On My Worst Day (#443)
How are you going to live when things don't turn out the way you want? Wayne continues his conversation with John Lynch, author of ON MY WORST DAY and co-author of BO'S CAFE as he talks about the physical challenge John is facing and learning how to embrace God's grace in difficult circumstances. John contemplates the question whether there is there even one moment in your life where God might be playing you, or is not completely for you. Living in his love invites us to embrace the day in his affection, rather than focus on the uncertainty of the future. God is enough for whatever we are facing, and we are enough for God to do his greatest work in us.
Podcast Links:
Previous podcast with John: Treasuring an Environment of Grace
John's home site: Truefaced
Wayne's review of ON MY WORST DAY >>>> Order it here.
Wayne's review of BO'S CAFE. >>>> Order it here.
Kenya Update for the Outreach in West Pokot
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Thanks Wayne and John!!! This message of grace, Father’s deep affection…learning to live there…it’s all resonating at a deep level. It’s freeing when we know His timing…as he takes the initiative in our journey’s….is absolutely perfect. From someone sharing this journey with you, Blessings.
Thanks Wayne and John! I would venture to say that the difficulty we have in believing God has our back and is completely for us and further still, with us on our worst day…is very simply we don’t feel it – heart/ emotion , nor sense it in our spirit – lively interaction with God, nor actualized in our circumstances with overwhelming clarity. As you both know so well because you are both truth-tellers and have faced hardcore horrible realities yourselves, etc., this ever pressing and nagging heavy condition/phenomena is so horrible and hellish that for some of us we detest even being human and, perceptively being on the wrong side of the God/creature relationship paradigm, i.e., we have nothing to offer accept being needy, broken and very, very weak and solidly damaged. i think i speak for many insofar as that life for us is truly a kaleidoscope of misfortunes, broken dreams and pathetic life experiences giving us a PHD in unbelievable futility and self-loathing. While both of you are doing your best to be mouthpieces for God to bring hope and encouragement to us, know that the ultimate human posture, (state of being) from my point of view, would be not to be needing one darn thing from anybody or anything at anytime and operating on all 4 or 8 cylinders (metaphor) like the Trinity in absolute beauty, harmony, power, justice, glory, love infinite et. al. Living from that index and that index alone is for me where the rubber meets the road and where true freedom, purpose, love, meaning and justification for even being a created consciousness finds its ultimate salvation in restfulness, contentment, peace, life justification and a starting place to know love in the divine sense of the word . All other life venues which this life has documented and has thus formed the history digest of human failures, misery and the subsequent rotten fruit resultant from “living from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad” is just one huge “waste of time/abortion” and because we are the creatures…omg…fill-in-the-blanks to the downside. However, that being said, I do want to say that your program, Darin Hufford’s, Bo’s Cafe, Family Room Media, Untangled, Steve Brown etc., Steve Crosby, are the true worthwhile Christian websites that have anything to do with reality and get to the heart of things which could very well change the world. You my friend have done that over the years and we (the crazies) wish to thank you and congratulate you for being so, so, so patient and good to us with your frank speech and genuine realness in all things Christian. God bless you both and do press on. One day all of this crap will be over with and for me…I can hardly wait. It’s been a very, very, very, long time. Good God of heaven….Apologies for the somber tone…just being real from today’s human minefield of crazyhouse…zzz
Thanks for sharing the wonderful conversation. I really liked the thought about patiently loving others where they are on their journey without a time limit. I am half way through reading On My Worst Day and have recently enjoyed a few of the Bo’s Cafe podcasts. Your conversation with John reminded me of a recent Bo’s Cafe podcast where they talked about loving others before sharing truth and about focusing more on loving others than on fixing others.
It was interesting to hear the comment about the two of you possibly meeting up someday, somewhere for a weekend together. If you ever make your way back to KY, maybe John would want to come too! Does John play golf?
Jeff: I love what you said about ” focusing on loving others rather than fixing them “. This is at the heart of what Father is in the middle of loving me into. I am still amazed at the timing of when I here these podcasts in reference to what is happening in our lives . It never gets old!! Ohio is a long way for you guys to come for a weekend but I would love to host you guys here in our House & Back Yard ! Who ever receives that gift will truly be blessed! I would drive quite a ways for an event like that!! I do not play golf though 🙂 But I am willing to learn if needs be lol! Thanks for another Glimse into a deeper reality Guys! Keep slinging The freedom our hearts are open !
Thank you John for your openness and honesty about your own struggles. I assumed and I am sure others have as well that you guys have it all together since you are able to communicate so effectively about God’s love. Now I realize I am not alone in my struggles to learn to rest and trust in God’s love especially on my own worst days, if you guys struggle with the same things. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Guys. You helped me put words to my own journey. Failing health is certainly one way that we come to the place wondering how we are with God. Failing profession is another; the questions are very similar.
After six years pastoring a start up church – a church where we’ve hoped to live beyond religious performance and institutional manipulation, I too have come to the place where I’m sitting before God asking, “How are You and I when nothing works and I really feel like a failure?” “How are You and I when it’s coming clearer every day that I am ineffective spiritually for these friends of mine?” I feel like John the Baptist, sitting in prison, wondering about Jesus, “Are you the Expected One?” (Matthew 11)
These circumstances tempt us to wonder, “Is God against me because I just can’t seem to get it together in some way?” Is He withholding a blessing from me because I’m wrong in something I’m doing?
But I think these are the realms in which we are tempted to be “Seldom Right, but Always Confident”. We want to cling to our expectations of the Expected one, instead of just letting ourselves be in that place where we don’t even know what we don’t know.
You guys just remind me to be quiet and go back to what I know: He Loves Me.
Blessings.
Glenn, I love where this has taken your heart and appreciate you writing. But just after I read your words here, I went back to working on my newest book and laid eyes on the paragraph below. Coincidence? Maybe. Only you would know, but I do think this is often true of those who feel like failures in being unable to cram the life of the church into old creation systems:
“My heart goes out to those who have tried an ever-changing set of systems in hopes of replicating the love and generosity of the early believers only to be frustrated at the results. They had no idea they were putting so much effort into an environment that cannot achieve their vision. The most pastoral among them could never manipulate people in a way that was necessary to build a successful organization. While they thought themselves failures, they were perhaps the most successful person in the room because they loved people too much to exploit them by plugging them into a machine.”
Thanks Wayne and John.
I was especially struck by the observation made by the construction company owner toward his workers. It reminded me of the saying, ‘Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for an hour, teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.’
Having grown up in an abusive, addictive environment where you learn solely to meet others’ needs at the expense of your own, it leaves you wide open for manipulation at the hands of leaders, who are more than willing to manipulate.
Glenn, I admire you for seeing where your path was leading, and having the courage to leave the path. I too must remember that one of the names of God is Jehovah-Jireh (God will provide), and simply leave it up to His love to see me through.
Thank you also Wayne for your observation which, to me, confirms Glenn’s experience.
Thanks everyone for the “e-conversation”. I too have found it helpful; although I’m not an ex-pastor…I’m facing what appear to be “dead ends”. My heart resonates with “reminded to be quiet and going back to what I know (He loves me)”. Seems that ultimately He alone deeply knows our minds and hearts and is able to quiet them when we don’t have answers.
Something that John said really hit me. If there is even one moment that God is not for you, or if He takes even one action that is not out of love, then, to me, all of our fears and mistrust of Him are validated. Knowing that brings me peace somehow 🙂
Mike,Very well put, we must look at the big picture and the progression of actions over time and it all starts with how we as individuals evaluate each step we take based on sound Biblical principles. Thanks, Danny
I haven’t commented on a podcast in a while though I listen to them regularly. I want to send a thank you to Wayne & John for the side comments about forgiveness (& I’m paraphrasing) – to open my heart to Father’s love & forgiveness…even if the forgiveness doesn’t happen right away & may not for a while. At risk of sounding like a victim (not my M.O.), I’ve been wronged pretty badly by a couple of people in personal business situations lately & though I know I “should” (yukky word) forgive them & pray for them, I don’t feel like it & I’m not sure I even want to right now! In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little revenge doled out! 😀 But this was encouraging because I trust Father that it will come & in the meantime he can handle my honesty about how I feel about these situations. Thank you again! Hugs to you all on this journey!