Climbing up the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the full beauty of fall foliage and basking in the joy...
The post Wayne’s Happiest Day Ever! (#869) first appeared on The God Journey.
Chances are you know someone who has been traumatized, and trying to communicate past their trauma can be difficult and...
The post Communicating Through Trauma (#868) first appeared on The God Journey.
Chances are you know someone who has been traumatized, and trying to communicate past their trauma can be difficult and...
The post Communicating Through Trauma (#868) first appeared on The God Journey.
Healing and transformation take a bit of time and the process can be draining. If we don't honor the process...
The post Honoring The Space for Healing (#867) first appeared on The God Journey.
Healing and transformation take a bit of time and the process can be draining. If we don't honor the process...
The post Honoring The Space for Healing (#867) first appeared on The God Journey.
Your life is too unique for anyone else's plan or process to provide what you need, which is why Jesus...
The post Questions Only God Can Answer… And Does (#866) first appeared on The God Journey.
Your life is too unique for anyone else's plan or process to provide what you need, which is why Jesus...
The post Questions Only God Can Answer… And Does (#866) first appeared on The God Journey.
The love we want from God may not be the love God knows we need to experience. How can we...
The post Falling Into God’s Way of Loving (#865) first appeared on The God Journey.
What would it mean for a spouse to give a trauma victim the benefit of the doubt? One wife answered...
The post I Have Only Been Trying to Survive (#864) first appeared on The God Journey.
Wayne and Sara have begun their cross-country trip, and that opens a conversation with Kyle about God's desire to restore...
The post Transformation #7: Love, Rest, Play (#863) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne are still processing Wayne and Sara's journey through trauma just before they sold their home and left...
The post The Love that Leads to Truth (#862) first appeared on The God Journey.
How do you get back to the regularly-scheduled podcast after the story that has unfolded here in the last seven...
The post Redeeming Love: The Aftermath (#861) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is the final episode of the Redeeming Love series, unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection...
The post Redeeming Love: The Journey Continues (#860) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is part six of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne...
The post Redeeming Love: Relational Repair (#859) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is part five of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne...
The post Redeeming Love: The Trauma Appears (#858) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is part four of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne...
The post Redeeming Love: Finding Our Way Back (#857) first appeared on The God Journey.
This is part three of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne...
The post Redeeming Love: Horse Whisperer (#856) first appeared on The God Journey.
For the past thirteen weeks, Wayne and Sara have been on the strangest of journeys, that put Sara's life and...
The post What Sara Faced (#855) first appeared on The God Journey.
On April 11, Wayne returned from an 11-day trip to the east coast to some "unforeseen circumstances" that he said...
The post The Unforeseen Circumstances (#854) first appeared on The God Journey.
Repentance Kyle and Wayne begin with a follow-up to last week's podcast through emails and blog comments from our listeners....
The post Transformation #5 (#853) first appeared on The God Journey.
Following up on last week's conversation about The Divisiveness of Compassion, Kyle and Wayne interact with some of their listeners...
The post The Power of Vulnerability (#852) first appeared on The God Journey.
If we could only be more loving, wouldn't the world would chase after the Jesus we know? One would think...
The post The Divisiveness of Love (#851) first appeared on The God Journey.
Believe Knowing what's true is not enough to carry us into the winds of the Spirit-led life. It's not the...
The post Transformation #4 (#850) first appeared on The God Journey.
The life of Christ runs at a different pace than what the world demands of us or what our religious...
The post Out-Running God (#849) first appeared on The God Journey.
Ponder "How do you know what God is showing you?" A great question from one of our listeners takes Kyle...
The post Transformational Love #3 (#848) first appeared on The God Journey.
Whether you've suffered trauma or have a loved one dealing with it, Wayne and Kyle continue their conversation from last...
The post Healing from Trauma: (#847) first appeared on The God Journey.
Emotional and verbal abuse as a young man caused Kyle to lock his heart into a deep bunker and guard...
The post The Traumatized Brain: (#846) first appeared on The God Journey.
Revelation We're back for a new edition of The God Journey as Wayne and Kyle continue their exploration of how...
The post Transformational Love #2: (#845) first appeared on The God Journey.
Blown By the Wind How does love transform us so that we can live the life of peace, joy, and...
The post Transformational Love #1 (#844) first appeared on The God Journey.
Restored innocence is the trailhead to a full and free life in Jesus. Innocence is not earned by our performance;...
The post Restoring Innocence (#843) first appeared on The God Journey.
In some recent engagements, Wayne has noticed how people de-personalize faith. For them, their faith is correct teaching by which...
The post De-Personalizing Faith (#842) first appeared on The God Journey.
Mark Galli, a former editor of Christianity Today, thinks it's important for Christians to admit that they really don't want...
The post Do Christians Resent God? (#841) first appeared on The God Journey.
"It's easier to look back at circumstances and see that God was with us even if we couldn't see it...
The post Seeing God in the Moment (#840) first appeared on The God Journey.
"It seems that fear drives us to build our own jenga-tower theologies, which we guard with the viciousness of junk-yard...
The post Jenga-Tower Theology (#839) first appeared on The God Journey.
When Jesus shows us a way forward it generally doesn't feed our fears and insecurities, or our need to try...
The post Following the Bread Crumbs (#838) first appeared on The God Journey.
When God sends his Son to redeem the world, how is that Jesus stays in a very small region of...
The post The Scandal of Particularity (#837) first appeared on The God Journey.
Don't you think the disciples had a great time hanging out with Jesus? Wouldn't you have? Why has exhaustion become...
The post Living to Pleasure (#836) first appeared on The God Journey.
How can we help people young people navigate this season of uncertainty and address their spiritual hungers? Kyle and Wayne...
The post A Safe Place to Help Others (#835) first appeared on The God Journey.
You have not passed this way before. Doing what we've always done is not going to serve us well in...
The post Navigating Uncertainty (#834) first appeared on The God Journey.
"You were made for love, but not just any love. Go after the love that you were made for." Those...
The post For the Love o’ God (#833) first appeared on The God Journey.
Out of a Buddhist upbringing, Mary came to know Jesus one year ago, alone in her room after watching a...
The post Mary’s Story (#832) first appeared on The God Journey.
Can we untangle the life of Jesus from how the religion of Christianity has distorted and trivialized it? Kyle and...
The post Overcoming the Matrix (#831) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and I are taking a break during this holiday season, and we hope you get too as well. We're...
The post GJ Classic: Love, Rest, Play first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and I are taking a break during this holiday season, and we hope you get too as well. We're...
The post GJ Classic: Gaze with Me first appeared on The God Journey.
Has Christianity unwittingly tamed the Lion of Judah and lost the mystery and wonder that draws us into a life-changing...
The post Recovering Mystery (#830) first appeared on The God Journey.
Last weekend, Wayne and Kyle met with a group of twenty and thirty-year-olds from all around the U.S. regarding God's...
The post Holding Space In Father’s Work (#830) first appeared on The God Journey.
For some, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year; for others, it can be filled with pain, loneliness, and disappointment especially with all the nostalgic hopes we place on it. However, not all families celebrate with love and graciousness. Some families are riddled with expectations, gossip, and manipulative power games that make them a minefield of pain and judgment. Back from Thanksgiving, Kyle asks Wayne about negotiating the holidays when your family dynamics are destructive and hurtful. Do you owe it to your family to gather with them when they are destructive, or do you have other options? They talk about getting out of the game that requires performance as a condition for love and how to let God lead you by endearment instead of obligation in whatever situation you find yourself.
Podcast Notes:
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The post Family Holiday Drama (#829) first appeared on The God Journey.
Is learning to live loved by God a selfish pursuit? One man thought it was at a recent gathering Wayne held in Florida. He thought it was more important that people try to help the lost be born again. Religion trades on fear—fear of God's punishment, fear of what others think, fear of not doing enough to keep God on our side, or the fear that I'll lose control. As the recent episodes of the Mars Hill podcast demonstrate, it not only affects the average Christian but also dominates leaders as well. Love is not peripheral to the kingdom; it is the antidote to religious fear and the very thing Jesus wanted us to know personally and to spread in the world. Love is just a word until someone comes along and shows us its meaning.
Podcast Notes:
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The post Religiously Transmitted Fears (#828) first appeared on The God Journey.
Asking an institution to reflect God's glory is asking more of it than it has to give. While many start out with the vision to express God's reality, few maintain that over time as other priorities take over. Is that why Jesus invested his glory in people, not systems, and the power of the church not in its institutional might but in the love and unity of his people who share together in his work in the world. Responding to a seminarian's struggle with his own call, Wayne and Kyle talk about how to navigate institutional systems without putting our hope in them. Structures can be helpful as long as the people in them reflect his glory in the earth, and become harmful when they seek to protect their own agenda. They also talk about the direction God might lead us is not always to the destination we think he has in mind.
Podcast Notes:
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The post Will Institutions Always Fail? (#827) first appeared on The God Journey.
We look at the times and wonder if our whole world is falling apart, what if Jesus looks at the same circumstances and sees that things are falling into place? That would sound more like God's view. Since there is nothing he can't work good out of, and he is going to sum up all things in himself, maybe that's a view we can embrace as well. Wayne and Kyle reflect on what they have learned from the podcasts on Mars Hill and Liberty University and why so many "successful" Christian institutions fall for the same old traps of excess and hypocrisy. They also talk more about the our how evangelicals came to see masculinity as so confrontative and rough, while the fruits of the Spirit are more seen as feminine virtues.
Podcast Notes:
Facebook Group for 2030s Gathering in Colorado or you can register here.
Email Kyle
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Wayne's Travel Schedule
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post Falling Into Place (#826) first appeared on The God Journey.
What you believe doesn't matter if it isn't true. Cultural competence is education jargon for familiarizing ourselves with other cultures but Kyle learned a new term last week that he likes better—"cultural humility". Instead of thinking we can master another person's culture wouldn't it be far better to enter the conversation with humility and openness seeking to understand another's story and perspective? That alone would invite us out of our siloed information camps as it offers us a framework to navigate relationships with others who think differently than we do. Isn't that what God offers us as he seeks to engage us in a transformative journey. It's also helpful as they revisit their conversation last week with Anna about the government seeking to discount parents.
Podcast Notes:
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Order Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation
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Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post Humility Will Take You Far (#825) first appeared on The God Journey.
Every person needs someone whose eyes light up when they enter a room, especially kids in trauma. Anna LeBaron, personal growth activist and the author of The Polygamist's Daughter, joins Wayne and Kyle for a conversation about the trauma of her childhood, the process of being healed from such an abusive past, and what she thinks of the growing conflict between government leaders and public school students, especially those from religiously authoritarian homes. Anna was born into a polygamist cult with a violent father who used his kids for slave labor and neglected their needs. She talks honestly about the trauma that upbringing caused and her tenacious quest for healing in her adulthood. Looking back, would she have wanted to be rescued by an outside agency? She confronts the difficulty of crafting a one-size-fits-all policy for such situations and shares the most important thing anyone can do to reach out to traumatized children.
Podcast Notes:
Anna's Web Page
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U.S. Should Ban 'Authoritarian' Homeschooling by Christian Parents By Douglas Ernst - The Washington Times
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The post Healing from Childhood Trauma (#824) first appeared on The God Journey.
Those are two words you rarely see together, but they come from one of our listeners writing about the harsh betrayal of a friend and how it was going to help him discover the forgiveness that Jesus knew. He wrote, "It is excruciating beautiful to learn of it." What an accurate description of the transformative journey. When we can celebrate the painful stretches of our journeys as an opportunity for us to go deeper into the reality of Jesus, we're on to something. Embracing his work in the difficulties of our lives can only happen when we don't see God as the agency of our pain, but the Presence in our story inviting us to greater love and healing. And yet, our circumstanes, especially our successes, push us down a diferent path, where power, money, and fear can draw us away from genuineness and authenticity in the desire to grab the greatest can we can for ourselves.
Podcast Notes:
Email Kyle
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Facebook Group for 2030s Gathering in Colorado
Wayne's Travel Schedule
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post Excruciatingly Beautiful (#823) first appeared on The God Journey.
Life is too short to waste time on faked-up relationships that diminish you as a person. Kyle and Wayne first explore this idea considering whether there are any bad choices one can make that puts them beyond love's reach. Then they consider a new podcast looking into the recent Jerry Falwell, Jr and the scandals at Liberty University, before wrestling with the frustration of God not making himself known in the way someone might expect him to do so. Finally, In a recent training on Clifton's Strength Finders, Kyle came across the description of a Relator, which he thought applied to Wayne. That draws them into a conversation about how learning to live loved transforms our hearts to make more room for people and to value sincerity in our relationships.
Podcast Notes:
Gangster Capitalism Podcast - Season 3
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The post When Relationships Get Tricky (#822) first appeared on The God Journey.
The quest for certainty makes you a sitting duck for those who want to deceive you. The Spirit of God offers us an outrageous adventure of learning to follow him even in the uncertainties of life, and yet we often find ourselves craving the false security of being more certain than our grasp of truth warrants and more drawn to people who offer pat answers than learning how to ride the wings of the Spirit and watch him transform us. That expresses itself in so many ways as Wayne and Kyle talk about theological reasoning, the quest for a king, the recent Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcasts, and dealing with demonic influences. In each, we are confronted with the constant choice to be led by the Spirit or fall victim to someone trying to take his place in our hearts.
Podcast Notes:The Elliptical Playground in The Jesus Lens
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast
Email Kyle
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Facebook Group for 2030s Gathering in Colorado
Wayne's Travel Schedule
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post Strong Man or Wild Goose? (#821) first appeared on The God Journey.
Kyle and Wayne are just completing three days together in Michigan as they sit down to reminisce about the people they met and the lessons that touched their hearts. They talk about the futility of human effort to accomplish the work of God in the human heart and how God reaches out with touches of his love to invite us closer into his life. They also talk about what we pursue in life, using the story of two iconic women who happened to die in the same year—Princess Diana and Mother Theresa. The world today beckons us to seek the fame and fortune of achieving some kind of celebrity status, which is available to so few when Jesus encouraged us to be servants of all, something any of us can do. If you want your life to influence others, can it best be accomplished by serving in obscurity or seeking the limelight?
Podcast Notes:
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast
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Facebook Group for 2030s Gathering in Colorado
Wayne's Travel Schedule
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post Where Aspirations Lead Us (#820) first appeared on The God Journey.
When our journey brings us to the place of giving up our illusions about our own ability to control the outcome of our circumstances, the impulse to provide for ourselves, and resisting the fear of feeling vulnerable, we can feel like we've been left on a cliff's edge. But it is precisely at that moment that we are most receptive to what God is doing in us and around us. When he becomes the source of our comfort, instead of the circumstances we want, there's where we will see his leading and have the courage to follow him. When we make it about ourselves and our needs, we will easily miss out. This is a process and Kyle and Wayne take a look at it through the emails of some of our listeners and share how important it is to have God-sensitive voices helping us process some of the more difficult choices we may have to make.
Podcast Notes:
Subscribe to A Breath of Fresh Air
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Facebook Group for 2030s Gathering in Colorado
Wayne's Travel Schedule
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full
The post At the Cliff’s Edge (#819) first appeared on The God Journey.