CYNTHIA MAGALLANES / YOU ARE BELOVED, YOU ARE ENOUGH
In this heartfelt conversation, Cynthia Magallanes shares her journey of healing from childhood trauma and the impact of her books, which aim to help others navigate their own healing processes. She discusses the importance of identity, community support, and the conflict between understanding God’s goodness amidst personal pain. Cynthia emphasizes the transformative power of love and the role of imagination in healing, as well as the significance of trusting God throughout the journey. The conversation also touches on the writing process and the message of her children’s books, which seek to restore a sense of wonder and belonging.
For more information on Cynthia Magallanes
https://www.cynthiamarisol.com/
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
Reveal / Defend
Years ago, I was on staff at a church where the worship leader and I had radical differences about theology. One week, I preached a message declaring that everyone in the room was a spiritual giant. I was speaking to our identity, our original innocence, and the invitation to participate in the finished work of the Cross.
The following week, the worship pastor stood with an actual whip in his hand and preached the opposite. He declared we are prone to wander and that God looks away. “There are no spiritual giants in this room,” he said. It was heartbreaking. His theology, to me, was wrong, toxic, and deeply flawed.
I stood in the back of the room for the third and final service. “Father, what am I doing here?” I asked. And then He reminded me who He is and who I am. LOVE. Measureless, other-centered, self-giving, transforming LOVE.
“You’re here to be LOVE—to be a walking revelation of My affection.” He said. “You’re here to reveal, not defend.” He reminded me that Love keeps no record of wrong and thus has no right to be offended.
Then my Father highlighted a fella who stood in the back row, arms stretched wide, tears streaming down his face. “That man is having an encounter with my love.” My Father said.
For a split second, I was annoyed. “But the message is wrong, toxic, it’s deeply flawed!” I thought. Then just as quick, my heart shifted as I heard my Father whisper, “Yes, Jason, the
message is wrong, toxic, it’s deeply flawed. But one encounter with My love is more powerful than anything else. My love is transformative, sustaining. My love is the long game. And I’ve never limited myself to your poor theology.”
That moment defined my ministry. God meets us where we are, in the middle of our flawed theology. He speaks in the language of our understanding.
I realized that man was unlikely ready to hear the good news as I had discovered it; he was lost in the knowledge of good and evil, a prodigal who only understood slaving, the context of transaction. It’s heartbreaking, but the whip message was the language of his understanding.
Was his understanding deeply flawed? Yes. But that’s the road he was traveling, and thus that’s the road our Father met him on. Our Father chased Him down and embraced Him, knowing that embrace would ultimately, over time, and hopefully in this life, reveal the Gospel. The good news that would set him truly and fully free. There is no shadow of turning with Thee, and thus there is no earning, no whip. Love is unconditional.
The point? Our Father did not limit His kind affection to the flawed words coming from the man on stage. No, our Father ran to meet his son, who only wanted to know he was loved! Our Father knew that over time, His measureless love would transform any part of the son’s wrong, toxic, and deeply flawed theology.
I’ve given my life to rethinking my theology. It matters. The closer we are to knowing Greater Love — the more our God lens is like Jesus — the more we experience eternal life. But it’s a journey.
My journey into this union grace has been 51 hard-fought, intentional years where my Father continues to faithfully meet me in my wrong, toxic, and deeply flawed theology.
And this is why I’m encouraged today. You see, I’m not alone. And while it’s taken me 51 years of growing conviction in this Greater love gospel, these days, I meet people who are just as confident at half my age. And then there are the fathers and mothers who are mature in their union – LOVE.
Union, grace, it’s in the ether. We have books, and language, ministries, people, the church, deep and wide, maturing in love.
Right now, there is a spiritual hunger in our world, while at the same time, there is an awakening within the church. Yes, there are distorted versions of Jesus being presented and leveraged, but there’s also a groundswell of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends who are convinced in His affection.
Yesterday, I recognized that man from the church years ago in the upraised arms of hundreds of thousands as we celebrated Charlie Kirk’s life and mourned his death. And I heard my Father whisper. “Yes, Jason, some of the message is wrong, toxic, it’s deeply flawed. But one encounter with My love is more powerful than anything else. My love is transformative, sustaining. My love is the long game.”
I watched yesterday in the liberty of a gospel that doesn’t require agreement or the “right” theology. A gospel that isn’t limited to our finite fears but is a measureless love that casts out fear. A Love that meets us where we are and, thank God, doesn’t leave us there but journeys with us. A love that transforms.
Many are worried about how Charlie’s passing has been politicized. Some are concerned about the left, others about the right. We live in a dualistic world, where the knowledge of good and evil always creates a vortex that pulls people in. It is a tired and powerless waste of time. There is no eternal life to be found in it.
But here’s a word of encouragement: we’re not here to defend, but to reveal. May we grow ever sure in His love.
My heart goes out to Charlie’s wife and kids, his family. Praying grace, grace, grace.
MARTIJN VAN TILBORGH / NEW WINE, NEW WINESKINS: A UNION APPROACH TO RETHINKING CHURCH
In this conversation, Martijn van Tilborgh and Jason explore the complexities of faith, community, and the nature of God beyond traditional religious paradigms. They discuss personal spiritual journeys, the importance of grace, and the need for rethinking church structures to foster individual revelation and community connection. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of listening, understanding cultural differences, and creating spaces for diverse expressions of faith, all while using tacos as a metaphor for community and connection.
For more information on Martijn van Tilborgh
https://www.martijnvantilborgh.com/
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
MATTHEW HESTER & JAMIE ENGLEHART / HOLY GROUND EVERYWHERE
In this engaging conversation, Jamie Englehart, Matthew Hester and Jason explore the themes of ministry, vulnerability, and the sacred-secular divide. They discuss the importance of recognizing God in all aspects of life, the call to full-time kingdom ministry, and the shift from traditional church structures to a more inclusive understanding of community and leadership. The conversation emphasizes the need for authenticity, healing, and sincerity in ministry, encouraging leaders to embrace their vulnerabilities and foster genuine connections with others.
The guys also explore the themes of vulnerability, authenticity, and love within ministry. They discuss the role of armor bearers, the importance of community support, and the need for grace in leadership. The conversation delves into the nature of God’s love and the journey towards maturity in one’s relationship with Him. They emphasize the significance of being real and honest in ministry, as well as the transformative power of love.
For more information on Matthew Hester
https://www.hesterministries.org/
For more information on Bishop Jamie Englehart
https://connectinternationalministries.com/leadership/
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
STEVE CHALKE / THE JOURNEY OF ACCEPTANCE AND BELONGING
In this conversation, Steve Chalke and Jason explore themes of faith, love, and inclusion, reflecting on personal experiences and the legacy of influential figures like Tony Campolo. They discuss the impact of poverty and trauma on communities, the nature of God’s love, and the importance of relational theology.
The dialogue emphasizes the need for a re-evaluation of traditional theological views, advocating for a more inclusive and loving approach within the church and society.
For more information on Steve Chalke:
Oasis Charitable Trust: www.oasisuk.org
Academy For Hope: https://www.academyforhope.org/
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
TULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN / IT IS FINISHED
In this engaging conversation, Tullian Tchividjian and Jason explore the transformative power of grace and the theological shifts that lead to a deeper understanding of God’s love. They discuss personal stories of struggle and redemption, the importance of safe spaces in relationships, and the cultural reflections on grace in society. The conversation also touches on the role of recovery in understanding grace and the challenges faced within religious circles.
For more info on Tullian Tchividjian:
Website: https://www.tullian.net/
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
RETHINKING GOD WITH TACOS / CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
In this podcast, Jason Clark introduces his new book, ‘Rethinking God with Tacos,’ which explores themes of union, relationship with God, and the nature of the gospel. He shares insights from various conversations with guests on his podcast, emphasizing the importance of understanding the gospel as good news and the relational aspect of faith. The podcast also highlights the significance of community and upcoming events related to the book.
TAKEAWAYS
– The book ‘Rethinking God with Tacos’ is a culmination of conversations from the podcast.
– Union is a central theme throughout the book.
– The gospel is presented as good news, not just a theological concept.
– Jason emphasizes the importance of relationship with God.
– Baxter Kruger is highlighted as a foundational voice in the book.
– The nature of God is explored through a relational lens.
– The journey of faith is one of discovery and transformation.
– Community plays a vital role in the exploration of faith.
– Upcoming events will foster deeper connections and discussions.
For more on THE BOOK & COMMUNITY
Website: https://afamilystory.audiencetap.com/qc/wU0gQoHxDx
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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly
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Kingdom Theology
I was honored to write the forward for Dubb Alexander, Ryan Pena, Eunike Jonathan & Tony Robinson’s new book, The Kingdom — Available Now!
FORWARD
My son has a framed work of art hanging on his bedroom wall that once graced the wall of my childhood bedroom. It is a colored pencil drawing of a castle with spires and battlements, a fortified tower, arrow slits, a drawbridge, a corresponding moat, and gate.
It also includes a soldier on guard duty standing tall, uniformed in royal blue trousers, scarlet red tunic, and a beefeater English bearskin hat. His sword is unsheathed and held up in a salute—as if to let us know he maintains vigilant watch, eyes always scanning for signs of an enemy, ready to respond to any threat.
The soldier is disciplined, dedicated— he is steadfast in his loyalty to the King and Kingdom. He would die for the King.
How do I know? What makes me such an expert regarding this work of art?
I’m the artist.
Inspired by the castle mural painted on my Covenant Church third-grade classroom wall, I drew that solitary soldier and his kingdom. In my nine-year-old scrawl, above my castle, I wrote the phrase, “The Kingdom God has prepared for us far exceeds any imagination.”
That phrase was inspired by 1 Cor 2:9: “…No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Yeah, I grew up in the Church and thus, I’ve been fascinated by the King and His Kingdom since before I can remember. The idea of Kings and Kingdoms permeated everything I knew about God, Scripture, and the way we Christians navigate all things. But the Kingdom I understood was a dichotomy— “a division into two parts…”
The awe-inspired nine-year-old who drew that castle grew up in a loving home and knew a kind and loving King with a beautiful Kingdom that looked like family.
But that kid was also raised in the Church’s dizzying obsession with good and evil and often compromised by a separation-based atonement theory. That innocent nine-year-old grew up in the Western Evangelical obsession with dominion by way of domination, sovereignty by way of control, justice by way of violent retribution, and power by way of hierarchies of exclusion.
While I knew the other-centered love of Jesus, I had to traverse the Church’s literal application of violent Old Testament delusions. The Kingdom was often presented as a militarized, politicized war machine leveraged by religious zealots and fork-tongued grifters for the purpose of control and exclusion.
Thus, as I entered adulthood, I began to believe that God’s beautiful Kingdom was a prepared future heaven that could only be experienced if I survived the brutality of this present age.
Then, in my thirties, thanks to pioneers in the goodness of God, I began to refocus my Kingdom definitions around what Jesus had to say about it.
Jesus talked about the Kingdom all the time. But never with a sword in His hand and always in the language of Greater Love and the context of family. Not once did Jesus call God, “King,” He always called Him, “Dad.”
“When you pray, say Father…” He instructed us in Luke 11:2, and he continued in Matthew 6:10. Dad, “Your Kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.”
And boy did I pray—my nine-year-old earnest faith reignited in my thirty-something heart. I joined all creation in the age-old question; the one we’ve been asking since the lie of separation first entered the mind of Adam.
“Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the kingdom of God come?’
Jesus answered, ‘God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is within you.’” (Luke 17:20-21)
Remember that castle-inspiring verse in Corinthians? “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him” —the very next verse reads, “But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit…” (See 1 Cor 2:9-10)
It seems that Jesus believed the Kingdom wasn’t a future heaven but a present revelation of the family relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit established on earth through us.
Jesus reframed the Kingdom in the relational context of Family. You could say it this way, if it isn’t family, it isn’t the Kingdom Jesus revealed.
As my friends Dubb Alexander, Ryan Pena, Eunike Jonathan, and Tony Robinson have written, “The Kingdom is a Royal Family who co-reigns upon the Earth… The heart of God in creating humanity is for family. His desire in the act of creation was not to expand His army, but to give love through union and connection with Himself…”
They continue, “We were created for connection, oneness, and union with The Trinity. This is the first aspect of The Kingdom we need to see. The Kingdom is a family, and Father’s heart is to expand that family.”
And finally, “The Kingdom, most simplistically put, is ‘The extension of the heart and authority of God, from Heaven to Earth, through humanity….it is powered by love, revealing identity and purpose, liberating people to be authentic and unifying humanity with honor.”
This book provides clarity and liberty to discover the what, where, when, how, and why of the Kingdom within us. What is the Kingdom? What is it like? What must it become? When and where is the Kingdom?
This manuscript is beautifully practical—no highbrow hoops to jump through or self-indulgent theological speak, this is a straightforward, thorough, grace-inspired discovery of how to live, move, and have our being in the Family as ambassadors of our Father’s Kingdom. My friends have written an invitation into relational trust.
You know, my Father loves that castle I drew when I was nine. He knew I saw myself in that soldier with the sharp military uniform and shiny sword; recognized my earnest salute—His eyes alive with laughter as I presented my vigilant watch.
He also knew my warrior interpretation of His Kingdom would be transformed by His indwelling Spirit. He knew there would be fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends like those who wrote this book, who would come alongside me to re-present His Kingdom.
If I were to pick up the colored pencils today and let my imagination run wild, if I were to set about creating a work of art that represented the Kingdom, and if I were to hang that image on my wall, you most likely would see a family.
And I believe if you looked closely, you would see yourself in it.
I am grateful for what my friends have written. It’s their work of art—an invitation to discover that The Kingdom God has prepared for us far exceeds any imagination. And “God has revealed it to us by the Spirit…”
Jason Clark—Author of Leaving and Finding Jesus and host of Rethinking God with Tacos
www.afamilystory.org
To purchase the book, CLICK HERE
Hidden To Discover
“…and then He disappeared from their sight.”
I love the Emmaus Road incognito Jesus, and I love the big reveal, but for a long time, I felt His sudden disappearance after they realized it was Him was a bit of a letdown. What was that all about, Jesus? I asked for years.
Then, one day, I discovered the answer hidden in the very next verse: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
By coming to them as a Stranger, Jesus sidestepped their certainties and engaged their faith. “Did not our hearts burn…” or essentially, “Did not our hearts know Him even when our minds couldn’t yet understand?” Jesus wanted them to engage in a relational burning because He’s a relational God.
When Jesus hid Himself in the Wayfaring Stranger on the Emmaus Road, it was so His friend’s ideology, theology, eschatology, and all other ologies, wouldn’t get in the way of the heart-burning relational experience of God with us, God within us.
Just so, after He broke the bread, Jesus disappeared from their sight—He hid again—for the same reason!
I suggest that if Jesus hadn’t disappeared from their sight, His friend’s limited understanding and transactional certainty would have likely come rushing back as questions that would have cut them off from simply reveling in the wonder of eternal life.
As Johnny Cash sings, “Love is a burning thing.” And I believe Jesus wanted His friends to recognize and revel in the burning.
I think Jesus disappeared from their sight so:
- Their Scriptural certainties wouldn’t blind them from discovering Jesus within Scripture. 1
- Their limited knowledge regarding the love of God wouldn’t cut them off from experiencing the height, depth, length, and breadth of a measureless love that surpasses knowledge. 2
- Their transactional understanding of a relationship with God wouldn’t limit their ability to experience friendship with God. 3
- Their cruel theology of separation wouldn’t undermine their ability to embrace a kindness that leads to repentance. 4
- Their elevation of the Law of lack wouldn’t divorce them from surrendering to the liberty of Grace. 5
- Their narrow understanding of mercy could bend the knee to everlasting mercy—the same with forgiveness.
- Their retributive thoughts on justice wouldn’t restrain them from engaging in reconciliation and restoration.
I think Jesus disappeared from their sight for the same reason He came to them as a Stranger, so they could move beyond their ability to understand and into faith; that revelatory burning within their hearts—a confident surrender to a measureless love that reconciles, restores, and transforms!
After He broke bread and their eyes were opened, after their heads caught up with their hearts, Jesus disappeared from their sight—but He didn’t leave. Love never leaves. Love simply went incognito once again so they could steward the burning and recognize the indwelling.
As soon as He disappeared from their sight, they saw what was always there—revelation; Greater Love is alive within us!
And as this revelation possessed them, as eternal life began to take hold, as measureless love burned within, they rose from the table and raced back to Jerusalem so that their brothers and sisters, indeed the whole world, would know our Father’s great affection just as Jesus knew it.
1 John 5:39-40
2 Ephesians 3:18
3 John 15:15
4 Romans 2:4
5 Romans 11:6
This article is excerpted from my book, Leaving and Finding Jesus
Order Now At
Behold The Lamb / by Robin Smit
I was honored to write the forward for Robin Smit’s new book, Behold the Lamb which releases today! I can’t recommend it more!
FORWARD
I was raised in, as Robin writes, Western Evangelical Christianity, where “the false doctrines of ‘original sin’ and a punitive atonement narrative groomed (me) to see a harsh, damning, aloof, and distant god, quick to condemn.”
I’ve never actually met that God. Since I can remember, Jesus has been my best friend, and He has been nothing but kind. But for my first 35 years, because of Evangelical teaching on original sin, and that damning lie of separation, I tip-toed around our Father. Then, many years ago, Eva and I drove to, as she called it, “City Town.” She was two.
Eva is my daughter, whom I love. With her, I have always, and will always be, well pleased.
On the drive, I began to sing a song I’d woken up humming—the lyrics both arrested and haunted me.
I love You, Lord, I lift my voice; to worship You, oh my soul, rejoice!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound to Your ear.
That morning, I felt desperate, lonely, and overwhelmed by my family’s significant needs, my failing business, Adam’s finished work, and Jesus’s never-ending unfinished work. I would have never said it that way, but I lived each day as though it were true. As Robin brilliantly explains, I was “striving and doing religious works to find favor with the distorted god of (my) imagination who was nothing like the God who yearned for (me) to know Him as Daddy!”
“Take joy, my King, in what you hear,” I begged in hopes that my perceived distant Father might see me as more than the sum of Adam’s fall.
“No, Daddy,” Eva corrected, and then she started singing, “B. I. N.E O! and Binno was his name-o.” Her innocent correction interrupted my loneliness. I grinned, matching my melody and words with hers, “B. I. N. E. O.” we sang with abandon. I was all right replacing the G. with an E.
As we arrived at “City Town,” Eva pointed out all the “ocitons” — stop signs.
Her older brother had been learning his shapes. Octagons were his favorite.
But I barely heard her ociton ramblings as I wallowed in the lie of separation. It seemed to me there was some measureless distance between God and myself, and no matter what I did, or maybe, thanks to Adam, because of what I did, I couldn’t bridge it.
If Adam had been sitting next to me, I would have punched him in the mouth.
Eva broke in again, saving me with her childlike trust, “Daddy, I aff a secret.” She continued all bright-eyed. “Let’s go a mdonals.”
I mirrored her smile. She was so beautiful; my heart was full to the brim with her goodness. She wanted to go to McDonald’s with her Daddy and have it be our secret. What made it even sweeter— she couldn’t keep a secret.
Our joyful communion confronted, as Robin notes, my “mindset of dualism that made it challenging for (me) to recognize (my) true identity as God’s image-bearer, intended to reflect His nature of Love on earth.”
Ironically, I had no problem recognizing LOVE’S identity reflected in my daughter…
“Take joy, my King, in what you hear,” I sang, desperate. “Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear… I continued, reveling in every second with my daughter while begging God to come near.
“OK, let’s go eat,” I said to Eva after finishing my errands. We didn’t go to McDonald’s, but we did stop at Phat Burrito, which is one of the best eats in “City Town.” I told Eva the name of the restaurant while we waited in line, again while we got a Coke. We shared a quesadilla and tacos. As we ate, Eva asked, “Daddy, what’s this?” And then, “Fat bummito!”
I smiled. “That’s right, hun, it’s a fat bummito.” I didn’t mind exchanging the “r’s” for some “m’s.”
While we ate, my mind cried out again. Where are you, God? I begged from my insecure faith in the separation of original sin. If Adam had been sitting with us, I’d have spit in his food.
As Eva and I headed home, I prayed out loud: “I am desperate for You!” Then Eva interrupted with the voice of my Father, pointing, “Ociton! Daddy! Ociton!”
Suddenly, I had two thoughts. Both bursting with grace and life!
First, “What if my Father felt about me the way I feel about Eva?”
Then, “When you love someone, you learn to speak their language. I am Eva’s Dad. I know her head-to-toes. I love her fiercely. I am fluent in her language and speak it to her often. But she is also learning a language—mine.
Maybe it’s time to learn my Father’s language?”
Behold The Lamb is a profoundly beautiful invitation to learn our Father’s language. Jesus was the walking revelation of our original design, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” started with Adam from the foundations of the world. This book invites us to step away from the lie of separation and discover the original Truth of a LOVE that never leaves or forsakes us and restores all things.
Robin Smit is a wonder. Her writing is the perfect blend of arithmetic and poetry, wisdom and grace, knowledge and impartation. Her words are full of the innocent conviction of my two-year-old daughter and the profound understanding of our early church Fathers and Mothers. She breaks down the Church’s “ociton” understandings with a grace that empowers us to know our Father the way Jesus knew Him. And to learn His language.
On every page is an invitation to ask what if?
What if “loss and separation were mere constructs of Adam’s mind” and there has never been “separation between heaven and earth, God and man?”
What if “religion keeps us in bondage to a pagan idea of separation from God?”
What if we could trade “the faulty lens of Adam’s fall for the crystal-clear image of Christ’s restoration?”
What if Jesus “is the Lamb who took away the sin of the world, and that old life no longer exists?”
What if “God sent His Son as Savior because He loves us, because we are His good pleasure!?”
Then maybe we could live each day confidently singing, “Take joy, my King, in what you hear, I am a sweet, sweet sound to Your ear!”
Behold The Lamb is the book you take with you on your journey to “City Town.” In its pages is the incarnational Christ who sings B.I.N.E.O! with abandon— who knows us intimately and is all right replacing the G. with an E. while at the same time introducing us to our native tongue. In its pages is the language of our original design and our restored innocence. In its pages is an opportunity to rethink the restorative nature of Dad’s love and our place in the family. In its pages is the Truth that sets us free.
Behold The Lamb is an invitation to discover we are His children, that He loves, and that He has always and only been well pleased.