The God Journey

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 circumstances, the joy of completing some task God has given you, and the value of being able to receive help from others in our most vulnerable places. A couple of weeks ago, they talked about the conversations of community, and this is an example of it.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 been a scary checklist in my younger days, but what if this is the only measure? How would it change the way we introduced people to salvation? As Kyle and Wayne revisit the justice conversation, they also talk about their Yuck Meters and how love sets them in a place where it is difficult to be unfair to others because you care about them so much.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 conversations we are having with others. They discuss how to let God lead you to such conversations, recognize them when he does, and help open the door for others to join you in conversations that matter. Then, they talk briefly about the sentence Wayne has been working on to unpack a justice view of the Gospel.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast
• The Sentence:  "God desires to win you into his love so that he can breathe his Life into you, setting you increasingly free from the tyranny of your selfish desires, so, you’ll be free to love others, treating them justly, the way you’d want them to treat you, and thus, reveal his glory in the world around you."
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 for future events. Since grace is apportioned one day at a time, whenever we allow ourselves to live in our imagined future we are usually alone because we just can't imagine how God will be with us when the future unfolds. Here are some practical ideas about sitting with God in our pain and letting him turn our challenges into new opportunities.

Podcast Notes:

• There is no video recording of this podcast
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

"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 death." Wayne stumbled upon an article this week regarding desire for intimacy and the anxiety it creates in those who seek it. Kyle and Wayne see this issue from very different angles as you'll see in this insightful conversation about intimacy and vulnerability in a world where people can often not be trusted with either. Since the need for intimacy is as foundational as our daily hunger, how do we address that need and negotiate the fall-out when people misuse our vulnerability.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast
• The Wound Is the Gift: David Whyte on the Relationship Between Anxiety and Intimacy - By Maria Popova
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 what it means to be saved. For many of us the first "gospel" we heard was, "You are a dirty sinner who is going to hell if you don't repent and turn your life over to God." But does that really say it? Looking for a fresh way to describe the Gospel, Wayne suggests, "The purpose of God is to win you into his love so, he can fill you with his Life and set you free from the narcissism of flesh. Then, you'll be able to live in God's justice by treating others the way you want to be treated, and thus become an expression of God's kingdom in a world of chaos." We are looking for simple wording that can unpack the reality of the Gospel, apart from human effort and inside the magnificent love of the Creator.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• The podcast that began our discussion of righteousness and justice.
• Seeing Sin as Trauma
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 been disappointed with God in all of this?" How do you hold on to hope when things keep going downhill? They also talk about how Wayne's surgery interrupted Sara's journey into wholeness and how she's dealing with that. This is an extremely raw and personal look at how Wayne and Sara and traversing this part of their journey and finding joy and provision from God. Both of them are happy to be in a place where their relationship with God is bigger than what life throws at them.

Podcast Notes:

• No video recording was made of this podcast.
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 and how this ordeal affects his relationship with God. These are not refined conclusions coming from resolved circumstances but honest reflections from the pit of raw need. How do God and Wayne communicate at times like this? How do you deal with escalating pain that prayer doesn't seem to move? How does faith lead us to endurance and how do losesight of God when he doesn't respond the way we want him to?

Podcast Notes:

• No video recording was made of this podcast.
• Read Wayne's newest book, It's Time

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 talk about how this impacts the gifts of the Spirit play into their lives, and how decisions become a more clearer when focused on fairness and Life, not just making the best decision we can for ourselves.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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.

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 the injustice in our own hearts. Now, through our participation in his sacrifice, we have his life within us and we can be a distributor of life in the world, instead of seeking to find our life in others or in the temptations of darkness. This is the fifth in a series that will be best appreciated by listening to them all in order.

Podcast Notes:

• We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
• Part 1 of this conversation
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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 the podcast feed can give it a listen.

Podcast Notes:

• Video recording of this FB Live Event
• Part 1 of this conversation
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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 meant to be the embodiment of his justice in the world, not gatekeepers of doctrine or piety. Learning the joy of loving and watching how that love treats others the way we would want them to treat us, allows the kingdom to be revealed against the darkness. This is the fourth in a series that are best understood by listening in order.

Podcast Notes:

• We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
• Part 1 of this conversation
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it.  If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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 world than to just save people from guilt or hell. This is the kingdom come!  Wayne and Kyle have been enjoying this conversation and want to invite you to contemplate his observations as well. This is the third in a series that are best understood by listening in order.

Podcast Notes:

• We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
• Part 1 of this conversation
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it.  If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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 world than to just save people from guilt or hell. This is the kingdom come!  Wayne and Kyle have been enjoying this conversation and want to invite you to contemplate his observations as well.  Part 1 began last week. If you haven't heard it, you will probably want to start there.

Podcast Notes:

• We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
• Part 1 of this conversation
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it.  If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link. (This is a change from our previously announced date of September 21.)
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

"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 his thinking to a fuller appreciation of the work of Jesus and how he has asked his followers to part of his unfolding kingdom in the world. As he shared his insights with Wayne, Wayne realized that living loved had brought him to similar conclusions without the same language. Tobie was offering a puzzle piece that seemed to make a lot of sense. Could it be that we've missed an important emphasis in the Bible? Having recorded their conversation, Wayne invites Kyle to ponder this thought with him.

Podcast Notes:

• We're sorry, but there was no video recording of this podcast.
• Tobie's NaturalChurch Blog and Email
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Join the God Journey After-Show on September 28, 2024. It will stream live on The God Journey Facebook page at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time, and be available after for any who want to hear it.  If you'd like to be part of the conversation in the Zoom room, please email Wayne in advance to get the link.
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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, author, or denomination. This is how we learn to follow God's Spirit. Most of our rationalizations are to avoid our conscience and justify what we wanted to do. By doing so, we miss the beauty and joy of walking alongside God in the power of a clean conscience

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• Wayne's Blog on "Is God Vengeful?"
• URGENT! Helping the Orphanage in Kenya
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

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 our way into his world in bits and pieces. When those pieces fit together, we gain the insight he wants us to have and see more clearly. Until we do, patience will serve us well. Kyle questions Wayne about the most recent chapter in his book, It's Time: Letters to the Bride at the End of the Age. They also talk about a rabbit named Gratitude and the liberty of owning our own beliefs without having to conquer or silence those who disagree.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• Chapter 9: Eyes to See, Ears to Hear
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

"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 about encouraging and equipping others to enjoy their own adventure of learning to discern the nuances of the Spirit's breath and following him. Others may influence our journey, but those who do it best will connect us to Jesus not to themselves or their school of thought. That leads to a further question: How do we know the Jesus we seek is the Jesus who really is?

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time

"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 this week for an update on her journey as well as to explore with them the journey we are all on to healing, whether it be from trauma, sin, or being abused by others. They talk about honoring the healing journey by not pushing beyond what they can bear, having patience with themselves as freedom unfolds, learning to relax in the process, and how self-compassion will naturally lead to greater compassion for others, even those who hurt us.

Podcast Notes:

• The video recording of this podcast.
• The Kidnapping I Can't Escape
• Julian of Norwich book from which quote was taken
• Read Wayne's newest book:  It's Time