A letter in response to Brad and Wayne's recent podcast entitled Unsanctified Mercy, they get into a discussion about God's judgment and discipline and whether those are unmerciful acts, or further extensions of his mercy. Many people mistake mercy for simply being nice or enabling people's willfulness, but does God see it that way?

Our last podcast about Revival Fever brought a firestorm of emails. Some liked it, others hated it. Brad and Wayne read the letters, and launch into a discussion about how to love others who may not see the things the way you do. They also talk about having conversations through those kind of conflicts that help us all grow, rather than cutting off communication as we simply defend our own positions.

It was Brownsville and Toronto. Today its Redding and Lakeland? A listener wants to know what Brad and Wayne think about the so-called revivals that break out from time to time. That leads them to a further discussion about understanding the fullness of the Holy Spirit, how the reality of his presence was hijacked by the Charismatic renewal. They even tackle a question about the reality of the Devil and what place he has in the life of a believer.

Brad and Wayne are freshly back from the Book Exposition of America where an encounter got them thinking again and how the religious mindset sounds so arrogant and condescending to the world's ears. The wrestle with a term others are using called unsanctified mercy, which is extending mercy to people who don't deserve it. Well, isn't that the point for all of us? Their discussion takes them through Matthew 9 and 10 and how Jesus viewed others in the world and how he called us to live among them in a way that opens their heart to our message of hpe and life!

Letters from a number of God Journey listeners invite Brad and Wayne into a discussion about how religion, rather than setting us free from our self-focused lives, can give us an excuse to serve our selves convinced that we are doing God a favor. The need to please ourselves is the core motivation that Father's love swallows up in our lives, so that we can live free in his life and grace.

Two angry pastors have dominated the political debate for the past month. Their antics launch Brad and Wayne into a discussion about anger and how it is often exacerbated by religious thinking. They talk about the struggle with anger in their own lives, and how Jesus displaces it with a growing security in his affection and care for our lives.

Darin Hufford, the author of The God's Honest Truth joins Wayne and Brad in a discussion about the character of God and whether or not we can ever comprehend just how good he is. In his book Darin's takes the statement "God is love" and holds it against God's description of love in I Corinthians 13. In doing so it becomes painfully clear that the God religion teaches us about is exactly the opposite of the God Paul wanted us to know. You'll enjoy Darin's heart and humor. You can find out more about Darin and his book at the Free Believers Network website.

Brad and Wayne are back from their second trip to New York with an inbox full of some wonderful and insightful emails from their podcast two weeks ago about "Who is This God?" In the interest of expanding the conversation, they take some time to interact with those emails, adding the insights others have gleaned and commenting further about the gracious way the God of the Ages has chosen to reveal himself to people like us.

Listener reaction to the podcast Wayne and Brad did two weeks ago with Paul, opens up a new discussion about a hunger for real relationships among brothers and sisters. They talk about how our insecurities and self-focused preoccupation can subvert the very relationships God wants to give us, and how only his healing can change that. They also discuss how relationships grow from the simple risk to spend time with a stranger and the friendships that can grow from loving who God puts before you each day without expectation. They end up discussing the difference between relationships that grow organically in life and how attempts we make to organize that often result in someone just building another pen to contain God's people.

A recent Chuck Colson Breakpoint Commentary takes on The Shack for an alleged low view of Scripture and for diminishing the glory of God. As Wayne and Brad respond to his premise, and other listener email, they find themselves probing the question, "Who Is This God?" Is he the angry judge waiting for the opportunity to destroy those who won't do things his way, or is he reaching out with love and compassion for those who are lost in sin? How you view God will decisively affect not only how you live with him and but also what you pass on to others of his life and nature.

Paul Young, author of The Shack was in town to join Brad and Wayne at a presentation at Fuller Theological Seminary. So they added Paul to their podcast for a conversation about living in the joy of Father's working. They talk about how important it is that each of us know we matter to God and that what he does in us each day matters, about the joy of relationship that comes out of others-focused lives and the fruit that such collaboration means, about true submission and how we can discover those connections God is bringing to our own lives.

Here is part two of Brad and Wayne's discussion with Dave Coleman, a long-time friend of Wayne's and his co-writer on So You Don't Want to Go To Church Anymore. Here they continue their free-ranging discussion about the failure of religion to subvert the power of sin in our lives and free us to live fully and completely in the life of Jesus. Here they talk about transformational love as they refer to an article that Dave wrote called Why Religion Doesn't Work and talk about the importance of becoming settled in the Father's affection so that we don't have to strive to control people and events around us. They also read a letter from a disillusioned mother and offer their thoughts about parenting.

Dave Coleman, a long-time friend of Wayne's and his co-writer on So You Don't Want to Go To Church Anymore, joins Wayne and Brad for a free-ranging discussion about the failure of religion to subvert the power of sin in our lives and free us to live fully and completely in the life of Jesus. They discuss an article that Dave wrote called Why Religion Doesn't Work, a powerful look at how legalism destroys the power of the gospel by turning our attention away from Jesus and feeding our own need to control others and events around us.

Wayne and Brad return from New York City sharing some of their experiences, before listener response takes them into a discussion about what real friendship looks like, both with God and with others. They talk about the value of encouragement, the disturbing reality of substituting ritual for a relationship, and making celebrities out of brothers and sisters instead of continuing to the celebrate friendship. In the course of their conversationWayne shares from a new book he has been enjoying: The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus by Bruxy Cavey.

An experience with Brad and his daughter learning to downhill ski opens up a dialog with Wayne about our passion to see others grow and freeing them for an adventurous journey instead of building their dependence on us or our program. Growing up forces us to overcome our fears and discover that God is able to work in us as we learn to live in him. They also talk about the importance of cheering each other on to that confidence as an important component to fellowship and helping others grow up in him.

It appears the doctrine police are out in full-force these days. On Internet lists, forums, blog comments and email there is a growing number of people who want to draw the lines of sound doctrine and then intimidate those who don't conform to their views. They bully people with name-calling and false accusations, refusing to listen with others point out their distorted conclusions and they do it convinced they're doing God a service. What to do about such people? Brad and Wayne take a look at the havoc such tactics can cause if we are driven by the need to convince others or the need to defend ourselves. Freedom in Christ means we don't have to give in to either.

Listener interaction from their three most recent podcasts, give Wayne and Brad a chance to revisit those topics again and expand on their thoughts as well as add others to the mix. They hear again from the denominational official struggling with his place inside that structure and how important it is to follow God instead of what others think is best. They talk about living by God's work not our own efforts and how freedom from the religious box of 'us versus them' allows people to see the colors of God's glory as he reveals himself in a myriad of situations.