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, many are seeking to move out of religious performance, motivated by fear and pursued by self-effort, to an affection-based relationship with God, where love provides the impetus for rest and transformation. Kyle wants to know what Wayne learned in these conversations and how he helps people process this stage of their journey.

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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 you already have, rest in relationship instead of working for relationship, practice awareness of existing presence instead of creating encounters, live from His promise, not your feelings, and make his presence your dwelling place, not your occasional destination.

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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, begin to trespass on that journey and become more of a barrier than a bridge.

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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 that flows out of his healing inside our hearts. They also talk about how easily bullies can misinterpret Scripture to great discussion, and what it means to take God's name in vain.

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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. Peace doesn't come from our circumstances, but from Presence. His peace can actually guide us through any difficulty and allow us to see what opportunities he has for us.

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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 us even more relationally challenged than religion did? AI unleashes some powerful tools that can be used for good, and at the same time, open doors for tremendous evil. As a mental health professional, Kyle is particularly concerned that this trend will do irreparable harm to human engagement in the process.

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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 long term condition, whether it be emotional or physical. Can we sit with someone in pain and know that the power of our presence to hold it with them is as powerful as trying to get God to fix it? The best way to learn that is by discovering how God is present with us when we are in pain. Presence is everything!

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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 helps others find their footing in Christ. They discuss not seeking the same kind of meeting again, but instead using some time to explore how deeply loved they are by God. Most legalistic groups prey on fear and guilt to try to keep people on the straight and narrow, and many lose sight of his love. The journey begins as we become settled in his love, and then watch the relationships he will add to our lives, and connections that are far richer than we may have known before.

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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 friendship, a new possibility for The Shack, and how their friendships have grown as they have explored their own God journeys in this format. They also read emails from our listeners, describing what The God Journey has meant to them over the years.

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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 periods of disharmony. Kyle and Wayne discuss relational repair and the relational capital required to facilitate those repairs more easily. You can bring healing to relationships without sacrificing authenticity or affection.

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