The God Journey - 2022 (Season 18)

Overcoming the Matrix (#831)

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Can we untangle the life of Jesus from how the religion of Christianity has distorted and trivialized it? Kyle and Wayne have just seen the new Matrix movie and once again the parallels between that and our current culture approach the prophetic. They share some powerful lines from the movie such as, "Nothing travels faster than light... except gossip."If we don’t know what’s real we can’t resist." And, "Quietly yearning for what you don't have while dreading losing what you do—for 99.9% of your race that is the definition of reality, desire and fear." They also sum up what 2021 meant to each of them personally and look ahead to what's in their hearts as they go into 2022. Themes they cover include, being still and holding God's work in our hearts as well as being joyfully sober in the days to come.

Podcast Notes:
Wayne's Blog on Joyfully Sober
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full

For the Love o’ God (#833)

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0700

"You were made for love, but not just any love. Go after the love that you were made for." Those are the words of Dr. Steve Boyer of Templeton Honors College in a recording that Wayne and Kyle explore this week. In doing so, they consider four different themes of what it means to live by love. First, trust his Spirit to guide you instead of assuming more expert voices will know best. Second, you don't have to be a professional to be fruitful; you can do it simply for the love of it. Third, they explore the incredibly freeing prayer, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." And finally, they focus on how to follow God's love through painful circumstances instead of chasing an ideal outcome you've crafted in your own mind.

Podcast Notes:
Dr. Steve Boyer on Purgatorio Canto 18
Order Wayne's book Live Loved Free Full

Navigating Uncertainty (#834)

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0700

You have not passed this way before. Doing what we've always done is not going to serve us well in this time of uncertainty. Either being distracted by nostalgia or trusting our own instincts will easily lead us astray. The world is changing quickly and it will require a fresh sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit who guides. After that brief discussion, and not unrelated to it, Kyle and Wayne explore a new research study about young people and religion called Navigating Uncertainty. It describes the experiences young people are having in a COVID-infected world and while they are reaching out to God, they have little hope that organized religion holds the answers they are seeking. What a perfect time for those who can come alongside them in their questions and discovery rather than force answers they are not ready for.

Podcast Notes:
Blue Sheep Media
Tessa Van Wade's Book - Out of the Shadows
BBC Podcast The Coming Storm
Springtide Research Institute and their book Navigating Uncertainty
Helping with the Drought in Kenya

A Safe Place to Help Others (#835)

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0700

How can we help people young people navigate this season of uncertainty and address their spiritual hungers? Kyle and Wayne continue their conversation about Springtide Research's Report on Religion and Young People entitled Navigating Uncertainty. The book lists some valuable attributes for those who want to help others deal with crisis and spiritual hunger. These include: creating safety, grieving what's been lost, celebrating what's been gained, resisting comparison by making space for a range of emotions, getting together intentionally to combat isolation and focusing on the practical by offering concrete help. They also offer a process to unbundle and rebundle the valuable assets we have to our faith concerns, rather than take an all-or-nothing approach.

Podcast Notes:
Springtide Research Institute and their book Navigating Uncertainty

The Scandal of Particularity (#837)

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Don't you think the disciples had a great time hanging out with Jesus? Wouldn't you have? Why has exhaustion become synonymous with discipleship, when God is doing so much in Scripture out of his "good pleasure?" Kyle and Wayne explore what it would be like if our pursuit of a life in Christ was characterized by the pursuit of ultimate pleasure, rather than a boring duty that we have to follow to restrain our flesh. Seeing sin as a false pleasure that never satisfies the deeper hunger inside, we could then seek those places where our wholehearted joy and God's wholehearted joy coincide. We would see his work of transformation not as an obligation we disdain, but to join God in discovering how to live by the fullness of pleasure that brings life.

Podcast Notes:
Helping with the Drought in Kenya

Following the Bread Crumbs (#838)

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0700

When Jesus shows us a way forward it generally doesn't feed our fears and insecurities, or our need to try to control the outcome. Recognizing how he is leading us and finding the courage to follow him are important facets of our own God journey. Kyle and Wayne re-visit a number of key themes from recent podcasts as the response to a listener email and navigate some of the circumstances in their lives. They flesh out what it means to live to God's pleasure, to cultivate holy indifference, to embrace the scandal of particularity, and to live at love, rest, and play as Jesus wants to lead them. Too many people are so pressed by circumstances that they miss the subtle break crumbs Jesus spreads in their path to invite them into a more spacious lane where freedom and joy abound.

Podcast Notes:

Seeing God in the Moment (#840)

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

"It seems that fear drives us to build our own jenga-tower theologies, which we guard with the viciousness of junk-yard dog." That comment from a God Journey listener, sends Kyle and Wayne on a discussion about what's going on in the world and the need for real community. At a time when we may be witnessing the beginning of World War III in Europe, we've never seen followers of Christ more divided. How did Putin become the poster boy for Christian fundamentalists, and why are many pastors afraid that talking about current events will divide their congregations? At a time when we most need to see Jesus' prayer answered for the Father's glory to dwell in us so that we can be brought to complete unity, we are seeing relationships discarded as carelessly as the morning trash. Will we ever learn to put loving each other above our desires to be proved right?

Podcast Notes:
How Russia Became the Leader of the Global Christian Right
BBC Podcast The Coming Storm
Can These Evangelicals Save Their Movement? by David Brooks in NY Times

Do Christians Resent God? (#841) ]

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Mark Galli, a former editor of Christianity Today, thinks it's important for Christians to admit that they really don't want anything to do with God. In fact, they resent him, considering him a nuisance with his ethical demands or a disappointment for not rescuing us from trouble the way Scripture promises. What's more, he concludes that God isn't even helpful in our attempts to build a relationship with him. Is he right? Certainly, many Christians feel this way, even if they are afraid to. voice it. But his approach to God and his conclusions about the journey are not the way God sees it. They are the rocks on which religion leaves people shipwrecked. Wayne and Kyle work through his column to show there's a much better way to see this journey and discover the God who finding every way to help us know him.

Podcast Notes:
Let's Face It: We Resent God by Mark Galli
Wayne's upcoming Travel

De-Personalizing Faith (#842)

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 06:28:08 -0600

In some recent engagements, Wayne has noticed how people de-personalize faith. For them, their faith is correct teaching by which they measure others or a set of rituals that give them comfort. People alive in Jesus are focused on him—his insights, his presence, his leading. They talk about him, invite people to know him, help people sort out how to engage his reality rather than focusing on peripheral issues. Wayne and Kyle explore how we can re-personalize our faith and our journey by find a real engagement with Jesus that grows deeper and richer over time.

Podcast Notes:
Urban Mystic Podcast where Wayne was the guest
Wayne's upcoming Travel

Restoring Innocence (#843)

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 19:58:25 -0600

Restored innocence is the trailhead to a full and free life in Jesus. Innocence is not earned by our performance; it is a gift of God through the work of Jesus. Without that innocence even at our most broken when we're lost in our failures or abuse, we will not allow Father the access to our hearts that will carry us forward. This is the gospel, that even at our weakest Jesus has cleansed our conscience so that we can engage him without shying away with the delusion of unworthiness. Kyle and Wayne dive into this topic as a follow-up to last week's podcast on re-personalizing our faith so that it grows out of an ever-deepening friendship.

Podcast Notes:
Scriptures explored in this podcast include the Prodigal story in Luke 15, and the perfecting of our conscience by the work of Christ in Hebrews 8-10.
Wayne's upcoming Travel

Transformational Love #1 (#844)

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 08:45:59 -0600

How does love transform us so that we can live the life of peace, joy, and abundance Jesus promised us no matter what circumstances we are currently navigating? This is the first in an occasional series of podcasts that will explore what Wayne has been stitching together over the past couple of years. This is not a new technique but a picture of the process by which Jesus lifts us out of the gravity of the chaos of our world and teaches us how to live in the unforced rhythms of grace. This week as Kyle and Wayne discuss the framework they explore how the heaviness of flesh, circumstances, and religious obligation weighs on us with a heaviness that draws us into the weeds and how Jesus wants to invite us to soar with him in his love.

Podcast Notes:
Scriptures explored in this podcast include the upper room discourse, John 13-16, and John 3
Bob Marley Video Three Little Birds
Wayne's upcoming Travel

Transformational Love #2: (#845)

Fri, 06 May 2022 19:17:39 -0600

We're back for a new edition of The God Journey as Wayne and Kyle continue their exploration of how living loved increasingly sets us free from the gravity of the world's brokenness to live in the realm of the Spirit. They discuss how to recognize God's nudging when he appears in the circumstances we face. Unfortunately, we have substituted our logical application of Scripture for the revelation of God's Spirit and the human effort of seeking him for the recognition of how God is seeking us. Following him is a real adventure of engagement rather than finding a set of principles to implement. Even in our most dire trials, he is with us offering his path through them to greater freedom and transformation. (If you have any specific questions about this part of the journey, please write Wayne at waynej@lifestream.org and they will try to answer them on a future podcast.)

Podcast Notes:
Scriptures explored in this podcast include Matthew 4:4 and Galatians 3:1-5.

The Traumatized Brain: (#846)

Fri, 13 May 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Emotional and verbal abuse as a young man caused Kyle to lock his heart into a deep bunker and guard it at all costs. It affected many of his relationships well into adulthood. He shares his journey with Wayne and how Jesus continued to knock on the door of his heart and invite him out of that bunker to find rich and rewarding connections with others. Unresolved trauma is epidemic in our culture and scientists have only recently discovered how it shapes the physiology of the brain and distorts its perception of circumstances and people. Learning about trauma will help us all find greater freedom in this life, whether it's for ourselves or others we love.

Podcast Notes: Resources to understand trauma:

Healing from Trauma: (#847)

Fri, 20 May 2022 16:08:42 -0600

Whether you've suffered trauma or have a loved one dealing with it, Wayne and Kyle continue their conversation from last week alongside comments and questions from listeners. They talk about recognizing when Jesus is inviting you to healing rather than trying to locate it on your own, how important it is to find a safe space inside Jesus' affection for you, and they explore a poem that provides a powerful image for loving the part of you that was traumatized. They also talk about how wholeheartedness is disruptive if others around you won't make space for the changes God is making in your life.

Podcast Notes:
The Traumatized Brain - last week's podcast
Letting My Past Catch Up To Me - the poem by Dana Andrechyn that Wayne reads
Additional resources to help understand trauma:

Transformational Love #3 (#848)

Fri, 27 May 2022 17:12:46 -0600

"How do you know what God is showing you?" A great question from one of our listeners takes Kyle and Wayne into the next phase of our continuing series about finding our way out of the chaos of a broken world and learning to live in the flow of God's Spirit. As God reveals himself to us, he's helping us see what is real and not real about him, ourselves, our thoughts, and our conclusions about the things in front of us. We offer God binary choices when he wants to give us a different framework to navigate the circumstances before us. Only by pondering with him, with the Scriptures, with other followers of Christ can we fully recognize what he is saying to us.

Podcast Notes:
Previous Podcast - Excruciatingly Beautiful
Ten Anxious Responses that May Actually be Trauma Responses from Psychology Today

Out-Running God (#849)

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:15:21 -0600

The life of Christ runs at a different pace than what the world demands of us or what our religious performance will allow. Maybe the very thing you're running from is what God wants to use so that you would know you are his delight? In this episode, Kyle and Wayne consider that who I am when I'm at rest in his love is a far better indicator of how he sees me than the damaged me reacting to fear and insecurity. Legalism starts with the premise that we are unworthy of God's love because of what we've done but that's not true; we are worthy of his love in spite of what we've done.

Podcast Notes:
The Jake Colsen Book Club (Note: the time is wrong during the podcast. At that time it was 10:00 am PDT, but we have changed it to 10:30 for this Sunday.)

Transformation #4 (#850)

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 16:53:14 -0600

Knowing what's true is not enough to carry us into the winds of the Spirit-led life. It's not the knowing of truth that makes a difference, but us believing what's true enough to live by it. That takes us learning to believe his truth. In the fourth installment of this transformation series Kyle and Wayne talk about faith, trust, and belief, not in the religious definition of trying to convince ourselves something is true or by pretending but learning to wrap our hearts around what God is showing us so that we can live to what's true. A religious view of belief or faith is just another work we have to muster in our own strength. However, true faith, or trust, is something God wants to win us into as we grow in his love.

Podcast Notes:
The Jake Colsen Book Club (Note: the time is wrong during the podcast. At that time it was 10:00 am PDT, but we have changed it to 10:30 for this Sunday.)

The Divisiveness of Love (#851)

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 19:18:02 -0600

If we could only be more loving, wouldn't the world would chase after the Jesus we know? One would think so. However, if that were true, how could the best demonstration of the Father's love be executed in his early 30s by the religious and political leaders of his day? In response to an article by David French, Wayne and Kyle talk about how genuinely loving people around us won't necessarily endear them to us or the Gospel. There are reasons why human pride and brokenness resist love, and we need not be surprised to learn that loving people doesn't always win friends and influence people.

Podcast Notes:
The Jake Colsen Book Club
Regretting What I Believe by David Tensen
Why Compassion Is Divisive by David French

The Power of Vulnerability (#852)

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 06:38:32 -0600

Following up on last week's conversation about The Divisiveness of Compassion, Kyle and Wayne interact with some of their listeners about the power of vulnerability. It can open doors to deep conversation and healing and it can also be misused to crush someone's heart. Be vulnerable with those who have demonstrated they will be a safe space for you and learn to recognize the characteristics of those who will use your vulnerability to control or manipulate you. The world needs more people who can incubate a place in their hearts that is safe for others to share their stories with us. Also, they talk a bit about the vulnerability before God that allows his will to unfold around us, meandering inside the chaos of brokenness rather than drawing a straight line to what we think is best.

Podcast Notes:
The Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, July 2 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 3 on Christian education. The link will be available next week. Watch for the announcement on Wayne's blog at Lifestream.org.
Your Trauma Is Valid
Identifying Toxic People

Transformation #5 (#853)

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:44:24 -0600

Repentance
Kyle and Wayne begin with a follow-up to last week's podcast through emails and blog comments from our listeners. They talk about safe places for vulnerability and the importance of relational repair when something goes wrong in relationships. Then they continue their conversation about Transformational Love, this time talking about how the process can go wrong and what relational repair we can do to get back on track with how we engage his love.

Podcast Notes:
The Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, July 2 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 3 on Christian education. You can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it.

The Unforeseen Circumstances (#854)

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:52:05 -0600

On April 11, Wayne returned from an 11-day trip to the east coast to some "unforeseen circumstances" that he said would change the trajectory of his life. They have, and that story can now be told. Over the next few weeks, Wayne and Kyle, and eventually Sara will share a story that is intensely personal and perhaps not for everyone, but at the same time, it illustrates how God helps us navigate perilous waters, even if when we struggle to believe what he is revealing to us.

Podcast Notes:
Previous podcasts with Sara: Learning Love More Deeply (2012) • Finding Our Way to Us (2020) • Finding Our Way to Us Part 2 (2020)
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
Being Known Podcast with Curt Thompson, MD - Season 4 is about unpacking trauma

What Sara Faced (#855)

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 19:13:44 -0600

For the past thirteen weeks, Wayne and Sara have been on the strangest of journeys, that put Sara's life and their marriage at risk. Fortunately, what the enemy intended for evil has turned into a marvelous story of redemption and healing. This week, Sara joins us to share what she was going through that led up to some painful decisions she felt forced to make. This podcast is intensely personal and could also trigger some pain for those who have suffered trauma. But in the end, it is a story of hope and healing and a testimony to God's unrelenting work to bind up the broken-hearted and lead them into his freedom.

Podcast Notes:
Previous podcasts with Sara - Learning Love More Deeply (2012) • Finding Our Way to Us (2020) • Finding Our Way to Us Part 2 (2020)
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
Being Known Podcast with Curt Thompson, MD - Season 4 is about unpacking trauma
The next gathering of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Sunday, July 24 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 4 on. You can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it the week before.

Redeeming Love: Horse Whisperer (#856)

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 18:45:51 -0600

How did Wayne and Sara survive their weeks apart? Both talk about what their life was like apart from each other and what they were dealing with. Not knowing yet about the trauma Sara had suffered, they dealt with so many misunderstandings that threatened to drive them apart. But even in the struggles, God was preparing a way in their hearts to give them a way back to each other.

Podcast Notes:
Previous podcasts with Sara - Learning Love More Deeply (2012) • Finding Our Way to Us (2020) • Finding Our Way to Us Part 2 (2020)
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
Being Known Podcast with Curt Thompson, MD - Season 4 is about unpacking trauma
Helpful video: How to Find a Therapist
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Sunday, July 24 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 4 on why accountability will not transform you. You can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it the week before.

Redeeming Love: Finding Our Way Back (#857)

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 21:54:36 -0600

This is part four of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne and Sara's journey. Last week, they were moving closer together but now meeting for the first time since Sara moved out unexpectedly. She wasn't wanting to test the waters on marriage again but to see if they could find a way to be friends, if not spouses, again. However, their re-connection opens a door not only to the love they have for each other but also to insight into the traumatic brain that Sara had been dealing with.

Redeeming Love: The Trauma Appears (#858)

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 21:33:50 -0600

This is part five of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne and Sara's journey. Now that Sara is beginning to find a measure of safety in Wayne's affection, some lost and disturbing memories begin to emerge from Sara's past. Over the next few weeks, they increase in darkness and intensity as a new story emerges for her that makes sense of so much of Sara's journey and the trauma that lay hidden in her body.

Redeeming Love: Relational Repair (#859)

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 19:59:33 -0600

This is part six of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne and Sara's journey. How does a couple come back from such a horrible challenge to find joy and humor again? Relationships, like anything else that gets damaged, can be repaired with careful and compassionate attention by each to the wounds of the other, owning the pain each caused and forgiving the mistakes of the other. That's where love and trust find a fertile bed to flourish once again.

_______________

The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, August 20 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 5 on Love with a Hook and how crooked twists that religion puts on love. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it,

Redeeming Love: The Journey Continues (#860)

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 19:58:21 -0600

This is the final episode of the Redeeming Love series, unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne and Sara's journey. Somehow Wayne and Sara's marriage not only survived the unrelenting darkness of trauma and the way the enemy exploited to isolate them from each other, but it is also taking them to fresh and new places in their journey together. Is there more trauma yet to deal with, and if not, what will the future hold for them?

_______________

The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, August 20 at 1:00 pm PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 5 on Love with a Hook and how crooked twists that religion puts on love. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page, but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it,

Redeeming Love: The Aftermath (#861)

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 17:54:57 -0600

How do you get back to the regularly-scheduled podcast after the story that has unfolded here in the last seven weeks? That's the challenge for Kyle and Wayne as they talk about the aftermath of doing a series like Redeeming Love as they were living in it. Looking back, they talk more about relational repair and the glue that can draw together broken relationships with God's healing. But that takes both parties willing to move toward honesty and tenderness, and there is precious little of that in our conflicted culture. Those who follow Jesus need the strength of character to be misunderstood and continue to be kind and vulnerable, knowing that in their weaknesses, God's glory unfolds best.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Follow Wayne and Sara's RV journey by "following" or "liking" his Facebook Author Page

The Love that Leads to Truth (#862)

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 07:58:16 -0600

Kyle and Wayne are still processing Wayne and Sara's journey through trauma just before they sold their home and left on their cross-country trip. They talk about those who don't get the miracle they hoped for and how Father leads them on, as well as Wayne's observations on whether or not God led Sara to leave. What they discover is how each of us begins our journeys in a fog of illusions, misunderstandings, and deceptions that are cultivated as we seek for comfort and safety by our own wisdom. The invitation Father extends to us is to know reality as God sees it—about him, about us, and about our circumstances. Truth can be challenging, however, and if we don't discover truth secure in his love, we will often miss it by clinging to our illusions.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Follow Wayne and Sara's RV journey by "following" or "liking" his Facebook Author Page.

Transformation #7: Love, Rest, Play (#863)

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 19:40:31 -0600

Wayne and Sara have begun their cross-country trip and that opens a conversation with Kyle about God's desire to restore our innocence, where sin and trauma have intruded upon it. Then they pick up the conversation about transformational love with the relationship God wants to draw us into—one that finds growing security in his love, increasing rest from our own labors, and a playfulness that will help us recognize how Father is revealing himself even in our most brutal circumstances and most ardent pain.

Podcast Notes:
Stay in the Pain
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page on Facebook.

I Have Only Been Trying to Survive (#864)

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 16:51:59 -0600

What would it mean for a spouse to give a trauma victim the benefit of the doubt? One wife answered it this way, "It would be that you would believe that where I have been, what I have done or not done, has never been to hurt you. I've only been trying to survive." Those words are from another woman to her husband about her trauma but speak so well for what many feel. Wayne and Sara process this email along with questions from others about the trajectory of their healing from trauma, incuding where was God 64 years ago, when Sara was being violated by her grandpa, and how the moments of reliving some of her trauma resolved enough for her to go back to sleep.

Podcast Notes:
Dana's Poem about Trauma
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page on Facebook

Falling Into God’s Way of Loving (#865)

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 06:25:17 -0600

The love we want from God may not be the love God knows we need to experience. How can we embrace his fullness if we're always judging him by our expectations? As Ann Voskamp says in Waymaker, "God is love, but if we get it turned around and make being loved our God, we will get lost in self." This is a continuing look at love, rest, and play and how we enter into a transformative relationship of affection with the God who loves us more than anyone ever has.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Ann Voskamp's Waymaker
Loving our Kids on Purpose
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

_____________
The next session of the Jake Colsen Book Club will be held Saturday, September 24, at 11:00 am PDT. You'll have to work that out in your own time zone. We will be covering Chapter 6 on Father God or Fairy Godmother as we look at our expectations about God and hs love for us. We will stream it live on my Facebook Author Page but if you want to be part of the conversation, you can get a link to the Zoom Room by emailing Wayne and asking for it,

Questions Only God Can Answer… And Does (#866)

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:22:29 -0600

Your life is too unique for anyone else's plan or process to provide what you need, which is why Jesus sent his Spirit to guide you into all truth. Kyle and Wayne reach back to answer some of the most difficult questions that arise for people surviving trauma, especially with religious approaches to healing. As they respond to emails from lilsteners, they cover forgiveness for the perpetrator, compassion for former abusers, and how wants to work with you for the raw, honest questions resulting from trauma.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

Honoring The Space for Healing (#867)

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 17:39:46 -0600

Healing and transformation take a bit of time and the process can be draining. If we don't honor the process in our own journey we will be easily side-tracked by the compelling lies that can draw us into the darkness or be two busy to recognize and follow Father's work in us. Discovering how the Spirit is leading us to healing takes some attunement to his heart and the willingness to risk our illusions of safety to find our true security in his love and truth. (The recording of this podcast was featured on Facebook Live on The God Journey page. You can use the link below to see it. "Like" our page if you want to be notified of live recordings in the future.)

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Deep Trace by Tessa Van Wade
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

Communicating Through Trauma (#868)

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 17:21:28 -0600

Chances are you know someone who has been traumatized, and trying to communicate past their trauma can be difficult and frustrating. While you think you're helping them you unintentionally make them feel more threatened. What do you do when a spouse or good friend can't see or isn't ready to address their trauma? Kyle and Wayne focus on how to communicate through trauma, talking about when to risk vulnerability, what to do when someone regrets telling you something intimate, and how to ensure that telling someone what's true does not exceed their security in your affection for them.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

Wayne’s Happiest Day Ever! (#869)

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:42:11 -0600

Climbing up the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the full beauty of fall foliage and basking in the joy of Sara's growing freedom, Wayne has an unanticipated engagement with God. He is still sorting out what it all means and invites Kyle to ponder it with him as he seeks to discern What Father was making clear to him. If valid, Wayne saw the 64-year arc of God's working to answer the desperate cry of a seven-year-old girl and how Jesus had been behind the scenes to transform their hearts.

Podcast Notes:
Redeeming Love Podcasts
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

The Wrong Emphasis on Salvation (#870)

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 09:21:36 -0600

What would it change in the way we live our lives if we knew salvation is not primarily about getting us into heaven but about God rescuing us from the dark places where the broken Creation has twisted us? Kyle And Wayne explore the idea that Jesus really did come to bind up the broken-hearted, set free the oppressed, and give sight to the blind. How would that change our presentation of the Gospel in the world They also talk about whether or not Jesus can really understand our feelings of failure, having never failed himself.

Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

The Guilt-Free No (#871)

Sat, 05 Nov 2022 15:15:11 -0600

Without the freedom to say no, authenticity will be swallowed up by obligation when people want something from you. How do you know when saying " No thank you" is being selfish and when it allows you not to be trapped by others? Once again, Sara joins Wayne and Kyle for an update on their travels, both physically and spiritually, and they find themselves also talking about the freedom of being genuine, holding the pain of others without taking responsibility to fix them, embracing how special we are to God without elevating ourselves above others.

Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

Episode 42

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Authoritative parenting has been the order of the day for most evangelical Christians, and the real damage is the conclusion that God uses those same tactics with us. Kyle and Wayne talk about some of the latest concerns about abusive parenting cultures and contemplate how so much of what is unhealthy not only finds its way into our parenting styles but also distorts our view of God's activity in our lives. More transformation occurs through love, rest, and play inside a real relationship with God than can ever happen in fear and conformity.

Podcast Notes:
God Journey listeners: We Need Your Help in Kenya Again
Seven Rules of Unhealthy Adult-Child Group Systems, compiled by Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.

- Adults are the masters of the dependent child.
- Adults determine in a godlike fashion what is right and wrong.
- The child is held responsible for the anger of adults.
- [Adults] must always be shielded.
- The child's life-affirming feelings pose a threat to the autocratic [adult].
- The child's will must be "broken" as soon as possible.
- All this must happen at a very early age so the child "won't notice" and will not be able to expose the adults.

From “For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence” by Alice Miller, p 59
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Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

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Parenting In Grace4/24/2009In "Show content"

Am I Supposed to Change My Kids? (#670)3/8/2019In "Show content"

Treasuring Your Children (#680)5/17/2019In "Show content"

A Caring Heart and a Listening Ear (#873)

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0700

"Please tell them I am not a professonal counselor; I am a person with a caring heart and a listening ear." The world needs more such people to help those who have been shattered by the broken Creation. That's how Joni Menard decribed herself when Wayne asked if she could help someone. What a great description of a pastoral heart, in the best sense of the word! When he arrived in Edmond, OK, this week, Wayne sat down with Joni to discuss how each of us can provide a safe place for people to explore their pain with God.

Podcast Notes:
Email Joni
A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Brene Brown cartoon on empathy
Past Podcasts with Joni
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

Transformational Love #8: The Whole-Hearted Yes (#874)

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 15:58:29 -0700

What does it look like to follow Jesus out of love, rest, and play, instead of obligation or fear? Religious performance prefers pretend conformity to authenticity and truth. Pretense, however, is not the way we grow, change, and discover how God's life flows in and throughus. Wayne and Kyle discuss how God invites us to whole-heartedly responding to him; those who settle for terrified obedience miss out on the glory of his kingdom. This is part eight of the Transformational Love series they began this winter. You can follow the archives to catch up if you missed the previous ones.

Podcast Notes:
First-hand account of being ritualistically spanked as a child
Henri Nouwen's quote is from Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit
The video version of the recording of this podcast

Living Outside the Game (#875)

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:33:21 -0700

"If you don't play the game, the game will play you." In their last podcast of the year, Kyle asks Wayne about the process of settling back into Southern California after their trip around the U.S. How does it feel about returning to apartment living, and where does he see their future unfolding from here? Then, they settle into a conversation about getting out of the games people play that tend to distract us from how God wants us to live. Only by following Jesus outside those games and beyond the darkness that has found its way into our thinking can we begin to know the beauty and fruit of Jesus' kingdom. How can you find a faith authentic enough to get you through any challenge and leave you ever more transformed into his image?

Podcast Notes:
The video version of the recording of this podcast