The God Journey - 2011

The Messyness of Truth

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:40:40 GMT

For the last podcast of the year Brad and Wayne spend some time in the old mailbag to let their listeners add their input. The conversation eventually settles on how truth does set us free, but not before it messes with us and our illusions. The process of opening our eyes to God’s reality often involves the unraveling of lies that we’ve used to navigate through life. As they implode we can be overwhelmed with anger or frustration. But of those signal the very end of a process that allows the light and love of God to win our hearts into his reality. It is a marvelous, if sometimes painful process, but if we can appreciate it we can relax easier when it happens to us, and cheer others on when its happening to them.

Podcast Links:
Contributions are still needed to help establish an orphanage in Kenya.
Order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream
Order In Season: Embracing the Father’s Process of Fruitfulness from Lifestream

Conversations that Matter

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:55:02 GMT

Teebowing is in the news these days and Brad’s a fan. Wayne is a little more concerned about how that kind of in-your-face demonstrations of personal faith alienate some people from the greater reality of the gospel. That leads them into a conversation about how we can find ourselves in conversations with others about their spiritual journeys that can offer insight and encouragement in the spiritual journeys of others. Why is it that our conversations mostly stay in the safe conversations of superficiality at the shallow end of the pool, rather than find real depth of spiritual engagement than can allow people to share the resources of their journeys with each other?

Always Faithful

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:03:56 GMT

What begins with Wayne’s disillusionment about sports success and its hidden costs, ends up in a conversation about the hurt and anger that often comes from people who start to see through the religious lies they were taught. What allows us to live freely in the moment, even when things aren’t turning out the way we want or hope? Brad and Wayne find peace in the simple reality that God is always with them in whatever mess they are in, whether or not it comes out the way they desired. Without certainty that God always remains faithful, even if we are unfaithful, we are left to live by our own performance, which will never be enough.

Secure in His Love

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:11:43 GMT

This one begins with sexual orientation politics in California and the ongoing debate in Christianity over the reality of hell, but soon Brad and Wayne settle into a conversation about how easily our insecurities can be manipulated by religion. Instead of inviting us into a transforming relationship with Jesus it provokes our guilt and sense of responsibility to drive us into a variety of activities that weigh us down and undermine what God really has in mind. People driven by religion are usually obnoxious in human relationships instead of being as endearing as Jesus was to the people around him. Only by finding our security in God’s love for us, can we find the freedom to truly be his light in the world simply by the way we live and love.

Rise and Shine

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:25:49 GMT

The chaos of human governments seems to be on the rise, and many grow hopeless about the world’s future. Prophecies abound about the doom and gloom to come as God judges our world. Can this be the end of the age? What should we do in the face of such dire circumstances. Brad and Wayne talk about how this season is a great opportunity for those who really know God to rise and let his light shine through the simple way they live their loves each day, not only caring for themselves, but also looking out for the welfare of others. In a time when many are staking out what they feel entitled to grasp for themselves, we can have a profound impact on the world simply by responding to God’s voice each day as we love those around us.

A Life of Growing Trust

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:08:25 GMT

Can we trust God to watch over us even if you’re not doing all we think you need to do, or even if things don’t turn out the way we hoped? Because Wayne and Brad couldn’t get their schedules together, Wayne invites Renee Lockey, an OB-GYN from Austin, TX and a previous guest on The God Journey, to be the guest co-host for a conversation that began in Wayne’s living room about growing to trust God in the real issues of and opportunities of life. The conversation explores the joy of finding community with other brothers and sisters in less managed environments, how busyness an distract us from what’s most important in our lives, and dealing with the nagging accusation about whether or not we are “doing enough” to be part of what God is doing in the world.

Podcast Links:
Renee’s previous appearance on The God Journey
Renee’s Blog Lead Me On
Resources that helped Renee deal with sexual brokenness.
Contributions are still needed to help establish an orphanage in Kenya.
You can order In Season: Embracing the Father’s Process of Fruitfulness from Lifestream

Faith and Healing

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:52:37 GMT

What do you do when your dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease? Will his healing hinge on your faith or prayers? In a romp through their recent emails, Brad and Wayne bite into these questions and a few more. Why do we have a difficult time living in uncertainty and going on a daily adventure with God and instead seek false security in some pat answer, ritualized technique or immutable principle? The truth is we are more secure in him than any of those things can offer, and learning to live there allows us to be part of an unfolding adventure in our lives rather than grasping at illusions of security that only disappoint in the realities of this broken world. During this conversation they talk about physical healing, inner healing, and the prayer of faith that we can engage with God as his work unfolds in our lives.

Podcast Links:
Contributions are still needed to help establish an orphanage in Kenya.

Oh Wow! Oh Wow! Oh Wow!

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:58:51 GMT

Steve Jobs’ last words before his death and a recent clip from “Through the Wormhole” has Brad and Wayne talking about the joy of living in wonder at the reality of God that easily transcends all of our powers of reason. If our scientists can’t see, measure, or understand 95% of what makes up our universe, then maybe God is more intimately involved in his creation each day than we know. Embracing his mystery beyond our own ability to understand, is a far more freeing way to live than getting stuck in our frustrations when God doesn’t do what we want or expect. They also talk more about prayer and how Jesus said we can connect with this transcendent God in the simplest expressions of our love and desire for him.

Podcast Links:
Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman
Order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream
Order In Season: Embracing the Father’s Process of Fruitfulness from Lifestream

Seeking and Finding

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:44:45 GMT

The podcast we did on “Letting Go” with Mike Steele, started a wonderful conversation in the comment section of the blog. Brad and Wayne pick up some of that conversation as they talk about what we might do if God seems elusive to our heart-felt desire to know him. How does he make himself known in our world and what is our part in asking, seeking, and knocking, without lapsing into the religious performance traps? God wants each of us to enter into a vibrant relationship with him. That assurance allows us to grow in learning how we can participate in that relationship and live transformed lives in the world. Brad also shares about his latest project, a book and DVD collection of the inspiring film, THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS.

Podcast Links:
See the movie The Butterfly Circus, or order the new book/movie combination at Windblown Media.
Order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream

The Other Side of Grace

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:04:43 GMT

What do you do when you realize you’ve climbed the ladder leaning on the wrong wall? A comment Mike made in our last podcast about his “feeling lied to” by those he knew who helped him learn how to run the religious treadmill, opens a discussion with Brad and Wayne about how we think of the people and places that were part of our lives while we trying to serve God religiously. To many it does feel like they were duped or lied to. For others it felt like they had too much invested in the old ways to even consider another alternative. In time, however, grace does its work in us and we find ourselves thinking very differently about those who are still caught in the system of religious obligation.

Podcast Links:
Order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream
Order In Season: Embracing the Father’s Process of Fruitfulness from Lifestream

Letting Go

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:20:06 GMT

Sometimes the best way to find what you’re looking for is to let go of what you already have. Mike Steele, a former computer entrepreneur and then a major facilitator for the house church movement in North America joins in a conversation with Brad and Wayne about the transformations in his life. In the busyness of his high-profile “ministry”, Mike was able to recognize the emptiness on the inside and instead of grasping for what he thought he wanted, he let God unravel his life in a most amazing way. Now, no longer fitting anyone’s expectations for his life, Mike has gone on an amazing journey to discover what a real relationship with God looks like. He and his wife, Chris, live in Colorado Springs.

Podcast Links:
Email Mike
Order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream

A Man Like No Other, Part 2

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:47:37 GMT

Wayne and Brad continue their conversation with Murry Whiteman, the artist of their newest release: A Man Like No Other: The Illustrated Life of Jesus. Their words were added to the artistic brush of Murry Whiteman to conclude a project that has been in his heart for twenty years. The result is a 128-page, full-color art book containing panoramic images drawn from the gospels with stories to help you think through the life of Jesus with all the religious garb we usually add to the story. In this podcast, you’ll hear the passion for Jesus that each of these three brought to the project and how they wanted others to stop and see the reality of Jesus in a way that they may not have done so before. The book will be available in early November.

Podcast Links:
Pre-order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream

A Man Like No Other

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:58:16 GMT

Wayne and Brad have just finished their most recent book, A Man Like No Other: The Illustrated Life of Jesus. Their words were added to the artistic brush of Murry Whiteman to conclude a project that has been in his heart for twenty years. The result is a 128-page, full-color art book containing panoramic images drawn from the gospels with stories to help you think through the life of Jesus without all the religious garb we usually add to the story. In this podcast, they wanted to introduce you to Murry and let him share a bit of his story in coming to know Jesus himself and what inspired the paintings in this new book. Murry talks freely about his story learning to live in the love of Jesus and some of the trouble he encountered with some of the naysayers in his life. And, no, Murry is not the man like no other, Jesus is! Though Murry is a pretty unique character.

Podcast Links:
Pre-order A Man Like No Other from one of these three websites: Murry’s website, Windblown Media, or Lifestream.

Available Surrender

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:43:16 GMT

Brad returns from a quick trip to Jerusalem and then he and Wayne dip into the mail bag to catch up on some of the things our listeners are thinking and asking about recent podcasts. That does get them into a wide-ranging discussion about Jesus’ Second Coming, the performance of religion, and the rejection someone suffers for being honest with their pastor. But the longer topic extends the “Living Out of Our Spirit” Podcast by looking further at what it may mean to be born again and waking up to that world of the Spirit where we commune with God and live inside a relationship instead of following a set of principles. Finding a continuing place of surrender to Father and the ways he works, has helped both of them grow in this reality.

Living Out of Our Spirit

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:04:24 GMT

Following up on their previous podcast with Kevin Smith, Brad and Wayne continue along those same themes talking about their own growth in learning to trust in God’s ability to manage their lives. That has come through their own growth in learning to engage an ongoing conversation with God and how he makes himself known to them. With a further clip from Kevin’s discussion with Wayne they find their way into a conversation about learning to live out of our spirits, than out of our intellect or our feelings. It is a major component to learning to live beyond religious obligation and embrace a life of relationship—first with a loving Father, and then with others in freedom and authenticity.

Contentedness

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Kevin Smith has been a long-time friend of Wayne’s and during his recent trip to Australia they found a chance to catch up on their journeys and encourage each other. They recorded some of their musings together so Brad and others who have enjoyed Kevin’s journey could join in the dialog. They talked about a number of things, prayer, learning to listen to God, helping others, and living contentedly in the face of difficult circumstances or shifting opportunities. Kevin lives with his wife Val near Melbourne, Australia where they enjoy a life in the Father’s care alongside others including their three adult children and their families. (Please bear with us on the quality of the interview here. We weren’t in a studio.)

Podcast Links:
Kevin’s Previous Podcasts with Wayne and Brad:
06/08/2007 • The Freedom of Knowing Him
06/01/2007 • Taking the Risk to Live In Father’s Care
10/13/2005 • Living Under Father’s Care

The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

Trusting Your Heart

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 02:08:40 GMT

Wayne is back from his two-week trip to Australia, and catches Brad up on some of his adventures there and some of the people he met all across the spectrum of faith—to pastors and congregational leaders and to brothers and sisters simply learning to live relationally with the Father. Part of their conversation focuses on the abuses of the religious system and how easily so-called leaders can lose touch with reality especially when they think themselves successful in numbers or money. How easily their ways seduce others to ignore the warning signals in their heart and go along even when Jesus’ priorities have long been forsaken in the face of human appetites and imaginations. Trusting God’s voice in our hearts is far more valuable than conforming ourselves to the opinions of others because we want to believe the best in them.

Podcast Links: The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

People of the Cloud

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:29:16 GMT

Brad and Wayne are back from vacation and travels and catch up after a long summer. They also plow through some of the email and blog postings as listeners have responded to recent podcasts about sovereignty, scriptures, and the inevitable end of religious systems. What comes from all that is the recognition that living out a growing trust in the nature of God is the growing edge of this journey. The reason we develop systems, movements, or institutions is to help us feel secure in our own planning and ingenuity. When people finally discover what a false hope those things really are, now they are ready to learn to live by following his leading. Most don’t realize how much religious performance is deeply grounded in our thirst for the illusion of control and without it what a joy it is to learn how to live relaxed in uncertainty because of our growing trust in Father’s care.

Podcast Links:

A History of The God Journey

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:22:24 GMT

Long time listener and now the de-facto historian of the God Journey, Dave Edwards join Brad and Wayne for this look back through the history of the podcast. For the past 16 months Dave listened to all 288 podcasts through 2010 and pulled off some of the pithy statements that seemed the most thought-provoking and helpful to people on a relational journey. He was traveling through the area and dropped in on the podcast, which gave Brad and Wayne a chance to get to know Dave better–allowing them not only to reflect on the history of the God Journey, but also Dave’s own spiritual journey learning to live outside the box. Like most journeys it includes some pain and joy, and more recently a heart-attack that has helped him reshape his lifestyle. Dave and his wife Caryn reside in Montgomery, AL.

Podcast Links:
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

Living With Disagreements

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:32:56 GMT

Brad’s away on business so Wayne’s wife Sara fills in this week for a discussion about how religion so easily suppresses women by relegating them to second-class status. As they talk about lessons they’ve learned over 36 years of marriage they unpack what has made them better team members as they’ve learned to be better partners not by agreeing on everything, but by living in the tension of those differences and learning how to treat each other with respect, honor, and fairness. Surprisingly one marriage counselor says that couples can live together with great joy and fulfillment even if they disagree on 67% of the conflicts in their marriage. It seems agreement isn’t nearly as important as how they treat each other in their disagreements.

Podcast Links:
Heather and Shelly’s story on Donating a Kidney
Sara’s Story on Living Loved in Marriage
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

The Inevitable End of Religious Systems

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 01:11:38 GMT

It’s an amazing statement, and all the more when it was written by one of Christianity Today’s own writers. “So we have a system in which pride and hypocrisy are inevitable,” writes Mark Galli in an article titled, “The Most Risky Profession.” And there’s more all the way from ambitious churches lusting for size and that we have shaped the American pastorate so that the sin of arrogance is “impossible to escape”. While Wayne and Brad are in sync with his observations, they can’t help but wonder why his advice falls so far short of actually resolving the problem. It’s a “red pill” moment as this article offers us the choice to see things as they really are or to drift back into the illusion that we can just make the best of a bad system. The early moments of this podcast also contain a brief discussion about God’s sovereignty in answer to an email they received.

Podcast Links:
Mark Galli’s The Most Risky Profession The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

Be Still And Know

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 03:44:16 GMT

It starts with Brad’s curiosity as to how Wayne sorts out what he’s doing any given day, and that combined with an email about being driven by purpose, leads to a larger discussion about finding our freedom in God’s leading and not trying to feed our insecurities. Most of our bad doctrines result from finding a security blanket that soothes our angst with an illusion of godliness, but circumvents the real way God wants to work in our hearts. Driven people end up busy people often masking their own fears with their myriad of activities. Learning to live inside God’s nudgings requires us to think differently than we’ve been encouraged to live in this world, but embracing the stillness that allows us to hear God is at the heart of conquering our insecurities and living as freely as he wants us to live.

Podcast Links:
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

Treasuring Scripture

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 02:46:46 GMT

An email from a listener begs Wayne and Brad to renounce the Bible as a distorted religious document that does more harm than good. Many people who have been abused by religion and freshly awaken to the God of love reject the power of Scripture because they simply don’t understand what it is or how to read it. Many of them become militant trying to dissuade others from the Scriptures as well. Wayne and Brad respond out of their great affection for the Scriptures and the powerful and welcome part it plays in their own spiritual journeys. Don’t let the abuse of some, rob you of the great treasure that Scripture can bring to our lives if we are not lost in the religious misuse of it.

Podcast Links:
The Jesus Lens: Reading Scripture in Light of His Revelation
Previous Podcast: Did Got Get a Makeover After Malachi?
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

The Dream of God’s Community

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:41:33 GMT

Wayne fills Brad in on his time in Rome and what he learned about the Roman Empire and how its priorities actually became part of the church of that day as it got lost in its quest for power and significance. We still see the traces of it today in all kinds of religious institutions that are focused on personal power, buildings, and compelling others to act like they want. That leads to a wider discussion about the nature of worldly power and how it always gravitates to the same place of control and manipulation of others. Why does that always win out, even for people who begin with a desire to follow Jesus and be part of his life in the world? They talk about their dream of real community and honest collaboration and whether or not it is attainable or sustainable this side of eternity.

Podcast Links:
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

Not Answering for God

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:15:17 GMT

Wayne’s back from his trip to Spain and Rome and shares with Brad some of his experience there, especially an intense discussion with people who have been involved in great tragedy or suffered prolonged sexual abuse by a relative. Their question, how do we convince people God is a loving God when he allows such horrible things to happen to them? What came out of that conversation was the power of simply saying, “I don’t know,” and surrendering our need to be on God’s public relations staff. Helping people learn to live loved is not a matter of finding logical answers to their deepest questions but simply introducing them to the Abba Father whose incredible love engages our lives. He doesn’t always answer our questions or honor the false dichotomies we set up, but his love enveloping our heart make the questions irrelevant. Tragedy doesn’t disprove his love; his love is greater than our tragedies. Only God can make that clear.

Podcast Links:
Dan Mayhew’s book, The Butterfly and the Stone: A Son. a Father. God’s Love On A Prodigal Journey
The Ongoing Challenges in Kenya

The Place of Purpose

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:05:41 GMT

It may not be helpful to be purposed-driven, but is there something to be said for living in him with a sense of how he has uniquely created us to fit in his purpose in the world? Brad and Wayne discuss identity and purpose and how it has both helped and hindered them in various stages of their own spiritual journeys. Knowing his purpose in you can help you separate your own agenda for comfort or significance and free you to be part of Gods’ unfolding work in the world. How do we find that sweet spot where God’s purpose and your personality find a fit that allows us to live fruitful and fulfilled lives in the world? And, how can we help others around us discover theirs as well?

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Living Out of Our Hearts

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:57:48 GMT

Religious people who are trying to make sense of their pain end up in some pretty scary places. That launches Brad and Wayne into a conversation about learning to live out of our hearts and not our intellect, which tries to understand what God is doing without a real engagement with him. They discuss the lessons of Job and its unique place in the Old Testament, as well as how in a growing relationship with God, making requests of him to fit what we want makes far less sense than learning to commune with him so we can be part of his unfolding purpose in our lives and in the world around us.

Podcast Links:
USA Today Article Study Finds Brain Differences Based on Faith
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Growing our Friendships

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:48:50 GMT

Almost everyone values having a close friend, but why can they be so difficult to find? Many of our human interactions sometimes actually subvert the very thing we say we want? After reading an email from a listener, Brad and Wayne discuss the process of growing friendships, how we often unwittingly sabotage them and what we can do to value relationships and walk in them with more freedom and joy. Friendship is the building block of true community and learning how to become one of those who actively pursues relationships and helps facilitate relationships for others is a valuable gift among the body of Christ and enriches our own lives as well.

Podcast Links: Regrets of the Dying by Bonnie Ware
Emergency Help for Kenya, Wayne’s recent blog on the need in Kenya

No Priest But Him

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:30:41 GMT

How corrupting is human power? Whenever we exalt someone to the place of leadership that Jesus wants in our lives, it not only hinders our growth, but often contributes to the downfall of those who confuse leadership with privilege and misuse their authority for their own benefit. Brad and Wayne talk about this phenomenon being as old as Israel’s desire for a king, and as current as today’s business, political, and ecclesiastical leaders. And yet, people are continually surprised when it does! We do not need surrogate saviors, and any time we look to another human being to be the priest that Jesus is for all of us, we set ourselves and them up for the failure that is so common in the human landscape.

Podcast Links:
The Jesus Lens
Emergency Help for Kenya, Wayne’s recent blog on the need in Kenya

The Power of Hope

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:41:41 GMT

A recent TIME article about optimistic people got Brad thinking about the fact that hope in the face of uncertainty is not a rational thought. And yet, we as humans have a tremendous capacity to find hope even in the midst of tragedy. That launches a discussion with Wayne about how to find hope if you’re not an optimistic person by nature and how pursuing hope in Jesus leads us to a deeper kind of prayer life that moves beyond just getting Jesus to fix our circumstances the way we want and invites us to connect with a larger perspective and purpose than our own.

Podcast Links:
The Optimism Bias in TIME Magazine
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Embracing Freedom

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:25:36 GMT

Wayne introduces Brad to Derek Wilder, a friend of his from Indianapolis, Indiana. Derek is the CEO of a home building company but also carries a passion to help people grow in grace and recently published a book entitled Freedom: How Grace Transforms Your Life Now. Wayne interviewed Derek during a recent video about his passion to help people grow in the freedom of living in the reality of God’s grace and free from the needs of earning others approval, of caring about other people’s opinions, and of trying to fix others, among others. By finding our identity in Christ we no longer have to look to satisfy the misguided yearnings of our flesh to find our well-being in those places that cannot offer it.

Podcast Links:
Derek Wilder’s Website: Lives Transforming
Video of Wayne’s Shack Night presentation
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

How Ticked Is God?

Sat, 28 May 2011 01:52:07 GMT

Contemplation of the missed rapture and letters from listeners move Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the true nature of God and whether or not he is as angry or hateful as many would have us think. Is it helpful to think in terms of a home team God loves and a lost world God hates? What do we do when Scriptures seem to be in conflict about God’s nature? Seeing Scripture as a story that culminates in the person of Jesus is the only way to make sense of the Bible and come out with a consistent view of God. Also, they get into a side discussion about the assurance of our salvation and why we sometimes fall for the Satanic deception that his way is better than God’s.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Religion’s Downfall

Fri, 20 May 2011 23:36:36 GMT

According to some the rapture is at hand, so this may be our last podcast. But Wayne and Brad share a conversation about how the priorities of religion separate people instead of unifying them in the love of Christ. A recent interview with Eugene Peterson about the conflict he has suffered since writing an endorsement for Love Wins, and and excerpt from Robert Farrar Campon’s book about The Parables of Grace provide the backdrop to discuss why religion is such a force humanity and how easily it draws our hearts away from things of first importance. The power of religion collapses in the human heart when we are settled in the love God has for us.

Podcast Links:
Eugene Peterson Interview, Would Jesus Condemn Rob Bell?
Robert Farrar Capon’s The Parables of Grace. You canread just the excerpt here. Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Sin and Judgment

Fri, 13 May 2011 16:25:23 GMT

The last few podcasts brought a wealth of listener comment and questions about God’s love and dealing with sin in our lives. Wayne and Brad sort through the comments to help clarify how we regard sin and what are our choices in the face of dealing with God and our brokenness. Do we really have control over our sin and what choices do we have to find freedom? How do we experience love if we’ve never known it in any human relationship? Has God’s judgment been fully resolved in the cross? And, is our relationship with him even supposed to be so sin-centered to begin with?

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenyaa

Sorting Things Out In A Broken World

Fri, 06 May 2011 22:56:14 GMT

Wayne and Brad discuss the demise of Osama Bin Laden in a US raid in Pakistan last weekend and its aftermath on the implications it raises for social justice and vengeance. Were the celebrations in the US helpful in resolving this conflict or do this risk perpetuating the cycle of tit-for-tat violence that infects our world? They talk about the nature of evil and how society deals with it, and the difference between vengeance and justice. Also, a check in the mailbag contains an incredible letter from an inmate learning to live loved, follow-up comments on our discussions about hell, and a questions about the place of Scripture in our lives.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

The Endearing God

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:12:42 GMT

If hell did not exist, would it change one thing about your relationship or passion to follow Jesus? Rob Bell’s latest crusade put him on the cover of TIME magazine, and some of the comments in that article spur Wayne and Brad to further discuss the existence of hell and it’s use by religion to manipulate people’s fears to try to make them better people. Why is Christianity so preoccupied with the hell conversation when Jesus us gave us far better reasons to come inside a relationship with him and his Father? What does salvation really mean, and in response to a listener’s question how can people really know whether they are saved or not?

Podcast Links:
TIME Article, Is Hell Dead?
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

The Freedom of Servanthood

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:24:43 GMT

Wayne introduces Brad to his long-time friend, Gayle Erwin, author of The Jesus Style and many other books about the nature of God and how his words and example can completely redefine how we live in the world. Starting out as a pastor, Gayle soon discovered that most of what he’d been taught about leadership ran counter to the things Jesus taught. Jesus encouraged his followers to be servants first, to put others before themselves, and thus discover the true power and freedom of life in his kingdom. Gayle’s humorous and refreshingly honest approach to the ways of Jesus have inspired people around the world to embrace his nature and be transformed by him. (This podcast inadvertently got to our RSS feed last week, so some of you may have already heard it. Our apologies for any confusion.)

Podcast Links:
Gayle Erwin’s website at Servant Quarters.
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Prophecies of Doom

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:24:54 GMT

First Christchurch, NZ, then Sendai, Japan, is California next? If you listen to some of the prophecies flying around these days everyone should move out of California instantly or be swallowed up in the coming catastrophe. So why are Wayne and Brad staying and how do we deal with prophecies of doom that rise up from time to time? Since Brad knows firsthand many of those involved in the latest prophecy of doom he can offer a unique perspective, both in his love for those involved and his irritation at their most recent bulletin. We are invited to follow Jesus with the light he’s given us, not to follow others just because they say, “Thus says the Lord!”

Podcast Links:
The World Has Changed by Rick Joyner
David Brooks’ The Social Animal
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

The God Who Whispers

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:05:17 GMT

Meet LeeRoy (pictured at left). Wayne met him last week on his trip to New England. Though he desperately wanting to be loved by the humans around him, LeeRoy is so owned by his fears that he can’t open to the very people who would love and help him. Isn’t that true of people who have been so abused by religion that they don’t know how to be loved by the God who is right there with them. LeeRoy’s plight sends Wayne and Brad down a discussion about living in reaction to our abuse and fears or learning to respond to the God who stands near us ready to invited us into his love. In spite of the lies in our head, Jesus invites us out of the places where we got stuck and into his love.

Podcast Links:
LeeRoy’s Facebook Page
Historian’s New Take on the Civil War
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Toward A More Generous Space

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 04:42:41 GMT

After the three last offerings that covered sexual addiction, the questions about hell, and sexual brokenness, Wayne and Brad comb through a backlog of listener emails, blog comments, and forum postings that open the conversation even wider on these topics. We’re blessed with insightful listeners who want to interact on things of substance and bring their own stories to table as they are learning to live inside the love of God. Throughout the discussion Wayne and Brad are drawn back to how a loving relationship with the Father invites us into a very different space than choosing sides, haggling over theological views, or trying to push people to the conclusions we want for them. It allows us to love people still broken, care about people we are convinced are wrong in their perception of truth, and have patience with others as God’s process for them unfolds.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

A Journey Out of Sexual Brokenness

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:15:01 GMT

Renee grew up in a Christian environment but found herself in her late teens dealing with same-sex attraction. That led to nearly twenty years in same-sex relationships that were in conflict with her personal faith. Three years ago God began a work of transformation that continues to this day. Wayne met Renee during his recent trip to Austin and introduces her to Brad as they hear her story and the amazing relational transformation that is going on in her life. She shares freely about her personal struggle and how God’s love is reshaping her life. And she talks about the love of her mom that communicated to her even though her mom did not approve of the choices she was making. Dr. Renee Lockey is an OB/GYN in Austin, Texas, active in sports and medical missions as well as helping facilitate a growing community of brothers and sisters in the Austin area.

Podcast Links:
Renee’s Blog Lead Me On
Resources helpful in Renee’s Journey
Renee sharing her journey as part of a panel presentation at Gateway in Austin, TX
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Slap a Calvinist for Christ?

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:16:30 GMT

Yes, we are being a bit tongue and cheek with the title and are not advocating violence against those from the reformed tradition, misguided though they may be. But after starting out with some letters from listeners regarding their inner Pharisee and the true meaning of J.O.Y., Brad and Wayne discuss the Internet buzz created by a recent Rob Bell video that mysteriously invokes the possibility of ultimate reconciliation. That set the neo-Calvinists on a warpath, one of whom offered an article in rebuttal to a book that has yet to be released of the eight reasons why believers need to be terrified of hell to live effectively for God today. Brad and Wayne couldn’t resist taking a look at his absurd notions to show how one can quote the Bible to completely undermine the message of the Bible. If you need the threat of hell to follow Jesus, it just might be that you do not know Jesus at all.

Podcast Links:
Rob Bell’s Love Wins
Kevin DeYoung’s To Hell With Hell
Related Podcast from the Archives: Ultimate Reconciliation? To Hell with It
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Control Freaks

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:19:56 GMT

While discussing the political instability going on throughout the Arab world, Brad and Wayne end up in a discussion about the nature of freedom and the propensity that we have as humans to gain enough power that we are able impose their will on others. It is true not only of governments but interpersonal relationships where we think getting others to do what we want is critical to our own well-being. However, the desire to get others to agree with us, even for their own good, is the opposite of what it means to live in love and freedom. Any attempt to force your way with others or manipulate them to do what you think best destroys relationship. That’s what God knew when he sent his Son into the world to invite us into his life.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

Addicted to Sin?

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:25:41 GMT

A pastor in nearby Ventura pleads guilty to felony charges of stealing from an elderly person, money laundering and grand theft to the tune of $300,000. The kicker is the congregation is hoping he can serve his sentence on a work furlough program so he can still lead the church. That, and a recent article in Time Magazine about whether or not sex addiction is a disease or a convenient excuse provoke Brad and Wayne to a discussion about sin, both as the world misunderstands it and as religion only compounds it. How we view sin will determine whether we see God’s invitation to holiness as an oppressive burden or a great delight to live in his freedom. Just because we’re helpless in sin, doesn’t mean we are hopeless.

Podcast Links:
Time Article – “The Truth About Sex Addition”
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

The Remarkable Replacement Army

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:13:18 GMT

Wayne and Brad discuss Stan Firth’s newest book, The Remarkable Replacement Army, which uses an analogy about the Norwegian army and how it handled Nazi occupation in World War II to help people understand what might be happening across the church today as more people are disillusioned with the conventional institutional forms and are convinced God is asking something different of them. Stan shares from his own heart and life to those who are concerned about what’s going on in the church today and gives them some guidelines about how they can live during this season, both in connecting with other believers and in being part of God’s unfolding kingdom int he world.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya
The Remarkable Replacement Army
Stan Firth Interview

How Far Will Love Go?

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:19:12 GMT

Wayne is back from his harrowing entry into Canada, and then It’s time to catch up on some of the interesting email and blog postings of those who want to join the conversation. That takes Brad and Wayne on some interaction about baptism, the risk and reward of raising children by freedom and not conformity, and the concerns about divorce and remarriage. Here they find a story about a revelation of love that will go to the wall for the object of that affection, and a discussion about those who want to live loved who have absolutely no human examples of that in their own lives.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya
For those who want to read the book before Brad and Wayne discuss it next week:The Remarkable Replacement Army.

Uncontrolled Community

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:32:54 GMT

The unrest in the Arab world and letters from some of our listeners begin a conversation on the increased power of the voice and actions of individuals in a world tied together by the Internet. Social networking is shifting the power away from centralized governments and institutions who make decisions for others, and is empowering the simple choices of thousands of people combining to yield unanticipated results. This can of course be used for great harm or for great good, but it might help us rethink how the body of Christ will take shape in the future. We’ll think more in terms of nudges than blueprints, fostering community instead of creating groups, and learning to live in trust rather than trying to control our environment. This could get fun!

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya
Wayne’s Living Loved Article: The Church Jesus Is Building
The Remarkable Replacement Army

What Is Truth?

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:22:32 GMT

How do you walk confidently in the truth, but still keep a door open to those who disagree with you or may not yet see what you see? Wayne’s trip to Austin, Texas and a comment on the blog invite Brad and Wayne into a discussion about how to engage others in theological issues or moral concerns (including homosexuality) that keep the door open to further dialog rather than press people into conformity. Loving others we don’t condone and having the grace to walk in the light alongside other people who see things differently than we do is the fruit of living loved. You can’t do it by following principles that can fit every person or situation, but only by following Jesus as he guides us through the engagements of our life.

Podcast Links:

Orphanage Relocation in Kenya

The Remarkable Replacement Army

Conformity: Home Field Advantage

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:30:37 GMT

Wayne shares an article with Brad from Sports Illustrated about home field advantage in sports being traced to officiating that is inadvertently swayed by the home crowd. It actually makes them see things in their favor, even while being completely unaware of doing so. This phenomenon demonstrates the power of conformity and how we are shaped by the herd mentality of whatever group we are in or whatever group we are appealing to for respect. Sometimes subtle and other times overt, the process of conformity seeks to shape us into someone else’s mold and actually undermines our ability to perceive the truth in what’s going on around us. That’s why Paul contrasts the process of conformity and the process of transformation in Romans 12. Only by resolving our approval needs in God’s love for us can we break it’s hold on us and Maybe we don’t need people around us of like-mind, but of like passion to follow the Lord.

Podcast Links:
Orphanage Relocation in Kenya The Remarkable Replacement Army Sports Illustrated Article – Sorry it was not been posted on-line. You’ll have to go to your library.

The Divine Teddy Bear?

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:08:59 GMT

We live in an age where everyone has an opinion, but opinions themselves are not knowledge. As people begin to discover that God is not the angry tyrant religion paints him to be, many swing to an opposite misunderstanding of him that characterizes God as a big teddy bear who is always just soft and cuddly. Reading Scripture and knowing God as a real personality in his universe will give you a fuller understanding of who he really is. He is a God of great tenderness and affection, but also a God who lives inside the truth and whose purpose is to make right all that Satan and sin have twisted to their own aims. There is no real love apart from truth and transformation and that bring us into his glory and frees us to love others in the world without exploiting them. Podcast Links: Orphanage Relocation in Kenya, you can get more information at the link.

The Freedom of Vulnerability

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:18:05 GMT

“Connection is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives… What we know is that connection is neuruobiologically how we’re wired. It is what It is why we are here.” Powerful words from research professor, Brene Brown, from the University of Houston. Her talk on The Power of Vulnerability provides the fodder for Wayne and Brad’s discussion about the deep longing in the human heart real and meaningful connection and how shame undermines that desire. While she approaches it from a secular perspective, her observations confirm what Scripture tells us about our longing to know God and walk authentically with others. The freedom to present ourselves as imperfect beings and open ourselves to relationships, even if there is no guarantee that our attempts will be reciprocated, lies at the heart of forming real friendships. Of course, this vulnerability comes best when we find that we are loved by the Creator of the universe itself, without having to earn it. If you want to help with our Orphanage Relocation in Kenya, you can get more information at the link.

Enjoying Your Gifts

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 01:01:48 GMT

The line comes from the new The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie, but in so many ways defines how this year begins for both Brad and Wayne: “I’ve spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what I was given.” Through family changes and their own spiritual journeys they are freshly learning how to embrace what God has given instead of getting focused on the hurtful actions of others or the changing tides of life. That’s where you’ll find true treasure. Their conversation revisits some familiar themes of living light-handedly with truth, so you can love people and not force your will on them and to keep embracing the joy of relationships and God’s work in them even though at times you may be treated unfairly by some. If you want to help with our Orphanage Relocation in Kenya, you can get more information at the link.