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# The God Journey

The adventure of living loved

## Posts

- [The God-Shaped Life: A Bold Humility (#896)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/06/02/the-god-shaped-life-a-bold-humility-896/) - The final characteristic of a life shaped by God that Kyle and Wayne are exploring in this series is bold humility. In our culture, boldness is often associated with pushy arrogance and humility with quiet reserve. Neither serves God's purposes in the world. But those who are learning how loved they are also know how
- [How Much Is Too Much? (#899)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/06/23/how-much-is-too-much-899/) - Following up on last week's podcast, "As Long as it Takes," Kyle and Wayne contemplate the complementary question of how much is too much for us to bear. Of course, with God's work in us, what choice do we have? But in our care for others, how do we recognize when enough is enough and
- [Excruciatingly Beautiful (#823)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/10/22/excruciatingly-beautiful-823/) - Those are two words you rarely see together, but they come from one of our listeners writing about the harsh betrayal of a friend and how it was going to help him discover the forgiveness that Jesus knew. He wrote, "It is excruciating beautiful to learn of it." What an accurate description of the transformative
- [As Long as It Takes  (#898)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/06/16/as-long-as-it-takes-899/) - "How long, O Lord?" The plaintive cry of the Psalmist is one we've all asked in the seasons of difficulty and pain. How long do we wait on God's work in us or the circumstances we confront? How long do we stay with a meaningful relationship that has grown difficult or awkward? How long will
- [When Gift Becomes Product (#1046)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/08/07/when-the-gift-is-enough-1046/) - What happens when something God gives us to share becomes entangled with the need to promote it, monetize it, or make it successful? Kyle and Wayne reflect on twenty-two years of The God Journey and the early decisions that allowed it to remain a free-flowing conversation rather than a product shaped by advertisers, audience metrics,
- [Children of Love in a World of Wrath (#1045)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/07/31/children-of-love-in-a-world-of-wrath-1045/) - After a brief conversation about how AI is helping out at Lifestream, Kyle and Wayne turn to a deeper question: What did Paul mean when he described us as “children of wrath?" Rather than people destined to receive God’s anger, could he have been describing those formed by a world of fear, hostility, and vengeance?
- [Authenticity in Sexuality and Leadership (#702)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/10/18/authenticity-in-sexuality-and-leadership/) - You can't be authentic with others until you learn to be honest with yourself. Kyle Rice follows up last week's podcast by joining Wayne again as they respond to some listener email and find themselves in a conversation about the desire for authenticity, and how it is often punished in religious settings, especially when people
- [Meet the Wives, Again!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/08/meet-the-wives-again/) - We got them started, and now we're not sure we can get them to stop! After our last podcast, Sara and Kelly were still talking about some of their issues in living outside the system. We turned the microphones back on and thought you'd appreciate the issues they're facing today as they talk about their
- [The Antidote to Control (#462)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/11/21/the-antidote-to-control-462/) - Current research shows how easily we all create illusions whenever it serves our own self-interest. How then can we know we are processing life around us objectively and accurately? Ultimately we can't. Wayne and Brad take on this dilemma using some listener emails and some research by Dan Ariely. By recognizing that our desires and
- [Reveling in the Freedom of Truth (#940)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/04/19/the-unrelenting-nature-of-god-940/) - During Wayne and Sara's recent stay in Austin, he sat down to catch-up with a good friend, an occasional guest on The God Journey, and author, Tracey Levinson. They discuss an email she sent to Wayne in the trial he faced two years ago and get into a conversation about having an unrelenting passion for
- [When God Seems Puzzling (#956)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/08/23/when-god-seems-puzzling-956/) - Doesn't it seem that God often speaks to us in riddles and puzzles? That's exactly what Paul said our perception would be, not because God wants to torment us with a puzzle, but that's how we acclimate to a new way of living. He doesn't give it all at once, but allows us to find
- [Convicted of Murder (#675)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/04/12/convicted-of-murder-675/) - James was arrested for murder, eventually convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. No one could have been more shocked at this unfolding tragedy than the mom who had watched her son grow up with faith in God, achieve as a straight-A student, and then be appointed to the U.S.
- [Knowing Is Not Living (#1044)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/07/24/knowing-is-not-living-1044/) - Wayne and Kyle reflect on the Just Love Conversations recently held in Kansas City through the eyes of those who gathered there with Wayne and Tobie. They do so in the context of considering how easily spiritual truth becomes information to collect, perform, promote, or even monetize without ever transforming the way we think and
- [Contented in His Love (#1043)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/07/17/contented-in-his-love-1043/) - Wayne and Tobie van der Westhuizen, coauthors of Just Love, reflect on the Just Love Conversations they hosted last weekend in Kansas City. Their recap includes knowing God’s love from the inside—not merely as a truth we believe, but as the very substance of salvation and the source from which we live. They explore how
- [At Rest in His Love (#1042)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/07/10/at-rest-in-his-love-1042/) - What happens when fear no longer drives our faith, and we finally become safe enough to rest in love? What if the God we have learned to fear is not the God Jesus came to reveal? A recent article on neuroscience suggests that fear-based images of God activate the brain’s threat responses, while love-centered images
- [The City Waiting to be Born (#1033)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/01/the-city-waiting-to-be-born-1033/) - 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,
- [Hosting His Presence Inside Us (#1041)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/06/26/hosting-his-presence-within-1041/) - How do we cultivate the environment in our hearts to host the God who is already present within us? Kyle and Wayne explore further how God shapes us from the inside—through identity, beauty, relationships, surrender, and the ordinary moments where his presence is already at work. Rather than trying to force a spiritual experience or
- [The Thirst Beneath Our Desires (#1040)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/06/19/the-thirst-beneath-our-desires-1040/) - "My emotions are a messenger, not a master." So wrote one of our listeners, and that refrain continues to pop up through the podcast, not just with our emotions but with our desires as well. Kyle shares how a false identity statement he had carried for years was exposed in a recent conversation with a
- [Patriarchy, Purity Culture, and Wholeness (#1038)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/06/05/patriarchy-purity-culture-and-wholeness/) - "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
- [Patriarchy Diminishes Us All  (#1039)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/06/12/patriarchy-diminishes-us-all-1039/) - Wayne, Kyle, and Joni continue their conversation about patriarchy, moving from cultural systems and religious interpretations into the deeper ways those ideas shape how men and women see God, themselves, and each other. From reactions to The Shack portraying God through a woman, to Scriptures that have been used to silence women, to current controversies
- [Where Deep Calls to Deep (#1037)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/29/where-deep-calls-to-deep-1037/) - “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
- [Episode 1000 (#1000)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/08/08/episode-1000/) - Brad is in the house as he joins Wayne and Kyle to celebrate the unique legacy of The God Journey for our 1,000th episode. For twenty-one years, this podcast has helped people explore their own journey with Jesus and how to connect with him and others outside the box of religious obligation. They discuss their
- [How AI Summarized The God Journey (#1036)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/22/how-ai-summarized-the-god-journey-1036/) - "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
- [Reflections on Wayne's Vision (#1035)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/15/reflections-on-waynes-vision-1035/) - "How is the vision impacting you?" Wayne and Kyle begin with brief conversations about the permanence of love and how we are worthy of God's love not by merit, but because of the value he sees in us. After that, they circle back for a further discussion about Wayne's vision shared in the last two
- [Give Way to the Treasure (#1034)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/08/give-way-to-the-treasure-1034/) - Wayne and Kyle continue exploring the vision of a city waiting to be born, this time focusing on the sparkling treasure forming within it and the invitation to “give way to the treasure.” Drawing from Paul’s words about having this treasure in jars of clay, they reflect on how God’s presence flows through ordinary people
- [The Fear of Death (#1016)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/01/02/the-fear-of-death-1016/) - "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
- [What Spiritual Authority Looks Like (#1030)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/04/10/what-spiritual-authority-looks-like-1030/) - 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
- [Complications with Apple Podcasts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/05/15/complications-with-apple-podcasts/) - 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
- [When Our Assumptions Unravel (#1032)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/04/24/when-our-assumptions-unravel-1032/) - 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
- [When Marriage Falters (#1031)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/04/17/when-marriage-falters-1031/) - 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.
- [Re-examining the Parable of the Talents (#1029)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/04/03/rexamining-the-parable-of-the-talents-1029/) - 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
- [The Beast Between You and Jesus (#1028)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/03/27/the-beast-between-you-and-jesus-1028/) - 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
- [The Devaluation of Character (#1027)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/03/20/devaluation-of-character/) - 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
- [The World in Turmoil (#1026)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/03/13/the-world-in-turmoil-1026/) - "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
- [Love-Lived Justice, Part 2 (#1025)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/03/06/when-justice-replaces-injustice-1025/) - 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
- [The Beauty of Love Lived Justice (#1024)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/02/27/the-beauty-of-love-lived-justice-1024/) - "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
- [How God Sees You (#1023)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/02/20/how-god-sees-you-1023/) - 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
- [Yet Another Tragedy (#1022)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/02/13/yet-another-tragedy-1022/) - 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
- [AI and the Golden Calf (#1021)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/02/06/ai-and-the-golden-calf-1021/) - 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
- [Trusting Love (#1020)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/01/30/trusting-love-1020/) - "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
- [Toward Relational Wholeness (#1019)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/01/23/toward-relational-wholeness-1019/) - 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
- [God's Love and Moral Failure  (#1018)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/01/16/gods-love-and-moral-failure-1018/) - "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
- [Clean Pain or Dirty Pain (#1017)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2026/01/09/clean-pain-or-dirty-pain-1017/) - "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
- [The Root of Desire (#1015)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/12/19/the-root-of-desire-1015/) - "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
- [The Murmuration of the Bride (#1014)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/12/12/the-murmuration-of-the-bride-1014/) - 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
- [Finding the Space to Explore (#1013)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/12/05/finding-the-space-to-explore-1013/) - In a world that seeks to crush us into its mold, having the space to contemplate, explore, question, and grow is a rare and delicious treat. That's where Wayne and Kyle landed today after reading an email from a listener. That thread ran through their other conversation about seeing beyond the home team/away team binary
- [Communing with God (#1012)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/11/28/engaging-god-1012/) - Kyle's away this week, so an old friend joins in. Brad Cummings was co-host of The God Journey for 700+ episodes, and joined us most recently on #1000. Many of you asked to have him back again, so he joins Wayne for a conversation about equipping people to engage a real presence when they give
- [Performative or Transformational? (#1011)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/11/21/performative-or-transformational-1011/) - It was a tale of two cities over consecutive weekends that got this conversation going. Wayne shares about his experience with former 2x2 members in the South, and then he went with Sara to their 50th college reunion at Oral Roberts University. As Wayne processes those experiences with Kyle, they find themselves contrasting performative Christianity
- [The Pain of Moral Injury (#1010)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/11/14/the-pain-of-moral-injury-1010/) - Kyle surprises Wayne with a new term that is being utilized in trauma work—moral injury. This happens when someone, either by choice or coercion, acts in opposition to their deep moral framework. It causes significant damage not only to the one who does it, but to the people impacted by his actions. It is especially
- [When Fear Trumps Endearment (#1009)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/11/07/when-fear-trumps-endearment-1009/) - Following up on last week's podcast, Kyle and Wayne begin by discussing the power of presence to shape our lives in love. They agreed that religion often removes the focus on presence, offering instead a system of rules and certainty that doesn't lead to an authentic connection with God. By motivating people's fear, Christianity has
- [Living from Fullness (#1009)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/10/31/living-from-fullness-1009/) - Kyle asks AI to define the message of The God Journey, leading to a brief discussion about AI and the soothing properties of the ancient cathedrals. Then he and Wayne get into the conversation about finding our fullness in his Presence, rather than seeking it in the temporal amusements of the world. Presence is about
- [How We View Morality (#1008)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/10/24/vertical-or-horizontal-morality-1008/) - Why are some followers of Jesus deeply concerned over the tactics and demeanor of the Trump Administration, while others wholeheartedly endorse it? A recent article suggests it may have to do with how we view God's morality. Is it keeping to a moral code by a vengeful deity, or is it the fruit of God's
- [A Path out of Legalism (#1007)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/10/17/a-path-out-of-legalism-1007/) - During Wayne and Sara's recent trip around the Rocky Mountains, they met many people in the cities they traveled through who have left or are considering leaving a worldwide, legalistic Christian sect. Recent revelations of child sexual abuse on the part of leadership caused many to reconsider the teachings and practices of the group. Now,
- [What it Means to Abide (#1006)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/10/03/what-it-means-to-abide-1006/) - What would change if you trusted God's presence abiding in you instead of seeking to feel his love? Wayne and Kyle read through a recent Facebook post by Graham Cook that talks about the difference between resting in his habitation instead of seeking encounters with him. When you realize that you can stop chasing what
- [The Traditional Congregation (#1005)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/09/26/the-traditional-congregation-1005/) - Wayne and Kyle received a letter from a pastor concerned that this podcast, which he loves, gives little credence to the value of more traditional congregations. So, they process his letter, responding to his concerns and discussing where traditional congregations can be healthy and encouraging to someone's spiritual journey, and how they can, often unwittingly,
- [The Fruit of Forgiveness (#1004)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/09/19/the-fruit-of-forgiveness-1004/) - After Wayne and Sara shared their trauma story with Kyle's Advanced Counseling course, Kyle wanted to talk more about forgiveness as the fruit of God's healing, not the way we earn it. So many see forgiveness as an obligation God requires of us, even if we only pretend on the outside, instead of a process
- [Finding Calm Amid Chaos (#1003)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/09/12/finding-calm-amid-chaos-1003/) - Wayne and Kyle were together in Sheridan, Wyoming, this week and had the rare chance to sit down face-to-face after Wayne had shared the Language of Healing with Kyle's sociology class. They talk about Wayne and Sara's trip so far, and that leads them to a conversation about finding calmness in the midst of chaos.
- [No New Podcast This Week](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/09/05/no-new-podcast-this-week-2/) - Between Wayne and Sara's travel and Labor Day weekend festivities for Kyle, they weren't able to find a mutually available time to record this week. Thus, there is no new podcast this week. Wayne and Sara are in South Dakota and head back through Wyoming and into Montana this week. Wayne and Sara, and Kyle
- [Loving Through Chronic Pain (#1002)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/08/22/loving-through-chronic-pain-1002/) - It is easy to respond to someone's pain with love and prayers for healing, but what do you do when healing doesn't come? Many feel awkward, unintentionally withdrawing from the relationship because they don't know how to support someone negotiating chronic pain. Kyle and Wayne explore what it means to care about someone with a
- [Authentic Relationship in an AI World? (#1002)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/08/29/authentic-relationship-in-an-ai-world-1002/) - Many people are substituting AI for their interactions with other human beings. From romantic relationships to therapy, even spiritual direction. Which brings up the question: Is it healthy to try to have heart-to-heart conversations with an algorithm, even one designed to mimic human responses? Humanity has always adapted to technological changes, but does it make
- [Finding Your Footing Again (#1001)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/08/15/finding-your-footing-again-1001/) - Many have said that when God closes a door, he always opens a new one. To which someone added, "But it's hell in the hallway." What do you do when your weekend meeting is no longer a place you can go? Having been alongside numerous people over the years, Kyle wants to know how Wayne
- [Bigger Than Our Mistakes (#765)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/04/bigger-than-our-mistakes-765/) - Will God be with me, even when I take an ill-advised detour? In this deeply personal conversation, Kyle explores with Wayne a broken place in his heart that God has shown his light on this summer. A hurtful conversation he had at fourteen years of age, expressed themselves in some difficult professional decisions this summer
- [Normalizing Evil  (#804)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/06/11/the-banality-of-evil-804/) - How do ordinary people—going about their everyday lives—become complicit actors in systems that perpetuate evil? Wayne's been reflecting on the news coverage about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and how so many so-called normal people got caught up in the violence and the cover-up so that no one was charged and no restitution was
- [Masterful Imposter (#881)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/02/10/masterful-imposter-881/) - "In November, the world changed, and no one yet knows what the impact will be." Kevin Tupper, an Artificial Intelligence Leader for the Federal Civilian Team at Microsoft and a friend of Wayne's, brought that news to him a couple of weeks ago. Wayne had no idea what he was talking about. November 2022 was
- [Do Christians Resent God? (#841)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/03/18/resenting-god-841/) - 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
- [The Fellowship of Suffering (#884)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/03/03/sharing-in-gods-agony-884/) - Where is God when our hearts are filled with agony? Is he behind our circumstances orchestrating them? Is he allowing them for some higher purpose for us? Is he just an indifferent spectator, watching us go through them? Or is he in them with us, holding our pain as he invites us to hold his
- [Agreeing with God, Part 2 (#927)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/01/12/agreeing-with-god-part-2-927/) - Following up on last week's podcast, and with Kyle still unable to join, Wayne invites Bob Prater to join him in processing the journey he began to tell last week. Bob has been part of the prayer group Wayne talked about last week, so this exapands that conversation with a different perspective. They talk about
- [Is Control the Opposite of Love? (#931)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/02/09/__trashed-2/) - "When people can't control you they try to control how people view you." That comment sends Wayne and Kyle on an exploration of the relationship between love and control and wonder about the possibility that love just might be the opposite of control. Is that why God doesn't force humanity to please him? Have you
- [The Hunger to Know Him (#944)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/24/spiritual-hunger-on-a-relational-journey-944/) - In their conversation about ways to help people experience the life of Jesus, Kyle and Wayne find themselves contemplating where they found spiritual hunger when they jumped off the performance treadmill. In their early days, spiritual hunger might have been more religiously inclined, in the sense of trying to earn God's favor or increase their
- [Finding Certainty in Presence  (#948)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/06/28/the-certainty-of-presence-948/) - "If you can learn to be at rest in uncertainty, what an incredible skill to have your entire life." And where do we find that rest? In planning for all the contingencies or gathering enough skills to meet any challenge? Certainly not. Cultivating a relationship with Jesus that allows us to walk with him through
- [The Healing Journey (#954)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/08/09/the-healing-journey-954/) - "Shouldn't you be further along by now?" Whether it comes from someone else, or from our own internal impatience, the accusation is never helpful. Who hasn't wished they were further along in the journey than they are, or that a certain thing would be "fixed" that they still struggle with? Sara joined Wayne and Kyle
- [The Adventure Swirling Around You (#955)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/08/16/who-is-your-rabbi-954/) - "Who is your rabbi?" That's what Kyle asks Wayne as they plunge into a discussion about discipleship. Who is the person affecting your perception of Jesus, your worldview, and how you walk with Jesus. Where they land is making disciples doesn't mean we're telling people what to do and what to believe, but discipleship is
- [Human, Messy,  Sacred (#998)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/07/25/human-messy-sacred-998/) - A couple of weeks ago, Kyle asked Wayne about his trip to Boise. This week, we have the opportunity to hear from someone who was present at that gathering and how it affected her. In her post, she described true fellowship as human, messy, and sacred. That depiction resonated with Wayne, causing him to wonder
- [Finding Harmony Again (#999)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/08/01/finding-harmony-again-999/) - We live in a day when relationships are easily discarded whenever they reach a bump in the road. Yet, it is normal for even good relationships to go through difficult stretches, due to discovering things you didn't know before, simple human mistakes, or insensitivities. The relationships that grow large over time learn to recover from
- [When God Blows Up Our Box (#997)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/07/18/when-god-blows-up-our-box-997/) - What do you do when God doesn't do what your religion taught you he would do? Do you conclude that he must not be real, or do you throw out some of what you were taught to discover God as he really is? After a conversation about certainty being the opposite of faith, Wayne and
- [From Friendship to Community (#996)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/07/11/a-pqth-to-relational-community-997/) - We are so accustomed to the fellowship that human effort can engender that many have lost sight of the path to relational community that comes from building friendships. After discussing testing boundaries and how the enemy twists our spiritual hungers into unattainable ideals, Kyle and Wayne explore a pathway to organic community. Beginning with our
- [Finding Romance on The God Journey (#995)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/07/04/finding-romance-on-the-god-journey-995/) - How does one find romantic love today, whether you are 19 or 68, and how does God fit into that part of your journey? Kyle has been speaking with many people who are struggling to find a connection in the current culture. Tracy Levinson and Wayne join him for a candid conversation about the desire
- [Loving Our Way Through the Culture (#994)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/06/27/what-if-you-dont-fit-in-994/) - As Kyle and Wayne dive into the mailbag, they find themselves discussing current "revival" tactics that trespass on unsuspecting people, navigating relationships in a polarized culture, and whether Jesus is waiting for an invitation from those close to him to come again and rescue the planet. There isn't so much an overarching theme here, but
- [Where to Find Relational Community (#993)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/06/20/the-organic-rise-of-relational-community-993/) - The desire for deep and authentic relationships with other believers lies at the heart of our spiritual passion. And yet, that isn't always easy to find, especially if we've moved away from religious institutions. How can we establish a more organic sense of relational community with others? Kyle and Wayne discuss how genuine community is
- [The Fiefdom of Me (#543)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/07/29/the-fiefdom-of-me-543/) - Perhaps the most destructive residual effect of the Fall is that we are all drawn into living the "fiefdom of me", determining good or evil based on how it brings me joy or sadness. How much that affects us is seen by how often what Father does in his thwarts our expectations, reminding us that
- [Growing from Contentment (#992)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/06/13/growing-from-contentment-992/) - How many believers would answer yes to, "Are you everything God wants you to be at this moment?" Wayne invites Kyle into a conversation he is having with Tobie van der Westhuizen regarding whether spiritual growth best comes from the frustration of falling short or from contentment with what God is already accomplishing in one's
- [A Passion for Spiritual Maturity (#991)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/06/06/a-passion-for-spiritual-maturity-991/) - In their younger days, Kyle and Wayne felt a powerful drive for spiritual maturity, albeit in a mostly performance-based, competitive environment. How has that changed as they've learned to rest in the confidence of Father's love? This leads to a raw conversation about God's passion for our maturity and how we embrace it. It also
- [Masculinity Without Domination (#990)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/05/30/masculinity-without-domination-990/) - "To turn boys into men, we teach them to disconnect from vulnerability, from their feelings, from others. The consequence of a disconnected boy is a disconnected man." So says Terry Real, therapist and author who specializes in helping boys and men who struggle to find connection in a world where few men model healthy relationships.
- [Finding Our Way to Us (#988)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/05/16/finding-our-way-to-us-988/) - As Wayne and Sara go off to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Kyle has a lot of questions to ask about their journey in marriage when he is 13 years into his. In this two-part conversation, they discuss how marriage evolves over the course of decades, either moving toward greater frustration or to mutual fulfillment.
- [Finding Our Way to Us, Part 2 (#989)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/05/23/finding-our-way-to-us-part-2-989/) - As Wayne and Sara celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Kyle has a lot of questions to ask about their journey in marriage when he is 13 years into his. In this two-part conversation, they discuss how marriage evolves over the course of decades, either moving toward greater frustration or to mutual fulfillment. They cover a
- [When Friendships End (#987)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/05/09/when-friendships-end-987/) - "You know that feeling when something's changed in a friendship, but you can't quite put your finger on it. You used to feel close. Seen. Safe. But lately, something feels off." Those are the opening words of an article written by Therese Mascardo, a friend of Wayne and Kyle's. She offers seven signs that can
- [The Funeral of a Pope (#986)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/05/02/the-funeral-of-pople-francis-986/) - The eyes of the world were on Rome last week as presidents, kings, and prime ministers gathered in St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis's funeral. While seemingly a man touched by Jesus, he presided over a religious system that bears little resemblance to Jesus' ministry or priorities. Kyle and Wayne ruminate on how the life
- [Abusive People, Identity, and God's Pain (#985)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/04/25/abusive-people-identity-and-gods-pain-985/) - Since Kyle was unavailable this week due to sickness, Wayne dives solo into the mailbag to share observations and questions from listeners that have built over the months. Thus, it is impossible to put a theme on this podcast since we get to cover a wide range of topics from our listeners, including dealing with
- [You Cannot Force Love (#984)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/04/18/you-cannot-force-love-984/) - "Redemption has always cost someone something." That text from a friend sent Wayne on a journey of discovery of the difference between the nature of love and the nature of darkness, and he invites Kyle to share it with him. Evil always takes something it doesn't deserve to cause pain for someone else. Love gives
- [The Satanic Panic (#983)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/04/11/delightfully-dangerous-983/) - Kyle and Wayne have been listening to The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a podcast by Christianity Today about the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s. This spawns a conversation about spiritual warfare and how easily our fears can be manipulated to compromise truth. Our preoccupation with the forces of evil, especially in
- [Listening to Your Body (#982)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/04/04/listening-to-your-body-982/) - When pushed to the extreme, how do you know when to listen to your body warning you to stop, and when do you persevere through it? Sara Jacobsen joins Kyle and Wayne for a conversation about recovery from trauma and how to honor the healing process. Sara and Kyle were taught not to listen to
- [What Power Will Do To You (#981)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/03/28/what-power-will-do-to-you-981/) - "Power does strange things to people," say recent studies. "Like alcohol, (it) has a tangible effect on the brain." Holding power over others actually rewires the brain to give them less empathy and respect for others. Is that why Jesus told his followers that while the world assumes authority over others, it isn't so in
- [Made Just by Love (#980)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/03/21/love-justified-980/) - What would the church look like today if it had been less preoccupied with getting its theology right and more in touch with what it meant to be loved by God and live out of that love in the world? When we put the life of Jesus into institutional systems, we gravitated toward conformity of
- [Prayers of Surrender (#979)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/03/14/prayers-of-surrender-979/) - In his struggle in Gethsemane, Jesus gives us an example of how to come to rest in God's desires rather than fight him for our own. Kyle and Wayne share how surrendering to God is the path to life, yet it contradicts most of our inclinations. Offering God a willing heart and growing awareness of
- [The Unfolding Redemption Story (#978)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/03/07/the-unfolding-redemption-story-978/) - So, how are Kyle and Wayne weathering the early days of the new presidential administration and the underlying polarization? After a brief conversation about the value of ritual in grounding our hearts, they turn to the day's political climate. Neither one finds themselves too wound up in the political angst of the day but focused
- [The Anxious Generation (#977)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/02/28/the-anxious-generation-977/) - Kyle and Wayne start with a brief conversation about the movie "A Hidden Life" and its themes of resistance, conscience, and the consequences of standing up against injustice. They touch on the intimidation and discouragement of following one's conscience when friends and family disapprove. Then they discuss Jonathan Haight's book, "The Anxious Generation," about the
- [It's Time for God's Revealing (#976)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/02/21/its-time-for-gods-revealing-976/) - "The Creation waits in anxious expectation for the children of God to be revealed," wrote Paul in Romans 8. That is the heart of Wayne's newest book, It's Time: Letters to the Bride of Christ at the End of the Age. Together, Kyle and Wayne drill down into the themes and motivations behind writing this
- [Finding Real Connection (#975)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/02/14/finding-real-connection-975/) - Kyle is back from a community symposium regarding the mental health of youth and invites Wayne into a conversation about where community happens for people, especially those who have not experienced it in more natural ways. Real connection and community flow best out of the adventure of a journey as Jesus guides us through life
- [The Seduction of Gossip (#974)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/02/07/the-seduction-of-gossip-974/) - What did Paul know about life in Jesus that made him boast gladly about his weaknesses? Wayne and Kyle landed on this verse toward the end of the previous podcast, and Kyle wanted to circle back to it again. Paul not only tolerated difficulties in his life, he actually came to a place where he
- [Boasting in Our Weakness (#973)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/01/31/boasting-in-weakness-973/) - What did Paul know about life in Jesus that made him boast gladly about his weaknesses? Wayne and Kyle landed on this verse toward the end of the previous podcast, and Kyle wanted to circle back to it again. Paul not only tolerated difficulties in his life, he actually came to a place where he
- [Navigating Cancer (#972)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/01/24/what-cancer-is-teaching-me-972/) - Embarrassed to have cancer? That's one of the emotions Wayne felt in his last three-month journey dealing with a fractured back and chemotherapy. Kyle probes a bit into this stretch of Wayne's journey and what he has learned through it. Throughout their conversation, they discuss the value of silence, the power of not resisting difficult
- [How to Know You're Born of God (#971)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/01/17/how-to-know-youre-born-of-god-971/) - How do you know if you've been born of God? For John, it was very clear: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." That would have
- [The Conversation of Community (#970)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/01/10/the-conversation-of-community-970/) - From listener emails, a one-thousand-year-old quote, and their own life experience, Kyle and Wayne celebrate the wonder and beauty of God showing up in conversations that inspire us to follow him and give us a better grasp on who God is. That's the power of community, where God makes himself known in us through the
- [One Day at a Time (#969)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2025/01/03/one-day-at-a-time-969/) - 2025 has arrived! Wayne and Sara take this opportunity to reflect on the last year and what needed to change in their hearts to absorb the surprises that last year heaped upon them. They talk about the nitty-gritty of taking one day at a time and how that sometimes coincides with our need to plan
- [The Anxiety of Intimacy (#968)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/12/20/the-anxiety-of-intimacy-968/) - "There is no terror like the terror of being known," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. That's the conundrum of the quest of intimacy. There is no need more central to the human experience than to be fully known and loved, and "there is no greater pain than the pain of intimacy severed—by betrayal, by distance, by
- [Survival Mode and Redefining Salvation (#967)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/12/13/what-does-it-mean-to-be-saved-967/) - Today's podcast is a double-feature, at no extra charge. After a medical update, Kyle invites Wayne into a conversation about preserving relationship when you're in survival mode and don't have a lot of energy to give. Then, Wayne invites Kyle back to the justice/righteousness conversation as he and Tobie are considering writing a booklet about
- [Expectations, Disappointment, and Hope (#966)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/11/29/expectation-and-disappointment-966/) - Sara Jacobsen is Wayne's guest this week as they process their current situation and how it has impacted Sara's journey. Here's the honest nitty-gritty of their struggle and how they are finding a way through it with Jesus. They wrestle with the tough questions, such as one asked by a friend last week: "Have you
- [Observations from a Pit (#965)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/11/15/observations-from-a-pit-965/) - As many of you know, Wayne has been battling some medical issues that began with excruciating pain and resulted in back surgery to fuse part of his spine and chemotherapy to deal with the bone cancer that caused it. Wayne felt well enough this week to talk with Kyle about what he's dealing with medically
- [Shifting to Justice (#964)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/10/18/shifting-to-justice-964/) - After five weeks exploring This Changes Everything with Tobie, Kyle and Wayne take a look at how the shift from righteousness to justice has impacted their lives. They talk about the necessity of a true conversion, not just jumping through some religious hoops that don't begin to fill us with Life and Love. They also
- [Sorry no Podcast Today](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/10/11/sorry-no-podcast-today-2/) - Wayne was unexpectedly put in the hospital this week due to severe back pain and did not get out in time to configure this week’s podcast. We will have to postpone it until a later date. Please accept my apologies.
- [This Changes Everything Part 5 (#963)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/10/04/this-changes-everything-part-5-962/) - Kyle and Wayne complete their five-part series with Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa. In this episode, they go all the way back to Adam and Eve and how the fall subjected them to a world of injustice and how God provided a way for his fullness of love and life to displace
- [Q & A with Tobie (#961)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/10/02/q-a-with-tobie-961/) - Special Bonus Episode! Tobie van der Westhuizen, joined Wayne and a couple dozen of people for a question and answer session about the podcast series, This Changes Everything. They talk about justice and righteousness and how this misunderstanding of the Gospel came to be. This is the audio version of that recording so people in
- [This Changes Everything Part 4 (#961)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/09/27/this-changes-everything-part-4-961/) - Kyle and Wayne continue their conversation with Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa. This week they focus on the life love teaches us to live. By focusing on personal righteousness at the expense of interpersonal justice, Christianity robbed its followers of their most powerful influence in the world. As Christ's body, we were
- [This Changes Everything Part 3 (#960)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/09/20/this-changes-everything-part-3-960/) - Kyle and Wayne continue to probe through the mind and heart of Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, a self-described reclusive philosopher. What he has discovered in the Scriptures may just be the completion to what Martin Luther began. If true, the Gospel becomes a much fuller expression of God's work in the
- [This Changes Everything Part 2 (#959)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/09/13/this-changes-everything-2/) - Kyle and Wayne continue to probe through the mind and heart of Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, a self-described reclusive philosopher. What he has discovered in the Scriptures may just be the completion to what Martin Luther began. If true, the Gospel becomes a much fuller expression of God's work in the
- [This Changes Everything (#958)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/09/06/does-righteousness-appear-in-the-bible-958/) - "The word 'righteousness' does not appear in the Bible." Provocative statement, and at first consideration it sounds absurd. However, that thought has been troubling former pastor and theologian, Tobie van der Westhuizen, from Bloemfontein, South Africa, for eight years. It sent him on a nearly compulsive course of study to some surprising conclusions. It shifted
- [Take Back Your Conscience (#957)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/08/30/ling-957/) - A listener asks Kyle and Wayne to return to an encouragement they made in a previous podcast about taking back your conscience if you have abdicated it to someone else. The conscience is where the Spirit writes God's desires on our hearts and following our conscience instead of taking our cues from a spiritual leader,
- [Unmanipulatable (#953)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/08/02/unmanipulatable-953/) - What would it be like to recognize and step around people's attempts to manipulate us for their own agenda? That's the through line of this conversation with Wayne and Kyle that meanders all over the place—from drag queens at the Olympics, to why Jesus rejoices more over the one lost sheep than the ninety-nine still
- [The Vulnerability Paradox (#950)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/07/12/the-vulnerability-paradox-950/) - Even though a woman may want men to be more emotionally vulnerable, most find it terrifying when he does. She would rather see the man die on his white horse rather than watch him fall off that horse, according to researcher Brené Brown. It's a common paradox that also affects our view of friends and
- [Wa Wa Wa Wa (#952)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/07/26/wa-wa-wa-wa-952/) - "Wa Wa Wa Wa," is what the Peanuts comic strip characters here with the adults around them are talking. It's a wonderful metaphor about learning to listen to God and what he sounds like sometimes. After reading two amazing stories of redemption from our listeners, and one about escaping spousal abuse, Kyle and Wayne discuss
- [A Tender Heart in an Angry World (#951)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/07/19/what-meekness-inherits-951/) - If God is watching your back, then you don't have to, and that will free you to live with a tender heart in a fractured world. What begins with a conversation about last weekend's assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump soon turns to a conversation about living in the power of tenderness when it
- [Letting His Joy Guide You (#949)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/07/05/navigating-chaos-with-joy-949/) - "I say these things to you that my joy might be in you and your joy might be full." Jesus spoke those words to his fearful disciples on the night when his own pain and suffering would begin. Instead of trying to draw joy from our circumstances, isn't it the guiding light to take us
- [Love And Conformity Cultures (#947)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/06/14/love-in-corporate-culture-947/) - After an invitation to join Kyle and Wayne to pray for a younger generation to come alive with hearts to know God, they talk about the conflict between love and conformity cultures found in corporate environments as well as religious institutions. How does love find a place where performance is more important than transformation? Conformity
- [The Whisper of Love (#946)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/06/07/the-whisper-of-love-946/) - After some reflections on how Jesus lived among us without being corrupted by the chaos of this world, Kyle and Wayne talk about the slow arc of spiritual growth. It happens over time as we lean into the challenging breath of the Spirit, inviting us to life by helping us lean away from the illusions
- [The Priority of Presence (#945)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/31/the-priority-of-presence-945/) - If you've ever wondered what it would be like to join Wayne and Sara are on their cross-country trip, this episode is for you. They share the transcontinental trip to visit with friends of Lifestream and The God Journey as they pause in Lexington, KY. The conversation includes learning to trust, not being afraid of
- [Playing Hide and Seek with God  (#943)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/17/playing-hide-and-seek-with-god-943/) - As Wayne has watched God's work of redemption inside Sara's trauma, he's been keen to observe that the soothing safety of Father's love that untangles the darkness, and the anger, threats, and blame make it worse. That is as true of our sin as it is of trauma. Why then does God use so much
- [We Need Some Help in Kenya](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/12/we-need-some-help-in-kenya/) - We don't use this often to ask for help, but it is desperately needed in Kenya at the moment. Torrential rains and wind have severely damage the well/agricultural projects we built for three tribes in North Pokot a few years back. These are their only source of food and water. You can read more here,
- [The Arc of Emotional Growth  (#942)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/10/the-arc-of-emotional-growth-942/) - Kyle is back and has some questions for Wayne about the process of emotional maturity and finding healing from those emotions that fire from the unhealthy side of our brains. What is the arc of emotional freedom and how do we deal with your failures during that process? This conversation also includes dealing with anger
- [The Four Degrees of Love  (#941)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/05/03/the-four-degrees-of-love-941/) - In the mid-1100s, Bernard of Clairvaux, a mystic and monk in France, considered how we experience the love of God. He published a devotional called the Love of God, in which he identified four degrees, or progressions: (1) loving ourselves for our own sake, (2) loving God for our own sake, (3) loving God for
- [Finding the Courage for Truth (#939)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/04/12/finding-the-courage-to-embrace-truth-939/) - At the start of their transcontinental trip to Virginia and back, Wayne and Sara pause in Austin, TX, to catch-up on Sara's journey and the continuing work of freedom Jesus is doing from her early childhood trauma. Recently, Sara's counselor affirmed the rare passion she demonstrates to discover the truth about herself and it has
- [The Gethsemane Prayer (#937)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/03/22/the-gethsemane-prayer-937/) - "Not my will, but yours be done." We are familiar with the words and it's easy to tack them on to the end of our prayers as a token to submission. However, the power of these words come not as a tagline but when we let God melt our hearts enough in the whatever situation
- [Enjoy the Life God Gave You (#938)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/03/29/enjoy-the-life-god-gave-you-938/) - If you aren't playing with God, you're probably not doing as much for him as you think. In this last podcast before Kyle takes a brief hiatus and Wayne and Sara head out for a trans-national trip, they revisit some of the important themes that have been on the podcast so far in 2024. Through
- [Praying for a Wayward Bride (#936)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/03/15/an-unfolding-vision-936/) - "Truth has been weaponized by the enemy to shift the focus from Jesus. The ‘truth’ as many believers see it has been removed from Him who is truth; it’s a talk about Him and His truth rather than with Him in love." Those words in an email from a listener's own journey came at a
- [Identity and the Connected Worldview  (#935)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/03/08/the-connected-worldview-935/) - "What are you most afraid of in your life right now, and who taught you that fear?" That is a key question to unmasking your false identity and help you discover who God has created you to be on the earth. Wayne introduced Kyle to a podcast where Jamie Winship, the author of a book
- [The Freedom Not To Have It All Figured Out](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/18/the-freedom-not-to-have-it-all-figured-out/) - As Wayne and Brad respond to a recent flood of reader comments and letters, they wander into a discussion about the challenge of living in Jesus without having all the details figured out or having the results of our circumstances guaranteed. Our safety is not found in our plans being fulfilled but in our growing
- [Seduced into Darkness  (#934)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/03/01/sucked-into-darkness-934/) - "What is the strange calculus of greed that causes it to catch up with even the most cautious, best-intentioned person?" This is one of four provocative questions one reviewer said are asked by the Academy-award nominated movie, Killers of the Flower Moon. The others are: Why does guilt drive some people to remorse, and others
- [Redeeming Love: Horse Whisperer (#856)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/07/22/redeeming-love-horse-whispering-856/) - This is part three of a seven-part series unpacking a very personal story of pain, trauma, redemption, and resurrection in Wayne and Sara's journey. 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
- [When Is Self-Care Not Selfish?  (#933)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/02/23/honoring-your-journey-933/) - So much of religious thinking preys on our fears of God or others thinking of us as selfish. That fear, however, keeps many from the self-care necessary to heal from trauma or resist the efforts of controlling people in our lives. Why is is so easy for us to cave to the pressure of religious
- [Masculinity and Femininity (#811)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/07/30/masculinity-and-femininity-811/) - How much of our gender confusion today results from warped stereotypes of masculinity and femininity? Tessa Van Wade, the author of Out of The Shadows, joins Wayne and Kyle for a discussion about what young men and women need to hear to help them claim their own God journey. How different is that for young
- [Out of the Shadows (#803)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/06/04/out-of-the-shadows-803/) - What happens when you discover the world is bigger than you thought it was and you are not the person you've been told you are? Everyone on a transformational journey has those moments when they come face-to-face with a reality bigger than themselves and must decide whether to embrace that revelation or retreat into the
- [Your Redemption Story (#916)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/10/20/your-redemption-story-916/) - Beneath the attempts of darkness to twist our lives into ever-greater bondage is the Spirit of God inviting us into the glorious light of God's love and wisdom. Friend, occasional guest, and author Tracey Levinson joins Wayne as they both celebrate the redemption story unfolding in each of their lives and help you find the
- [When Aspiration Becomes Expectation (#921)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/11/24/when-aspiration-becomes-expectation-921/) - "Real faith doesn't rest on what God can do, but what God is doing." When our aspirations turn into expectations of God or ourselves, a life of frustration awaits. By losing sight of the process of God's work in us, we will either blame God or ourselves when we don't see the fruit we hope
- [Will He Find Faith on the Earth? (#930)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/02/02/will-he-find-faith-on-the-earth-930/) - "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” It's a disturbing aside Jesus makes at the end of a parable about perseverance and prayer. What do we make of it? Was this a real concern for Jesus, as in the days of Noah when there was only one man left
- [Don't Stop at the Trailhead (#746)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/19/dont-stop-at-the-trailhead-746/) - He's back! Brad Cummings, one of the founders of The God Journey, is back during the coronavirus to catch-up with Wayne and then help him process a blog comment from someone who took offense at the recent podcast about "If You..." He felt we were trying to mix law and grace simply because were were
- [When Relationships Unravel (#932)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/02/16/of-love-931/) - This episode begins with a follow-up question from a listener about love and control, particularly as it affects parenting children. After which, Kyle had some questions for Wayne about his recent series of blogs on the Last Lesson My Father Taught Me, which deals with the unraveling of a deeply-valued relationship to lies, misinformation, and
- [Protecting Jesus (#929)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/01/26/prayer-928/) - This is part two of the podcast Kyle and Wayne started last week as they process the discoveries Wayne shared in the original Agreeing with God podcast at the first of the year. In this conversation they explore spiritual warfare and how we might be involved in it. A dream also invites them to explore
- [A Process of Prayer (#928)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/01/19/a-process-of-prayer-928/) - Kyle finally has a chance to jump and help Wayne process what he shared in the previous two podcasts as Kyle was dealing with a scary family medical emergency at home. He wants to know more about the process of prayer this group has undergone, especially since we began without a predetermined goal or outcome.
- [Agreeing with God (#926)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2024/01/05/learning-to-agree-with-god-926/) - "Will you stand with God against the delusion that's in the world?" Wayne was asked that question three years ago by some friends in Ireland, and exploring what that means has been a three-year journey about prayer, love, delusion, and how God's purpose unfolds in the world. He has often shared that the last three
- [A Year to Remember (#925)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/12/22/a-year-to-remember-925/) - Is our obedience to God strategic or specific? Does it come from following a plan God reveals to us or from simply following him each day and recognizing the opportunities and options he brings to us? The answer to that has had a profound impact on both their lives this year, so after talking some
- [Mirror or Lens, Frenzy or Flow? (#924)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/12/15/mirror-or-lens-924/) - That wisdom Jesus just gave you, did he intend that to be a lens to judge others with or a mirror to reveal what he is doing in you? Kyle and Wayne examine a number of questions that can help people be more responsive to the work of Jesus around them. Why does God seem
- [When We Seek Our Own Protection (#923)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/12/08/when-we-seek-our-own-protection-923/) - “It is very difficult for the good in people to put in place a system that can tamp down the ugly in humanity.” This observation strikes to the heart of Wayne's journey. Having spent twenty years of "ministry" trying to find that structure, he has spent the last thirty years commending that task to Jesus
- [Charismatic Revival Fury (#922)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/12/01/charismatic-revival-fury-922/) - A significant number of people involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol were spurred on by a group, claiming to be apostles and prophets equipped to take dominion over America's mountain of governance. Furthermore, they thought that God would miraculously restore President Trump to power that day and in doing so
- [A Diversified Web of Support (#920)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/11/17/a-diversified-web-of-support-920/) - Are like-minded people the best ingredients for fellowship and community? They are if you want to stay stuck in the status quo. Growth, however, means we still consider where we may be getting it wrong and what other roads God might invite us to go down. After discussing not haunting people with ghosts of their
- [Sex in the Dark (#919)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/11/10/sex-in-the-dark-919/) - "My Christian upbringing left me ill-prepared for sexual intimacy in marriage by filling it with shame and creating unrealistic expectations." Kyle was a panelist for his university's "Sex in the Dark," a confidential opportunity for students to ask questions about sex. With that lament, Kyle invites Wayne into the conversation and whether or not he
- [When Following Him Isn't Easy (#917)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/11/03/when-following-him-isnt-easy-917/) - The way of Jesus in a world of chaos is not as easy as some would have you believe. Wayne and Kyle discuss the difficult road we face when Jesus invites us to challenge the darkness that deceives us from within, to respond with love when others give us vengeance, or to live with integrity
- [Embracing His Glory #1  (#743)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/09/embracing-his-grace-1-743/) - This week, Wayne begins Embracing His Grace, a new Tuesday morning series with Wayne sharing how God lets us experience his glory in our and then how we reflect it to the world around us. Paul wrote that, "...Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding
- [Embracing His Glory #2  (#745)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/16/embracing-his-glory-2-745/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to glory" from the book of John how that early believer saw Jesus doing that in his own life and how he wanted us to be part of it as well. This series will continue on Tuesday
- [Embracing His Glory #3 (#747)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/23/embracing-his-glory-3-747/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #4 (#749)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/30/embracing-his-glory-4-749/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #5 (#751)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/07/embracing-his-glory-5-751/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #6 (#753)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/14/embracing-his-glory-6-753/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #7 (#755)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/21/embracing-his-glory-7-755/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #8 (#757)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/28/embracing-his-glory-8-757/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #9 (#759)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/08/04/embracing-his-glory-9-759/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #10 (#760)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/08/11/embracing-his-glory-10-759/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #11 (#762)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/08/25/embracing-his-glory-11-762/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #12 (#764)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/01/embracing-his-glory-12-764/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #13 (#766)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/08/embracing-his-glory-13-766/) - This is our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well. This week he talks
- [Embracing His Glory #14 (#768)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/15/embracing-his-glory-14-769/) - This is the final episode of our continuing Tuesday series where Wayne explores the process of transformation of moving us from "glory to ever-increasing glory". Drawn from the book of John, Wayne unveils how Jesus did this in a relational engagement with his followers, and how he wants to do that in us as well.
- [The Guilt-Free No (#871)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/11/04/the-guilt-free-no-871/) - 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
- [Wayne's Happiest Day Ever! (#869)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/10/21/the-happiest-ive-ever-been-869/) - 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
- [A Safe Place for Broken Hearts (#882)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/02/17/a-safe-place-for-people-in-pain-882/) - You will never do anything more personally rewarding in your life than to be a safe place for someone in pain to land. Sara pinch hits for Kyle this week as he was traveling, and that allows Wayne and Sara to continue their story through trauma since their return to California. What does their life
- [Redeeming Love: Unforeseen Circumstances (#854)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/07/08/unforeseen-circumstances-854/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: What Sara Faced (#855)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/07/15/the-healing-begins-855/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: Finding Our Way Back (#857)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/07/29/redeeming-love-finding-our-way-back-857/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: The Trauma Appears (#858)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/08/05/redeeming-love-the-trauma-appears-858/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: Relational Repair (#859)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/08/12/redeeming-love-relational-repair-859/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: The Journey Continues (#860)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/08/19/redeeming-love-whole-hearted-living-860/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: The Aftermath (#861)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/08/26/redeeming-love-the-aftermath-861/) - 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
- [Redeeming Love: Good Riddance (#888)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/04/07/redeeming-love-good-riddance-888/) - As Wayne and Sara approach the one-year anniversary of the emergence of Sara's trauma, she joins the podcast to discuss her continued journey to freedom. They look back and celebrate all that Father has accomplished and how their lives have changed. Also, while recently struggling with newfound anger directed at those who abused her, Jesus
- [Redeeming Love: Unmerited Rejection  (#889)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/04/14/redeeming-love-unmerited-rejection-889/) - Kyle, Wayne, and Sara continue their conversation about their last year and the doors God continues to open into a new "Promised Land" for Sara to discover. Sara talks about finding her existence inside her desires, and Wayne shares how God prepared him for the road ahead by embracing the unmerited rejection that he felt
- [The God-Shaped Life: A Resilient Trust (#893)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/05/12/the-god-shaped-life-a-resilient-trust-893/) - Wayne and Kyle continue their look at the God-shaped life, focusing on five characteristics that help describe the fruit of God's life as it takes shape in us. In this episode, they talk about a resilient trust that grows as we discover God's faithfulness, even through the chaos and disappointments of a broken creation. The
- [The God-Shaped Life: A Generous Compassion (#894)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/05/19/the-god-shaped-life-a-generous-compassion-894/) - The more we grow to know God and his character, the more we will feel well cared for. And when we no longer have to fight for our survival, we become more aware of others, their needs, and how we can walk alongside them to help lighten their load, especially those who live on the
- [The God-Shaped Life: A Tender Authenticity (#895)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/05/26/the-god-shaped-life-a-tender-authenticity-895/) - Can you imagine in any circumstance having enough freedom to be authentically you and enough love to be tender even toward those who are trying to harm you? Wayne and Kyle continue their look at the God-shaped life that living him will produce in you. This is number four—tender authenticity. In every encounter, we can
- [The God-Shaped Life: A Sincere Love (#892)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/05/05/the-god-shaped-life-a-sincere-love-892/) - What does a God-shaped life look like? A couple of weeks ago, Wayne offered five terms to help describe the fruit of God's life taking shape in us as we live in a hostile world in the affection of the Father. Over the next five weeks, he and Kyle will discuss these five characteristics and
- [Transforming Love  #1 (#844)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/04/08/transformational-love-1-844/) - Blown By the Wind 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
- [Transforming Love #2: (#845)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/05/06/transformational-love-2-845/) - Revelation 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
- [Transforming Love #3 (#848)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/05/27/transformational-love-3-848/) - Ponder "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
- [Transforming Love #4 (#850)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/06/10/transformation-4-850/) - Believe 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
- [Transforming Love  #5 (#853)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/07/01/transformation-5-852/) - 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
- [Transforming Love #6: Love that Leads to Truth (#862)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/09/02/the-love-that-opens-us-to-truth-861/) - 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
- [Transforming Love #7: Love, Rest, Play (#863)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/09/09/transformation-7-love-rest-play-863/) - 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,
- [Transforming Love #8: The Whole-Hearted Yes (#874)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/11/25/transformational-love-8-the-whole-hearted-yes-874/) - 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
- [Transforming Love #9: The God-Shaped Life (#887)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/03/31/transforming-love-8-the-god-shaped-life-887/) - "Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life" is how Peter defines transformation in the words of Eugene Peterson (1 Peter 1:15). As Kyle and Wayne have been jokingly processing 'Christianity 401', they land on a better term they will use and completion of the chart they worked through last
- [Transforming Love #10: Follow](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/04/21/transforming-love-9-follow/) - Love alone does not transform us. It opens the door to transformation by inviting us into a friendship with God marked by love, rest, and play. In that relationship, we'll discover how he guides us in a state of growing trust. That will lead us to follow him, and it's in the following that our
- [The Relentless Pursuit of Whole Heartedness (#917)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/10/27/the-relentless-pursuit-of-whole-heartedness-917/) - As Sara and Wayne complete their trip through the middle of the U.S., they reflect on Sara's trauma story and how she continues to take on the ramifications of darkness that held her captive for so long. She talks about the exhaustion of sorting through the coping mechanisms that helped her survive in times of
- [Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 3 (#905)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/08/04/did-we-get-sin-wrong-part-3-905/) - Wayne and Kyle continue their exploration of how God views sin and what we can do about it with comments and questions from listeners. Are we helpless and powerless in sin, and does God see it as something to blame us for or something to set us free of? Wouldn't that overturn our sin management
- [Self-Serving Sacrifice (#915)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/10/13/self-serving-sacrifice-915/) - What is the difference between sacrificing our lives for the kingdom and self-denial? It's easy to confuse the two and try to exploit our sacrifice to gain benefit from God. But isn't that self-serving in the name of sacrifice? When Jesus told his disciples that they must deny themselves and take up their cross, he
- [The Gap Between Aspiration and Capacity (#914)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/10/06/the-gap-between-aspiration-and-capacity-914/) - What are we to conclude about ourselves when our lives don't live up to our aspirations? Does that mean we are hypocrites or not committed enough? Wayne and Kyle talk about the gap between aspiration and capacity as the place to recognize the untangling that Father is doing in our hearts. Recognizing both the reality
- [The Problem with Christian Nationalism (#913)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/09/29/the-idolatry-of-christian-nationalism-913/) - "There is nothing more confining than the prison we don't know we are in" is an adaptation of something William Shakespeare wrote, and it launches a discussion about the misdirected hopes of Christian Nationalism. Wayne and Kyle discuss how fear and anger have convinced too many evangelical Christians to embrace the false power of compulsion
- [The Good Kind of Hangover (#912)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/09/22/the-good-kind-of-hangover-912/) - The misery of overindulgence or brokenness can help point us to a better path Jesus might have for us. And when we find his path, it will lead us not only to live to the Father's pleasure but to our delight as well. As Wayne and Kyle sort through more emails on whether or not
- [Let's Talk More About Sin (#911)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/09/15/lets-talk-more-about-sin-911/) - "I look forward to more podcasts about sin," wrote one listener. The feedback and interest about God seeing our sin the same way Wayne saw Sara's trauma has been nothing short of amazing. This week, Wayne and Kyle dive into a number of emails and blog comments as people expand the conversation through their own
- [Everything is Better in the Light (#910)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/09/08/xxx-910/) - Sara joins Wayne again for this brief conversation about how difficult it is to hide your struggles from people you love and how much lighter the load becomes when you have someone who cares alongside you. Religious performance taught us to hide our doubts and failures from others as a means of protecting our reputation.
- [Overwhelmed by Evil (#909)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/09/01/overwhelmed-by-evil-909/) - What if the story of the Garden of Eden was not two selfish, disobedient children making a bad choice but the most innocent of humans victimized by a more powerful, malevolent force? A long-time God Journey listener poses that question. The Garden scene has all the elements of a traumatic encounter where Adam and Eve
- [Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part V (#908)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/08/25/where-freedom-grows-in-the-heart-908/) - Wayne and Sara revisit the conversation they started a month ago about how God might view sin differently than most of us have thought. They outline the environment in which Sara began to find her healing and ask the question, isn't this a better process for sin than the one religious groups have used for
- [Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 4 (#906)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/08/11/did-we-get-sin-wrong-part-4-906/) - Wayne and Kyle ran out of time last week, so they continued their exploration of how God might view sin into a third week, where they incorporated more comments and questions from their listeners. Part of their discussion talks about how easy it is to love the victims of sin but not their perpetrators until
- [The End of the World (#907)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/08/18/the-end-of-the-world-907/) - "No humans who lived before were actually capable of wiping the human race from existence (by) screwing things up so badly and permanently." Wayne's been listening to a podcast about the existential risks to humanity's future, including nuclear war, artificial intelligence run amuck, virology lab accidents or misuse, unintended consequences of super-collider experiments, natural disasters,
- [Did We Get Sin Wrong? Part 2 (#904)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/07/28/did-we-get-sin-wrong-part-2-904/) - Could it be that God views sin not as something we chose but as something that happened to his beloved Creation? Sara and Wayne began pondering this question last week, and Kyle joined in this week to explore it more with Wayne. Wouldn't it change everything if God didn't see us as co-conspirators in sin
- [Did We Get Sin Wrong? (#903)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/07/21/did-we-get-sin-wrong-903/) - Wayne is pondering a major shift in his view of sin and wants to ponder it with Kyle. However, a series of circumstances made Kyle unavailable to record. So, instead, Wayne's wife, Sara, stepped in, allowing us to also catch up with her healing journey as they settling into their refurbished home. Then, they talk
- ["I Don't Believe You" (#902)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/07/14/believe-you-me-902/) - Have you ever honestly told someone what you thought and they responded, "I don't believe you?" This is where relationships go to die. Of course, if you are lying it will help them not be misled. If, however, you are telling the truth and they don't want to hear it, their unbelief destroying the relationship.
- [Religious Bullies (#901)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/07/07/religious-bullies/) - Just because you're convinced you hold the Truth, does that give you the right to bully others into believing it too? In this episode, Kyle and Wayne look at two types of bullying that religious leaders over history have resorted to, even if they didn't start out with those ambitions. First, they bully the world
- [Mercy, Vengeance, and Justice (#900)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/06/30/vengeance-or-justice-900/) - "Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent," said political commentator Adam Smith. That quote has been rattling around in Wayne's head for a few weeks, so he invites Kyle to contemplate how justice intersects with mercy inside the heart of God. But first, they talk about how fear imprisons us in our comfort
- [The Loneliness Epidemic  (#897)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/06/09/the-loneliness-epidemic/) - If God made us for connection, one of the cruelest things we can do is to withhold our affection from someone who needs it, and one of the most gracious gifts we can give is to invite them into a friendship. The U.S. Surgeon General recently released an advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and
- [Insight from the Depths of Pain (#891)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/04/28/insight-from-the-depths-of-pain-891/) - "I love that God never forces, never controls or coerces, never compromises our freedom of will or mind, apart from to share his love." Those are the words of Jenny Rowbory, an amazing young woman and poet who has been seasoned through some of life's most horrific circumstances. In response to The Vulnerability of God
- [The First Work of Salvation (#886)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/03/24/the-first-work-of-salvation-886/) - "They don't want the truth to be the truth." That's how one father summed up his broken relationship with his daughter's family. Wasn't that true of the Pharisees in Christ's day; isn't it often true of people who grope about in the darkness? Preferring the false comfort of their illusions, they miss God's repeated overtures
- [The Vulnerability of God (#885)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/03/17/the-vulnerability-of-god-885/) - If God shares our suffering with us, what does that say about the vulnerability of God to humanity? That's a question Kyle had left over after our last podcast, so he and Wayne go down that rabbit hole. Did God's love make him vulnerable to humans? That leads to a host of other questions. If
- [From Mourning to Laughter (#885)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/03/10/from-tears-to-laughter-885/) - "It was both liberating and terrifying to discover the truth," said one emailer to Wayne about escaping the distorted image of God brought on by her legalistic upbringing. Someone else described the abuse they suffered from their dad this way: "For my father, legalism is love." In reading through their email and considering a recent
- [The Grace You Have to Give (#883)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/02/24/the-grace-you-can-give-883/) - You cannot give what you do not have, especially when trying to hold someone else's pain. That seems obvious, right? And yet, many of us feel pressured to try and offer what we do n t have to give. Wayne and Kyle discuss the importance of recognizing where we are in God's transformation process so
- [Unfinished Business (#880)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/02/03/some-unfinished-business-880/) - The God Journey conversation is flowing faster than Wayne and Kyle can keep up, so this week, they circle back to some unfinished business from earlier episodes this year. In doing so, they talk about how Wayne and Sara are negotiating the pain of last year in their redemption story and dealing with unhealthy family
- [All in on God's Reality (#879)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/01/27/all-in-on-gods-reality-879/) - How often have we white-knuckled our way into a compromised version of obedience only to find that it didn't work. In this episode, Kyle and Wayne discuss the tendency of human leadership to be corrupted by indulgence, excess, or control issues. Even David, a man after God's own heart was plunged into rape and murder
- [What Making Disciples Means (#878)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/01/20/making-disciples-878/) - What does the trajectory of learning to follow Jesus look like? What does it mean to be a disciple of his and to help others learn to be one as well? Kyle and Wayne launch a conversation they will revisit in weeks to come. This is not about modality, techniques, or objectives but rather exploring
- [Our Truth and God's Truth (#877)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/01/13/our-truth-and-gods-truth-877/) - "Your truth" is only valuable when it aligns with the Creator's reality. It is so easy for all of us to spin the narrative we want to be true, especially if it comforts us. But transformation and freedom arise where what we believe to be true is increasingly aligned with God's perspective of us and
- [The Illusion of Control (#876)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2023/01/06/the-illusion-of-control-876/) - When God invites us to give up our need to control our circumstances, isn't he really asking us to give up our illusion of control? Even our best attempts to maintain control fail or even backfire. Kyle and Wayne are back for a nineteenth season of The God Journey after a month off. They reflect on
- [A Caring Heart and a Listening Ear (#873)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/11/18/a-caring-heart-and-a-listening-ear-873/) - "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
- [Living Outside the Game (#875)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/12/02/getting-out-of-the-game-874/) - "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?
- [Love, Rest, and Play in Father's Parenting (#872)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/11/11/poisonous-pedagogy-872/) - 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
- [The Wrong Emphasis on Salvation (#870)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/10/28/maybe-we-got-salvation-wrong-870/) - 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,
- [Communicating Through Trauma (#868)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/10/14/communicating-through-trauma-868/) - 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
- [Honoring The Space for Healing (#867)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/10/07/honoring-the-space-for-healing/) - 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
- [Questions Only God Can Answer... And Does (#866)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/09/30/dont-copy-a-plan-follow-the-spirit-866/) - 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
- [Falling Into God's Way of Loving (#865)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/09/23/falling-into-gods-way-of-loving-865/) - 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
- [I Have Only Been Trying to Survive (#864)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/09/16/i-have-only-been-trying-to-survive-864/) - 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
- [The Traumatized Brain: (#846)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/05/13/the-traumatized-brain-846/) - 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
- [Healing from Trauma: (#847)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/05/20/dealing-with-trauma-847/) - 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
- [The Power of Vulnerability  (#852)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/06/24/the-power-of-vulnerability-852/) - 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
- [The Divisiveness of Love (#851)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/06/17/the-divisiveness-of-love-851/) - 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
- [Out-Running God (#849)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/06/03/out-running-god-849/) - 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
- [The God Journey on Hiatus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/04/15/the-god-journey-on-hiatus/) - We're sorry that we have no new podcast for you today, and probably won't have another for a few weeks. Wayne is taking some time away from his regular schedule to deal with some unforeseen circumstances. We apologize for this just as we were starting a new Transformation series but some more important priorities have
- [De-Personalizing Faith (#842)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/03/25/de-personalizing-faith-842/) - 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
- [Restoring Innocence (#843)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/04/01/restoring-innocence-843/) - 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
- [Seeing God in the Moment (#840)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/03/11/seeing-god-in-the-moment-840/) - "It's easier to look back at circumstances and see that God was with us even if we couldn't see it at the time. Why do you think we miss God's presence in the present?" That question sums up Kyle and Wayne's discussion about being led by the Spirit in the day-to-day circumstances of life. They
- [Jenga-Tower Theology (#839)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/03/04/jenga-tower-theology-839/) - "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
- [Following the Bread Crumbs (#838)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/02/25/following-the-bread-crumbs-838/) - 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
- [The Scandal of Particularity (#837)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/02/18/the-scandal-of-particularity-837/) - When God sends his Son to redeem the world, how is that Jesus stays in a very small region of Israel and a few dozen people? What does that say about the people living in Africa, Asia, or the Americas back in that day? Some use the term "scandal of particularity" to describe how God
- [Living to Pleasure (#836)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/02/11/with-pleasure-836/) - 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
- [Navigating Uncertainty (#834)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/01/28/navigating-uncertainty-834/) - 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
- [For the Love o' God (#833)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/01/21/for-the-love-of-god-833/) - "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
- [A Safe Place to Help Others (#835)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/02/04/a-safe-place-to-help-others-835/) - 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:
- [Mary's Story (#832)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/01/14/marys-story-832/) - Out of a Buddhist upbringing, Mary came to know Jesus one year ago, alone in her room after watching a video online. A month ago, she wrote Wayne and Kyle telling them that she was struggling to understand what it meant to be a child of God or how to interact with the church. We
- [Overcoming the Matrix (#831)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2022/01/07/overcoming-the-matrix-831/) - 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
- [Recovering Mystery (#830)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/12/17/recovering-mystery-830/) - Has Christianity unwittingly tamed the Lion of Judah and lost the mystery and wonder that draws us into a life-changing relationship with God himself? That's what one email proposes and in the last podcast of 2021, Wayne and Kyle interact with that email and contemplate how easy it is for us to retreat to the
- [GJ Classic: Gaze with Me](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/12/24/gj-classic-gaze-with-me/) - Kyle and I are taking a break during this holiday season, and we hope you get too as well. We're taking a hiatus over the next two weeks, so there will be no new podcasts. But the last year has been a powerful one for Wayne. He says he's learned more in the last year
- [GJ Classic:  Love, Rest, Play](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/12/31/gj-classic-love-rest-play/) - Kyle and I are taking a break during this holiday season, and we hope you get too as well. We're taking a hiatus over the next two weeks, so there will be no new podcasts. But the last year has been a powerful one for Wayne. He says he's learned more in the last year
- [Holding Space In Father's Work (#830)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/12/10/holding-space-in-fathers-work-830/) - Last weekend, Wayne and Kyle met with a group of twenty and thirty-year-olds from all around the U.S. regarding God's freshening work among that age group. No, it is not exclusive to them but it gave them a chance to see what God is doing there and how others can come alongside them to encourage
- [Family Holiday Drama (#829)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/12/03/family-holiday-drama-829/) - For some, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year; for others, it can be filled with pain, loneliness, and disappointment especially with all the nostalgic hopes we place on it. However, not all families celebrate with love and graciousness. Some families are riddled with expectations, gossip, and manipulative power games that
- [Religiously Transmitted Fears (#828)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/11/26/religiously-transmitted-fear-828/) - Is learning to live loved by God a selfish pursuit? One man thought it was at a recent gathering Wayne held in Florida. He thought it was more important that people try to help the lost be born again. Religion trades on fear—fear of God's punishment, fear of what others think, fear of not doing
- [Will Institutions Always Fail? (#827)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/11/19/will-institutions-always-fail-827/) - Asking an institution to reflect God's glory is asking more of it than it has to give. While many start out with the vision to express God's reality, few maintain that over time as other priorities take over. Is that why Jesus invested his glory in people, not systems, and the power of the church
- [Falling Into Place (#826)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/11/12/falling-into-place-826/) - We look at the times and wonder if our whole world is falling apart, what if Jesus looks at the same circumstances and sees that things are falling into place? That would sound more like God's view. Since there is nothing he can't work good out of, and he is going to sum up all
- [Humility Will Take You Far (#825)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/11/05/embracing-cultural-humility-825/) - What you believe doesn't matter if it isn't true. Cultural competence is education jargon for familiarizing ourselves with other cultures but Kyle learned a new term last week that he likes better—"cultural humility". Instead of thinking we can master another person's culture wouldn't it be far better to enter the conversation with humility and openness
- [Healing from Childhood Trauma (#824)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/10/29/healing-from-childhood-trauma-824/) - Every person needs someone whose eyes light up when they enter a room, especially kids in trauma. Anna LeBaron, personal growth activist and the author of The Polygamist's Daughter, joins Wayne and Kyle for a conversation about the trauma of her childhood, the process of being healed from such an abusive past, and what she
- [When Relationships Get Tricky (#822)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/10/15/when-relationships-get-tricky-822/) - Life is too short to waste time on faked-up relationships that diminish you as a person. Kyle and Wayne first explore this idea considering whether there are any bad choices one can make that puts them beyond love's reach. Then they consider a new podcast looking into the recent Jerry Falwell, Jr and the scandals
- [Strong Man or Wild Goose?  (#821)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/10/08/the-strong-man-or-the-wild-goose-821/) - The quest for certainty makes you a sitting duck for those who want to deceive you. The Spirit of God offers us an outrageous adventure of learning to follow him even in the uncertainties of life, and yet we often find ourselves craving the false security of being more certain than our grasp of truth
- [Where Aspirations Lead Us (#820)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/10/01/where-will-our-aspirations-lead-us-820/) - Kyle and Wayne are just completing three days together in Michigan as they sit down to reminisce about the people they met and the lessons that touched their hearts. They talk about the futility of human effort to accomplish the work of God in the human heart and how God reaches out with touches of
- [At the Cliff's Edge (#819)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/09/24/at-the-cliffs-edge-819/) - When our journey brings us to the place of giving up our illusions about our own ability to control the outcome of our circumstances, the impulse to provide for ourselves, and resisting the fear of feeling vulnerable, we can feel like we've been left on a cliff's edge. But it is precisely at that moment
- [Seeing What God Sees (#818)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/09/17/gaining-perspective-in-troubled-times/) - Wayne was a guest this week on The Daron Earlewine Podcast, and the conversation was so rich in summing up the last few months of his journey that they both agreed to simulcast it on The God Journey as well. In this wide-ranging conversation they talk about healing and death, the gentle nudges by which
- [Believing Illusions (#817)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/09/10/believing-illusions-817/) - Kyle and Wayne begin with contemplating the question, "Does love let people suffer consequences for bad choices, or will it always intervene to mitigate them?" But they quickly turn to a conversation about what peple believe versus what is actually true. Truth is the gravity of his kingdom, not belief. What we believe only matters
- [Sweeter Outcomes (#816)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/09/03/sweeter-outcomes-816/) - Wayne's back from his first God Journey trip since COVID began and Kyle wants the details. If there was a theme to this trip it was to flow with God through the unplanned, spontaneous opportunities that arise in the moment, rather than sticking to the plan Wayne had in mind. One of the recurring themes
- [When Our Safe Boxes Aren't Safe (#815)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/08/27/when-our-safe-boxes-arent-safe-815/) - What do you do when the religion you were raised with is in conflict with the drawing of Jesus in your heart? It's happening to more and more people, and those who go on to fruitful journeys are able to separate between the brokenness in religion from the reality and presence of God. Kyle and
- [Days of Reckoning (#814)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/08/20/days-of-reckoning-814/) - How are these days not the birth pangs for the end of the age? With the fall of Kabul in Afghanistan, the wildfires in the U.S. And Europe. a devastating plague, political animosity, wars and rumors of wars, and irresponsible spending by government leaders, what makes us think society can just go on without a
- [Forgive Us Our Trespasses  (#812)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/08/06/forgive-us-our-trespasses-812/) - Have you ever been the victim of religious trespassing, where someone is trying to force something on you for your own good? Have you ever done it to someone else? Most of us have. It is the nature of religion to trespass on people's lives thinking it will create an opportunity for God to make
- [The Beauty of Selflessness  (#813)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/08/13/the-beauty-of-selflessness-812/) - Luis, from My Friend Luis, returns to the God Journey to talk about the impact the podcast has had on his life and his continued healing from the trauma of the night his father died. He and Wayne talk about why it is so hard to see Jesus in the painful stretches of our journey
- [Prostituting Your Passion  (#810)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/07/23/prostituting-your-passion-810/) - Burn-out may be the result of turning something lovely God gives us to bless others and turning it into a vocation so that it primarily serves me. After a brief conversation about Hebrews 10 and Christianity's focus on sin, Kyle's provocative question invites Wayne into a conversation about exploiting our passion in a way that
- [The Church Jesus Modeled   (#809)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/07/16/authentic-community-809/) - Wayne and Kyle begin where they left off last week, if our models of "planting churches" continue to have a build-up a body count of passionate men and women shipwrecked on their own insecurities and disappointed expectations, how can the church Jesus is building find expression in the world? They begin with the fact that
- [When Charisma Outruns Character  (#808)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/07/09/when-charisma-outruns-character-808/) - "Their ability rose them to prominence before their character was ready for it." A new podcast by Christianity today called The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a forensic study on how a church in Seattle founded by Mark Driscoll could rise to such prominence, even as people were being battered and bullied by leadership,
- [Vows, Sex and Marriage (#807)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/07/02/vows-sex-and-marriage-807/) - Can the commitment of marriage actually destroy the spontaneity and thrill of romance? That's a question Kyle gets from some of his younger clients and he poses the question to Wayne. That leads them to a wide-ranging discussion about marriage and why knowing someone well enough to commit yourself to them for life is a
- [Riding the Wind of the Spirit (#806)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/06/25/riding-the-wind-of-the-spirit-806/) - How do people learn to live inside of God's reality, sensitive to what the Spirit is doing around them instead of being left to their own wisdom or a set of ineffective religious platitudes? A letter from a struggling listener opens up a wide-ranging conversation about how we grow in our sensitivity to the nudges
- [When Our Structures Crumble (#805)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/06/18/when-our-structures-crumble-805/) - As the wind of the Spirit shifts in these days, it should not be a surprise to see some of the beloved castles we have built out of our own insecurity, crumble as he invites us deeper into a life of trust in his love and direction. Kyle and Wayne talk about how this is
- [At Rest in the Father's Delight (#802)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/05/21/at-rest-in-the-fathers-delight-802/) - Life changes completely the day we come to rest in the reality God is for us not against us no matter what we've done. And then we know that the ugliest and most painful circumstances we face can become tools in Father's to shape his glory in us. Finding our way into that freedom is
- [Untainted Wonder (#801)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/05/14/untainted-wonder-801/) - Kyle sat through a baby dedication on Mother's Day and what the parents were told in that setting pegged his yuck meter. How are we going to keep kids untainted by religious performance if some pastors keep shoveling it on with abandon? That leads to a spirited conversation about how we shed the weight of
- [His Glory Revealed (#800)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/05/07/his-glory-revealed-800/) - In celebration of The God Journey's 800th podcast, Wayne spends a few moments reflecting on the journey of the past sixteen years. Then he dips deeply into the email bag to engage a host of emails from last week's podcast about God revealing his glory through a new generation. He talks about what it means
- [God's Call to a New Generation (#799)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/04/30/the-call-of-god-to-a-new-generation-799/) - What if God wants to raise up a new generation of men and women who've not been tainted by religious obligation to reveal his glory in the world? After Wayne shares a bit about his weekend in Amarillo, Wayne and Kyle dive into a seeming nudge from God about him revealing himself in the night
- [Are We Headed for a Race War? (#798)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/04/23/are-we-headed-for-a-race-war-798/) - Unfortunately, we don't often recognize unfairness when we benefit from it. Generosity, however, will allow us to see it when affects others we care about. As Kyle and Wayne recorded this podcast, the jury was just handed the case of the police officer charged in the death of George Floyd. The world is on edge
- [Sorry, No New Podcast This Week](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/05/28/sorry-no-new-podcast-this-week/) - For those of you waiting and hoping for a new podcast, regretfully there isn't one coming. I've had some personal needs in my family to attend to over the past week and what few windows I had available to record didn't work out for those I was trying to record with. The upshot is this,
- [Love. Rest. Play. (#797)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/04/16/love-rest-play-797/) - What if the best demeanor to be sensitive to God and his work in the world is by living in the reality of his love, at rest in his work, and in childlike playfulness with our Father? That's exactly what religious performance has destroyed in those who seek to walk with God. By teaching them
- [Settled in His Spirit (#796)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/04/09/settled-in-his-spirit-796/) - Wayne's back from a visit to the Sierras to spend Easter with his Father with a fresh stirring in his heart, so he drags Kyle into it with him. It seems the wind of the Spirit has shifted a bit, and if what Wayne heard is accurate, it may be time for the children of
- [Courage in the Face of Uncertainty (#795)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/04/02/relaxed-in-uncertainty-795/) - Wayne is undergoing a renaissance in his prayer life while Kyle is excited about launching a new coaching service in adulting for younger people. All of it leads to a delightful conversation discussion about growth, taking on risk aversion, and how even the smallest glimpses from God can mean the difference between fruitfulness and stagnation.
- [How Did We Make God So Boring? (#794)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/03/26/how-did-we-make-god-so-boring-794/) - Have Americans channeled their inner hunger for the transcendent God into their political ideology? The Atlantic Monthly thinks so. In their April Issue, America Without God suggests that the decline of religious faith in American over the past 25 years coincides with a rise in political passions that reflect the same priorities and use the
- [When Why No Longer Matters (#793)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/03/19/when-the-why-questions-go-away-793/) - Wayne's been having trouble praying through some of the Psalms recently seeing how ego-centric many of their requests were, and he invites Kyle into this part of his journey. From their limited vantage point, the Psalmists couldn't see a larger purpose to God at work in the world other than their own comfort and ease.
- [Gaze With Me (#792)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/03/12/gaze-with-me-792/) - "Don't gaze at me, gaze with me." That seemed to be God's invitation to a group Wayne was praying with a few weeks ago. The ramifications of that have gone deep into his prayer life, not just with that group, but in so many other places in his journey with God. He shares that experience
- [Finding Confidence in What's True (#791)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/03/05/finding-confidence-in-the-true-791/) - Kyle wants to probe a bit more into Wayne's podcast from last week about how we know what's true. How can a younger generation affirm the truth of the Scriptures when they are often so distorted and when those who say they believe it do not live it out well. They talk about the recent
- [What Is True and How Do You Know? (#790)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/02/26/what-is-true-and-how-do-you-know-790/) - "What helps you most to know God is real and that this journey you are on is not just what you tell yourself to feel better?" That question was posed to Wayne this week in an email and he answers it on this podcast? Is it by the Scriptures, history, the Holy Spirit, experiences, or
- [When Fear Steers Our Course (#789)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/02/19/when-fear-steers-our-course-789/) - When you live out of fear you miss so much of what God is doing around you. Fear motivates us to find a narrative that provides comfort, even if it's a false comfort. That's a danger for all of us in a world where the media and political voices manipulate our responses by keeping us
- [The Stinky Has Gone Mad (#788)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/02/12/the-stinky-has-gone-mad-788/) - Wayne premiere's the first episode of his new, limited-series podcast, My Friend Luis. After living four years in the United States on an expired visa, Luis returns to Mexico to deliver a much-needed car to his mother. Now he must find his way back across the border in Tijuana on December 19, 1994. This is
- [A Celebration of Friendship (#787)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/02/05/a-celebration-of-friendship-787/) - It's as unlikely a friendship as one might imagine—a man from Mexico who crossed the border illegally as a twenty-one-year-old and the son of a white, Republican farmer from Central California. Their story is laced with incredible miracles and desperate challenges, which Wayne will be sharing in his new limited-series podcast, My Friend Luis. It
- [All You Need Is Within You (#786)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/01/29/all-you-need-is-within-you-786/) - How does Wayne handle the anger and accusations that a few people have launched at him following his recent thoughts about delusion? That's what Kyle wants to know and it launches their conversation about dealing with criticism—how to look for what's true, how to recognize the toxic and not take it in, and how to
- [The Journey into Love (#785)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/01/22/the-journey-into-love-785/) - As promised, Kyle and Wayne revisit the two podcasts they aired at the end of last year with Stephan Vosloo of South Africa about what God has taught him about living in the depths of Father's love. Through listener email and their own discoveries, they discuss the process of breaking free from the pain of
- [Relaxing Into His Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/07/17/relaxing-into-his-love/) - Some listener feedback from the parenting podcasts start Brad and Wayne off by revisiting that topic, but they soon push on with other listener email to discuss how it is that people learn to live inside of the Father's love. Learning to live loved is not a doctrine we have to be convinced of, nor
- [Symptoms of Delusion (#784)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/01/15/symptoms-of-delusion-784/) - A word of warning: this podcast is not for those of you who celebrated what happened in our nation's capital last week. At the request of a listener, Kyle and Wayne take a look at the delusion that is motivating many brothers and sisters and why it is so difficult to talk to people who
- [Live Loved Free Full (#783)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2021/01/08/live-loved-free-full-783/) - Live Loved Free Full is Wayne's latest book, and it has just dropped into the world. It contains a year's worth of daily reflections to invite people into more relational space that will help them be more sensitive to God's nudges in their heart and his fingerprints in their circumstances. Kyle Rice talks to Wayne about
- [Free of the Prison of Self (#782)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/12/18/free-of-the-prison-of-self-782/) - On this last podcast of 2020, Wayne finishes his conversation with his friend Stephan Vosloo from Ladysmith, South Africa, and what he has learned about letting Father's love lead him out of the prison of self. He shares his own process of learning to love even the broken places in his heart so that he
- [Becoming One with Love (#781)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/12/11/becoming-one-with-love-781/) - "We are slowly embracing the kind of sacrificial other-centered love that let us leave positions and privileges and entitlements and become one with the brokenness in us and around us and a way that us from the pain of self-centered thinking." These are the words Wayne read in a recent email from his friend Stephan
- [The Ladysmith Story](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/09/15/the-ladysmith-story/) - Meet Stefan Vosloo and through him some wonderful brothers and sisters in South Africa. He was a pastor of a growing Vineyard church in Ladysmith before the hunger of that congregation for real relationship with God sent them on an amazing journey. God began to touch five things in their life together to move them
- [You Might Want to Read It Again](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/11/13/you-might-want-to-read-it-again/) - Wayne is back from South Africa and shares insights of his trip with Brad, especially how people are learning to break free of the fear of appeasement and are learning to live loved by the Father. Also included is a brief interview with Stephan Vosloo to update how their journey has gone since telling us
- [An Opportunity to Grow (#780)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/12/04/an-opportunity-to-grow-780/) - In a crisis, some people seek safety and comfort by holding tighter to the way they've always done things while others find it a great opportunity to learn and grow to see what new insights God might have for them. Three years ago we first met Gil Michel, a father, accountant, and pastor of a
- [Hope for Healing in a Divided World (#779)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/11/27/hope-for-healing-in-a-divided-world-779/) - Celebrating the one-year anniversary of their collaboration on a book called A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation, Wayne invites his coauthors Arnita Taylor and Bob Prater back to the podcast. . In the ensuing year, our nation has grown even more polarized through COVID, a contentious election, and fresh pleas for racial justice.
- [A Safe Place for Pain to Fall  (#756)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/24/a-safe-place-for-pain-to-fall-756/) - "All I want is for someone to help me process my pain." What do you do when you can't find anyone to walk with you through your pain, especially with everyone enduring our political turmoil over COVID-19 and racial unrest. Wayne is joined by people from all over the United States, Canada, and the UK
- [Further Conversations in He Loves Me (#771)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/10/02/further-conversations-in-he-loves-me-771/) - Wayne continues his discussion with the Jeff Andrechyn's book group about He Loves Me that we began last week. They continue to talk about the Fatherhood of God, but also how we live that out when circumstances seem to be collapsing in on us. How do we live loved when we feel emotionally overwhelmed, or when
- [Finding Our Way Through 2020 (#778)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/11/20/navigating-through-2020-778/) - What a tumultuous year this has been in ways we could have never foreseen! By popular request, Wayne's daughter, Julie, joins her dad today to talk through how her family is sorting out the twists and turns of 2020. We talk about thriving in the midst of COVID, the contentious election, and the growing conversation
- [Spiritually Safe Relationships (#778)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/11/13/safe-relationships-778/) - Whether it is someone claiming to speak in God's name, or a friend to lean on in times of crisis, finding safe relationships is critical to keep your heart soft before the Lord. Kyle Rice and Tracy Levinson join Wayne to talk about the voices we listen to at critical moments. They talk about the
- [What Do You Feel When You See Me? (#776)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/11/06/worthy-of-love-776/) - "Father am I alright? What do you feel when you see me?" Those questions come from a listener in Germany about patterns in his life that got planted at a very young age. Kyle Rice and Tracy Levinson join Wayne to talk about our sense of being worthy of God's attention and his love, how
- [Problems with Power (#775)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/10/30/problems-with-power-775/) - Power has always been difficult for humans to navigate without doing great harm. Wayne and Kyle dive into a recent study by researcher Brené Brown about power. Her research identified four kinds of power—power over, power with, power to, and power within. Power over is the worst of these because it sees power as limited and
- [The Doors Discomfort Opens (#774)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/10/23/the-doors-discomfort-opens-774/) - Whether it's a new puppy or a turning point in our journey, most of life's greatest joys lie beyond our discomfort. Yet, when push comes to shove we will choose the path of least resistance thinking our comfort is more important than growth. Kyle joins Wayne again as the doors that pain and disappointment open
- [Don't Be Anyone's Tool (#773)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/10/16/dont-be-anyones-tool-773/) - Use the tool, don't become the tool. A new documentary from Netfilx exposes how social media and search engines are actively working to addict us to their devices and destroying the fabric of our culture. This story is told by the engineers who developed these tools and then left the industry because of how their
- [The Fruit of Self-Control (#772)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/10/09/the-fruit-of-self-control-772/) - A funny thing happened to Kyle and Wayne on their way to talk about the new Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma; they got distracted by a conversation about self-control as a fruit of the Spirit and not a personal discipline. After sharing about his recent trip to Denver, Wayne takes Kyle through some recent emails and
- [Diving Into the Father's Love (#770)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/25/diving-into-the-fathers-love-770/) - He Loves Me is the flagship message for most of what we talk about here at The God Journey. A couple of weeks ago Jeff Andrechyn's asked Wayne to join his book group online after they had completed their study of that book. They recorded it so Wayne asked if he could share it here
- [Are the Spirits Still Dancing? (#769)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/18/are-the-spirits-still-dancing-768/) - "None of us are immune to the power of what our hearts have grown to love." Do you remember the vision we shared on this podcast a while back about two demonic spirits dancing together over a map of the United States? Given all the events of the last few months, Wayne invited Bob back
- [Faith In the Midst of Tragedy (#767)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/09/11/faith-in-the-midst-of-tragedy-767/) - Let times of tragedy soften our hearts so we can see what adventure the Father has for us next. With the COVID-19 pandemic, our political polarization, and now wildfires in the West, many have asked how Wayne and Sara are navigating this difficult time. Bob Prater, coauthor of A Language of Healing for a Polarized
- [Prophecies and Conspiracy Theories (#763)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/08/28/prophecies-and-conspiracy-theories-763/) - Why are there so many prophecies of doom and blessing being passed around the body of Christ today, and so many conspiracy theories? Is God really saying all that, or is something else going on in this time of international stress and uncertainty? I invited Kyle to come along with me on this conversation as
- [Navigating to Better Conversations (#761)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/08/21/navigating-to-better-conversations-761/) - Talking about covering up when someone pokes through your illusions, this has been a difficult summer for the national news media. They have been repeatedly outed for subverting the truth in the pursuit of ratings and to advocate for political positions that serve only a slice of society. Wayne's back from his vacation and responds
- [In All Her Beauty (#758)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/31/in-all-her-beauty-758/) - What do people discover when they can no longer attend their congregation due to COVID-19? The listeners take over the podcast again as Wayne reads some amazing emails from people processing their own journey with their local church when they can no longer meet because of the pandemic. This is what many pastors fear, that
- [New After-Show Scheduled](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/15/new-after-show-scheduled/) - This Sunday, July 19, Wayne will host another God Journey After-Show at at 10:00 am PDT, email Wayne for a link. We'll let in as many as we can and the rest can stream it live on the God Journey Facebook Page. There is no topic set for this show, except to continue to explore
- [The Listeners Speak  (#754)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/17/the-listeners-speak-754/) - Wayne's been gathering notes, emails, and stories from listeners that just haven't fit into any recent podcasts. So, he shares this podcast with the many voices that have written him or made comments on the blog. So, we talk about the series Embracing His Glory, how God invites us into his love, The Language of
- [When Congregations Can't Meet (#726)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/07/when-congregations-cant-meet-727/) - Will the identity of the church be diminished if it can't gather on Sunday mornings for the next few months? Some seem to think so, concluding that government closures of religious meetings make the statement that the church is not essential in our culture. How will all that come together this weekend on Easter Sunday,
- [The Precious Gift of Sex (#707)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/11/21/the-precious-gift-of-sex-707/) - [Warning: This podcast contains a frank discussion about sex that may not be appropriate for all audiences. You might want to listen to it before your children overhear it.] Tracy Levinson, author of unashamed joins Wayne for a candid discussion about sex as only she can, spurred by emails we both received recently from different couples
- [Why Whites Want to Ignore Racial Issues  (#750)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/03/why-whites-want-to-ignore-racial-issues-750/) - “Is it possible that because I am white, there are some racial dynamics that I can’t see?” That's one of the eye-opening questions Robin J. DiAngelo poses in her book, White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism. This is not an easy book to read, but it does help
- [Growing Up in a Broken World (#509)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/11/20/growing-up-in-a-broken-world-509/) - How do we live in a world that is performance driven and embrace a kingdom that is not? A friend, Kyle Rice, who is less than half his age joins Wayne for a frank discussion about growing up in a broken world and learning how to live in God's reality instead of what the world
- [A Beloved Child of a Gracious Father (#704)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/11/01/a-beloved-child-of-a-gracious-father-704/) - They begin by revisiting their previous podcast about life traveling at the speed of relationships, through the letters of other listeners who are finding the same joy in that reality. Then, Wayne and Julie take a look at the pitfalls and dangers of trying to find our identity in anything other than resting in the joy
- [Setting a Course for Life (#709)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/12/06/mothers-comparing-notes-709/) - Arnita Taylor, coauthor of A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation joins Wayne's daughter, Julie for a conversation about mothering and about instilling the values that will serve your children for a lifetime. What they talk about goes way beyond mothering to consider the life skills we all need to be fruitful people in
- [Why Whites Want to Ignore Racial Issues II  (#752)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/07/10/why-whites-want-to-ignore-racial-issues-ii-752/) - Welcome to part two of Wayne's conversation with Arnita Taylor, coauthor of A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation. They continue to look at White Fragility and why it is hard for white people to talk about racism, drawn from the book of that name by Robin J. DiAngelo. In this episode they talk
- [Speaking a Language of Healing (#691)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/08/02/the-language-of-healing-691/) - What if a few, determined people could transform the climate of a culture by salting their conversations with a language of mutual respect and compassion instead of adding to the anger and vitriol that is sweeping our country? Along with co-authors Bob Prater of Bakersfield, CA and Arnita Taylor of Dallas, TX, Wayne has just
- [Raising Boys in Today's World (#748)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/26/raising-boys-in-todays-world-748/) - "What does it mean to raise up a man, especially in these racially charged times?" The question comes from a listener who got into this discussion with an African American Dad while driving him in his Uber. Wayne invites his daughter Julie back to the podcast to explore this question with him. What does it
- [After-Show III: Sharing Our Journeys (#744)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/12/after-show-iii-sharing-the-journeys-744/) - Last Sunday a number of folks from The God Journey audience gathered for an open dialogue After-Show on Zoom. You can watch the video version here, or you can listen in via audio. We covered a potpourri of themes from previous podcasts including the prayer, "What is it about your love I don't understand, that
- [Giving Up on Christianity  (#742)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/05/giving-up-on-christianity-742/) - "I am no longer a Christian (and) a huge reason is the lack of support from Christians when it comes to racism." Arnita Taylor, coauthor of A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation gets that disturbing message from a friend and wanted to discuss it with Wayne and Bob. They talk about the number
- [If You...   (#741)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/06/02/if-you-741/) - If all you end up with are religious rules and human effort, you've missed the reality of the Gospel. Much truth in Scripture is set in conditional sentences. "If you abide in me..." "If you seek wisdom as gold..." Some people think these are in conflict with "unconditional love." What gives? Wayne and Kyle continue their
- [The Best Tool In the Toolshed  (#740)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/29/the-best-tool-in-the-toolshed-740/) - The Holy Spirit is the best guide we have to draw us to God, and the best tool to help us in that process is the Bible. To separate those two can cause us fits on our God journey, and rob us of a valuable source of wisdom. Unfortunately, many people have discarded the Bible
- [Finding Our Way to Us, Part 2 (#739)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/26/finding-our-way-to-us-part-2-739/) - This is Part 2 of a conversation that began last week as Sara and Wayne reflected on their forty-five year journey learning to love each other. They also respond to questions sent to them by six young couples about love, life, and marriage and what resulted was an honest reflection of a hard-won journey through
- [Moral Code or Treasure Map? Part 2 (#736)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/15/moral-code-or-treasure-map-part-2-736/) - What began with a set of questions about specific Scriptures, turns out to be a marvelous exploration of trust that made the questions unimportant. Last week, Wayne had a conversation with Courtney, a single woman living in Texas who wanted to discuss how to interpret Scripture. This is Part 2 of that conversation. What began with
- [Finding Our Way to Us (#738)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/22/finding-our-way-to-us-738/) - On Sunday, Sara and Wayne celebrated their forty-fifth anniversary and take a moment to reflect on the journey and joy of watching let love prevail over all else. Before they recorded this, Wayne asked six young couples if they had questions about marriage they would like to ask Sara and him. The two of them
- [After-Show: Scripture and Trust (#737)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/19/after-show-scripture-and-trust-737/) - On Sunday afternoon a few of us got together on The God Journey After-Show to follow-up my conversation last week with Courtney. We covered questions about how we interpret Scripture as a progressive revelation of God's nature and how we follow him if we can't find all the answers we need in the Scriptures. We
- [Moral Code or Treasure Map? Part 1 (#735)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/12/moral-code-or-treasure-map-735/) - What began with a set of pressing questions about Scriptures, turns out to be a marvelous exploration of trust that made the questions less relevant. Last week, Wayne had a conversation with Courtney, a single woman living in Texas who wanted to discuss how to interpret Scripture. In the course of their conversation, the focus
- [Living Fearlessly (#734)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/08/living-fearlessly-734/) - "Is it possible to be fully fearless in the face of death?" One of our listeners sent that question in especially as it relates to the coronavirus and the growing death count in the news. Kyle joins Wayne to explore why we no longer need to fear death and how we can even look forward
- [The Dangers of Dogma (#733)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/05/the-dangers-of-dogma-733/) - When you're convinced that your principles are right and every one else who disagrees with you is wrong, you've entered into the dangerous waters of destructive dogma. Whether it be in politics, religion, or science, dogma can blind you to other possibilities and make you manipulate people around you to think like you do. Vince
- [The Betrayer's Journey (#732)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/05/01/the-betrayers-journey-732/) - Our previous podcasts on betrayal caught Amy's ear since she had betrayed her husband by having an affair with a family friend. She didn't get caught but knew she had to come clean with her husband or be devoured from the inside. This is the third in our unplanned series on betrayal—this one from the
- [Going Down THAT Road  (#731)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/28/going-down-that-road-731/) - You know how it is... There's the way you normally go about life, and there's those moments when God invites you down another road that is often less familiar but full of some amazing surprises. Harvey and Monica Mast own Harvey's Market in Millersburg, Ohio and have found themselves in the middle of a pandemic explosion
- [Weathering the Pandemic  (#730)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/24/surviving-the-pandemic-730/) - If you are feeling overwhelmed by the realities of this pandemic, you are not alone. As our precautions against the pandemic move from days into months, how can we settle our hearts through this season and make the most of it? Wayne's daughter, Julie, joins him for this conversation about the challenges her family is
- [The God Journey After-Show #2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/21/the-god-journey-after-show-2/) - Last Sunday, Wayne hosted a few folks from around the world in his wife's garden to talk further about Friday's podcast, Why Won't God Love Me? Joined by Sean, his guest on that episode, this was the second God Journey After-Show and you're welcome to listen in. We had about thirty-five God Journey listeners from across
- [The GJ After-show on the Pandemic](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/08/the-gj-after-show-on-the-pandemic/) - Last Sunday The God Journey hosted its first ever After-Show on Zoom for those that wanted to talk about the recent episode, The Pandemic and Psalm 91. About twenty people joined in from across the world—including Europe, the U.S. and New Zealand. Our hope was to offer some open-ended conversation and see where it led
- [Why Won't God Love Me?  (#729)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/17/why-wont-god-love-me-729/) - What if you have searched for a practical expression of God's love for thirty years and have never felt like he's made an effort to reveal himself to you? That's Sean's dilemma and in a personal conversation with Wayne they try to sort out why that might be and how to recognize God as he
- [The Wounds of the Betrayer (#728)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/14/the-wounds-of-the-betrayer/) - What's worse, the wounds of a person who has been betrayed, or the wounds the betrayer suffers himself? An email Wayne received after their last podcast invites Kyle and Wayne down a different fork in the road—considering what the betrayer himself goes through. It's one thing for the betrayed to move forward, and quite another
- [Beyond Betrayal (#727)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/10/beyond-betrayal-727/) - Betrayal is a central theme in Scripture from Adam and Abraham to Joseph, David, Isaiah, and even Jesus! Perhaps that's because it is so familiar in the brokenness of a fallen world. On a recent trip Wayne ran in a number of conversations about betrayal and talks about that with Kyle Rice of Wyoming who
- [The Pandemic and Psalm 91  (#725)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/04/03/the-pandemic-and-psalm-91-726/) - Psalm 91 is the most searched Psalm on the web right now. It's an amazing Psalm promising God's protection from pestilence and all harm, if we take refuge in him. Many think that these words apply to all believers in all events but is that a fair interpretation of this passage in light of all
- [So, You Want to Teach (#724)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/27/so-you-want-to-be-a-teacher-723/) - After Julie and Wayne recorded a podcast a month ago, Wayne asked his daughter a question and her answer surprised him. Mulling on it over the past month, he's had to face his own past and whether teaching and writing really spring from a gift in his life or his own vocational ambition. Since our
- [Everything Changed Overnight (#723)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/20/everything-changed-overnight/) - Finally, our entire nation began to take the threat of the coronavirus seriously last week. Sports seasons were cancelled, congregations could no longer meet, entertainment venues closed, and in some cities people were told to "shelter in place", all in hopes flattening the curve of the virus' spread so that the medical needs would not
- [A Sudden Change in Plans  (#726)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/31/a-sudden-change-in-plans-726/) - The pandemic of 2020 is definitely changing lives. Some of us are making decisions we never thought we'd have to make, at least this soon, and enduring hardships that we hoped to avoid. Former American Airlines pilot, Jeff Andrechyn, who has been with us twice before, shares a harrowing experience he had over the past
- [The Scripture Story (#Extra)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/23/the-scripture-story-extra/) - Wayne and Julie offer a special announcement at a new on-line class Wayne will be offering about The Story of Scripture. Originally designed as a brief course for his grandkids during the pandemic, they also decided to make it available to other interested families. This class will explore the story that runs through all of
- [Faith In Uncertainty](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/08/21/faith-in-uncertainty/) - The people who seem to enjoy the journey they most are those who have learned the secret of enjoying God's grace in the face of uncertainty, not those who try to remove uncertainty from their lives. Wayne and Brad dip into the old mailbox as they discuss our attempts to manipulate life and even how
- [Where Else Will They Learn to Struggle? (#722)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/13/where-else-will-we-learn-to-struggle-722/) - The coronavirus and Wayne's return from Oklahoma start off this podcast, until the get to a new term being thrown around—lawnmower parents. These parents are way more aggressive than the "helicopter" parents you may have heard of and, they will go to whatever lengths necessary to prevent their child from facing any adversity, struggle, or
- [The Loneliest Generation (#721)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/03/06/the-loneliest-generation-721/) - Current research is demonstrating that young people between thirteen and twenty-five are the loneliest generation of Americans—perhaps ever! Nearly 40% of them report that at times they have no one to talk to, and regular attendance at a religious gathering has no affect on these numbers whatsoever. Our favorite researcher, Josh Packard of the Springtide
- [What If I Am Worthless? (#720)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/02/28/what-if-i-am-worthless-720/) - What does your internal conversation look like in those quiet moments you think you are speaking only to you? Kyle Rice joins Wayne for this look at self-talk because he's been talking to a lot of young people who tell themselves every day how worthless they are. And, they believe it. Our self-talk can give
- [Who Are the Dones? (#484)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/05/01/who-are-the-dones-484/) - Some are calling it the rise of the dones, the number of people who have given up on the traditional congregation and are finding community and mission beyond it in more relational ways. Meet the man behind the research. In a recent trip to Colorado Wayne sat down with Dr. Josh Packard, a professor of
- [What to Do About the Dones (#485)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/05/08/what-to-do-about-the-dones-485/) - Now that research has identified a group of passionate Christians who are no longer participating in traditional congregations, what does that mean for the future of the church? Will existing congregations find innovative ways to address the concerns of those who consider leaving? Will the church take on new expressions? Or both? Wayne continues his
- [Seeking Truth in a World Overrun With Bias (#705)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/11/08/seeking-truth-in-a-world-overrun-with-bias-705/) - Where can one find out what's true anymore, when people, politicians, and the media are only cherry-picking the facts that serve their particular agenda? Brad joins Wayne for a discussion about the polarization of our culture and where it might lead and how it has affected their own relationship. How can we have meaningful conversations
- [When a Move of God Fades (#718)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/02/14/when-a-move-of-god-goes-into-decline-718/) - "Every move of God is born in cave and dies in a cathedral." One of the most perplexing realities of church life over the last 2000 years is to watch as God begins to move on the hearts of his people and watch how quickly that is taken captive to would-be leaders, who would prefer
- [As the Move of God Unravels...  (#719)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/02/21/when-a-move-of-god-unravels-719/) - Whether it's a local fellowship or a worldwide movement, when something God does in the earth has been co-opted by people who seek to control it through leadership, or market it for financial gain, his life in it slowly dissipates. Then what? Wayne and Richard Hanes, of Richmond Va, continue the conversation they started last
- [A Beloved Child of a Gracious Father  (#717)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/02/07/a-beloved-child-of-a-gracious-father-717/) - What defines your identity? Do you see yourself through your talents or vocation, your sexual orientation or some role you play in society, or by your brokenness or your worst moments? Kyle Rice once again joins Wayne for a conversations about the relentless quest for identity and how it may be an echo of the
- [Through Someone Else's Eyes (#715)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/01/24/through-someone-elses-eyes-715/) - How would it change our conversations and perceptions if we could see our circumstances through someone else's eyes? Our default for processing life is incredibly self-centric— thinking our way of looking at things is the only way to look at things. Arnita Taylor, one of Wayne's coauthors for A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation
- [Religious Shame and Sexual Identity (#716)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/01/31/religious-shame-and-sexual-identity-716/) - "Can you imagine the shame, guilt, and fear a gay person would have in the Christian environment when these kinds of things are said?" That's the question posed to Wayne and Tracy after their recent podcast on The Precious Gift of Sex by the father of a gay daughter. What do people do who feel
- [Relax!  It's a Process (#714)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/01/17/relax-its-a-process-714/) - When you get the idea that the life of Jesus is a product you're supposed to achieve rather than a process to embrace with him, you will lose sight of him and get lost in the futility of your own efforts. Wayne's daughter, Julie, joins him for this podcast as they continue to explore Paul
- [He Is Not Hiding From You (#712)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/01/03/he-is-not-hiding-from-you/) - Welcome to 2020! As Season 16 begins, Wayne takes a few moments to share a bit from his journey and what the podcast might look like in the year ahead. The observations he shares are specifically for those who feel like God hides too well from them and they wish he would make himself more
- [What Living Loved Transforms (#713)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2020/01/10/what-living-loved-transforms-713/) - As we become more alive in the love of God, what changes in our outlook and the way we treat people? There's a list circulating the Internet out of the 12-step movement called the "12 Symptoms of a Spiritual Awakening." As 2020 begins, Kyle Rice of Blue Sheep Media joins Wayne for a look at
- [Why Are Young People Turned Off to Faith? (#711)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/12/20/what-adventure-does-god-want-for-me-710/) - "What is it that young people see in us that woos them to the Father, and what about us makes them think our faith is irrelevant in their lives?" That's what one listener asked me to do with Kyle, so Kyle Rice is back on the podcast to talk about how we can engage people
- [A Woman's Gift (#710)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/12/13/are-women-inherently-flawed-710/) - Wayne invites Tracy Levinson back to discuss further developments in the John MacArthur/Beth Moore bruhaha after MacArthur fleshed out more of his views about women in leadership and women in general. Are they more easily deceived? Do they bear less an image of God in the world? Does Scripture restrict them from sharing their gifts
- [A Craving for Change (#708)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/11/29/a-craving-for-change-708/) - Every restaurant has two or three crave items that are meant to make your mouth water whenever you think of it. As A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation launched in Los Angeles last weekend, coauthors Arnita and Bob were in town to record with Wayne the audio version of the book for release at
- ["Don't Go Home, Beth Moore."(#706)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/11/15/dont-go-home-beth-moore-706/) - The recent comments by John MacArthur about popular Bible teacher Beth Moore once again bring into question whether or not Scripture forbids women to share their gifts with the body of Christ. That invites a conversation about our view of Scripture, legalism, women, and the polarization that happens even in the body of Christ. Brad
- [Erring On the Side of Love (#703)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/10/25/erring-on-the-side-of-love-703/) - "We have to question the intentions of any group that insists on disdain toward other people as a membership requirement," said Brené Brown, in Daring Greatly. Wayne's two coauthors for A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation, Bob Prater of Bakersfield, CA and Arnita Taylor of Dallas, TX, join him for a discussion on how to
- [Twisting Scripture to False Certainty (#701)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/10/11/twisting-scripture-to-false-certainty-701/) - The quest for certainty about God's reality more often leads to error than it does to wisdom and truth. Those who feign certainty are also mostly arrogant, off-putting, and wrong. Wayne and guest, Kyle Rice discuss how our attempts to grasp at certainty often disfigure God and make the life of Christ unappealing to young
- [Life at the Speed of Relationships (#700)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/10/04/life-at-the-speed-of-relationships-700/) - Welcome to God Journey podcast #700! Who would have thought and Wayne gets to celebrate with his daughter, Julie, as they talk about one of the core realities of moving from religious life to one of growing freedom in God's love. As the world presses us in its mold, it seeks to drive our lives
- [Contemplating The End of Our Days (#699)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/09/27/end-of-our-days-699/) - What happens when you begin to count your days by how many of them you have left? Last week, Wayne was in South Carolina with his friend, Bob Stamps, and they took time out from their work on Bob's book to talk about contemplating our own mortality, not in the morbid sense of dread, but
- [Stop Doing God's Job (#697)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/09/13/stop-doing-gods-job-697/) - The greatest barrier to people embracing their own God Journey is their overestimation of our own capabilities. In short, we keep trying to do God's job. Wayne's daughter, Julie joins him for a discussion that starts with raising children but ends up exploring the entire way religion has inculcated us into trying to figure out
- [How Do I Let God Provide? (#698)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/09/20/living-in-gods-provision-698/) - What does it mean for us to live in the Father's provision, especially if we want to live off the thing we love? Kyle Rice, Founder of Blue Sheep Media and an occasional guest on the podcast, joins Wayne for a discussion about ministry or creative aspirations and learning how God provides for us. There
- [What Faith Really Is (#696)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/09/06/what-faith-really-is-696/) - This summer some leading authors, church leaders, and worship song composers announced that they were abandoning the faith, no longer finding it real or relevant to their lives. What do we make of this trend? Brad and Wayne talk about what faith really is, and if you really have it would you ever consider leaving
- [Toxic Religion (#695)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/08/30/toxic-religion-695/) - Feedback from two of our listeners take Brad and Wayne back to their two most recent podcasts to talk about "the gift of detachment" as it effects toxic relationships your own family, and the failure of religious thinking that divorces our faith from an engagement with a Living God. Along the way, they talk about
- [The Slow Dance of Transformation (#694)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/08/23/the-slow-dance-of-transformation-694/) - What would it be like for a child to come back to her mom five years after she had been kidnapped at age four and told during all that time that her mom was an evil person who didn't love her? Imagine the moment mother and daughter come back together, with the mom ready to
- [Willing to Live At Risk (#693)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/08/16/willing-to-live-at-risk-693/) - Brad's back and he thinks he may have the gift of detachment, not from the podcast, but from people and situations that grow toxic. That launches he and Wayne into a discussion about when is it appropriate to exit a relationship and keeping our hearts open to re-engage should something change. Toxicity often comes from
- [Learning Morality in Grace (#692)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/08/09/morality-and-grace-692/) - "Thousands of well-meaning Christian parents are asking the law to do in the lives of their children what only the powerful grace of God can accomplish." That's not just true of parents, lots of people think they can follow Christ by rule-keeping rather than being empowered by live in his love. Julie is back with
- [Could the Religious Right be Wrong? (#690)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/07/26/when-joseph-comes-to-town-690/) - What if the religious right is religiously wrong? That's the question Paul Swearengin wrestles with in his new book, Joseph Comes to Town. This fictional tale considers how Jesus might have engaged people if he had come in our century, to the current political climate of the United States. A former pastor from a politically
- [What It Means to Love..., Part 2 (#689)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/07/19/what-it-means-to-love-part-2-689/) - A few weeks ago Dave Coleman joined Wayne on the podcast to discuss how we can learn to love like Jesus loved. Dave is the co-author om So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore and he's back to answer questions we received after that podcast. They cover the question of whether the referencen
- [What It Means to Love One Another (#684)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/06/14/what-it-mean-to-love-one-another-684/) - Wayne's co-author om So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore, joins him for today's podcast and shares some interesting insight that he has been exploring over recent years. He talks about three basic needs that we has humans have—for love, for worth, and for safety, especially when we freel vulnerable. These needs can
- [At Rest in the Storm (#688)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/07/12/at-rest-in-the-storm-688/) - "I don't know how to rest in God's love when I fell like I'm being beat to hell," writes a listener to the podcast, which allows Wayne to follow-up last week's podcast about unanswered prayer. Joining him this week is his long-time friend, David Rice from County Wicklow in Ireland who was diagnosed with incurable
- [Thoughts from the Edge of Exploration (#686)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/06/28/lessons-from-the-edge-of-exploration-686/) - "Anything worth discovering is better explored than explained." No where is that truer than the learning to live in relationship to Jesus. American Airlines pilot, part-time historian, and long-time adventurer, Jeff Andrechyn returns to the podcast and joins Wayne as they share some of the books they've been reading about our recent explorers leading up
- [When Desperate Prayers Go Unanswered (#687)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/07/05/when-desperate-prayers-go-unanswered-687/) - How can you keep believing in God when he doesn't answer your most ardent prayers or fails to make himself known in the darkest places. That's Jim's dilemma, and he's concluded that the combination of his pain and God's activity may be proof that his hope in God isn't based on anything real, but on
- [Letting Him Win You (#671)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/02/22/letting-him-win-you-671/) - Wayne and Brad follow up last week's podcast by continuing to talk about the challenge of forsaking our own best-laid plans, to go on a more fulfilling adventure of following him even if we haven't the foggiest idea where he is leading us. Realizing almost all of us seem to prefer him giving us a
- [The First Step toward Stupid (#672)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/03/01/the-first-step-toward-stupid-672/) - A listener email starts a discussion about calling, especially as it relates to full-time ministry. Brad and Wayne try to parse out the genuine from the contrived as they talk about their own sense of calling and whether or not the pastor's role as it has emerged over the centuries fulfills what Jesus had in
- [Guardians of a Gift (#682)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/05/31/guardians-of-a-gift-682/) - "A power structure that is accountable only to itself will always end up abusing the powerless." So says James Carroll in an article in the June 2019 Atlantic Monthly entitled, "Abolish the Priesthood." As a former priest and Catholic reformer, Carroll concludes the only way to save the Catholic church is to abaondon the priesthood
- [Here We Go Again...  (#683)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/06/07/here-we-go-again-683/) - Many of you were with us fifteen years ago, when Brad and I discussed a novel we were helping to rewrite and launched a publishing company to put it in the world. It appears some people never learn from their mistakes, because Wayne is about to do it again, in spite of what happened last
- [Parenting in Grace (#685)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/06/21/parenting-in-grace-685/) - What does it mean to parent in grace? Wayne's daughter, Julie Williams, is back to continue their exploration of parenting springing off the book, Parenting by Paul David Trip. They are in chapter 2 about grace and the importance of living in it for ourselves, and from that extending it to our children. Raising children
- [Game of Thrones and the Incarnation (Bonus Extra)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/06/10/game-of-thrones-and-the-incarnation-bonus-extra/) - [NOTE: We realize not everyone will have watched this series, and others will have significant concerns about the graphic violence and sexuality it portrayed. This podcast also includes plot spoilers for those still watching it.] In this continuation of a previous podcast, Wayne discusses the Game of Thrones finale with long-time GOT fans, Kyle and Jess
- [Relationship Is an Invitation (#681)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/05/24/relationship-is-an-invitation-681/) - You can't force anyone into a relationship, but you can invite them. Julie Williams stays over from last week's podcast to answer some email from listeners. First up is a question about spanking and whether or not it's a good tool for disciplining children. Wayne and Julie both talk about their experiences and perspectives in
- [Treasuring Your Children (#680)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/05/17/treasuring-your-children-680/) - For the years our children are growing up in our homes, there is no greater glorious calling than to help them learn how to live fruitful and responsible ives. Wayne's daughter, Julie Williams, returns for their continuing discussion about parenting with Chapter 1 of Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul
- [Following Beyond Our Fears (#679)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/05/10/following-beyond-our-fears-679/) - Wayne's finished up his two-week trip to Europe in Vallorbe, Switzerland at the home of his good friends, Silvio and Dominique Viotti. Silvio has been on a couple of podcasts so Wayne took the opportunity to talk to Silvio about what Father seems to be doing in sees God doing in Europe. Wayne shares some
- [What Keeps Us from Truth II (#674)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/04/05/what-keeps-us-from-truth-ii-674/) - Wayne and Brad continue their exploration of a chart of 24 biases that affect the way we process life around us and how they can keep us from recognizing the truth, even while we're certain that we have it. If you haven't heard last week's podcast, you might want to go back and check it
- [Heroin, Porn, and Facebook (#678)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/05/03/heroin-porn-and-facebook-678/) - One of the great wonders of our redemption in Christ is joy and freedom of finding our way beyond the brokenness of our humanity and how it manipulates our behavior to capture our spirit. A recent article in Christianity Today invites Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the transformation that comes from a relational
- [Are We Losing Our Spiritual Faculties? (#677)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/04/26/bottom-line-living-677/) - The podcast begins with an extensive report on Kenya, with all that's going on over there right now. Listeners to this podcast have given over two million dollars to help in a corner of the world where no one else is present to help people who are dying of starvation and disease. It's an incredible
- [Parenting from Respect (#676)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/04/19/parenting-from-respect-676/) - Wayne's daughter, Julie, joins him for this podcast that begins with some listener comments and questions about parenting. They also look at probably the most wicked words ever written about marriage and women, hoping to help women and the men who love them out of any residue of that kind of thinking. One theme kept
- [What Keeps Us from Truth (#673)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/03/29/what-keeps-us-from-truth-673/) - What if the thing you believe to be true with all of your heart and soul, turns out to be false? Then, where are you? Bias is everywhere! It can be eye-opening to realize how much bias we pick up going through life that allows some of our familiar interpretative patterns to keep us from
- [The Perspective of Job (#672)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/03/22/the-perspective-of-job-672/) - For one listener, our podcast on Seeing God as He Really Is filled him with thoughts of unbelief, or so he wrote to Wayne and Brad. They unpack his concerns as they once again encounter the question as to whether God always wants to heal sicknesses? And, what do we conclude if he doesn't? Living in
- [People of the Kingdom (#671)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/03/15/people-of-the-kingdom-671/) - A gospel that only concerns itself with getting people saved and does not help them come alive in the kingdom where God reigns, is a truncated Gospel that will leave people bored and empty, adrift in the cares of the world. On Wayne's recent trip to Tulsa, he catches up with his dear friend Tom
- [Am I Supposed to Change My Kids? (#670)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/03/08/can-i-change-my-kids-670/) - Do you as a parent have the power, or even the responsibility, to change your children? Thinking you do, misunderstands your role as a parent and will undermine the relationship God wants you to have with your children. That's the conclusion found in the Introduction to Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that Can Radically Change Your Family
- [Engaging Real Relationships (#670)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/02/15/engaging-real-relationships-670/) - "We have the potential to transform a life (and a) minimal capacity to individually change American politics. That line in a TIME article spurs Brad and Wayne on to a discussion about why we're so passionate to speak out in arenas where we have no power, instead of investing our energies where we can truly
- [Fitting In Or Belonging (#669)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/02/08/fitting-in-or-belonging-669/) - "Belonging is being accepted for yourself. Fitting in is being accepted for being like everyone else." That's from a group of eighth graders interviewed by Dr. Brené Brown, but we all know it's true. Our need to belong often drives us to fit into other people's expectations, denying who God created us to be and
- [We Were Wrong (#668)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/02/01/we-were-wrong-668/) - Mark Wingfield, a Baptist pastor from Texas, thinks the three most significant words for the church in 2019 just might be, "We Were Wrong." His column in the Baptist News Global designates seven areas where the church has been on the wrong side of issues that have caused great pain in our culture from racial
- [Addiction or Connection? (667)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/01/25/addiction-or-connection-667/) - Sin will take you further than you want to go, make you stay longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you ever imagined. A recent article in the NY Times outlined the process of opioid addiction and why so many people find themselves and why they overdose trying to get free
- [Podcast #666](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/01/18/podcast-666/) - Can you believe we've made it this far? When we started, we never conceived that we would still be recording 666 episodes later. What to do with this one? Brand and Wayne decided to use this occasion to talk about the influence of the enemy in our live—the lies he tells us, the temptations he
- [Free to Trust (#665)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/01/11/free-to-trust-665/) - When the greatest joy and peace comes from being free to trust the Father's love for us and his activity on our behalf, why is it so easy for us to lean away from him and trust our own ideas and efforts? Brad and Wayne explore what it is to grow in trust with God
- [Seeing God As He Really Is (#663)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/12/28/getting-fathers-heart-right-663/) - If we don't have an accurate view of God, how can we get anything else right? So much of the way we process our circumstances, share fellowship with others, or even read the Scriptures are influenced by how we view God. Brad and Wayne talk about how important it is to have our view of
- [Love That Endures the Unendurable (#664)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2019/01/04/love-that-endures-the-unendurable-664/) - Happy New Year to the God Journey family. Wayne and Brad ring it in with their thoughts about how they approach a new year and then dive into a listener's email about how God as walked with him through the most horrendous family tragedies over a significant stretch of time. That invites them back to
- [Maybe it Isn't So Difficult (#657)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/11/16/maybe-it-isnt-so-difficult-657/) - Arnita returns to help Wayne process some of the emails, comments and phone calls they both received after last week's podcast. They were delighted to find lots of wonderful engagement with people who listened to the podcast and wanted to interact further about it. Trained as a scientist, Arnita is the founder of Eight Leadership
- [Tragedy in Our Own Back Yards (#658)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/11/23/tragedy-in-our-own-back-yards-658/) - Brad's back and together he and Wayne process the twin tragedies that ravaged their home town. Twelve people, including a sheriff's deputy were murdered in a local bar and grill by a lone gunman, and the very next day two different wildfires attacked the outskirts of their city and nearby communities. They talk about the
- [Continuing the Journey (#659)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/11/30/continuing-the-journey-659/) - Why are we so inclined to prefer the stagnation of routine rather than embrace the joy of a journey with ever-changing circumstances but a deeper knowing of who he is? Wayne shares a dream that one of the God Journey listeners sent him about Jesus moving us on from places we've grown accustomed to so
- [Relying on the Spirit (#660)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/12/07/relying-on-the-spirit-660/) - Brad's back from Hong Kong where he spent some time exploring what God has done among the drug addicts and drug dealers in the former Walled City, It is also a place where God made himself known in some amazing ways all because Jackie Pullinger, a twenty-year old, single woman from England heard God's invitation
- [Recognizing God's Leading (#661)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/12/14/how-do-we-know-gods-voice-661/) - How do you know you're following the leading of the Spirit, or being deceived by your own best wisdom? Last week Brad and Wayne discussed the obedience of a young woman who went into one of the most dangerous places on earth and bore some incredible fruit. A couple of weeks ago a young man
- [Is God After Straight A's? (#662)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/12/21/is-god-after-straight-as-662/) - Five years ago Wayne's daughter, Julie, joined him on the podcast to discuss raising free-range children and returns this week to update us on her journey and to talk about some fresh direction Father is bringing into her life. She talks about strategies she uses to introduce her children to Jesus and why their friendships
- [Why Is It So Difficult to Talk About Race? (#657)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/11/09/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-talk-about-race-657/) - Wayne met Arnita Taylor in March right at the time when he and a friend were looking for a collaborator on a book they were planning called The Language of Healing. Arnita has a gift of creating a safe space for people to explore racial tensions, differences, and sensitivity. Trained as a scientist, she is
- [Connecting With the Heart (#656)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/11/02/connecting-with-the-heart-656/) - Last week Wayne talked to Jeff Andrechyn about the spirit of adventure that can be part of our growing walk with Jesus. After talking to Jeff, he also recorded a conversation with is wife, Dana, who is on a great journey of her own. Not quite the same as Jeff's, they prove to be a
- [When the Maps Run Out (#655)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/10/26/when-the-maps-run-out-655/) - Brad was out of town this week, so I'm filling in with a podcast I recorded last week with a good friend on my recent stay in Charlotte, NC. Jeff Andrechyn is a Captain for American Airlines and is especially captured by the sense of adventure that comes from following God, especially as he leads
- [And the Spirits Danced, Part 2 (#654)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/10/19/and-the-spirits-danced-part-2-654/) - Last week Bob Prater shared a vision he had recently and their processing of it went way beyond one podcast, so they return now to finish that conversation. If you haven't heard the first podcast, giving it a listen first will help this one make so much more sense. That leads them to a discussion
- [And the Spirits Danced (#653)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/10/12/and-the-spirits-danced-653/) - Brad is out of town, so Wayne invites an old friend, Bob Prater, to join him on the podcast as they talk about the level of political rancor in the last few weeks and a vision Bob believes the Lord gave him a month ago. It will be controversial, no doubt, but it resonated so
- [The Loneliness Epidemic (#652)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/10/05/the-loneliness-epidemic-652/) - There wasn't even a word for loneliness in the English language prior to the 1800s, now 40% of people report feeling lonely. Social scientists are calling it an epidemic with tragic consequences—living with loneliness increases your odds of dying early by 45%. Wayne invites Tracey Levinson, friend, author of unashamed, and occasional God Journey guest,
- [Breaking the Billy Graham Rule (#636)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/06/01/breaking-the-billy-graham-rule-636/) - "If you are married, never be alone with someone of the opposite sex who is not your spouse. Never." That's the so-called Billy Graham Rule, which he followed to avoid temptation and protect his reputation. Some think it communicates to women that they are fundamentally dangerous and objectifies women as sexual objects. In this second
- [Confronting the Old Boys' Club (#635)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/05/25/confronting-the-old-boys-club-635/) - Is there anything a man can do among the body of Christ that a woman cannot? In this first of two podcasts about issues affecting their sisters in the body of Christ, Brad and Wayne invite occasional guest, Tracy Levinson, to explore that question and a few others about the role of women in the
- [The Mystery of Prayer (#628)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/04/06/the-mystery-of-prayer-628/) - Is prayer more than, "throwing up a request, hoping for the best"? On a recent visit to Dallas, Wayne sat down with Tracy Levinson, author of Unashamed, and an occasional guest on the podcast. Tracy has been thinking a lot about prayer especially in the face of some difficult circumstances in her own life. That
- [Taking Shame Out of Sexuality (#551)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/09/30/taking-shame-out-of-sexuality-551/) - WARNING: Be advised that this podcast is a frank and perhaps for some a controversial conversation about sexuality. The sex lady returns to discuss some of your questions and comments from our earlier podcast. Wayne and Brad continue their frank and sometimes explicit conversation with Tracy Levinson, author of Unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness,
- [Unashamed (#538)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/06/24/unashamed-538/) - What happens when a mom of children in their twenties offers to answer questions about sex from the hormone-ravaged world of 18-28 year olds? You get: unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness, and faith. Wayne and Brad invite the author, Tracy Levinson to join them on this week's podcast to talk about her new book and what
- [Mutually Shared Selflessness (#552)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/10/07/mutually-shared-selflessness-552/) - WARNING: Be advised that this podcast is a frank and perhaps for some a controversial conversation about sexuality. Wayne and Brad continue with part two of their conversation with Tracy Levinson, author of Unashamed: candid conversations about dating, love, nakedness, and faith. They start where they left off, talking about navigating the waters where your sexual experience is a disappointment
- [All or Nothing (#651)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/09/28/all-or-nothing-651/) - "Does every area of your life honor Jesus?" That question came from a listener and opened the door to an interesting discussion as to why our religious rhetoric is so often couched in extreme measures. Is your all on the altar? Do you completely trust God in every area of your life? I surrender all.
- [From Victim to Overcomer (#650)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/09/21/from-victim-to-overcomer-650/) - It's a horrible thing to feel like someone else's victim, especially with wounds that have held on for decades. When others have been the conduit of evil to attack our lives, it is easy to get sucked into the idea that we are their perpetual victim and stay captive to whatever harm they did to
- [Making the Connection With God (#649)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/09/14/making-the-connection-with-god-649/) - Is God's love only something we read about in the Scriptures and know in our heads, or does he want us to experience it in our hearts as well? Wayne and Brad continue the theme of last week's podcast about the importance of having a personal connection with God in the earliest days of faith
- [Derailing Relationships (#648)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/09/07/derailing-relationships-648/) - Being right with each other is far more important to God than being right about an issue. Misunderstanding is the enemy of relationship, both in how we relate to God and how we relate to each other. Here's where a lot of humility can go a long ways in helping us move beyond a misunderstanding
- [Stumbling Over Jesus (#645)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/08/17/stumbling-over-jesus-645/) - "Blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over me." Jesus said in Matthew 11:6. What did he mean by that? How could we possibly stumble over Jesus? It turns out there are quite a number of ways we can be scandalized when he doesn't do what we might expect or want him to do. Following
- [A Liturgy for Family (#647)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/08/31/a-liturgy-for-family-647/) - A dip into the mailbag finds some questions about dealing with people who feel led by the Spirit to try to drag us back into religious obligation with the infamous fosake-not-the-assembly passage. How do we help people see that our versions of 'church' today have very little in common with how the first century believers
- [The Sins Against Me, Too? (#646)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/08/24/the-sins-against-me-too-646/) - "Jesus' death didn't just absorb my sin on the cross, but also all the sins others have committed against me." Wayne was startled to hear that thought from Thom while they had lunch in Raleigh last June. Of course, Wayne knew that Jesus died for all our sins, but he never stopped to consider how
- [Appropriating Grace (#644)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/08/10/appropriating-grace-644/) - Wayne and Brad spend some time mulling over last week's podcast with Jack Gerry about his family's encounter with Alzheimer's Disease and dig in to what it means to appropriate grace in those seasons where everything seems dark and God far away. There is a way to process our pain and questions with God that
- [Finding Grace in Desperate Times (#643)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/08/03/finding-grace-in-desperate-times-643/) - It's one thing to be certain of God's love when all is well and quite another to find it deeply reassuring in the most desperate of times. Wayne has known Jack and Nancy Gerry for almost thirty years and watched God lead them on an amazing transformation. Now, well into their 80s the are facing
- [When You Can't Play the Game Any Longer](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/11/03/when-you-cant-play-the-game-any-longer/) - Allegations of drug use and sexual trysts against one of America's well-known mega-church pastors and political advocate for religious conservatism combines with some experiences Wayne had on his recent trip to New England to provoke a discussion with Brad on what happens when we can no longer play the game religion asks of us. Some
- [In, Then Out, Then In Again (#642)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/07/27/in-then-out-then-in-again-642/) - Chris DuPré has had an interesting God Journey that we originally told on a podcast in 2010 as this long time musician and pastoral leader was finding his way outside of religious performance and religious institutions. But in the past couple years he's been invited back in to a unique pastoral role with a congregation
- [Finding Fullness (#641)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/07/20/finding-fullness-641/) - How much does finding learning to embrace the fullness of life that's in Christ depend on our pursuit? Can we overdo it by striving in our own efforts, or alternatively, become so passive and miss what he has for us? Wayne and Brad discuss the process by which we learn to live in the fullness
- [Franchising the Faith (#640)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/07/13/franchising-the-faith-640/) - It seems like every time we try to mass-produce the life of Jesus, be it through a workbook or "church" program, it always ends up getting sidetracked. What may be life to the first generation gets lost in subsequent generations as people are instructed in principles they've learned, rather than helping them cultivate their own
- [Taking a Break (#639)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/06/22/taking-a-break-639/) - We're sorry, but Wayne and Brad weren't able to connect for some podcasts before their families went on vacation, and the vacations aren't synched up either. So, The God Journey will be taking a break for the next few weeks. We don't know when we'll be able to get back to it, so subscribe to
- [The Gospel Jesus Preached](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/08/04/the-gospel-jesus-preached/) - Brad and I taped an extra podcast before I left for South Africa and we are releasing it now. So many of our institutional approaches to the life of Jesus are formulated around a truncated gospel—one that is incomplete and thus focused on the wrong priorities. Jesus didn't preach the gospel of the church or
- [The Keeper and the Kept](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/04/11/the-keeper-and-the-kept/) - If we think of ourselves as our brother's keeper, we'll find ourselves caught in a dangerous game of the keepers and the kept, and while it looks compassionate at the outset, it does not end that way. As Wayne came to the end of what he is affectionately calling his "Old Coot Tour", he spent
- [The Things God Uses](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/21/the-things-god-uses/) - Let us introduce you to Tom Mohn, a brother whose been on this journey a long time. Wayne met him five years ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has enjoyed a growing friendship with him since. The last time he was there he interviewed Tom who shared four things that God used in Tom's life to
- [To Heal or Not to Heal (#622)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/02/23/to-heal-or-not-to-heal-622/) - When God does a miracle for one person and then doesn't for another, it can present a major stumbling block to those learning to live in the Father's affection. Many come to doubt his existence or his love because the doesn't resolve situations in the way they think love would compel him to. Wayne and
- [Community Happens (#621)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/02/16/community-happens-621/) - How did 5,000 strangers in the book of Acts become such a family that they cared enough about each other to sell their possessions to meet each others need? And, all that without a program to tell people how to do it? Brad and Wayne have discovered over the years that real community is not
- [Meeting Gene Edwards (#620)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/02/09/meeting-gene-edwards-620/) - Gene Edwards is an enigmatic personality and a polarizing figure. No one has done more to encourage people think outside the box of institutionalized Christianity and see the Bride of Christ as Jesus is giving her shape in the world than Gene Edwards. And yet his model for replicating that church has been controversial and
- [Self-Confidence Dethroned (#619)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/02/02/self-confidence-dethroned-619/) - Wayne fills Brad in on his recent trip to Florida and North Carolina. One of the amazing observations Wayne had was the number of young people standing on the cusp of a new journey. Seeing through the illusion of religious obligation, they are hungry to find a different way of walking with Jesus that leads
- [Weaponizing Love (#618)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/01/26/weaponizing-love-618/) - Of course, true love cannot be weaponized, though religion often does with what it often calls love. Whenever we think love is the prize we receive when we act "good enough", or we withhold it from people who struggle, we are trying to use love as a weapon. But from God's perspective, love is the
- [Politics and the Kingdom (#617)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/01/19/politics-and-the-kingdom-617/) - For those who hate us talking about politics, this may be the podcast to miss. But for those who like to hear Brad and Wayne talk through their differing views while guarding their friendship, this may be right up your alley. This is not about President Trump or partisan politics, but about how the kingdom
- [How Can God's Love Not Change Us?  (#616)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/01/12/how-can-gods-love-not-change-us-616/) - Is transformation a beautiful invitation God has offered us, or his demand to preserve our salvation or to keep him from being offended? How we look at transformation tell us a lot of what we believe about God and righteousness. Following up input from the audience, Wayne and Brad revisit their conversation about character by
- [Testing the Prophets  (#615)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/01/05/testing-the-prophets-615/) - At the end of 2016, a group of prophetic leaders called the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (Really? Yes, really.) released words of prophecy they had been given for 2017 and what God's people could expect. Now that 2017 is over, we can take a look back and see how well they did. Not too
- [Jesus Outside of Us (#638)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/06/15/jesus-outside-of-us-638/) - Can we unwittingly incarcerate Jesus in our own hearts by thinking he is the author of our biases, preferences, and false conclusions that free us to follow our own ambitions instead of truly following him? That's the danger of only having Jesus inside of us, and not a Jesus outside of us who can confront
- [An Infinite God in Finite Minds (#637)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/06/08/an-infinite-god-in-finite-minds-637/) - Did Wayne throw Brad under the bus in a previous podcast about Breaking Up With God? Brad thinks he did as they revisit their discussion of Sarah Sentilles book. Is it arrogant to make final conclusions about God from our limited knowledge of him? And is that just as true for the brash theologian as it
- [Breaking Up with God (#634)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/05/18/breaking-up-with-god-634/) - We've visited this theme before, but not quite this way. It's a popular theme these days: someone grows up, aspiring to Christian leadership, and then decides God isn't real and Christianity doesn't work. Then, they need to write a book and justify their decision to anyone who will read it. What's really going on here?
- [Bias Blindness (#633)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/05/11/bias-blindness-633/) - Brad and Wayne catch up after a few weeks of travel for both of them—Brad to his son's wedding and a media event in Dallas, and Wayne to upstate New York. Through a strange set of circumstances, Wayne was able to spend some time with Jens Erik Gould, the Co-founder and Chief Editor of The
- [The Fruit of His Working (#632)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/05/04/the-fruit-of-his-working-632/) - It's impossible to make a discipline or obligation out of something only God can produce in the human heart. Wayne and Brad let their listeners shape the conversation today as they respond to a number of recent topics from previous podcasts. They talk about walking through the darkness to the rising Son, not trying to
- [A Reluctant Traveler (#631)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/04/27/a-reluctant-traveler-631/) - Have you ever felt God inviting you into a new opportunity, but instead of being excited about it, you feel a bit reluctant? That's Wayne's dilemma as God seems to be opening doors that have a bit of a déjà vu feel to him. Brad helps Wayne sort through the process here as he starts down
- [Don't Ignore Your Yuck Meter (#630)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/04/20/dont-ignore-your-yuck-meter-630/) - You know that feeling you get inside when something doesn't quite seem right? You may not even be able to put your finger on it but you're unsettled. Follow it or ignore it? We've had a lot of fun over the years talking about your Yuck Meter, which is the voice of the Spirit in
- [Changing the Conversation (#629)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/04/13/changing-the-conversation-629/) - In the aftermath of Wayne's TEDx talk, it looks like God may be freshly stirring Wayne's heart to restart BridgeBuilders and see if there are ways to change how we communicate with each other across the diversity of culture. We don't have to agree with each other to be gracious and seek not only for
- [Learning to Relax (#627)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/03/30/learning-to-relax-627/) - Is it easier to follow Jesus when you're anxious and desperate for the outcome you want, or when w're relaxed in his care for you? Over the past two weeks Wayne spent time with professional athletes who discovered in their own respective sports that they were able to function better when they were relaxed and
- [Does God Need to Be Appeased? (#626)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/03/23/does-god-need-to-be-appeased-626/) - As Wayne and Brad reflect on Billy Graham's passing, they find themselves in a discussion about how the Gospel is presented in our day and how it is perceived by the world. Do we serve a God that needs to be appeased, either by the death of his Son, or by us trying to ingratiate
- [Leaving My Father's Faith (#625)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/03/16/leaving-my-fathers-faith-625/) - Wayne and Brad just watched a new documentary titled, Leaving My Father's Faith. It is a conversation between popular evangelical author and speaker Tony Campolo and his son, Bart, as the process Bart's loss of faith in Jesus after a lifetime of growing up in the faith and working alongside his father as a colleague
- [Blessed Are the Peacemakers (#624)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/03/09/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-624/) - If we could only find some... Jesus blessed the peacemakers and now more than ever we need some to help bridge the widening rips in our social fabric. The amount of vitriol in our culture, even between Christians, has reached epidemic proportions. Spawned by our so-called leaders and fanned into flames by an advocacy media
- [Process Not Product (#623)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/03/02/process-not-product-623/) - A dip into the ol' mailbag includes some input from women about previous comments on the #metoo movement and how women are treated in our culture. Then Brad and Wayne share a beautiful story about God winning someone out of their destructive, self-righteous arrogance and into the transformative love of the Father. Religion sets our
- [From Fear to Trust (#572)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/03/from-fear-to-trust-572/) - "The crisis in the world is the lack of good leadership." That's an astute observation our guide in Israel made as we were discussing tensions in the Middle East and in U.S. politics. It is easier for bad leaders to manipulate with fear and to polarize people to get our own way. Good leadership invites
- [Hijinks from the Cliff Tops](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2018/02/14/hijinks-from-the-cliff-tops/) - Last week Brad and Wayne hosted a reunion of those who went with us to Israel last year, at their request. The first day we took a whale-watching trip out to Santa Cruz Island and hiked up the bluffs overlooking the deep blue Pacific Ocean. And there some hijinks ensued...
- [Does Character Matter Anymore? (#614)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/12/29/does-character-matter-anymore-614/) - Where are the men of noble character? Where is even the hunger in our society to value character over expediency? The political landscape today, including continued charges of men using their power to abuse women for their own amusement, and the brouhaha over the Judge Roy Moore candidacy in Alabama has demonstrated that people care
- [Our Reflection In the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/05/10/our-reflection-in-the-world/) - The Barna Group has released a new study that concludes Christians reflect the self-righteousness of the Pharisees to the world far more than they do the love and life of Jesus. (Click image at left to see the results of the study.) While that may be a shock to some, it is clear that religious
- [Escaping the Corruption in the World (#610)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/12/01/escaping-the-corruption-in-the-world-610/) - Christianity has taught many of us that salvation is jumping through the right religious hoops to acquire your get-out-of-hell-free card. Then why did Jesus and Peter talk about a different way of living that allows us to escape the corruption that is in the world and allows us live in the freedom and joy of
- [The Social-Validation Feedback Loop (#613)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/12/22/the-social-validation-feedback-loop-613/) - "God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains," confesses Sean Parker who was Facebook's founding president. Facebook designers intentionally made their platform physiologically addictive to give the user a dopamine hit when people "liked" their posting, or responded with a positive comment. They called it the social-validation feedback loop, and not only does
- [Losing Sight of God (#612)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/12/15/losing-sight-of-god-612/) - There was a time, back then, when you knew he was real and that he loved you. When people told you how to grow closer to him you got busy with the duties of being a good Christian, and that sense you had of his presence faded away. Now you're exhausted with trying to please
- [Love Shines Brighter (#611)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/12/08/love-shines-brighter-611/) - Brad wants to know if Wayne has his bug-out bag ready. With darkness increasing around us, whether it be a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, or the sexual predator scandals exposed in the highest reaches of our culture. All that brings up the question whether the world is just going to grow darker and
- [Is Civility Still Possible? (#609)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/11/24/is-civility-still-possible-609/) - Why are people so angry in the public dialog... and nasty? From the national political dialog, to those that troll the Internet to rain on everyone's parade, people are so convinced they are right that they can vilify anyone who disagrees with them. That's where Brad and Wayne end up after sharing a bit about
- [Breaking the Hex (#607)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/11/10/breaking-the-hex-607/) - "Did someone put a hex on you?" Paul asked the Galatians, because they had forsaken the work of the Spirit to try to achieve spiritual maturity by human effort. They had abandoned the Gospel found themselves ensnared again in religious obligation. The Fields Brothers, Jeff and Roger have written a new book called Breaking the
- ["Christian Hogwarts?" (#606)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/11/03/christian-hogwarts-606/) - Can you teach someone to use supernatural power with the same methods we teach people how to do surgery or install the plumbing? Someone sent Brad a link about the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, CA, which is evidently calling itself the Christina Hogwarts. And what, with "grave soaking", "flame tunnels" and "treasure
- [Yearning for the Transformed Life (#608)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/11/17/yearning-for-the-transformed-life-608/) - Why do some Christians enjoy a good legalistic flogging every Sunday from their pastor? What does it do for them? That question starts a conversation with Wayne and Brad about transformation. Most Christians seem to believe we were saved by grace through faith, but after that we're supposed to work hard to live better lives.
- [Listening to Learn (#604)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/10/20/listening-to-learn-604/) - As a society have we learned only seem to week out information that confirms our biases? What's our first inclination when we hear a conflicting voice? Is it to research their ideas and see if it reshapes the way I think, or is it to mount an argument to discredit those we consider our adversaries
- [The Seductive Allure of Power (#605)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/10/27/the-seductive-allure-of-power-605/) - It seems the trend in our broken world is to grab as much power as one can get, then hold on to it at all costs even if you have to compromise your integrity and oppress others. Rarely do people have the grace to recognize the corrupting influence of power and resist it's corruption. What
- [Revisiting the Racial Divide (#602)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/10/06/revisiting-the-racial-divide-602/) - After our last podcast on the racial divide, we were surprised at the audience reaction. Most white people I know loved Vince's perspective hoping it would define a way forward for us, while many people of color didn't think his experience spoke for them. We invited one of those who wrote us, Gil Michel to
- [Revisiting the Racial Divide, Part 2 (#603)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/10/13/revisiting-the-racial-divide-part-2-603/) - Last week Brad and Wayne began a conversation with Gil Michel about the racial divide in our culture. Gil is along time God Journey listener, and a bi-vocational pastor of an inner city fellowship in South Bend, IN. They continue their conversation with an eye toward what we can practically do to make a difference
- [Settling for Form Over Substance (#601)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/09/29/settling-for-form-over-substance-601/) - There's a difference between God always being with us, and those moments where he specifically manifests his presence in the outpouring of his grace or the revelation of his heart and will. It seems that while we humans have the desire for God to make himself known, we are willing to settle for our plans
- [Is God Behind Every Disaster? (#600)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/09/22/is-god-behind-every-disaster-600/) - Two major hurricanes have already assaulted Caribbean islands and the United States mainland this year. Every time a major disaster like this hits, someone speaking in the name of God positions it as God's punishment to command repentance or humility. Is that true? Does God roll hurricanes at the U.S. like bowling balls to teach
- [A Way to Live Differently (#599)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/09/15/live-differently/) - "Repentance is responding to God's invitation to life and living it differently than I already am." That jewel comes out of a letter to Wayne and Brad from Lauren in Tennessee. It is part of a compelling story where she was faced with choosing between doing what she wanted or responding to the Spirit's nudge
- [Reaching Across the Racial Divide (#598)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/09/08/reaching-across-the-racial-divide-598/) - Vince Coakley, host of The Vince Coakley Show out of Greenville, SC and a friend of Wayne's, joins the podcast for a very different look at the growing racial divide in our culture. From Charlottesville to #blacklivesmatter, it appears America is coming apart at its racial seams. Is it? How can we change the conversation
- [A Passion For What's True (#597)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/09/01/a-passion-for-whats-true-597/) - A variety of reactions to an earlier podcast about God's judgment, draws Brad and Wayne into a further conversation about how we explore truth inside a relationship with Jesus. Is it enough just to seek what makes us comfortable or sets us at ease? Our exploration of his love does not negate our hunger for
- [The Third Rail of Inerrancy (#556)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/11/04/the-third-rail-of-inerrancy-556/) - Evangelicals have set up camp around their belief that the Scriptures are inerrant. They judge people's faith on that belief, even if the word itself isn't used in Scripture. What does inerrancy mean? Does the book have to be inerrant to be fully trusted as God's revelation of himself? Wayne and Brad jump on this
- [Where Theories Give Way to Reality (#596)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/08/25/where-theories-give-way-to-reality-596/) - Why do prayers for rain in Pokot go unanswered for tens of thousands of people starving in a severe drought, while God seems to change the weather for two Americans hiking through Norway? That provocative question rises out of an earlier podcast starts Brad and Wayne on a conversation about sorting through the ways God
- [What Judgment Lies Ahead? (#594)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/08/11/what-real-accountability-looks-like-594/) - After a brief contemplation as to whether or not Mark Zuckerberg is the antichrist or a pastor wanna be, and how much gets distorted in our lives when we have to monetize our gifts. After that Wayne and Brad fall into a conversation about judgment at the end of the age. Are we going to
- [Why Is This So Difficult? (#594)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/08/04/why-is-this-so-difficult-594/) - If God wants a relationship with us so much, why does he make it so difficult? Or does he? It seems like it some times, to be sure, but would that be true to his nature? Wouldn't he rather do it in the simplest way possible so that he would help us come to know
- [What's the Devil Got to Do With It?  (#595)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/08/18/whats-the-devil-got-to-do-with-it-595/) - Some people don't think Brad and Wayne talk about they devil enough as a real adversary that has impact on the circumstances of our lives. Responding to a listener's question they share from their own experiences about the reality of the enemy in the world, how they deal with him, and why an unhealthy focus
- [Honest to God (#593)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/07/28/honest-to-god-593/) - Can you imagine a world in where people couldn't tell a lie even if they wanted to? Knowing the damage that deceit and duplicity do to relationships, that may well be heaven. But not everyone would agree since many use lies and pretense to cover their own shame and brokenness. Living loved will increasingly give
- [An Adventure With God (#592)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/07/21/an-adventure-with-god-592/) - A genuine God Journey is the best adventure of all. Wayne is just back from South Africa and shares from his time there and the excitement of meeting so many young people finding traction in how to live loved. Brad's two boys are trekking through Norway, learning the difference between viewing a country from the
- [The Road to Real (#591)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/07/14/the-road-to-real-591/) - A dip into the old mailbag takes Brad and Wayne on a journey through the power of forgiveness in a curative view of atonement, what do you do when the Sunday service sucks the life out of your relationship with God, and how our so-called "Sunday worship" became so empty and lifeless. What Brad and
- [Sin Is Its Own Punishment (#589)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/30/sin-is-its-own-punishment-589/) - It is perhaps one of the most controversial lines in THE SHACK even for those who love the book and the movie. We so associate God with anger, sin, and punishment, that people are asking Wayne and Brad what they meant by that phrase, "Sin is its own punishment." Is that even Biblical since Scripture
- [Enjoying Our Presence (#588)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/23/enjoying-our-presence-588/) - All the little girl wanted was for a dad who would enjoy her presence. But he was too busy managing their lives to notice that his daughter was drowning in the need for a father's love. Enjoying our presence, is the perfect way to talk about how God loves us and how he wants to
- [Wayne's Headed for South Africa](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/19/waynes-headed-for-south-africa/) - If there are any God Journey listeners in South Africa that would like to meet-up with Wayne and other people on a God journey, here's his itinerary. There are plenty of open times to connect from Durban to Cape Town, to the Johannesburg area. He will be in the are from June 28 through Juy
- [Emotions Are Not Your Enemy (#590)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/07/07/emotions-are-not-your-enemy-590/) - What's so amazing about God is that he is deeply invested in the lives of his creation and often Scripture expresses that assigning emotions to God that parallel our own. And yet, many of us have been taught to cover up our more painful emotions instead of celebrating them whether we find ourselves in joy
- [Living In the Squeeze (#587)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/16/living-in-the-squeeze-587/) - How do we reconcile the love of the Father and the bone-crushing trials that life throws at us? With some listener input, Brad and Wayne revisit last week's topic, Desperation and Hope, and offer some more insight about navigating our difficulties, not by denying the reality of our circumstances, but embracing the hope of God-with-us
- [Desperation and Hope (#586)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/09/desperation-and-hope-586/) - Do we accept the desperate circumstances that come upon us, or do we resist them in hope that God will change them? The question comes from a frequent listener to the God Journey and causes Brad and Wayne to wrestle with their own journey of where our faith comes into play in dealing with illness
- [Andrew's Story (#585)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/06/02/andrews-story-585/) - "I love you. I forgive you. I want to know you." Those words profoundly changed the course of Andrew's life. A stubborn agnostic, Andrew had no hope in God's existence even as he had destroyed his marriage and family with a host of addictions. But one day he opened the door just a crack to
- [What Is That to You? (#584)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/05/26/what-is-that-to-you-584/) - There is nothing that messes up our spiritual journey more than looking at other people and comparing our journey and its fruits to theirs, and yet something in our humanity can't seem to resist the urge to do so. The discussion starts with an email about a so-called controversy regarding some women bloggers and the
- [Will the Benedict Option Help? (#583)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/05/19/will-the-benedict-option-help-583/) - Rod Dreher's latest book, The Benedict Option has caused quite a stir among Christian conservatives. He concedes we've lost the culture war and uses the example of St. Benedict who founded monasteries to combat the collapse of the Roman Empire. He suggests withdrawal from the culture is necessary to protect the purity of the Gospel
- [Genuineness And the Machine (#582)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/05/12/genuineness-and-the-machine-582/) - Wayne's back from Michigan and Wisconsin including a visit with some prisoners there. Brad's back from a Seven Mountain Conference, so they have lots tot all about and most of it circles back to how putting our trust in a system will easily lead us astray from the reality of living inside of Christ. They
- [Love Is the Most Important Part of Truth (#580)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/04/28/love-is-the-most-important-part-of-truth-580/) - It is said that the Pharisees believed truth was more important than love, and without love they soon veered off the path of truth. But for the follower of Christ, love become the most important part of truth. It's the conduit through which God brings his truth into our lives so we can be respond to
- [Bible Worship and Hierarchies (#581)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/05/05/bible-worship-and-hierarchies-581/) - Wayne sifts through the mailbag to explore some responses to recent podcasts. One invites a discussion about the misuse of Scripture as a substitute for a real relationship with God instead of a valuable tool to help us explore that relationship. When we try to use a gift other than for the purpose it was
- [Brad's a Lousy Calvinist (#579)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/04/21/brads-a-lousy-calvinist-579/) - Brad's been spending a lot of time trying to understand the Calvinist reaction to THE SHACK, and why it is that they demonstrate so much angst about the movie. It has led him into some musings about God's control and the universe, the blending of God's justice and his mercy, and why humans get caught
- [Pedestal People (#578)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/04/14/pedestal-people-578/) - Everyone, it seems is drawn to the top of the pedestal. To be admired by others, thought influential in their field, and to reap the financial rewards of being at the top of the heap is often equated with success. Should it be? Brad and Wayne discuss the lure of the pedestal and what it
- [God Sees All That You Are (#577)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/04/07/god-sees-all-that-you-are-577/) - Is the fact that God knows you to the core of your being good news or bad news? The answer will tell you a lot of what you believe about him, you, and the possibility of relationship with him. If you know his love then you want him to know everything about you, even the
- [The Alpha Leader Is Not What You Think (#576)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/31/the-alpha-leader-is-not-what-you-think-576/) - This is the first podcast Wayne and Brad have done since the movie release, so they begin with some of the reactions they are getting from people, both those who love it and those who react against it. They talk about why religious people carry so much pain and genuinely want people to be punished.
- [Confusion at the Shack (#574)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/17/confusion-at-the-shack-574/) - We have been grateful to hear from so many people who have been touched by the movie adaptation of The Shack. Even those who didn't want to see the movie, fearful it would ruin their enjoyment of the book, have written to tell us how wrong they were. The movie has already touched so many
- [His Voice, His Wrath, and His Punishment (#575)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/24/his-voice-his-wrath-and-his-punishment-575/) - Lately Brad and Wayne have been caught up in numerous conversations about their ideas about discerning God's voice, his wrath as it defines his character, and his punishment as it relates to our struggle with sin. Many feel God has only left us with the Scriptures to guide us will not make his voice and
- [Brad and Wayne's Excellent Adventure at the Premiere](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/02/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure-at-the-premiere/) - Though we are no longer in NY, this was our last video before we fled for the airport, and below it is the first outtake. In some ways historic. Don't miss it. https://youtu.be/V5TDxtjBStM After 570 podcasts and some 10 videos, I can count on one hand the number of times we've had to stop a
- [Brad and Wayne's Excellent Adventure Through Times Square](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/01/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure-through-times-square/) - Between The Shack Preview and the After-party, Brad pulled out his phone to harass Wayne. Here's he result: https://youtu.be/uEA1OOykCio
- [Brad and Wayne Visit New York](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/28/brad-and-wayne-visit-new-york/) - Brad and Wayne are in New York for the Worldwide Premiere of THE SHACK. From Central Park they share a bit about their day in the City. https://youtu.be/Yc64Cjrm1Mc
- ["I Can't Give You Character" (#573)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/03/10/i-cant-give-you-character-573/) - A son comes home after sliding into the less-than-stellar influence of his friends and as his dad was trying to help him understand what maturity would invite him to embrace wound up saying, "Son, I can give you mercy, but I can't give you character. What a statement and Brad and Wayne parse that out
- [Doctrine Débonnaires (#571)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/24/doctrine-debonnaires-571/) - When did Christianity become a religion more concerned about doctrinal conformity than it is helping people know, love and follow the living God? Knowledge about God and knowing God are two different things. Wayne and Brad discuss the growing divide between academic understanding about and personal engagement with him. This is not one or the
- [Truth, Laughter, and Reality (#570)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/17/truth-laughter-and-reality-570/) - As the release date for movie adaptation for The Shack gets ever closer, Brad and Wayne share a bit of the process they have been through and their excitement to see how others respond to the movie. That begins a conversation about the playfulness of God in the story and why that is offensive to some. Playfulness
- [The God Journey Israel Adventure (#569)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/10/the-god-journey-israel-adventure-569/) - The boys are back from Jordan and Israel reflecting on their time with 32 others from around the world who joined them for a two-week odyssey. While they talk about the sites that most impacted them they also share some of what they learned and reflected on while there. You'll hear about Mt. Nero, the rock city
- [Brad and Wayne's Excellent Adventure At the Airport](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/05/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure-at-the-airport/) - It is time to leave Israel and Brad and Wayne take a few moments to reflect on the trip and prepare for their journey home. What an adventure! These fun little clips don't do justice to the magnitude and depth of our time there. That we'll save for a regular podcast. Enjoy! After this we
- [Brad and Wayne's Excellent Adventure in Jerusalem](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/02/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure-in-jerusalem/) - The God Journey Israel Tour finally made it to Jerusalem three days ago and we've been too busy to get a video up. We've been all over the Old City, Temple Mount, the City of David, the holocaust museum, and out to Bethlehem. We are in our finally two-day stretch now before heading home. It
- [Think Small (#567)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/27/think-small-567/) - In every battle between the empowered establishment and some group of people calling out for relief from oppression, the vast majority of Christianity has been on the wrong side of the struggle. In almost every case if you would have chosen the struggle of the oppressed you would have been on the right side of
- [Brad and Wayne's Excellent Adventure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/25/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure/) - Brad and Wayne are traveling in the Middle East with a group of God Journey listeners. This is a short video to let you know we're thinking about you all who aren't with us. We visited Petra today, a city carved out of stone. #onetakewonders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z84XaD3rlmc
- [Brad And Wayne's Excellent Adventure in Galilee](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/28/brad-and-waynes-excellent-adventure-in-galilee/) - Brad and Wayne's tour group is in the Galilee. This morning they took a ride in a boat from Genesseret to Capernaum where Jesus based his ministry. What an amazing morning, sailing where Jesus sailed. At the end of the day we went to a museum that contains a 2000 year old boat that was rescued
- [The Church Attendance Heresy (#568)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/02/03/the-church-attendance-heresy-568/) - Did you know that in the third century "church leaders" declared it heresy to encourage others to worship at home with friends and family? There's a lot to love about the councils and creeds, but this is not their best work especially when the establishment moves far from the reality of the Gospel and trading
- [The Approval Addiction (#566)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/20/the-approval-addiction-566/) - When we aren't finding our life in Jesus each day, we go looking in the strangest places. When our hearts are at rest in him we get to live freely and lovingly in the world. Wayne and Brad catch up on some listener email and talk about the joy of moving away from the do-good, try-harder performance
- ["What's In It for Me?" (#564)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/06/whats-in-it-for-me-564/) - It's such an easy trap to fall into. How many times have we seen people start out sharing a gift God has given them with others and end up using that gift to serve themselves? In this age of self-promotion the temptation has never been greater, especially if we want our gift to build our influence,
- [The Best Time to Plant a Tree (#565)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2017/01/13/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-565/) - As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today. If you didn't then, there's no time like the present. Don't we all wish we'd given greater attention to God's working in us in years past and live more freely in the
- [The Cry for Justice (#562)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/23/the-cry-for-justice-562/) - Why do we only feel the pangs of unfairness when we think we're being cheated and don't carry the same passion for it when we are the ones who benefit from it? Following up last week's conversation with Brad, Wayne reads an excerpt from a new book about the crucifixion that may offer an explanation
- [The Futility of Managed Spirituality (#563)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/30/the-futility-of-managed-spirituality-563/) - Why do we think we can manage the spirituality of others instead of helping them learn to follow the Spirit of Jesus he has placed in them? It never works. It leads to conflict between fellow believers and substitutes the breath of the Spirit for telling others what principles they should be following. A search
- [Seeing the Bigger Picture (#561)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/16/seeing-the-bigger-picture-561/) - Often our view of life is limited by our self focus that we miss the way God is working around us. eis so limited by it's self-focus, when God is wanting to open our eyes to his Brad gets shaken down by the federales in Mexico in a recent family trip there, which opens a discussion with Wayne
- [Want to See the Shack With Us?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/13/want-to-see-the-shack-with-us/) - First, a brief announcement about this week's podcast Brad and I discuss the movie ARRIVAL toward the end of our conversations. It is in theaters now. If you'd prefer to see the movie before hearing our discussion, you may want to see it in advance of listening to that podcast. Now for the God Journey
- [Honest to God! (#560)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/09/honest-to-god-560/) - There can be no intimacy without honesty and genuineness and that's as true of God as it is our relationship with others. Wayne's time recuperating from surgery and watching some of the other people he knows who are struggling with pain and loss in their lives sparks a discussion with Brad about love and compassion
- [Post-Operative Thoughts (#559)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/12/02/post-operative-thoughts-559/) - Since the last episode Wayne ended up having open-heart surgery far sooner than he expected and Brad debriefs that whole experience with Wayne as well as how he is doing in his post-operative recovery. In this highly personal conversation they talk about God's purpose unfolding in our circumstances and how to flow along with him
- [Sorry, No Podcast Today](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/11/25/sorry-no-podcast-today/) - Wayne is still recovering from heart surgery, so The God Journey is currently on hiatus. We're not sure when the next podcast will appear, but in the meantime you can listen to one of our listener favorites: No Longer a TACL*. If you haven't heard it before, we hope you enjoy it. If you have
- [He's In This Too (#558)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/11/18/hes-in-this-too-558/) - Before Wayne headed to heart surgery he and Brad discussed the just-concluded election (though they didn't know the results), the efficacy of prayer and how they utilize in their lives, and how we respond to suffering, or the prospect of it in this broken world. Reading an email he got from Dave Coleman about God
- [Pour Some Love Into It (#557)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/11/11/put-some-love-in-it-557/) - There is no situation that you are in with any other human being that pouring love into it won't help. That thread runs through two emails that Wayne reads to Brad about God's ability to pour out his love when it most surprised people. Then they tear into an article in TIME Magazine about the
- [The Wonder of Scripture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/03/23/the-wonder-of-scripture/) - Where do the Scriptures fit in the life of the believer? We all know the religious practice of disciplined reading schedules and following the book as if it were the owner's manual for the Christian life, but is that enough? Wayne and Brad finally get the chance to discuss a topic they've had on their
- [The Wonder of Scripture II](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/03/30/the-wonder-of-scripture-ii/) - Responding to reader feedback from their previous podcast, Brad and Wayne continue their discussion on the power and place of Scripture in the life of people on the God journey. They cover the debates about inerrancy, textual criticism and the leading of the Spirit versus the objective truth of the Bible. They also share the
- [Treasuring Scripture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/07/29/treasuring-scripture/) - An email from a listener begs Wayne and Brad to renounce the Bible as a distorted religious document that does more harm than good. Many people who have been abused by religion and freshly awaken to the God of love reject the power of Scripture because they simply don't understand what it is or how
- [Has Legalism Hijacked the Bible? (#544)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/08/05/has-legalism-hijacked-the-bible/) - "To my wife, so many passages of scripture are now tainted with memories of fear and condemnation from an always angry, inescapable, never-satisfied deity that she can't bring herself to read it anymore." And she's not alone. For too many, having been abused by legalistically-twisted interpretations of Scripture destroys the treasure it can hold for
- [It's His Nudges We Want to Follow (#555)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/10/28/its-his-nudges-we-want-to-follow-555/) - There's a reason we talk about his leading as nudges, because God's ability to draw us into his reality is so unlike the inner selfishness that tries to push its agenda to the fore, often at other peoples' expense. Wayne and Brad start by discussing Wayne's recent trip to Tennessee and his new heart concerns,
- [When Sovereignty Turns to Fatalism (#554)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/10/21/when-sovereignty-turns-to-fatalism-554/) - Will God determine the result of the next election regardless of what we do? Many think so based on a faulty interpretation of Romans 14. After spending a few moments answering a listener's question about is whether or not there is a valid calling to the ministry, Brad and Wayne talk about the difference between trusting in
- [Why We Cannot Trust Ourselves (#553)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/10/14/why-we-cannot-trust-ourselves-553/) - "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves and wiser people so full of doubts." (Bertrand Russell) Two amazing stories of transformation by God Journey listeners opens up a discussion about how we respond to God's moving in our lives instead of trying to get him to do what
- [The Wonder of Healthy Friendships (#550)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/09/23/the-wonder-of-healthy-friendships-550/) - New studies just out show just how powerful a network of good friendships can be. One study calls friendship better than morphine for its ability to produce endorphins that have pain-killing effects. Another suggests that the lack of human relationships may be the real cause of addiction, concluding that "the opposite of addiction is not sobriety; it's human
- [Why Transformation Takes Time (#549)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/09/16/why-transformation-takes-time-549/) - One of the themes of our ongoing podcast is the time it takes for our brains to switch from living in the bondage of religious performance, to finding our life and freedom in the affection of a gracious Father. It is a journey that takes years and we've often wondered why. Wayne shares with Brad
- [Is Patriotism Dead? (#548)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/09/09/is-patriotism-dead-548/) - Brad's concerned that patriotism has become a dirty word among some of his Christian friends and wants to explore why with Wayne. Of course our hope is not in the kingdoms of this world, but does that mean we just abandon the political landscape and not have influence there? That gets them into a discussion
- [Unintended Consequences (#547)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/09/02/unintended-consequences-547/) - The picture above is of the dying forest where Wayne's father lives. It is the unintended consequences of shutting down the lumber industry 20 years ago allegedly to protect the forest. But the opposite happened. It's a fitting metaphor for what charity is doing to many third-world economies. Sometimes our most well-intentioned actions have devastating
- [Helpless Isn't Hopeless (#546)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/08/26/helpless-isnt-hopeless-546/) - Wayne and Brad are back from their summer hiatus and as they sort through some listener email, they are asked about their own journeys and what God is doing in them at the moment. That spawns some conversation about embracing God's delight in us especially when we're not at our best, and learning the value
- [This Is Not a Podcast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/08/19/this-is-not-a-podcast/) - Wayne and Brad have been on vacation so there is no podcast today. To inform those who only listen to the downloads, Wayne has recorded this brief snippet to alert people to what's going on with the podcast and some other information that might prove helpful to listeners. He also includes one of his Engage
- [Children Unplugged — The Sequel](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/04/children-unplugged-–-the-sequel/) - They couldn't resist! Brad and Wayne had so much feedback from their previous podcast on being involved with children outside the box, that they wanted to share some of it with you and continue the dialog. As you will see, this is not just an issue for parents, but for all of Father's family. Responding
- [Children Unplugged!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/10/27/children-unplugged/) - Most people who find themselves bored with the Sunday morning production, often keep going because they feel it is important for their children. How will their children survive spiritually without Sunday schools and youth groups? In the latest podcast Wayne and Brad examine children unplugged from organized religion. The question might now be how can
- [Can God Be Bought? (#545)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/08/12/can-god-be-bought-545/) - Some congregations are now offering money-back guarantee with a three-month commitment to give 1/10 of their income. If you don't see his blessings at the end you get your money back. Gimmick or lesson in generosity? That news story launches Brad and Wayne into a conversation about tithing, giving, and generosity under the new covenant.
- [Civil Dialog Begins at Home (#542)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/07/22/civil-dialog-begins-at-home-542/) - Brad and Wayne continue their discussion from last week as it moves to the dialog we carry on in the normal course of our lives, especially with those who may not see what I see. It has been said that religion makes us "relationally challenged" as we are more driven to argument and accusation than
- [Our Broken Civil Dialog (#541)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/07/15/our-broken-civil-dialog-541/) - Has the civic discourse in America reached an all-time low, and if so is there any hope it's about to get better? As Wayne and Brad begin in the mailbag they are invited into a discussion about the current state of political affairs in the U.S., including the rise in violence and fear as people talk
- [Security that Sets Others Free! (#540)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/07/08/security-that-sets-others-free-540/) - Wayne is ticked off! He's met too many women of late who have been preyed upon by counselors or pastors who seek to fulfill their sexual urges at the expense of women who are emotionally broken. Instead of inviting them into a secure environment of love and affection, they exploit them in a way that only
- [Just Mercy (#522)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/03/04/25036/) - No one should be defined by their worst moment, and you shouldn't be better off under the law if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor an innocent. Bryan Stevenson in his New York Times best-seller, Just Mercy, confronts the inequities in American culture with a plea for real justice and real mercy. Wayne
- [Where's My Tribe?  (#539)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/07/01/wheres-my-tribe-539/) - Can you provide a podcast without trying to build a community? That's what one listener wants to know and it invites Wayne and Brad into an interesting discussion about this podcast and whether or not they want to build an audience or turn the God Journey into an Internet community. If your Yuck Meter went
- [Playing In the Cold (#537)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/06/17/playing-in-the-cold-537/) - Wayne is back from the land of puppy dogs and rainbows and shares with Brad some of the lessons and experiences of the trip. They also discuss the horrendous violence in Florida this past weekend and where we find God in such tragedies. In spite of the brokenness of our world, how is God the most
- [The Uninfected Life (#536)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/06/10/the-uninfected-life-536/) - What would a life in Jesus look like if we had never been infected by shame or religion and simply grew in a trusting relationship with God? That's what a listener asks and that sends Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the influence of shame and our religious attempts to cover it up actually distance us
- [What If God Enjoys Watching You Grow? (#535)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/06/03/what-if-god-enjoys-watching-you-grow-535/) - Religious performance teaches us that God wants us to be perfect today, and every failure or mistake is proof that we don't love him enough or are not committed enough. What if God had something else in mind, actually walking with us while he teaches us to live increasingly free from our broken ways of thinking
- [The Sweet Spot of Growing Trust (#533)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/05/20/the-sweet-spot-of-growing-trust-533/) - We all know what it's like. Life is caving in around us. Everything that can go wrong, is going wrong and we feel as if God is ganging up on us. And mail from a listen invites Brad and Wayne into a discussion about finding that sweet spot of trust where our safety in him
- [So Many Systems, So Little Life (#518)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/02/05/so-many-systems-so-little-life-518/) - "If you can systematize it, you can monetize it." That advice was given by a consultant to a group of ministers telling them how they can derive more income from their ministries. Brad joins Wayne again for a discussion of his recent article, Monetizing Ministry as they explore why we have created so many religious
- [How Did That Become Unthinkable? (#500)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/09/18/how-did-that-become-unthinkable-500/) - Wayne and Brad reunite to talk about this podcast and how it has impacted others and then more importantly how their own journeys have continued to take them to places they would never have conceived. You never know how exploring the depths of God's love and interacting with him through the joys and challenges of
- [Knowing Him is What Matters (#501)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/09/25/knowing-him-is-what-matters-501/) - Brad stays over from last week's podcast as they continue to celebrate their relationship and hear from others about how this podcast has encouraged their journey. They also talk about the latest research from Group and Josh Packard (Church Refugees) that 65 million Americans are former "church" goers who have opted out and only about
- [Who Can't Use A Friend? (#534)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/05/27/who-cant-use-a-friend-534/) - What if our invitation into the kingdom of God had been an introduction to Jesus as a real person who wanted to be our friend? Instead many have come to him for fear of what would happen to them if they didn't, and rather than endear us to him, he became someone we didn't want to
- [No Need to Hide (#531)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/05/06/no-need-to-hide-531/) - Wayne and Brad follow up last week's podcast with some further dialog about sexuality, sexual temptations, and how we can let God into that space to bring wholeness to the precious gift of sexuality that he gave us. It's amazing how much sexuality governs our lives and how little we talk about it as part
- [What Must I Do To Be Saved? (#532)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/05/13/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved-532/) - The God Journey today announces a new co-host for Wayne. Well, actually it's an old one! Now that his schedule has lightened Brad is returning full-time as co-host of The God Journey and they celebrate that with some listener input before taking an important question from a past blog comments. What must we do to
- [Let Talk Sex (#530)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/04/29/let-talk-sex-530/) - North Carolinians are battling transgendered restrooms. Time Magazine runs a cover story on how pornography ruins sexual intimacy in real life. Ours is a sexually dominated culture to be sure and Wayne and Brad plunge into the issues politically and personally. By viewing our sexuality as an act of personal freedom instead of as a
- [How Contrarian Are We?  (#529)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/04/22/how-contrarian-are-we-529/) - How far have Wayne and Brad walked from their evangelical past? An article in the April issue of Christianity Today offered a new matrix to define what an evangelical is using four theological statements. It gives Wayne and Brad a chance to check their evangelical roots to see how the last fifteen years has shaped
- [A Journey Out of Sexual Brokenness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/03/25/a-journey-out-of-sexual-brokenness/) - Renee grew up in a Christian environment but found herself in her late teens dealing with same-sex attraction. That led to nearly twenty years in same-sex relationships that were in conflict with her personal faith. Three years ago God began a work of transformation that continues to this day. Wayne met Renee during his recent
- [Can a Christian Be Gay?  (#470)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/01/23/can-a-christian-be-gay-470/) - The expansion of gay rights in American culture in unprecedented in the last five years and has dramatically changed the public dialog about homosexuality in America. It has changed the dialog inside Christianity as well as some people claim the Scriptures used to condemn homosexuality have been misinterpreted. In this climate how do we find
- [Hijacking God's Gifts (#528)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/04/15/hijacking-gods-gifts-528/) - It's an often-repeated story... God reveals himself in some unique way and soon people are swarming all over it with the all-too-human need to protect, manage, or exploit it for their own gain. Once we regard his work as a possession of ours instead of a gift to be shared, his presence withdraws and moves
- [The Blue Smoke of Selfishness (#527)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/04/08/the-blue-smoke-of-selfishness-527/) - It is way to easy to convince ourselves we have God's best interests at heart, even as we're pursuing our own desires. Wouldn't it be great if our own selfishness was as obvious to us as it is to God? It is so easy to deceive ourselves that we're doing something for the glory of
- [Living Freely in God's Will (#526)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/04/01/living-freely-in-gods-will-526/) - As Wayne reports on his recent trip to Ireland and the UK he and Brad end up in a discussion about God's will and how he reveals that to us. Unfortunately many Christians have been taught to follow a set of principles or rituals, rather than how to get to know him, to sense his
- [Living as an Elder-at-Large (#525)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/03/25/living-as-an-elder-at-large-525/) - Some say without local church institutions we cannot experience the gifts of elders, teachers, or apostles. They would be wrong. These gifts can actually function more powerfully when unmoored from the needs and processes of an institution. That reality can take expression in a variety of ways, but here's one example. Bob Prater used to
- [How His Love Frees Us (#524)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/03/18/how-his-love-frees-us-524/) - Especially in the most challenging or devastating of circumstances, knowing we are loved turns the tide from being swallowed up by our circumstances to finding the freedom to navigate them with God's wisdom and grace. Wayne and Brad read some listener responses to recent podcasts and pick up a thread about how our security in
- [You Are Salt (#523)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/03/11/you-are-salt-523/) - When we live with the lie that something is either all right or all wrong, we miss the nuances and textures of God making himself known even through the brokenness of humanity. Brad joins Wayne for a discussion about politics and religious leaders who constantly chose between character and expedience in seeking a place of
- [Am I Doing Enough For God?  (#521)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/02/26/am-i-doing-enough-for-god-521/) - If you're nagged by the question of whether you should be doing more for God, you know how disorienting it can be. Could it be God? My religious training? An need for significance? Or the devil? David has his seminary degree and experience as a pastor/church planter for many years. Even though the stress and
- [Letting Go of the Dock (#520)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/02/19/letting-go-of-the-dock-520/) - Wayne dips into the ol' email bag and pulls out some amazing stories of discovery and transformation, those willing to let go of the false security of religion and join God on an adventure that proves to be even more rewarding than it is risky. You'll hear about a ministry couple who discovered what they
- [If It Isn't Free, It Isn't Ministry  (#519)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/02/12/if-it-isnt-free-it-isnt-ministry-519/) - Wayne and Brad continue their discussion about monetizing ministry and the ramifications it has on both the one charging for his version of the Gospel, and the content of what he seeks to sell. There's a reason Jesus calls his workers, 'gifts'. It's because they are to bless others, not exploit them for their own
- [Pharisees In Your Family (#517)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/01/29/pharisees-in-your-family-517/) - It's one thing to separate yourself from a conformity-based institution that preys on guilt and obligation, but what if your parents, children, or siblings continue to carry that voice into your life and no longer respect you or your journey? Some families cut those off who don't conform to the family ethos, and others continue
- [Joy to the World (#516)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/01/22/joy-to-the-world-516/) - How do you live in God's joy when life around us is filled with so much pain? How does God do it? With all that's broken in the world, how does he dare to invite us into his joy so that our joy can be full? Brad joins Wayne for a discussion about the transformation
- [Finding Meaningful Friendships (#515)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/01/15/finding-meaningful-friendships-515-2/) - Fellowship used to be easy. All you had to do was show up for the planned meetings and you had an instant connection with a group of people. Or did you? Some did spawn great friendships, others only the illusion of them until you no longer fit in the way you wanted. Leaving a traditional
- [Transitions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/07/15/transitions/) - Moving from an institutional mindset about body life to a relational one is not an easy process, and often the journey takes very different people through very similar stages. After Wayne and Brad following up on the leadership discussion in their last webcast with questions and comments submitted by others, they turn their attention to
- [The Interactive Nature of Trust (#474)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/02/20/the-interactive-nature-of-trust-474/) - Trusting God is not, as some may assert, a blind leap into the darkness. Trust is the fruit of a growing interactive relationship with God where we come to know him and learn to follow the insights and impulses he breathes into our spirits as we learn to walk alongside him. He is joined by
- [When Creations Clash!  (#458)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/10/24/when-creations-clash-458/) - So what do we do when you're wanting to embrace the new creation, but are bombarded by people whose passion for cash, credit, and control only seek to draw you back into the old? Wayne and Brad continue their discussion about one of the themes in Wayne's newest book, Finding Church, and how we can
- [Wayne's Journey to Living Loved (#505)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/10/23/waynes-journey-to-living-loved-505/) - Wayne turns over the microphone to Jeff Heer of DefiningRoots.com for a lengthy interview about Wayne's life and journey and how God drew him into living loved and a liberating view of the church that he wrote about in Finding Church. This is the kind of conversation that often begins his time with new groups
- [How Transformation Works  (#514)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2016/01/08/how-transformation-works-514/) - What do you do when change doesn't come as fast as you want, or you're wondering whether it's coming at all? Wayne's favorite guest, his wife Sara, joins the podcast to discuss what God has been doing in her life over the past few years. We respond to an email and a blog post that
- [The False Self of Religious Performance (#513)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/12/18/the-false-self-of-religious-performance-513/) - In the last podcast of the year, Wayne lets the listeners have the microphone as he reads email from others finding increasing freedom and joy in their journeys. He begins with some observations from his recent trip to Orange County, CA and then the subject turns to how easily religious performance can force us to
- [A Source of Hope In a World of Fear (#512)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/12/11/a-source-of-hope-in-a-world-of-fear-512/) - Is the world becoming a scarier place, and if so how do we avoid the fear that paralyzes so many people? Regularly the media confronts us with the rise of terrorism, government corruption and irresponsibility, the catastrophic possibilities of climate change, mass shootings, and a polarized culture that can no longer collaborate for a common
- [When Principles Fail  (#511)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/12/04/when-principles-fail-511/) - Wayne's back from his trip to the Midwest and as he debriefs with Brad they end up talking about conquering lust through a fascination with God not legalistic rules, the trajectory of healing that comes from being renewed in our minds, and the freedom that love gives us not to try to fix other people
- [Higher Ways, Greater Freedom (#510)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/11/27/higher-ways-greater-freedom-510/) - You know you're right. You've been the victim of someone else's abuse or dishonesty and though you pray for God to intervene on your behalf, he doesn't. What then? Just because our cause seems just doesn't mean God won't have other things in mind greater than we can see. The assumption of course is that
- [Church Uncorked (#508)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/11/13/church-uncorked-508/) - Catherine Cowell and Sean Kennedy authors of a new book, Church Uncorked, join Wayne on a Skype interview from the UK about their discoveries in helping more traditional institutional structures find more relational ways to celebrate community and inspire mission in the world. While the book is written for more institutional leaders, the lessons they
- [The Future of the Church, Really? (#507)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/11/06/the-future-of-the-church-really-507/) - There is a major shift going on in Christianity as many passionate believers are moving away from the traditional congregation looking for a deeper engagement with God and a more fruitful community experience with others. The research on those being called "the Dones" has caught a concerned eye of those running our institutions in hopes
- [Theology As a Way of Living (#487)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/05/22/theology-as-a-way-of-living-487/) - Is theology a static list of facts that seek to capture God in a box, or is it a wilder conversation about his wonder and mystery as we are learning to walk with him through our lives? Wayne and Sara are back from a brief time at the beach to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.
- [Holding To the Center (#488)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/05/29/holding-to-the-center-488/) - Fly the margins if you want, but it's only the One who is at the center that will enduringly satisfy. Wayne continues his conversation with Dr. Robert Stamps who holds a PhD in Eucharistic Theology from the University of Nottingham and has been an United Methodist ministry for most of his life. More recently he
- [Why Theology Matters (#486)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/05/15/why-theology-matters-486-2/) - One of Wayne's closest friends and a gifted theologian joins us once again on the podcast to discuss the importance of an accurate theology, even for those who are living outside the box of religious obligation. Dr. Bob Stamps holds a PhD in Eucharistic Theology from the University of Nottingham and has been an United
- [Wayne's Journey to Living Loved, Part 2 (#506)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/10/30/waynes-journey-to-living-loved-part-2-506/) - Wayne concludes the interview he did with Jeff Heer of DefiningRoots.com for a lengthy interview about his life and journey and how God drew him into living loved and a liberating view of the church that he wrote about in Finding Church. In this segment he deals with questions about those who find it hard
- [Road Kill on the Institutional Highway (#504)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/10/16/road-kill-on-the-institutional-highway-504/) - Are you a Toto in the land of religious performance? You can't seem to leave well enough alone and keep asking the questions that make others uncomfortable. Brad and Wayne continue their conversation with Bob Scott, a friend of Brad's, whose website Compassionate Justice looks to cultivate resources to defend the innocent and the oppressed.
- [Does Anyone Really Love Their Enemy? (503)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/10/09/does-anyone-really-love-their-enemy-503/) - Jesus told us to do it, but is there really any group of people on the planet actually loving their enemies in a tangible way? That nagging question led Bob Scott on an incredible journey beyond the borders of traditional Christianity and to an amazing group of people in Zimbabwe. Don't miss this incredible story,
- [The Church Is Not Your Mediator (#502)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/10/02/the-church-is-not-your-mediator-502/) - There is one mediator between God and man, and it is not an institution many call the church. If we took half the energy they spent on wrestling with the question of whether or not we have to "go to church" and spent it on leaning into the reality of Jesus the fruit of that
- [A Loving God in a World of Pain, Part 2 (#499)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/09/11/a-loving-god-in-a-world-of-pain-part-2-499/) - The podcast about God's love in a painful world captured many of you and Wayne got a host of feedback that expands that discussion on this podcast. Our well-being is not determined by our circumstances, but by how God finds us in the middle of them and shapes our heart in greater freedom. This applies
- [The Gift of Powerless Communication (#498)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/09/04/the-gift-of-powerless-communication-498/) - There is nothing more off-putting than the arrogant know-it-all who thinks they know what God wants for you and will use every pressure at their disposal to get you to do it. When someone postures themselves as an expert in God's life they are often completely unaware that they are operating in the spirit of
- [How Can God Be Loving and Life So Painful? (#497)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/08/28/how-can-god-be-loving-and-life-so-painful-497/) - How can I trust God's love for me when he does nothing about the tragic circumstances that confront me? Why does God seem to treat me worse than I would treat our own children or friend? Pain and suffering are a constant challenge for those schooled in the idea that if you follow God's ways
- [Going Against the Flow (#496)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/08/21/going-against-the-flow-496/) - When everyone else seems to embrace a reality that pegs your yuck meter, what are you supposed to do? And when you follow your heart against the flow of the world or the religious culture around you, how do you know you're right and not just rebellious? Wayne considers these questions in light of a
- [Summer Conversations (#495)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/08/07/summer-conversations-495/) - From Shaver Lake, California in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Wayne reflects on some meaningful conversations he's had in recent weeks as well as engages listener feedback from email, blog comments and calls on the comment line. In doing so he shares from his visit last week to the set where The
- [Where Relationships Grow (#494)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/07/24/where-relationships-grow-494-2/) - "Science says that lasting relationships come down kindness and generosity." Imagine that! The conclusion may be obvious, but human relationships are fraught with pain and disappointment. Wayne refers to an article that appeared some months ago in The Atlantic that unpacked how married couples connect or do not connect in the course of their relationship
- [The Thirst For Community (#493)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/07/17/the-thirst-for-community-493/) - Jesus offered his followers a place among the community that the Father, Son and Spirit have shared for all eternity, and then a home among brothers and sisters that offers friendship, compassion and care. Why do our religious leaders continue to assert that this promise can be fulfilled through accountability, conformity and membership programs? A
- [Of Religion, Community, and Discipleship (#492)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/07/10/of-religion-community-and-discipleship-492/) - Wayne is back from his nearly month-long travel throughout Europe, the first part celebrating his family and the second part meeting with people in Barcelona and the south of France. Here he shares the experiences and observations of his odyssey from some of the most magnificent religious buildings in Europe (that's the interior of the
- [Saving The Baby From the Bathwater (#491)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/06/26/saving-the-baby-from-the-bathwater-491/) - When you've discover that you've been misled by the abuse of theology and leadership, it is easy to discard anything that reminds you of your former bondage. In fact, it may be part of the journey to discard it all and let Jesus re-introduce it to your life when you can appreciate it as a
- [The Pretense of Accountability (#490)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/06/12/the-pretense-of-accountability-490/) - Many who argue that attending a local congregation is essential to faith talk of the necessity of accountability, especially to religious leaders. Is the life Jesus calls his church based on accountability? Wayne takes up some listener email on this point to talk about how destructive the focus on sin and accountability is to the
- [The Dones, Theology, and Parallel Play (#489)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/06/05/the-dones-theology-and-parallel-play-489/) - How can you share a task with other Christians, even for decades, and come out without any meaningful friendships that endure when the task is done? There's actually a name for the phenomenon: parallel play, when you are doing the same thing in the same location but not really doing it together. The fruit of
- [Learning to Live Relationally Free (#483)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/04/24/learning-to-live-relationally-free-483/) - One of our listeners said it best: "Religion makes you relationally challenged." That it does, making us far more preoccupied with getting people to do what we want so we can feel safe and comfortable. Untangling all of that and learning to live more focused on others than ourselves is an amazing work God does
- [Nudged Into More Open Space (#482)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/04/17/nudged-into-more-open-space-482/) - How does God draw us into the space where he works most freely and where we can more easily recognize his fingerprints in our lives? While many look for a voice or miraculous encounters, he mostly guides us by nudging our hearts either as an inclination to do something, or a restlessness not to. Sometimes
- [Faith Shifting with Kathy Escobar (#481)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/04/10/faith-shifting-with-kathy-escobar-481/) - What do you do when the beliefs you were given come unraveled? Kathy Escobar didn't grow up in a believing home, but came to faith at twelve. Like many of us she, too, found a longing in her heart that the religious program she was in could not satisfy. In fact, it often undermined her
- [Love's Antidote to Obligation (#480)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/04/03/loves-antidote-to-obligation-480/) - Those who think Jesus builds his church on obligation and accountability have yet to experience the church that rises out of his love. After last weeks' podcast on obligation, Wayne sorts through some emails and blog posts that share some of the lessons and insights others are finding on this journey. While breaking free of
- [Doubling Down on Obligation (#479)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/03/27/doubling-down-on-obligation-479/) - In the face of declining participation in traditional congregations, why are many religious leaders doubling down on the obligation card? Could it be an admission that their view of the New Testament community not compelling in its own right? After his appearance on Up For Debate on Moody Radio, Wayne has been drawn into ever-more
- [How Love Shapes Us (#478)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/03/20/how-love-shapes-us-478/) - Learning to live in the Father's love and share it freely will take you to places you would never have dreamed and invite you to lay down your life not because you have to, but because we can't imagine not doing so for someone we love. Wayne finishes the conversation he started last week with
- [Listening To Your Yuck Meter (#477)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/03/13/listening-to-your-yuck-meter-477/) - Jimmy and Melissa Wolfe from Woodstock, GA thought they were headed for "ministry" as part of the mega-church movement in that area before God sidetracked them with a better journey. Wayne sat down with Jimmy (pictured at left with his "son" Benjamin) for a conversation during his recent stay in the Atlanta area. They discuss
- [It's a Relationship Not a Performance (#476)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/03/06/its-a-relationship-not-a-performance-476/) - Wayne's back from his Southern Swing through Georgian and South Carolina with a fresh passion to help people discover a transforming relationship rather than let them stay mired in lifeless religious obligation that will only lead to frustration and failure. He shares some of his experiences in his most recent trip and an amazing encounter
- [Creating Space Where God Is Known (#475)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/02/27/creating-space-where-god-is-known-475/) - What part do each of us play in our growing relationship with the transcendent God? Wayne and Kevin's conversation continues from last week as they explore the long, slow process of growing to know God and recognize his work in our lives. They talk about how they come to recognize his voice, and what part
- [Engaging The New Creation  (#473)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/02/13/engaging-the-new-creation-473/) - The life of Jesus is not found in a guiding set of principles to base your life on. It is found only in a growing relationship with him where the invisible world becomes increasingly more real than the physical world we navigate every day. Wayne again dips into the mail bag, this time with those
- [The Church Rising (#472)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/02/06/the-church-rising/) - She is rising from all the places where she has long been hidden, revealing the Father's glory through a growing community of those who know they are deeply loved by God. The journey to discover her may not be short or easy, but it is worth very lesson life has dealt us. The podcast begins
- [Can a Christian Be Gay?  Part II (#471)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/01/30/can-a-christian-be-gay-part-ii-471/) - Last week's podcast generated so many questions and comments than Wayne revisits the discussion about sexuality and the religious rhetoric that does more to condemn people instead of inviting them into God's life and freedom. How do we engage with people whose views of morality may differ from our own? How do we open doors
- [Angel Feathers Redux (#456)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/10/17/angel-feathers-redux-456/) - Brad wants to weigh on on Wayne's earlier comments about "Treasure Hunts, Angel Feathers, and Sozos". So the first part of this podcast refocuses on the supernatural and how we distinguish between real moments of God's moving and contrived ones perpetuated by group dynamics and the power of suggestion. What happens when we divorce the
- [Of Lone Wolves and Free Rangers (#469)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/01/16/of-lone-wolves-and-free-rangers-468/) - It seems like everyone is talking about the decline of the traditional congregation, though it is often in vastly different ways. Some see it as a threat, accusing those who leave as lone wolves out for their amusement, unconcerned or unconnected to the real church. Many who have left tell a different story, that the
- [Why Won't God Just Change It?  (#468)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2015/01/09/why-wont-god-just-change-it-468/) - How many times have you prayed that God would change a circumstance or take away an emotion that causes you so much pain? Why doesn't he do that more often? If he truly loves me wouldn't he make my life better by doing so? In the first podcast of 2015 Wayne sorts through some listener
- [Questions for Wayne (#467)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/12/26/questions-for-wayne-467/) - In his year-end podcast Wayne clears out his desk at the end of the year and with it a number of questions that people have wanted him to address on the podcast. Since none of them were enough to fill a podcast he combines a potpourri of them here to at least share how he
- [Living Gleefully in the Hallway  (#466)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/12/19/living-gleefully-in-the-hallway-466/) - Moments of transition are possible where we look beyond our circumstances and get a glimpse of a greater reality and freedom that lies at the heart of the Father's love for us. Will we risk what we have to embrace something new? Wayne reflects on last week's podcast on experiencing the new creation through the
- [Seeing Into the New Creation  (#465)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/12/12/seeing-into-the-new-creation-465/) - Looking beyond the religious systems of this world to a greater reality isn't always easy. Wayne works through some recent correspondence first from a woman who argues that our congregational systems are the only valid expression of Jesus' church in the world and deeply misunderstands the freedom that many are finding to connect as his
- [When You No Longer Fit (#464)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/12/05/when-you-no-longer-fit-464/) - What do you do when you come to see that the beautiful bride of Christ cannot be crammed into human systems without causing collateral damage? Wayne follows up last week's podcast as he interacts with listener emails and blog postings to discuss the challenges many face when they are no longer part of a system.
- [Nones, Dones And a Wider Conversation  (#463)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/11/28/nones-dones-and-a-wider-conversation-463/) - Where have all the people gone? Pew Research announced a couple of years ago about the rise of the "Nones", those who no longer claim any religious affiliation. Now, there's a growing conversation about the rise of the "Dones", those who are leaving traditional Sunday morning congregations to find more authentic expressions of community. Research
- [Can a System Ever Love?  (#461)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/11/14/can-a-system-ever-love-461/) - Can any system humans design to justice to the transcendent beauty of Jesus' church as she takes shape in the world? As more an more people are coming to the conclusion that our systems don't function well, especially when people need to know the reality of love, rather than the rigidity of a program. Wayne
- [Hope Beyond Death (#460)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/11/07/the-hope-beyond-death-460/) - What do people think about when death becomes imminent? The experiences of an Emergency Medical Technician in New York offers some startling observations. In the backdrop of Wayne's mother passing away a few months ago and his recent contacts with others dealing with death in a variety of ways, he opens a conversation on the
- [At What Cost?  (#459)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/10/31/at-what-cost-459/) - While God makes himself known even through some of the silliest things we humans attempt, does his graciousness justify our lack of concern for the collateral damage our efforts may cause? After Wayne's three-part conversation with Brad, he opens up the conversation by sorting through his email and blog comments about many of the themes
- [A Finding Church Conversation  (#456)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/10/10/a-finding-church-conversation-456/) - Brad comes over to explore Wayne's new release, FINDING CHURCH, as he probes Wayne about the process and what most impacted him in writing this book. He also has some specific questions that rose in his mind while working through it. They talk about the critical choice of choosing the new creation when the door
- [Abusive Christianity  (#455)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/10/03/abusive-christianity-455/) - After a bit of follow up from last week's podcast, Wayne reads part of an article written by a woman who grew up and mothered seven children in the Quiverfull Movement, and discovered that Christianity is a system of abuse that she and her children suffered under, unwittingly. Only when she was confronted by an
- [Treasure Hunts, Angel Feathers, and Sozos  (#454)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/09/26/treasure-hunts-angel-feathers-and-sozos-454/) - Wayne plows through his recent email, getting comments on past podcast themes and then covers at length one asking about the current so-called revival movements that draw people fascinated by the hope of signs and wonders. How much of it is genuine, and how much of it is a distraction to the greater journey Jesus
- [The Trajectory of Learning Love (#453)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/09/19/the-trajectory-of-learning-love/) - What would Jesus' church looked like if it was really built on love derived from him and shared with each other. Dan Mayhew of Portland, OR, joins Wayne on this podcast about his life-long adventure of seeking the church whose builder and architect is Jesus. How does love shape us to live differently in his
- [How Shall We Then Pray?  (#452)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/09/12/how-shall-we-then-pray-452/) - Everywhere you look our world is in crisis--the atrocities of ISIS, ongoing conflict and hatred in the Middle East, the battle for Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the racial angst in America, harsh weather conditions, erupting volcanos and devastating earthquakes. If God gave you the power to resolve any of these crises, what
- [Engaging God (#451)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/09/05/engaging-god-451/) - There's a world of difference between trusting that God loves you because Scripture says so, and trusting the one of whom Scripture speaks. One is an intellectual exercise, the other can only result from a growing engagement with him as a personality in the universe. Brad joins this week's podcast as he and Wayne discuss
- [The Community of a New Creation (#450) ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/08/29/the-community-of-a-new-creation-550/) - What if the church Jesus is building looks more like wildflowers strewn across an alpine meadow than a walled garden with manicured hedges? Wayne's back for a new podcast and after a look at the last month of his life, he reads Chapter Two of his recently-completed book, Finding Church. The church Jesus is building
- [Finding Church Alive and Well (#449)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/08/01/finding-church-alive-and-well-449/) - Wayne reads the new first chapter of the book he is just completing, Finding Church: What If There Really Is Something More? This is very different from the one he read last November that was going to be the starting chapter. When you are frustrated at the difference between the picture Scripture paints of Jesus'
- [From the Archive:  Where It Began](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/08/22/from-the-archive-where-it-began/) - Wayne is still on hiatus this week, so let's visit the archives again. This podcast aired over a year and a half ago and unbeknownst to Wayne at the time planted the seeds for the book he has just completed. Are those who no longer attend Sunday services part of a scattering movement that is
- [It's Not Chocolate](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/11/25/its-not-chocolate/) - It's tragic how religion demands that we settle for the status quo, even if it is distasteful and irrelevant, rather than encourage us to pursue the promise that first drew us to God. Following up on an earlier podcast, Brad and Wayne explore how you can learn to recognize God's voice among all the competing
- [No New Podcast this Week](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/08/08/no-new-podcast-this-week/) - Wayne is out of town with his family as they deal with his mother's passing, so there is no new podcast this week. But you can dip into the archives and chose your own, or listen to one of the classics: "It's not Chocolate." It's one of their most talked about podcasts as they explore
- [Peeking Behind the Curtain (#448)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/07/25/peeking-behind-the-curtain-448/) - The look behind the curtain can be incredibly disorienting the first time around. Our assumptions that everyone engaged in our congregation is doing what they do with a pure heart and a passion for Jesus' kingdom, doesn't collapse easily and when it does people can feel exploited and abused. In an email from a listener,
- [At the End of the Rope (#447)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/07/18/at-the-end-of-the-rope-447/) - In this kingdom getting to the end of our rope is not to be feared, but celebrated. At the end of all our efforts, doubts, and fears is a Loving Father and the freedom to see life through his eyes instead of our own. It doesn't always take that, but often it does and God
- [Compassionate Eyes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/11/20/compassionate-eyes/) - Brad breaks the rules. What happened in Vegas, doesn't stay in Vegas. Having just returned from a business seminar in Las Vegas he tells about a fresh work of grace in his heart that God revealed to him while he was there. That leads to a discussion with Wayne about how lost we can be
- [Spiritual Gravity (#446)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/07/11/spiritual-gravity-446/) - Brad is back as Wayne invites him into some of the God Journey's recent interaction in blogs and emails about why God doesn't make learning to live in his love easier than it is? Couldn't he just overwhelm us with something that proves it so our heart can rest in him, and if he doesn't
- [At the Fork In the Road (#445)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/07/04/at-the-fork-in-the-road-445/) - Brad is back in the house celebrating with Wayne the completion of his newest book, Finding Church: What If There Really Is Something More? They talk about the people they know who are standing at the crossroads of whether or not they can abandon their human efforts for God and get on a better journey
- [The Conversation of Life (#444)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/06/27/the-conversation-of-life/) - There is a Conversation of Life going on around the world that allows the kingdom of God to grow in the human heart. As Wayne sorts through recent email he finds a consistent theme as people look for that communion in their own touch with God. As people grow in that reality internally then they
- [The Numbers Game ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/06/20/the-numbers-game/) - If you're counting anything as a sign of your fruitfulness in God's kingdom, you're already a step away from God's priorities. Fruitfulness isn't measured by the size of your audience, income stream, or the number of book sales or website clicks. Once you think it is, you will distort his kingdom to increase your bottom
- [On My Worst Day  (#443)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/06/13/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
- [Treasuring An Environment for Grace  (#442)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/06/06/treasuring-an-environment-for-grace-442/) - Wayne first worked with John Lynch (pictured at left with his wife, Stacey) as an editor on BO'S CAFE and has been hoping ever since to cross paths somewhere. It finally happened last week in Phoenix and Wayne recorded some of their conversations as they shared their journeys, their passion to help people live loved,
- [When Love Doesn't Win (#441)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/05/30/when-love-doesnt-win-441/) - What do you do when the person you've poured so much love on doesn't love you back, doesn't blossom or succeed, didn't heal, or maybe even got more deeply into serious problems? Can forcing our love on someone who doesn't want it become destructive to them? Wayne interacts with an email from Emmett who has
- [Altering the Trajectory of the World (#440)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/05/23/altering-the-trajectory-of-the-world/) - What’s the best way for you to alter the trajectory of the world? Is it by starting or becoming part of a significant movement, or designing some media product that will dazzle the masses? Jesus didn’t seem to be preoccupied about either of those things. Instead he showed us a way to live that is
- [Equipping Without Subduing (#439)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/05/09/equipping-without-subduing-439/) - I get asked a lot of questions about elders and the five-fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4. We know how religion has captured these terms and used them for top-down managers that often abuse people wittingly or unwittingly by thinking they have the responsibility to command others in Jesus' name. But what are they in
- [Delighting In Holiness (#438)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/05/02/delighting-in-holiness-438/) - From his portable podcast studio in the woods of Maryland, Wayne talks about his weekend with a broad spectrum of believers who gathered to share their God Journeys, ask some questions, and make some new connections. Here are stories of bondage and courage, as people are learning how to respond to Jesus as their head,
- [Awakening To A Better Journey (#437)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/04/25/awakening-to-a-better-journey-437/) - Following up last week's podcast, Wayne continues the theme of seeing our spiritual progress as a journey rather than an achievement. That allows us to be real about where we are in him and confront the circumstances before us with honesty and openness. Wherever we give up hope that Jesus wants to transform us out
- [It Is a Journey (#436)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/04/18/it-is-a-journey-436/) - When we live by achievement, expectations, or obligations instead of beloved children on a journey we are ripe for condemnation, despair, and inner turmoil. After an important update on the need in Kenya, Wayne takes a poem from a good friend of his, and the events from the last week of Jesus' life to help
- [Catching Up With Brad (#435)](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/04/11/catching-up-with-brad-435/) - For seven years Wayne and Brad Cummings walked the God Journey together as they shared their journeys with a growing audience of people around the world. Since then the've been involved in different projects that has not allowed their lives to connect as frequently, but today Brad is back! He joins Wayne as the two
- [Beyond The Congregation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/04/04/beyond-the-congregation/) - One of the hardest moments for people on this journey is when they begin to realize that they no longer fit in the congregation that has been home to them for sometime. Most can't even put their finger on why they feel so restless, but they no longer seem to fit into the pressure-packed, conformity-based
- [Eden In Our Hearts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/03/28/eden-in-our-hearts/) - When Jesus told his disciples that what defiles a person is not what comes to them, but what flows out of them, he wanted them to know that his healing, freedom, joy, and life come from within. After a brief update on a couple of movie projects Wayne is connected to, he takes on some
- [Seldom Right,  Always Confident](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/03/21/seldom-right-always-confident/) - "Spiritual maturity is moving from confident arrogance to thoughtful uncertainty." Why is it that those who least understand truth peddle their teachings with confident and demanding assertions, and while those who more clearly understand truth share with greater gentleness? Beginning with a follow-up email from someone who has been living through some of what Wayne
- [Relational Freedom](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/02/28/relational-freedom/) - Some of my fellow-travelers to Israel took me up on my offer to share their experiences and add to the ones Sara and I offered last week. So by email, blog comment, phone, and Skype call, we're get to see this trip through their eyes. One of the undercurrents to all of this is how
- [Living in Death's Shadow](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/03/14/living-in-deaths-shadow/) - Everyone knows it's coming but few people are prepare when the process of dying begins to work its way into our lives. Over the past couple of weeks Wayne has been walking with his family through "the valley of the shadow of death" and found out how much learning to live at rest in the
- [A Family Takes Shape In Israel](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/02/21/a-family-takes-shape-in-israel/) - Sara joins Wayne for this week's podcast as they share thoughts and observations from their recent trip to Israel with thirty-eight other friends and God Journey listeners. Though they were strangers to each other when they arrived, over the first few days of exploring Israel, they also experienced the reality of becoming an expression of
- [Chapter Two of Finding Church   ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/02/07/chapter-two-of-finding-church/) - Finally, the promised update of Wayne's current project and newest book, Finding Church: What If There Really Is Something More? This is the rough draft of the second chapter entitled, "What if Jesus Taught Us Everything We Needed to Know About the Church?" We don't seem to believe that he did, since most Christians spend
- [Finding Rest In His Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/01/31/finding-rest-in-his-love/) - All growth comes from rest! If that's true then no wonder the new covenant sought first to establish us in God's love by ending any illusions that we had to earn it. It also explains why religion unwittingly pushes us away from God even while it claims to bring us closer. Wayne combs through some
- [Valuing What God Values](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/01/24/valuing-what-god-values/) - What most call success, is merely stress in disguise. Wayne met Philip Akintunde during his fall trip to the UK and a friendship began that continues in this Skype conversation between them. During a recent email exchange Phil shared some of his journey out of the value system of the world and into a freer
- [Lonely Seasons On a Relational Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/01/17/lonely-seasons-on-a-relational-journey/) - Many have commented that moving outside the confines of religious obligation took them to a lonelier space than they thought it would. For some that created an agony in their hearts that destroyed any hope they had for real community. For others those lonely stretches provided an opportunity for God to empty their lives of
- [That Your Joy Might Be Full](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2014/01/10/that-your-joy-might-be-full/) - What if the thing you enjoy most also brings joy to God's heart as well? While recording one of the last Engage videos about God's pruning in our lives Wayne was struck with the phrase, "that my joy might be in you, that your joy might be full." Is that Jesus' purpose in our lives,
- [Relationship In a Virtual World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/12/06/relationship-in-a-virtual-world/) - Dr. Stephanie Bennett is the Professor of Communication and Media Ecology at Palm Beach Atlanta University and has done extensive research into how technology is shaping human relationships. She's also a long-time friend of Wayne's and a fellow-traveler outside the walls of religious institutions seeking more authentic expressions of church life. Wayne had a chance
- [Freedom From the World's System](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/12/13/freedom-from-the-worlds-system/) - How can we find freedom from the tyranny of what others think of us, without losing our compassion for them? Wayne takes a look at some news items from the past few months that provide excellent examples of how the world systems manipulate our flesh to our own destruction, and reward the kind of leadership
- [How It All Went Wrong](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/11/22/how-it-all-went-wrong-2/) - How did the vibrant life of Jesus among the early church get replaced by a legal and administrative institution fragmented by a distinction between clergy and laity and separated from the real presence of Jesus even as it claimed to celebrate him? I've not read a description of that process any better than the one
- [When the World Disappoints](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/11/15/when-the-world-disappoints/) - Twenty-five years ago Wayne and Daryl Luthas found a friendship around their similar passion for Jesus and a desire to discover what life in him really looks like. From there, their journeys were as different externally as they could be, but both have ended up in a similar space of knowing the Father's love and
- [Where Conformity is King](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/11/08/where-conformity-is-king/) - Having just spent his last two trips with people who are freshly coming out of extremely legalistic groups, Wayne takes on the Scriptures that were used to justify those environments and to bully people with fear and shame so they will follow the dictates of those who claim to be leaders. These Scriptures were meant
- [Awakening To A Greater Reality](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/10/25/awakening-to-a-greater-reality/) - Wayne's back from his recent trip to the UK, and his experiences there combined with letters from God Journey listeners, leaves him enthralled with what God is doing in the world to awaken people into a greater reality than religion offered them. You'll hear from a woman who just got her first glimpse of God's
- [Letting Community Happen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/10/04/letting-community-happen/) - Wayne follows up on the last podcast with some of the comments and questions that followed it on the God Journey blog and in emails. Real community is not something we can find on our own, and many who've tried have come away disappointed. Rather it is the fruit of learning to live in his
- [A Life of Growing Trust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/11/25/a-life-of-growing-trust/) - Can we trust God to watch over us even if you're not doing all we think you need to do, or even if things don't turn out the way we hoped? Because Wayne and Brad couldn't get their schedules together, Wayne invites Renee, an OB-GYN from Austin, TX and a previous guest on The God
- [She's Alive And Well](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/09/20/shes-alive-and-well/) - If you can't see the church taking shape in the world as the bride without spot or wrinkle, maybe you're looking in the wrong places. He has been preparing his bride for over 2000 years and it turns out he's doing a far more remarkable job than Wayne has known most of his life. In
- [Free Range Children](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/09/06/free-range-children/) - One of the biggest concern people express about leaving a religious system is what it will do to their children? Will they lose their friends? How will they adapt to a less-structured environment? And how will we teach them about God if they don't go to Sunday school? To help him answer those questions Wayne
- [Connecting With Others](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/08/23/connecting-with-others/) - It's been awhile since our last podcast so Wayne takes the opportunity to share where the last six weeks have led him and the wonderful joy of living a less public life for a season. It allowed some fresh creativity to arise which will take him on a different trajectory for the next few months.
- [A Greater Gathering](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/01/18/a-greater-gathering/) - Are those who no longer attend Sunday services part of a scattering movement that is undermining the mission of the church in the world, or are they in fact people looking beyond conformity-based environments for a more meaningful relationship with God and with others? Wayne reads and responds to a recent article called The Scattering
- [Living Endearingly Free In the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/07/12/living-endearingly-free-in-the-world/) - Living in the love of the Father changes gently shapes everything about the way we relate to those around us. Wayne takes a stroll through the God Journey Forum and answers some questions that people have posed there about evangelism, boundaries, depression, and whether or not the teaching of grace should be mitigated by warnings
- [The Unrelenting Thirst for Connection](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/07/05/the-unrelenting-thirst-for-connection/) - What do you do when you fulfill your wildest dream and find it empty? As a professional tennis player, Brandon Hawk got to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, only to find himself alone and unfulfilled. As a senior pastor of a thriving congregation, he experienced the same lack of connection with God and others whenever
- [The Unfolding Reality of Father's Family](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/06/14/the-unfolding-reality-of-fathers-family/) - Like a sprig of grass growing up in a parking lot, God's kingdom and his family are being revealed in the earth, put perhaps in ways we're not used to seeing. Wayne's back from the Carolinas to catch up on some listener comments from the previous podcasts about the culture of control, and then moves
- [No Better Than Anyone Else](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/06/07/no-better-than-anyone-else/) - Our two recent podcasts on the Culture of Control inspired a host of listener feedback. Wayne goes back through some of the letters and blog postings to see more subtle ways control is often exercised, and how our need to feel in control makes us prime targets for those who want to control our lives,
- [Cared For In the Chaos of Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/05/31/cared-for-in-the-chaos-of-life/) - While on his recent trip to Australia, Wayne had a chance to catch up with his friend and returning podcast guest, Kevin Smith. In this edition they talk about learning to live in the Father's care, even when everything in life seems to be in chaos. Finding his goodness in difficult times is critical to
- [Breaking the Culture of Control  ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/05/24/breaking-the-culture-of-control/) - Wayne follows up last week's conversation with the Manteits, to look at how often religious systems will use fear as a means to control their adherents. In their attempts to keep people on the "straight and narrow" they do so by promoting fear that to move away from the institution or the leadership is to
- [The Culture of Control](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/05/17/the-culture-of-control/) - During Wayne's recent trip to Australia, he sat down with a family who had recently found their way out of a religious system that had a culture of control. Meet John, Josiah, and Amy Manteit as they share their story of awakening to the fact that those who claimed to speak for God in their
- [How Deeply Loved by God You Are](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/05/03/how-deeply-loved-by-god-you-are/) - Wayne continues his conversation with Joni Menard of Edmond, Ok, as they talk about what it means to be deeply loved by the Father and how that reshapes our lives. When we reset our identity as beloved children of an awesome Father, we are no longer defined by our failures or brokenness. We no longer
- [Is Pain A Gift?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/04/26/is-pain-a-gift/) - If we saw the difficult moments of our life and the pain they create as a gift in which God gets to make himself known then we would more easily connect with him and gain traction on our journey, according to Joni Menard, a long-time God Journey listener, blog commenter, and resident of Edmond, OK.
- [The Conversation of Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/04/19/the-conversation-of-community/) - How do you deal with those who are not ready for the conversations in grace in which community thrives? Wayne faced that challenge last weekend and lived to tell the tale. But first, he shares some encouraging emails about the transformations God is doing in various people and then talks about the kind of conversations
- [God's Provision and Our Desires ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/12/21/gods-provision-and-our-desires/) - In the last podcast of the year Wayne takes on a question from our comment line about whether we need to work for a living if we trust God for our finances. Is working part of the curse of the law Jesus set us free from, or is it part of how God provides for
- [Not Made With Hands](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/04/05/not-made-with-hands/) - A persistent theme throughout Scripture is that God is so much bigger than any box humanity can design to contain him, and a persistent human passions seems to be to design something that can sustain his life among us. It's a recipe for disaster, and it's a disaster that has been repeated many times. Wayne
- [Where Have All the People Gone?  ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/03/29/where-have-all-the-people-gone/) - Even those who would like to can no longer ignore the amount of people who are leaving religious institutions even as they continue to explore an ever-deepening engagement with Jesus and are growing in their desire to serve his purpose in the world. They are call the "nones", because they don't identify with any particular
- [Finding Our Way Into What's Real](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/03/22/finding-our-way-into-whats-real/) - There are so many side roads for us to wander that promise they'll give us life in Jesus, but most so many of them end up frustratingly empty. In the backdrop of the papal election in Rome, and conversations Wayne had on his recent trips to Oklahoma and the Central Valley of California, Wayne processes
- [The Yuck Factor](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/03/14/the-yuck-factor/) - Ever had that yucky feeling about some opportunity, but overrode it because others might have encouraged you to do so, or because you thought it might be okay because everyone else is doing it? If so, you probably lived to regret it. Kevin Tupper again joins Wayne as they talk about our Yuck Meter going
- [Myths of Mammon](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/03/08/myths-of-mammon/) - The love of money, especially when you don't have it, can lead you to some crazy and hurtful choices. Long time friend Kevin Tupper from Virginia joins Wayne on the podcast to talk about his journey, especially how his pursuit of mammon drew him into a very dark place. But then God invited him out
- [The New Creation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/03/01/the-new-creation/) - Jesus didn't leave us with a set of principles to live by, but invited us to be participants in a new creation where his love equips us to live beyond the human systems that have dominated our lives. The Resurrection of Jesus opened a door for us to engage a Father's love with such transforming
- [The Beloved Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/02/22/the-beloved-community/) - How does the kingdom of God make itself known in our world, and does our passion for community spring beyond people who are just like us? An emailer poses the question to Wayne about how our thirst for community goes beyond the people we naturally fall in with in our culture. Referring to Dr. Martin
- [Glimpses of His Glory](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/02/15/glimpses-of-his-glory/) - A look through the mail bag wanders through a lot of the topics we've focused on over the last couple of months and demonstrates the amazing transformation God makes in people's lives as they learn to live in his affection. This podcast touches on topics as diverse as the Life (or was it Death?) Prayer
- [Learning to Follow the Shepherd](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/02/08/learning-to-follow-the-shepherd/) - Throughout the world an unrelenting hunger to know the life of Jesus is inviting thousands of men and women beyond the structures of religious performance into a meaningful relationship with him that is transforming their lives. And even though they've been marginalized by false accusations, they are learning to follow the Shepherd instead of the
- [Into A More Spacious Place](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/02/01/into-a-more-spacious-place/) - If you're hungry for meaningful relationships with other brothers and sisters don't wait for someone to come up with a new structure or mechanism to build another group program. Those will fail like all the others before them because they are still structures built with human hands. Jesus is knitting his body together much more
- [A Greater Gathering Aftermath ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/01/25/a-greater-gathering-aftermath/) - Obviously last week's podcast touched a very large nerve, so Wayne follows up with some of his impressions from all the blog comments, emails and voice mail he received in the aftermath of last week's podcast. Certainly people around the world are hungry for the kind of relational connections that can facilitate a community not
- [When Things Don't Turn Out Like We Hoped](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2013/01/11/the-things-that-shape-our-lives/) - What do you do when God doesn't provide in the way you hoped or prayed for? You can either grow discouraged or let him transform you in ways you could not have imagined and find great joy in is provision, regardless of what it is. Responses from two of our listeners of last podcast about
- [Jumping Off the Train ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/12/14/jumping-off-the-train/) - Wayne takes time to read through some wonderful listener input since the last podcast as people are learning to jump off the barreling train of the world's expectations and religion's demands, to engage a more incredible process of God's transforming work. This journey is revealed not by find a method to implement, but by listening
- [When Curriculum Attacks!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/12/07/when-curriculum-attacks/) - In a world replete with books, seminars, curriculums and classes designed to teach you how to have a relationship with God, why is it that so many people have a difficult time connecting? What if none of those things can provide a relationship with him, and in fact when we become more focused on a
- [Living In More Gracious Space](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/11/30/living-in-more-gracious-space/) - Does religious thinking actually make it more difficult to know God and if so, what can we do about it? Kent Burgess of Manchester, IL joins Wayne in this podcast as they discuss that religion isn't all that different from most of the ways the world thinks in that it drives us by fear and
- [Learning Love More Deeply](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/11/16/learning-love-more-deeply/) - This past summer was a strange one for Wayne and Sara as God set about to do a deeper work of healing in both of them and through that process connect them more deeply than they've ever known. After thirty-seven years of marriage, they were caught by surprise and challenged at the very core of
- [A Journey of Growing Trust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/11/09/a-journey-of-growing-trust/) - What do you do when your thirty-years old, and the hunger you have for God is unfulfilled by the religious answers you've been given? That's what faced Wayne's father almost 55 years ago and launched this young farmer and father of four on a journey of spiritual transformation that fulfilled his greatest hopes and proved
- [Relaxing In His Unfolding Will](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/11/02/3254/) - On the last day of his three trips to Europe this summer, Wayne sits down with Silvio Viotti to process some of his experiences and their conversations helping people find their way out of religious obligation and learning to live in the love of the Father. Silvio is a friend from Vallorbe, Switzerland, translated some
- [Greed, Grace and Giving](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/11/24/the-giving-of-grace/) - Appropriate for the upcoming holiday season, Brad and Wayne share two wonderful productions from friends of theirs as they find themselves contemplating greed, grace and giving. First up is the hilarious song, "Stuff" by Sean Dietrich, a good friend who regularly follows this podcast and contributes to our forum. That leads them to the best
- [When Grace Overruns Pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/10/19/when-grace-overruns-pain/) - When you're trapped in pain, you can't imagine what grace might do to invite you out, but Paul and Janna LaFrance have lived through their own brokenness and found God's grace more than sufficient to heal and restore them. On a recent trip to Canada, Wayne asked them to share a bit about their journeys
- [The End of Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/10/12/the-end-of-religion/) - This is part two of a conversation Wayne had with Bruxy Cavey, author of The End of Religion, and Sean Davidson, a member of the staff at The Meeting House where Bruxy is the teaching pastor. They began last week talking about the reality of relationship Jesus extends to us. Now they plunge into a
- [Knowing God is More Than Knowing About Him ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/10/03/knowing-god-is-more-than-knowing-about-him/) - Ever since reading The End of Religion, I've wanted to talk to its author, Bruxy Cavey. During a recent trip to Canada, we had the opportunity to have lunch together and record some of our conversation along with one of their newest staff members, Sean Davidson. Since the podcast went long, we're going to play
- [Jake Colsen Goes to Hollywood](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/09/14/jake-colsen-goes-to-hollywood/) - No the break isn't over, but I couldn't resist the urge to share this with all of you. "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" has been one of my flagship books that helps people wrestle with the reality of living loved in the religious environment of the 21st century. Almost a year
- [Taking A Break ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/08/17/taking-a-break/) - Don't worry, we'll be back! But The God Journey will be taking a brief hiatus. Wayne explains that for many reasons he is sensing a stirring in his heart that a change is in the wind for what he's been doing over the past seventeen years. To create the space to help sort out what
- [Don't Be a Circus Monkey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/08/10/dont-be-a-circus-monkey/) - When you use God's gift to seek validation for yourself, or you need to make it the source of your income, something very serious gets twisted, both in the gift and how you'll treat others to get them to respond to you. DaRon Maughon (pictured with wife, Tina, at left) joins Wayne for a discussion
- [Risking the Congregation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/08/03/risking-the-congregation/) - Don Zimmermann, a long time Baptist pastor in the Phoenix area, joins Wayne to share his journey learning to live inside the love of the Father and how it has transformed his own life, his family's life, and that of the congregation he has been involved with for multiple decades. People often ask if an
- [Exit Ramps to Nowhere](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/07/27/exit-ramps-to-nowhere/) - After listening to our recent podcast about "Living Beyond Your Transformation" one person came to the discovery that they were in a situation where they were asking others to live beyond their transformation. That takes Wayne and Brad down a wonderful track of doing to others what isn't even helpful to do for ourselves. Encouraging
- [Rainbows And Mountain Lions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/07/20/rainbows-and-mountain-lions/) - Brad and Wayne work through some of the email and blog postings from their recent podcasts on how God transforms us, especially in times of need and extremity. Too many people live with the assumption that if they are walking in God's love that their circumstances will always be good and that God will make
- [What Brush Do I Paint With? ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/07/13/what-brush-do-i-paint-with/) - Whether it's our angst with the institutions of organized religion, or dealing with expectations of God and others, it seems easier for us to paint with a broad brush and stand on our own principles and judgments of others. Better still to paint with a finer brush of what God is doing in us and
- [Living Beyond Our Transformation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/07/06/living-beyond-our-transformation/) - When we lose our need to try to get God to give us what we think we need, then we're free to live by what God gives. Brad is back and he joins Wayne for a conversation about God's transforming process and our learning to be comfortable in it, rather than resorting to our own
- [In the Face of Death](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/06/29/in-the-face-of-death/) - We could call this The Death Podcast. Wayne continues his conversation with Dave Coleman, his co-writer on So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore. Dave has not only faced his own mortality in a brutal battle with cancer years ago, but as a hospice chaplain he has helped many others face their own
- [Disconnecting Affection From Approval](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/06/22/disconnecting-affection-from-approval/) - As long as we think God's affection for us is tied to his approval regarding our performance, we will grovel about in our shame and miss the reality of living loved. Joining Wayne this week is Dave Coleman, co-writer of So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore and a long-time friend of Wayne's.
- [Living In Agreement with Father](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/06/15/living-in-agreement-with-father/) - When we truly know we are loved by a gracious Father, then we are freed to live in agreement with him, instead of using him to fulfill our own desires. During Wayne's recent trip to Ireland, he got into a conversation with a close friend, David Rice, as they talked about the process by which
- [The Dark Underbelly of Religious Leadership](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/06/08/the-dark-underbelly-of-religious-leadership/) - This podcast may not be for everyone. While in Holland recently Wayne met Filip van den Eynde, a young man who had just spent 17 years serving in an charismatic, apostolic setting and was able to see behind the scenes as those who claimed to be "men of God" systematically manipulated and abused hungry hearts
- [Whose House Is It Anyway?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/05/31/whose-house-is-it-anyway/) - Calling a building that Christians gather in on Sunday morning "God's house" is not a cute story we tell children; it is an abusive image that disfigures the God of the Bible and keeps people from actually engaging his reality in the places he most wants to share his life with us. Brad joins Wayne
- [With You, God Is Pleased!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/05/25/with-you-god-is-pleased/) - Both the cruelty of the world and the conformity demands of religion teach us to live inside a shell of our own self protection and only present to others the illusion we think they want to see. Shame and fear combine to make us feel lost and isolated in the world, unable to be who
- [The Life of a Pilgrim, Part 2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/03/30/the-life-of-a-pilgrim-part-2/) - Part 2 of Wayne's conversation with Jack Gray, a Scottsman who has resided in New Zealand for almost 50 years. They continue their discussion from last week on the life of the church and Jack's journey to find the church Jesus is building, rather than the one man is building. They talk about a Swiss
- [The God With Us](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/05/18/the-god-with-us/) - As Wayne recovers from his recent trip to Russia and Holland, Brad joins him for a discussion of his trip. They talk about Wayne's perception of the Russian people he was with, the unique challenges of their culture, and their passion to learn to live loved in a culture where only a very small slice
- [In Russia With Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/05/11/in-russia-with-love/) - From St. Petersburg Russia, Wayne talks with his hosts, Michael and Susan Simpson as they share a bit of their journey that engaged a former K-State women's basketball player to the people of Russia. They describe the current climate in Russia and what God has done to change their mission from trying to engage people
- [A God-Filled Nobody, Part 2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/05/04/a-god-filled-nobody-part-2/) - Wayne continues his conversation with John Beaumont from last week. John Beaumont is the author of A God-Filled Nobody, and numerous other books about our freedom to live in the revelation of Jesus and has traveled throughout the world encouraging others on this journey as well. Now retired he lives in Rotorura, New Zealand. In
- [A God-Filled Nobody](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/04/27/a-god-filled-nobody/) - During Wayne's recent trip to New Zealand, he spent a day with John Beaumont, author of A God-Filled Nobody, and numerous other books about our freedom to live in the revelation of Jesus. John is one of those pioneers whose passion for God helped unmask the conventions of religion that do more to restrict our
- [Repentance That Works](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/04/20/repentance-that-works/) - Following up on a conversation Wayne and Kent Burgess had over the weekend about repentance, and how their view of it has shifted greatly from their old days of religion, they reconnected to record some of that for others. They used to see it as wallowing in guilt and shame and making well-intentioned, though impossible,
- [Sharing Another's Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/04/13/sharing-anothers-journey/) - The previous podcast began to explore what it means to share someone else's journey, even if its not the journey you'd prefer them to be on. Wayne asked his wife Sara to join him for a further look at the things God has taught them in their own marriage and to answer some of the
- [The Simplicity of a Loving Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/04/06/the-simplicity-of-a-loving-life/) - Brad is back in the podcast studio as he and Wayne sort through the last few weeks of not seeing each other and catch up a bit on Wayne's trip to New Zealand. Sorting through the mail bag and blog posts they read one of the best blog posts ever, and then find themselves talking
- [The Life of A Pilgrim ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/03/23/the-life-of-a-pilgrim/) - Meet Jack Gray, a native of Scotland, surgeon in the Congo in the 1950s, doctor and hospital administrator in New Zealand, and a life-long, passionate follower of Jesus. Wayne met up with Jack during his recent visit to New Zealand, where Jack and his family have lived since 1965, and encouraged him to reflect over
- [The God Journey #353](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/03/16/the-god-journey-353/) - Just because something is wonderful and God-filled does that mean we should expect it to be permanent? This is our 353rd podcast and the completion of our seventh year sharing our conversations with the world. As Wayne and Brad take a look back and celebrate the incredible journey they have had together over those years,
- [The Myth of Managed Spirituality](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/03/09/the-myth-of-managed-spirituality/) - Crawling through recent emails, Wayne and Brad share and comment from other people's journeys and how they are being transformed in God's life. That brings up such recent podcast topics as how we view and treat women, spiritual authority, and our attempts to change others through preaching principles are destined to fail. For centuries our
- [The Love of a Father](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/03/02/the-love-of-a-father/) - Wayne's just back from the Fort Worth area of Texas and in sharing some of that with Brad they end up talking about finding our security and freedom in the affection of a loving Father. Unfortunately religion teaches us to live out of our heads by finding and following a set of principles or doctrines
- [Don't Should On Me](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/02/24/dont-should-on-me/) - There are two different conversations in this podcast. The first is about not shoulding on ourselves or others, spawned by a t-shirt that were given to Brad and Wayne. That doesn't mean there aren't wonderful ways to live that God has revealed, but that conformity through obligation is a very different process than God uses
- [In the Midst of Pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/02/17/in-the-midst-of-pain/) - Do we have to go through suffering to be shaped by God? Prompted by a question on a blog comment, Brad and Wayne talk about the tension between finding God's presence in the midst of our troubles and difficulties, and thinking God brings suffering in our lives to teach us something. While God does not
- [Passive Follower or Active Participant?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/02/10/passive-follower-or-active-participant/) - Brad and Wayne couldn't find a slot to record a podcast this week, but Wayne had some visitors in town over the weekend who are long time friends and frequent listeners to The God Journey. Watching their lives grow in joy and freedom over the last decade, Wayne gleans lessons from the journeys of Kevin
- [Your Sense of Belonging](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/02/03/your-sense-of-belonging/) - It's Super Bowl week in the States and a little romp about football turns into a wider discussion about God's intervention in sport and recreation and why people get so connected to athletic teams that they go through days of depression if their favorite one loses. Could it be a result of God wiring us
- [Seeing People as People](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/01/27/seeing-people-as-people/) - Brad's been listen to the relationships versus religion raps on YouTube and Wayne's been reading Tattoos of the Heart and the two converge in a lively discussion about how we view people. Do we treat others as individuals and love as people even if broken or lost, or do we see them through the grid
- [Relationships First](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/01/20/relationships-first/) - Charlie shares a wonderful story about how this podcast has opened some doors at his work. Then Brad and Wayne interact with other emails about creating community that offers a safe environment by putting relationships first, as a family does. Too many times a genuine move of God gets curtailed by those who seek to
- [Living Truly](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/01/13/living-truly/) - Wayne and Brad revisit the Spiral of Silence Podcast through comments and emails received about it. This time the focus is on our response to this phenomenon that makes us care more about what others think of us than we do living truly. How do we help create a safe place for ourselves and others
- [The Spiral of Silence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2012/01/06/the-spiral-of-silence/) - Wayne and Brad explore the cultural phenomenon researchers are calling the "spiral of silence" that demonstrates the truth behind the Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, "The Emperor's new Clothes". Simply put, people who want to avoid reprisal or isolation actually go along with the popular opinion around them even when it differs from their own.
- [The Messyness of Truth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/12/30/the-messyness-of-truth/) - For the last podcast of the year Brad and Wayne spend some time in the old mailbag to let their listeners add their input. The conversation eventually settles on how truth does set us free, but not before it messes with us and our illusions. The process of opening our eyes to God's reality often
- [Conversations that Matter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/12/23/conversations-that-matter/) - Teebowing is in the news these days and Brad's a fan. Wayne is a little more concerned about how that kind of in-your-face demonstrations of personal faith alienate some people from the greater reality of the gospel. That leads them into a conversation about how we can find ourselves in conversations with others about their
- [Always Faithful](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/12/16/always-faithful/) - What begins with Wayne's disillusionment about sports success and its hidden costs, ends up in a conversation about the hurt and anger that often comes from people who start to see through the religious lies they were taught. What allows us to live freely in the moment, even when things aren't turning out the way
- [Secure in His Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/12/09/secure-in-his-love/) - This one begins with sexual orientation politics in California and the ongoing debate in Christianity over the reality of hell, but soon Brad and Wayne settle into a conversation about how easily our insecurities can be manipulated by religion. Instead of inviting us into a transforming relationship with Jesus it provokes our guilt and sense
- [Rise and Shine](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/12/02/rise-and-shine/) - The chaos of human governments seems to be on the rise, and many grow hopeless about the world's future. Prophecies abound about the doom and gloom to come as God judges our world. Can this be the end of the age? What should we do in the face of such dire circumstances. Brad and Wayne
- [Faith and Healing](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/11/18/faith-and-healing/) - What do you do when your dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease? Will his healing hinge on your faith or prayers? In a romp through their recent emails, Brad and Wayne bite into these questions and a few more. Why do we have a difficult time living in uncertainty and going on a daily adventure
- [Oh Wow!  Oh Wow!  Oh Wow!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/11/11/oh-wow-oh-wow-oh-wow/) - Steve Jobs' last words before his death and a recent clip from "Through the Wormhole" has Brad and Wayne talking about the joy of living in wonder at the reality of God that easily transcends all of our powers of reason. If our scientists can't see, measure, or understand 95% of what makes up our
- [Seeking and Finding](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/11/04/seeking-and-finding/) - The podcast we did on "Letting Go" with Mike Steele, started a wonderful conversation in the comment section of the blog. Brad and Wayne pick up some of that conversation as they talk about what we might do if God seems elusive to our heart-felt desire to know him. How does he make himself known
- [The Other Side of Grace](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/10/28/the-other-side-of-grace/) - What do you do when you realize you've climbed the ladder leaning on the wrong wall? A comment Mike made in our last podcast about his "feeling lied to" by those he knew who helped him learn how to run the religious treadmill, opens a discussion with Brad and Wayne about how we think of
- [Letting Go](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/10/21/letting-go/) - Sometimes the best way to find what you're looking for is to let go of what you already have. Mike Steele, a former computer entrepreneur and then a major facilitator for the house church movement in North America joins in a conversation with Brad and Wayne about the transformations in his life. In the busyness
- [A Man Like No Other, Part 2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/10/14/a-man-like-no-other-part-2/) - Wayne and Brad continue their conversation with Murry Whiteman, the artist of their newest release: A Man Like No Other: The Illustrated Life of Jesus. Their words were added to the artistic brush of Murry Whiteman to conclude a project that has been in his heart for twenty years. The result is a 128-page, full-color
- [A Man Like No Other](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/10/07/a-man-like-no-other/) - Wayne and Brad have just finished their most recent book, A Man Like No Other: The Illustrated Life of Jesus. Their words were added to the artistic brush of Murry Whiteman to conclude a project that has been in his heart for twenty years. The result is a 128-page, full-color art book containing panoramic images
- [Available Surrender](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/09/30/available-surrender/) - Brad returns from a quick trip to Jerusalem and then he and Wayne dip into the mail bag to catch up on some of the things our listeners are thinking and asking about recent podcasts. That does get them into a wide-ranging discussion about Jesus' Second Coming, the performance of religion, and the rejection someone
- [Meet Jake Colsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/03/24/meet-jake-colsen/) - For the last four years Wayne has been working with Dave Coleman writing an Internet book entitled So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore under the penname Jake Colsen. The book has now been released in print and Brad uses that opportunity to interview Wayne and Dave about how they wrote the book
- [Books That Have Touched Our Lives](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/07/07/books-that-have-touched-our-lives/) - Many on our Forum have been sharing the books that have been helpful to them on their spiritual journeys. So, for your summer reading pleasure, Brad and Wayne weigh in on the books that have encouraged them and helped shape their spiritual passions. While certainly lot all-inclusive, it does cut a wide swath through books
- [Custom and Command](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/07/06/custom-and-command/) - If you've read Custom and Command you already know Stan Firth. If not, you're in for a treat. Stan is a dear Scottish brother, a former pastor who found God leading him on a most unexpected journey and to insights that have encouraged people around the world to follow God's leading rather than fit into
- [A Visit To THE SHACK](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/01/18/a-visit-to-the-shack/) - Brad, Wayne and Paul (aka William P. Young) all pictured at left, continue their discussion about The Shack and how they came to be involved with this work. They also answer some of the questions listeners wanted to direct at Paul that were posted on the Forum. They range from how to pronounce Sarayu, to
- [Parenting In Grace](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/04/24/parenting-in-grace/) - Wayne has found a new book on parenting in grace and can't wait to share it with Brad. Loving our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk not only gives a framework for parenting children, whether they are toddlers or adults, but it also gives some wonderful insights into how God disciplines his children in his
- [Loving on Purpose: Parenting and So Much More #2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/06/26/loving-on-purpose-parenting-and-so-much-more-2/) - Danny and Sheri Silk are back for part two of their discussion with Wayne and Brad about the challenges and joys of raising children in grace. Danny is author of Loving or Kids on Purpose and they talk about some of the specific questions sent in by many of our listeners about discipline, manipulation and
- [Bo's Café](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/09/18/bos-cafe/) - Wayne and Brad were in Denver with the authors of the newly-released novel Bo's Café, John Lynch, Bill Thrall, and Bruce McNicol. This amazing story chronicles a young man whose life is being torn apart by his own anger, and confronts the reality of grace that unfolds in a way that takes him by surprise
- [The Misunderstood God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/10/30/the-misunderstood-god/) - Wayne and Brad have enjoyed a growing relationship with Darin Hufford and are now helping him bring his newest book to print through Windblown Media. The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Teaches Us About God is a reworking of Darin's earlier book, The God's Honest Truth. In this compelling read Darin probes the question as
- [The Remarkable Replacement Army](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/02/25/the-remarkable-replacement-army/) - Wayne and Brad discuss Stan Firth's newest book, The Remarkable Replacement Army, which uses an analogy about the Norwegian army and how it handled Nazi occupation in World War II to help people understand what might be happening across the church today as more people are disillusioned with the conventional institutional forms and are convinced
- [Living Out of Our Spirit](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/09/23/living-out-of-our-spirit/) - Following up on their previous podcast with Kevin Smith, Brad and Wayne continue along those same themes talking about their own growth in learning to trust in God's ability to manage their lives. That has come through their own growth in learning to engage an ongoing conversation with God and how he makes himself known
- [Contentedness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/09/16/contentedness/) - Kevin Smith has been a long-time friend of Wayne's and during his recent trip to Australia they found a chance to catch up on their journeys and encourage each other. They recorded some of their musings together so Brad and others who have enjoyed Kevin's journey could join in the dialog. They talked about a
- [Trusting Your Heart](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/09/09/trusting-your-heart/) - Wayne is back from his two-week trip to Australia, and catches Brad up on some of his adventures there and some of the people he met all across the spectrum of faith—to pastors and congregational leaders and to brothers and sisters simply learning to live relationally with the Father. Part of their conversation focuses on
- [People of the Cloud](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/09/02/people-of-the-cloud/) - Brad and Wayne are back from vacation and travels and catch up after a long summer. They also plow through some of the email and blog postings as listeners have responded to recent podcasts about sovereignty, scriptures, and the inevitable end of religious systems. What comes from all that is the recognition that living out
- [A History of The God Journey ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/08/26/a-history-of-the-god-journey/) - Long time listener and now the de-facto historian of the God Journey, Dave Edwards join Brad and Wayne for this look back through the history of the podcast. For the past 16 months Dave listened to all 288 podcasts through 2010 and pulled off some of the pithy statements that seemed the most thought-provoking and
- [Living With Disagreements](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/08/19/living-with-disagreements/) - Brad's away on business so Wayne's wife Sara fills in this week for a discussion about how religion so easily suppresses women by relegating them to second-class status. As they talk about lessons they've learned over 36 years of marriage they unpack what has made them better team members as they've learned to be better
- [The Inevitable End of Religious Systems](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/08/12/the-inevitable-end-of-religious-systems/) - It's an amazing statement, and all the more when it was written by one of Christianity Today's own writers. "So we have a system in which pride and hypocrisy are inevitable," writes Mark Galli in an article titled, "The Most Risky Profession." And there's more all the way from ambitious churches lusting for size and
- [Be Still And Know](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/08/05/be-still-and-know/) - It starts with Brad's curiosity as to how Wayne sorts out what he's doing any given day, and that combined with an email about being driven by purpose, leads to a larger discussion about finding our freedom in God's leading and not trying to feed our insecurities. Most of our bad doctrines result from finding
- [The Dream of God's Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/07/22/the-dream-of-gods-community/) - Wayne fills Brad in on his time in Rome and what he learned about the Roman Empire and how its priorities actually became part of the church of that day as it got lost in its quest for power and significance. We still see the traces of it today in all kinds of religious institutions
- [Not Answering for God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/07/15/not-answering-for-god/) - Wayne's back from his trip to Spain and Rome and shares with Brad some of his experience there, especially an intense discussion with people who have been involved in great tragedy or suffered prolonged sexual abuse by a relative. Their question, how do we convince people God is a loving God when he allows such
- [The Place of Purpose](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/07/08/the-place-of-purpose/) - It may not be helpful to be purposed-driven, but is there something to be said for living in him with a sense of how he has uniquely created us to fit in his purpose in the world? Brad and Wayne discuss identity and purpose and how it has both helped and hindered them in various
- [Living Out of Our Hearts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/07/01/living-out-of-our-hearts/) - Religious people who are trying to make sense of their pain end up in some pretty scary places. That launches Brad and Wayne into a conversation about learning to live out of our hearts and not our intellect, which tries to understand what God is doing without a real engagement with him. They discuss the
- [Growing our Friendships ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/06/23/growing-our-friendships/) - Almost everyone values having a close friend, but why can they be so difficult to find? Many of our human interactions sometimes actually subvert the very thing we say we want? After reading an email from a listener, Brad and Wayne discuss the process of growing friendships, how we often unwittingly sabotage them and what
- [No Priest But Him](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/06/17/no-priest-but-him/) - How corrupting is human power? Whenever we exalt someone to the place of leadership that Jesus wants in our lives, it not only hinders our growth, but often contributes to the downfall of those who confuse leadership with privilege and misuse their authority for their own benefit. Brad and Wayne talk about this phenomenon being
- [The Power of Hope](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/06/10/the-power-of-hope/) - A recent TIME article about optimistic people got Brad thinking about the fact that hope in the face of uncertainty is not a rational thought. And yet, we as humans have a tremendous capacity to find hope even in the midst of tragedy. That launches a discussion with Wayne about how to find hope if
- [Embracing Freedom ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/06/02/embracing-freedom/) - Wayne introduces Brad to Derek Wilder, a friend of his from Indianapolis, Indiana. Derek is the CEO of a home building company but also carries a passion to help people grow in grace and recently published a book entitled Freedom: How Grace Transforms Your Life Now. Wayne interviewed Derek during a recent video about his
- [How Ticked Is God?   ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/05/27/how-ticked-is-god/) - Contemplation of the missed rapture and letters from listeners move Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the true nature of God and whether or not he is as angry or hateful as many would have us think. Is it helpful to think in terms of a home team God loves and a lost world
- [Religion's Downfall](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/05/20/religions-downfall/) - According to some the rapture is at hand, so this may be our last podcast. But Wayne and Brad share a conversation about how the priorities of religion separate people instead of unifying them in the love of Christ. A recent interview with Eugene Peterson about the conflict he has suffered since writing an endorsement
- [The Endearing God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/04/29/the-endearing-god/) - If hell did not exist, would it change one thing about your relationship or passion to follow Jesus? Rob Bell's latest crusade put him on the cover of TIME magazine, and some of the comments in that article spur Wayne and Brad to further discuss the existence of hell and it's use by religion to
- [Sin and Judgment ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/05/13/sin-and-judgment/) - The last few podcasts brought a wealth of listener comment and questions about God's love and dealing with sin in our lives. Wayne and Brad sort through the comments to help clarify how we regard sin and what are our choices in the face of dealing with God and our brokenness. Do we really have
- [Sorting Things Out In A Broken World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/05/06/sorting-things-out-in-a-broken-world/) - Wayne and Brad discuss the demise of Osama Bin Laden in a US raid in Pakistan last weekend and its aftermath on the implications it raises for social justice and vengeance. Were the celebrations in the US helpful in resolving this conflict or do this risk perpetuating the cycle of tit-for-tat violence that infects our
- [Slap a Calvinist for Christ? ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/03/18/slap-a-calvinist-for-christ/) - Yes, we are being a bit tongue and cheek with the title and are not advocating violence against those from the reformed tradition, misguided though they may be. But after starting out with some letters from listeners regarding their inner Pharisee and the true meaning of J.O.Y., Brad and Wayne discuss the Internet buzz created
- [The Freedom of Servanthood](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/04/22/the-freedom-of-servanthood-2/) - Wayne introduces Brad to his long-time friend, Gayle Erwin, author of The Jesus Style and many other books about the nature of God and how his words and example can completely redefine how we live in the world. Starting out as a pastor, Gayle soon discovered that most of what he'd been taught about leadership
- [Prophecies of Doom ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/04/15/prophecies-of-doom/) - First Christchurch, NZ, then Sendai, Japan, is California next? If you listen to some of the prophecies flying around these days everyone should move out of California instantly or be swallowed up in the coming catastrophe. So why are Wayne and Brad staying and how do we deal with prophecies of doom that rise up
- [The God Who Whispers](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/04/08/the-god-who-whispers/) - Meet LeeRoy (pictured at left). Wayne met him last week on his trip to New England. Though he desperately wanting to be loved by the humans around him, LeeRoy is so owned by his fears that he can't open to the very people who would love and help him. Isn't that true of people who
- [Toward A More Generous Space](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/04/01/toward-a-more-generous-space/) - After the three last offerings that covered sexual addiction, the questions about hell, and sexual brokenness, Wayne and Brad comb through a backlog of listener emails, blog comments, and forum postings that open the conversation even wider on these topics. We're blessed with insightful listeners who want to interact on things of substance and bring
- [Control Freaks](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/03/11/control-freaks/) - While discussing the political instability going on throughout the Arab world, Brad and Wayne end up in a discussion about the nature of freedom and the propensity that we have as humans to gain enough power that we are able impose their will on others. It is true not only of governments but interpersonal relationships
- [The Wonder of Real Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/08/07/the-wonder-of-real-community/) - Wayne and Brad catch up with some listener email and find themselves contemplating the wonder of real community when followers of Jesus find each other and encourage each other to live in the light, without manipulating or trying to fix each other. They talk about the power of fear to sidetrack that reality and end
- [Addicted to Sin?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/03/04/addicted-to-sin/) - A pastor in nearby Ventura pleads guilty to felony charges of stealing from an elderly person, money laundering and grand theft to the tune of $300,000. The kicker is the congregation is hoping he can serve his sentence on a work furlough program so he can still lead the church. That, and a recent article
- [How Far Will Love Go?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/02/18/how-far-will-love-go/) - Wayne is back from his harrowing entry into Canada, and then It's time to catch up on some of the interesting email and blog postings of those who want to join the conversation. That takes Brad and Wayne on some interaction about baptism, the risk and reward of raising children by freedom and not conformity,
- [Uncontrolled Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/02/11/uncontrolled-community/) - The unrest in the Arab world and letters from some of our listeners begin a conversation on the increased power of the voice and actions of individuals in a world tied together by the Internet. Social networking is shifting the power away from centralized governments and institutions who make decisions for others, and is empowering
- [What Is Truth? ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/02/04/what-is-truth/) - How do you walk confidently in the truth, but still keep a door open to those who disagree with you or may not yet see what you see? Wayne's trip to Austin, Texas and a comment on the blog invite Brad and Wayne into a discussion about how to engage others in theological issues or
- [Conformity: Home Field Advantage](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/01/28/conformity-home-field-advantage/) - Wayne shares an article with Brad from Sports Illustrated about home field advantage in sports being traced to officiating that is inadvertently swayed by the home crowd. It actually makes them see things in their favor, even while being completely unaware of doing so. This phenomenon demonstrates the power of conformity and how we are
- [The Divine Teddy Bear?  ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/01/21/the-divine-teddy-bear/) - We live in an age where everyone has an opinion, but opinions themselves are not knowledge. As people begin to discover that God is not the angry tyrant religion paints him to be, many swing to an opposite misunderstanding of him that characterizes God as a big teddy bear who is always just soft and
- [The Freedom of Vulnerability](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/01/14/the-freedom-of-vulnerability/) - "Connection is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives... What we know is that connection is neuruobiologically how we're wired. It is what It is why we are here." Powerful words from research professor, Brene Brown, from the University of Houston. Her talk on The Power of Vulnerability provides the fodder for Wayne and
- [Enjoying Your Gifts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2011/01/07/enjoying-your-gifts/) - The line comes from the new The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie, but in so many ways defines how this year begins for both Brad and Wayne: "I've spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what I was given." Through family changes and their own spiritual
- [A Better Way to Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/12/31/a-better-way-to-love/) - The new year begins. Some take this as a time to reflect on their lives to take stock of the past and make resolutions for the future. Brad and Wayne discuss their approach to the new year, before turning to the mailbag and ending up in a discussion of how best do we love people
- [In The Moment](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/12/24/in-the-moment/) - Merry Christmas to The God Journey audience, where a discussion about the Incarnation of Jesus turns into a celebration of the reality that God does not live in sacred places he invites us into, but that he has come to make all of our moments sacred by inhabiting our lives. A recent study shows that
- [God At Work In All Things](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/12/17/god-at-work-in-all-things/) - Quoting Romans 8:28 to a friend in college, almost got Wayne punched in the mouth. What does it mean that God will work great good out of the painful garbage of this world? Brad and Wayne discuss our friendship with God through painful times, especially when he isn't arranging our circumstances to make life fair
- [The Righteousness that Comes from Trust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/12/10/the-righteousness-that-comes-from-trust/) - The mailbag is filled to overflowing with wonderful stories of God's work in people and with questions and comments from past podcasts. As Brad and Wayne sort through the email they land on a discussion about the damage self-righteousness does to people around us. In fact, they believe that self-righteousness is more damaging in our
- [Dealing With Betrayal](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/12/03/dealing-with-betrayal/) - If God is all about relationships, then why do his followers have so much trouble with them? Some honest questions from a listener give Wayne and Brad a chance to discuss their own painful experiences with brothers who talked about their passion for love and relationships, only to abandon them when it no longer serves
- [Fruitile:  The Land Between Futile and Fruitful](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/10/01/fruitile-the-land-between-futile-and-fruitful/) - Wayne and Brad take some time to comb through recent email and blog comments to add the insights, questions and comments of our listeners to this expanding conversation of people who are seeking a vibrant relationship with God outside the box of religious obligation. This brings them back to recent podcast topics about the Old
- [Are You Afraid of the Light?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/02/29/are-you-afraid-of-the-light/) - A fourteen-year old boy, who identified himself as a gay student was shot in the head last week by another student in a computer lab at school not far from where Brad and Wayne live. Reactions to this event have divided the community over discrimination and sexual orientation issues in the public school. That event
- [Free from Fear](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/02/22/free-from-fear/) - Fear dominates the human landscape and is used by many power brokers—politically, economically and religiously—to manipulate people to do what they wouldn't otherwise freely choose to do. According to a recent Newsweek article brain science now shows that our response to fear in any capacity will always trump reason and rationality. Brad and Wayne respond
- [Ceasing From Our Own Efforts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/11/19/ceasing-from-our-own-efforts/) - Wayne is back from Germany with some interesting observations about the "scatteredness" of the body of Christ in the world both in the common passions we share as well as the suspicions we have of others who celebrate body life differently than we do. He and Brad talk about the unique challenges that confront us
- [Finding the Trailhead](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/11/13/finding-the-trailhead-2/) - What do you do when you can't seem to find God? Many people who are captivated by the message of living in the Father's affection have a difficult time connecting with him relationally. Instead of experiencing the reality of his love, they feel isolated and abandoned. Admittedly it isn't always easy to see how God
- [In or Out Really Doesn't Matter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/11/05/in-or-out-really-doesnt-matter/) - As long as our focus is on attending (or not attending) religious services, whether we're reacting to them or thinking they are our only hope, we will easily miss the incredible ways Jesus is knitting together his family in the world. Brad and Wayne talk about a recent LA Times article about "Walking Away From
- [Moving an Orphange in Kenya](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/11/03/moving-an-orphange-in-kenya/) - The aftermath of tribal violence: Widows caring for orphans in the slums of Eldoret In the last podcast we invited those of you who wanted to to help fund the moving of an orphanage from an unsanitary slum near Eldoret. We have found some property nearby that is wonderfully suited for this objective. To buy
- [Fear Falls Short](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/10/28/fear-falls-short/) - Holidays like Halloween can present an interesting dilemma about how others may or may not observe the festivities associated with it. Brad and Wayne talk about the problems inherent in any group of people trying to reach agreement on matters of conscience. Their conversation then leads to a wider discussion about all the ways religion
- [We've Got to Do Something](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/10/22/weve-got-to-do-something/) - As we begin to learn to live in the Father's love, it is easy to feel like we're not doing enough. Religion kept us busy and gave us validation for the meetings we attended and the activities we were involved in. What happens when that slows down and we don't have as many commitments to
- [Will the Real God Please Stand Up!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/10/15/will-the-real-god-please-stand-up/) - A recent article in USA Today about a new book entitled America's Four Gods, identified four distinct views of God in America: Authoritative, Benevolent, Critical, and Distant. Surprisingly America is almost equally divided among these four views. Wayne and Brad discuss how neither of these views does justice to the nature and reality of God.
- [White Powder Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/10/08/white-powder-religion/) - Wayne is back from gathering with believers in Minnesota in wonderful conversations about knowing Jesus and watching connections take place between strangers that was a joy. That and a full email bag send he and Brad on a discussion about the kinds of transitions that happens in our burgeoning freedom. We are so easily distracted
- [It's the Living Loved That's Important](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/09/24/its-the-living-loved-thats-important/) - The journey of learning to live in the love of the Father progresses at the confluence of two streams: our unfolding circumstances and the ongoing revelation of God's wonder. In response to a powerful email of transformation, Brad and Wayne discuss how our conversations with God at those points is what moves the journey forward
- [Loved Into Freedom](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/08/06/loved-into-freedom/) - Wayne and Brad dive into the email bag and come out with three amazing stories of people who are learning to live in a greater freedom, even in the face of painful circumstances, because of their growing discovery about how loved they are by the Father. You'll hear about a father facing a pregnancy with
- [Grasping God's Heart In the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/09/17/grasping-gods-heart-in-the-world/) - An incredible story and some emails has Wayne a bit overwhelmed by the need and pain in the world as he and Brad discuss how God is able to contain all of that and still be the most joyful presence in the universe. Then they dip into the mail bag for some fascinating emails and
- [Wild and Free!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/09/10/wild-and-free/) - Wayne is back from the National House Church Convention he spoke at in Dallas, TX and shares with Brad some of his joys and frustrations he experiences at a conference like that. While enjoying the people and the journeys they are on, it is also frustrating to be alongside a movement that thinks the next
- [Wrestling with Love and Justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/09/03/wrestling-with-love-and-justice/) - Fair warning: The God Journey goes political again as Brad struggles with the proposed mosque in New York City, a few blocks from the Ground Zero in lower Manhattan and invites Wayne into a discussion about whether or not we are to be a force for cultural change in this world. How do we affect
- [Plodders, Sexy Revolutionaries, or Family?  ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/08/27/plodders-sexy-revolutionaries-or-family/) - Following up on last week's podcast about the church as a family, Brad and Wayne discuss an article written by Kevin DeYoung, who is the co-author of Why We Love the Church. The article is entitled The Glory of Plodding and seeks to encourage people not to give up on institutionalized churches in hopes of
- [The Church as Family](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/08/21/the-church-as-family/) - Is the church just an institution with shared doctrine and weekly services, or is it primarily a family that shares life together under the practical headship of Jesus? Helping Brad and Wayne probe that question this week are two brothers from Ireland who were on The God Journey back in April of 2006 in a
- [Principles Alone Will Fail You](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/08/13/principles-alone-will-fail-you/) - Just when you think you've got it all figured out—God appears! And in doing so he rarely fits into the roles or expectations we assign to him. In this podcast Wayne and Brad talk about how principles alone will always fail us at the critical moments in life. We have been offered a relationship with
- [Only What God Can Do](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/07/30/only-what-god-can-do/) - Brad takes Wayne with him through his Jerusalem trip and the experiences, insights, and questions that were part of his time in Israel with a group of Hasidic Jews. Through the additional insights of listeners, they also revisit the learning-to-ride the bike analogy from a few podcast ago as others share their thoughts about growing
- [Discovering How Loved We Are](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/07/23/discovering-how-loved-we-are/) - Look who came by. Darin Hufford was in the Los Angeles area and stopped by for a visit while Brad is in Jerusalem. Darin is a good friend and the author of The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Teaches About God. Wayne recorded some of their conversation to share it with God Journey listeners. This
- [Relaxing Into a Life of Grace](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/07/16/relaxing-into-a-life-of-grace/) - Sara joins Wayne and Brad this week to share her experiences in England with Wayne. They share about the marvelous journey various people are on to break free of religious obligation and find the freedom to walk in the life and grace of Jesus' unfolding work in their hearts. Brad and Wayne also read a
- [Expectancy and Expectations](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/12/11/expectancy-and-expectations/) - What's the difference between living with an expectancy in God's unfolding purpose in our lives, and trying to get God to fulfill our expectations for our own convenience or for the ministry we want to have? A question Brad poses to Wayne opens up a dialog about what kind of expectancy they live in about
- [Living Loved & Riding Bikes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/07/09/living-loved-riding-bikes/) - Letters from podcast listeners lead Brad and Wayne to a discussion about the process of learning to live loved, comparing it to learning to ride a bicycle. Unless we're willing to risk the uncomfortable moments of feeling out of control, we won't find the depth of the life God wants to show us. Living loved
- [Community Happens](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/07/01/community-happens/) - A letter from a listener and a conversation Wayne had recently gives he and Brad the opportunity to talk about how God gives expression to the Body of Christ around us. Both have become convinced that community is not something we get to build, but it is the fruit of lives coming together who are
- [Does Accountability Work?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/06/24/does-accountability-work/) - Brad and Wayne begin by discussing the web sensation, Sunday's Coming, a video from Northpoint in Atlanta parodying a contemporary Sunday morning service. From there they read a devotional on accountability that a listener sent in. It was designed to get people to serve more by saying that at the end of the age God
- [The Knowable God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/06/18/the-knowable-god/) - In the face of Wayne's upcoming trip to England, Brad questions him as to why he travels, what happens when he's with people, and what is the overriding vision for the things he does. That leads to a discussion about following God, living in his nudgings and finding a relationship with him that works. They
- [The Certainty of Ignorance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/01/15/the-certainty-of-ignorance/) - "Ignorance does not result from what we don’t know! Ignorance results from what we think we do know—but don’t! Most ignorant people are, in fact, quite certain." Sent in by a listener, that quote from Richard Rohr provokes Brad and Wayne into a discussion about truth, certainty, humility and how our ability to treat others
- [Doctrine, Truth and Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/06/11/doctrine-truth-and-love/) - Why was it true in Jesus' day that those most familiar with the Scriptures were least able to recognize God himself when he stood right in front of them? Is the same still true today? A recent conversation Wayne had gives he and Brad the opportunity to discuss doctrinal conflicts, how to help people open
- [The Folly of Judging Motives](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/05/28/the-folly-of-judging-motives-2/) - Wayne has been reading Senator Ted Kennedy's autobiography and it has taken him to some places he didn't expect. He shares with Brad his concern about the growing polarization of American life and how easily we dehumanize those we disagree with by casting aspersions on their motives and feeling justified in treating them however we
- [Does God Experience Emotion?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/06/04/does-god-experience-emotion/) - Wayne and Brad start by talking about the progress of their own relationship, and the poor track record Christians have of maintaining friendships over the long haul. Why does division define us more than peacemaking and unity? Responding to some listener questions and input, Brad and Wayne also discuss reconciliation in broken relationships and following
- [Silvio's Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/05/21/silvios-journey/) - One of our favorite things to do is to share the stories of other believers on this incredible journey of learning to live loved by the Father. Silvio Viotti, whom Wayne met two years ago in Switzerland recently visited California on a trip with his wife Dominque. Wayne introduces Silvio to Brad as the three
- [Embracing Our Doubts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/11/23/embracing-our-doubts/) - Doubts! We all have them. We don't talk about them much, because the conventional wisdom is that giving voice to doubts only separates us from God. But is that true? Do we really have the power to stop doubting, or only the power to pretend we do? A recent article on doubt and spirituality spur
- [Settled In Him](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/05/14/settled-in-him/) - Wayne has a guest this week as he introduces Brad to Vivian Haddad, a recent college graduate who helped translate for Wayne during his December trip to Brazil. She was visiting in the States and came by to spend some time with Wayne and Sara. While Wayne was in Brazil God did a special work
- [Connecting to People Around Us](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/05/07/connecting-to-people-around-us/) - Brad and Wayne continue with Part 2 of the podcast they recorded at the recent retreat in White Bluff, TN. They continue the theme of connecting to other brothers and sisters and then it expands to talk about engaging people around us whether they are believers or not. What is the value of small talk?
- [High Risk, High Reward of Relational Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/04/30/high-risk-high-reward-of-relational-community/) - Some of those who gathered in White Bluff, TN For the first time Brad and Wayne recorded an episode of the The God Journey before a live audience at their recent retreat in White Bluff, TN. The conversation turned to the high risk, high reward reality of relational community. People showed up to the retreat
- [Whoever Has An Ear…](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/04/23/whoever-has-an-ear…/) - Brad and Wayne catch up on some hilarious and insightful email and then find themselves in a discussion about our misconception of ministry as trying to get other people to see what they are not seeing, rather than to walk alongside them in their journey as God opens their eyes to see his reality. Do
- [I Love You All The Time](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/04/16/i-love-you-all-the-time-2/) - What is God thinking when he allows tragedy into our lives? That's at the heart of the discussion Brad and Wayne have in the aftermath of the passing of a close friend of Wayne's. Our expectations about what we think God should do in the midst of our pain and suffering is one of the
- [His Still, Small Voice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/04/09/his-still-small-voice/) - A question from a listener about her own growth in a relationship with God and her frustration at what seems like his silence cause Brad and Wayne to contemplate many of the questions people have about growing in their communion with God. Is having a relationship with God easy or will it take years to
- [Preachertainers and Pew Fodder](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/04/02/preachertainers-and-pew-fodder/) - Recent articles in the secular media about holographic preachers, intentionally emptying pews, and super-sizing the Lord's Supper open up a discussion about what people really are looking for in a Sunday gathering of believers, and how the priorities of the kingdom can easily take a backseat in that arrangement. Wayne and Brad both talk about
- [The Undriven God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/03/26/the-undriven-god/) - Starting out with some insights from fellow listeners of The God Journey with their own stories of learning to living loved, Brad and Wayne find themselves debunking some myths about God's engagement with our lives. Even in the face of humanity's brokenness God's purpose unfolds with an amazing lack of panic or pressure. Gently God
- [Openly, Honestly, Freely](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/03/19/openly-honestly-freely/) - This latest podcast touches a lot of bases, but mostly focusing on the freedom God brings to our lives to live openly, honestly and freely before God and with others. Brad and Wayne begin by talking about how we turn the promises of what Jesus will produce in us into commands we can never keep
- [Is God's Affection the Same as His Approval?  ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/03/12/is-gods-affection-the-same-as-his-approval/) - Brad and Wayne follow up last week's podcast by further processing Wayne's recent trip to Kenya. How has being with brothers and sisters in such desperate need affected him now that he's returned home. That leads to a larger discussion about God's disposition toward the needy and how we marginalize our involvement with their need
- [In the Land of Kenya](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/03/05/in-the-land-of-kenya/) - Wayne is back home from Kenya after his two and a half week trip there with Kent Burgess. Wayne fills Brad in on the trip and also plays a couple of interviews he recorded at the end of their time in Kenya, one with two of their hosts looking back on our time there, and
- [Living Beyond The System](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/02/26/living-beyond-the-system-2/) - Look who stopped by. On a recent trip to Los Angeles Jim Palmer, author of Divine Nobodies and Wide Open Spaces, came by to meet Brad and Wayne so we taped part of the conversation. Jim talks about his transition from staff member at Willow Creek to someone living outside the box, and wonders why
- [Miracles and Obligations](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/02/19/miracles-and-obligations/) - Wayne and Brad finally have a chance to catch up on some of the wonderful email they've been sent in recent weeks. It's always fun to see the insights people are having on their own God journeys and to interact with some of their questions. Wayne and Brad find themselves in a discussion about miracles
- [Letting Life Unfold](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/02/12/letting-life-unfold/) - Brad is all excited about a new documentary he saw last week,The Human Experience, which spawns a discussion about how we embrace the life that truly is life. By looking at the most needy in our world, it brought home the incredible point that our life does not consist of our possessions or our strategic
- [How Organized Does The Church Have To Be?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/12/04/how-organized-does-the-church-have-to-be/) - Wayne and Brad continue the discussion they began last week about the quest for expressions of church that allow authentic community to grow and flourish. To add to the discussion they read from a book review in Christianity Today about Why Churchless Christianity Doesn't Work and from an analysis of "postchurch" Christianity. Where does community
- [First Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/02/05/first-love-2/) - Don't you love meeting new people on this journey of living loved? Brad introduces Wayne to a good friend of his from Nashville who was visiting in Los Angeles. Chris DuPré is a musician, former pastor and wrote the music for the My Beautiful One CD available at Windblown Media. Chris has an inspiring story
- [No Need For Actors](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/04/03/no-need-for-actors/) - Following up their "Is Christianity Collapsing", Brad and Wayne discuss an interesting column written by Tom Ehrich, an Episcopal priest, entitled Saying No to Sundays. It offers an honest and generous look at those who no longer find the Sunday morning ritual a part of their connection to the body of Christ. Then they read
- [Grace In Suffering](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/01/29/grace-in-suffering/) - The earthquake in Haiti and Pat Robertson's comments about it open up a discussion about the difference between enduring suffering from a religious platform and embracing a Loving God in the midst suffering. Steve McVey, author of Grace Walk and Walking in the Will of God, who was in the area and came by to
- [The Obnoxious Self](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/01/22/the-obnoxious-self/) - Observations from the Gospel of John, mingled with love/hate letters from listeners, and an article in the New York Times send Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the obnoxious self, especially when it lures us into a religious performance treadmill we think we can control, and when it drives us to push others to
- [Painful But Worth It](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/01/08/painful-but-worth-it/) - Back from their end-of-the-year break, Brad and Wayne catch up with each other and some emails from listeners who share their own journey out of religious performance, to living loved. They describe well the process of moving from being painfully disillusioned about God and the church, to becoming gratefully disillusioned in their new-found freedom, joy
- [2009 Retrospective](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2010/01/01/2009-retrospective/) - Nope, no podcast today. Brad and Wayne are still enjoying their end-of-the-year break, but they did want to wish a heartfelt "Happy New Year" to all their friends on The God Journey. All of us here pray this year will be full of new life and freedom as we all continue to grow in him
- [For Regular Listeners Only!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/08/for-regular-listeners-only/) - We hope you're enjoying The God Journey and that it is encouraging and informative for your life in him. Brad and I have taped a special 3-minute audio clip for regular listeners who might want to consider helping us financially with this expanding endeavor. Don't get nervous. Our podcast will always be available free of
- [Merry Christmas](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/12/25/merry-christmas/) - Wayne and Brad pass on their Christmas greetings to The God Journey crowd as they take a couple of weeks off from recording to find some rest, refreshing and joy with family as well. We'll be back on January 8, 2010. If you've listened well to us you'll be able to thrive in this season
- [Look What Our Listeners Have Been Up To](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/18/look-what-our-listeners-have-been-up-to/) - One of our listeners from Rhode Island sent us the following graphic! We had a good chuckle over it and hope you do too:
- ['Out of the Church' Christians?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/09/07/out-of-the-church-christians/) - A recent letter by New Zealander Andrew Strom has caused a bit of a stir by many who are thinking outside the box of organized religion. He addresses what he calls out-of-the-church Christians, which we think is a bit of an oxymoron. How can a Christian be outside the church? His observations and accusations provide
- [May All Your God Journeys...](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/22/may-all-your-god-journeys/) - From a listener to us... Now, from us to you:
- [The Letter From David](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/10/21/the-letter-from-david/) - Ever wondered what it looks like up close as someone begins to sort out the reality of living with God as Father? In an engaging email Wayne received a few weeks ago, David shares how his relationship with God has taken on a fresh and new dimension in his own life. His observation and comments
- [Unsanctified Mercy?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/06/20/unsanctified-mercy/) - Brad and Wayne are freshly back from the Book Exposition of America where an encounter got them thinking again and how the religious mindset sounds so arrogant and condescending to the world's ears. The wrestle with a term others are using called unsanctified mercy, which is extending mercy to people who don't deserve it. Well,
- [Who Is This God?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/05/09/who-is-this-god/) - A recent Chuck Colson Breakpoint Commentary takes on The Shack for an alleged low view of Scripture and for diminishing the glory of God. As Wayne and Brad respond to his premise, and other listener email, they find themselves probing the question, "Who Is This God?" Is he the angry judge waiting for the opportunity
- [Why Religion Doesn't Work, Part II](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/04/25/why-religion-doesnt-work-part-ii/) - Here is part two of Brad and Wayne's discussion with Dave Coleman, a long-time friend of Wayne's and his co-writer on So You Don't Want to Go To Church Anymore. Here they continue their free-ranging discussion about the failure of religion to subvert the power of sin in our lives and free us to live
- [Why Religion Doesn't Work](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/04/17/why-religion-doesnt-work/) - Dave Coleman, a long-time friend of Wayne's and his co-writer on So You Don't Want to Go To Church Anymore, joins Wayne and Brad for a free-ranging discussion about the failure of religion to subvert the power of sin in our lives and free us to live fully and completely in the life of Jesus.
- [Cats and Dogs and Christmas](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/12/21/cats-and-dogs-and-christmas/) - A humorous look at a diary of a dog and one by a cat, end up being fodder for Brad and Wayne to contemplate two ways of viewing God and others around us. Especially poignant in this Christmas season when we're reminded that God comes to make himself known to us, and wants us to
- [Drop the Leaves!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/12/14/drop-the-leaves/) - Reader email from Brad and Wayne's recent podcast,"It's Not About Church" and other related issues allows them to talk more in depth about the nature of 'the box' that ensnares people in religious ways of thinking about God instead of freeing them to live in relationship with him. In doing so they talk about how
- [Missing Your Own Party](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/11/30/missing-your-own-party/) - A unfortunate experience last week with Wayne's granddaughter leads to a conversation about how our demands, expectations and speculations can make us miss out on the joy the Father has to share with us. Responding to some listener email, they also talk about 'the box' that Jesus wants to set us free from is not
- [Leadership and Community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/07/26/leadership-and-community/) - An early posting this week to accommodate our vacation schedule. The podcast studio is full this week. Joining Brad and Wayne in the studio are our friends from Family Room Media—Bob, Loren and Dave. They were in the area and stopped by for a free-ranging discussion about body life and how our distorted views of
- [Friends, and Friends of Friends](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/07/20/friends-and-friends-of-friends/) - Wayne and Brad discuss Wayne's recent trip to Ireland where a number of believers on this journey from all over the world gathered for a week of sharing life together. Without any programs, agendas or meetings they discovered how deep fellowship could go in simple picnics, barbecues and hanging out together over a week's time.
- [Celebrating Mercy Over Justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/06/29/celebrating-mercy-over-justice/) - A really weird Hollywood news story put Brad's head in an interesting place about our tendency to beg mercy for ourselves, but demand justice for others. Is that the best way for us to grasp what Jesus is doing among us? At the beginning of his ministry Jesus warned people to, "Go and learn what
- [Taking the Risk to Live In Father's Care](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/06/01/taking-the-risk-to-live-in-fathers-care/) - Kevin Smith, a long-time friend of Wayne's and a dear brother on this journey, joins Wayne and Brad to share some of the lessons he has learned on his journey beyond organized religion. A former Baptist minister, Kevin was part of a congregation that were led together to find God's reality outside of the system
- [When You Run Into A Bear...](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/05/25/when-you-run-into-the-bear/) - It's not an easy day at the ol' God Journey! Playing off a story Wayne heard on his recent Alaskan adventure about a man being overrun by a grizzly bear while jogging in the woods, he and Brad talk about some rough patches in their own journeys. What do you do in those seasons when
- [Meet The Author of  THE SHACK](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/05/18/meet-the-author-of-the-shack/) - Brad and Wayne introduce The God Journey audience to William 'Paul' Young, the author of The Shack. Don't worry. There are no plot spoilers here, so it's safe to listen if you haven't read the book. They explore Paul's unique spiritual journey, beginning among a technologically stone-aged tribal people in what is now West Papua
- [Living in God's Mercy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/05/11/living-in-gods-mercy/) - Brad and Wayne's guest from last week, Bob Stamps, hangs around to continue their dialog about the power of sharing the Lord's table as an actual experience with the Risen Christ and as a shared meal by his family. They also talk about sin and temptation and how we live in the arms of mercy
- [God At Our Table](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/05/04/god-at-our-table/) - One of Wayne's closest life-long friends and a man who has helped shape many of Wayne's views about God's grace and the power of relational community, Bob Stamps, a retired pastor, joins Brad and Wayne for a wide-ranging discussion on prayer, the Lord's table, the joy of relational community, living in the joy God gives
- [Letting Him  Lead](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/04/27/letting-him-lead/) - Letters from listeners, some encouraging and some not so much, take Brad and Wayne on a wide-ranging discussion about leadership, church planting, institutional expressions of body life and our ongoing choice to either let Jesus lead in the building of his church, or try to take it over for ourselves. What we experience in church
- [Good Intentions Are Not Enough](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/04/21/good-intentions-are-not-enough/) - Starting with the massacre at Virginia Tech and following up with a listener's question from their recent podcast on Purity Balls, Brad and Wayne discuss rites of passage for believing children and the current movement to make Ten Commandments Day a national holiday. The danger of religion is that it always preys on our best
- [Children, Morality and Learning to Say Yes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/04/13/children-morality-and-learning-to-say-yes/) - A new series on The Discovery Channel and a growing national trend of parents throwing 'Purity Balls' for their pre-teen and early teen-aged daughters provide the fodder for Brad and Wayne to discuss how living out of our fears can produce exactly the opposite of what we desire. Until we see our life in Christ
- [Living In the Shadow of Death](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/04/06/living-in-the-shadow-of-death/) - The convergence of two letters from listeners, both describing desperate situations, lead Brad and Wayne into a discussion about walking out a relationship of love with the Father in the face of unanswered questions and uncertain futures. A mother deals with a terminal disease in two of her young children and a wife deals with
- [Arguing Over The Rules](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/03/16/arguing-over-the-rules/) - Unfortunately the culture war issues of our day force us into endless arguements about rules, when we'd be far more effective talking about relationship with God himself. Wayne's recent trip to Nashville and Washington, DC to negotiate some of the hottest 'culture war' issues and current events in the media, hatch a discussion with Brad
- [Life and Leadership In Decentralized Communites](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/03/09/life-and-leadership-in-a-decentralized-community/) - A fascinating new book, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, highlights a new phenomenon in business and politics that the world is only now recognizing—the power and reslience of decentralized communities. Brad and Wayne look at the parallels between this book and how the early church functioned as it emerged
- [The Narcissistic Flesh](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/03/01/the-narcissistic-flesh/) - Claims that archeologists have uncovered the Tomb of Christ, a new Study on Narcissism and reader feedback to The Shame Game, launch Brad and Wayne on a discussion about the self-focused nature of the flesh and how shame only exacerbates, rather than liberates us from that reality. They also answer the question raised on the
- [Bringing All Things Together](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/02/23/bringing-all-things-together/) - The process of 'church' history has seemingly split Jesus' followers into increasingly smaller camps of believers—divided by ethnicity, social status, theological issues and personal preferences as to worship styles or teaching content. How does this square with the Father's stated purpose of summing up the end of the age by bringing all things together under
- [The Shame Game](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/02/16/the-shame-game/) - Shame and condemnation resulting from our struggles and failures are what keep many from finding a confident place of relationship with the God who is pure and holy. The good news is that the cross has resolved our sin as well as our shame, so that we can freely be in his presence even in
- [The Gooberliness of Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/02/09/the-gooberliness-of-religion/) - It looks like God swept everything this weekend in American sports. Or did he? Comments by coaches and players and an HBO special called Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi give Brad and Wayne fresh chance to consider the messages that evangelicals are giving to the culture about God. The things Christians
- [The Sin Disease](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/02/02/the-sin-disease/) - What do we do about our struggle with sin under the new covenant? Following up on some conversations Wayne had regarding the cross with some brothers and sisters in Central California over the weekend, he and Brad begin a conversation about sin and how God wants to deal with it. Religion treats sin as a
- [The Prayer Dance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/01/26/the-prayer-dance/) - Brad and Wayne respond to a series of questions first posed on The God Journey Forum about prayer and how our participation in it does or does not influence God's work in the world. Is God's will predetermined, and if so what good does prayer do? Can our prayers actually change things around us? Obviously
- [Nice Isn't Better Than Honest](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/01/19/nice-isnt-better-than-honest/) - One of the great dilemmas for people who are finding fellowship in more relational settings is what to do about those who haven't learned how to prefer one another in the conversation. Instead of flowing with it they seek to co-opt it to advance their own agenda or try to force others into agreeing with
- [Don't Forget to Play](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/01/12/dont-forget-to-play/) - Can we become so intense about our spiritual walk that we actually miss what Father is doing in our lives? Brad and Wayne examine that question in light of Jesus' repeated warnings to his potential followers that unless they could receive his kingdom as a little child, they would not be able to enter in
- [Intimacy Tangibles](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/01/05/intimacy-tangibles/) - You asked for it! A lof of people responded to our previous podcast on "How Real Is Intimacy?" Many found it incredibly helpful while others found it too vague to help them sort out their own journey. The latter asked Brad and Wayne if they could give more tangibles from their own experience and still
- [Looking Back... 2007 - The Quest for Significance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/12/30/looking-back-2007-the-quest-for-significance/) - Second up in a couple of re-runs from this past year: Meet Jake Colsen with Dave Coleman joining us in the studio. We hope you're all having a blessed holiday break and look forward to being back with a new podcast next week!
- [Look Back... 2007 - The Man Christ Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/12/22/look-back-2007-the-man-christ-jesus/) - We've gotten numerous emails from people letting us know they are going to miss hearing a new podcast during our two-week break. We appreciate your sentiments, so to try and help, we're going to point back to two of the podcasts that Brad and Wayne thought were especially significant in our hearts. We know others
- [Giving Up the Burden To Convince Others](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/12/15/giving-up-the-burden-to-convince-others/) - In this their last podcast of 2006, Brad and Wayne talk about overcoming the need to convince others of the truth as we see it. Since the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts of sin, and of righteousness and and of judgment, it is not our job to do so and when we try
- [Following Principles Or A Person](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/12/08/following-principles-or-a-person/) - Wayne's participation in a recent Brian McLaren conference starts a discussion with Brad regarding McLaren's teachings, the Emergent conversation in general and a new book on the scene entitled, Chasing Francis. Join them as they contemplate whether or not this life in Christ is about following principles, albeit it very good ones, or following a
- [How Real Is Intimacy?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/12/01/how-real-is-intimacy/) - Wayne and Brad follow-up their recent podcast on "Greed, Grace and Giving" by responding to comments they received from listeners. That, coupled with a recent letter asking how real is this 'intimate relationship with Jesus' supposed to be, leads to a discussion about the reality of God's presence in their daily lives and some of
- [Gratefully Disillusioned](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/11/17/gratefully-disillusioned/) - When our religious constructs fail, what do when the illusion comes tumbling down? As Wayne and Brad see regularly, that is a scary time for many people. So, do we grab the duct tape and patch the illusion back together, or do we risk embracing the truth of what we've seen and go on a
- [iTunes Link Messed Up on Latest Podcast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/11/12/itunes-link-messed-up-on-latest-podcast/) - Somehow our iTunes listing for the 11/10/06 podcast is pointing to our 11/03/06 podcast. If you listened to our latest one off of the links on our website or the blog you've heard the right one. If you have a subscription through iTunes, you probably got last week's show. I don't know how the other
- [Just Who Do We Think He Is?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/11/10/who-do-we-think-he-is/) - Is God a distant observer of human history, or intimately involved in the affairs of people? Is he angry at our failures or compassionate for our struggle? These are the questions a new study seeks to answer. American Piety in the 21st Century is a new study conducted by Baylor University to measure how the
- [Battling Depression](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/10/28/battling-depression/) - What do believers do when they find themselves facing depression? This topic began with questions from some of our listeners both in personal conversations and on the forum. How can we help brothers and sisters who battle deep-seated depression and can't seem to find their way out of it? Unfortunately, with its focus on works,
- [Being Gracious With Others' Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/10/20/living-with-a-generous-heart/) - Wayne's return from Texas spawns a discussion about dealing with others' journey out of a gracious heart. Quoting from some recent engagements listeners have had with pastors from the congregations they have left or are considering leaving, Brad and Wayne talk about how we can be generous with others and God's work in them, regardless
- [Giftedness Outside the Box](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/10/12/giftedness-outside-the-box/) - So many people currently thinking outside the box of organized religion used used to be very active in traditional leadership roles in the congregational format. What happens to those gifts such as teaching, music, leading or counseling when we are no longer engaged with the Sunday morning gathering or the institutions where we've most commonly
- [Giving Up Our Dividing Lines](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/10/06/giving-up-our-dividing-lines/) - A letter from a listener who found community in a place she least expected prompts Brad and Wayne to a discussion about how we think about other brothers and sisters. We often classify them in ways that lead to stereotypes and false assumptions that often make us feel superior to them instead of being able
- [Moving On](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/09/29/moving-on/) - The important part of being on a journey, is to keep moving. But isn't it so easy to pitch our tents in the pits of frustration, or even the mountain tops of glory, and miss out on Jesus inviting us to the next stage of our journey? Brad and Wayne begin with some follow-up questions
- [What You Wanted to Know...](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/09/22/what-you-wanted-to-know/) - Everything you wanted to know about Brad and Wayne is contained in this little podcast. O.K., probably not everything, but they take the time to answer the questions sent in by many of their faithful listeners. They didn't see their own questions in advance, so what you get is the honest answer off the top
- [Celebrating the Uniqueness of Your Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/09/15/celebrating-the-uniqueness-of-your-journey/) - Discouragement almost always arises whenever we compare our own journey to someone else's. The drive for certain outcomes and the false notion that God wants to wave a magic wand over us and fix our difficulties in an instant sidetracks from the simple trust and peace of following him every day. Brad and Wayne find
- [Passion for What?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/09/08/passion-for-what/) - Following up their discussion about the fear and anger that are so easily exploited in the Christian community, Brad and Wayne find themselves probing spiritual passion. How does our passion for Jesus find expression in ways that lead us more deeply to embrace what is on his heart, rather than get sidetracked into more fleshy
- [When the Church Leaves the Building](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/09/01/when-the-church-leaves-the-building/) - The boys from Family Room Media are back to talk about their ongoing journey discovering life outside the box of organized religion. We first met David Fredrickson a year and a half ago as he shared how their traditional congregation in Sacramento, California decentralized itself out of existence as God led them to deeper expressions
- [Why Are Evangelicals So Angry? ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/08/25/why-are-evangelicals-so-angry/) - With religious-based violence devouring our planet, why would such a broad consortium of evangelical leaders use the langue of war to rally believers to have impact in the world? A four-page advertisement in the current issue of Christianity Today heralds a 'Wake Up Call" and a "Call to Arms" as a "Battle Cry" for Christians
- [A Woman's Identity - Part 2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/08/18/a-womans-identity-part-2/) - Now it's Sara's turn. We continue our discussion from last week about women, identity and purpose beyond marriage and mothering with Wayne's wife, Sara (pictured at left). We get to glean from the insights she has gained as the mother of now two grown children in discovering God purpose in her life and some of
- [A Woman's Identity - Part 1 ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/08/11/a-womans-identity-part-1/) - They're back! Some of you have asked to have our wives back and discuss a bit more about women and identity issues through motherhood and beyond. On this podcast we bring back Brad's wife, Kelly, (pictured at left with Taylor) to talk about the challenges and insights she has gained as the mother of three
- [Expectations that Ruin the Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/08/04/expectations-that-ruin-the-journey/) - There's nothing that will ruin a relationship faster than disappointed expectations in someone else. This problem is magnified infinitely when that someone else is God. So many believers we meet on this journey have gotten sidetracked by their disappointed expectations in God's work in their lives. Brad and Wayne take a look at how our
- [The Dreams Religion Kills](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/07/28/the-dreams-religion-kills/) - Brad and Wayne follow up their previous podcast "When Dreams Die", with some listener reaction. Trying to serve God through the grid of our religious effort is a road littered with disillusions and broken dreams. After investing so much in that which bore so little fruit, what do we do with the resulting pain and
- [Sexual Brokenness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/07/21/sexual-brokenness/) - Listener responses to an earlier podcast on The Effeminacy of Religion, lead Brad and Wayne to discuss a bit more the sexual brokenness and temptation that is so prevalent in our age. How do we deal with the sexual images in our culture in the freedom and life of Jesus? WARNING: This discussion about sexual
- [Finding Friendships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/07/15/finding-friendships/) - A recent column in Time called You Gotta Have Friends reported on a recent study that said our society is becoming increasingly lonely. In the last 20 years Americans report a one-third drop in the number of friendships with whom they can share 'important matters.' Brad and Wayne talk about the unique challenges and opportunities
- [Mammon, Systems and Tithing](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/30/mammon-systems-and-tithing/) - We've had a lot of comment on our forum about our original 'God and Mammon' podcast and questions about tithing. Brad and Wayne just couldn't resist, so they jumped in again to this tangled web of how much money influences our religious systems and what they think the Bible teaches about tithing for the believer
- [The Effeminacy of Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/23/the-effeminacy-of-religion/) - WARNING: This is an explicit discussion of sexual issues in religion, from the passivity it requires of men and women and how it neglects sexual brokenness and temptation. This results in so many people living lost in their struggles instead of being transformed by his life. Sometimes hilarious and sometimes intense, Wayne and Brad take
- [Walking With the Man Christ Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/16/walking-with-the-man-christ-jesus/) - Brad and Wayne had so much feedback from their previous podcast, that they thought it best to continue their discussion about our relationship with Jesus as our older brother in Father's house. Sharing from their own experiences, they hope to help listeners either begin or deepen their own friendship with Jesus in a way that
- [The Man Christ Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/09/the-man-christ-jesus/) - You're not going to believe this one! A comment about the DaVinci Code movie takes Brad and Wayne into a discussion about the humanity of Jesus and how an over-exaggeration of his deity, at the expense of his humanity, robs us of a meaningful relationship Jesus wants us to have with him as our older
- [Are You A Christian?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/06/02/are-you-a-christian/) - No, this is not a test to see if you qualify. A recent essay in Time spured a conversation about the term 'Christian' what it has come to mean in our world. Are you comfortable being called a Christian, or does that identify you with things that don't speak of your faith or your spiritual
- [Where Is the Power?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/05/26/where-is-the-power/) - This question came up in the Forum and it is one that Brad and Wayne have struggled with throughout their own journeys. Clearly, the life of God is not just a matter of words and principles; it is a kingdom of power where people are healed, broken hearts mended, and captive people delivered. Where is
- [Hell In the Hallway](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/05/19/hell-in-the-hallway/) - Certainly God wants to bring us into the fullness of his life, but the process of getting there is not without difficulty and pain. Jumping off listener comments from last week's podcast, Brad and Wayne talk further about how God uses the brutal realities of our conflicted age to invite us ever-closer to him and
- [When Dreams Die...](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/05/12/when-dreams-die/) - One of the most gut-wrenching seasons in this journey is when God allows our dreams to die so that he can free us from the tyranny of our own agendas to live in his glory. Of course, we often don't have a clue that this is what he's doing, we our overwhelming feelings of disappointment,
- [Singles and the Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/05/04/singles-and-the-journey/) - Wayne and Brad begin by responding comments on the forum from their last podcast on spiritual warfare, then begin a discussion about singles and some of the challenges they face on the journey in answer to a recent email. What came out of it is the joy of living in agenda-free relationships wherever we find
- [What About Spiritual Warfare?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/04/28/what-about-spiritual-warfare/) - Just how much does God want his people involved in spiritual warfare? For the last decade or more prayer walks, intercession in a city's high places, and discerning and rebuking principalities over a region have become quite a fad in the body of Christ, especially among Charismatic groups. Are these efforts spiritually significant or another
- [One Woman's View Of the Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/04/14/one-woman’s-view-of-the-journey/) - Many of you have asked to hear more about this journey from a woman's perspective. Recently Wayne spent some time in Washington, CD with Mike and Lynette Woods of Wellington, New Zealand. Mike is currently attached to the Education Ministry at the New Zealand Embassy while Lynette encourages other fellow-travelers with lessons she's learned along
- [What One Little Prayer Can Do!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/04/07/what-one-little-prayer-can-do/) - We often hear from those who think the church can only have impact on society through its massive institutions. How can believer simply networked together have any effect on what's going on in the world today. Well we have an incredible story for you. In a recent trip to Washington, DC, Wayne met a man
- [The Quest for Significance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/03/30/the-quest-for-significance/) - Paul Young of Gresham, Oregon joins Brad and Wayne for a discussion on the drive for significance that twists and distorts our journey. By appealing to our deep sense of shame and manipulating our desire to do something great for God, this unquenchable thirst takes our best intentions and uses them against us by drawing
- [Relational Leadership](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/03/16/relational-leadership/) - For most people who have only seen leadership in the body of Christ implemented in institutional environments, it is difficult to see them any other way. A recent article about house churches in Time magazine and some discussion in our Forums drew Brad and Wayne back to this critical area. What do elders and other
- [The Power of a Transformed Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/03/10/the-power-of-a-transformed-life/) - A number of recent events including movie awards and cultural clashes lead Brad and Wayne further in the discussion as to how we can demonstrate in our culture the life and character of Jesus and how we can engage people around us who don't know the God we know or live the way we want
- [Lights!  Camera!  Action!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/03/03/lights-camera-action/) - A recent meeting of some fellow-believers active in the filmmaking industry gave Brad and Wayne an opportunity to host a free-ranging discussion on movies, in general and movies directed at Christians in particular. They discuss what the future might hold for believers in this media and how it can demonstrate the reality of Jesus where
- [Blessed Are the Peacemakers](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/02/24/blessed-are-the-peacemakers/) - Muslim riots over a cartoon in a Danish newspaper and the controversy over Bono's spirituality and his campaign to help with hunger and AIDs in Africa provide the launch point for Wayne and Brad to discuss how believers can engage the world with the life of Jesus. Too often we are drawn into world conflicts
- [A Death Worth Dying](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/02/16/a-death-worth-dying/) - Interaction with many of our listeners on the Forum to the 'It's About Jesus' podcast collided with experiences from Wayne's recent trip to the St. Louis area to create the perfect storm for further dialog about what it means to connect with Jesus in a way that fulfills God's desire for our growing relationship with
- [What About Worship?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/02/10/what-about-worship/) - People outside the walls of traditional congregational life often say that they miss the worship most. What they mean, of course, is the corporate expression of singing and praise. But is that worship? Brad and Wayne explore what worship really means and how that can become a daily part of our lives. They also talk
- [It's About Jesus!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/02/03/its-about-jesus/) - This journey is not about house church, relational church, institutional church or anything else! It's about Jesus—first, foremost and always! The early Christians did not promote a gospel, a ritual, or a set of principles, but the person of Jesus Christ, knowable by all who want to follow him. Wayne's recent trip to Pennsylvania provides
- [Suffering and the Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/01/27/suffering-and-the-journey/) - As much as we might hope that following Jesus ensures a pain-free life, reality constantly argues against it. As does Jesus himself, when he warned us that we would face troubles as long as we are in this world. Some of the most difficult questions we face concern how we reconcile God's love for us
- [Removing the Clutter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/01/20/removing-the-clutter/) - Some wonderful postings on The God Journey Forums gives Brad and Wayne an opportunity to re-visit some of the topics covered in recent podcasts, including more on recognizing God's voice and the conflict between those who are in and out of traditional congregations. Through the contributions of their listeners and their own discussion a recurring
- [Then Angst Between Innies and Outies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/01/12/then-angst-between-innies-and-outies/) - Christianity Today's current review of George Barna's book, Revolution, highlights the misunderstanding and increasing polarization between those who see the church only as a traditional congregation and those looking for more relational expressions of body life. Wayne and Brad wade into the conflict between those who are in and those who are out to invite
- [Learning to Listen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/01/06/learning-to-listen/) - The idea that God speaks to normal people in the course of their daily lives is still a controversial concept among Christians. Wayne and Brad often refer to God's leading as a significant factor in their relationship with God and their journey. In this podcast they discuss how a daily, ongoing conversation with God is
- [God and Mammon](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/30/god-and-mammon/) - This might be the podcast you want to skip. It is not for the squeamish. Wayne and Brad pick their way through the minefield of how our preoccupation with money and possessions can blind us to God's reality in our lives. Jesus warned us that trying to follow him and pursuing our own economic self-interest
- [The Christmas Podcast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/23/the-christmas-podcast/) - Christmas has made quite a splash in the media this year--from holiday greetings in stores, to whether or not to have congregational services on Christmas morning. These media-concocted controversies give Brad and Wayne a chance to ruminate about all the hoopla surrounding Christmas and to consider how we as believers can truly make an impact
- [Accept no Substitutes!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/16/accept-no-substitutes/) - Why would we ever think we're safer following the crowd, or following another human being, when the King of Kings wants to be our shepherd and lead us into the true freedom of God's life? He alone is the way, the truth and the life. Learning to live dependent on him rather than our own
- [Meet the Wives](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/12/02/meet-the-wives/) - Well, many of you asked for it, and we were happy to provide it. On this edition of The God Journey we invite Wayne's wife, Sara, and Brad's wife, Kelly, to join us in the studio and share 'the rest of the story'. From their unique perspectives we get a different look into how life
- [Structures and Systems](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/26/structures-and-systems/) - When people begin to see through the illusions of organized religion, many have the tendency to through out all structures, thinking they are inherently evil. Are they? Some feedback from Wayne and Brad's podcast on George Barna's Revolution and some listener questions regarding structure and associations give them an opportunity to sort through this issue,
- [Barna's Revolution](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/11/barnas-revolution-2/) - Is there a revolution afoot in the body of Christ. George Barna seems to think so and in his latest book, Revolution, he describes a large and growing group of committed Christians who have given up on the traditional congregational model of Christianity. And instead of calling this an unhealthy trend that needs to be
- [George Barna's "Revolution"](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/11/01/george-barnas-revolution/) - George Barna's lastet book, Revolution, is raising some eyebrows around the country and in one of our next podcasts we'll take a look at the content of his book and its implications for those thinking outside the box. Barna, head of a polling firm on Christian issues, identifies a growing segment of the Christian population
- [Living Under Father's Care](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/10/13/living-under-fathers-care/) - Join us for a trip to the land down under as we offer another in our continuing series of interviews with people all over the world who are living this journey with great freedom and joy. In this podcast Wayne interviews Kevin Smith of Lancefield, Victoria in Australia as he shares the lessons a group
- [Koinonia Cultivators](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/10/07/koinonia-cultivators/) - Wayne and Brad follow-up last week's podcast on Koinonia Killers by responding to some of the comments and concerns that were sent in after the show. It gives them a chance to focus on those things that lead to deeper fellowship and greater life in him and how we can love those who we are
- [Koinonia Killers](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/09/29/koinonia-killers/) - Christian fellowship isn't rocket science. People passionate about Jesus who get near each other find themselves sharing his life without much work at all—unless something gets in the way. And believe us, things can get in the way. We call those koinonia killers and Brad and Wayne not only discuss the kinds of things people
- [Finding Freedom Outside the Box](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/09/23/finding-freedom-outside-the-box/) - Brad and Wayne follow up The Ladysmith Story with comments from our listeners as a springboard to talk about the often-painful process of finding freedom outside the box of organized religion. Sometimes people get to go together, as the brothers and sisters in South Africa. And sometimes we might go it alone, as Daniel from
- [Religion's Antidote](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/08/25/religions-antidote/) - Why do passionate disciples of the Living God continue to get caught in the system of religious obligation? Because they have not understood that God has satisfied in himself all that he would ever require of us to have full and complete access to his presence. He did that in the cross of Jesus Christ,
- [Podcast Changes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/08/25/podcast-changes/) - Our current podcasts we are also experimenting with various suggestions we've received from our listeners to improve the podcast. We're scaling the podcast back to a 30-minute target instead of a 50-minute one. We're also going to provide two downloads of the podcast, a lower quality one for those downloading with limited or costly Internet
- [Looking For Real BodyLife](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/08/16/looking-for-real-bodylife/) - During his recent trip to South Africa Wayne met with many brothers and sisters who are in various stages of transition from the system of religious obligation and sorting out what it means to live as God's people outside of institutional approaches. Wayne's experiences provides an excellent backdrop for he and Brad to discuss further
- [Letter from Andrew Strom](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/08/23/letter-from-andrew-strom/) - On a future webcast, Brad and I want to discuss a letter with you that Andrew Strom has written to what he calls 'out of church' Christians. Andrew Strom is a brother from New Zealand known in the so-called prophetic movement, who moved to Kansas City a few years ago to be part of the
- [New RSS Feed](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/07/11/new-rss-feed/) - Thanks to the generous help of Greg at Greg's Head.net we now have an RSS feed on our Audio Page for those of you that would like to subscribe to our webcast. Thanks to the new iTunes 4.9 you can arrange for The God Journey to be automatically added to your iPod whenever we post
- [What Becomes of Leadership?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/07/08/what-becomes-of-leadership-2/) - The place of leadership in institutional expressions of church life have been clearly defined for centuries. One of the great joys of thinking outside the box of organized religion is that we have to rethink issues like leadership and discipline in an entirely new context. Brad and Wayne respond to one of our listeners as
- [It's About Relationship!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/07/01/its-about-relationship/) - Living relationally in body life begins with our own relationship to the one who creates the reality and power of that body life. Brad and Wayne explore our own personal relationship to the Head of the Church, how that is essential to the power of the New Covenant and how each of us can share
- [Living In the Relationship](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/06/02/living-in-the-relationship/) - Living in the Relationship is designed to encourage people outside the box to go on and thrive in their personal relationship with God through Jesus. Brad and Wayne also tackle the difficult question, "What do you do when you feel like God is asking you to do something you're not ready for?" and comment on
- [Believers Outside the Box](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/05/19/oops-sixth-webcast-available/) - Our Sixth Webcast of The God Journey is entitled Believers Outside the Box. Wayne and Brad discuss three articles that have appeared in major publications about believers who have left traditional congregations. It is topic we only scratched the surface of, but I'm sure we'll revisit it more and more. Thanks to all who helped
- [Would You Like to Help With Our Next Webcast?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/29/would-you-like-to-help-with-our-next-webcast/) - For our next webcast we want to talk about the three articles that the major Christian magazines. in America (Christianity Today and Charisma) have published about people who no longer fit into our Sunday (or Saturday) morning congregations. Each of these articles speak negatively of those who have left and advance the notion that it
- [A Journey Into Renewal](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/28/fifth-webcast-now-available/) - Wayne interviews Dave Fredrickson, right, who tells the story of a group of people in Sacramento, California who over the last five years deconstructed the institutional aspects of their fellowship and are learning together how to live in God's life and freedom. Over the last five years in simple acts of obedience they have deconstructed
- [The Contradictions of Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/08/the-contradictions-of-religion/) - Brad and Wayne take a look the recent deaths of Terry Shiavo and Pope John Paul II and the reactions to them that have dominated our headlines and news shows for the past two weeks. What are we to make of these historic moments? Feel free to use the blog comment section here, our voice
- [Join the Conversation!](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/04/join-the-conversation/) - Later this week Brad and Wayne will be taping their third edition of The God Journey. They are planning to discuss two events that have dominated the news over the past couple of weeks, the deaths of Terry Shaivo and the events that surrounded it as well as the death of Pope John Paul II.
- [The Adventure of a Lifetime](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/04/01/second-webcast-available-2/) - Thinking outside the box means pushing away from the safe, but boring confines of routine, and growing in a dynamic relationship with Jesus. Brad and Wayne also discuss the gay marriage debate.
- [The Journey Begins](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2005/03/19/first-webcast-released/) - Brad and Wayne discuss the show, their own personal journeys and how God brought them together for this endeavor. We look forward to growing with you in this new endeavor and value your input and prayers as we explore what this might be able to do to encourage people in the life Jesus came to
- [A Journey for the Hungry](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/12/18/a-journey-for-the-hungry/) - Brad is back from Nashville and Wayne from Brazil. They have lots of catching up to do and Wayne shares some of his experiences with brothers and sisters in Brazil. They also share some letters from other listeners, which causes them to contemplate a question too often ignored. Is the Bible is written to give
- [Pastor Crap](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/11/27/pastor-crap/) - After celebrating a bit of thanksgiving with some listener letters, Wayne and Brad look some news stories talking about the demands and dysfunctions of being a pastor in the 21st century. Have we created a position ripe for disaster, both for the person who tries to fill that role and the congregation that wants him
- [Living Authentically In a Two-Faced World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/07/24/living-authentically-in-a-two-faced-world/) - Wayne and Brad are in Denver with the authors of Truefaced: Trust God and Others With Who You Really Are, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John Lynch, for a conversation about the wonder of living in grace-based relationships. We all seek a safe place where we can be known for who we are and loved
- [Laying It All Down in Dublin](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2006/04/24/laying-it-all-down-in-dublin/) - Add this story to the stories of Ladysmith, South Africa, Fairlee, New Zealand and Sacramento, CA, where a group of people find that the institution they were creating was not what God wanted and how he lead them to do something about it. Meet Collin Langran and David Rice of Dublin who helped host Wayne
- [Living Freely in God's Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/11/06/living-freely-in-gods-love/) - Brad and Wayne interviewed Darin last week on the release of his newest book, The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Teaches About God. They held him over for a second week to find out more about his personal life, what makes him tick and where his passions are in encouraging the body of Christ. He
- [Ditching Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/03/08/ditching-religion/) - A new study of 35,000 Americans by the Pew Forum Resarach Center diagnosis the current fluidity of religious practice today. Over 44% of Americans no longer participate in the same religious expressions as their parents did, and the fastest growing segment are the "unaffiliated" who don't identify with any specific religious group. Brad and Wayne
- [Seeing the Colors](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2008/03/21/seeing-the-colors/) - Listener interaction from their three most recent podcasts, give Wayne and Brad a chance to revisit those topics again and expand on their thoughts as well as add others to the mix. They hear again from the denominational official struggling with his place inside that structure and how important it is to follow God instead
- [The Tyranny of Our Wants](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/10/22/the-tyranny-of-our-wants/) - Wayne is off to South Africa and before he left he started a discussion with Brad about our endless fascination with speculation and controversy, in sports as well as in theology and human relationships. And those keep us from living in the adventure of learning to discern him and follow him in each unfolding moment.
- [Get Off the Dock](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/10/16/get-off-the-dock/) - If we're ever going to sail in the joy and freedom of this journey, we have to learn again how to live out of hearts where God interacts with our Spirit, rather than trying to live out of intellect and emotions. That's not to say our intellect or emotions are unimportant, but both have the
- [A Family Without Fences](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/10/09/a-family-without-fences/) - Who are real pastors and elders among the Body of Christ today? That's not where Brad and Wayne start their discussion, but it is where it ends. A letter from a senior pastor to a former member of his church launches a discussion about those who seek control over others by fear and intimidation because
- [Flourishing in Trials](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2009/10/02/flourishing-in-trials/) - What did Jesus mean when he promised his followers abundant life? We’ve been taught that it means a life of ease and our selected list of creature comforts. But does it? Through the letters of a few of their listeners Wayne and Brad dive into this topic with a daughter disaffected from her family, a
- [Because You Asked](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/06/15/because-you-asked/) - A break from all the recent guests gives Brad and Wayne a chance to catch up on some listener email and questions on the forum. They find themselves talking about the difficulty of dealing with people who bring agendas to gatherings of the family, facilitating change in existing groups of believers, helping people with limited
- [Be Easy on People](https://www.thegodjourney.com/2007/08/10/be-easy-on-people/) - Following up last week's podcast, Brad and Wayne continue a discussion about how Jesus' love takes shape in us and how that love, better than anything else, makes God known in our world. They read through part of the Sermon on the Mount from Luke 6:26-38 in The Message and discuss the practical ways that

## Pages

- [Tobie van der Westhuizen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/tobie-van-der-westhuizen/) - South Africa Bible teacher, educator, and learning designer from South Africa, who holds a PhD in Higher Education and has spent decades teaching, writing, and communicating complex ideas with clarity and imagination. He is the owner and principal of Ridgefield Academy and blogs at JusticeofGod.com.
- [Archive RSS Feeds](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archive-rss-feeds/) - WARNING! Proceed at your own risk (or, at your own in-depth knowledge of RSS.) The hosts of the God Journey are not, nor do they claim to be, knowledgeable in regards to RSS or any other abbreviated web technology. So, while this tool functions perfectly well, do not expect any support from your intrepid hosts...
- [The JUST LOVE Conversations - July 9-12 in Kansas City](https://www.thegodjourney.com/the-just-love-conversations-july-9-12-in-kansas-city/) - Would you like to spend a weekend with Tobie and me exploring the wonder of the Gospel when God's justice replaces our pursuit of righteousness? My Just Love co-author, Tobie van der Westhuizen, and his wife will be visiting from South Africa this summer to see family near Kansas City. We thought it would give
- [Ways to Follow The God Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/subscribe/) - There are many ways to keep up with The God Journey podcast. Subscribe with iTunes, RSS, etc; receive posts directly to your email inbox; or 'Like' The God Journey on Facebook. Explore the links below: Subscription Help RSS Spotify Podcasts iTunes Amazon Podcasts TuneIn Podcasts Follow on Facebook Subscribe to The God Journey by E-Mail
- [Rowena's Observations on Spiritual Authority](https://www.thegodjourney.com/rowenas-observations-on-spiritual-authority/) - Dear Wayne, I wanted to share a few reflections that surfaced for me during your recent conversations about what's unfolding in the world right now - especially the question of what Kingdom governance looks like when familiar systems are losing credibility. These reflections didn't come to me as language. They came through lived experience, through misalignment,
- [Tessa Van Wade](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/tessa-van-wade/) - Author: Tessa Van Wade Tessa and Ben, her husband of 20 years, own a boutique gym and pilates studio in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.
- [Anna LeBaron](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/anna-lebaron/) - Author of The Polygamist's Daughter Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
- [Courtney Madise](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/courtney-madise/)
- [Current Events/Touching The World, Agreeing With God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/current-events-touching-the-world-agreeing-with-god/)
- [Agreeing With God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/agreeing-with-god/)
- [Transforming Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/transforming-love/)
- [Redeeming Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/redeeming-love/)
- [Dealing With Trauma](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/dealing-with-trauma/)
- [Personal Stories](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/personal-stories/)
- [Luis](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/luis/) - My Friend Luis https://www.myfriendluis.com
- [Mary](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/mary/) - Out of a Buddhist upbringing, Mary came to know Jesus one year ago, alone in her room after watching a video online.
- [Technical Details: How We Do Our Podcast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/technical-details-how-we-do-our-podcast/) - For those that want the details of how we produce our podcast We record off of two Shure SM7B Cardioid Studio Vocal Mics with windscreens. They are plugged into an Alesis Multimix 8 mixer, that plugs into a Roland R05 digital recorder. We record the podcast there. I then import the WAV recording into Sound
- [What Listeners Say](https://www.thegodjourney.com/what-listeners-say/)
- [About The God Journey Podcast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/about-the-god-journey-podcast/) - Slinging Freedom All Over the Place Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings launched The God Journey in March of 2005 to encourage people who were thinking outside the box of religious obligation, those who wanted to follow Jesus even if they had some concerns about the efficacy of religious institutions in our day. They wanted to
- [What Does "Subscribe" Mean?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/what-does-subscribe-mean/) - Subscribe There are many ways to subscribe to The God Journey Podcast. The easiest way is to use the podcasting software you use to listen to your podcasts. Each of these has a directory you can search to find The God Journey and click "subscribe" or "follow" to receive the latest episode, and the current
- [A Letter about the Vulnerability of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/a-letter-about-the-vulnerability-of-god/) - This letter was sent to Wayne by Jenny Rowbury after the podcast on The Vulnerability of God and is the subject of the April 28, 2023 podcast. The recent episode of ‘The God Journey’ about the vulnerability of God was particularly meaningful to me, with so many of my recent experiences with God being echoed, sometimes even
- [Your Hosts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/your-hosts/) - Wayne Jacobsen Wayne has been on a life-long search to find out just how real God wants to be in my life and how I can connect with his church in a way that fulfills the promises of Scripture. For forty-two years I tried to sort that out in various conformity-based institutions, trying to figure
- [Listeners' Websites](https://www.thegodjourney.com/listeners-websites/) - Blogs and Websites The following list is provided as a service to our listeners. These sites have NOT been reviewed by Brad or Wayne and their listing here does not guarantee our agreement with their content. They are listed here because the host of the site claims to be a regular listener of The God
- [Living Loved](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/living-loved/)
- [Stephan Vosloo](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/stephen-vosloo/) - Ladysmith, South Africa Former pastor, host of CrossContact
- [Backdoor](https://www.thegodjourney.com/backdoor/)
- [Submissions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/submissions/)
- [Password Recovery](https://www.thegodjourney.com/password-recovery/)
- [Login](https://www.thegodjourney.com/login/)
- [Top Episodes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/top-episodes/) - These lists are generated by the number of times the page has been viewed and it is biased toward more recent years (when the tracking started). The second list is in the order of the number of comments for a particular episode. These might not be the most accurate reports of the "top episodes" of
- [Money](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/money/)
- [Sexuality](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/sexuality/)
- [Embracing His Glory](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/embracing-his-glory/)
- [Transition from Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/transition-from-religion/)
- [After-Show Conversation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/after-show-conversation/)
- [The Gospel in the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/the-gospel-in-the-world/)
- [Spiritual Gifts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/spiritual-gifts/)
- [Our Engagement With God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/our-engagement-with-god/)
- [Various Topics](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/various-topics/)
- [Death and Grief](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/death-and-grief/)
- [Religious Abuse](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/religious-abuse/)
- [Great Reading](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/great-reading/)
- [Helping Others](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/helping-others/)
- [The Scripture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/the-scripture/)
- [Archives by Topic](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/) - Archives are not available on mobile device. Please scroll back through posts, or search for keywords like topics or guests.
- [Harvey Mast](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/harvey-mast/) - Location: Millersburg, OH Harvey and Monica Mast own Harvey's Market in Millersburg, Ohio
- [Jeff Andrechyn](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jeff-andrechyn/) - Location: Charlotte, NC Jeff Andrechyn is a Captain for American Airlines
- [Dana Andrechyn](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/dana-andrechyn/) - Location: Charlotte, NC Dana and her husband, Jeff, live near Charlotte, NC, where she works with Zoweh Ministries
- [Paul Swearengin](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/paul-swearengin/) - Author of Joseph Comes to Town
- [David Rice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/david-rice/) - Location: County Wicklow, Ireland Wayne's long-time friend
- [Ralaine Fagone](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/ralaine-fagone/) - Author of Burden of Promise: When Tragedy Becomes a Teacher
- [Richard Hanes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/richard-hanes/) - Location: Richmond, VA
- [Josh Packard](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/josh-packard/) - Location: Colorado Professor of sociology at the University of Northern Colorado and the author of Church Refugees
- [Amy Hauser](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/amy-hauser/) - Location: Texas Director of Artistic Expression for Mosaics of Mercy, and co-founder of Made For More Ministries
- [Arnita Taylor](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/arnita-taylor/) - Location: Keller, TX Founder of EIGHT Leadership Development Group, co-author of A Language of Healing
- [Considerations on Premarital Sex](https://www.thegodjourney.com/considerations-on-premarital-sex/) - This is what Tracy Levinson, author of unashamed, wrote on her Facebook page about premarital sex. "A young single couple recently asked me to help them discuss sexual boundaries while dating. I asked them to focus on the WHY before the WHAT. It 2 am and I just wrote this in response to their WHYs:
- [Silvio Viotti](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/silvio-viotti/) - Vallorbe, Switzerland IT Technician and translator of Wayne’s books into French
- [Contact](https://www.thegodjourney.com/contact/) - You can also leave your comment or question at: (805) 498-7774, or Skype us at: thegodjourney.com
- [Gil Michel](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/gil-michel/) - Financial advisor and pastor from South Bend, Indiana
- [Jeff Fields](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jeff-fields/) - Financial planner and author of Breaking the Hex from Lexington, KY
- [Vince Coakley](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/vince-coakley/) - Radio host in Charlotte, NC
- [Tracy Levinson](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/tracy-levinson/) - Speaker and author of unashamed, from Texas Hill Country
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/privacy-policy/) - Who we are The God Journey podcast is a production of Lifestream Ministries. Our website address is: https://www.thegodjourney.com. Operated by Lifestream Ministries: Lifestream Ministries 1560-1 Newbury Rd #313 Newbury Park, CA 91320 Phone: (805) 598-7774 Fax: (805) 499-5975 Email: Please use our Contact Page Website: https://www.lifestream.org What personal data we collect and why we collect it
- [404](https://www.thegodjourney.com/404-2/)
- [About Brad Cummings](https://www.thegodjourney.com/brads-bio/) - A former pastor for 12 years, regular conference and college campus speaker, taking teams of young people into UK, Europe, India and Africa, in addition to his work with Wayne on the God Journey, Brad is the president of Windblown Media focusing on books and films that express the life of Jesus in today’s culture.
- [Bob Prater](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bob-prater/) - Bob Prater used to be a full-time pastor managing an institution until he could no longer grow in his passions inside of it. Bob and wife Danette give themselves away to people they meet, simply by offering them a meal and a safe place to explore their own journey and connect the dots to God’s
- [Bob Scott](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bob-scott/) - Bob Scott's website Compassionate Justice looks to cultivate resources to defend the innocent and the oppressed.
- [Catherine Cowell and Sean Kennedy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/catherine-cowell-and-sean-kennedy/) - Catherine Cowell and Sean Kennedy authors of a new book, Church Uncorked.
- [Kyle Rice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kyle-rice/) - Kyle Rice has been a missionary, a staff member of a mega-church in Southern California, and now a marriage and family therapist.
- [John Lynch](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-lynch/) - Wayne first worked with John Lynch as an editor on BO’S CAFE.
- [Philip Akintunde](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/philip-akintunde/) - United Kingdom
- [Dan Mayhew](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/dan-mayhew/) - Portland, OR Dan Mayhew is a prolific author, former pastor, and passionate to equip others to know him.
- [Jimmy Wolfe](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jimmy-wolfe/) - Woodstock, GA
- [Kathy Escobar](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kathy-escobar/) - Author of the book, Faith Shift.
- [Paul Young](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/paul-young/) - Gresham, OR Author of The Shack
- [Archives](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/) - Archives are not available on mobile device. Please scroll back through posts, or search for keywords like topics or guests.
- [Archives by Guest](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/) - Archives are not available on mobile device. Please scroll back through posts, or search for keywords like topics or guests.
- [To 'Out of Church' Christians | Andrew Strom](https://www.thegodjourney.com/to-out-of-church-christians-andrew-strom/) - (NOTE: This is an article that Brad and Wayne refer to in a podcast you can find here. We do not agree with his conclusions in this piece, which is what we wanted to talk about. It is provided here so that our listeners can read the original source; it is not an endorsement of
- [When Love Isn't Enough](https://www.thegodjourney.com/when-love-isnt-enough/) - This email was written for Lifestream Journeys by Emmett and featured on the podcast, "When Love Doesn't Win?" Tonight I'm doing some thinking about the subject of those that we have loved in this life. In particular, those whom we've loved, yet they didn't love us back, didn't blossom or succeed, didn't heal, and maybe
- [Knowledge Circle ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/knowledge-circle/)
- [Daryl Luthas](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/daryl-luthas/) - Long-time friend of Wayne's, with a similar passion for Jesus, and a desire to discover what life in him really looks like.
- [Stephanie Bennett](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/stephanie-bennett/) - West Palm Beach, FL Dr. Stephanie Bennett is the Professor of Communication and Media Ecology at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
- [Don Zimmermann](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/don-zimmerman/) - Phoenix, AZ Former Methodist pastor and now RV sanitation expert, living in Phoenix, AZ
- [Sexual Brokenness Resources](https://www.thegodjourney.com/sexual-brokenness-resources/) - These are resources that Dr. Renee found useful in her journey through sexual brokenness. Their listing here is for the benefit of the listener only. We don't have first hand-knowledge of these resources or ministries and therefore are not recommending them directly. Books (links are to Amazon, but almost all be found on the Exodus site)
- [Renee](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/renee-lockey/) - Texas OB/GYN. Visit her website for more info.
- [Dave Edwards](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/dave-edwards/) - Software developer from Montgomery, Alabama
- [Bruxy Cavey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bruxy-cavey/) - Toronto, ON, Canada Teaching pastor at The Meeting House in Toronto, ON, Canada and author of “The End of Religion.”
- [DaRon Maughon](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/daron-maughon/) - Nashville, TN Musician, humorist, former “worship leader”, living in Nashville, TN
- [Michael and Susan Simpson](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/michael-and-susan-simpson/) - Fairplay, CO Chocolate makers, life coach, and encouragers of God’s people in Russia, living in Fairplay, CO
- [John Anderson and Francie Beard](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-anderson-and-francie-beard/) - Winston-Salem, CA Single brother, group leader, living in Winston-Salem, CA
- [Paul and Janna LaFrance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/paul-and-janna-lafrance/) - Toronto, ON, Canada Parents, author, musicians, TV host, living near Toronto, ON, Canada
- [John, Josiah, and Amy Manteit](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-josiah-and-amy-manteit/) - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Escapees from a legalist group living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- [Joni Menard](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/joni-menard/) - Edmond, OK Mother, encourager of women on the journey, living in Edmond, OK
- [Jack Gray](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jack-gray/) - Auckland, NZ Former missionary, surgeon, and hospital administrator, living in Auckland, NZ
- [John Beaumont](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-beaumont/) - Rotorura, NZ Author of “A God Filled Nobody” and numerous other books, who has traveled the world sharing Jesus’ reality, lives in Rotorura, NZ
- [Eugene Jacobsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/eugene-jacobsen/) - Shaver Lake, CA Retired vineyard owner and father of Wayne, living in Shaver Lake, CA
- [Brandon Hawk](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/brandon-hawk/) - Carlsbad, CA Former pastor, self-help seminar leader, in Carlsbad, CA
- [Julie Williams](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/julie-williams/) - Moorpark, CA Stay-at-home mom, school volunteer and Wayne’s daughter, living in Moorpark, CA
- [Tom Mohn](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/tom-mohn/) - Tulsa, OK Former pastor and friend, pictured with his wife, Barbara
- [Sponsors](https://www.thegodjourney.com/—-sponsors/)
- [Murry Whiteman](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/murray-whiteman/) - Artist of A MAN LIKE NO OTHER, lives in Simi Valley, CA
- [Derek Wilder](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/derek-wilder/) - CEO of Hallmark Homes and author of FREEDOM from Anderson, Indiana
- [Mike Steele](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/mike-steele/) - From Colorado Springs, CO
- [Brad's Full Bio](https://www.thegodjourney.com/brads-bio/brads-full-bio/) - A former pastor for 12 years, regular conference and college campus speaker, taking teams of young people into UK, Europe, India and Africa, in addition to his work with Wayne on the God Journey, Brad is the president of Windblown Media focusing on books and films that express the life of Jesus in today’s culture.
- [Kevin Tupper](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kevin-tupper/) - (Picture Left.) Consultant on financial simplicity from Haymarket, VA
- [Mike Rea](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/mike-rea/) - (Picture right.) Software developer from Orange City, Florida
- [Chris DuPré](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/chris-dupre/) - Franklin, TN Musician and composer from Nashville, TN. Listen to Chris' music at his MySpace page.
- [Kent Burgess](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kent-burgess/) - St. Louis, MO Hairdresser and Master Gardener
- [Steve McVey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/steve-mcvey/) - Author Grace Walk and Walking in the Will of God. For more information visit gracewalk.org
- [Jim Palmer](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jim-palmer/) - Author Divine Nobodies and Wide Open Spaces
- [Gayle Erwin](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/gayle-erwin/) - Author, The Jesus Style and many other books. For more info visit servant.org.
- [Sara Jacobsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/sara-jacobsen/) - Location: Newbury Park, CA Wayne's wife, mother of two, administrator of Lifestream Ministries
- [Support and Financial Gifts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/how-to-help/) - Through our first four years of producing this podcasts, the generous gifts of many of our listeners cleared the time and expenses necessary for this podcast to find its wings. We will always be grateful for those who helped us in those early days. However, times have changed. With the opportunities and increased influence of
- [Podcast Faces](https://www.thegodjourney.com/podcast-faces/) - Photographs taken by Turtle Pond Photography
- [Why Religion Doesn't Work | Dave Coleman](https://www.thegodjourney.com/why-religion-doesnt-work-dave-coleman/) - By Dave Coleman Email Dave I remember the time that I stood at the bedside of a dear saint of God and agonized as I watched her writhing and moaning in obvious pain. Her pain was not physical; it was spiritual. In my role as Hospice Chaplain, I had seen this kind of agony many
- [Kevin Smith](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kevin-smith/) - Lancefield, Victoria, Australia Author, publisher and teacher
- [Stan Firth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/stan-firth/) - Surrey, UK Author of Custom and Command
- [John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-lynch-bill-thrall-bruce-mcnicol/) - Phoenix, AZ Authors of Truefaced and Bo's Cafe
- [Dave Coleman](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/dave-coleman/) - Visalia, CA Former pastor, co-author of So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore
- [Danny and Sherri Silk](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/danny-and-sherri-silk/) - Redding, CA Author of Loving Our Kids On Purpose
- [Darin Hufford](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/darin-hufford/) - Phoenix, AZ Author, The God's Honest Truth
- [Bob Hunter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bob-hunter/) - Washington, DC Brother and friend
- [Lynette Woods](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/lynette-woods/) - Bethesda, MD From New Zealand and host of Unveling.org
- [Jack Gerry](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/jack-gerry/) - Raymond, MA Director of Crossroads
- [Colin Langran and David Rice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/colin-langran-and-david-rice/) - Co Wicklow, Ireland Brothers in Christ who are part of a community around Dublin
- [Bob Stamps](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bob-stamps/) - Richmond, VA Retired Methodist pastor
- [Bob, Loren and Dave](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/bob-loren-and-dave/) - Sacramento, CA Hosts of Family Room Media and creators of Church Without Walls
- [John Langford](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/john-langford/) - Dorsett, UK Host of HisLife and SonSeeker
- [Guidance from God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/guidance-from-god/)
- [Behind the Scenes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/behind-the-scenes/)
- [Kelly Cummings](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/kelly-cummings/) - Location: Newbury Park, CA Brad's wife, mother of three
- [A Good Place To Start](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/a-good-place-to-start/) - What this podcast is all about. For those who are just starting to listen to The God Journey, these podcasts will give you a good overview of the themes and views of our show.
- [Foundational Concepts](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/foundational-concepts/)
- [Book Reviews](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/book-reviews/)
- [Singles](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/singles/)
- [Freedom](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/freedom/)
- [Leadership](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/leadership/)
- [Relational Body Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/relational-body-life/)
- [The Nature of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/the-nature-of-god/)
- [Current Events/Touching the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/current-eventstouching-the-world/)
- [Pain and Trials](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/pain-and-trials/)
- [Personal Transformation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/personal-transformation/)
- [Growing in Trust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/growing-in-trust/)
- [Friendship in Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/friendship-in-jesus/)
- [Family Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/family-life/)
- [The Nature of Church](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/the-nature-of-church/)
- [The Transition From Religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-topic/the-transition-from-religion/)
- [Goodies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/goodies/) - Inside the Studio... Ever wonder what it looks like around here when we tape a podcast? The folks at Family Room Media put together this video for us. We hope it not only gives you a picture of what it looks like when we're doing this, but also the vision we have for this podcast.
- [Mick Silva](https://www.thegodjourney.com/archives/archives-by-guest/mick-silva/) - Colorado Springs, CO Editor at Windblown Media, friend of the God Journey
- [Wayne's Full Bio](https://www.thegodjourney.com/your-hosts/waynes-full-bio/) - As a writer and teacher Wayne travels the world helping believers sort out what it means to live freely in the life of Christ. His latest books include He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father’s Affection and So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore. He also collaborated on the writing of
- [Hilarity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/hilarity/) - Wayne threatens to attend The Naked Church Conference and Brad takes a spill in Colorado. (September 1, 2006) Many of our listeners have said they think Brad sounds like James Dobson, and some have said that Joyce Meyers sounds like Wayne, prompting David to suggest this view of our recording sessions.
- [Dogs & Cats](https://www.thegodjourney.com/dogs-cats/) - Dogs and Cats Author Unknown There should never be any doubt as to which is the superior species . . . Excerpts from a Dog's Diary =========================== 8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

## Recipes

- [Post to Facebook Author Page](https://www.thegodjourney.com/uo-recipe/post-to-facebook-author-page/)
- [Post to TGJ Facebook Page](https://www.thegodjourney.com/uo-recipe/post-to-tgj-facebook-page/)
- [Post to Instagram](https://www.thegodjourney.com/uo-recipe/post-to-instagram/)

## Testimonials

- [15](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/15/) - "Your ability to be naked with your thoughts, experiences, and feelings are a gift in a post-modern world, and it feels like poetry"
- [1](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/1/) - I don't think you realize what a lifeline the podcasts have been.
- [2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/2/) - You articulate what I am feeling. Somehow I don't feel alone when I listen to you.
- [4](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/4/) - It’s simply real people talking about life…
- [7](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/7/) - These podcasts give me language and an eye to see what God was doing inside me.
- [11](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/11/) - It is so freeing to listen to free people chatting and laughing as they discuss life.
- [13](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/sharon/) - Love how you talk about real stuff, worldly & faith. Has helped through difficult times.
- [14](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/14/) - These podcasts are feeding a hungry spirit with truth, removing brick by brick the walls of performance in my life.
- [12](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/12/) - …discussing complex issues in an interesting, funny, simple way. I look forward to each podcast.
- [10](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/georgia/) - The podcast truly inspires me every time I listen
- [9](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/9/) - Yours is a sane voice in a crazy world.
- [8](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/8/) - Your compassion for both God and his children is refreshing and honest.
- [6](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/6/) - My entire outlook on life has changed overnight! My life has Life again!
- [5](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/5/) - Keep slinging that freedom all over the place.
- [3](https://www.thegodjourney.com/testimonial/3/) - Your conversations are like a cool breeze on a hot day.

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.thegodjourney.com/category/1/)
- [News and Updates](https://www.thegodjourney.com/category/2/)
- [Listener Feedback](https://www.thegodjourney.com/category/2-2/)
- [Show content](https://www.thegodjourney.com/category/4/)
- [The Gospel In the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/category/the-gospel-in-the-world/)

## Tags

- [The God Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-god-journey/)
- [God's Glory](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-glory/)
- [A New Generation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/a-new-generation/)
- [mystery](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mystery/)
- [Lifestream](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/lifestream/)
- [Wayne Jacobsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/wayne-jacobsen/)
- [Kyle Rice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/kyle-rice/)
- [Wonder](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/wonder/)
- [Christian pleasure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/christian-pleasure/)
- [discipleship](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/discipleship/)
- [Dante's Purgatorio](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dantes-purgatorio/)
- [Father's good pleasure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/fathers-good-pleasure/)
- [Ukraine](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/ukraine/)
- [jenga](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jenga/)
- [Christian unity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/christian-unity/)
- [loving each other](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/loving-each-other/)
- [trauma](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/trauma/)
- [overcoming](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/overcoming/)
- [relational repair](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relational-repair/)
- [Sara Jacobsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sara-jacobsen/)
- [Return to Innocence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/return-to-innocence/)
- [Trying to Survive](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/trying-to-survive/)
- [Salvation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/salvation/)
- [redemption](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/redemption/)
- [healing](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/healing/)
- [failure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/failure/)
- [Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jesus/)
- [restoration](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/restoration/)
- [Parenting](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/parenting/)
- [Poisonous Parenting](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/poisonous-parenting/)
- [Poisonous Pedagogy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/poisonous-pedagogy/)
- [God's love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-love/)
- [parenting systems](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/parenting-systems/)
- [Your truth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/your-truth/)
- [God's truth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-truth/)
- [Godly transformation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/godly-transformation/)
- [jealousy of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jealousy-of-god/)
- [poking holes in our illusions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/poking-holes-in-our-illusions/)
- [living loved](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/living-loved/)
- [transformation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/transformation/)
- [God-Shaped Life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/god-shaped-life/)
- [Transforming Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/transforming-love/)
- [Love Chart](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/love-chart/)
- [Following Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/following-jesus/)
- [sin](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sin/)
- [Nature of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/nature-of-god/)
- [God's view of sin](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-view-of-sin/)
- [aspiration](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/aspiration/)
- [capacity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/capacity/)
- [hypocrisy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/hypocrisy/)
- [hearing God's voice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/hearing-gods-voice/)
- [certainty](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/certainty/)
- [Redeeming Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/redeeming-love/)
- [Embracing His Glory](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/embracing-his-glory/)
- [redemption story](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/redemption-story/)
- [Navajo](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/navajo/)
- [aspiration versus capacity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/aspiration-versus-capacity/)
- [challenges of transformation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/challenges-of-transformation/)
- [love versus vengeance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/love-versus-vengeance/)
- [End of the World](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/end-of-the-world/)
- [Prayer](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/prayer/)
- [My Friend Luis](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/my-friend-luis/)
- [Dreams](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dreams/)
- [Protecting Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/protecting-jesus/)
- [Turning our Back on Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/turning-our-back-on-jesus/)
- [Second coming](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/second-coming/)
- [Bob Prater](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/bob-prater/)
- [faith](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/faith/)
- [Jesus Questions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jesus-questions/)
- [unmerited affection](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/unmerited-affection/)
- [betrayal](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/betrayal/)
- [love and control](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/love-and-control/)
- [relationships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relationships/)
- [Killers of the Flower Moon](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/killers-of-the-flower-moon/)
- [greed](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/greed/)
- [delusion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/delusion/)
- [Native American injustice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/native-american-injustice/)
- [Osage](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/osage/)
- [Jamie Winship](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jamie-winship/)
- [Living Fearless](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/living-fearless/)
- [Connected worldview](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/connected-worldview/)
- [false identity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/false-identity/)
- [true identity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/true-identity/)
- [separation worldview](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/separation-worldview/)
- [Enjoying God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/enjoying-god/)
- [praying for the Bride](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/praying-for-the-bride/)
- [sacred and spiritual](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sacred-and-spiritual/)
- [dishonesty](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dishonesty/)
- [pursuit of truth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/pursuit-of-truth/)
- [truth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/truth/)
- [sin as trauma](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sin-as-trauma/)
- [Scripture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/scripture/)
- [Old Testament prophets](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/old-testament-prophets/)
- [spiritual hunger](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-hunger/)
- [mentor](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mentor/)
- [mentee](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mentee/)
- [spirit of adventure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spirit-of-adventure/)
- [God's Presence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-presence/)
- [conformity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/conformity/)
- [power of love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/power-of-love/)
- [twenty somethings](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/twenty-somethings/)
- [uncertainty](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/uncertainty/)
- [adulting](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/adulting/)
- [joy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/joy/)
- [pain and suffering](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/pain-and-suffering/)
- [navigating chaos](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/navigating-chaos/)
- [darkness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/darkness/)
- [Donald Trump assassination attempt](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/donald-trump-assassination-attempt/)
- [the meek inherit the earth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-meek-inherit-the-earth/)
- [tenderheartedness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/tenderheartedness/)
- [growing trust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/growing-trust/)
- [Tobie van der Westhuizen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/tobie-van-der-westhuizen/)
- [relational justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relational-justice/)
- [the law](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-law/)
- [Righteousness is not in the Bible](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/righteousness-is-not-in-the-bible/)
- [interpersonal justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/interpersonal-justice/)
- [Martin Luther](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/martin-luther/)
- [reimagining the Gospel](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/reimagining-the-gospel/)
- [The Justice of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-justice-of-god/)
- [the Kingdom of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-kingdom-of-god/)
- [cancer](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/cancer/)
- [praying for healing](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/praying-for-healing/)
- [hope in the darkness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/hope-in-the-darkness/)
- [community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/community/)
- [relational church](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relational-church/)
- [conversations that matter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/conversations-that-matter/)
- [WayneJacobsen](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/waynejacobsen/)
- [Born of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/born-of-god/)
- [Yuck Meter](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/yuck-meter/)
- [Thorn in the flesh](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/thorn-in-the-flesh/)
- [delight in weakness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/delight-in-weakness/)
- [gossip](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gossip/)
- [seduction of lies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/seduction-of-lies/)
- [intergenerational relationships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/intergenerational-relationships/)
- [youth support](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/youth-support/)
- [Jesus Journey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jesus-journey/)
- [It's Time](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/its-time/)
- [sons of God revealed](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sons-of-god-revealed/)
- [children of God revealed](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/children-of-god-revealed/)
- [Jonathan Haidt](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/jonathan-haidt/)
- [rewiring the brain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/rewiring-the-brain/)
- [technological impact on youth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/technological-impact-on-youth/)
- [Gethsemane](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gethsemane/)
- [surrender](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/surrender/)
- [diminishing the ego](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/diminishing-the-ego/)
- [justification by faith](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/justification-by-faith/)
- [instiutional church culture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/instiutional-church-culture/)
- [church leadership](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/church-leadership/)
- [corruption of power](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/corruption-of-power/)
- [heirarchies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/heirarchies/)
- [Satanic panic](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/satanic-panic/)
- [Spiritual Warfare](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-warfare/)
- [Engaging God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/engaging-god/)
- [demons](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/demons/)
- [possession](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/possession/)
- [Abusive people](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/abusive-people/)
- [God's pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-pain/)
- [Identity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/identity/)
- [Therese Mascardo](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/therese-mascardo/)
- [friendships gone bad](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/friendships-gone-bad/)
- [authentic relationships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/authentic-relationships/)
- [fifty years of marriage](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/fifty-years-of-marriage/)
- [mutual fulfillment](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mutual-fulfillment/)
- [mutual self-sacrificing love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mutual-self-sacrificing-love/)
- [Real Masculinity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/real-masculinity/)
- [Terry Real](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/terry-real/)
- [male vulnerability](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/male-vulnerability/)
- [Contentment](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/contentment/)
- [Frustration](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/frustration/)
- [spiritual growth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-growth/)
- [God boxes](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/god-boxes/)
- [Christ in you](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/christ-in-you/)
- [harmony](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/harmony/)
- [relational capital](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relational-capital/)
- [harmony lost](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/harmony-lost/)
- [healing conversation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/healing-conversation/)
- [church organization](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/church-organization/)
- [messy relationships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/messy-relationships/)
- [leaving your church](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/leaving-your-church/)
- [overcoming guilt](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/overcoming-guilt/)
- [the quest of greatness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-quest-of-greatness/)
- [finding a new congregation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/finding-a-new-congregation/)
- [AI](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/ai/)
- [living authentically](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/living-authentically/)
- [whle-heared living](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/whle-heared-living/)
- [the probelm with AI](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-probelm-with-ai/)
- [God and suffering](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/god-and-suffering/)
- [chronic pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/chronic-pain/)
- [compassion in suffering](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/compassion-in-suffering/)
- [finding calm](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/finding-calm/)
- [Peace of Christ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/peace-of-christ/)
- [forgiveness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/forgiveness/)
- [God's name in vain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-name-in-vain/)
- [Scriptural bullies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/scriptural-bullies/)
- [healing from abuse](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/healing-from-abuse/)
- [2x2](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/2x2/)
- [legalism](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/legalism/)
- [freedom from religious performance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/freedom-from-religious-performance/)
- [transitioning out of religion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/transitioning-out-of-religion/)
- [vertical morality](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/vertical-morality/)
- [horizontal morality](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/horizontal-morality/)
- [Is trump to authoritarian?](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/is-trump-to-authoritarian/)
- [justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/justice/)
- [AI at church](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/ai-at-church/)
- [finding fullness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/finding-fullness/)
- [cultivating God's presence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/cultivating-gods-presence/)
- [dependence on church](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dependence-on-church/)
- [Ordo Amoris](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/ordo-amoris/)
- [endearment](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/endearment/)
- [fear-based Christianity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/fear-based-christianity/)
- [selective loving](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/selective-loving/)
- [moral injury](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/moral-injury/)
- [recovering from trauma](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/recovering-from-trauma/)
- [betraying one's moral values](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/betraying-ones-moral-values/)
- [performative Christianity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/performative-christianity/)
- [authenticity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/authenticity/)
- [walking with people in pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/walking-with-people-in-pain/)
- [listening to God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/listening-to-god/)
- [The New Covenant](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-new-covenant/)
- [still small voice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/still-small-voice/)
- [surrender to God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/surrender-to-god/)
- [praying inside a relationship](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/praying-inside-a-relationship/)
- [space for God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/space-for-god/)
- [spiritual space](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-space/)
- [facilitating space for others](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/facilitating-space-for-others/)
- [murmuration](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/murmuration/)
- [the bride of Christ](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-bride-of-christ/)
- [unmanaged community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/unmanaged-community/)
- [spiritual interconnection](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-interconnection/)
- [desire](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/desire/)
- [fulfilling the law](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/fulfilling-the-law/)
- [dopamine hit](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dopamine-hit/)
- [inexhaustible love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/inexhaustible-love/)
- [the root of desire](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-root-of-desire/)
- [the fear of death](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-fear-of-death/)
- [reconciliation](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/reconciliation/)
- [broken relationships](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/broken-relationships/)
- [clean pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/clean-pain/)
- [dirty pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/dirty-pain/)
- [settled bodies](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/settled-bodies/)
- [conversations about race](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/conversations-about-race/)
- [My Grandmother's Hands](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/my-grandmothers-hands/)
- [healing pain](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/healing-pain/)
- [Resmaa Menakem](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/resmaa-menakem/)
- [Philip Yancey](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/philip-yancey/)
- [relational wholeness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relational-wholeness/)
- [identity of belovedness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/identity-of-belovedness/)
- [boundaries](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/boundaries/)
- [sharing life](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sharing-life/)
- [trusting love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/trusting-love/)
- [threatened by Jesus's love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/threatened-by-jesuss-love/)
- [relatonal community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relatonal-community/)
- [faith in God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/faith-in-god/)
- [golden calf](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/golden-calf/)
- [Positive Validation Loop](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/positive-validation-loop/)
- [the search for authenticity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-search-for-authenticity/)
- [obedience](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/obedience/)
- [compulsion](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/compulsion/)
- [object of his affection. how love leads to obedience](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/object-of-his-affection-how-love-leads-to-obedience/)
- [Bethel](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/bethel/)
- [Shawn Bolz](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/shawn-bolz/)
- [false prophets](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/false-prophets/)
- [charismatic cover-up](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/charismatic-cover-up/)
- [justice v. righteousness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/justice-v-righteousness/)
- [restorative justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/restorative-justice/)
- [love-based justice](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/love-based-justice/)
- [Just Love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/just-love/)
- [the justice love produces](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-justice-love-produces/)
- [amageddon](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/amageddon/)
- [war in Iran](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/war-in-iran/)
- [the end of the age](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-end-of-the-age/)
- [C.S. Lewis](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/c-s-lewis/)
- [contentment in tough times](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/contentment-in-tough-times/)
- [the beast before Jesus](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-beast-before-jesus/)
- [victimhood identity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/victimhood-identity/)
- [curiosity](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/curiosity/)
- [parable of the talents](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/parable-of-the-talents/)
- [the flow of love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-flow-of-love/)
- [leadership](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/leadership/)
- [spiritual authority](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-authority/)
- [kingdom governance](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/kingdom-governance/)
- [authority divorced from structure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/authority-divorced-from-structure/)
- [mutual influence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mutual-influence/)
- [marriage discouragement](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/marriage-discouragement/)
- [living from fullness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/living-from-fullness/)
- [marriage disillusionment](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/marriage-disillusionment/)
- [life-long growth](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/life-long-growth/)
- [beauty beyond misery](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/beauty-beyond-misery/)
- [what God values](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/what-god-values/)
- [church assumptions](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/church-assumptions/)
- [deconstruction](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/deconstruction/)
- [finding our security in Presence](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/finding-our-security-in-presence/)
- [The City of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-city-of-god/)
- [vision](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/vision/)
- [God's community](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-community/)
- [God's treasure](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gods-treasure/)
- [recognizing God at work](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/recognizing-god-at-work/)
- [treasure in jars of clay](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/treasure-in-jars-of-clay/)
- [permanence of love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/permanence-of-love/)
- [deserving God's blessing](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/deserving-gods-blessing/)
- [value versus merit](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/value-versus-merit/)
- [The God Journey history](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-god-journey-history/)
- [Inhabit love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/inhabit-love/)
- [from obligation to love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/from-obligation-to-love/)
- [religious deconstruction](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/religious-deconstruction/)
- [patriarchy](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/patriarchy/)
- [purity culture](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/purity-culture/)
- [moral failure of boys](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/moral-failure-of-boys/)
- [lust](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/lust/)
- [sexual desire](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sexual-desire/)
- [religious abuse](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/religious-abuse/)
- [gender differences](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/gender-differences/)
- [Mark Driscoll](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/mark-driscoll/)
- [deepest desires](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/deepest-desires/)
- [frustrated desires](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/frustrated-desires/)
- [emotions as messengers](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/emotions-as-messengers/)
- [false identity statements](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/false-identity-statements/)
- [hosting God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/hosting-god/)
- [relationship with God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/relationship-with-god/)
- [fear-based faith](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/fear-based-faith/)
- [love-based faith](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/love-based-faith/)
- [Our image of God](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/our-image-of-god/)
- [neruoscience of prayer](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/neruoscience-of-prayer/)
- [spiritual fullness](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/spiritual-fullness/)
- [Just Love Conversations](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/just-love-conversations/)
- [knowing is not living](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/knowing-is-not-living/)
- [children of wrath](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/children-of-wrath/)
- [culture of betrayal](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/culture-of-betrayal/)
- [The Jesus Lens](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/the-jesus-lens/)
- [Redemptive love](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/redemptive-love/)
- [monetizing ministry](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/monetizing-ministry/)
- [sharing your gift](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sharing-your-gift/)
- [influencer drive](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/influencer-drive/)
- [sharing gift freely](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/sharing-gift-freely/)
- [living full](https://www.thegodjourney.com/tag/living-full/)