Jason Clark's Blog, page 11

C. BAXTER KRUGER / CHRIST IN YOU!

C. Baxter Kruger Christ In You!  

 

 

 

 

iTunes Spotify Google YouTube Union, the gospel according to John, the nature of delusion, everlasting mercy, early church fathers and mothers, the always good nature of God, a prophet in his hometown desperation, the wrath of God, hell, freedom, salvation, holiness, the Fatherhood of God before creation, the incarnation, a prophet in his home town, the cloud of witnesses, the all-inclusive vicarious humanity of Jesus, the good Shepherd, in this conversation Baxter reveals the gospel as very good news—Christ in you! Plus, crawfish tacos!

For more on C. Baxter Kruger
Website: www.perichoresis.org

QUOTES

“The wrath of God is the love of the Father, Son and Spirit passionately opposing our self-destruction.”

“A prophet is someone who preaches Jesus in you.”

“Jesus, His Father, and The Holy Spirit do not do abandonment.”

“Nobody lives up to their theology, even the Calvinist…”

The life, the love, the communion of the Father, Son, and Spirit is in everyone inside the delusion and it’s tapping on the bottom of their brain

“Hell is a person who’s in Jesus and is profoundly ignorant of it or resisting it and creating their own world. And trying to impose that world on people around them…”

“God is good by nature, and that means all the time.”

“Where was God when Jesus was being crucified, God was in Christ”

“The wrath of God is the love of the Father son and spirit passionately opposing our self-destruction. The greatest example of the wrath of God is the incarnation and the death of Jesus where he submits himself to us in order to get inside our self-destruction and heal it…”

Please rate, review, share, and subscribe!
Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a relational theologian — a storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God. He has authored several books, including, Leaving and Finding Jesus, & Prone to Love. He is the lead communicator at  A Family Story and co-host of Rethinking God with Tacos PODCAST. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their four children, Madeleine and Joseph, Ethan, and Eva.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… JAMIE & DONNA WINSHIP / OUR TRUE IDENTITY

by A Family Story | February 16, 2022 | Faith, Interview, Life, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 1 Comment

How to experience God, confession, faith, fear, freedom, our true identity, and cruciform, others-focused, self-emptying unconditional love barely scratches the surface of this packed conversation on the goodness of God. Jamie and Donna Winship share how we can discover our true identity through a relationship with God and each other.

Read More SHAWN HARNISH / UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

by A Family Story | February 16, 2023 | Faith, Intimacy, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, Sin, The Fathers Love, Writing | 0 Comments

Pastoring a community, faith and living in mystery, putting unconditional love before understanding, kindness that leads to repentance, the nature of trust, punishment hell, Bible College, the Age of Certainty, and timeless reconciling love – in this conversation, Shawn Harnish shares about his 25-plus years of pastoring in one area and the transforming discovery of the finished work of the cross. Add to that, 25-plus years of friendship with Jason and a mutual love of the Buffalo Bills, and you got a profound and fun conversation – Go Bills!

Read More SHEILA & KEITH GREGOIRE / THE GOOD GUYS AND GIRL’S GUIDE TO GREAT SEX

by Jason Clark | December 14, 2022 | Intimacy, Marriage, Parenting, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, Sin, The Fathers Love | 1 Comment

In this conversation, the guys talked with Sheila and Keith about intimacy, sex, and God’s design for our marriages. Based on groundbreaking surveys of more than twenty-five thousand people, the Gregoires shared how our theology impacts our intimacy, the nature of our sex drives, porn addiction, and freedom, all for the purpose of helping husbands and wives discover intimacy and experience great sex! This is both an insightful and fun conversation.

Read More BRUXY CAVEY / LOVING GOD BY LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR

by A Family Story | May 7, 2021 | Interview, Intimacy, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

Bruxy Cavey, author, and pastor of The Meeting House, dives into relational faith, loving God through loving our neighbor, repenting with a hopeful future focus, how doubt is connected to our faith, how we are not people of the book (bible) we are people of the person (Jesus), and three perspectives on hell concluding with the fact that the New Testament church never leveraged hell to get people to make a decision to for Jesus.

Read More THE DE/RECONSTRUCTING PARENT WITH SARAH TURNER & KAREN CLARK

by A Family Story | April 21, 2021 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Sarah Turner and Karen Clark take the hosting reins to share their de/reconstructing faith journey and how, primarily through parenting, they began to rethink who God is and their approach to scripture, church, and ministry.

From Harry Potter and the college years to church life – the good, the bad, and the ugly, they talk about how parenting for connection and living an honest relationship with a loving God, is the most transformative thing we can do in our lives, our kids lives, and in ministry.

Read More JONATHAN FOSTER / indigo: the color of grief

by A Family Story | November 1, 2023 | Dreaming, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Intimacy, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

“Exquisitely etched, in a luring cadence, a daughter lost, a family fractured, fractioned, all in the lower case, not shouting at us, but hard to read. I had to stop and regain my composure. What is this terrible beauty? Not a theology but something softer, more delicate, unprotected, exposed. What is this? A moving poem, certainly, but also a prayer, a wounded word, a broken hallelujah, where a random hug, a hand held through the night, a shoulder touched, are the only amelioration, the only God worthy of our time, the only God there may be, the only way to keep the future open.” John Caputo

In this conversation, the guys discuss Jonathan’s new book, indigo: the color of grief. This conversation invites the love of God into our loss, disappointment, and fragile trust.

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The post C. BAXTER KRUGER / CHRIST IN YOU! appeared first on A Family Story.

HEATHER HAMILTON / RETURNING TO EDEN

Heather Hamilton Returning To Eden  

 

 

 

 

iTunes Spotify Google YouTube Do you resonate with aspects of Christianity but struggle with the coherence of its claims? After having a mystical experience that upended her traditional evangelical beliefs, Heather Hamilton reluctantly found herself in this place. Her seeking led to the most unexpected insights. In this conversation, Heather shares that story and introduces her book, Returning To Eden.

Love, trust, scripture, re-discovering Jesus, sacred moments, the hell of separation, and a God who is love and never leaves, in this conversation, Heather and the guys dive into a Faith that is no longer a white-knuckled grip on implausible beliefs, but a relaxation into a deep inner knowing.

Please rate, review, share, and subscribe!

For more on Heather Hamilton
Website: www.returningtoeden.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/heatherhamiltonauthor/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/heatherhamilton1

 

Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

 

 

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… BISHOP JAMIE ENGLEHART / MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

by A Family Story | March 8, 2023 | Faith, Intimacy, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, Sin, The Fathers Love, Writing | 1 Comment

Lucifer and the devil, God, and control, union vs. separation, awakening to Light, Life, and Love, and approaching scripture through sonship; in this conversation, Bishop Jamie Englehart breaks down myths for truth and sheds light on many of our religious misconceptions that have been built upon separation.

Jamie’s understanding of the Kingdom of God, the New Covenant, and the heart of the Father is evident in every word he speaks.

Read More JOHN BLASE / ARE YOU LETTING GOD LOVE YOU TODAY?

by A Family Story | July 6, 2023 | Faith, Intimacy, Marriage, Parenting, Popular, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

“Are You Letting God Love You Today?” Abundant life, the goodness and the GODness of God, loss, suffering, and trust, grieving and grace, and more grace, healing, embracing the heights and depths of the human story, becoming like Jesus, poetry and faith, in this podcast, John Blasé and the guys have a vulnerable conversation about life and trust and the GODness of God. John shares about his friendships with Brennan Manning and Eugene Peterson and the impact they both had on him and our world today.

Read More PETER HIETT / WHAT ABOUT HELL?

by A Family Story | March 2, 2022 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Interview, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

The goodness of God but hell, atonement but hell, reformation but hell, scripture but hell, Calvinism but hell; in this podcast Peter Hiett describes hell as “Satan’s big but.” In this conversation Peter walks us through the story of our own creation, the goodness of God’s reconciling love, the relational kindness of a God who encounters, sets free and transforms.

Peter describes a God who delights in His creation, a God who destroys what is evil, creates what is good, and invites us to observe our own creation in Christ Jesus.

Read More LOGAN BARONE / THE MYSTERY IN YOU

by A Family Story | May 31, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

“Did Christ accomplish a potentiality, or did Christ accomplish a reality?”

Grace beyond theory, the road of union, discovering Christ in us and embedded in humanity, inclusion, the incarnation, experiencing God, and stories about church life and the journey of faith while searching for community; in this conversation with Logan Barone, the guys discuss the message of his book, The Mystery In You.

Read More AN EMMAUS ROAD DECONSTRUCTION WITH MATTHEW HESTER

by Jason Clark | November 23, 2022 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

The Kingdom within, relational intimacy, a triune God reconciling the world to Himself, faith like Abraham, hermeneutics, and an Emmaus Road Deconstruction, in this podcast, Jason talks with his friend Matthew Hester about his new book, Leaving and Finding Jesus. “Repenting is a de and reconstruction all in one,” and in this conversation, the fellas talk about an Emmaus Road walk with Jesus where He gently and definitively reveals the Cornerstone of faith, God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

Read More SCHLYCE JIMENEZ / THE PATH

by A Family Story | May 4, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Miracles, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 4 Comments

God to Schlyce: “You never rebelled from me; you rebelled from a version of me that was never me…” Identity, the illusion of separation, trauma triggers and healing, how to hear the voice of God, experiencing the joy and wonder of continual fellowship with God; in this conversation, Schlyce Jimenez shares about her faith journey and her book, The Path. The Path helps readers discover how their life would be different if they could know the Father like Jesus did.

Read More

The post HEATHER HAMILTON / RETURNING TO EDEN appeared first on A Family Story.

Three In One

Three In One

 

 

 

 

Three In One

Jesus revealed sovereign love in everything He said and did, but I think the clearest way to perceive and know this love is through His relationship with Father and Holy Spirit.

When I look at their friendship—I see perfect union displayed through a mutual surrendering of one to another. I see self-giving, other-centered love. I see trust and intimacy. I see righteousness, peace, and joy—the family expression of the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Three persons, three wills, three personalities, and in everything, they are in union. There is never a quarrel regarding roles, never a struggle for power or a clash of wills. In all things, they are perfectly one.

And Jesus prayed that we would know this same relationship, “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” 1

How is this possible?

I would like to suggest it’s about control… but not the control we have so often been shackled with. No, this is a self-control empowered in union with a Greater Love…

Not My Will, But Yours Be Done

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 1

Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed this. He was in such emotional anguish that He sweat drops of blood. He knew He was about to experience the greatest horror of His life. He was headed to a cross where He would feel the heartbreaking sense of separation—the fruit from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Jesus told us He only did what He saw His Father do 2 and only said what He heard His Father say. 3 Jesus didn’t take a breath outside the wonder of His Father’s company. He didn’t make a move without the infilling presence of Holy Spirit.

Every thought, every experience, every heartbeat was a display of mutual, self-giving, other-centered love—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit walking as One. Jesus lived every moment immersed in the lavish surrender of perfect love and the liberty of consent—sure in His Father, confident in the Holy Spirit.

That didn’t change in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was no less in His Father and no less filled with Holy Spirit when He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” 4

My point? If we interpret this interaction between Jesus and His Father through the lens of separation—the narrative of control—we might conclude that somehow, just this once, there was a wrestling match within the Godhead. As though God the Father was demanding God the Son bow to His will. But that’s just not true!

When Jesus, one with His Father, prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me,” 5 He was echoing His Father’s breaking heart. After all, Jesus only said what His Father was saying.

And when Jesus, filled with Holy Spirit, said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” the Father and Holy Spirit were saying it right back to Him. After all, Jesus only did what the Father was doing.

Please get this, Jesus’ prayer wasn’t revealing some cosmic battle of wills; this was not a Son capitulating to the authoritarian demands of a controlling Father. This was surrender—mutual, self-giving, other-centered love; three powerfully free individuals consenting one to another, revealing what it is to be perfectly yielded to each other in the most significant circumstantial tension of history.

And in this surrendered agreement, Jesus went to the cross on behalf of the Trinity.

Jesus “told His disciples just before going to the cross, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” 6 There is no separation in the incarnation, not even at the cross!

Jesus, perfectly in control…of Himself—in mutual, self-giving, other-centered love, for the sake of the world—so we might know union—chose to surrender His very life.

The Father and Holy Spirit, perfectly in control…of Themselves—in mutual, self-giving, other-centered love, for the sake of the world—so we might know union—chose to surrender Jesus even unto death.

“For God so loved the world He gave…”

Triune Love, mutual, self-giving, other-centered sovereign Love, for the joy set before Him, free and in complete control of Himself, chose to endure the cross, scorning its shame. 8 And He forever exposed the lie of separation and forever destroyed the bondage of sovereign control so we could be free.

 

This article is excerpted from Free To Choose, chapter thirteen of, God Is (Not) In Control: The Whole Story Is Better Than You Think 
Revised Edition Available Now At AMAZON.COM

“In God Is (Not) In Control, Jason gives us the liberty to color outside the lines of our many unperceived biases about God. He courageously addresses the “logic of love,” which always leads us on a journey from knowing, to not knowing, to a new knowing…This book is an invitation to those who realize that if we are afraid of the answers, we will never ask the hard questions. I applaud Jason for the courage he’s demonstrated to reintroduce us to a God who is immeasurably good and relentlessly loves us regardless of where we are on our journey.”

—Dr. Randall Worley
Author of Brush Strokes of Grace, Wandering and Wondering, & A Manifesto for Spiritual Searchers

ORDER NOW!

Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… The Devastation of Control

by Jason Clark | May 20, 2015 | Articles, Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Writing | 4 Comments

Control, it masquerades in the religious rhetoric of holiness; its wars are holy, its politics, its inquisitions, its crusades, its genocide, its prejudice, discrimination, racism, sexism, its abuse – all painted with the brush of fanatic righteousness.

Read More DOUG CREW / WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW?

by A Family Story | March 24, 2021 | Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Navigating through loss with a good God, experiencing the presence of God as a loving Father, loving our neighbor, democrat and republican, and love answering every question that aches in the heart of humanity, Doug Crew shares on these subjects and more with insight and grace. Doug is the executive leader of Shiloh Place Ministries and a good friend of the podcast.

Read More The Bride and the Ecclesia

by A Family Story | December 16, 2020 | Articles, Dreaming, Faith, Friends, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship | 0 Comments

Membership in a church does not automatically make me part of the Bride of Christ.

Read More Perspective for the Sake of Relationship: Authors Note

by Jason Clark | April 3, 2017 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control | 4 Comments

In this book, I have not written about Gods sovereignty through a rigid systematic lens. I have written through the lens of relationship. I don’t approach God through disciplines, ethics and the dogma of religious thought; I approach God as an adored son of my Father, a beloved brother of Jesus, an intimate friend of Holy Spirit.

And it’s all about family.

Read More BRIAN SIMMONS / THE PASSION TRANSLATION

by A Family Story | May 19, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 4 Comments

“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.” Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, talks about approaching scripture with a love theology, the oppressive impact of hyper literalism, women in ministry, equality, union, Jesus’ humanity inside the Trinity, the finished work of the cross, and the passionate, powerful, transforming love of God.

Read More PETE SCHELLER / DANCING WITH WISDOM

by A Family Story | May 24, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Friends, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

“For too long the image and understanding of God, the One Jesus called “Abba”, has been hidden from view or distorted beyond recognition. The unspoken cry of sons and daughters all over the world is ‘Give us our Dad back!’”

A renewed mind, western wisdom vs. God’s wisdom, theology in relational terms, and above all, a Father who doesn’t just love us, He really likes us; in this conversation, Pete Scheller shares from his new book, Dancing with Wisdom. The guys dive deep into the Father nature of God and laugh along the way.

Read More

The post Three In One appeared first on A Family Story.

Forward By Randall Worley

Forward By Randall Worley

 

 

 

 

God Is (Not) In Control / Revised
Forward by Randall Worley

I am asked from time to time to endorse books. My criteria for accepting requests have always been that I have a relationship with the author. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Jason Clark for a few years now, and I’ve found him to have a pure and hungry heart for God. He is a man who has an insatiable curiosity for all things spiritual.

In God Is (Not) In Control, Jason gives us the liberty to color outside the lines of our many unperceived biases about God. He courageously addresses the “logic of love,” which always leads us on a journey from knowing, to not knowing, to a new knowing.

God is not obligated to explain the why, how, and when of our lives. We probably wouldn’t believe Him anyway, even if He explained everything satisfactorily. But what if our seeking to “make sense” of God is actually limiting our understanding of God to something we call logic?

God is not logical. That doesn’t mean He’s illogical. No, God is beyond logic. He is beyond our finite ability to understand. So, to accuse Him of failing to be logical is nonsense. God doesn’t fail to make sense; we simply don’t have the limitless knowledge to understand Him. He doesn’t bow to our logic; we bow to His omniscience.

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” —Thomas Aquinas.

The way Jason approaches the question of control reminds me of the poem by Emily Dickinson titled “Tell All The Truth, But Tell It Slant.” Dickinson says that “we should tell the truth —the whole truth—but tell it indirectly, in a circuitous and round-the-houses fashion. The truth,” she says, “is too bright and dazzling for us to be able to cope with it in one go. We have to be overwhelmed by it.”

Ostensibly, God is in control, but not in the way we think of control. The belief that God is all-powerful does not mean that God exercises all power. It only means that God is the ultimate source of all power.

As fallen people, we may value the ability to control others and project this attribute onto God—See Matthew 20:25-28. However, the cross reveals our fallen assumptions about what God must be like. The cross reveals that God empowers others to act on their own, against His wishes, if they so choose. The cross reveals the unconditional, inescapable love of God and His sovereignty that doesn’t need to ensure He will always get His way.

Many people in the church have been taught that divine sovereignty is synonymous with unilateral control. Some have even argued that if God is not in control of everything, then something must be in control of Him. Still, others have proposed that if God is not sovereign over all, then He has no sovereignty at all.

Why should we think that God would cease to be God because He decided to create something He does not scrupulously control? On the contrary, this view seems to severely restrict God’s omnipotence! It reduces the Creator to unilateral control. What is honorable about controlling something simply because a being has the power to do so? “Love does not insist on its own way.” In other words, love is not controlling.

This book is an invitation to those who realize that if we are afraid of the answers, we will never ask the hard questions. I applaud Jason for the courage he’s demonstrated to reintroduce us to a God who is immeasurably good and relentlessly loves us regardless of where we are on our journey.

Enjoy!

—Dr. Randall Worley
Author of Brush Strokes of Grace, Wandering and Wondering, & A Manifesto for Spiritual Searchers

God Is (Not) In Control: The Whole Story Is Better Than You Think 
Revised Edition Available Now At AMAZON.COM

ORDER NOW!

Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… For or Against; The Christian Hypocrisy

by Jason Clark | January 16, 2023 | Articles, Books, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Leaving and Finding Jesus, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

And war makes cruel hypocrites out of even the best-intentioned Christians.

And nothing undermines trust quicker than this hypocrisy.

Read More I May Be A Better Atheist Than You…

by Jason Clark | February 11, 2022 | Articles, Faith, Intimacy, Leaving and Finding Jesus, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

“But you still consider yourself a Christian!” He responded with anger.

“Yes, but not as you define it.” Then I added, “I am absolutely in love with God, just not the one you’re angry at. Man, when it comes to that god, I may be a better atheist than you.”

Read More Grace as a World View

by Lloyd Clark | August 28, 2019 | Articles, Faith, Lloyd's Corner, Relationship, The Fathers Love | 1 Comment

Religion makes you schizophrenic, self-aggrandizing and judgmental on your good days and then introspective and self-loathing on your screw-up days.

Read More Unraveling The Universe

by Jason Clark | April 27, 2015 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Prone To Love | 3 Comments

When it came to a particular chapter in Prone To Love, one of my pastor friends raised an alarm regarding my thoughts about the sovereignty of God. I had written an entire chapter under the title, “God Is Not In Control” and that thought bothered him. He felt it was an incredibly flawed idea. He was also concerned it would cause distress and confusion in my reader. He suggested that promoting the idea that God is not in control would be the equivalent of “pulling the string that unravels the universe.”

Read More I Was Born to Do This

by Jason Clark | November 10, 2020 | Articles, Dream Center, Faith, Leadership, Life, Newsletter, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Then we walked down the streets of JT Williams, a struggling community, to pick up twenty or so sweet kids. We took them to their local school parking lot, gave them a snack, told a Bible story, played games, and worked on a craft together. I loved it.

Read More On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Buried Treasure

by Jason Clark | April 5, 2010 | Articles, Books, Faith | 2 Comments

Since the age of five, I have been learning that Salvation is the most beautiful of life’s miracles. I once was dead, now I’m alive! I once was clothed in self-centered ignorance, I’m now clothed in love and righteousness.

Read More

The post Three In One appeared first on A Family Story.

JARED SCHOLZ / SANDBOX TO MUSEUM

Jared Scholz Sandbox To Museum  

 

 

 

 

iTunes Spotify Google YouTube

“Wherever there is a culture of certainty, there is a culture of hypocrisy.” Jared Scholz

Faith has its messy seasons of intense digging. Some will carelessly demolish the precious hope, like a child with a Tonka truck in the sandbox. Others will work like measured archaeologists to uncover the museum-worthy gem they’d hoped for.

Following Jesus in real time, living responsive, rediscovering Jesus, an evolving and maturing faith, Love being our Cornerstone, the church, growing in trust, and humble leadership, in this conversation, the guys dive into Jared Scholz’s new book, Sandbox to Museum, a book that seeks to clarify the deconstruction landscape and help readers avoid the pitfalls of modern deconstruction.

Please rate, review, share, and subscribe!

For more on Jared Scholz
Website: www.jaredscholz.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jared.scholz.1
Sandbox to Museum: AMAZON

Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

 

 

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace
www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… BRUXY CAVEY / LOVING GOD BY LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR

by A Family Story | May 7, 2021 | Interview, Intimacy, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

Bruxy Cavey, author, and pastor of The Meeting House, dives into relational faith, loving God through loving our neighbor, repenting with a hopeful future focus, how doubt is connected to our faith, how we are not people of the book (bible) we are people of the person (Jesus), and three perspectives on hell concluding with the fact that the New Testament church never leveraged hell to get people to make a decision to for Jesus.

Read More DAVID TENSEN / YOU ARE NOT ALONE

by A Family Story | May 12, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 5 Comments

Trauma, pain, empathy like Jesus, and healing for the oppressed, misunderstood, lost, or broken; in this podcast David Tensen shares how we are loved and not alone. Addressing how shame and condemnation are compounded by religion, the guys talked specifically about abortion and the LGBTQ community with an invitation to love like Jesus, through our union with God and reconciliation.

Read More ADDISON BEVERE / SAINTS, BECOMING MORE THAN CHRISTIANS

by A Family Story | April 14, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Identity, union, searching scripture through the lens of Jesus, and holiness discovered through community, Addison brilliantly describes that we are beloved saints.

Read More JOHN CROWDER / TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY

by A Family Story | May 25, 2022 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Hell, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, Sin, The Fathers Love | 3 Comments

John Crowder pulls from the different streams of the church to talk about Christilogical Trinitarian theology, grace, union, contemplative practice, intimacy, and mystical Christianity. John and Jason dive into the Cross, Western atonement theories, and the religious industry built upon separation; how Jesus is healing the human race. John describes a relationship with a person, Christ. He invites us to embrace mystery so we might discover that God looks like Jesus.

Read More BROOKE WATERS & LIZ KOEPP / PATH TO WHOLENESS

by A Family Story | October 4, 2023 | Dreaming, Faith, Interview, Leadership, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Sozo, wholeness, community, purpose, reimaging the goodness of God in the midst of church rejection and trauma, the language of encounter, leaving an angry God and shame and condemnation, belonging and the joy and hope of our union, healing, in this podcast, Brooke Waters, Liz Koepp, and the guys reimagine wholeness through heart-to-heart connection with a trustworthy God who has always looked like Jesus.

They also discuss the upcoming women’s retreat being hosted by Path to Wholeness, Nov 6-9, 2023.

Read More STEVE MCVEY / QUATUM LIFE

by A Family Story | June 4, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 4 Comments

“God didn’t want me because of anything I could do for Him; He wanted me just because He loves me.” Paradigm shifts, intimacy, eternal life, practical applied theology, a sustaining energy of a more subtle kind, the connection of all things, quantum science, quantum faith, the supernatural, miracles, signs and wonders, and union; in this conversation, Steve dives into the scientific universal nature of the love of God.“

Read More

The post HEATHER HAMILTON / RETURNING TO EDEN appeared first on A Family Story.

Free To Give / Sapphira

Free To Give Sapphira

 

 

 

 

Just before our wedding, Karen and I removed the word ‘obey’ from our vows as we determined mutual, self-giving, other-centered love would be the foundation of our marriage. We decided our surrender would always be voluntary, that consent would be the high watermark of our love and the path to intimacy; we resolved to submit one to another, to freely give and freely receive. That’s how love works, that’s how trust works, that’s how intimacy works.

Freely is a powerful word.

Love can’t be coerced, controlled, pressured, compelled, manipulated, or forced. There is no arm twisting, crowbars, compulsion, shaming, or condemning, no fear of retribution. Our marriage isn’t built upon the letter of the law; its foundation is grace. Our marriage isn’t transactional, but relational and intimate.

And so, obey was taken out of our vows.

But obey was most definitely in Sapphira’s.

During Sapphira’s day, women had few rights, equality wasn’t a thing, and husbands often saw their wives as little more than possessions. The consequences of not obeying your husband could be severe, even unto death.

Scripture implies Sapphira agreed with her husband’s deception. Who knows, it may have even been her idea. But let’s recognize the cultural context of the day. She was expected to obey her husband. And let’s also recognize Peter, a man, the leader, the top of the power dynamic, and the fella who’d just presided over her husband’s death, knew this.

Was Peter surprised by Ananias’ death? I don’t know. But I imagine he was heartbroken; at least, I hope he was… cause that’s what a Good Shepherd would be when one of his flock is lost to a prowling lion.

Just years earlier, after Jesus’ disciples asked Him to call down fire on a city, He corrected them with the Gospel. “You know not what spirit you are of,” He said, “For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (See Luke 9:56)

Peter knew this good news. And so, I imagine that immediately after the death of Ananias, he turned his attention to saving Sapphira. Like his Good Shepherd, I imagine he modeled His heart to leave the ninety-nine “in the open country and go after the one.” (See Luke 15:5)

I imagine Peter set about lighting lamps and sweeping his metaphorical house, carefully searching “every nook and cranny” for the lost coin. (Luke 15:8-10)

I imagine he positioned his motives with the good father’s heart of forgiveness and reconciliation toward his lost and striving sons, both prodigal and older. (See Luke 15:11-32)

You see, Peter intimately knew this New Covenant gospel. He knew God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting Sapphira’s sins against her. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

And so, I imagine, especially after the death of Ananias, that Peter would remind himself how Jesus had made him “competent as a minister of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6)

However, it appears once again that Peter went old school.

“About three hours later, Ananias’ wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 

Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

The difference between an honest question and entrapment is the spirit in which it’s asked. When Grace is the spirit, the question confronts for the purpose of repentance, transformation, and restoration. When Law is the spirit, the question condemns for the purpose of separation and retribution.

This does not appear to be an honest question. It reminds me of the query once hurled at Jesus by religious rock-holding Pharisees who stood ready to participate in the punishing death of a guilty woman; a story in which Jesus disarmed the men and the spirit of accusation so the woman might be set free from sin. (See John 8:1-11)

I would like to suggest this interaction with Sapphira was religious entrapment—Peter seemed to ask an Old Covenant question in the context of the wages of sin with no thought for eternal life.

Why do I suggest this? Because Sapphira died.

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Then Peter responded with grace, “Why are you slaving? Everything I have is yours.” (See John 17:10)

Nope.

Then Peter responded with a kindness that leads to repentance (See Romans 2:4) “Father, forgive her; she knows not what she does.” (See Luke 23:24)

Nope.

Then Peter responded with a heart of reconciliation, “Jesus did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (See Luke 9:56)

Nope.

Peter spoke to her in the spirit of the Old Covenant, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord?” he said.

Look, I’m all for leaders bringing correction, but the Truth is supposed to set us free. (See John 8:32) If your pastor corrects you with the letter of the law—in the spirit of separation and retribution—if he literally speaks death over you—run!

“Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also,” Peter said, swinging his verbal sword. Like many years earlier in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter seemed to partner with the wages of sin by declaring death—something Jesus NEVER did. Not once.

Jesus only ever spoke reconciling love and resurrection life.

But after Peter spoke, “… she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband…”

This article is excerpted from my chapter in, FREE TO GIVE
Order Now At AMAZON.COM

FREE TO GIVE: ABOUNDING IN THE GRACE OF GIVING CO-AUTHORED BY MALCOLM SMITH, FRANCOIS DU TOIT, WM, PAUL YOUNG, STEVE MCVEY, LISA WENTWORTH COUTRE, PAUL GOLF, JASON CLARK, DON KEATHLEY, TOMMY MILLER, MATT PANDEL, LOGAN BARONE, ROBIN SMIT, CORY RICE

In a world where the act of giving is often burdened by expectations and legalistic constraints, “Free to Give” emerges as a guiding light of grace and liberation. If you’ve ever been shackled by the weight of ritualistic and obligatory giving or the oppressive thoughts of giving to meet performance standards, this book is your path to freedom.

Within the pages of “Free to Give,” twelve co-authors extend a heartfelt invitation to experience the transformational power of giving in its purest and most unrestrained form. Drawing from a wellspring of wisdom and personal experiences, these co-voices offer you the opportunity to discover the joy of giving without the constraints of obligation.

Within these pages, you’ll discover:

A Christ-centered, grace-infused exploration of the account of Ananias and Sapphira.Wm. Paul Young’s masterful narrative of the widow’s mite, bringing new depth to this beautiful story.A reinvigorated perspective on the classic tale of the Prodigal Son.New Testament insights that deconstruct traditional Old Testament ideas about giving, including tithing.And an abundance of other revelations and wisdom waiting to be unveiled as these extraordinary authors bring new language, insights, and revelation to the grace of giving.

Let this book be your invitation to a transformed perspective on giving.

This article is excerpted from, FREE TO GIVE
Order Now At AMAZON.COM

Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… A Matter Of Trust

by Jason Clark | February 15, 2013 | Articles, Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Prone To Love | 0 Comments

It could be said Peter failed during his time of testing but it wasn’t about his success, it was about his experience. Jesus already knew Peter would deny Him. Yet the experience was essential to Peter’s journey. His ownership of that experience from denial to redemption was what allowed him to be life to his friends.

Read More JUSTIN STUMVOLL / LOVE IS THE KEY

by A Family Story | June 8, 2022 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Hell, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, Sin, The Fathers Love | 3 Comments

Justin Stumvoll is a speaker, teacher, and life consultant who knows the kindness of God and loves to create space for individuals to find healing so they can be their most authentic selves Just dives into Love being the key to helping folks walk through the gritty, vulnerable and real approach to transformation. This was a fast-paced conversation where the guy’s traded stories about the reconciling nature of God; they talked about punishment, self-judgment, reconciliation, justice, sin, grace, freedom from addiction, and more. This podcast is bursting with the kindness of God that transforms the world.

Read More On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Buried Treasure

by Jason Clark | April 5, 2010 | Articles, Books, Faith | 2 Comments

Since the age of five, I have been learning that Salvation is the most beautiful of life’s miracles. I once was dead, now I’m alive! I once was clothed in self-centered ignorance, I’m now clothed in love and righteousness.

Read More 5Q – THE FIVEFOLD WITH BRANDON KELLY

by A Family Story | September 1, 2022 | Faith, Interview, Leadership, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three | 0 Comments

Derek and Jason dive into the fivefold (APEST) typology of ministry as articulated in Ephesians 4:1-1 with Brandon Kelly, the co-director at 5Qcollective. APEST stands for the Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic, Shepherding, and Teaching intelligence that Jesus gifted to his body.

The guys discussed the fivefold in connection with the nature of God as non-hierarchal and inclusive, laced throughout creation and culture, reconstituted and perfectly exemplified in the life and ministry of Jesus, embedded into the very foundations of the Church, and subsequently expressed through the lives of the countless saints that make it up.

Read More AN EMMAUS ROAD DECONSTRUCTION WITH MATTHEW HESTER

by Jason Clark | November 23, 2022 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

The Kingdom within, relational intimacy, a triune God reconciling the world to Himself, faith like Abraham, hermeneutics, and an Emmaus Road Deconstruction, in this podcast, Jason talks with his friend Matthew Hester about his new book, Leaving and Finding Jesus. “Repenting is a de and reconstruction all in one,” and in this conversation, the fellas talk about an Emmaus Road walk with Jesus where He gently and definitively reveals the Cornerstone of faith, God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

Read More The Freest Person In The Room

by Jason Clark | September 18, 2019 | Articles, Faith, Prone To Love | 1 Comment

The freest person in the room is the most powerful person in the room. A free person never operates in the context of control; a free person operates in the context of trusting surrender to sovereign love.

Read More

The post Free To Give / Sapphira appeared first on A Family Story.

JONATHAN FOSTER / indigo: the color of grief

Jonathan Foster indigo: the color of grief

 

 

 

 

 

iTunes Spotify Google YouTube

“Exquisitely etched, in a luring cadence, a daughter lost, a family fractured, fractioned, all in the lower case, not shouting at us, but hard to read. I had to stop and regain my composure. What is this terrible beauty? Not a theology but something softer, more delicate, unprotected, exposed. What is this? A moving poem, certainly, but also a prayer, a wounded word, a broken hallelujah, where a random hug, a hand held through the night, a shoulder touched, are the only amelioration, the only God worthy of our time, the only God there may be, the only way to keep the future open.” John Caputo

In this conversation, the guys discuss Jonathan’s new book, indigo: the color of grief. This conversation invites the love of God into our loss, disappointment, and fragile trust.

“In this stunning reflection on loss and suffering, we do not simply observe one person’s grief but find words that might help us as we tarry with our own.” – Peter Rollins

Please rate, review, share, and subscribe!

For more on Jonathan Foster
Website: www.jonathanfosteronline.com
Twitter: @jonathan_foster
Substack: jonathan_foster
Prepurchase through INDIGO: www.indiegogo.com/projects/indigo-the-color-of-grief#/

Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace
www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… BRIAN SIMMONS / THE PASSION TRANSLATION

by A Family Story | May 19, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 4 Comments

“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.” Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, talks about approaching scripture with a love theology, the oppressive impact of hyper literalism, women in ministry, equality, union, Jesus’ humanity inside the Trinity, the finished work of the cross, and the passionate, powerful, transforming love of God.

Read More MARK APPLEYARD / DIGNITY: THE LEADING EDGE OF LOVE

by Jason Clark | June 21, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Redefining success, living loved—from Jesus, laying our lives down for one another, awakening to a union, living from rest, the peace that surpasses understanding, human flourishing, and dignity as the leading edge of love; in this podcast, the guys dive into how dignity seeks to protect the image of God in a person. Dignity treats every human interaction as if it were eternal.

Read More AWAKENING! with DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

by A Family Story | June 2, 2021 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

An infinite love, the nature of revelation, a kindness that changes our minds, the joy of our salvation discovered as we awaken to the resurrection, the risen Christ within us, in this podcast Derek and Jason discuss how all creation is awakening to the transforming certainty of sacrificial love and resurrection life.

Read More PETER HIETT / WHAT ABOUT HELL?

by A Family Story | March 2, 2022 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Interview, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

The goodness of God but hell, atonement but hell, reformation but hell, scripture but hell, Calvinism but hell; in this podcast Peter Hiett describes hell as “Satan’s big but.” In this conversation Peter walks us through the story of our own creation, the goodness of God’s reconciling love, the relational kindness of a God who encounters, sets free and transforms.

Peter describes a God who delights in His creation, a God who destroys what is evil, creates what is good, and invites us to observe our own creation in Christ Jesus.

Read More NAEEM FAZAL / REIMAGINING GOD

by A Family Story | June 30, 2021 | Interview, Intimacy, Life, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 5 Comments

Naeem Fazal, founding pastor of Mosaic Church, and author of Ex-Muslim, talks about deconstruction or reimaging God. Naeem talks about the importance of being able to recognize God outside of our personal context, how to view sin, how to approach scripture, and a beautiful gospel that’s not just about a Jesus who saves but about a Jesus who is restoring humanity and all creation.

Read More SCHLYCE JIMENEZ / THE PATH

by A Family Story | May 4, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Miracles, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 4 Comments

God to Schlyce: “You never rebelled from me; you rebelled from a version of me that was never me…” Identity, the illusion of separation, trauma triggers and healing, how to hear the voice of God, experiencing the joy and wonder of continual fellowship with God; in this conversation, Schlyce Jimenez shares about her faith journey and her book, The Path. The Path helps readers discover how their life would be different if they could know the Father like Jesus did.

Read More

The post Free To Give / Sapphira appeared first on A Family Story.

ROBIN & STEVE SMIT / FREE TO GIVE

Robin & Steve Smit Free To Give

 

 

 

 

 

iTunes Spotify Google YouTube

This podcast features, Steve and Robin Smit. In October of 2022, the Lord asked Robin if she would put her own writing aside and build The Writer’s Society. There is a tremendous need for a grace-based, author-empowering, Trinitarian, Christological-focused publishing company! Steve and Robin launched The Writers Society—TWS—and have been writing, editing, and publishing since.

In this podcast, they share about the publishing company and a new book, “Free To Give.” In a world where the act of giving is often burdened by expectations and legalistic constraints, “Free to Give” emerges as a guiding light of grace and liberation. If you’ve ever been shackled by the weight of ritualistic and obligatory giving or the oppressive thoughts of giving to meet performance standards, this book is your path to freedom.

In this podcast they discuss “Free to Give,” and the twelve co-authors who extend a heartfelt invitation to experience the transformational power of giving in its purest and most unrestrained form. Drawing from a wellspring of wisdom and personal experiences, these co-voices offer the opportunity to discover the joy of giving without the constraints of obligation.

For more on Steve & Robin Smit, TWS & Free To Give:
Free To Give: Amazon Link
The Writers Society: www.thewriterssociety.online
Legacy Society: www.thewriterssociety.online/general-7

 

Please rate, review, share, and subscribe!
Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace
www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR / LIFE, LITERATURE, & GOD

by A Family Story | April 27, 2022 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Hell, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, Sin, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Karen Swallow Prior is a Reader, Writer, and Professor. In that order, which was discussed in this conversation along with the power of language, the Word becoming flesh, the connection of imagination with logic and reason, empathy, trauma, the theodicy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and love being the center of our conversations. Karen also shares about getting hit by a literal bus and how she grew in her understanding that her life is in God’s hands.

Read More BROOKE WATERS & LIZ KOEPP / PATH TO WHOLENESS

by A Family Story | October 4, 2023 | Dreaming, Faith, Interview, Leadership, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Sozo, wholeness, community, purpose, reimaging the goodness of God in the midst of church rejection and trauma, the language of encounter, leaving an angry God and shame and condemnation, belonging and the joy and hope of our union, healing, in this podcast, Brooke Waters, Liz Koepp, and the guys reimagine wholeness through heart-to-heart connection with a trustworthy God who has always looked like Jesus.

They also discuss the upcoming women’s retreat being hosted by Path to Wholeness, Nov 6-9, 2023.

Read More SHEILA GREGOIRE / THE GREAT SEX RESCUE

by A Family Story | June 13, 2021 | Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Marraige, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 2 Comments

Intimacy within marriage, the connection between intimacy and mutuality, the nature of trust, the definition of sex, addressing transactional vs relational thinking, dismantling obligation, addressing objectification and broken ideologies developed from Eph 5:22, “Wives submit to your husbands…” Sheila Gregoire practically rethinks sex so husbands and wives can experience intimacy, joy, and deeper connection.

Read More JOHN CROWDER / TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY

by A Family Story | May 25, 2022 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Hell, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, Sin, The Fathers Love | 3 Comments

John Crowder pulls from the different streams of the church to talk about Christilogical Trinitarian theology, grace, union, contemplative practice, intimacy, and mystical Christianity. John and Jason dive into the Cross, Western atonement theories, and the religious industry built upon separation; how Jesus is healing the human race. John describes a relationship with a person, Christ. He invites us to embrace mystery so we might discover that God looks like Jesus.

Read More MARK APPLEYARD / DIGNITY: THE LEADING EDGE OF LOVE

by Jason Clark | June 21, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Redefining success, living loved—from Jesus, laying our lives down for one another, awakening to a union, living from rest, the peace that surpasses understanding, human flourishing, and dignity as the leading edge of love; in this podcast, the guys dive into how dignity seeks to protect the image of God in a person. Dignity treats every human interaction as if it were eternal.

Read More PETER HIETT / WHAT ABOUT HELL?

by A Family Story | March 2, 2022 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Interview, Life, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

The goodness of God but hell, atonement but hell, reformation but hell, scripture but hell, Calvinism but hell; in this podcast Peter Hiett describes hell as “Satan’s big but.” In this conversation Peter walks us through the story of our own creation, the goodness of God’s reconciling love, the relational kindness of a God who encounters, sets free and transforms.

Peter describes a God who delights in His creation, a God who destroys what is evil, creates what is good, and invites us to observe our own creation in Christ Jesus.

Read More

The post ROBIN & STEVE SMIT / FREE TO GIVE appeared first on A Family Story.

Free To Give / Peter, You, Me, & Even Ananias

Free To Give Peter, You, Me, & Even Ananias

 

 

 

 

And So On Throughout Eternity

After Ananias and Sapphira were greeted in heaven by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, after being immersed in an atmosphere of grace and love, after their punishing religious obsession with good and evil was exposed, and self-righteous striving had ceased, in the freedom of consent, as they celebrated union, and as the band took a quick five, Jesus leaned over and with a heavenly grin, said, “Sorry about Pete. I told him to ‘feed my sheep,’ and he’s doing a brilliant job of it—most days. But occasionally, he still stumbles over the punishing lie of separation and forgets reconciling love. And when that happens,” Jesus chuckled as He opened His arms, recognizing their participation in the sweet by and by, “well, you know.”

Then Jesus gave a good-natured wink, “At least he didn’t use a sword this time.”

Everyone laughed because, it’s heaven—the Kingdom within and at hand, where all Creation is reconciled in Christ.

Laughter, peace, joy, and love resounded throughout the celestial realm as grace flowed like an exquisite vintage. And freely Ananias and Sapphira received. And freely Ananias and Sapphira gave and so on and so on throughout eternity…

Freely You Have Received, Freely Give

Acts 2:42-47 describes the early church as a communal fellowship where they matured together, experienced miracles, and favor, and “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (v45) 

They chose to give—freely.

Freely is a powerful word; it’s what made the early church so beautiful. It’s what’s so beautiful about the church today. Freely we receive—for God so loved He gave (See John 3:16) —and freely we give—we love because He first loved. (See 1 John 4:19)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) And so, the early church gave freely, in the consent of mutual, self-giving love. The giving wasn’t forced or controlled; it wasn’t coerced. There were no manipulative messages from pulpits, no arm twisting, no crowbars, compulsion, shaming, or condemning, no fear of retribution; just “freely you have received, freely give.”

All was grace. (Matthew 10:8)

Paul noted this heaven-on-earth freedom when he told the church in Corinth, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure… or under compulsion. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) Paul seemed to understand there is no cheerful giving where compulsion exists. There is no “freely give” where consent isn’t the high-water mark of love.

There are two types of surrender in the world: forced or voluntary. Jesus never forced. He always volunteered. He modeled ‘freely give’ by laying His very life down, not counting our insecure, self-righteous religious obsession with measuring sin against us.

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?

What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” (Acts 5:1-11)

You know, I imagine Peter was pretty good at recognizing someone who had partnered with Satan, seeing as he’d done it a few times himself. “Get behind me, Satan,” Jesus once said to a striving Peter. (Matthew 16:23)

I imagine Peter was pretty good at recognizing a lie, seeing as he’s one of the most famous liars in the Bible, having three times denied he even knew Jesus. (Matthew 26:69-75)

And I imagine Peter knew how to pray for someone’s faith so they may turn back to God, seeing as he had once been on the receiving end of Jesus’ prayer just before He took up His cross. “Peter, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Jesus told him, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

I imagine Peter knew well that “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” And I imagine he knew this eternal life was a gift freely given by his best friend, Jesus, on a cross where He reconciled the world to Himself, not counting Peter’s, yours, mine, or even Ananias’ sins against us. (Romans 6:23) And I imagine he knew this gift was freely received by grace through faith— “so that no one can boast.” (See Ephesians 2:8-9)

To me, it seems Peter was perfectly positioned to address the punishing and delusional spirit of Satan that Ananias was striving under—that same punishing delusional spirit of Satan Jesus once recognized Peter striving under.

Peter appears to be perfectly positioned to pray for Ananias’ faith as Jesus prayed—so he could turn back and strengthen his brothers and sisters. Peter appears perfectly positioned to cry out, ‘Father, forgive him, he knows not what he does’ (See Luke 23:34) just as Jesus cried out for Peter, you, me, and even Ananias.

Peter appears to be perfectly positioned to release the Spirit of Christ’s reconciling love—the finished work of the cross—just as Jesus had done for him—so Ananias might awaken to LOVES saving grace; the kindness of God that leads to repentance, that sets free, transforms, restores, and reconciles; the gift of eternal life that’s freely given so we might freely receive; the same love that saves Peter, you, me, and even Ananias.

But it appears Peter went old school, what some might call Old Covenant…

“When Ananias heard [Peters words], he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him…” (Acts 5:1-11)

This article is excerpted from, FREE TO GIVE
Order Now At AMAZON.COM

Free To Give: Abounding in the Grace of Giving CO-AUTHORED BY Malcolm Smith, Francois Du Toit, Wm, Paul Young, Steve McVey, Lisa Wentworth Coutre, Paul Golf, Jason Clark, Don Keathley, Tommy Miller, Matt Pandel, Logan Barone, Robin Smit, Cory Rice

In a world where the act of giving is often burdened by expectations and legalistic constraints, “Free to Give” emerges as a guiding light of grace and liberation. If you’ve ever been shackled by the weight of ritualistic and obligatory giving or the oppressive thoughts of giving to meet performance standards, this book is your path to freedom.

Within the pages of “Free to Give,” twelve co-authors extend a heartfelt invitation to experience the transformational power of giving in its purest and most unrestrained form. Drawing from a wellspring of wisdom and personal experiences, these co-voices offer you the opportunity to discover the joy of giving without the constraints of obligation.

Within these pages, you’ll discover:

A Christ-centered, grace-infused exploration of the account of Ananias and Sapphira.Wm. Paul Young’s masterful narrative of the widow’s mite, bringing new depth to this beautiful story.A reinvigorated perspective on the classic tale of the Prodigal Son.New Testament insights that deconstruct traditional Old Testament ideas about giving, including tithing.And an abundance of other revelations and wisdom waiting to be unveiled as these extraordinary authors bring new language, insights, and revelation to the grace of giving.

Let this book be your invitation to a transformed perspective on giving.

This article is excerpted from, FREE TO GIVE
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Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… You Can’t Abuse Grace

by Jason Clark | December 13, 2018 | Articles, Crisis of Identity, Faith | 4 Comments

Those that teach us that we can abuse grace don’t fully know Grace.

Read More You Think You’re Better Than God?

by Pete Scheller | April 22, 2020 | Articles, Faith | 2 Comments

I could feel the theological police in my mind springing into action to take this thought captive. God the Father… “indulgent?” That’s a bad word where I come from—a word we use to describe enablers and…

Read More The Wages of Sin… in Context

by Michael McElyea | May 10, 2023 | Articles, Faith, Intimacy, Prayer, Sin, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

What if “the wages of sin is death” is announcing the inherent consequences of sinful actions and what they will produce in this life, as opposed to saying if we sin, we deserve torment?

Read More BROOKE WATERS & LIZ KOEPP / PATH TO WHOLENESS

by A Family Story | October 4, 2023 | Dreaming, Faith, Interview, Leadership, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

Sozo, wholeness, community, purpose, reimaging the goodness of God in the midst of church rejection and trauma, the language of encounter, leaving an angry God and shame and condemnation, belonging and the joy and hope of our union, healing, in this podcast, Brooke Waters, Liz Koepp, and the guys reimagine wholeness through heart-to-heart connection with a trustworthy God who has always looked like Jesus.

They also discuss the upcoming women’s retreat being hosted by Path to Wholeness, Nov 6-9, 2023.

Read More The Earth Was Never Flat : The Devastation of Sovereign Control

by Jason Clark | May 1, 2017 | Articles, Books, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Intimacy, Leadership | 0 Comments

I would like to suggest that sovereign control is flat earth thinking, it’s an institution unto itself, a broken paradigm, a ruler by which so many have measured everything since the fall of Adam. This devastating narrative has dominated humanities thoughts and perceptions for far too long!

Read More MICHAEL MCELYEA / You Love Me, But You Don’t Know Who I Am

by A Family Story | September 3, 2020 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season One, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

You love me, but you don’t know who I am. Those are the words God spoke to Michael several years ago and it took him on a journey into measureless love, grace, and union with an always good, never leaving, no distance or separation, Triune God. With grace and joy the conversation dove into the two greatest lies on the planet, Penal Substitution and Eternal Conscious Torment.

Read More

The post ROBIN & STEVE SMIT / FREE TO GIVE appeared first on A Family Story.

TROY MCLAUGHLIN / THIS UNDIVIDED LIFE

Troy McLaughin The Undivided Life

 

 

 

 

 

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Troy McLaughlin, host of This Undivided Life Podcast, and the guys talked about wholeness. Derek and Jason shared about their journeys and the inception of Rethinking God with Tacos. The guys talked about Jesus as perfect theology, de-reconstruction, an Emmaus Road Jesus, revelation, the resurrected Christ, the burning heart, waking up to wonder, a father’s love, the incarnation, our humanity, sufficient grace, a God who never leaves, and an undivided life.

For more on Troy McLaughlin & This Undivided Life PODCAST:
This Undivided Life: www.thisundividedlife.libsyn.com

 

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Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

Derek Turner Follower of Jesus, in love with @sarahjturner, father to @caro.turn & @kaaatters, owner of Milo, pastor @rivercharlotte. Amazed by Grace
www.rivercharlotte.com

FollowFollowFollow Jason Clark is a writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story ministries. His mission is to encourage sons and daughters to grow sure in the love of an always-good heavenly Father. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children.

FollowFollowFollowFollowFollow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY BUY NOW! YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… RANDALL WORLEY / WHEN THE CHURCH WAS YOUNG

by Jason Clark | August 16, 2023 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Four, The Fathers Love, Writing | 0 Comments

Theology and methodology, communal learning, asking questions and discussing false narratives, theodicy, rethinking atonement theories, the stages of faith – simplicity, complexity, perplexity, harmony (Brian McLaren), deconstruction, liturgy, the lectionary, spiral dynamics, and first-tier thinking, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and letting God tell our story; in this podcast, Randall and the guys talk about a theology of love as revealed through the incarnation.

Read More THOMAS JAY OORD / GOD CAN’T

by A Family Story | January 13, 2021 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

“Given that we start with God’s power…we end up giving God the kind of capabilities that make God culpable; in other words, morally responsible for not only causing but allowing bad things…I think there are good biblical reasons to object to that standard view of Gods power.” Thomas Jay Oord

Read More LEAVING (& FINDING) JESUS WITH DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

by A Family Story | July 14, 2021 | Interview, Intimacy, Life, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

God’s sovereignty revealed by Jesus through cruciform, self-giving love, the nature of trust, intimacy, and union, and the transforming truth that there is no shadow of turning with God, in this podcast the guys explore Jason’s upcoming book, Leaving (& Finding) Jesus. This conversation juxtaposes an inclusive, reconciling, self-giving, unconditional view of God’s love against an excluding, hierarchal, punishment-focused, conditional view of God’s love. 

Read More LEIF HETLAND / THE LOVE AWAKENING

by A Family Story | July 6, 2022 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Miracles, Popular, Prayer, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season three, The Fathers Love | 0 Comments

In this conversation Leif, Mark Appleyard, and Jason dive into Leif’s new book, The Love Awakening. Through personal stories, the guys discuss the powerful, supernatural Baptism of Love that breaks off shame, affirms identity, and reveals the unconditional love of the Father. This is a life-giving conversation around union, evangelism, and the miraculous.

Read More DR. CAROLINE LEAF / CLEANING UP YOUR MENTAL MESS

by A Family Story | March 4, 2021 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 2 Comments

Brilliant, compassionate, and empowering, world-renowned neuroscientist and best-selling author, Dr. Caroline Leaf, talks about her new book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. She addresses what happens when we don’t use our minds properly. Why mind-management is the solution to cleaning up our mental mess and how the science can help us transition from being aware of toxic thoughts to catching and managing them. In other words, she teaches us how to renew our minds.

Read More BRIAN SIMMONS / THE PASSION TRANSLATION

by A Family Story | May 19, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Life, Popular, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 4 Comments

“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.” Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, talks about approaching scripture with a love theology, the oppressive impact of hyper literalism, women in ministry, equality, union, Jesus’ humanity inside the Trinity, the finished work of the cross, and the passionate, powerful, transforming love of God.

Read More

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