Jason Clark's Blog, page 24

The Glory of God… Without Lifting A Finger

The Glory Of God... Without Lifting A Finger

You need to read this quote from a highly respected and renowned Bible teacher with an old English accent…

“Every Christian’s life purpose must be to glorify Gawd! This is the believer’s official calling. Everything we say and do, all our obedience to Gawd’s commands, all our relationships with others, all the use we make of the gifts, talents, and opportunities that Gawd gives us, all our enduring of adverse situations and human hostility, must be so managed as to give Gawd honor and praise for His goodness to those on whom He sets His love… Equally important is the truth that every Christian’s full-time employment must be to please Gawd. . . . Pleasing Gawd in everything must be our goal.”

Once upon a time, I thought my life was all about trying to please Gawd…

But there’s precious little romance discovered there.

The romance is in the truth that God always loved me, before my co-operation or obedience. Long before I put my trust in Him, He was passionately in love with me. I have always been the apple of His eye!

“I was in Him before I was in Adam!”

And the incarnate Christ redeemed the glory that I already was!

He redeemed me from that fallen mindset, that broken idea that I was unworthy and must do such and such to prove my worth and therefore bring Him glory!

The chief end of man is definitely in the enjoyment of God!

I did not know that I brought Him glory as I was, not as I should be!

And the glory I brought, He provided, without any contribution on my part. It was in the original design. He delighted in me long before I knew it!

And in the discovery, the enjoyment indeed becomes mutual!

Eternity will be spent in the limitless discovery of this overindulging union! Christ in me and me in Him!

Without lifting a finger, we were included in this holy dance, the fellowship of the Trinity, which began before the creation of the world!

Nothing has changed my world more! I can’t think of a more transformative revelation than the realization that: I had nothing to do with this good news, nothing whatsoever to do with it!

That Christ is in me by His doing!

That by His doing am I in Christ!

There’s nothing I could add or take away that would make any improvement on the perfection and completion of His finished work on behalf of mankind!

Oh my goodness, the ramifications of this revelation are my ever-present source of romance and bliss!

Morning by morning new mercies I see!

May you know romance today!

Love you, Lloyd

Lloyd Clark is an entrepreneur, a former pastor, and a writer. He is passionate about being loved by our Heavenly Father and revealing that same love to everyone he meets. He and his wife Mary have 5 children and 7 grandchildren and live in North Carolina.

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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.

Was Jesus The Most Obedient Person To Ever Walk The Planet?

…“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19

Did Jesus say this to reveal how obedient He was to His Father? Or was Jesus describing the nature of His intimacy, the nature of His union?

/ Yes

Did Jesus show us how to behave, or did He reveal the nature of His friendship?

/ Yes.

Was Jesus the most obedient person that ever walked the planet or did He simply do what He desired to do and obedience was the fruit?

/ Yes.

Here’s a thought, because of their union, Jesus only did what the Father did. And also, because of their union, the Father only did it because Jesus was doing it. This is the nature of union, of oneness, of intimacy, of a self-giving, sacrificial love relationship.

What if Jesus wasn’t truly focused on teaching us about obedience; what if He was truly revealing His union with Father and Holy Spirit and obedience was simply the evidence.

What if we began to understand that obedience is the gift given by a good Father to a servant that they might discover friendship?

What if Jesus doesn’t call us servants because servants can’t know what’s in the mind or heart of the master?

What if, instead, Jesus calls us friends because in this union, this friendship, we can discover all the Father has revealed? (see John 15:15)

What if obedience has always been an invitation to discover that the desires of our heart are aligned with the desires of our Father’s heart?

What if obedience is not about giving control but about discovering self-control?

What if obedience is about awakening to our union, the Holy Spirit within us?…

Excerpted from my forthcoming book, Leaving (& Finding) Jesus
CLICK HERE to Pre-Order Now

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

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by A Family Story | February 17, 2021 | Crisis of Identity, Faith, Intimacy, Leadership, Relationship, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two, The Fathers Love | 1 Comment

Derek and Jason dive into our union in Christ and how that impacts everything from knowing our identity to loving our “enemies,” to evangelism, to navigating cross moments in our lives.

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Published on September 22, 2021 21:47

Stubborn In The Right Direction

I am stubborn. Always have been.This has been a bane and boon.At great cost to myself and those I love, I’ve continued when I should have quit; when I should have repented.But when it comes to love, I have been stubborn in the right direction. I have pioneered a worn path and discovered a testimony of a beautiful future. As this world becomes more complicated, my world grows simpler, kinder.As this world grows fragile in trust, I march steadily toward reconciliation. In a world of churning absolutes, love is my certainty…it’s my repentance. Love is the burning and the way in which I am learning to walk.It’s my dictionary, my interpretation, the answer to the question. Love is my approach to crisis, confusion, loss, need, brokenness; it’s how I navigate fear, guilt, shame, and every other fruit of missing the mark. Love is the lens through which I define justice, hope, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.And also, The Law, punishment, wrath, separation, and bitterness. Love is my approach to heaven, now and later.Love is my approach to hell, now and later.Love is my certainty; and how I repent… Love informs my education, information, knowledge, ideology, and systems.Love is how I navigate the academic, and the experienced, the spirit-filled, and the fundamentalist. Love is my approach to scripture, my hermeneutic, my method of interpretation. Love is the God-Man on a cross reconciling the world to Himself not counting Adam’s delusion against us.“Father forgive,” is my certainty, and my inclusion… Love inhabits my passions, promises, and desires.And my wanderings, disappointments, and confusions. Love is my childhood and my old age,my art and my intellect,my union.Love is my certainty, and why I repent… Love is how I address politics, religion, culture, the news cycle, nationalism, the United Nations, COVID, Vaccines, flat earthers, and misplaced trust in corporations and government. Love is my interaction with gun enthusiasts and gay rights activists, black lives matter, and all lives matter. Love is my answer for the sarcastic cynic, the cruel hypocrite, the preacher, and the comic, the Church and Hollywood, the ‘for’ and the ‘against.’Love is my certainty… when I repent… Love defines my King as the greatest servant of all, and His Kingdom in the context of family.Love defines my Master as the humblest of slaves, and His obedience as an obligation to kindness.Love is my empathy and my compassion. Love IS the balance,it is my certainty,it is my repentance… Love is stubborn in the right direction. Excerpted from my forthcoming book, Leaving *& Finding) Jesus
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Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God in a world traumatized by the religious abuses done in the name of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

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by Jason Clark | July 28, 2009 | Art, Articles, Short Story, The Fathers Love, Untamed | 1 Comment

Grand Central Station. Spring, 1993. Late afternoon. “I’m here,” I thought.“Don’t look up and don’t let go of your bag,” raced through my head.

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Published on August 25, 2021 21:12

Dear, Desperately Seeking…

Dear, Desperately Seeking...

Earlier this week I received an email with a subject line reading, Desperately Seeking… I have received several emails in the last weeks like this one; full of questions about God and life and so, I posted this article with the questions and my response.

Good morning Jason,I was introduced to your podcast by a mutual friend, _______, and I am absolutely loving it. However, I am more confused now than I was before I started and the questions are relentless as well as never-ending. I will forewarn you this email will be abundant with questions…

Here goes nothing…

Why do we believe the Bible, how do you view and read the Bible, why are there so many different religions that seem to have similar ideas, do you believe in hell, what is it, who goes there, why do some oppose your ideas and why don’t they see it the same way, who’s right, who’s wrong, what and who should I believe. How about psychics who believe in Jesus, aren’t they similar to prophets, what’s the difference, how about the LGBTQ community, are they sinners and why aren’t they included in the kingdom, and the list goes on and on… My apologies in advance for the questions, but I’m a seeker and need help with the answers, so I thought it best to go to the source. I belong to a non-denominational church that believes in heaven and hell and that no one can get to the Father except through Jesus and if you don’t (believe this), you are not saved. Those are the people who go to hell. I love my church and my church family, and a lot of what they preach makes sense, but on the other hand, not so much. I am grateful for your podcast and raising these questions, but I would love nothing more than guidance and direction to find the answers. P.S. I am in the middle of reading your book, God Is Not In Control and it’s helping. Thank you,_________ Hey, _______. Great to meet you!I love your pursuit of understanding, your search for Truth! I have had many a conversation with folks over the years, fellow travelers who are chasing down the love of God, freedom, trust, and fulfillment. It’s good to be on the journey with you. First, this isn’t an “answers” response, I don’t know that I could answer all your questions or that my answers would satisfy you if I could.This is an, “I’m on the faith journey with you,” response. Second, I think there are lots of great conversations on our podcast and great books written by the guests that would be helpful (as you have already mentioned). But as that is already available, I thought I’d share how I personally navigate the questions in my own life in hopes that will encourage. I am convinced God is love, always good, looks like Jesus, and my only responsibility in this life is to grow surer in His love. All my faith (belief/trust when I don’t have an answer) is placed in the perfection of Love; specifically, the self-giving love revealed by Jesus on a cross. Any answers I do get along the way, or any resets of my theological thinking, have been the fruit of this one conviction.God is love, always good (looks like Jesus reconciling the world) and I exist to grow sure. This has empowered me to live often without answers to my questions. Or at least, without immediate answers. The phrase I often use on the podcast, “I don’t know, but God is good,” is not just a clever statement of faith for me, it has often been a life and death statement of trust; especially when life’s disappointments, sorrows, and trials, or the anger and fear of peoples hate, weighs me down. I am convinced God is love, always good, and my only responsibility is to grow sure in His affection. And I have learned that love is the long game, that all questions are answered, over time, through a greater revelation. With that as my foundational starting place, my only certainty, and in light of some of your questions, I have learned that… – over time, I can greatly value and read scripture without fear of finding an angry, disappointed, or condemning God within its pages. Instead, I have discovered Jesus in its pages. Because of my certainty, I am discovering a reconciling love that confronts any interpretation that is not about reconciliation. Along the way, God has introduced me to amazing friends, fathers and mothers, forefathers, and foremothers, who also approach scripture through the hermeneutic of Jesus and reconciling love. – over time, I can trust that Jesus is able to step inside any belief system and reveal Himself; He is able to communicate His love in the language of our understanding. Therefore I don’t have to defend him, I can simply further discover and trust He is revealing Himself through me and His creation. – over time, I can look at doctrines on subjects that once unsettled me, like eternal conscious torment, and discover God isn’t punitive, nor is He restricted by time and space, and nothing separates us from his love. Therefore I can live confident that hell isn’t some form of cosmic punishment. The more personally sure I am in the perfection of Jesus’ love, the more I discover God is reconciling all things, and while I may not know the answers to what happens after we die, I can be sure nonetheless in the perfection of Gods nature to work all things into good. – over time, I can discover that I am not playing the “right or wrong” game, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the dualistic thinking game, No, I am playing the self-giving love game, the union game, the oneness, intimate confident hope game. – over time, I can recognize what is true regardless of the systems, or the beliefs through which it is presented. Self-giving love is what is true, it is pure. Self-giving love cannot be confused or compromised, it is life and wholeness and righteousness itself. Self-giving love is the measureless revelation by which everything is measured. – over time, I can love people regardless of how they identify. In Christ, I am not sin conscious, I am Jesus (reconciling, transforming, redeeming, freeing, love) conscious. These thoughts may feel unsatisfying, naive, or even not fully developed, but my heart is you would daily discover the perfection of how He feels about you. I am convinced this will settle every desperation you feel. And along the way, you will discover life-giving answers. As to knowledge, keep learning from those who are confident in the reconciling nature of love. I would recommend those we’ve had on the podcast, but I am especially fond of my dad, Lloyd Clark, Baxter Kruger, Brad Jersak, and Francis du Toit. BlessingsJason SUPPORT THE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN!
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Jason Clark is an NYTimes Bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God in a world traumatized by the religious abuses done in the name of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

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by A Family Story | July 1, 2020 | Faith, Interview, Life, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season One, The Fathers Love | 4 Comments

“…Jesus defines eternal life as a relationship. My entire education had defined eternal life as believing the right ideology… All I knew was, God was better than I thought he was and there was no way I’m going back…”

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Published on August 04, 2021 22:31

The Emmaus Road

One day, my friend, Jesus, my Lord, and Savior, the lover of my soul, walked beside me on the road, but I did not recognize Him.

He was a Stranger, a fellow traveler, who joined me on the journey.

He spoke to me while we walked; about all the ways in which I knew and Him, some beautiful and kind, others distorted and cruel.

He told me things beyond imagination, about a love so good that my head wrestled between possibility and offense.

And all the while my heart burned.

And as we walked, I began to change my mind.

As the Stranger talked, I became aware of the distorted and cruel thoughts I believed about the nature of my best friend, Jesus.

I began to repent.

I left the behavior-obsessed Jesus, the one who leverages shame and condemnation to manipulate me, and through me, others, into slaving for His namesake.

The dualistic Jesus who practiced exclusion, who thinks and operates in the context of good and evil, for or against, us or them, in or out, I left him too.

I left the sin-focused Jesus who defines justice through the revenge sentencing of souls to eternal torment.

The Jesus who can only be known through a devotion to the literal inerrancy of a book, he’d become an idol in my life. I left him.

As the Stranger continued to reveal Jesus to me, I found myself joyfully leaving the unkind, insecure, narcissistic, short-tempered, hateful, controlling, retributive, transactional, untrustworthy Jesus.

I repented of my belief and participation in these cruel ideologies at the foot of a cross where I discovered the kindness of Jesus, sacrificial, self-giving love, reconciling the whole world to Himself not counting my cruel thoughts and beliefs about Him, against me.

And my heart burned.

Then suddenly, my eyes were opened and I could see! The Stranger was Jesus all along!

“Why did you come to me as a Stranger?” I asked.

He grinned, “I didn’t want your preconceived ideas about me getting in the way of knowing me.”

And at that moment, I discovered the gospel, the good news!

There is no shadow of turning with God.Jesus never leaves.

Neither death nor life, powers or principalities, present, future (time itself), not my understanding, my belief systems, or even my unbelief, my actions, not even my leaving, nothing separates me from the reconciling love of Jesus.

My fickle certainties, my absolutes, my experiences, finite thoughts are swallowed whole in the measureless sea of a love that never leaves me.

Jesus, the Stranger, joins me on my journey; His reconciling love burns within me and invites me to recognize, and awaken to the burning. Jesus’ love invites me into mystery and revelation until I am reflecting my redeemer, discovering and yielding to His image and likeness within me, so I would know union, that we might be one.

This life is a journey, a mystery, and an invitation to discover that there is no death Love hasn’t defeated, no hell Love hasn’t invaded, no delusion Love hasn’t infiltrated, no darkness Love hasn’t illuminated; there is nothing that separates us from the Love revealed through Jesus life, death and resurrection.

“…For we are all one in Christ Jesus.” (See Gal 3:28)

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Jason Clark is an NYTimes Bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God in a world traumatized by the religious abuses done in the name of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

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by Jason Clark | July 28, 2021 | Articles, Faith, Leadership, Miracles | 0 Comments

Jesus, the Stranger, joins me on my journey; His reconciling love burns within me and invites me to recognize and awaken to the burning. Jesus’ love invites me into mystery and revelation until I am reflecting my redeemer, discovering and yielding to His image and likeness within me, so I would know union, that we might be one.

Read More I Don’t Know… But God Is Good

by Jason Clark | February 3, 2016 | Articles, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Life, Popular, Writing | 4 Comments

I don’t know but God is good. That phrase has been one of our family and ministry mottoes for years. It’s a faith statement that has served us well.

The first half of that statement is extremely powerful only because we believe the second half with absolute conviction. We have made it our position on everything.

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Published on July 28, 2021 17:48

LEAVING & FINDING JESUS

Leaving & Finding Jesus

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With grace and humor, Jason juxtaposes an inclusive, reconciling, self-giving, unconditional view of God’s love against an excluding, hierarchal, punishment-focused, conditional view of God’s love.

Jason introduces the book he is currently working on, Leaving (& Finding) Jesus, which challenges readers to stop building their faith upon the broken foundations of a transactional view of God, and instead, embrace the powerful understanding of reconciliation and self-giving love that truly transforms our lives and our world.

QUOTES

“God removed the veil, literally, figuratively, metaphorically; every veil that man’s fallen understanding, our religion of good and evil has put in place, every us and them, for or against, sin conscious veil of separation has been removed. Nothing separates us from the reconciling love of God!”

“We are either moving toward exclusion or inclusion.”

“We need to be having conversations about sin that are not sin conscious.”

“What would the world look like if sons and daughters operated in reconciling love, not counting people’s sins against them, not counting their broken ideologies, their actions against them…:

To learn more about the book or to pre-purchase a copy, you can go to,
www.indiegogo.com/projects/leaving-jesus/

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Jason Clark is a bestselling storyteller who writes to reveal the transforming kindness of the love of God in a world traumatized by the religious abuses done in the name of the love of God. He and his wife, Karen, live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva, and their dog, Indiego.

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YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE THESE MESSAGES…

THAT WE WOULD BE ONE

by Jason Clark | Feb 12, 2020

This message was given at The Reformers Gathering in 2019 at The Gate Church in Charlotte NC. This message is an invitation into the reformation that Jesus started 2000 years ago, it is an invitation into oneness with Christ.

SURE IN LOVE

by Jason Clark | Jan 6, 2020

Our Heavenly Father is always good and doesn’t desire desperate kids. Any relationship where kids are desperate for their Father is dysfunctional. Jesus revealed what it looks like to live sure as a loved son of our Father and gave us access to this same sureness.

I CALL YOU FRIENDS

by Jason Clark | Dec 9, 2019

“I no longer call you servant, I call you friend.” This is the invitation Jesus gave us. There is no servant master language in heaven. Obedience is the invitation to discover God’s heart until ours beats in rhythm with His.

« Older Entries

YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE THESE ARTICLES…

LEAVING & FINDING JESUS

by Jason Clark | July 28, 2021 | Books, Faith, God Is Not In Control, Interview, Intimacy, Podcast | 0 Comments

Jason introduces the book he is currently working on, Leaving (& finding) Jesus, which challenges readers to stop building their faith upon the broken foundations of a transactional view of God, and instead, embrace the powerful understanding of reconciliation and self-giving love that truly transforms our lives and our world.

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

Leaving (& finding) Jesus with Derek Turner & Jason Clark

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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.

You can pre-purchase the book at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/leaving-jesus/

QUOTES

“God became one of us, to rescue all of us.” Derek

“The sovereignty of God is self-giving; it is sacrificial in nature.” Jason

“Jesus is the Rabi that walks us through the scriptures; His perspective is the one that we need.” Derek

“I am so convinced Jesus never leaves, that nothing separates us from the love of God.” Jason

“If God is a punishing God, and we become what we behold, then you can justify pretty much anything in the name of Him, and we’ve all felt this abuse.” Jason

“There is no greater love than self-giving love that reconciles all things.” Jason

“I feel like your book is going to help people experience peace; that it’s ok to ask questions, to have doubt, to leave a Jesus that you’ve grown up with that might be contrary to who Jesus really is.” Derek

For more on Leaving (& Finding) Jesus click HERE

Podcast intro and outro music by Wilde Assembly

PRE-PURCHASE iTunes Google Spotify YouTube 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

Follow Follow Follow 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.

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JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… CARLOS PADILLA / WALKING IN GOD’S POWER

by A Family Story | May 5, 2021 | Faith, Interview, Intimacy, Leadership, Rethinking God Podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos / Season Two | 0 Comments

Healing, miracles, the power of God, evangelism through the gospel of inclusion, faith, and reframing repentance, Carlos shares about his journey of discovering that the miraculous, or a transformed life, is simply about discovering God’s love and our origin and union in Him.

Read More THE CROSS with DEREK TURNER & JASON CLARK

by A Family Story | January 6, 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 | 3 Comments

In this first episode of season two, Jason and new host Derek Turner dive into the wonder of what Jesus revealed about our Father and humanity through the cross and resurrection.

The post The Emmaus Road appeared first on A Family Story.

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Published on July 28, 2021 10:09

BRUXY CAVEY / LOVING GOD BY LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR

Bruxy Cavey Loving God By Loving Our Neighbor

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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.

QUOTES

“Jesus was no theologian He was just God who told stories.” Madeleine L’Engle

“There are people who will hurt other people to show how much they love God…they will boast in their love of God by doing damage to people around them…”

“A new command I give you, just love others as I love you.”

“No longer is it love God and love your neighbor, now it’s love God by loving your neighbor. That is our faith.”

“Meditation, prayer, bible study, going to church all play back up to the band…the soloist in the band of Christian faith is loving others really, really well. Even our enemies…we love our neighbors we love or enemies, there’s no one left not to love in the spirituality of Jesus.”

“More often than not He uses the word repent to change the way we think about the coming Kingdom. ‘The Kingdom is at hand, repent and hear the good news.’ He attaches it (repent) to what’s coming, not what happened before; to what we should be hopeful about not, what we should be ashamed about.”

“They worshiped him but some doubted…It’s this group of doubting worshipers that Jesus trusts the future of the church to.”

“We read the book, study the book, we love the book, we memorize the book, we meditate on the book, so that we can get to know the Person, not just so we can get to know the book. Unless we make that final maneuver to see Jesus as the Word of God, we’re doing it wrong.”

“Jesus is the authoritative inerrant, infallible Word of God and scripture is the inspired gift of the Spirit to lead us to Jesus.”

“Hell is never used by the New Testament church in their evangelistic presentations to try and get people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.”

“Threats don’t help a love relationship… So even if hell does work (to get people to make a decision for Jesus) it works for the wrong reasons.”

For more on Bruxy Cavey
www.bruxy.com
The Meeting House
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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

Follow Follow Follow 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.

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YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… 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 WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN / with DEREK TURNER

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

He came and he walked beside us, He said, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you; you are not alone, you belong.” When we discover this love, we are transformed and we begin to love like He does. On Palm Sunday Derek speaks about the cross and how we are invited to live surrendered and sure in love. He talks about laying down our loves, loving our enemies, and seeing the kingdom come.

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by A Family Story | January 6, 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 | 3 Comments

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Published on July 07, 2021 09:52

Stoning And Sacrificial Love

Stoning

A man and woman were caught in adultery.

You can read the story in John, chapter eight.

The woman was ripped naked from the bed. She was half chased, half dragged through the streets by angry religious men with rocks. The men meant to throw the rocks at the woman until her bones were broken and her flesh a bloody pulp. They meant to kill her for her sins. We don’t know what happened to the sinful fella who was in the bed with her, it’s possible he slinked off, it’s just as possible he had his own rock.

Then Jesus was thrust into the middle of the story. The woman, weeping and afraid, was flung before Him. Then yanked to her feet, she was forced to stand. She tried to cover her nakedness. She wouldn’t meet His eyes; the fear and condemnation so great, she knew the law, the vicious mob knew too; even the disciples knew.

“The law says she should be stoned” the angry religious men screamed. “What should we do?” they asked Jesus, with stones in hand. They had schemed the horror of this moment to force Jesus to play the game of good and evil. And they thought they had Him neatly trapped.

Jesus took his time, scribbled something in the dirt. Then, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” He said.

His words resounded through the city streets, the nation, the world, and all the way up to heaven. Like always, his words were life.

For all who hear them.

“At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

Sacrificial Love

Jesus’ death and resurrection was the conclusion to everything He said and did. “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they do,” was the paradigm in which He walked the earth.

God reconciling all humanity to himself, not counting our sins against us, was the beginning and end, the foundation of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, the authority from which Jesus lived, moved, and had His being. Every word He spoke and everything He did was done from and toward one end, reconciliation.

It was the lens through which He interacted with all people, the oppressed and the oppressor.

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone…” was a picture of restorative justice. These words stood between oppressed and oppressor and released salvation and restoration.

To everyone.

Salvation From Good & Evil

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone….” There is salvation in that statement; for everyone.

Salvation for the woman who was caught in adultery, and salvation for the men who were holding the stones.

You see, “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” (see Matt 26:52) That’s what Jesus told Peter after he attempted murder to defend his belief system. Had Peter been holding a rock instead of a sword, Jesus’ words would have barely changed, “Those who use stoning will die by stoning.”

or

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone…” Those words still have the power to save us today, regardless of whether we identify with the woman or the men. And, while it’s easier to see how salvation for the oppressed in Jesus’ words, they very much are words of salvation for the oppressors as well. Cause it’s all one sick game.

Those men holding stones? They were participating in their death devotion; a vicious spirit of sin-focused retribution which is counter to the gospel of Jesus.

Those men did not understand what spirit they were participating in; through stoning the woman, they condemned themselves to the same retribution because those who use stoning die by stoning…

Because, in the paradigm of good versus evil, sin is our ultimate judge and all have sinned.

In the paradigm of good and evil, no one there could justify throwing stones, but everyone deserved to be stoned.

There was salvation in Jesus’ words. Salvation for those with stones and those without, because all who heard His words, oppressors and oppressed, were enslaved to the law of stoning and under this law guilty to carry a sentence of stoning.

Jesus’ words exposed the hypocrisy humanity was enslaved to. The same death devotion so many of us participate in daily through our political, religious, and often relational verbal or social media stonings.

Stoning is never justice, it’s hypocrisy. It’s participation in the spirit of revenge, in the knowledge of good and evil and evil and evil and evil…

To Be Continued…

Jason Clark is a writer, producer, 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, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva. Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE… The Bride and the Ecclesia

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NAEEM FAZAL / REIMAGINING GOD

Naeem Fazal Reimagining God

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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 the Jesus who saves but about the Jesus who is restoring humanity and all creation.

QUOTES

“My whole life has been about reimagining God because I started off as a Muslim.”

“Our mission as Mosaic, (our church) is to reclaim the message of Jesus.”

“Not recognizing God out of context is the biggest sin of religious people.”

“We sometimes preach Jesus and preach the gospel to solve a particular kind of sin a particular type of problem.”

“We have sinner and saint, but God sees oppressed and free.”

“What Jesus was doing on the cross was not just saving us so we wouldn’t go to hell. It’s way bigger than that; it’s liberating us to live in this eternal Kingdom that can be accessed here and on the other side. He was restoring not just humanity, but all creation.”

Regarding scripture / “It’s an inspired tool that God has used to encourage my faith; it is not what I anchor my soul on.”

“Here’s what happens when you anchor your soul on the text. The text becomes sorcery. You say it a certain way to get what you want. So, these stories and conversations become like incantations that are used in Jesus’ name. People don’t get that, but that’s Harry Potter.”

For more on Naeem Fazal
www.naeemfazal.org
Mosaic Church
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Twitter
Facebook

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

Follow Follow Follow 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.

Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow JOIN OUR MAILING LIST GIVE TO A FAMILY STORY

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