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.

Introducing Children to the Father

I prayed. “Father, come make your love known.” Immediately our Father, Ethan’s and mine, filled the room with His love. It’s hard to explain but let me try. For the next ten minutes, while I lay there and held Ethan, my body trembled with God’s presence. I literally shook with His love.

FEAR, COVID-19 AND THE ENNEAGRAM / WITH KAREN CLARK

We had Karen Clark on and talked about how to navigate fear in the midst of Covid19. We discussed the three triads of the Enneagram and how knowing our Enneagram number can help us healthily navigate fear.

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…

Life

being manifested by growth: being daily transformed as His kids, His friends
The Church and Her Inclusively Transformative Nature

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

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.

Trust Is My Throughline

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.

UNTAMED

You were created to dream… and dream big.
Discover how to take the limits off your dreams,
and start experiencing the abundant life that you were made for!

THE POLAR EXPRESS WITH JASON CLARK

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!”

JASON GRIMSLEY / CROSS STITCHED

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.

Panic In The Backseat

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.

THERE IS NO “US OR THEM” AT THE CROSS

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. 

5Q – THE FIVEFOLD WITH BRANDON KELLY

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.

WM. PAUL YOUNG / ETERNAL LIFE, THE EVER PRESENT NOW

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.

FAITHFULLY CONNECTED WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

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.”

HE CALLS US FRIENDS WITH BRENT LOKKER & JASON CLARK

HE CALLS US FRIENDS WITH BRENT LOKKER & JASON CLARK

This conversation with Jason Clark was hosted by Brent Lokker on his youtube channel Vibrant Life. This podcast begins with two dads sharing stories about helping their children encounter God as a loving Father. The guys dive into obedience in the context of union and friendship, learning to trust the unchanging nature of our Father, not as retributive, punishing, or abandoning, but as the tenderhearted one who accepts us, loves us, and is always good!

PETER HIETT / WHAT ABOUT HELL?

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

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.

With grace and humor, Jason juxtaposes an inclusive, reconciling, self-giving view of God’s love against an excluding, hierarchal, punishment-focused view of God’s love.

Based on scripture, studies, personal and shared stories, church history, and Jason’s experience as a pastor and relational theologian, Leaving and finding Jesus encourages readers to leave the broken foundations of a transactional view of God, and instead, embrace the reconciliation and self-giving love that truly transforms our lives and our world.

PRE-ORDER
Now!

ROD WILLIAMS / UNION WITH DISTINCTION

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.

SCOT MCKNIGHT / A CHURCH CALLED TOV

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.

SEXY DECONSTRUCTION? WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

SEXY DECONSTRUCTION? 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.”

LEAVING (& FINDING) JESUS WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

LEAVING (& FINDING) JESUS WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

God’s sovereignty revealed by Jesus through cruciform, self-giving love, the nature of trust, intimacy, and union, and the transforming truth that there is no shadow of turning with God, in this podcast the guys explore Jason’s upcoming book, Leaving (& Finding) Jesus. This conversation juxtaposes an inclusive, reconciling, self-giving, unconditional view of God’s love against an excluding, hierarchal, punishment-focused, conditional view of God’s love. 

NAEEM FAZAL / REIMAGINING GOD

NAEEM FAZAL / REIMAGINING GOD

Naeem Fazal, founding pastor of Mosaic Church, and author of Ex-Muslim, talks about deconstruction or reimaging God. Naeem talks about the importance of being able to recognize God outside of our personal context, how to view sin, how to approach scripture, and a beautiful gospel that’s not just about a Jesus who saves but about a Jesus who is restoring humanity and all creation.

DALE HOWIE / UNSPOKEN SERMONS ON THE GOOD NEWS OF INCLUSION

DALE HOWIE / UNSPOKEN SERMONS ON THE GOOD NEWS OF INCLUSION

Paraphrasing the sermons of George MacDonald, Dale Howie shares his sometimes painful, often beautiful, journey of awakening to the irreducible truth of life discovered in relationship. He speaks to grace, our common Fatherhood, our inclusion in Christ’s life, death and resurrection, our union, and the wonder of our humanity. A humble storyteller and relational theologian, Dale speaks as a father on behalf of Our Father, who loves all His children with a reconciling love.

SHEILA GREGOIRE / THE GREAT SEX RESCUE

SHEILA GREGOIRE / THE GREAT SEX RESCUE

Intimacy within marriage, the connection between intimacy and mutuality, the nature of trust, the definition of sex, addressing transactional vs relational thinking, dismantling obligation, addressing objectification and broken ideologies developed from Eph 5:22, “Wives submit to your husbands…” Sheila Gregoire practically rethinks sex so husbands and wives can experience intimacy, joy, and deeper connection.

BRIAN MCLAREN / FAITH AFTER DOUBT

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.

BRIAN SIMMONS / THE PASSION TRANSLATION

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.

Twenty Seconds

Twenty Seconds

So, what did we learn? Maybe you lost your job, or worse, you lost someone you love. Maybe you don’t see life going back to “normal.” I guess I’m writing this to assure you, maybe “normal” isn’t what you need. Maybe what you need is twenty seconds of insane courage to begin living a better life. I know life was probably good before the shutdown, but what if it could be better?

DR. CAROLINE LEAF / CLEANING UP YOUR MENTAL MESS

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.

Sinbad, Seacrest, & Paper Cuts

Suddenly I felt the presence of God as if He were standing right next to me. Then He said to me, “I was there when that happened, I felt that.”

A Sunday Morning Drive

The church gathers and sings beautiful love songs to God. They pray for each other and encourage and challenge each other to love greater and live bolder. Often someone speaks about the goodness of God. It’s a nice thing to do on a Sunday morning.

A Message From My Father

I love you when you mess up; I love you when you come running back. I love you when you reject my grace; I love you when you embrace my goodness. I always love you. Do you believe me?

And Before the Coffee is Fully Brewed…

I used to try and love God, now I just let Him love me

Donald Millers, The Open Table: An Invitation to Walk with God

In early 2010, my brother Joel asked me if I would be interested in writing the guide book to the second offering of Donald Millers “The Open Table.” …

16 Years Baby!

I don’t remember the exact first time I told Karen I loved her. I do remember the first time I kissed her.

Dream Like An Old Man: Part One, The A-Team

Over the last twenty some years I’ve had some rather rude awakenings. Yeah, I’ve traveled to new places and I’ve confronted Bad Dudes. But that’s pretty much were the similarities to an episode of the A-Team end. You see, the bullets were real and they didn’t miss. I’ve been shot, many times – and it was no mere flesh wound either.

Dream Like An Old Man: Part Two, Vision & Dreams

And then, with the full understanding of what it cost, “old men,” well, they dream dreams!

And the authority and power of their dreams pull heaven to earth in ways never before seen. Their dreams empower generations to live heaven on earth.

Who Do You Say That I Am

Jesus pressed his disciples asking, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Mom

My heel struck the garage door and with one last hysterical push, I willed the car to stop… and it did. The front bumper came to rest against my chest, my back against the garage door. I had done it!! The euphoria, the victory, I had saved the day! I would be touted as a hero, thanked by my Dad and praised by my Mom… Mom was screaming… mom is screaming. Mom is mad… at me?

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