A Man Like No Other, Part 2
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
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. 
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. 
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. 
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.) 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
