Podcasts + Posts

Fresh off the Advance, we walk into the subject of hiding. It’s something men are good at. Something, if we’re honest, we’re all good at. 

We all hide the secret parts of us. The dreams we have (for fear others will make fun of them). The wounds of the past (for fear that others will think less of us). The things we think and feel in the moment (for fear we’ll be judged). 

When we walk into the light, though, we can be fully known AND ACCEPTED by others. And, in fact, we can’t find that acceptance until we walk into that light…

I saw lots of walking in the light at last week’s Advance. Huge glimpses of transparency. Radical doses of grace and acceptance.

The strange thing about transparency… 

Well, it can’t exist where there’s shame. And shame can’t exist where there’s transparency. At some point, we have to choose one or the other. 

In this episode we talk through the theological basis of...

The Bible tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Often, when we think of something that is new, we think of a “better and cleaner version of the old.” 

Let’s be honest. That WOULD be a great Gospel- the idea that we get a “clean slate,” that we get to start over, that the things we’ve done… well… we get a pass on them, that it’s as if those bad deeds we did and the good deeds that went undone never existed… 

However, the Gospel is better than that. Remember, the word Gospel literally means, “to-good-too-be-true-but-still-true-news!”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF NEW

The word Paul uses when he writes this verse of Scripture doesn’t mean “new” in the sense that we often use the word- it means “completely different.”

There are two Greek words used in the New Testament for the...

John wrote, “Beloved, I pray you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). He prays for prosperity… in all things… and in health. 

Notice, he wants us to abound in health and in "all things." Yet, it seems that THE SOUL IS THE MEASURE of how much we can carry- in the prosperity of “all things" and in our total health & wellness (which is far more than just physical, though physical health must be included here).

What’s the soul? The soul is the mind… and your emotions… 

Here’s the deal: we often “spiritualize” or “futurize” the blessings of God, believing they only matter in the after-life.  When we do this, we reduce the stories of Scripture to allegory, effectively punting the promises of God to a time and  place where we don’t  experience the full benefits of them.  John assumed we could experience these blessings...

We tend to compartmentalize our lives. We think that some things are “holy” and some things aren’t. Some tasks are important… and others… well… they don’t matter as much. 

The Bible tells us, “Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).  

Notice, He grew relationally, He grew physically, and He grew in terms of practical knowledge. Each of these areas was part of God’s plan for His life… 

Again, we tend to separate the spiritual from the "real." But these aren't disconnected ideas. This means that- 

• Healthy relationships are part of a stout spiritual life
• Healthy choices with your physical body are… well… they’re spiritual issues, too, right
• Healthy perspectives on the world around us… practical wisdom… also a spiritual issue.

In other words, everything is spiritual. Everything is being redeemed. 

Who are the...

 After taking a brief hiatus to discuss The Ladder & the men’s Advance material, we’re back to the Redemption series…

Remember, we’re redeemed (read: set free) by the blood of Jesus.

And, every place Jesus bled… well… He redeemed (set free) another facet of who we are or who we’re destined to become. 

With this episode we begin discussing the actual places He bled AND the freedoms He’s won for us. 

The first place He bled = the Garden of Gethsemane.

Symbolically, this is the SAME PLACE Adam gave up one of our most cherished freedoms, the freedom of the will. Since that time in which he intentionally defied God’s command, humanity’s ability to “choose to do right” has been tainted, marred, scarred.

Ask any parent and they’ll tell you- children are from Heaven, but they can act like hell. Tell them what to do, and they’ll figure out everything else- anything else-  that can...

I always thought Jesus was just comparing what He tells us to seek, as opposed to what most people seek- we seek the Kingdom; they seek stuff. Remarkably, though, it's not just the “object" of that search which He’s suggesting should be different; it's also the manner of “seeking.”

Follow me for a second... 

I’ve learned that one of the biggest hindrances to walking with a healthy soul is striving, straining, and seeking to achieve things in our own strength. That is, it’s not just “doing bad” things that knock us off course. Many times, we can do “good,” but do it from a sense of obligation instead of overflow… 

There’s a great line in the Sermon on the Mount that speaks to this…

Matthew records Jesus’ admonition: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). 

He tells us that if we do this- if we seek His Kingdom first AND seek HIs...

We get enamored with external things- the things “out there.” The truth, though, is that the INSIDE changes before the OUTSIDE ever does. In fact, the greatness of what’s going on inside of you determines the altitudes you’ll reach in the world around you. 

In this episode of the podcast, we take take the fifth (and final) rung of the ladder

Remember, with each rung we go higher AND closer to realizing our dreams…

• What = the idea
• How = implementation 
• Why = inspiration 
• Who = interdependence 
• You = individuality 

Once you understand the power of the mind… and how it literally creates destiny, some of the most popular Bible verses make EVEN MORE sense. Things like…

• “Take your thoughts captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
• “Be transformed… by renewing your mind” (Romans 12:1-2).
• “Be anxious for nothing…” (Philippians 4:6f).
• “Think on things that are pure, lovely,...

Every few weeks, I'll talk to someone who's nervous about some of the "things we're into." They're nervous about essential oils. Vitamins. Supplements. Or even some of the things I've taught about laying on of hands or frequency.

Here's why: they assume that everything we know about God can fit into a tight theological box. One with nice corners. Tidy seams. Even a bow on top. 

Truth is bigger + better than all of that. 

In fact, I don't even think that truth is founded inside of theological constructs like propositions and statements and confessions. Truth is found inside of those, but it's not grounded there. Each of those boxes all point to something larger. 

You, truth is not found in a package of tidy words, truth is found in a person. In fact, ruth is a person; truth is embodied in a person; and all truth belongs to that person (John 14:6).

Who has the unique angle on truth?

This isn't a new issue. Church people have debated it for...

Look at EVERY significant turning point in your life- the good ones AND the bad ones. Most of them probably have MORE to do with a RELATIONSHIP than any other factor…

Someone believed in you…

Or someone steered you in the wrong direction…

Someone called forth the greatness in you- or shared with you an amazing idea that TOTALLY transformed your outlook on an opportunity… 

Or someone else wounded you in some way…

You see? No blaming here. Just observing… 

Relationships have POWER. Tremendous power. 

Whereas we tend to plan life around “what” we’ll do… or even “how” we’ll get it done…

… the biggest defining factor is… yes…

RELATIONSHIPS!

I’ll be honest. I never would have thought this one was true. I would have thought talent, position, money, experience… that those would get you higher, farther, faster…

Time + Experience proves it to be...

A few months into researching the material for the health & healing workshop, I came across an interesting tidbit... it seems that there are a TON of places we go for info. Some of those places aren't traditional at all...

For example... 

A few years ago, Cristy and I decided it was time for a getaway- a second honeymoon of sorts, seventeen years into our marriage. We set some money aside in a savings account, arranged childcare for a specific week, and began looking for places to fill the time...

The first place looked? The web. 

Specifically, this: Cristy made a post on Facebook- "Where would you go if you were...?" She went on to describe the criteria. 

• All-inclusive. 
• No kids (We have nine, so if we were wanting to hang out with kids we could have just stayed home, right? We love kids, but this was a couples getaway- LOL!). 
• Wiling to pay more than the average vacation but didn’t want to break the bank.

We got a...