The God Journey

First Love

Wayne — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:26:08 +0000

Don’t you love meeting new people on this journey of living loved? Brad introduces Wayne to a good friend of his from Nashville who was visiting in Los Angeles. Chris DuPré is a musician, former pastor and wrote the music for the My Beautiful One CD available at Windblown Media. Chris has an inspiring story of being swallowed up in the love of God before he got sidetracked by the seducing power of religious performance, only to find his way once again back to his first love and a passionate, growing relationship with God. He will soon have a new website up about his journey at chrisdupre.org.

Oops!

Wayne — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:31:01 +0000

Our apologies to all those looking for today’s podcast. Unfortunately the audio file was not actually on the server. We are working to rectify that now. Give us a few minutes. We were wondering if anyone was still listening to this podcast, and judging from my email today, I guess we still have a number of passionate listeners. Sorry to tantalize you today with an empty file…

Grace In Suffering

Wayne — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:42:54 +0000

The earthquake in Haiti and Pat Robertson’s comments about it open up a discussion about the difference between enduring suffering from a religious platform and embracing a Loving God in the midst suffering. Steve McVey, author of Grace Walk and Walking in the Will of God, who was in the area and came by to meet Brad and Wayne, joins in the discussion. Unpacking the grace of a loving Father in the midst of suffering, is difficult to do when we are focused on the why-did-he-allow-this question instead the where-is-he-in-the-midst of this question.

The Obnoxious Self

Wayne — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:07:36 +0000

Observations from the Gospel of John, mingled with love/hate letters from listeners, and an article in the New York Times send Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the obnoxious self, especially when it lures us into a religious performance treadmill we think we can control, and when it drives us to push others to do what we think is best for them. Only by knowing the incredible love of the Father can the deception and power of the obnoxious self be exposed and undermined so that we can truly live free and generously in the world.

The Certainty of Ignorance

Wayne — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:59:36 +0000

“Ignorance does not result from what we don’t know! Ignorance results from what we think we do know—but don’t! Most ignorant people are, in fact, quite certain.” Sent in by a listener, that quote from Richard Rohr provokes Brad and Wayne into a discussion about truth, certainty, humility and how our ability to treat others changes when we view truth not as a set of propositions to embrace, but a Person to know and to follow.

Painful But Worth It

Wayne — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:54:36 +0000

Back from their end-of-the-year break, Brad and Wayne catch up with each other and some emails from listeners who share their own journey out of religious performance, to living loved. They describe well the process of moving from being painfully disillusioned about God and the church, to becoming gratefully disillusioned in their new-found freedom, joy and relationships. These stories underline the reality that this is a process, it takes some time and though the early days might be painful, the fruit that it yields is far and away worth taking the journey.

2009 Retrospective

Wayne — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:09:52 +0000

Nope, no podcast today. Brad and Wayne are still enjoying their end-of-the-year break, but they did want to wish a heartfelt “Happy New Year” to all their friends on The God Journey. All of us here pray this year will be full of new life and freedom as we all continue to grow in him and be increasingly transformed in his likeness.

Before we leave 2009 behind, however, we thought you might want enjoy a brief look back at the year that was.

“Knock! Knock!”
“Who’s there?”
“Orange.”
“Orange who?”
“Orange you glad we don’t have a video podcast?”

Imagine having to look at these expressions while trying to listen to the podcast, or even for Brad and Wayne to keep his next thought clear. You can click here or on the picture above to get a better look, if you want one that is! (Most of these must have come from their podcast on health care!)

Merry Christmas

Wayne — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:15:50 +0000

Wayne and Brad pass on their Christmas greetings to The God Journey crowd as they take a couple of weeks off from recording to find some rest, refreshing and joy with family as well. We’ll be back on January 8, 2010. If you’ve listened well to us you’ll be able to thrive in this season without us. If you haven’t listened that carefully, there is an archive full of podcasts for your listening pleasure. Perhaps they will help you find great joy and comfort not in the theology of Christianity, but in the life of Jesus. Just use the links at left.

A Journey for the Hungry

Wayne — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:21:30 +0000

Brad is back from Nashville and Wayne from Brazil. They have lots of catching up to do and Wayne shares some of his experiences with brothers and sisters in Brazil. They also share some letters from other listeners, which causes them to contemplate a question too often ignored. Is the Bible is written to give us God’s requirements the requirements reluctant followers must follow, or to equip those who are hungry to know the Father and be transformed into his likeness.

Expectancy and Expectations

Wayne — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:45:14 +0000

What’s the difference between living with an expectancy in God’s unfolding purpose in our lives, and trying to get God to fulfill our expectations for our own convenience or for the ministry we want to have? A question Brad poses to Wayne opens up a dialog about what kind of expectancy they live in about the future and how being a part of God’s unfolding purpose sets us at rest as circumstances unfold because we no longer have to control them. They also talk about how that mentality reshapes our prayers for ourselves and for others.

How Organized Does The Church Have To Be?

Wayne — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:23:26 +0000

Wayne and Brad continue the discussion they began last week about the quest for expressions of church that allow authentic community to grow and flourish. To add to the discussion they read from a book review in Christianity Today about Why Churchless Christianity Doesn’t Work and from an analysis of “postchurch” Christianity. Where does community emerge and is there a minimal standard of institutionalization or number of people to qualify a group of people as an official ‘church’?

Pastor Crap

Wayne — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:23:34 +0000

After celebrating a bit of thanksgiving with some listener letters, Wayne and Brad look some news stories talking about the demands and dysfunctions of being a pastor in the 21st century. Have we created a position ripe for disaster, both for the person who tries to fill that role and the congregation that wants him to? Then they look at a humorous and incisive article called, “The Flabby Body of Christ” that was written by a psychotherapist about the problems we encounter today as so many people view at the gatherings of believers as theater instead of community.

Compassionate Eyes

Wayne — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:27 +0000

Brad breaks the rules. What happened in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. Having just returned from a business seminar in Las Vegas he tells about a fresh work of grace in his heart that God revealed to him while he was there. That leads to a discussion with Wayne about how lost we can be in our own agendas and ambitions that we dehumanize the people we pass by and only think of them relative to how they impact us, or we can have eyes of compassion that see people for who they are and care about them. Living with eyes of compassion only happens when we slow down enough to see what God is doing around us, rather than rushing through our day.

You Might Want to Read It Again

Wayne — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:14:58 +0000

Wayne is back from South Africa and shares insights of his trip with Brad, especially how people are learning to break free of the fear of appeasement and are learning to live loved by the Father. Also included is a brief interview with Stephan Vosloo to update how their journey has gone since telling us The Ladysmith Story back in 2005. One theme seems to recur in the dialog—how easily our old patterns of religion keep us from embracing the fresh life and freedom God has given us in the Son. It is easy to think we’ve been changed because we’ve read something we liked or because we can vocalize a concept that hasn’t yet transformed our heart.

Living Freely in God’s Love

Wayne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:03:40 +0000

Brad and Wayne interviewed Darin last week on the release of his newest book, The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Teaches About God. They held him over for a second week to find out more about his personal life, what makes him tick and where his passions are in encouraging the body of Christ. He has an interesting story moving from a staff pastor at a mega-church that his wife grew up in, to an encourager of people who are discovering the joy of living loved. You can find out more about Darin at his website, The Free Believer’s Network.

The Misunderstood God

Wayne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:45:11 +0000

Wayne and Brad have enjoyed a growing relationship with Darin Hufford and are now helping him bring his newest book to print through Windblown Media. The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Teaches Us About God is a reworking of Darin’s earlier book, The God’s Honest Truth. In this compelling read Darin probes the question as to whether God, in claiming to be love itself, meets his own definition of love in I Corinthians 13. He concludes that religion’s definition of God does not, and though they call him the Loving God they have ascribed to him the personality of the devil. Darin joins Wayne and Brad in this podcast to discuss his book and his own discovery about learning to live in the reality of the Father’s love. You can find out more about Darin at his website, The Free Believer’s Network.

The Tyranny of Our Wants

Wayne — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:36:38 +0000

Wayne is off to South Africa and before he left he started a discussion with Brad about our endless fascination with speculation and controversy, in sports as well as in theology and human relationships. And those keep us from living in the adventure of learning to discern him and follow him in each unfolding moment. Instead of speculating on what God should do to make me happy, we can discover what he is doing, even in the pains and trials of life in a broken world.

Special Notice: Archive Disc 5 is now available, which includes the broadband version of podcasts from November 2008 through August 2009.

Get Off the Dock

Wayne — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:39:39 +0000

If we’re ever going to sail in the joy and freedom of this journey, we have to learn again how to live out of hearts where God interacts with our Spirit, rather than trying to live out of intellect and emotions. That’s not to say our intellect or emotions are unimportant, but both have the capacity to lead us astray. Wayne and Brad talk about how God wants to make himself known in our hearts and the dictates of religion more often than not dull our sense of knowing him and responding to his nudges in our life.

Special Notice: Archive Disc 5 is now available, which includes the broadband version of podcasts from November 2008 through August 2009.

A Family Without Fences

Wayne — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:37:08 +0000

Who are real pastors and elders among the Body of Christ today? That’s not where Brad and Wayne start their discussion, but it is where it ends. A letter from a senior pastor to a former member of his church launches a discussion about those who seek control over others by fear and intimidation because they have a program to manage. Real elders and pastors among the body of Christ are not those who build fences to claim part of the flock as their own, but those who encourage and equip others to live freely and deeply in the love of the Father. And there are many of those throughout this incredible family!

Flourishing in Trials

Wayne — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:37:59 +0000

What did Jesus mean when he promised his followers abundant life? We’ve been taught that it means a life of ease and our selected list of creature comforts. But does it? Through the letters of a few of their listeners Wayne and Brad dive into this topic with a daughter disaffected from her family, a lady who found herself becoming more of a Pharisee in the organic church movement than she did within, and the father of a pretty special set of twins! Only in him will we discover true fullness and be able to embrace the glorious adventure of living loved and loving others as each day unfolds.