Fourthstream - Finding Hope

At Fourthstream.com we enjoy connectivity with a circle of a men and women who are willing to dedicate necessary effort to become fully trained as a disciple of Jesus - managing our distracted lives - devoting ourselves to accurately handling the Word of truth.

Check it out, pray, and join up by reaching out at [email protected]. This is for those who take seriously the desire to hear the words "well done."

Here is a pdf of what you will experience - with diligence - at your own pace.

Training Map PDF

Others who have benefitted from Fourthstream.com:

"Understanding the difference between putting the King first vs church first has been a game changer for me as I am assessing my relationships with people. I appreciate Fourtstream.com because it gives me the opportunity to read articles and get a brief soul overview in the middle of a busy day that brings me joy and fills my cup. Fourthstream totally helps me become a better member of society, because they teach me that it's important to follow the Word of God, yet to not take myself too seriously. Who wants to be around a dreary Christian? My life makes more sense following Kingdom discipleship with Dave and Burney." - Ann

"I have watched as Dave has stayed true to his giftings of teaching, shepherding, and discipling even when assaulted by the enemy's schemes. Burney is a peace-maker and has shown my wife and countless other young women how to operate out of a "Proverbs 31 identity." When I connect with the Kingdom through you and what you teach, I come away refreshed in my heart and strengthened in my spirit!" - Daniel

"Dave and Burney's knowledge of the Word of God and their ability to connect the threads has really helped me understand the God Story and apply it in my life. Through tools they have created, such as Fourthstream.com, I have been given a path and a clear defined process to help me dive deeper into the Word. I have been engaged in their Jesus Centric program on Fourthstream.com that has given me a strong foundation and pushed me to want deeper understanding of the Word. Dave and Burney also have been discipling our family on this history and the big picture of the God story. If you are someone wants a closer connection with God and a better understanding of his Word I highly recommend taking advantage of the tools on Fourthstream.com!" - Nick

"Kingdom teaching is about me and my relationship with Jesus and learning about who I am. Dave has created an extensive teaching site that allows you to ask questions and search for answers on Fourthstream. It has allowed me to grow closer to Jesus and grow deeper - through all the courses, podcasts, books, study guides! Dave and Burney have impacted my life in so many ways. I'm thankful for their kingdom teaching and discipleship focus. A couple with a heart for Jesus and fire for others to know his love." - Roland

Welcome to a deeper, systematic, Jesus-centric dive into God's Story, Dave and Burnadette

We have enjoyed our time together discussing the power of God's Man/God's Woman for doing good in our world. Obviously, we have just scratched the surface on these ten topics, but this book was written to provide a home base for each of these critical conversations as you grow in your own faith and try to help others do the same.

What are the good questions of life? When we live in an inquiring manner we expand the depth of our minds and hearts. There are obviously core questions, but we must hold the unfolding questions of our personal growth experiences up to God's core as we search for true meaning.

How does a person leverage the mind, heart, soul, and conscience? Awareness of the distinctions in each of our identities is key to making the most out of our choices and actions. When we can sift the events of our lives through these God-given assets: mind, heart, soul, and conscience we can find depth for who we are becoming.

My personal vision: what is it I want out of life? It is easy to live in a distracted and shallow manner. While we may find happiness, this in no way assures depth in heart and mind - or true joy. So it is important for me to have a compass when it comes to what I desire and pursue.

How do I find, cultivate, and grow solid relationships? We got some good feedback on this chapter as you appreciated looking at how God describes the core of relational success. This does not happen without living in a principled way, investing in true relationships which produce fruit. Depth takes prayer, work, and above all - a forgiving heart toward one another.

What have I (we) found that has helped establish, nurture, and guide our home? When we find and adapt to God's principles for the home we will find God's design for success. It is not a matter of being perfect parents, but being sensitive to God and one another as we work to build a Kingdom home.

What have we found to be our personal strengths and vulnerabilities? Personal honesty is the best policy for sure. When we are vulnerable with God we are teachable in the deeper things of life. This opens us to others within the imperfect world of relationships, and helps us to embrace our journey with humility and hope - two key elements for putting it all together.

How do we go about helping others combat timidity, fear, and identity issues? Because we are born into a world at war, we are susceptible to the schemes of the wicked one. When our timidity is exchanged for courage, our fear for hope, and our learned identity is secure in Jesus - we are able to help others do the same.

What we have found to help us connect with our/my spirituality? God can be a distant concept for our human hearts, but we have been given the Word of God and His good Spirit to connect us with Him from the inside-out. This allows us to live with what we call a satisfied mind, and fuels a life of spiritual work and hopeful enjoyment. Being spiritual is much different than being religious.

What does the Light and Darkness conversation bring to my/our trajectory? To be discerning in our lives we must make use of the tools God has given us to find our our way. The Bible is a book which contrasts the light and the darkness that exists all around us. This says it all: "...but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

What things have helped me/us put it all together and make life count? We are hopeful that this book and the time you have spent thinking some of these things through has resulted in clarity for your spiritual journey with Jesus. After all, He is the way - He is the truth - and He is the life!

These topics and principles can give us a home base for expanded understanding as we grow in wisdom and experience. "Wisdom is the ability to put knowledge into practice."

Let's Make it Count! Brent Harris and Dave Nadler

All of the assets of Fourthstream.com and BrentHarrisBooks.com are dedicated to your success concerning all the works of your hands.

There is something in the deep nature of God which makes use of contrast. Power and weakness. Sin and the Spirit. Glory and destruction. Even within the Creation story itself we note that before He created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night He separated Light from Darkness. Contrast. One can only assume that contrast amplifies and clarifies what cannot be seen without it. God uses contrast to bring about His purposes. Does this make sense?

When we live with active awareness of the reality of contrast it helps our spiritual life animate. Viewing life through this lens helps us to be alert and able to focus on the realities of light, darkness, and the alleged grays of life. Think of how insane life would be if there were no night or day but only a steady gray sameness. Contrast brings vibrancy - life of a kind that cannot be found in only gray (and I like rainy days!).

We are given all the tools of Light that God has created. Follow part of this thread with us:

Daniel 2:22 "It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him."

John 1:4 "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men."

John 11:10 "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

1 John 2:8 "On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining."

1 John 2:10 "The one who loves his brother lives in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him."

When we live aware of this contrast we are more able to discern all of the nuances within our lives. What makes us close to our God? What are the things that honor God and that satisfy our minds and hearts? What makes us helpful, useful, and kind to our neighbors? What are the actions and principles which will allow us to hear the words "well done" in the final alignment of our existences with the purposes our God has for us?

Light and darkness are very real - and great tools through which we can discern meaning through contrast.

Walking in Light with you, Dave and Burnadette

As we have discussed briefly before, humans are in many ways easily understood and in other ways quite complicated. When the complexities of body, mind, soul, and spirit are parsed - we are a complex network of emotion, thoughts, and heart. Somewhere in the middle of us is the core - our soul identities which are made in the image of our infinite Creator. Every century has contained men and women who strive to find meaning for our existence. We have many names for where this desire originates - but for us it seems that the soul is our connecting place with God.

Our souls are locked within our identity and will far eclipse our bodies or the events of our relatively brief existences or our allotted days. There are people who wish to think we will get to where we will live for hundreds of years, but this is both scientifically and philosophically unlikely. This is why the God Story teaches us to give attention to our souls. It is our identity for this life and the one that is coming - at least according to the words of the Living God who created us.

This chapter contemplates our spirituality which includes both our connectedness and disconnectedness from God. As we talk about in the Turbulence of Imperfection, we have been placed into a world of contrasts: our limited bodies and our never-ending souls. All of this is done to make us able to choose paths of honor rather than self-absorption. This is the nature of spirituality. It is a choice to honor Someone who is infinitely above and beyond us, but by His choice, deeply connected to us.

In this chapter Brent and Dave consider the Spirit man and how we attain to things which ultimately matter - things that make faith authentic and reveal the ultimate purpose of our destinies. This involves aspects of science, philosophy, and authentic faith. We attempt to sort through a non-religious, authentic, true faith that is "vibrating with life" as we are built up into a spiritual house.

"And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 2:4-5

This is where we find our ultimate connectivity with God and also the fullness of our identities. The lives of faith we live as we head toward this destination are important, and explain the motivation for embracing a life of spirituality.

It is a huge part of making our lives count! Dave & Burnadette

As we discuss making our lives count we are addressing some of the key things God reveals in His Word concerning what He values - and what is most effective for us personally. This chapter highlights the potential impact of being timid, how fear sabotages us, and why our God identities are so powerful in keeping perspective for our lives.

Being made in the image of God is a privilege not even angels share (1 Peter 1:12) so it is important we give attention to this, even though we are besieged and many are even crushed by what happened in Eden. This chapter follows consideration of our personal strengths and weaknesses, because honest vulnerability can help us to squarely face the things we all struggle with, either by our imposed humility or our overly high estimations of ourselves.

It takes courage to overcome fear. When we stand side-by-side with our Creator in these battles we are blessed by His desire and power for us to overcome. When we see ourselves as His dear son or daughter our true identity fuels our courage, right?! This allows us to honestly face our personal fears and bring them before the caring authority of our King. He is King over everything - and every one.

Added to this are the distractions of our world. Wars. Rumors of wars. Manipulation. So many things out of our control that we are easily susceptible to what we can control - and this makes us vulnerable for sure (i.e. possessions, impurity, distractions). The illusion we have of control by merely choosing to "touch glass" to find any kind of knowledge - we often create a false sense of winning.

We are given very specific weapons to help us fight with courage. Brent and Dave offer some insights to help you make your life count on both the battlefields of mind and heart!

Choosing to be courageous with you, Dave and Burnadette

Personal transparency is something we are often engaged in - and we mostly keep this to ourselves, right? When contemplating our strengths and weaknesses we are dealing with some of the most personal attributes of who we are. Burnadette and Dave dig into this and discuss the personally helpful reality of being transparent with our Father Creator. Most of us don't want to be arrogant, or conversely, succumb to self criticism which buries the part of us that is our soul. How do we celebrate our strengths with humility, or embrace our weaknesses honestly to help us live where we know our hearts should be?

Brent and Dave discuss false value and how God's strength is perfected in our personal weaknesses. All of this brings clarity to our God identities, and helps us to be human companions of faith to those around us. Navigating the realities of people strength and frailty can make us more sensitive and filled with our own deepening faith.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9,10

Enjoy! And pass this book and conversation on to your friends! God's Man/God's Woman was written to give clear starting points for deeper discussion and helping others to find day by day satisfaction.

Brent Harris Dave Nadler

This chapter of God's Man/God's Woman gives a very personal inside look into how both Brent and Dave's families feel about home life. Even a modest numbered family has many moving parts and a complexity of relationships. Husband to wife. Wife to husband. Dad to daughter. Mom to son. Dad to son. Mom to daughter. Brother to sister. You get the idea. Add to this other immediate family and our close social networks, let alone the influence of school, the internet, and certain invasive structures, and guiding a home can be a real challenge, right?

Brent and Dave believe that our children and grandchildren are our responsibility to mentor, guide, and encourage. Together with Brenda and Burnadette, we do our best to make it count on behalf of our kids and grands. At BrentHarrisBooks.com you will find several audio interactions between Brenda, Burney, Danielle, and Rachel Leigh.

Part of our watchfulness involves fueling the learning process - with values, character, and truth. Part of this can be appropriately challenging the status quo as we practice proven strategies for family life. Let's take an honest look at realistic family life. Great stuff!

You can find a Strong Homes course here with posts, conversation guides, and many audio clips. The complete course is found under - wait for it - courses! We have some combined experience in the ups and downs of family life. And here is some great music to teach your kids wisdom principles at home (with kids singing the songs in the lower portion of the player).

Let's make it count! Brent, Brenda, Dave, and Burnadette

The book is now available on Amazon in both printed and Kindle formats. We are awaiting final approval on the audio version as well. Exciting! Brent and Dave's purpose for this book is to clearly and succinctly help encourage your success in the core links to building an effective bridge between your God-life and your people life.

In this episode Dave and Burnadette review cultivating solid relationships and what it looks like to build strong. It would be great if all our people interactions went perfectly, but we all know this is not realistic. But by applying God's principles to relationships we can pursue a clear conscience and a satisfied mind when it comes to our network of people connections.

√ How do we overlap in personal beliefs? Goal setting and achieving?

√ What do effective, intentional relationships look like? What are the best ways to treat each other?

In this chapter we take a look at what Jesus' followers taught about "one another," and how we can pursue the same depth with others that God pursues with us.

We also converse about the contrast of being peacemakers or peace-keepers.

Think through those in your life who would benefit from connecting on such conversations. Having these discussions one to one or in groups of 2-3 can be very helpful. Relational success is in the heart of God, so why not look into His approach to connecting, right?! If you are new to Jesus-following you will find this a practical experience, and if it is in your heart to help others go deeper, this is a great tool.

Enjoy the book. Just go to Amazon.com and type in God's Man/God's Woman. Order and enjoy. Let's make it count!

Dave and Burnadette

In chapter three Brent and Dave discuss personal vision and target acquisition. To know where you are heading and to be able to take steps to hit the mark. This is a big deal when it comes to being satisfied not only with where your life goes, but how you get there.

Brent's insights here are awesome and his analogy of river travel is extremely helpful as you chart an effective course of action to succeed: heart and soul. We outline three specific targets which can help you focus your efforts, and explore why the how matters. This is great outline for personal vision - one you can adapt yourself and use to help others define a clear path and ultimate destination.

"Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed." Joshua 1:7-8/Message

It is also important to find other friends who share like-minded, wise vision, right?

"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." - Proverbs 13:20

Choose your friends wisely. And walk far ahead of your enemies (yes, and love your enemies too, we know).

The new book will be coming out next week on Amazon. Enjoy!

Dave and Burnadette

We now spend a little time talking about leveraging our mind, body, heart and conscience for our personal success. Because we are made in the image of our Creator, we have vast capacities as well as remarkable uniquenesses. While God gets credit for our design, we have the privilege of deciding what we are going to do with it. Seriously. Brent and Dave begin conversations about the strengths and vulnerabilities of these capacities. Each area allows us to go more deeply into what makes life count. We have chosen five areas of thoughts for this leveraging chapter, with the hope we all will get the most we possibly can out of each of these life opportunities.

√ The beauty and challenge of the mind. Imagination. Creativity. Thought. √ The ups and downs of our bodies. Strength. Weakness. Purity and purpose. √ The beauty and vulnerability of our hearts. Love. Fear. Hope. Faith. √ The reality and truth about our souls √ The power of our conscience

This book is a series of life markers which, if investigated and applied in an ongoing manner, will give you good things for your own heart as well as helping others to grow and excel. If we can complete our journeys satisfied that we have made a difference - first to God - and then toward others - we are well on our way to making life count. We have been sheltered by our Creator so that we in turn can provide shelter for others.

This chapter can help you unlock things many people never explore, and by engaging such threads we can better understand our immediate and long-term purpose. Let's make it count: body, soul, mind, heart, soul, and conscience!

Enjoy! Dave and Burnadette for Brent and Dave