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 influence, battling the temptation to justify the means for the greater good they hope to accomplish. How do we recognize the yuck, and yet affirm what God is doing beyond it? Does that negate the importance of character and demonstrating God's nature as best we can in how we treat people and deal with the opportunities of life. We are salt in this world when we can grace the circumstances we're in with his presence. We don't have to impose our will on others, but simply invite them into the most engaging adventure any of us could ever embrace.

Podcast Notes:

Wayne's Travel Schedule

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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 traveled to Tulsa, OK to discuss this powerful book with his friend Tom Mohn, who in addition to being a man of grace and compassion, also traveled to Selma, Alabama fifty years ago to participate in the march at Selma. They discuss race relations, illegal immigration, and how the current political climate rewards the conflict instead of seeking compassionate solutions. They discuss the importance of developing proximity to other cultures so we don't become trapped by only seeing the world through our own eyes.

Podcast Notes:

Email Tom

Bryan Stevenson's Ted Talk, We Need to Talk About Justice

Order Stevenson's book, Just Mercy

Tom Mohn's book, Good Morning Brother Pilgrim

Previous Podcasts with Tom Mohn: The Things God Uses, The Gospel Jesus Preached and The Keeper and the Kept

Wayne's Travel Schedule

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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 long hours compromised his physical health and the well-being of his family, he is beginning to wonder if there's something more he should be doing for God. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice, and how can one affirmed as a "good and faithful" servant of God? Wayne engages David's email by sharing his own journey dealing with the insecurity that seeks significance as an antidote, and learning that he serves best when he's most secure as a beloved son of a gracious Father. The podcast ends with an email from Dan and a song that inspired a recent podcast inspired.

Podcast Notes:

Wayne's Travel Schedule

The song at the end is Ragamuffin Prayer by Daniel Madison.

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 were building was a business not a community, how God is healing a young man from traumatic brain injury, and how people are finding community in the most unlikely places. What underlies all of these stories is the willingness to see things as they are and push off into the current of circumstantial uncertainty finding their peace and hope in the certainty of a Father's love. We too often look for peace in our circumstances and thus stick to safe waters. But when we can trust God to be our rock no matter what's happening around us we can go to places we never imagined we would.

Podcast Notes:

Wayne's Travel Schedule

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 gain. Whenever someone's livelihood is attached to a message, things get distorted because of our very human inclination toward trusting ourselves instead of trusting in him. "Freely you have received, freely give," is how Jesus put it and it's the only way to ensure that the Gospel stays untainted by our desire for profit from it and that those who help others are not just hirelings doing it for the money. Each of these two have had their own journeys learning to trust God for resources and not just monetize a gift, that always does serious warpage to the gift!

Podcast Notes:

Part One of this discussion can be found in the previous podcast

Wayne's Travel Schedule

Wayne's article on Monetizing Ministry

Our latest update from Kenya

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"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 systems, from institutions to curricula as a substitute for helping people into a transformative relationship with Jesus. At the core of all of these systems lies someone's need to make a living rather than to freely give to others what God has given them. And yet these systems never pay off what they promise, which can only be gained out of a growing relationship with God himself. For those who have felt like God is not reaching out to them in that way Brad and Wayne spend some time hoping to give you a different way to approach it.

Podcast Notes:

Wayne's article on Monetizing Ministry

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 to try to manipulate them back in line with their expectations. Brad and Wayne add their thoughts to those facing this unique challenge, which can teach us how to live free and live loving when others don't make it easy. This also brings them into a discussion about the Beavers Scale of Family Functioning to help see the dynamics that create a healthy family life, and those that are destructive. It applies to faith communities as well as human families. And who can say that you that you can't be the first generation in their family who will help make family a delight instead of a hotbed of religious manipulation? (Painting above taken from A Man Like No Other. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.)

Podcast Notes:

Five Styles of Family Functioning

Sorry, Wayne's Blog on Conversations that Matter, which he referred to on this podcast has not been posted yet. When it is the link will appear her.

Latest Statistics from Pew Research Center

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 that occurs when we are no longer attached to the outcome of our circumstances and thus can find our joy in him even when things do not go the way we hoped or planned. Seeing Father's hand at work even in the face of incredible tragedy helps us find an inner joy that grows greater than any circumstance around us. That's the joy God knows. They also talk about how living without expectations won't our passion to be the change in the world God wants, but it will keep us from trying to force our way on others.

Podcast Notes:

Wayne's Spring Travel for 2016

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 congregation means we have to see friendships and the development of them a bit differently. How important is it to find like-minded people? What other friendships might God have for you that will enrich your life as much as it enriches theirs? Many people overlook the people nearest tot hem, who can become great friends with a bit of an investment.

Podcast Notes:

Visit the New Lifestream.org

False Teachers Justifying Their Need for More Expensive Aircraft

Wayne's Blog on Conversations that Matter Most

Mike's Letter on Finding Church In the Neighborhood

Latest Statistics from Pew Research Center

Our latest update from Kenya

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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 wanted some input from Sara about how she is living out this process. We find ourselves talking about transformation in general, the unique challenges that women face to find freedom when they have often been subjected to man's selfishness and control, and how two people in a marriage can celebrate each other's growth and transformation.

Podcast Resources:

Our previous podcast on Sara's Journey

Wayne's Blog: To My Sisters Raised in Captivity.

Engage Videos

Our latest update from Kenya

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