Recalculating

Back before GPS, in the days when, as a lost traveler, I had to stop and ask directions from some old-timer—always an old-timer—upon hearing my desired destination, he’d shake his head as though I was willfully lost and say, “Son, you can’t get there from here.”

Sure, you can, fella, I’d think. If I’m here and I need to get there, then there’s no other way to get there, than from here. So, unless we’re having an existential conversation in the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly, I’m certain I can get there from here if you’d be so kind as to give me directions.

For decades, I only employed that phrase to cleverly expound on its contradiction. Then, one late night several years ago, I navigated for my brother, Joel, as we traveled from Charlotte to Lexington for a conference. By navigated, I mean, I listened to Siri communicate directions and then repeated after her.

Siri: “Turn left,”

“Turn left,” I said, looking up from my phone and pointing.

“Joel! Left! There!”

“I can’t turn left, bro. Look!” Joel responded as we passed our hotel, and I immediately recognized the problem. A freshly cemented three-foot-high concrete wall had been installed in the median between the left turn and our destination. We couldn’t turn left.

As we drove past and Siri jabbered, “Recalculating,” I heard myself saying that rascal phrase, “You can’t get there from here.”

Then, with epiphanous enthusiasm, “Oh? Oh! It’s about the road you’re traveling!”

* * *

For most of my life, the story of The Rich Young Ruler has been preached by well-intentioned What am I still lacking preachers. It’s the message of separation where humanity is outside of God, and the preacher spends most of his message trying to measure the distance between us.

The What am I still lacking message is a self-righteous religious attempt to earn something Jesus already gave.

And like the Rich Young Ruler, we often walk away grieving as we continue to strive down that frustrating road of lack where God is distant and eternal life is just out of reach; always, well, later…

“Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 1

That’s what Jesus told His disciples about the transactional road the Rich Young Ruler traveled.

When they heard it, they “…were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’”

Exactly!

Who can be saved is a good question and similar to What am I still lacking?

Both questions recognize the futile nature of a transactional approach to God. Both recognize a concrete median cutting us off from experiencing eternal life here and now.

Jesus responded, “With people, this is impossible…you might as well be a camel and your destination the eye of a needle…but with God, all things are possible.”

In other words, Greater Love was saying, “Go sell everything you have and follow me.”

Those were Jesus’ words to the eternal life-seeking Rich Young Ruler.

Everything? The young fella thought, overwhelmed—and for good reason.

Everything included the ideological and theological certainties upon which he’d built his entire existence. Jesus had just deconstructed his understanding to its very foundation and exposed the young man’s certainties as a three-foot concrete median cutting him off from experiencing eternal life.

It’s impossible to reach my destination on the road I’m traveling, the young fella realized, and he left grieving. But he did not leave empty-handed nor alone. Jesus sent him on his way with a GPS.

Every day after his encounter with Jesus, the young fella could hear Siri jabbering like a Holy Spirit within him.

“Recalculating! Son, you can’t get there from here! You’re gonna have to leave your transactional approach to a relationship with God and reject that ego that thinks righteousness can be achieved.”

“Recalculating! Brother, you can’t get there from here. I invite you to redefine and rediscover all your ologies in the reconciling truth of a Love that never leaves or forsakes us.”

“Recalculating! Buddy, you can’t get there from here. Leave your systematic earning systems, lay down your religious obsession with hierarchy, put away your right to punish, give up every dualistic certainty, sell all you have, pick up your cross—my Greater Love heart for the least of these—and awaken to our friendship.

Son, follow me.” 2

It was an instruction. But also an invitation to experience aiṓnios, “the unique quality of God’s life at work in us; an experience of union with God that is…simultaneously outside of time, inside of time, and beyond time.” 3

It was an invitation to eternal life in the ever-present now.

And Jesus’ invitation wasn’t given with a time limit. And that’s worth noting. The young man wasn’t Cinderella, and Jesus was no fairy Godmother.

There is no when the clock strikes twelve addenda on eternal life. Just that rascal Holy Spirit GPS, an eternal invitation to a friendship that recalculates everything. Just that old-timer in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot saying, “Son, or daughter, you can’t get there from here,” so that one day, we might experience an epiphanous moment in which we can repent and discover…

“Oh? Oh! It’s about the road we’re traveling!”

1 Matthew 19:16-29

2 Luke 29:23

3 Aiónios –  https://biblehub.com/greek/166.htm

This article is excerpted from my book, Leaving and Finding Jesus
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I Don’t Know…But God Is Good…As Jesus Revealed Him

Years ago, while visiting my folks at a family reunion, I overheard my mom in the kitchen telling my sister, Aimee, how Thomas was her favorite disciple of Jesus.

I was a little surprised by her choice and thought I’d be clever.

“Mom, I don’t want to be a doubting Thomas, but I’m pretty sure your favorite disciple was the fella with the underwhelming moniker,” I playfully and sarcastically yelled into the kitchen.

My mom came out of the kitchen and gave me a fiery look. One I saw too many times in my youth, a look that releases the awe-inspiring fear of God. “Jason, it’s just horrible we call him that! Think about the Scripture we have because Thomas was bold enough to ask when the others weren’t?”

And just like that, my whole thought about Thomas changed. Thanks, Mom! I am so grateful for your wisdom and understanding!

* * *

Jesus, attempting to prepare His disciples for the coming dark days of His death, tells them, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” 1

And John leans over to Peter and whispers. “Hey, Pete?”

“What?” Peter responds in a whisper yell. Peter was a horrible whisperer.

“Do you know the way to the place Jesus is going?” John asks with sincerity.

Peter furrows his brow, “Of course!”

John raises an eyebrow, “So you have no idea then.”

Peter waves John off brusquely. John is a little concerned, but then he remembers and smiles, “No worries, Thomas will ask Him,” he whispers, and Peter grins.

Then, like clockwork, Thomas asked. And we are all infinitely glad he did.

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 2

“We don’t know.” It was nice Thomas included the other disciples in his ignorance, but because of his question, we all have an answer, and it’s one of our all-time favorites!

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’”

Thomas’ “we don’t know” made room for Jesus to speak to our faith, to highlight the mystery and revelation, “You will know” and “From now on, you do know…” Jesus’ answer is a beautiful invitation to live in the tension of not knowing with a promise of knowing—in the faith of I don’t know…but God is good.

Like always, Jesus is speaking in the infinite, mysterious, trustworthy language of sovereign love.

John and Peter looked at each other after Jesus was finished. They still didn’t understand, but that wasn’t unusual. Jesus was always saying stuff that was not only confusing but also often seriously controversial.

The fact is, most of the time, most of the people listening to Jesus had little to no idea what He was talking about.

One time, Jesus told His followers that they could only experience eternal life if they ate His flesh and drank His blood. A lot of people stopped following Jesus that day. When Jesus asked the twelve disciples if they would leave Him also, Peter famously said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 3

Interpretation—I don’t know… but God is good, and that’s enough.

Peter, John, Thomas, and many others have revealed that to truly follow Jesus, we must be willing to live in the faith of not knowing and the invitation to know; to “get wisdom. Though it cost all (we) have, get understanding.”

We must embrace the mystery of sovereign love if we are to gain revelation.

In the age of certainty, we are invited to live in the faith of, I don’t know…but God is good…as Jesus revealed Him.

Jesus is the way to where we are going; He is the lens by which to discover wisdom, the key by which to unlock understanding.

I don’t look poorly upon Thomas’ doubt anymore. He was a man of faith willing to live in the tension of the question so he might discover the whole story, the greater revelation. Thomas gave everything up to follow Jesus. Thomas is believed to have shared the gospel of sovereign love, planting churches in Syria, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), and even into India before dying by a spear, martyred for his profound faith in the way the truth and the life.

1 John 14:4

2 John 14:5-7

3 John 6:68

This article is excerpted from I Don’t Know, But God Is Good, chapter ten of, God Is (Not) In Control: The Whole Story Is Better Than You Think 
A Family Story has partnered with TWS (The Writers Society) for the release of this Refreshed Edition.

“In God Is (Not) In Control, Jason gives us the liberty to color outside the lines of our many unperceived biases about God. He courageously addresses the “logic of love,” which always leads us on a journey from knowing, to not knowing, to a new knowing…This book is an invitation to those who realize that if we are afraid of the answers, we will never ask the hard questions. I applaud Jason for the courage he’s demonstrated to reintroduce us to a God who is immeasurably good and relentlessly loves us regardless of where we are on our journey.”

—Dr. Randall Worley
Author of Brush Strokes of Grace, Wandering and Wondering, & A Manifesto for Spiritual Searchers

STEVE MCVEY / QUANTUM LIFE

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“God didn’t want me because of anything I could do for Him; He wanted me just because He loves me.” Paradigm shifts, intimacy, eternal life, practical applied theology, a sustaining energy of a more subtle kind, the connection of all things, quantum science, quantum faith, the supernatural, miracles, signs and wonders, and union; in this conversation, Steve dives into the scientific universal nature of the love of God.

“I am not a biblical universalist… but you might call me a quantum universalist…”

“I don’t believe in ultimate reconciliation; I believe in historic reconciliation. I believe everything and everybody has already been reconciled to God, and they just don’t know it. And conversion is a recognition of what’s already true of you…

“Is the universe a friendly place, is God love — yes…

“This is eternal life, that they may know you…” John 17:3

For more on Steve
Website: www.stevemcvey.com
Quantum Life: Amazon Book Link

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EDEN JERSAK / A LOVE THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE

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“My mom exemplified this (The Tree of Life) further every time she invited the “black sheep” of the family to our family Christmas events. That was confusing to me as a child because in my mind, and in our culture, they were most certainly “Out,” yet that never deterred my mom from inviting them to our table.” Eden Jersak.

In this podcast, Pastor Eden shares about our heavenly Father’s grace, love, kindness, and all-inclusive love. The cross, the journey of inclusion, reconciliation, pastoring, and valuing humanity as Jesus does, this conversation is between two relational human beings endeavoring to love well.

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Email: edenjersak@gmail.com
Website: www.thebridgeonline.ca

 

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TOMMY MILLER / DEATHLESS

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Union, inclusion, sin, grace, sonship, 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.

For Tommy’s FREE CLASS on the Covenants, CLICK HERE and enter the code – NCCFREE

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Legacy Church Website: www.legacychurchint.org
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BISHOP JAMIE ENGLEHART / MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Myths & Misconceptions

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Lucifer and the devil, God, and control, union vs. separation, awakening to Light, Life, and Love, and approaching scripture through sonship; in this conversation, Bishop Jamie Englehart breaks down myths for truth and sheds light on many of our religious misconceptions that have been built upon separation.

Jamie’s understanding of the Kingdom of God, the New Covenant, and the heart of the Father is evident in every word he speaks.

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Twenty Seconds

Have you ever felt like you were standing on a precipice looking down and wondering to yourself…?

“How did I get here?”

I remember one summer years ago when I and my wife were visiting my brother who was living on the big island of Hawaii. We had gone to Rainbow falls to see the spectacular sight of cascading water falling over a hundred feet to the pool below. My brother told me of a spot upstream from the waterfall where you could jump off of some rocks and into the river that eventually turned into Rainbow falls. I couldn’t wait to hike back to it.

As we walked around the final corner to the river, I was caught by how beautiful it all was. I knew Hawaii was amazing, but this place magnified the beauty, and it became almost unreal. We walked up to the rocks and jumped several times into the current below. It was only about a fifteen-foot jump and it was perfect for a little adrenaline rush. I was even able to talk my wife into jumping a few times.

Meanwhile, my brother and one of his buddies had swum across the river and climbed up another set of rocks that placed them about forty feet above the river below. I watched as they both jumped and suspended in mid-air for a few seconds. Then a big splash and a mad swim to get back to my side before the current carried them away. It was fun to watch but no way was I gonna jump forty feet! As I was thinking that thought, Shawn (my brother) came to me and said…

“You have to try it.”

Of course, I said ‘no’, emphatically. In fact, I believe I said no in at least seven different ways.

He proceeded to tell me how great it was and that I would regret it if I didn’t at least climb up and look at it. I finally agreed to go over and climb up just to see if I could even look down. As I was climbing the sheer face of the rock that led up to the jump spot, I began to realize with every handhold and every toe hold this was not going to be possible to climb back down. What had my brother just tricked me into?

When I reached the top, I was met by the stone-cold realization, I was correct. There was only one way down… and that was to jump! I yelled at my brother to no avail, nothing I could say and nothing he could do would change the situation. I had but one choice. As I watched his buddy “Smiley” and then my brother jump to the water below it seemed like it took forever for them to hit the surface. It was my turn now.

You know as I think back on that day, I realize most of our lives are like that moment standing on top of that cliff. The moment when we have to decide to jump or just sit down and stay in that place forever. The second choice doesn’t seem feasible and yet many of us choose to do exactly that, without ever considering maybe we were meant to jump. I remember watching a movie once where the character played by Matt Damon tells his son this line…

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

Some people thought this was the worst movie Matt had ever done but I thought it was genius. A man whose life is turned upside down because his wife dies decides to buy a broken-down old zoo to run with his teenage son and eight-year-old daughter. What a great idea!

You and I have just walked through a very weird time in our life where we let a virus and an organization tell us we could not have relationships with people outside of our house. We certainly could not shake a friend’s hand and heaven forbid we uncover our face in public. If we were reading this in a Syfy novel we would call the author unrealistic. That could never happen in real life, and yet here we are. People are now emerging from their homes. Fear is beginning to dissipate, and hope is becoming the word of the day.

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? What if this moment of standing on top of a cliff is here so that we learn what it feels like to fly? Maybe you won’t get it all on your first attempt. Maybe you will need to be courageous three, four, or even ten times. I promise you, if you take the leap, you will feel alive again.

Me? oh I jumped. I jumped and according to my wife, I did the running man all the way to the water. I ran in midair as if it would slow my descent. It did not! It was one of the single most scary, and yet great, things I did in my life. In fact, I was so excited when I finally made the choice to jump, I almost forgot to swim to the other side and get out of the current. (I really didn’t want to feel the exhilaration of falling over a hundred- and twenty-foot waterfall)

Twenty seconds of insane courage… I have recalled that line many times over the years and it has helped me make some choices I thought were too big for me. Sometimes it was a success and sometimes it wasn’t but I’m glad I tried. What’s the alternative, it on top of a rock and feel sorry for myself? I don’t think so. I also don’t think I’ll let anyone tell me who I can and cannot hug anymore either. We all need human interaction to be truly happy, and I like hugs!

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Geoerl W. Niles
and his wife Julianne are Sr. Leaders of The Calling Church in Vancouver Wa. As an author, artist, pastor, and entrepreneur life can be busy. Julianne and Geoerl also lead a relationship-oriented fellowship at Ascend International Ministries.

Contact email geoerl@mac.com 
To learn more about Geoerl, ascendinternationalministries.com

DON KEATHLEY / THE GOSPEL

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“The gospel is not an invitation to accept Jesus into our hearts, it’s a proclamation that Jesus has already accepted us into His heart.” Like a kind father, Don Keathley Don 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.

QUOTES

“Behavior follows identity. The key to everything is identity. When we come into an understanding of divinity as identity; that we really are partakers of the divine nature; that just opens up the door to wholeness.”

“A holiness lifestyle is a natural response to wholeness.”

“If all died in Adam, then all certainly have been made alive in Christ.”

“I don’t consider myself a universalist but I do consider myself an inclusionist. I believe we are included in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.”

“The gospel is not an invitation to come and accept Jesus into your heart, it’s a proclamation that Jesus has already accepted you into His heart.”

“In my experience, people have never heard the gospel, they’ve heard a transactional message where salvation is a transaction, they’ve heard a decisional Christianity. They have never heard the good news, they have never heard the gospel that they are already accepted they are already included, now awaken to who you already are.”

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You Are A Spiritual Giant!

There are no spiritual giants in the room,” the pastor said.

He was speaking to the same church I’d spoken to the week before. And he was directly contradicting the last thing I’d said which was, “Everyone in this room is a spiritual giant.”

I believe that. I believe it whether there are 2 in the room or 2000. I believe it regardless of the room.

I believe the finished work of the cross revealed that in Christ we are all spiritual giants. I believe that grace empowers us to live as saints of the highest one, overcomers, hope-filled, joyful, miracle workers. Grace empowers us to be lifegiving ministers of the gospel to our spouses, kids, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, Facebook, the whole world…

I was devastated when the pastor spoke such a small thinking powerless gospel over my family and friends; a gospel for survivors that required him at a pulpit in a building big enough to host his words. A gospel painting sons and daughters as weak, powerless, prone to wander and in need of a room with a stage and a fella at that stage reminding them of their smallness.

The statement that “there are no spiritual giants in the room’” is even more devastating right now. Why, because right now, as we social distance, there are no large rooms with stages available to us.

When we think we need to gather in a room on a Sunday to be the church, we have just made the church really small and powerless and likely we are wrestling with some small and powerless thinking in other areas of life as well, especially regarding how we define ministry…

But we aren’t small! We are all spiritual giants; powerful ministers! We are the church regardless of where and when and how we meet, regardless of whether a well-spoken fella or gal preaches, or our kids laugh around a fire in the backyard. There is life to be had and to give right now, there are needs to share and needs to meet. And we are the church, a family of powerful people, who can get the jobs done!

Right now our thinking is expanding, we are repenting and beginning to see in new ways! We are awakening to the fact that we are all spiritual giants, or, we can awaken.

Right now there is grace for us to discover who He is and who we are in Him!

Grace empowers us to live like Jesus, with access to everything the Father has because Holy Spirit lives within us; because we are becoming one. One with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and one with each other in a way that I believe will yield more fruit than our best Sunday service because we are all in this game together, and every one of us is a slugger!

Grace is the goodness of Christ crucified and risen. Today Grace says everyone in the room is a spiritual giant. Period.

What room are you in? It doesn’t matter, you’re a giant in the faith today! That’s how He sees you so it’s true. I pray you see from His perspective…

Grace isn’t dependent on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night service.

I appreciate our traditions and for the most part, I’m good with our organizational models.

I’m thankful for pastors, those with large rooms and stages and those with living rooms and a phone.

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.

Grace my friends, you are all spiritual giants today!

Check Out a Recent Message on Being a Spiritual Giant


What A Wonderful World

A Hopeful Eschatology

In the midst of these days of uncertainty, when fear is knocking doggedly at our doors, it seems eschatology is all the rage.

In a day when apocalyptic films are on the rise, and the day after tomorrow (get it) is unclear, I’ve seen more than a few folks sharing their “Last Day’s” views with fear, trembling and a little bit of “told you so.”

25 years ago I went to Bible College and took a class on eschatology. In the 25 years since, I’ve lived loved, so what I’m about to share with you is no joke…

When it comes to End Times views:

First, there are several. I can’t remember what they are but there are several.

Second, they are theories based on biblical, historical and contextual interpretations, they are not certainties.

Third, anyone who has a theory, regardless of their depth of knowledge, should probably let those they are proselytizing know it’s just a theory and it’s not the only one.

Finally, if there isn’t room to disagree, if the person presenting an idea is selling something, or if their absolute certainty is causing fear, I recommend taking what the person is hypothesizing with a grain of salt.

When it comes to how I personally navigate End Times views, if fear of punishment plays a role in the theory, it’s a flawed theory. Jesus already exposed and settled that issue.

That’s not to say there isn’t truth to discover in all the theories out there, or insight to be had from well-studied theorists, but, for me, fear of punishment doesn’t get billing.

My theory? Glad you asked.

God is not retributive, He is restorative. Which means God isn’t about punishment, He is about mercy and grace; He is a relentless redeemer who forgives, heals, and transforms.

So I have a hopeful eschatology.

Not sure where that lands in all the “lism” options I learned about in Bible College, it was 25 years ago.

But hope is the word.

I have a hopeful eschatology based off a simple belief that what Jesus did at the cross was a whole and finished work; that His Kingdom, His family, is expanding “until the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our God” (Rev 11:15); until “on earth as it is in heaven” becomes a reality. (Matt 6:10)

I have a hopeful eschatology based on a simple belief that humanity is worthy of Jesus’ death and resurrection, fully redeemed in Christ, and intrinsically good.

I have a hopeful eschatology because I have a naïve childlike belief that kindness is how the world will be saved and transformed. A kindness received and then given away by those who love because they were first loved. (1 John 4:19)

I posted on Facebook last week that my eschatology could be understood simply by listening to Louis Armstrong’s song, “It’s a Wonderful World.”

“… I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do. They’re only saying I love you…Then I think to myself, what a wonderful world…”

I have a hopeful eschatology. I believe it’s getting better. For everyone. The whole world. How can I not when Jesus is my friend.

I am not naive to pain and suffering or the consequences of sin in the world; I am not ignoring justice. I simply believe God was in Christ redeeming and restoring all humanity, not counting our deep and broken sense of separation against us. I believe His justice is restorative and transformational.

I have a hopeful eschatology. I think Love, revealed by Jesus’ finished work through sons and daughters who know love, is the beginning and ultimately the fulfillment of every story. We, His friends, are the implementation, a mirror reflection of His restorative redemptive story.

For me, Love, Christ crucified and risen, is the best way to view the End Times. When we view the last days through a restorative lens, healing, hope, and expectation of “all things” being made new (Rev 21:5) can actually become a reality in every area of influence.

So yeah, I get that entire books have been written about the last days. But you’ve probably picked up on the fact that’s not what I’m doing here. I’m not the guy to give an interpretation of the book of Revelation, for that I’d recommend François Du Toit’s Mirror Bible and commentary. If you’re looking for some brilliant theologians to encourage you regarding a good God and a hopeful eschatology, I’d recommend anything written by Bill Johnson, Brian Zahnd, Baxter Kruger, Brad Jersak, Dan Mohler, Danny Silk… these fellas and more have helped me greatly.

For me, the End Times has never been an itch I’ve felt the need to scratch. For me, “No man knows the day or hour” (Matt 24:36) has provided enough data on the subject. I’m not undermining the great thinkers who have provided profound insight into scripture, but my eschatology has to be simple and applicable to all my relationships and to this moment.

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.

I have a hope-filled eschatology today. It’s the same hope-filled eschatology I had yesterday and the same one I’ll have tomorrow. How can I not when Jesus is my friend.

And what a wonderful friend, what a wonderful world.

Because I have a little more time than usual, check out my top ten covers of Louis Armstrong’s ode to life and love and lean into His love as you listen. You just might discover your eschatology is a little like mine. If not, no worries, there are plenty of End Times views and we don’t have to agree. Whatever you do, don’t be afraid, it’s our Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Lots of love.

What A Wonderful World

Louis Armstrong

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They’re really saying I love you

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world

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