"Purity culture is a system that tells women to carry the moral weight of male desire." How is that healthy or fair? Joni Menard, an occasional guest on The God Journey, helps other women discover how to live deeply loved by God. She joins Wayne and Kyle for a conversation about patriarchy, purity culture, and gender differences, and how our religious systems often negatively shape the way men and women see themselves, their bodies, their desires, and each other. Patriarchy wounds men as well as women, and shame distorts the beauty of human desire. This podcast covers vulnerability, privilege, parenting, and the long journey of learning to listen, honor, and love without fear or control.

Podcast Notes:

• Sorry, there is no video version of this podcast. (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
• A JUST LOVE Meet-up in Kansas City
• The post Joni shared
• Get your copy of Just Love

“At the bottom of our being is a throbbing, an aching that pines for our Other, day and night... a soul-longing that can’t be fulfilled by anything this world has to offer.” Those words from Strahan Coleman’s Thirsting open the door to a conversation about the ache beneath all our searching. What begins with people paying premium prices for meaningful emotional experiences soon turns toward the deeper hunger those experiences may touch but can never satisfy. Kyle and Wayne explore how easily our spiritual yearning can be hijacked by illusion, fear, performance, or the pursuit of a “God moment” we can control. But the deeper invitation is not to chase an experience; it is to awaken to the One who is already near, whose desire for us is greater than our desire for him, and whose kingdom is already within us. Perhaps the fulfillment of our deepest ache is found not in extraordinary moments, but in learning to recognize and nurture his presence in the ordinary ones.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
• A JUST LOVE Meet-up in Kansas City
• Thirsting by Strahan Coleman
• Get your copy of Just Love

"The God Journey has been a long conversation about what happens when faith migrates from obligation into love." That's how ChatGPT summarized the twenty-two-year history of The God Journey. Kyle and Wayne were blessedly shocked at how ChatGPT captured the heart of this journey with uncanny clarity as it synthesized the trajectory of The God Journey over the past twenty-two years. What began as a refuge for people exhausted by religious performance and disillusioned with institutional Christianity has slowly matured into a broader exploration of trust, healing, justice, and love. They add their own thoughts to this AI assessment, delighting in how the podcast has moved from helping people understand their frustrations, but more importantly, to discovering what Father was inviting them into—a life grounded in affection rather than obligation. They also explore the promise and peril of AI, especially in spiritual conversations, where tools can serve reflection but never replace relationships. At its core, this episode celebrates a long, unfolding invitation to inhabit love in the world.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
• The full summary from ChatGPT
• Get your copy of Just Love

Yes, we know that the May 8 podcast is not on the Apple Podcast feed. All other aggregators have it, but something glitched at Apple, and after a frustrating week, my web guy, after filing multiple requests, has had no helpful response from Apple technicians to have this issue resolved.

This morning, the May 15th podcast loaded normally, but the May 8th one is still missing from the list. This is especially troublesome since the three podcasts (May 1, 8, and 15) continue the same conversation. So if you haven't heard May 8, you can click on this link or listen to it from The God Journey website. It is called Give Way to the Treasure.

We apologize for the inconvenience many of you have encountered with this. We still hope to get it resolved soon.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast (Due to FB policy, this link is only good for thirty days from the date of posting.)
• Get your copy of Just Love

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

Kyle and Wayne explore what it means to embody kingdom power in a world driven by fear, urgency, and control. After Kyle shares a surprising conversation about leadership and pace, Wayne describes vivid prayer experiences that have deepened his awareness of Father’s delight over “a city waiting to be born.” Together, they reflect on patience, birth pangs, and the hope of a humanity restored to God’s original intention—relationships free of manipulation, fear, and self-protection. Rather than seizing power, they wonder what it means to live as a reflection of the city God is already bringing forth.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

After a quick discussion about the false self and how what we value can be opposed to what God values, Kyle invites Wayne to process an email he received from a close friend documenting his growing concerns about how he has viewed the church. They discuss how modern churches evolved from a community-based model to an institutional structure with a single leader as the face of the organization, and how that can easily lead to corruption and abuse of power. As our lifelong assumptions begin to unravel, we will do well to find our security not in systems, doctrines, or religious requirements but in our experience of God's love in daily life.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

Kyle has been talking to some couples, 8-12 years into marriage, who are discouraged that they are no longer able to find a meaningful connection with their spouse. He invites Wayne into a conversation about what a couple can do when they realize their spouse isn't who they thought they were when they were dating. After they open with beauty in the midst of misery, and our false theological certainties that make it easy to scapegoat others, they share how important it is that marriages grow through mutual influence—letting the needs, desires, and struggles of our partner become part of our journey as well.  They also talk about the importance of living out of internal fullness to navigate the more difficult moments.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Wayne's Great Day Colorado Interview
• Psychologists say this 'green flag' is one of the strongest predictors of a successful relationship
• Get your copy of Just Love

Wayne and Kyle discuss an email from Australia that they both found breathtaking in its simple depth. After a lighthearted reflection on the quirks of people we love, they turn to something more profound—how Jesus offered a completely different way of living than the power-driven systems we see around us. True spiritual authority doesn’t come from titles or positions, but from a life deeply connected to God and genuinely serving others. When authority becomes tied to identity, it often turns inward—becoming self-serving and harmful. But real authority doesn’t demand attention; it creates space—safe, open, and life-giving—for others to encounter God for themselves.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Walter Brueggermann on the Justice from Below
• Rowena's last paragraph: "If much of what is collapsing right now is authority rooted in structure, perhaps what is emerging is authority rooted in union - not louder, not more visible, but more real. And maybe Kingdom governance won't announce itself clearly at first; it will simply be recognised-by the fruit it carries, and by the life that flows through it." You can read her entire email here.
• Get your copy of Just Love

What if Jesus's parable of the Talents wasn't about money, giftings, or religious work? What if he was telling this story to show us how his love finds its way into the world? After a conversation about medical professionals taking a more holistic approach and how curiosity enhances relationships, Kyle and Wayne turn to this parable and how it is often misinterpreted in a way that goes against the New Covenant. But if love is the real treasure, then everything about this parable falls into place and invites us into the joy of passing on the love. Now we know why it always bears fruit and why not trusting his love diminishes who God wants us to be.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

This powerful image comes from a vision an autistic boy shared with a woman, except that he saw a large beast standing before the altar in a church building, blocking someone's view of Jesus. It sums up Kyle and Wayne's conversation this week as they look through the mailbag and respond to listeners' comments and questions. They discuss finding contentment even through brutal circumstances, especially for those who feel stuck in their journey. That comes as we let Jesus grow larger in our hearts than the beast that seeks to block our view.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

Following up on the World in Turmoil and the scandal at Bethel, leads Kyle and Wayne into a conversation about character. Where do you find people of character and how do you become one in a culture that says the image you project is more important than the person you are? Do you see vulnerable people as targets to exploit or people who need care and security? Even though expedience provides a quicker path to money and power, living at peace with yourself is a far better journey.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

"President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire to cause Armageddon and mark his return to earth." So said a base commander last week to his troops, according to a document filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Two hundred more similar complaints were also filed from 50 different military installations around the world. What do we make of this and the escalating war against ancient Babylon by what many consider to be modern-day Babylon? Kyle and Wayne take a look at the current geopolitical crisis and what it might portend for our world. They also ponder a C.S. Lewis quote that said the enemy often lures us deeply into one error by introducing the opposite error, so that our retreat from that one will blind us to the one we're already in.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

Wayne, Tobie, and Kyle continue their discussion about the release of Just Love: How One Mistranslation Distorted the Gospel. All three express excitement about the potential impact it could have on those ready to hear it. They see a return to love-shaped justice to not only be more consistent with the through-story of Scripture, but also to a more meaningful expression of their passion and faith. In this episode, they talk about the impact this would have on our religious institutions, the connection between love and fairness, and how we're more aware of injustice when we are victims of it rather than when we're doing it. True justice comes from life transformation through Jesus rather than external systems or retribution. They discussed how the etymology of justice traces back to concepts of life energy, and how Jesus modeled serving others rather than seeking power.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Get your copy of Just Love

"The Incarnation itself was an act of justice," says Tobie van der Westhuizen, co-author of Just Love: How One Mistranslated Word Distorted the Gospel, as he joins Kyle and Wayne for a conversation about the new book prior to its release on March 3. When English translators chose the made-up religious word, righteousness, to substitute for the word justice that the original writers would have used, they unintentionally distorted the Gospel itself. Instead of focusing on love and how it transforms us into just people that reflect his kingdom, Christianity in many quarters became more preoccupied with personal piety and sin management. A true revolution could occur if the followers of Jesus embraced a life of love-lived justice through the heart rather than through obligations or legal requirements.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Why House Church Isn't the Answer
• Pre-order your copy of Just Love

Perception is its own reality, false though it may be. The podcast begins with a brief conversation about the trajectory of life, Kyle looking forward to what might lie ahead, and Wayne glancing back in gratefulness at how Jesus has walked with him. Then, they look at perceptions—how people perceive God and how they think he perceives them. They talk about those who see God as a demanding taskmaster, those who respond to him as his wrath drives them, and what people make of unanswered prayers. How does God want us to perceive him, and what is he thinking when he looks at you? A reference from Exodus, of all places, shows us how God wants to be known.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available later this month.

It's happened again. Another major ministry in the Charismatic world admits to hiding a false prophet who was also sexually abusive—for six years! Why does this keep happening? Sadly, many who claim to follow Christ can't tell the difference between someone filled with the life of the Spirit and those who only pretend to be for notoriety and influence. In the last few weeks, horrible revelations have come out of Bethel in Redding, and Wayne and Kyle wrestle with the questions that yet another scandal provokes. Until hearts turn to care for the victims of abuse and act to protect them, we will continue to see false leaders who would rather cover up abuse rather than warn the sheep when a wolf is among them.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Jesus Lens: The Elliptical Playground
• Wayne's Blog on the Bethel Scandal 
• The Roys Report on the Bethel Scandal
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available later this month.

Where do you place your hope in the midst of difficult times? Kyle is finding that more and more people are turning to AI as a source of hope and direction because they don't have relationships that encourage and inspire them. Can AI be a spiritual advisor, or even a conduit to God? Or, is it becoming a golden calf for those who don't feel God's presence and wisdom aren't tangible enough? Wayne and Kyle talk about our substitutes for presence and community, as well as the addictive nature of AI's Positive Validation Feedback Loop that keeps people engaged by telling them what they want to hear. Authenticity can only be found in our connection to Jesus and in the community of fellow-travelers that he places around us.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available later this month.

"To have faith is to trust love," which is where the bulk of Wayne and Kyle's conversation goes this week as they come through the mailbag. There are comments about relational community, how prayer changes as trust grows, and the McDonald's Toy Syndrome. They finish with one email that talks about the importance of trusting God's love and not knowledge alone. While human love can be weak and conditional, God's love is the strongest force in the universe and opens people to truth and reality. Those who desire love will recognize him when he comes; those who desire knowledge will see him as a threat.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• Beyond Sundays
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.

How do you view friendships around you, especially those that may be short-lived? Do you shy away, not wanting to get hurt, exploit them for what you can get, or engage them as an opportunity to share life, even if it won't last long? Wayne and Kyle discuss what a healthy mindset looks like as we engage others, whether it be short-term or long-term. Be true to your "yuck meter" so you won't be manipulated. Learn the power of active listening as a gift to give others by giving them your full attention, a curious mind, and a calm presence, while resisting the desire to make judgments or give advice. Of course, all of that begins in our growing trust in Father's love and realizing that anything that argues against our belovedness to him is a lie we need to walk away from.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• My Friend Luis podcast
• My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem. Quote Wayne read on the podcast: “Talking with another person to process what you learned or experienced doesn't mean having a friendly chat with them. It means describing an event that had meaning for you, while the other person listens with caring, full attention, a calm presence, and a settled body. This might involve both of you letting you tremble, cry, sway, shake your head, or move your body in some other way as it metabolizes the experience. Therapists call this active listening. Being an active listener involves not interrupting; not making judgments; not asking questions other than to make sure you understand; not giving advice or offering explanations; and not jumping in with a story of your own. It's important to reach out to others for this type of support. It's just as important to allow others to reach out to you for it.”
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.

"The enemy's chief strategy is to make dead things look alive." And wow, does it ever work! In the backdrop of yet another revelation of moral failure on the part of a Christian celebrity, Kyle and Wayne discuss how the theology of love can fail us in our desperate moments. The question remains, however: Why doesn't love and faith transform even its most ardent advocates? How can people give lip service to love and grace for decades and yet remain so utterly untransformed by it? Unless we discover God's kind of love inside his presence with us, we will remain unchanged and still act in our own expedience rather than treating others around us justly. And in the aftermath of failure, how does love restore the victims who suffer because of it and the one who fell to temptation?

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• My Grandmother's Hands
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.

"All healing involves discomfort—but so does refusing to heal." So writes Resmaa Menakem in his book, My Grandmother's Hands, which Wayne and Sara have just finished reading. The book is about healing from traumatic pain, especially around trauma related to race. Quotes from the book draw Wayne and Klye into a discussion about clean pain and dirty pain as they apply to emotional hurt and wounds. Our responses or reactions to our own pain can either put more hurt in the world, both for ourselves and others, or our responses to pain can promote healing. The difference is whether we come at healing from an agitated state or from a calm, settled body, which we can find in the peace and presence of Jesus. This also points out why our society cannot have a reasoned, healing conversation about race today—both sides come at it from agitation and frustration.

Podcast Notes:

• The video version of this podcast
• My Grandmother's Hands
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.

"Fear makes us selfish," and no fear more so than the fear of death. A book Wayne recently read provoked his thinking about death and how the fear of it can make people act in destructive ways. So, he and Kyle discuss the fear of death, and how Jesus came to free those who are enslaed to it. Instead of helping people find that freedom, Christianity has often added to people's anxiety about death by threatening them with the consequences that could lie behind it. How would people be in the world if they no longer feared dying, but saw it as a transformation, much like the caterpillar yielding to the chrysalis? Both expressed their hope for a future where relationships are restored and wounds are healed.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.

"Love fulfills the law because it fills us." After a brief conversation about a perspective shift in challenging times and sharing inexhaustible love, Kyle and Wayne discuss finding our fullness in him.  They plough through an article about desire. It turns out humans enjoy getting the thing they desire than having it. The dopamine hit that comes from procuring what's desired doesn't last long, which is why so many are almost immediately out seeking the next new thing. What if the root of our desires is for God himself? Trying to fill that desire with anything else would always fail. Finding our fullness it him would let us live with gratitude and appreciation, no matter what we possess, rather than the constant yearning and dissatisfaction.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• A $100,000 New Car Won't Make You Happy - Article Wayne read from
• Just Love, referred to in this podcast, is a book Wayne is writing with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa. We hope to have it available in February 2026.
• Lifestream Store with 25% discount through Christmas with the promo code:  Christmas 25

How will the bride of Christ be revealed in the world, especially since she is so fractured into thousands of denominations? Perhaps there is already a parable of that in the Creation, in the murmuration of starlings and the schools of fish. Scientists call it behavioral synchronization, but maybe it is something more. It now seems that for a brief time, starlings and fish become part of an interconnected organism. Kyle and Wayne discuss the idea of "unmanaged community" and how it reflects the organic, spiritual connections among believers. These connections, often spontaneous and unstructured, can be more authentic than human-managed communities. While we get glimpses of it now and then, perhaps the time is coming for a global "murmuration" of believers that comprise the Bride of Christ. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• Murmuration Video - not quite the one Wayne referred to. And here's another one with music.
• The Secret of Secrets
• Finding Church by Wayne Jacobsen
• Lifestream Store with 25% discount through Christmas with the promo code:  Christmas 25