"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.

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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

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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.

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"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?

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"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.

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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 back in the pen, to a look at The Sound of Music, and finally manipulation tactics of the Central Intelligence Agency. They celebrate the reality of "growing and blooming forever" as the culmination of our journeys here and offer a possibility of what life in the spirit might be, rather than us just doing whatever he says.

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"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 how to trust the Spirit of God enough to relax while he leads us into his truth. In this process, resting beside the still waters is often more important than forcing a decision for its time. They The connection between the transcendent God and human hearts Three emails from our listeners set the tone for this podcast encouraging people to let his life unfold in us even when we don't understand what is going on .

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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 doesn't seem to work in the violence and dishonesty of our angry culture. Kyle questions Wayne about chapter seven of his new book, which is being posted chapter by chapter at Lifestream.org. What did Jesus mean when he said the meek will inherit the earth? When we stop seeing meekness as weakness, we can learn the secret of living tenderhearted without being a doormat for the abuse of others.

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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 spiritual leaders. On the one hand, we want connection and yet the vulnerability it requires can be scary, both in being vulnerable and in seeing someone else be weaker than our illusion of them. Kyle and Wayne begin their conversation talking about learning to let God initiate our encounters and then talk about how vulnerability and our fear of it affects relationships. They conclude by discussing how our best growth opportunities come from struggle instead of expedience.

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"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 through our most difficult moments safe inside his love? Kyle invites Wayne into a conversation that began with his fishing friends a couple of weeks ago and now expands into how joy can help us navigate the most difficult situations we face. If so, instead of trying to get God to fix the chaos of darkness that surrounds us, we could ask him to show us how his love penetrates the chaos and molds it to an even greater redemption.

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