Faith
confidence or trust: growing sure in the goodness of our heavenly Father…
The Church and Her Inclusively Transformative Nature
You see, as I’ve left every Jesus that isn’t reconciling. I’ve also left every idea of church that isn’t built upon the Cornerstone of Greater Love. I’ve left every aspect of the church that practices us or them, in or out, for or against; and when I find I haven’t, I repent…
The Price Is Too Steep
I was heartsick and disturbed by the theological certainty he placed in the punishing nature of God—a certainty that was clearly crushing him. He was tormented over whether he’d “evangelized” enough. He wondered aloud if a prayer said in the horror of a violent car crash would be enough.
“What am I still lacking?” That was the cruel and punishing road my pastor friend traveled. He seemed to believe God counted his dad’s sins against him—and his dad had come up lacking.
My pastor friend’s pain was real, traumatizing, and tragically unnecessary.
You see, what he described to me wasn’t Christian hope. It was fatalism.
TOMMY MILLER / DEATHLESS
Union, inclusion, sin, grace, the covenants, a very high view of Jesus and humanity, and biblical immortality, Tommy Miller shares about his new book, Deathless. Tommy is passionate about seeing the local Church equip sons to look like their Father and create atmospheres that look like heaven, and it’s evident in this revelatory conversation.
Deathless” is a thought-provoking exploration of the concept of biblical immortality, and the guys have a brilliant conversation unpacking this thought.
“Sometimes a story is written that changes everything. This book is an irresistible journey into transforming love. These are new and powerful thoughts from a modern day revivalist. Once they take hold they wont let go.”
Those struggling for identity will appreciate “Prone to Love” as a key to unlock and accept their true hidden self. Enjoy!”
No Omissions
“Finished” means “ended or completed.” I looked it up. Case closed, settled, resolved. No one was overlooked by Christ at the cross—not even Judas. Paul told us, “…in Adam, all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive.”
“All” means, “everyone.” I looked it up.
THOMAS JAY OORD & KEITH GILES / DECONSTRUCTING HELL
Perhaps no modern church dogma has been more destructive to the mission of Jesus, created more atheists, or generated more religious trauma than that of eternal conscious torment (ECT).
In this podcast, the guys talk with Thomas Jay Oord and Keith Giles about their collaboration on Chad Bahl’s book, Deconstructing Hell. The book brings together experts in their fields to take the reader on a historical, philosophical, and theological journey to deconstruct this harmful doctrine, and the podcast highlights Oord and Gile’s contribution.
The guys dive into the “logic of love” and offer compelling pathways to reconstruct a biblical perspective on the nature of God and our understanding of hell.
Trust Is My Throughline
Trust is the central theme of life here on earth. Trust is our throughline and the evidence of heaven coming to earth. Trust is eternal life in the ever-present now. Trust is a Triune God perfectly revealed in the God-Man, Jesus. Trust is discovered in Jesus’ prayer that we would know union as He did—first with Him, our heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit; then with each other.
THE PROBLEM WITH RETRIBUTION WITH JASON CLARK
This podcast announces and features Jason’s new book, Leaving and Finding Jesus, in audio format. Retribution is the title of chapter seven and is presented in its entirety. In this chapter and podcast, Jason juxtaposes retribution with reconciliation and recognizes that a punishment lens on the nature of God is one of the reasons the church is navigating broken trust. It’s also why we currently find ourselves in a Deconstruction Movement.
God is as Jesus revealed Him, and on a cross Jesus forgave. God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself.
SHAWN HARNISH / UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Pastoring a community, faith and living in mystery, putting unconditional love before understanding, kindness that leads to repentance, the nature of trust, punishment hell, Bible College, the Age of Certainty, and timeless reconciling love – in this conversation, Shawn Harnish shares about his 25-plus years of pastoring in one area and the transforming discovery of the finished work of the cross. Add to that, 25-plus years of friendship with Jason and a mutual love of the Buffalo Bills, and you got a profound and fun conversation – Go Bills!
Karen Wouldn’t Say “Obey”
Control is the antithesis of intimacy and oneness. A hierarchal understanding of submission is what’s wrong with this world.
ROBIN SMIT / IT IS FINISHED
“…You are absolutely perfect in the Father’s eyes! You can’t become more perfect than you already are. His heart is captivated by you!” Grace, resurrection, life, the finished work of the cross, and the impact on sin, death, and sickness, this conversation is an invitation to realize and awaken to the fact that we are co-seated with Christ. Robin speaks to the love of our Father, His affection – “He has always loved us we take His breath away!” We are loved in the same way our Father loved Jesus!
I Have Never Called You Servants… / He Liked The Juice!
And war makes cruel hypocrites out of even the best-intentioned Christians.
And nothing undermines trust quicker than this hypocrisy.
FELICIA MURRELL / EMPATHY; THE TREASURE OF THE INCARNATION
“The Spirit said to me, ‘I want you to hand to me everything that you believe to be true about God and let me hand back to you everything that is true.’”
Racism, deconstruction, shame, guilt, certainty, empathy, infinite mercy, grace, healing, and other-centered, self-giving love, in this amazing conversation, Felecia and Jason visit fear and prejudice while leaning into the AND of God’s always present, empathetic, reconciling love.
For or Against; The Christian Hypocrisy
And war makes cruel hypocrites out of even the best-intentioned Christians.
And nothing undermines trust quicker than this hypocrisy.
What Is God Like with Troy Mangum
I recently heard a story about a boy who asked an Orthodox Priest if he could pray for Judas’ salvation.
The priest looked at the boy, smiled, leaned down, and responded, “Yes, of course!” When he looked up and caught the concerned and questioning gaze of the boy’s parents, he stood and whispered, “I don’t know what it could mean for Judas, but it will be very good for your boy.”
Every Breath I Breathe
You’re comfortable in my skin, and I am comfortable being Your skin…Christ in me!
You are here, in me and around me, filling every atom and cell, absorbing every bit of darkness, every lie, every distortion. Every breath I breathe…
THE POLAR EXPRESS WITH JASON CLARK
“It’s Christmas Eve, and instead of dreaming of the best day of the year, the boy is in his bedroom agonizing over the universal question: Does God…sorry, I mean Santa Claus, really exist?”
In this final podcast of 2022 and season three, Jason shares a story from his first book about the Polar Express, and faith. Whether you’re tired or wide awake, full or empty, lost or found, sick or whole, you are loved by Triune God who walks beside you, will never leave you, and invites you to awaken to His affection and love. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, and goodwill toward men!”
Judas’ Salvation
I recently heard a story about a boy who asked an Orthodox Priest if he could pray for Judas’ salvation.
The priest looked at the boy, smiled, leaned down, and responded, “Yes, of course!” When he looked up and caught the concerned and questioning gaze of the boy’s parents, he stood and whispered, “I don’t know what it could mean for Judas, but it will be very good for your boy.”
Why Evangelize?
I met with a church board member at his house to discuss the article for the purpose of connection and understanding—so we could move forward together. At least, that’s what I thought we were doing. Karen and I had no desire to leave the church; it was our extended family.
“If we can be saved after we die, why evangelize?” He asked.
“We evangelize because life is infinitely richer and more beautiful when lived in an ever-transforming revelation of God’s measureless love in the here and now—right?” I asked.
“Of course, yes!” he agreed wholeheartedly.
JASON GRIMSLEY / CROSS STITCHED
“Whether I’m high or low, in heaven or hell, nothing can ever separate me from God’s love.” Jason dives into a memoir he helped his friend, baseball legend, Jason Grimsley, write. They guys talk about Jason’s wild and unbelievable life. This conversation is part storytelling, part revelation, and all testimony of the love of God.
Jason shares about several hardships he’s faced, including a botched suicide attempt and the near destruction of his marriage. The guys shared insights and wisdom for the highs and lows of life. And all along the way, they highlighted the message of the book. Cross Stitched displays the very real and present love of God and the abundant life He offers us when we surrender to Him.
AN EMMAUS ROAD DECONSTRUCTION WITH MATTHEW HESTER
The Kingdom within, relational intimacy, a triune God reconciling the world to Himself, faith like Abraham, hermeneutics, and an Emmaus Road Deconstruction, in this podcast, Jason talks with his friend Matthew Hester about his new book, Leaving and Finding Jesus. “Repenting is a de and reconstruction all in one,” and in this conversation, the fellas talk about an Emmaus Road walk with Jesus where He gently and definitively reveals the Cornerstone of faith, God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.
BRIAN ZAHND / WHEN EVERYTHING’S ON FIRE
“I felt like the Jesus I knew deserved a better Christianity than the Christianity I knew.” In this podcast, Zahnd shares about the Christian faith in alignment with Jesus and the journey he’s taken in discovering this good news! De- and reconstruction, a non-violent, non-retributive God who is reconciling the world to Himself, hermeneutics, hell, and the wonder of church deep and wide, in this conversation, the guys discuss a much richer, wider faith. The guys dive into Brian’s book, “When Everything’s on Fire,” a conversation that invites us to move beyond the crisis of faith toward the journey of reconstruction.
Dear Church, Welcome To The Revolution!
Dear church, this 2000-year-old Deconstruction Movement is part of the reformation we’ve longed for, the revival we’ve prayed for, the billion-soul harvest the church has prophesied, a people in search of kindness. It’s a repentance movement full of sons and daughters growing sure in love—and fathers and mothers growing confident in reconciliation.
We Had Thought He Was the One
It was also a confession; one every follower of Jesus has or will make at some point in our relationship with God; if we’re being honest. It’s a humble recognition that our certainty can be flawed, our ideology broken, our theology incomplete.
Baby Hitler, Time Travel, and Retributive Justice?
The “kill-baby-Hitler-to-save-humanity” time travel game doesn’t work because retribution is a distortion of justice.
A Hard Teaching & Burning Hearts
“Does this offend you?” the Emmaus Road Jesus asked His disciples. For many, it did, and understandably so. “From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.”
Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.’”
Panic In The Backseat
When Karen was five, she had her first and only panic attack. It was on a Sunday, after church. She had a tummy ache and, with it, a sudden terror. What if she died? She began to hyperventilate. So, dad and mom put her in the car, where she sat in the back seat between her grandmothers. And they raced to the hospital.
In that moment of paralyzing fear, when five-year-old Karen thought she was dying, she told her grandmothers she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart.
And she did.
The Adventures of a Dyslexic Map Reader
Everything in this next story is true, metaphorically…
One day I summited a mountain. While taking in the stunning view, I discovered a systematic friend had also just arrived and was enjoying the same vista. We embraced and then, filled with wonder, reveled in our shared awe of the landscape – it was Revelation.
Tattoos, The Trucker Life and a Better Jesus
Dave was a Christian, and Jesus was his best friend. Mine, too. Truly. But when we talked about Jesus, Dave’s thoughts were fuller and better than mine. We both used the same words to describe Jesus, but Dave’s interpretation was deeper and more complete. Dave’s understanding of God’s goodness was also better than I understood it.
THERE IS NO “US OR THEM” AT THE CROSS
This podcast highlights Jason’s book, Leaving and finding Jesus, where he writes about his deconstructing faith journey. The book is Jason’s Emmaus Road discovery of a love that is reconciling all creation; a journey where he’s awakening to a burning heart while leaving every Jesus who won’t lay His life down for His friends.
On Deconstructing Well…
The sin of certainty is a phrase I’ve heard over the last few years, mainly by those deconstructing. It’s a phrase employed to point out hypocrisy within the church. And there’s plenty to point out. It’s a phrase used to highlight the cruel and punishing things done by the church in the name of love. And there’s plenty to highlight…
5Q – THE FIVEFOLD WITH BRANDON KELLY
Derek and Jason dive into the fivefold (APEST) typology of ministry as articulated in Ephesians 4:1-1 with Brandon Kelly, the co-director at 5Qcollective. APEST stands for the Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic, Shepherding, and Teaching intelligence that Jesus gifted to his body.
The guys discussed the fivefold in connection with the nature of God as non-hierarchal and inclusive, laced throughout creation and culture, reconstituted and perfectly exemplified in the life and ministry of Jesus, embedded into the very foundations of the Church, and subsequently expressed through the lives of the countless saints that make it up.
Better Than Our Best Understanding
Mankind has been submitting the goodness of God to our broken experiences since the fall. But thankfully, Jesus is the goodness of God revealed, and He climbs inside every god-box we create and blows them up from the inside with His goodness.
WM. PAUL YOUNG / ETERNAL LIFE, THE EVER PRESENT NOW
“Eternal life is not on a timeline, it is the ever-present now.”
Wm Paul Young, the author of The Shack, talks with Lloyd and Jason Clark about eternal life, an authentic friendship with our Father where we are free to live in the ever-present now. Union, peace, grace, expectancy, trust, facing our fear, the incarnation, death, writing for the one, and stories about Pauls’s friends on death row and the Shack movie, this is an authentic and vulnerable conversation.
If Then The Light Within You
After Jesus tells us about how important our perception of God is, how the eye is the gateway to wholeness or brokenness, He says something amazing and often overlooked.
“If then the LIGHT WITHIN YOU is darkness…”
It seems our perception doesn’t change the nature of light nor its inhabitation. Even if we perceive the light within us as darkness, it remains light and remains within us. if there is no separation between us and God, then the question isn’t, “Is the light within us?” it’s, “How do we perceive it?”
WINN COLLIER / WE BELONG TO ONE ANOTHER
The thread through all Winn Collier’s work is delight in the God who exists as the blazing center of everything that is good, beautiful, and true; and you feel that in this conversation. In this podcast, Winn and Jason talk about God’s hope and heart for all creation to know we belong to one another. The guys dive into wholeness, cruciform love, and what it means to be fully human.
Then Winn talks about his friendship with Eugene Peterson, writer of The Message Translation. Winn shares about the biography he recently released on Eugene’s incredible life, A Burning In My Bones, and on their shared heart for pastors and the church!
A Relational Theologian
Relationship is the only theological lens through which I can communicate authentically and with any effect. Love is my doctrine. Kindness my dogma. The goodness of God my creed.
FAITHFULLY CONNECTED WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK
Matt Chandler, pastor, and writer, recently used the phrase “a sexy fad” when describing the deconstruction movement. Derek and Jason highlight his statement to dive into the nature of their own de/ and reconstruction. This podcast dives into sin, grace, reconciliation, and God’s love for all His kids, the church deep and wide. Ultimately, the guys kick off season three embracing Rom 8:38-29 That nothing… “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
LEIF HETLAND / THE LOVE AWAKENING
In this conversation Leif, Mark Appleyard, and Jason dive into Leif’s new book, The Love Awakening. Through personal stories, the guys discuss the powerful, supernatural Baptism of Love that breaks off shame, affirms identity, and reveals the unconditional love of the Father. This is a life-giving conversation around union, evangelism, and the miraculous.
A Wonderful Life!
Every life on this planet is in part a revelation of the creativity, diversity, and symmetry in the heart of God and an ever-expanding canvas paraphrase of the gospel!
Can I see and love what Papa sees and loves in every other person today?
The Incarnation, Christ in us!
JOHN ELDREDGE / RESILIENT: RESTORING YOUR WEARY SOUL
The human soul has a built-in yearning for joy and beauty and all good things. But that craving for life has taken a real beating in recent years. Between false promises of ease and comfort on one side and the sheer trauma of global disease and disasters on the other, people today are facing a shortage of peace, happiness, and strength.
In this conversation, John and Jason dive into John’s new book, Resilient. The guys talk about life and faith during and since the pandemic. They dive into the evidence of trauma, how to discover peace in the midst of disappointment, the dark night of the soul, de- and reconstruction, and ultimately union. This conversation reveals a path toward genuine recovery and resilience provided by Jesus himself.
JUSTIN STUMVOLL / LOVE IS THE KEY
Justin Stumvoll is a speaker, teacher, and life consultant who knows the kindness of God and loves to create space for individuals to find healing so they can be their most authentic selves Just dives into Love being the key to helping folks walk through the gritty, vulnerable and real approach to transformation. This was a fast-paced conversation where the guy’s traded stories about the reconciling nature of God; they talked about punishment, self-judgment, reconciliation, justice, sin, grace, freedom from addiction, and more. This podcast is bursting with the kindness of God that transforms the world.
icuTalks / End The Stigma With-In The Church
Last month I had the opportunity to speak at icuTalks on the topic of Ending Stigma in the Church.
I was incredibly honored and took all 26 of my 25 minutes to talk about a reconciling God in a church that often perceives him through the lens of retribution. If you’re curious about the new book I am finally wrapping up, Leaving & finding Jesus, this is a good introduction.
A Name Like Honey
This isn’t a breakup book, it’s an expression of our friendship. And an expression of His great affection for you. I wrote in the context of my ever-expanding friendship with Jesus so you might further know Greater Love.
JOHN CROWDER / TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY
John Crowder pulls from the different streams of the church to talk about Christilogical Trinitarian theology, grace, union, contemplative practice, intimacy, and mystical Christianity. John and Jason dive into the Cross, Western atonement theories, and the religious industry built upon separation; how Jesus is healing the human race. John describes a relationship with a person, Christ. He invites us to embrace mystery so we might discover that God looks like Jesus.
An Authoritarian In Pastor’s Clothing
Blind trust is a fool’s game. A person’s title doesn’t infer character, or integrity, and has nothing to do with kindness. And honor and trust aren’t the same things.
KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR / LIFE, LITERATURE, & GOD
Karen Swallow Prior is a Reader, Writer, and Professor. In that order, which was discussed in this conversation along with the power of language, the Word becoming flesh, the connection of imagination with logic and reason, empathy, trauma, the theodicy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and love being the center of our conversations. Karen also shares about getting hit by a literal bus and how she grew in her understanding that her life is in God’s hands.
You Can’t Get There From Here
“What am I still lacking?”That question cuts to the heart of the matter. And I imagine Jesus was thrilled by it. It’s a humdinger, a recognition that even though the young man kept all of the commandments, something was missing…
SCOTT CROWDER / LEARNING TO BE PRESENT
Scott Crowder is a pastor, singer-songwriter, and one of Jason’s closest friends. The guys dive into their love for the church, about learning how to be present with God, ourselves, each other, and our community. Scott talks about creating church cultures that practice the fruits of the Spirit, learning to lead ourselves and others in seasons of joy and sorrow, that “success” isn’t about numbers, cool fads, or being ‘front runners,’ it’s discovered in community.
THOMAS JAY OORD / OPEN & RELATIONAL THEOLOGY
Thomas Jay Oord shares about open relational theology; how it connects with the way we live and matches our deepest intuitions. The guys talked about a relational God who is genuinely loving, looks like Jesus, and walks through each day with us, impacting and impacted by our friendship.
Thomas describes an uncontrolling, loving God, that harmonizes with scripture. In this podcast, he dives into the subjects of hell, prayer, and evangelism all through the lens of open relational theology.
DANIEL GROTHE / THE POWER OF PLACE
Daniel Grothe and the guys discuss his new book, The Power of Place, which speaks the sense of loneliness that many feel in today’s age of hypermobility and noncommittal wandering, reminding us of the ancient vow of stability and teaching us how we can lead a richer life of friendship, community, and purpose.
They also touch on the deconstruction movement within the church, how authoritarian leadership has wounded and undermined trust, and how healing and connection are available only where we practice the long game of family.
PETER HIETT / WHAT ABOUT HELL?
The goodness of God but hell, atonement but hell, reformation but hell, scripture but hell, Calvinism but hell; in this podcast Peter Hiett describes hell as “Satan’s big but.” In this conversation Peter walks us through the story of our own creation, the goodness of God’s reconciling love, the relational kindness of a God who encounters, sets free and transforms.
Peter describes a God who delights in His creation, a God who destroys what is evil, creates what is good, and invites us to observe our own creation in Christ Jesus.
JAMIE & DONNA WINSHIP / OUR TRUE IDENTITY
How to experience God, confession, faith, fear, freedom, our true identity, and cruciform, others-focused, self-emptying unconditional love barely scratches the surface of this packed conversation on the goodness of God. Jamie and Donna Winship share how we can discover our true identity through a relationship with God and each other.
I May Be A Better Atheist Than You…
“But you still consider yourself a Christian!” He responded with anger.
“Yes, but not as you define it.” Then I added, “I am absolutely in love with God, just not the one you’re angry at. Man, when it comes to that god, I may be a better atheist than you.”
A Family Story Film Project
A Family Story pairs classically trained actors with best-selling children’s books. Children’s imaginations will soar to new heights as they watch their favorite characters come to life.
ROD WILLIAMS / UNION WITH DISTINCTION
Union, a Triune God, mutual indwelling others-centered love (perichoresis) approaching scripture to discover Jesus, and communion are some of the themes Rod Williams dives into. What if “all” means “all” and God isn’t distant? There is no distance, no separation in God and this conversation is a beautiful invitation to awaken to that discovery and our union with Him.
Religion vs. Grace
“Christianity is not a religion: it is the proclamation of the end of religion. Religion is a human activity dedicated to the job of reconciling God to humanity and humanity to itself. The gospel, however – the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the astonishing announcement that God has done the whole work of reconciliation without a scrap of human assistance. It is the bizarre proclamation that religion is over – period!” Writes F. Robert Capon.
Good Soil
As a kid, I listened in earnest when this parable was preached. You see, I really wanted to be good soil. But I could do the math well enough to realize the odds were against me, cause 3 out of 4 soils suck.
It seems 75% of all soil is in for some bad news. But there was also good news, for 25% of us. And that was the gospel I was raised in.
A lot of those early formative prayers could be boiled down to “Dear God, I was bad soil again today, please help me beat the odds tomorrow, amen”
SCOT MCKNIGHT / A CHURCH CALLED TOV
Co-Author of A Church Called TOV, Scot McKnight talks about his new book written in response to the abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse within the leadership of Willow Creek, Harvest, and sadly churches of all shapes and sizes.
We talked about TOV (which means goodness) and how when we practice empathy, compassion, extending grace, putting people first, telling the truth, promoting justice, and serving others, TOV emerges in the culture and we all become more Christlike.
Deconstruction: Dear Church, Welcome to The Revolution
I remember the first time I heard the term ‘deconstruction.’ While I grasped the metaphor, the word didn’t resonate with me.
I’ve certainly done some spiritual deconstructing in my life, but I am inclined to use a descriptor more in line with ‘reconstruction.’ This is partly because I’m a ‘glass half full’ guy; at least, I want to be. But also, my spiritual journey has been less about what I tore down, and more about what replaced it.
Here’s To Bigger Dreams
I continue to discover that Acts 2:17 is true, dreaming is an old man’s game, but the older I get the more I discover that only children can truly play it. Dreaming is for children who have chased down vision, failed, lived through disillusionment, disappointment, loss, sorrow, and endless rejection, and still surrender their hearts to the wonder, innocence, kindness, and goodness of Love…
Kindness
It’s His kindness that exposes our arrogance and hypocrisy, that knocks us off our high horses; the same kindness that violently knocked Paul on his ass exposing his elite violent unkindness toward God’s beloved. And it’s His kindness that exposes our ignorance, broken ideology, and oppressive theology, that gently reveals resurrection life; the same kindness shown on a road to Emmaus when God hid Himself so His beloved could discover union.
Jesus, The Stranger
I think Jesus showed up as a stranger, so their limited ideas regarding the goodness of God wouldn’t cut them off from experiencing the goodness of God…so their limited ability to understand friendship with God wouldn’t cut them off from experiencing the friendship with God…so their theology wouldn’t undermine their ability to encounter the nature of Gods kindness…so their understanding of the reconciling love of God could be experienced without their belief in the retributive nature of God getting in the way…so the law would not cut them off from experiencing grace…so their understanding of mercy could bend the knee to mercy…so their thoughts on justice wouldn’t divorce them from experiencing justice
Can You Be Saved After You Die?
In measurement-based systems, God’s forgiveness, and grace, and kindness, and reconciling love are ultimately limited aspects of His nature, while we redefine wrath and condemnation as God’s eternal and defining attribute…
What Am I Still Lacking?
The young fella replied, “All these I have kept; what am I still lacking?”…“What am I still lacking? It’s a good question, a recognition that something is missing, an acknowledgment that something still doesn’t measure up, a confession of incompleteness. What am I still lacking? is the conclusion of living in the context of law instead of grace. What am I still lacking? is the beginning and end of every transactional approach to God.
Flip Your Lid with Kim Honeycutt
I had the incredible honor of conversing with psychotherapist Kim Honeycut for her podcast.
Below is a synopsis of our conversation. It was a good one!
Jason Clark is a pastor, writer, producer, and many more titles. He is also a cisgender, white male who was removed from a church because he had different ideas about the Bible. This is his story about leaving and rediscovering Jesus.
Equality With God?
..I believe Jesus is God’s thoughts regarding equality; that the definition of equality is discovered in a triune God stepping into flesh and blood. And I think Jesus, fully God and fully man, displayed this equality through His union, oneness, and intimacy with Father and Holy Spirit.
The Glory of God… Without Lifting A Finger
The romance is in the truth that God always loved me, before my co-operation or obedience. Long before I put my trust in Him, He was passionately in love with me. I have always been the apple of His eye! “I was in Him before I was in Adam!” And the incarnate Christ redeemed the glory that I already was!
Was Jesus The Most Obedient Person To Ever Walk The Planet?
What if Jesus doesn’t call us servants because servants can’t know what’s in the mind or heart of the master? What if, instead, Jesus calls us friends because in this union, this friendship, we can discover all the Father has revealed? (see John 15:15)
Stubborn In The Right Direction
Love is how I address politics, religion, culture, the news cycle, nationalism, the United Nations, COVID, Vaccines, flat earthers, and misplaced trust in corporations and government…
Stoning And Sacrificial Love
Those men holding stones? They were participating in their death devotion; a vicious spirit of sin-focused retribution which is counter to the gospel of Jesus. Those men did not understand what spirit they were participating in; through stoning the woman, they condemned themselves to the same retribution because those who use stoning die by stoning… Because, in the paradigm of good versus evil, sin is our ultimate judge and all have sinned…
Inheritance In the Saints
The Inheritance is the final sermon of the “Unspoken Sermons” series and a true reflection and summary of MacDonald’s thoughts. Abba, our Heavenly Father, is the beginning and end and everything in between…
Outwitted
But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him In!
That is the gospel of Jesus on a cross; that no matter the circles drawn to shut people out, Love draws bigger circles, Love says, “We all belong, we become!”
10 Rules Of Engagement For Social Media
Sacrificial love is my guide. I know this love to be like Jesus on a cross, unoffended, forgiving, and reconciling all to Love. There is no “us and them” in this good news, we all belong to each other. With that in mind, here are some thoughts I have had through the years…
A Family Story 2021 Newsletter
Dear friends, It’s been about a year and a half since I wrote A Family Story Newsletter. So, you know, not much has happened…
BRIAN MCLAREN / FAITH AFTER DOUBT
“Christian faith, for me, is no longer a static location but a great spiritual journey…what matters most…is not where we are but where we’re going.” This podcast is a gentle invitation to discover a way of faith defined by love. Brian and Jason discuss navigating rejection, stepping away from literalism, and inerrancy in our approach to scripture and faith, and their personal journey of trusting that God is better than our best thoughts about Him.
Interstellar Love
Brand, quietly at first, but then with greater conviction says, “Maybe it means something more, something we can’t yet understand. Maybe it’s some evidence some artifact of a higher dimension that we can’t consciously perceive… Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that even if we can’t understand it yet…”
AWAKENING! with DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK
An infinite love, the nature of revelation, a kindness that changes our minds, the joy of our salvation discovered as we awaken to the resurrection, the risen Christ within us, in this podcast Derek and Jason discuss how all creation is awakening to the transforming certainty of sacrificial love and resurrection life.
The Faith That Kills You?
Austrian born in 1879, Franz Reichelt ended up in France. He died in 1912.
He was a tailor, a designer, and an inventor. And he had a vision. He was intent on helping aviators survive large falls should they be forced from their aircraft mid-flight.
Franz was a parachuting pioneer and today is occasionally referred to as the ‘flying tailor.’ He designed the first prototype, it was not like what we know today, no canopy above. It was a wearable parachute.
KRISTIN DU MEZ / JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE
Patriarchy, authoritarian rule, the nature of power and privilege in America and the Church, the deconstruction movement, Christians in politics; in this podcast, Professor and Historian Kristin Du Mez, examines the impact of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, white evangelicalism. This conversation explores how evangelicals have stepped away from the Jesus of the Gospels, from sacrificial love. “But what was once done, can be undone.”
Love And Religion
Love sets us free to be everything God created us to be. Religion and shame have no power to accomplish that! So, speaking the TRUTH in LOVE is NOT shame-based. It’s NOT about exposing and confronting your brother’s sin! It’s about helping your brother or sister get a revelation of their true value and helping them see the truth about how our Father sees us! God is Love! Mercy triumphs over judgment!
BRIAN SIMMONS / THE PASSION TRANSLATION
“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.” Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, talks about approaching scripture with a love theology, the oppressive impact of hyper literalism, women in ministry, equality, union, Jesus’ humanity inside the Trinity, the finished work of the cross, and the passionate, powerful, transforming love of God.
An Exercise in Union
…The Kingdom is at hand, it’s within reach. But even better, the Kingdom is within you…
How Much Faith Do We Need?
So, “Why couldn’t we do what you did?” And Jesus answered. “It’s because you have so little faith.” And at first read, in a world defined by measurements, that statement makes sense. If you were to ask me why your car stalled a hundred miles from home and I said, “It’s because you have so little gas,” you would think, “OK, so I just need more gas.” We read, “It’s because you have so little faith,” and our minds naturally form the question, “So, how much faith do we need? What is the measurement?” Good news, Jesus tells us! Even better news, it makes no sense…
DAVID TENSEN / YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Trauma, pain, empathy like Jesus, and healing for the oppressed, misunderstood, lost, or broken; in this podcast David Tensen shares how we are loved and not alone. Addressing how shame and condemnation are compounded by religion, the guys talked specifically about abortion and the LGBTQ community with an invitation to love like Jesus, through our union with God and reconciliation.
CARLOS PADILLA / WALKING IN GOD’S POWER
Healing, miracles, the power of God, evangelism through the gospel of inclusion, faith, and reframing repentance, Carlos shares about his journey of discovering that the miraculous, or a transformed life, is simply about discovering God’s love and our origin and union in Him.
RANDALL WORLEY / BRUSHSTROKES OF GRACE
“The two greatest myths that we, as humans, believe, are the myth of separation and the myth of scarcity.”
Grace, empathy, spiritual maturity, identity, destiny, purpose, and a sense of our eternal significance and worth; in this podcast, Randall Worley dives headlong into the measureless transforming and reconciling mystery of the love of God.
Time Travel and The Omnipresent Nature of Love
What if today, while I write, I am also in the “cloud of witnesses” cheering on myself, my family, my friends, and the sons and daughters of God as we awaken to love? What if, while you read this, you are also seated in Christ at the right hand of my Father? (See Heb 12:1 & Eph 2:6) What if we have been invited to live from the measureless omnipresent love of God that dwells within us? What if every prayer, every promise, every dream, every hope has its beginning and end in the measureless, retroactive, proactive, reconciling, omnipresent love of God?
Adoption as Transformation with George MacDonald
In MacDonald’s sermon “Abba, Father!” he defines spiritual adoption as transformation. For him, as it was for St. Paul, adoption was not our familiar western version of taking a non-family member into our family, but an eastern one of a spiritual coming of age, a Jewish bar mitzvah. For us, it is a transformation from within of both an internal and external nature…
THE DE/RECONSTRUCTING PARENT WITH SARAH TURNER & KAREN CLARK
Sarah Turner and Karen Clark take the hosting reins to share their de/reconstructing faith journey and how, primarily through parenting, they began to rethink who God is and their approach to scripture, church, and ministry.
From Harry Potter and the college years to church life – the good, the bad, and the ugly, they talk about how parenting for connection and living an honest relationship with a loving God, is the most transformative thing we can do in our lives, our kids lives, and in ministry.
ADDISON BEVERE / SAINTS, BECOMING MORE THAN CHRISTIANS
Identity, union, searching scripture through the lens of Jesus, and holiness discovered through community, Addison brilliantly describes that we are beloved saints.
Inerrancy or Error?
But, when I address literal inerrancy, I am not juxtaposing inerrancy with error, I am juxtaposing inerrancy with sacrificial love and resurrection life, with Jesus. I’m not playing the game of good or evil, right or wrong, inerrant or in error; I’m simply writing about the authority of sovereign love…
WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN / with DEREK TURNER
He came and he walked beside us, He said, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you; you are not alone, you belong.” When we discover this love, we are transformed and we begin to love like He does. On Palm Sunday Derek speaks about the cross and how we are invited to live surrendered and sure in love. He talks about laying down our loves, loving our enemies, and seeing the kingdom come.
GOD IS NOT IN CONROL / SOVEREIGN LOVE with JASON CLARK
What if control is a flawed word to describe God’s sovereignty? What if there is an infinitely better word, a greater revelation, LOVE! Through a fresh look at God’s sovereignty, Jason invites you into a transforming encounter with the love and goodness of our heavenly Father.
Literal Inerrancy and Child Sacrifice?
For years a literal, inerrant approach to scripture had me reading this story and wrestling with the nature of God’s goodness instead of the nature of man’s fallen thinking.
As though a good god is a god who would partner with the idea of child sacrifice to, in some way, test his kids. As though Abrahams’s demonic belief in child sacrifice is meant to define what God is like instead of what Abraham was like; what a fallen mindset is like, what we, humanity, are capable of attributing to the nature of God…
DOUG CREW / WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW?
Navigating through loss with a good God, experiencing the presence of God as a loving Father, loving our neighbor, democrat and republican, and love answering every question that aches in the heart of humanity, Doug Crew shares on these subjects and more with insight and grace. Doug is the executive leader of Shiloh Place Ministries and a good friend of the podcast.
MATTHEW HESTER / GOD WAS PLEASED TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME
Mystery, faith, salvation and awaking to Christ’s likeness within us, adoption and sonship, being in the family, discovering the Word in scripture, and living from union, we discuss this and more with Matthew Hester in a passionate conversation around the love of God. Matthew is an author, pastor of Dominion Church (Greer SC), and founder of Hester Ministries and Present Truth Academy.
Learning To Live From Above
So how am I to deal with the good versus evil paradigm of the world that I still live in? Do I call it out? Do I expose, judge, and accuse those with opposing views and opinions? How do I involve myself in the fray without becoming frayed?
HAROLD & LINDA EBERLE / THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION
Harold and Linda Eberle share about the catalytic love of God that is transforming our western understanding of the church. They speak on victorious mindsets, kingdom thinking, the myth of separation, reconciliation through the death of Jesus, and salvation through his life; plus old elephants! This is a power packed interview full of profound insight.
The Preacher
This preacher drowns with the disobedient outside the ark, with the chariot armies of the Egyptians, with the lost tribes of Israel, and with us. He does not want to be the only righteous human while the rest of us, his unrighteous brothers and sisters, go under. His baptism is our baptism.
DR. CAROLINE LEAF / CLEANING UP YOUR MENTAL MESS
Brilliant, compassionate, and empowering, world-renowned neuroscientist and best-selling author, Dr. Caroline Leaf, talks about her new book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. She addresses what happens when we don’t use our minds properly. Why mind-management is the solution to cleaning up our mental mess and how the science can help us transition from being aware of toxic thoughts to catching and managing them. In other words, she teaches us how to renew our minds.
CHRIST IN YOU with DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK
Derek and Jason dive into our union in Christ and how that impacts everything from knowing our identity to loving our “enemies,” to evangelism, to navigating cross moments in our lives.
When Does The Bible Become An Idol?
What happens when we search the Scriptures in search of eternal life? It’s not long before we start defining the words on the pages as “infallible” and “inerrant.” And in my experience, an inerrant approach to scripture is a slippery slope into idolatry.
KIM HONEYCUTT / SHAME, AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT
In this podcast, Psychotherapist Kim Honeycutt addresses shame, blame the trauma of rejection. She brilliantly highlights our intrinsic worth, our identity in Christ, and the journey from rejection to acceptance.
Hell, and Freedom
Look, if a future punishment is the only thing keeping a person from hurting others, by all means, that person might need to keep believing in hell. But let’s not pretend that person is whole or free. And whatever we do, let’s not give that kind of thinking a pulpit in our lives.
DON KEATHLEY / THE GOSPEL
Don Keathley touches on the goodness of our Father, Jesus as perfect theology, grace, our union, our identity, how to approach scripture, and the lie of eternal conscious torment.
ALLEN ARNOLD / CHAOS CAN’T
God creates order from disorder and we have been invited to co-create with Him. In the midst of chaos, “we associate peace with answers. God associates peace with Union.”
Betrayal and Love
“This is my body, broken for you! Boys and girls, you are not abandoned, I will not leave you orphaned…”
LLOYD CLARK / I AM ENOUGH
With humor and authenticity, Lloyd talks about the finished work of the Cross, how Jesus fixed the problem of separation, and our invitation to awaken to our union.
Donald Trump, Politics, and the Church
I have witnessed the church, my brothers and sisters on both sides of an American aisle that doesn’t exist in heaven, go to war with one another on behalf of their devotion ‘for or against’ a politician.
THOMAS JAY OORD / GOD CAN’T
“Given that we start with God’s power…we end up giving God the kind of capabilities that make God culpable; in other words, morally responsible for not only causing but allowing bad things…I think there are good biblical reasons to object to that standard view of Gods power.” Thomas Jay Oord
The Hard Stuff in Scripture
Recently a friend sent a text suggesting that I do a podcast highlighting the ‘hard stuff’ in Scripture.
I responded back, “What hard stuff?”
THE CROSS with DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK
In this first episode of season two, Jason and new host Derek Turner dive into the wonder of what Jesus revealed about our Father and humanity through the cross and resurrection.
Swords, Spears, Guns, and Lasers
Remember how they were joined by a host of raging superhero death angels shouting “Glory in the highest,” and “On earth, as it is in heaven!” while they committed acts of retributive justice that would make Quinton Tarantino blush.
The Bride and the Ecclesia
Membership in a church does not automatically make me part of the Bride of Christ.
Fixing the Church Scale Problem
No matter how we package the metrics, the current model of the Church in the West is incapable of scaling Kingdom growth at a rate that can keep up with it…
Father Abraham, Tacos, and God’s Goodness
If Facebook existed during Abraham’s day, I imagine he would have been angry at my thoughts about God’s goodness.
Sovereign Love / six-part teaching series
While many of us believe the sovereignty of God has something to do with control, Jesus revealed the true definition of the sovereignty of God in the power and authority of sacrificial Love…
Conquering the “I am not” Lie
The incarnation is the basis for healthy thinking. Therefore, the idea that I am not the expression of His image and likeness can no longer attach itself to my thoughts.
The Church, Politics, and Trust
It seems the North American church doesn’t understand how trust works. You see, while trust is earned through faithfulness over time, it can be lost the same way.
I Was Born to Do This
Then we walked down the streets of JT Williams, a struggling community, to pick up twenty or so sweet kids. We took them to their local school parking lot, gave them a snack, told a Bible story, played games, and worked on a craft together. I loved it.
The Most Accepted Heresy on the Planet
The idea that God rejects, abandons, or turns away is the most accepted heresy on the planet.
Seven Reasons Why I Don’t Belong to a Political Party
In this highly charged political season of us and them, we must not find our belonging or identity in a political party or persona. Otherwise, we become lost.
Encountering Humanity on 5th and 2nd
Masks, no masks, a black woman, a middle-aged white woman, a red neck, an old white man, and a black man met up yesterday on the corner of 5th and 2nd to work together for the good of humanity!
“The Wages of Sin…” in Context
What if “the wages of sin is death” is announcing the inherent consequences to sinful actions and what they will produce in this life, as opposed to saying if we sin we deserve torment?
God is Good, Not Just Nice
His goodness is rooted in Himself not just in His behavior towards us.
Rose-Colored Glasses
The goodness of God has been offending the sensitivities of man’s understanding since the fall, mine included.
In Defense of Paraphrase Bibles
Your completeness in Christ is not a remote goal but our immediate reference!
Questioning My Answers / A Manifesto for Spiritual Searchers
“…I felt that if everybody is saying the same thing then somebody is not thinking. Back then and now, my heart cry to the church I was a part of was, “Let my people think.”
RANDALL WORLEY / Questioning My Answers
Randall Worley talks about having a “beginner’s mind,” faith while embracing mystery, pioneering and the nature of heresy, the limits of language, approaching scripture through love, and the importance of remaining curious while understanding that God is not insecure or defensive when we raise hard questions.
MICHAEL MCELYEA / You Love Me, But You Don’t Know Who I Am
You love me, but you don’t know who I am. Those are the words God spoke to Michael several years ago and it took him on a journey into measureless love, grace, and union with an always good, never leaving, no distance or separation, Triune God. With grace and joy the conversation dove into the two greatest lies on the planet, Penal Substitution and Eternal Conscious Torment.
You Are the Coin
Coins bear an image. You carry the image and imprint and poetry and signature of the divine, who has engraved you on the palms of His hands.
KATIE SKURJA / Discovering Our Humanity
In this podcast, Katie Skurga talks about discovering our humanity in the image of God, shame and behavior, grace and identity, paradox and spiritual and emotional maturity, freedom, and intrinsic authority.
ERIC JOHNSON / In The Image of God
Eric Johnson, the pastor of Bethel Church in Redding CA, shares generously, humbly, and with great insight on the goodness of God, navigating culture, Jesus and American politics, spiritual maturity, emotional health, and what it means to be alive.
Darkness Is Not A Force, It’s The Absence of Light
Your completeness in Christ is not a remote goal but our immediate reference!
AMY SIMMONS & KRISPIN MAYFIELD / Attachment Theory and a Healthy Spirituality
The parent-child relationship and our formative years greatly influence how we navigate everything, including our spirituality and faith. Often our theological deconstructions are the fruit of discovering a God with whom we feel loved, secure, and safe; where we move from insecure to secure attachment.
Talking Sovereignty and Faith with Randall Worley
I was honored to have a conversation with Randall Worley about the goodness of God, the mystery of faith, the sovereignty of God and navigating the murky waters of offense in these unprecedented times.
MARK AND JULIE APPLEYARD / RETHINKING CHURCH
From the traditional to a micro church model, Mark and Julie share their journey of pastoring.
Today, through Anothen Micro Church, they empower believers around the world to become influential spiritual leaders in their homes and communities.
Carrots and Lasers
While I think the prophetic has a noble and appropriate place, I think we are too easily led astray from the joy that is “today.”
MARK KARRIS/ RELIGIOUS REFUGEES
With grace and insight, Mark speaks on the disorienting faith shift so many are currently experiencing regarding their thoughts about God, the church, and ourselves. We dive into Mark’s new book, Religious Refugees, and Mark encourages those who, because of a shift in their theology, have either felt a sense of not belonging in their home church or have even been rejected.
A Walk with Nova
However, He shows it, God is squeezing as much love into us as we can handle.
JOHN MACMURRAY/ IF YOU LOOK AT IT AS A RELATIONSHIP…
“…Jesus defines eternal life as a relationship. My entire education had defined eternal life as believing the right ideology… All I knew was, God was better than I thought he was and there was no way I’m going back…”
I Need a Waterfall
The outrage that changes and saves this world is the outrage of love. And so I lean into His love, a relational grace; the empowering evidence of my friendship with Jesus.
Jonah And An Angry God?
…With self-righteous arrogance, Jonah determines it’s the will of god that he die for his sin. Instead of repenting, Jonah, with his sanctimonious gospel, preaches himself overboard as a sacrifice to his angry god. And worse, he makes the sailors complicit in his death religion…
DANNY SILK / UNPUNISHABLE
Parenting, leadership, freedom through self-control, spiritual maturity, emotional health, the nature of our Father, and heaven and hell, Danny’s thoughts and gracious communication are empowering and transformative. It was an honor to discuss the unpunishing nature of God with Danny!
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Heavenly Father, you have been revamping and rebooting my systems for years, bringing me into greater awareness of this wonder-filled life you have offered and accomplished for me! Thank you!
BRIAN ZAHND / Jesus Is The Interpretation
The Bible cannot be the foundation we build upon, the foundation is Jesus. Brian Zahnd talks on how to approach scripture, American Nationalism, Trump’s Bible photo Op during the George Floyd protests, equality, and contemplative prayer in this brilliant and transformative Podcast.
This Will Be Our Finest Hour
Though it has felt just the opposite during this quarantine time, this has been one of the greatest times of personal growth and Kingdom advancement for the body of Christ.
C. BAXTER KRUGER / JESUS MEETS US INSIDE OUR DELUSION
“Jesus has pitched His tent in our flesh… If I didn’t believe that Jesus, Father and Holy Spirit is inside every person on the whole earth, I would not open my mouth… But we are bearing witness to something that is real.”
There is No “Us” and “Them”
Many long to go back to the early days of the church, viewing those first few years as the high-water mark of what a church is meant to be. They weren’t. Not even close!
JOHN MARK MCMILLAN / A WORSHIP RECORD FOR ATHEISTS
“I am building bridges between my friends who are atheists, my friends who are fundamentalists, my friends who consider themselves progressive or any end of the spectrum. Because gratitude is the one place we all come together.” John Mark McMillan
Cops and Jehovah’s Witnesses
Wth love, everyone is in! There are no outsiders! Everyone is included in this family…
My Beef with Religion
Religion taught me about love, but religion seemed to get it wrong as much as it got it right. And at the end of the day, religion never loved me…
BILL VANDERBUSH / RECKLESS GRACE
Bill Vanderbush is a writer and brilliant communicator. In this podcast, Bill gives incredible insight into what the new covenant looks like, our inclusion in the family through both being adopted and reborn, how to navigate fear, reckless grace, and how to navigate conflict online.
You Think You’re Better Than God?
I could feel the theological police in my mind springing into action to take this thought captive. God the Father… “indulgent?” That’s a bad word where I come from—a word we use to describe enablers and…
DEREK AND SARAH TURNER / JESUS IS PERFECT THEOLOGY
Derek and Sarah Turner, pastors of River Church Charlotte, share generously and candidly on the goodness of God, Jesus as perfect theology, reading scripture with a hermeneutic of Love, soul care, inclusion, rethinking our understanding of vengeance and wrath and the patient trusting journey into transformation.
Joy Unspeakable
Religion is an evil task master! A distortion of truth! A lie! But His love is truly joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory! And the half has never yet been told!
MAKO NAGASAWA / A RESTORATIVE GOD
Early Church Fathers, the formation of the New Testament, how to approach scripture, Starwars, Puff Daddy, The Police, and the vast difference between retributive justice and restorative justice. Mako Nagasawa’s insights and generous communication were insightful, hopeful and transformative.
We Are So Worth The Blood Of Jesus!
As my friend, Dan Mohler says, “I am so worthy of the blood of Jesus.” He loves me! And it’s never ever had anything to do with my behavior or performance. I am enough! And so are you!
You Are A Spiritual Giant!
I absolutely love our gatherings, I’m a preacher who loves to preach. But I am leaning into this season as I believe God is raising our perspective to see as He sees. I believe God is changing our powerless small thinking and inviting the church to live powerfully in any room we might find ourselves in.
Even now, when fear is doggedly knocking at my door, I’m hopeful. Hope is my now and my future. And when it isn’t, I repent.
MIKE POPOVICH / PRAYER & QUANTUM PHYSICS
Mike is a brilliant communicator and pastors Freedom Ministries. In this podcast we talk about prayer and oneness with God and Mike teaches us quantum physics! Mike reveals how scripture and quantum physics are not in conflict with each other
What A Wonderful World
For me, the End Times is now, “on earth as it is in heaven” is my mandate, growing sure in love is my strategy, and being kind and faithfully loving everyone around me is my implementation.
Even now, when fear is doggedly knocking at my door, I’m hopeful. Hope is my now and my future. And when it isn’t, I repent.
BRAD JERSAK / CHRISTOLOGY
Brad discusses high Christology and gives insight into how our early church fathers thought about God and how they read and interpreted scripture. He also discussed what the wrath of God means in scripture.
Repent! The Kingdom of God is Within You
Yes, repent! Change the way you think until “righteousness, peace, and joy” are your reality; until the confidence of “on earth as it is in heaven” is your perspective; until you sense the arms of your kind and loving Father enveloping you and you grow sure in His nature to work all things to our good.
7 Things to Do During a Time of Shaking and Disruption
…Reconnect with our Father by recalling that He is good, He is love and He is for us (Romans 8:31)! Remember that He has already promised to make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) including the current circumstances you are facing…
Rethinking God
Humanity had “God-boxes” and Jesus kept blowing them up. Humanity was convinced God was one way and Jesus kept contradicting those paradigms.
Heaven and Hell (Part 3)
I am not waiting to get to heaven to learn about heaven. While heaven is infinitely better than I can ask, or imagine, I am getting a head start on asking and imagining it here and now. I am stewarding my faith in sovereign love and in so doing, I am destroying the works of the devil.
Heaven and Hell (Part 2)
Everything is a matter of perspective. If we perceive light through unhealthy eyes we will see darkness. If we perceive truth through unhealthy eyes we will see lies. God is love and His love is sovereign, but if we see love through the lens of control we will experience striving and desperation.
Heaven and Hell (Part 1)
For centuries now, much of the Western church has presented hell through the lens of sovereign control. And Atheism is its purest by-product.
Why Can’t I Experience God’s Love?
“How do I experience God’s love?”
Because I write and speak on the always good love of our heavenly Father, that is a question I am asked often.
Why Can’t I Trust God’s Love?
If our theology is grounded in the idea that our good God is in control, then why does He allow evil, suffering and bad things?
Heaven, Hell, and the Older Brother
If our hearts don’t truly desire to see all our brothers and sisters “in the party” in this life and the next, it’s past time to repent.
The Lost Coin
No one can fully engage in heavens perspective unless one’s heavenly origin is realized! The Son of Man declares mankind’s Genesis is from above!
Control, Trust, and Love
Intimacy can’t be experienced in a relationship where one person is controlling the other. Intimacy is only experienced where there is trust. And trust isn’t possible if one of the people in a relationship is controlling.
I Couldn’t Believe in God’s Goodness
I wanted to believe that I served a good God, but his goodness was something I could never truly believe in my heart. This disbelief about his goodness created a huge chasm in my heart. I wanted to believe, but I didn’t!
SURE IN LOVE
Our Heavenly Father is always good and doesn’t desire desperate kids. Any relationship where kids are desperate for their Father is dysfunctional. Jesus revealed what it looks like to live sure as a loved son of our Father and gave us access to this same sureness.
What Is God Like?
If a person believes punishment is in God’s nature, that God pulls triggers after we die, that hell is His final act of eternal separation, then simply asking the question “Can we be saved when we die?” is sacrilege and attempting to answer, sheer heretical lunacy…
2020
Earlier this year I noted in a Newsletter the pioneering nature of our ministry and nothing’s changed. We have one passion, to reveal that God is love, looks like Jesus, and He is always good. It is our heart that everything we create is catalytic for an encounter with His great affection. We are daily dreaming and leaning into this grand dangerous, beautiful discovery of His goodness. And we are shouting it from the rooftops along the way.
Seen and Known
Sometimes He speaks when it’s quiet, and sometimes when its loud. Sometimes it’s inconvenient. Right in the middle of Walmart close to Christmas. Listen. Listen. Don’t miss the chance to connect with His heart. He invites us in. He invites us to not just know Him, but to have an experience of love as we follow through.
It’s a Love Story
Two thousand years ago, God clothed Himself in my separation—my lost identity. He became my sin, the distortion that so easily besets me. And in His beaten and bloodied body, He destroyed its power over me once and for all, making me brand-new, renewing all the potential and promise of which He had originally dreamed.
How to Read the Bible (Part 2)
Jesus is my lens, my true narrative. His perfect love is my conviction. His goodness is my faith. Every question I have, every relationship or circumstance, every scripture, including the tension Job represents, is measured against the measureless revelation of Jesus.
I CALL YOU FRIENDS
“I no longer call you servant, I call you friend.” This is the invitation Jesus gave us. There is no servant master language in heaven. Obedience is the invitation to discover God’s heart until ours beats in rhythm with His.
How to Read the Bible (Part 1)
Jesus is my lens, my true narrative. His perfect love is my conviction. His goodness is my faith. Every question I have, every relationship or circumstance, every scripture, including the tension Job represents, is measured against the measureless revelation of Jesus.
When I Am Weak, I Am Strong
No Longer Slaves (Live from Harding Prison) | Zach Williams
When I Stopped Reading the Whole Bible
Jesus is my lens, my true narrative. His perfect love is my conviction. His goodness is my faith. Every question I have, every relationship or circumstance, every scripture, including the tension Job represents, is measured against the measureless revelation of Jesus.
Women in Ministry: The Infamous Elder’s Meeting
I held my tongue while the men provided their own scripture, “…women should be silent in the churches…for they are not permitted to speak, but should remain silent and subordinate” (1 Cor 14:34), and “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she is to keep silent” (1 Tim 2:12). The Elders believed that because their thoughts were biblical, they were somehow true. But of course, they were not. Jesus was far from them…
Vulgar Grace
Yes, it’s crazy. And yes it’s wild, and outrageous, and vulgar. And any God who would do such a thing is a God who has no taste. And worst of all, it doesn’t sell worth beans. But it is Good News—the only permanent good news there is—and, therefore, I find it absolutely captivating.
Does Hell Exist?
I don’t believe in hell as a place of eternal torment and punishment. I don’t believe in punishment. I do believe hell exists after this life because I believe God is love and love requires that we are free to choose…
Why I Am Not A Universalist
Universalism is The Garden of Eden with one tree. It’s an idea birthed from a punitive, control-based theology. Without Calvinism, we wouldn’t have Universalism.
Image of the Invisible God
You are the fruit of His suffering; you are the glorious resurrection generation. You are His will done on earth as it is in heaven. You are His pleasure, His beloved.
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“Sometimes a story is written that changes everything. This book is an irresistible journey into transforming love. These are new and powerful thoughts from a modern-day reformer. Once they take hold they wont let go.”
Those struggling for identity will appreciate “Prone to Love” as a key to unlock and accept their true hidden self. Enjoy!”