Valuing What God Values

What most call success, is merely stress in disguise. Wayne met Philip Akintunde during his fall trip to the UK and a friendship began that continues in this Skype conversation between them. During a recent email exchange Phil shared some of his journey out of the value system of the world and into a freer space to live relationally, vocationally, and economically. He discovered God cared about peace more than currency, wholeness more than other people's perception of him and discovered that the joy God wanted him to know comes from a far deeper place than having the fancy car or the latest gadgets. This is a story of transformation from the insight out--beginning in the heart by the Spirit not the result of self-reformation by human effort.

Podcast Links:
Phil's Facebook Page
Podcast with Daryl, When the World Disappoints
Pastor Crap podcast
The God Journey 2013 RSS feed
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21 Comments

  1. I am on this journey to find purpose and I must confess that this podcast was and will continue to be of tremendous help. Thank you Phil and Wayne.

  2. Paul writes about someone “refreshing their spirits.” This podcast rates right up there at the top of my list of favorite programs.
    Since getting on the “living loved” journey several years ago, I’m been so grateful for Wayne (and his guests) “travel tips.”
    I’ve started a fun experiment re-writing the New Testament from a position of “enjoying God as the CHIEF END OF MAN.”
    Bless you for making these conversations available!

  3. Great to hear a guest from London, UK. 🙂 I was at the gathering on 12/10/13, but there were so many people among the crowd… I took copious notes on my laptop as is my habit; it can also feel like a shield and a virtual escape as I cope with a tide of emotions on this voyage, at times.

  4. Thanks again Wayne and Phil ! So encouraging ! There are other guys out there that live from their heart ! Could it be there is no other way to truly live? The words “an open door has been set before you that no man can shut” came to me while cutting fire wood the other day. It seems the only doors I have opened in my life have lead to addiction , misery , shame , and loneliness . And when I wanted to close them I could not. Thankfully he closed them when I had given up all hope on my own!
    What a contrast when he opens a door in my life ! Who would want to shut it?

  5. Thanks Harvey for your comments. I am finding also that there is a huge area where He gently invites me to lay down my own efforts. Time and again I’m brought back to the place of “exhaustion” being such a good place to be when it leads me to focus on His work of building in me His own life. The very fact that He invites us to rest in a place where He will do the leading and building indicates how deep His love is. Think of it!….”My yoke is easy and My burden is light”.

  6. I have been enjoying these pod casts, books and waynes blogs for years now.. I usually never comment on the podcasts.. but today I just have to say.. I LOVE PHILIP! His joy is so contageous.. his accent is extremely thick so I find myself listening intently.. I SO CONNECT to his journey and the reminder of all the same books that have helped me get freer and freer… I’m so excited about this journey and all of these stories from the podcasts have more then encouraged and affirmed my own process. I just can’t articulate it clearly! Thank you Wayne and all the fellow God journyer’s…

  7. Thanks everyone, I am glad the podcast resonated with you all. It was a new experience for me as you can tell, but I needn’t have worried, Wayne expertly took care of everything and made me sound really eloquent :).Quite a few of you have become my friend on Facebook, and I am happy to see what plans the Lord has for us all going forward. I’ve always thought the God journey rocked and not in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be featured on one of it’s podcast so needless to say, I am thankful for the opportunity. Thanks once again for all your kind words.

  8. Philip, your accent was one to enjoy in the first place! 🙂
    It was a wonderful podcast and I was blessed to hear from one I can also identify with.
    I am also learning to enjoy just the small things God has so graciously given me and just to rest.
    Boy, rest and peace are such beautiful words after going through the constant hoops of religious
    performance! I have also found that I do not look at what others are doing or “successes” they are experiencing- It is only my relationship with the Father that matters and where He wants to take me.
    Thanks again for sharing!

  9. Thank you Philip for sharing and articulating many of the same issues and challenges we all face in our own journeys.
    Your joy is infectious!

  10. So True, we can all sometimes feel like we are the only ones that see or feel things a certain way, often even asking ourselves “Is there something wrong with me?” At least that is where I was until I started listening to the God journey. I might not mention everyone by name or reply to everyone, but be rest assured I appreciate all your feedback, and I’m glad other people see thing the same way the Lord has been showing me. We are not alone =D

  11. Wayne,
    the podcast with Phil was really good and it was nice to here from somebody from the other side of the pond. Then I listened to the one you had listed that was an old one you did with Brad, boy do I miss thoughs podcasts. It was so nice hearing the two of you banter back and forth. Any chance you and Brad will get together and do any new podcasts ?

  12. I don’t know, Rick. Brad’s a pretty busy guy these days and our schedules don’t mesh well. We have a hard enough time finding lunch together, much less to do a podcast. But you never know what God might have in store. For what it’s worth I really miss him, too, and all the fun and incredible conversations we had together. It was a wonderful season to be sure!

  13. Phil! My fellow Nigerian brother 😉 It was a joy to hear a familiar accent. ‘Cool Calm and Collected’ (Omo Niga!- means Nigerian guy) lol.It was so nice hearing your journey. I can relate to the whole boarding school, born again journey, worship leading etc I wish we could have connected before we left London (in Beijing now). Would be great to chat, there is so much that resonated with me… I’ve connected with you on Facebook. Thanks for sharing so authentically 😉

  14. I just love your heart Phillip! And your journey is a lovely one!;) It continues us to amaze me how GOD is teaching all us kids the same things, tho we did not go to the same school, lol. There was never better proof of his existence in my opinion! My parents grew up in a church that

  15. Whoops…pressed a button apparently, lol! …..My parents grew up in a church that believed they were the one true church , and the long and short of it is, they asked too many questions and got the boot. This happened when I was 4 years old, so I never grew up I a church, but our family went through a lot..With religious people! My Dad always said that he put all his marbles in one basket and gambled it on one thing. ..and it was that God is true and every man a liar! Well…my .marbles are in the same basket, lol.. And I have been amazed that even with the example of my Dad, and even tho I was not raised in a church, God has had to still take religion out of me!! It always Amazes me how the process can be so painful , then so joyous. It took me a long time to realize my greatest pain came from times when I was struggling with my God, instead of resting in him, and trusting that he loves me and only lo gs to give me great joy! That he is who he says he is! And that he is faithful to complete the work he has started! And the hardest thing to accept for me, and looks like others too…is how really simple it is!! That truth and rest has opened up a whole new world for me. ..One of joy I only dreamed possible…and my worst pain always has been born from me trying to take hold of something or someone and try to fix/slash control it or them. Harvey, that has been commenting on here is the lovely man I get to share this journey with;) He is one of the things I tried to fix…lol. And look what happened when I failed!! God did it!! And I say lol, but it wasn’t funny at the time, I went through hell..God spoke to my heart one day when I was complaining to him that things were not as they should be, and he said…yes…but this is not the way. After that, well I had to find a different way! Lol…And what do you know….All I had to do…was nothing at all..nothing but to labor to enter into his rest…it’s felt to me like I am living like riding a bike with my eyes shut and hands off the steering wheel. Which at first was terrifying, and now is a freedom that I could NEVER do without..And God has been doing everything all by himself…without me..shocking I know. .lol I have never been happier, and it just keeps getting better and better! I love you all out there! You give me great joy hearing all your hearts! Throw yourself at him with utter abandoned, you will never regret it!!

  16. Thanks for your feedback Monica, It is great to hear from someone who wasn’t raised in a conventional “church” setting and still had to have God take religion out of them, I find that fascinating. I shake my head, the insidious influence of religion should never be underestimated. I can feel your heart even through your short response. I thank God that we are not alone, it feels great to know that others like yourself are going through similar journeys, and God has truly got everything under control and we can rest, chill, relax, just let go and let Him. What is more, we don’t have to apologize for the freedom we now have in Him, even though some people might want us to hahaha. Like you I have never been happier and things can only get better. Thanks again for sharing.

  17. @Laurie Jackson, for someone who hasn’t commented yet on the God journey, welcome 🙂 Thanks for your lovely feedback.

  18. Thank you Phil and Wayne for this conversation about valuing what God values.
    This is exactly the journey my husband and I have been on this past year. We just had our first baby a year ago, when we had moved back from living overseas. Moving back home to the States and having a child meant to us that it was time to settle down and “do the normal thing” which really meant get a good job, and start accumulating stuff. My husband did get that good job, but after working a very stressful job with long hours, we began to realize something had shifted in our spirits. We had money, but we had no time, and no joy, because all the exhaustion from having a stressful job and a newborn was leeching all of our energy for our relationships (and even each other). We also began seeing that money as security- something to keep us safe, and our new son safe. We worried constantly because there was always a nagging little voice saying “You don’t have enough. You don’t save enough. You deserve better than this; you deserve more.” We were looking to the job, and to our savings to provide for us, forgetting that even when God gives us those things, He us ultimately the provider. The love of money is rooted in fear, but “perfect love casts out all fear.” After eight months at the job, my husband started to feel in his spirit that it was time to leave, and to trust God once more (as we had done so many times living overseas) to be our provider. It was painful to put down the lust for money and stuff that had grown like weeds in our hearts. Now we have followed God’s leading to pursue the things He put in our hearts to do, and how He has blessed us in that! We moved out of the ritzy apartment complex, and my husband left his high-end financial job. We now live on a farm out in the country with my in-laws living in tight-knit community and enjoying the bounty God provides from this beautiful earth. We have money- not a lot, but just what we need- because God always provides exactly what we need when we need it. And I figure if we don’t have it, we probably don’t need it.

    Thanks for being a blessing on this journey!
    Ingrid (in Tennessee)

  19. Thanks for your feedback Ingrid, what I love about your feedback is that your reality of God’s provision is coming from a very real place that no one can take away from you. Yes God remains our provider in what ever stage of life we are in, and regardless of what we think we have or don’t have! Thanks, your words have being a re-affirmation and a blessing.

  20. Wow! That was inspiring! Phil – your joy is just gushing out. You made a lot of great comments. I have to listen to this again.

    Wayne, I’m a little behind but don’t miss a podcast. My goal is to listen to the older podcasts as well … also I read all the comments and so appreciate everyone’s input. thanks, thanks, thanks

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