Encouragement

The Sequel to He Loves Me

Encouragement / / , , ,

Love is not a commodity you can possess; it is a river of life, flowing from the Father in which he invites you to dwell.

It’s not just a doctrine to comfort the intellect, but a way of engaging God’s presence as you go about your day. Resting in his affection makes it easier for us to entertain his presence, and living in that flow of life will change you over time. Love will not only define how he engages you, but also how you treat others—all others, not just those who think as you do.

Those who seek to contain love in themselves will find that it will wither away like day-old manna. That’s why it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone—not because he needed a wife, per se—but because the love God poured into him needed a recipient to flow out to. God’s love is easy to preach or write about since nothing is truer in all the world than that God is love and that he deeply loves those he created. What I find troubling is that so many people who teach and write about love in the vertical sense are some of the worst practitioners when it comes to sharing that love with others. They treat others, even their own staff, with anger and impatience. They constantly push past other people to be noticed or to build a following. They can even ignore others being abused around them, because they only love certain types of people.

As you live in the love of the Father, you will notice that it cannot be apportioned out to people you like best. Love is love, and you can’t truly live in it without it changing you to be as aware of others as you are yourself.  You don’t have to try to love; it becomes part of your being.

That’s why I’m so excited that this new book is finally finished. Just Love wasn’t even in my heart fifteen months ago. But through an intriguing email, I began a relationship with Tobie van der Westhuizen from South Africa, and out of that growing friendship, the idea for this book was born. His research into a mistaken translation in the Greek captured my heart because this was what love had been teaching me throughout the three previous decades. Now, I have biblical language to make sense of it and a better understanding of what Jesus accomplished to share his love with the world through people made just by their growing trust in him.

I’ve often said that He Loves Me is the most significant book I’ll ever write. If people only read one book of mine, that’s the one I would choose for them. It represents the most poignant shift in my spiritual journey—from trying to appease God so he would love me, to discovering that he already did. I didn’t have to wake up every day trying to be loved by God, but instead woke up as his beloved. That journey for me began over thirty years ago, and it continues to bear fruit in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I started. I want everyone to go on that journey.

However, in the last few years, when I would say it was the most significant book I’ll ever right, I’d feel a nudge inside saying, “So far.” I’d chuckle and dismiss it because I couldn’t think of anything on my radar screen of future writing that would come close. Now, I wonder where those words came from. Advanced readers of Just Love tell me that this is the most important book they’ve ever read, and I don’t disagree. While He Loves Me deals with our vertical connection to the Father through the Son, Just Love couldn’t be a more appropriate sequel. It is about how love flows through us to fulfill all that Jesus hoped for in demonstrating the glory of his kingdom amid the chaos of this age.

It is about God’s hope fulfilled in his justice, not by people performing better for him, but as the inevitable byproduct of people delighting in his love. How has Christendom missed this for so long?  Because of an unfortunate mistranslation of a single word in the Scriptures took our focus off of God’s justice revealed in the world, and instead preoccupied us with sin management and personal piety. I can’t wait for you to read this book, not only how it will change your reading of Scripture to be more true to what the authors intended, but also because we outline this amazing process where love works out God’s life in us. This makes the connection between the Old Covenant law, salvation, transformation, and kingdom.

It has been an absolute delight to work with Tobie to coauthor this book, and I am excited to introduce you to him in this book and in future podcasts. I wholeheartedly embrace what he wrote in our dedication:

Whoever reads this book will soon realize it could not have been written by either of us alone. It is the shared witness of two lives who followed Christ on different continents for nearly a century between them. It reminds us that true community reaches beyond the limits of one mind or one lifetime. In these pages, two worlds merge—the world of reflection and the world of lived experience—and that meeting is no accident.

The publication date is March 3. In a few days, you’ll be able to pre-order the book on Amazon.com and have it delivered as soon as it drops. I’ll be sharing some of that content here in future blog posts, as well as the comments some of our advance readers made about this book.

Just Love completes beautifully what He Loves Me started over twenty-five years ago. I’m so glad this has come about, and can’t wait to hear what you think or take on some of your questions as you process this significant shift in our understanding of the work of salvation.

As Brad said in his endorsement above, the content of this book could really change everything.

_________

And a couple of announcements before I go.

We are updating our mailing list and have found a significant number that did not check “marketing permissions” when they signed up on our list. Yes, I know it’s crazy, but it’s a MailChimp issue. Even though you are signing up for a subscription to my blog or to The God Journey, you also need to check that box as their permission to send email on my behalf. I promise it wasn’t about including you in a lot of marketing emails. So, if you are not getting the email notices you signed up for, that may be why. Please go to your MailChimp account and update your preferences.  (If you received this blog update in your email inbox, you’re all set.)

Also, I wanted to remind you that I’ll be in Bradenton, Florida, this weekend. If you’re nearby, you can join me.  Check my travel listing for details. On Saturday, I’ll be hosting a six-hour conversation focused on It’s Time: Letters to the Bride of Christ at the end of the Age. It will be broadcast via Zoom from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you’d like to join in, you can use the Zoom Link here.

 

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The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Encouragement / / , ,

I spent the weekend with people who have recently left the 2×2 congregation*. I met people of amazing courage, some who have suffered much and others who are having their eyes opened to the fact that the religious group that provided their foundation in faith wasn’t all it claimed to be.  But such moments of disillusionment open some wonderful doors into the life Jesus meant us to live inside his reality instead of following the dictates of those who pretend to be leaders.  And, that’s not just true of their group; that’s true for all of us. The life of Jesus comes from within us as we engage his presence and learn to live settled in his love.

One of the Scriptures we talked about on Sunday is the poetic descriptions of the life I want to live. In Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, called The Message, there is a magnificent phrase. Matthew 11:28-30, he has Jesus saying, “Walk with me… (and) learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”  The arc of my journey over the last thirty years has increasingly led me into how restful and powerful his work is. I notice it most significantly in my prayer life. When I beg God out of anguish and desperation, my anxieties don’t diminish. I’m instead feeding them. The same is true when I beg God to take something away or to make me strong enough to overcome a challenge before me.  Why? I may appear to be giving them to God, but instead I’m focusing on my need and my own weakness, and will grow in frustration as God doesn’t answer the way I want him to.

However, when I pray out of my affection for God, and lean into my trust that he is bigger than anything I face, my heart comes to rest. I know he will have a way for me through it, even if it’s not the answer I want or think I need. In that space, my heart settles, and I find it easier to recognize what he is saying to me and how he wants to work in my circumstances. There, I find the unforced rhythms of grace. I don’t need the answer I want in the timeframe in which I think I need it. When I’m at rest in his work, trusting in his care for me, my heart opens to whatever Jesus might want to show me, and however he might want to lead me.

I now gauge so much by whether how I am responding to him leads me to greater fear or anxiety, or if it leads me to greater trust. This is where grace does its best work. It allows me to lean into him where anxieties fade, instead of focusing more on myself and what I should be able to do.  The “unforced rhythms of grace” is more than a fancy phrase; it’s a way to live restfully and fruitfully in his care.

Before I go, a lot is going on around here that I’d like to share with you:

The interview I did for Reader’s House is getting some exposure in some interesting places, like on the National Law Review and Associated Press websites, as well as others.

Sara’s ongoing recovery has opened the door for me to do a bit more travel. In two weeks, I’ll be in Bradenton, FL, for an all-day conversation on It’s Time: Letters to the Bride of Christ at the End of the Age. As excited as I am about my new book, Just Love, which should be out in a month or so, this one holds a tender place in my heart, encouraging the Bride as she prepares herself for his appearing, whenever that might be. And it isn’t about end-time stuff as much as it is how we can live in him now in whatever challenges we face. Space is limited, so if you’d like to attend in person, please sign up here: If you’re not in the area but would like to watch the Zoom broadcast online, you can register here to watch it online.

I’ll also be in Minneapolis in April, and seeing where else God might lead in the future.

Finally, my son-in-law has organized a Super Bowl Squares game to help benefit Luis’s Kids through Fighting Chance. If you’d like to join in, you can select squares here and then send $40 to the Venmo Lifestream account—@lifestreamMinistries. Half of the proceeds will go to Luis’s kids, and half will pay out the winning scores at the end of each quarter. We’re trying to fill out the whole board, so come join us.  If you’d rather just give money to Luis’s kids and not play the game, you can send it to that same Venmo account. Just designate it for Luis, and it will go to help his kids.

________________

*For those of you who haven’t followed a bit of this story through my podcast, 2×2 is a designation of a religious movement that began in the 1850s in Ireland and spread worldwide. It seems to have started with some genuine hunger, but the devolved as most of these groups do into the things cultic groups have in common: They are the only group that is saved and has the truth, they live by oppressive rules and enforce them with shame and excommunication, they repress women in the way they dress and how they’re regarded, and the leadership should be obeyed without question. This group began to unravel in recent years do to an FBI investigation and the discovery of significant sexual abuse of children by the workers who traveled about to encourage the congregations. Because the leadership couldn’t handle those revelations with repentance, honesty, and concern for the victims, many began to question the group as a whole and how Jesus works in the world today.

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From Despair to Fullness

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Sara and I were recently in a religious environment that pins all its hopes on miracles. And although they have the occasional story to pull out that seems to prove the point, you ignore the hundreds of other people whose needs persist despite the same kinds of prayers and devotion. So when someone experiences a miracle, it’s touted as normal, and when people struggle with sickness, trauma, or challenging circumstances, they are looked down upon.

As we were leaving one of those meetings, I turned to Sara and said, “This would not be a safe place for anyone with a  need.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” she responded with a sigh.

I used to be part of groups like that, even leading them, until love began to change my heart. God does do miracles that change people’s circumstances, but those are few and far between. Mostly, the miracle he wants is inside of us, not outside of us. Sickness, or overwhelming need, does not prove you’re unloved or that you’re not trying hard enough. It just means you are caught in the chaos of this age, often through no fault of your own, and his love in you is even more valuable in such times.

The celebration of Christmas can bring this into sharp contrast. For those whose circumstances are wonderful, it is a time of great joy. For those who have lost a loved one this past year, are battling a life-threatening illness of their own,  dealing with toxic family members, or suffering financial stress, these days can only seem more lonely and lifeless. They don’t have to be.

If you’re facing dire difficulties, just remember God is with you to reveal his glory in the midst of whatever struggle you’re facing.

Sara and I read Psalm 23 yesterday morning. It begins with the sheer beauty and joy of God leading us to green pastures and quiet waters. But it also affirms his ability to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and to set a table before us in the presence of our enemies. No one should be made to feel unsafe because the events in their life are not easy and joyful. If God isn’t as real in our darkness and fears as he is in easy times, then we’re missing who he really is.

So, wherever you find your life this Christmas, Sara and I pray that you’ll be at rest in this simple reality: Christ dwells in you, and he alone is your hope for the glory of God to be revealed in you. And that will surely happen. If the miracle you’re praying for doesn’t come, find the miracle of his life within you. He is surely there with encouragement, hope, strength, and wisdom.

Especially for those of you in challenging times, Sara and I hope you find his sweet presence deep inside your heart. We hope that allows you to give way to the joy of Presence, instead of letting your struggles define your day. You can know sorrow, fear, and confusion, and still know his fullness growing within you.

A few years ago, I got a letter from a woman named Ruth, who is a CEO in the health industry. Here’s what she wrote:

There is always this thing that pulls me down into despair and a helpless state. My joy doesn’t last. I don’t know how to get out of this!!!!! I don’t have any more strength to go to work tomorrow. I want to rest, but there is this… I honestly don’t know what to call it—constant pain, sadness, despair, exhaustion. It sucks the life out of me and leaves me empty even when I’m holding on to my faith that God is good to me.

I can’t be alone…. I can’t stand me…. It’s been like this for years now!!!!

I realized that all my life (33 years),  I was expected to believe what others believe. I lived for what others wanted for me and expected from me; it made me stop and think! So now I think this is the cause of my problem. I always wanted to keep the peace of my surroundings just for the sake of making everybody happy, but now I realized that it is at the cost of losing what God has in me, I guess! Help.

She’s not alone. I’ve met many like her on this journey, who write me from the end of the rope.

I told her it isn’t usually helpful to resolve these questions by getting a plan in our heads and pursuing it. “I think Father’s will for us unfolds in the circumstances we are in and how he nudges us in the coming days. So don’t think you have to have a plan, or even know which way is best. The restlessness in your heart is a good sign that Father has something different for you. So, keep your eyes open. Explore. But just keep walking ahead until greater clarity comes.  He probably won’t give you a fully-formed plan, which may be preferable for a CEO, but he will give you an open door.

“You can stress too much trying to get it exactly right. Relax. God’s best isn’t a certain direction or vocation; it’s his unfolding glory in you, regardless of what circumstances you’re in.

It’s not either/or, it’s a dance. His insight in you, you responding to him, more insight, more following, and out of that beautiful dance, you’ll find yourself in the best place for you to be.  He won’t scoop you into it; you don’t have to find it on your own.”

Imagine my joy at hearing back from Ruth a couple of weeks ago:

I’ve wanted to write to you for some time to express my gratitude. A few years ago, I reached out to you, not really expecting a response, asking for guidance because I was in a season of deep distress. To my surprise and blessing, you wrote back with such love, wisdom, and heartfelt advice.

You encouraged me to rest in the love of God and to let go of the burdens of religion. That simple guidance has stayed with me and has been transformative. Slowly but surely, the Lord has been faithful in delivering me from the shackles that once weighed me down, showing me the root causes of much of my trouble, and bringing me healing and freedom.

 Today, I can truly say that I live in the peace of God that surpasses understanding and with a constant joy bubbling from within me! While true transformation can bring changes in circumstances (which it did), my transformation is mainly because I myself have changed. I am no longer tossed to and fro! I am stronger. The Lord has made me stronger, and the burden that once weighed heavily on me has truly been lifted. There is a rest in my mind that slowly grew through the renewing of my mind.

Enduring miracles happen on the inside, when we are no longer tossed to and fro in times of pain. Finding our comfort in an outside miracle will only endure until some other difficulty comes. Finding God-with-us as powerful in the presence of our enemies as in the green pastures will serve us for a lifetime. Notice it took some time for Ruth to find this transformation, as it will for you, too. But what she has discovered will last her a lifetime.

That’s our prayer for you this Christmas: that whatever difficulty you face will not beat you down. Instead, it will invite you deeper into the well of God’s life already bubbling up within you. So that in this season, your heart can be at rest in the hope that all will be well because he is with you.

As Sara and I look forward to our holiday, with all the challenges we’re in the midst of, our hope is firmly anchored in Father’s love and goodness. We are grateful for all the relationships God has given us around the world that support and encourage us. We are blessed to know that through books, podcasts, and blogs, others have been enlightened on their journey and encouraged in their faith.

With blessings and love this Christmas,

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Affection, Presence, and Fullness

1 Comment / Encouragement /

Since posting Graham Cooke’s words a few weeks ago about seeing God as our habitation, I’ve been thinking a lot about the progression of how that came to be in my own life. Three words have risen in my meditation on that, which I first shared in Greenville, SC, a few weeks ago.  They have been growing in my heart ever since, especially the last one. They are providing a valuable focus in my daily life, and I find myself grateful this Thanksgiving season for all three of these.

Affection:  Talking about God’s love is easy on the tongue, even for those who think they have to earn it by their good behavior. That’s why I like the word affection better to speak of what is in God’s heart for us. For some, love is a commitment, often bereft of feeling. But affection occupies a tender place in the heart that speaks of delight and desire. Paul writes that our engagement with him is like a young child crying out, “Abba.” he’s talking about that kind of affection a young child has for its parent. Scripture also talks about the deep affection a groom and a bride share. Ask God to reveal his affection for you so that you, too, can know how deeply loved you are by God.

Presence: God-with-me is not just a theological fact, he also wants it to be a discernible reality. Often during the day, I pause long enough to surrender my heart to that reality. I don’t control when or how he makes himself known to me, but I am constantly cultivating an awareness of presence and watching for his fingerprints. That awareness can come with waves of delight or the simple tenderness of knowing I’m not alone. I enjoy touching a presence greater than myself and surrendering to his desires. Often it comes with a word of affirmation, insight into something going on in my life, or fresh courage to stay the course. I find that connection more precious than anything I might want him to do for me.

Fullness:  It’s easy to look for fullness outside of Jesus-in-us. Most of my life, I’ve looked for it to come from my circumstances—health, friendships, provision, and pleasure. But affection and presence have changed that for me. This is the life of abundance he promised, the fullness of joy, and the peace that makes no sense to the rational mind. I notice a marked difference in my life when I am living for fullness, seeking things to make me joyful or safe, and living from fullness because I’ve found my joy and safety in him. When I need any circumstance to come out a certain way for me to be content, I know I’m seeking fullness outside of him. But when he fills me up, it doesn’t matter what else is going on around me and I can live with others in mind.

Without these, it is easy for any of us to settle for a Christian life that is made up of beliefs, programs, and ethics, instead of a real and holy connection to the transcendent God. His desire is to live in us and to interact with us as we navigate life.

Cultivating an awareness for his affection, an attraction to his presence in us, and an appreciation of his fullness allows us to live in “the glorious riches of this mystery—Christ in you, the hope of glory”  (Colossians 1:27).

 

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A Government I Can Embrace

Encouragement / / , ,

When I pray for the world and hold before God the agonies and travails of war, slavery, starvation, natural disasters, and darkness, I am usually in front of this globe in my studio. I try to see it as God sees it, in its totality first, then in specific hotspots around the world, and finally think of how God is meeting individuals who are navigating the ever-increasing horrors of our age. I often sense a bit of what God might be feeling as he sees his creation in chaos, and his joy as he pours his love and redemption into human brokenness and as he moves resolutely to bring it all to a redemptive end

These days, I’ve been praying that the words of Isaiah 9 will finally come true:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.

I can’t wait for the government to be on his shoulders. It seems humanity is incapable of managing a just and honest society without corruption, exploitation, and hoarding power for the elite. In time, however, he will make all things new, and he will be the one to govern humanity’s affairs in his love and his justice forever. And while I look forward to that day that happens, I get to yield to his kingdom today and live under his government in the face of the chaos in my world. That’s what love is teaching me to do, and why I wrote It’s Time: Letters to the Bride of Christ at the End of the Age.

I know people are reticent to pick up a book about the end of the age because most provoke fear, set dates that never come to pass, or twist Scripture to apply them fallaciously to current events. This isn’t that book. This is a book of hope and courage for those who want to live under his government. The creation waits for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed.

So, I’m delighted that people are responding to this book exactly as I hoped they would. Here are two emails I got this weekend, sharing how the book touched them.

Elara

“Wayne, let’s be honest, we’re all juggling a million end-of-the-world scenarios every morning, and yet here you are, calmly handing us a roadmap for courage, love, and faith without making us feel like we need to start building bunkers. That alone deserves a slow clap.

It’s Time isn’t about fear-mongering or doom scrolling through life waiting for the apocalypse. It’s a call to actually live deeply, intentionally, and with a hope so solid it could probably survive the next global crisis. I love how you take decades of pastoral insight and turn it into letters that feel like someone just sat down and said, “Hey, here’s how you can breathe again, even when the world feels upside down.”

What’s brilliant is how you make faith practical. God’s love isn’t just a headline on a Sunday, it’s a power source for real-life courage. Hope isn’t a motivational poster; it’s confidence that we can still do meaningful things today. And yes, even for those of us who sometimes confuse panic for productivity, there’s room for peace, clarity, and maybe even a little joy.

This book is a reminder that life isn’t about waiting for the end. It’s about showing up, walking in light, and loving with purpose, no matter what crazy twists history throws at us. If anyone wants a fresh wake-up call to live as if God’s Kingdom is happening right now, without freaking out, this is it.

I’m grateful for the way your words and your work draw us closer not just to clarity, but to Christ Himself. It’s rare to find someone who speaks hope without minimizing struggle, and peace without dismissing the chaos we’re all navigating. It’s Time isn’t just a book; it’s a steadying hand in a season where so many feel unanchored. I’ll be returning to its pages again when I need reminding that faith isn’t fragile, it’s fuel.

 

Kyle (No, not Rice):

I wanted to send an overdue thank you for the gift, It’s Time has been. This work has been so helpful and encouraging to me. I am grateful for the insights with which you shared a radically different view on the end of the age. Like many of your readers, I grew up in fear of the end times (and lots of other things too). Your message of hope and the enduring love of our Father in this book has made the end of the age exciting and something to look forward to rather than dread. You haven’t steered clear of the challenges of our age or whenever the final age is to come. However, you beautifully expressed love as the motive for all God is and will do.

And over the last decade, as it has become clearer we might be heading towards the end in my lifetime, I have often wondered what I should do to prepare. Your focus on strengthening the connection and relationship with Christ and others as the key was very encouraging. It was also a reminder of the simplicity of God’s way. I am now less preoccupied with doing something rather than enjoying the friendship with Papa and letting him lead each day. And I am learning that he will show me what I need to do, whether this is the end of the age or not.

Thank you for your wisdom, courage to write in this mine field of a topic, and generosity in giving it away in the blog format. In a world where people try to monetize everything, it is so refreshing to have someone share so freely.

I never felt like I wanted to be there on the morning when the new world would be revealed because I was too afraid of walking through the times that would take place before then. Your inspired writing has helped make space in my heart for a hope and desire for God to reveal that new world and to have me be a part of that transition.

Thank you, Elara and Kyle, for summing up what this book meant to you and passing it along to me. I pray that many others will find the same hope and joy in watching God bring his redemption to creation, whether it is in their lifetime or at some future date.

If you’d like a copy, you can order it here in paperback, e-book, or audio.

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Finding the Trailhead to Love

4 Comments / Encouragement /

I just returned from a weekend in the South, meeting with many people in Atlanta, GA, and Greenville, SC, who had recently left the religious group they were part of for multiple generations. What a weekend! So many amazing people who were ready to honestly process their journey and sort out what was real from their past, and what was not. I sat among them with a tender heart for what they are going through. Many of you reading this have been through it as well.

It is a journey out of fear and threat, into a life of love and peace. For most of Christian history, fear has been used to motivate people to live for God. It begins with the fear of hell, and then moves to whether or not you can do enough to maintain your salvation. Many in this sect told me that even following all the rules didn’t even guarantee your salvation; no one knows that until they stand before God.

It’s disorienting to give up a lifetime of religious lessons, even when they have failed you. What guarantee do we have that God’s love will win the day? Moving from a fear-based environment to an affection-based one, especially with the fear of hell hanging in the background. The struggle is not so difficult for those who have not been ensnared by performance-based religion. Trying to earn a love we already have. But those trails run deep in our brains, and it takes some time for God’s spirit to renew our minds to think inside his love, where we can live from fullness instead of our fears.

The path of fear does not lead us to God’s presence. Sadly, it leads us away from him. You cannot love the one you fear. Certainly, God can break through it, and he often does, but living under constant threat makes it difficult for us to recognize his love as he reveals it to us. I do realize how easy it is to miss his nudges into freedom because the fear of the eternal consequence of getting it wrong looms large. That’s why I’m blessed by people who are willing to risk a different journey. To even consider another path takes tremendous courage, especially when family and friends tell you they will lose their hope of your salvation if you take it.

Jesus offered us a different path, where God is revealed in us and we become responders to his insights and nudges. That all begins with learning to relax into his love, which can take a few months or even a couple of years. So don’t press yourself. Religious performance always begins with what we do; living by affection begins with what God does.

So, how do you find the trailhead? I encourage people to ask God every day for him to reveal his love to them. Then watch for ways he does that, not by fulfilling your desires, but by showing you that you are not alone and by revealing himself to you. That’s the trailhead. Go down that path, and he will teach you how to rely on his love, recognize how he makes himself known to you, and how to respond to him. That is the essence of what it means to follow him, not from obligation to religious activity or beliefs, but to a connection of endearment to the presence of Jesus at work in you.

I pray for them, and all of you reading this who desire a better journey. I know it is scary to leave the familiar, but if it isn’t fulfilling your hunger to know him, it is worth the risk. If you need help with this transition, please check out He Loves Me, or even make use of the Engage videos to coach you into recognizing how God wants to build a relationship with you.

Tomorrow, Sara and I are off to Tulsa for our 50th college reunion. Can you believe it? We have some great friendships that we’ve treasured over the years, and who will be there as well.  Hopefully, our flights won’t be cancelled by the crazy government shutdown over here. It worked last weekend; we are hoping it will work this weekend, too.  We’ve checked in, and so far the flight is a go!

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Abiding in God as our Habitation

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On last Friday’s podcast, I read a Facebook post by Graham Cooke, which a good friend in Calgary shared with me. Since that aired, many have requested a copy of what I read. It’s not easy to find Graham’s original post on his Facebook, so I am reposting it here.

If we could get this one reality to settle in our hearts, it would decisively change how we embrace God’s presence in us and set us free from the need to seek tricked-up encounters that fade away without transforming our hearts inside his love.

You’re not trying to get into God’s presence—you’re practicing His presence that never leaves. Abiding isn’t visiting Him occasionally; it’s recognizing He’s made His home in you permanently.

This completely transforms how you approach spiritual life. Instead of seeking encounters, you’re acknowledging habitation. Instead of trying to feel His presence, you’re trusting His promise: “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

Abiding is habitational, not visitational. You don’t abide by working harder to connect with God. You abide by resting in the connection that already exists. He lives in you permanently—not sometimes, not when you’re spiritual enough, but always.

Kingdom routine: Habitation – When blessings feel temporary or His presence seems distant, practice abiding by making His presence your permanent habitation. This isn’t about feeling Him constantly; it’s about knowing He’s constantly with you, whether you feel it or not.

Here’s what changes when you understand abiding:

  •  You stop chasing what you already have
  • You rest in relationship instead of working for relationship
  • You practice awareness of existing presence instead of creating encounters
  •  You live from His promise, not your feelings
  • You make His presence your dwelling place, not your occasional destination

Abiding isn’t a spiritual discipline you perform—it’s a reality you acknowledge. You don’t have to maintain His presence; you simply recognize it. You don’t have to earn His dwelling; you just accept it.

The goal isn’t constant feeling but confident knowing. Some days you’ll sense His presence strongly. Other days you won’t feel anything. But abiding means your spiritual stability comes from His faithfulness, not your feelings.

You are His permanent address. He is your permanent habitation. That’s not something you achieve through spiritual effort—it’s something you receive through His love.

—Graham Cooke

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Voices from the Road

Encouragement /

Sara and I have arrived in Seattle for a brief stop, then we’re on to Portland for the weekend. After that, we’ll be taking a pretty direct route through California to our home. It is time to return and see what Father has for us there.

The conversations I have with people on the road are rarely recorded, but our time with UChurch in Calgary on September 21, 2025, was. So, if you want to listen, here are the links, and how they described the sessions on their website:

 

We were so glad to welcome Wayne Jacobsen to UChurch. In this first part of his time with us, Wayne talks with Brant Reding about what it means to live loved by God instead of striving to earn His approval. He shares from his own life about betrayal, illness, and seasons of uncertainty, showing how God’s love brings trust and freedom even when circumstances are painful.

The conversation also touches on:

  • How God gently unravels illusions and old religious habits.
  • Why authentic community grows out of love rather than programs.
  • Honest questions from the UChurch family about family conflict, friendships, work life, and being real with neighbors.

This episode invites us to rethink faith as a daily trust in God’s love, not a performance.  >>>>>Listen Here

In Part 2, Wayne is joined by his wife, Sara, to share their deeply personal journey of walking through trauma, separation, and healing. Together they tell the story of how Sara’s hidden childhood trauma surfaced decades into their marriage, leading to a season of distance, grief, and struggle. What could have ended their story became the place where they discovered what Wayne calls “the deepest love in the darkest place.”

They talk about:

  • How trauma shaped Sarah’s life and the long road of healing they’ve been walking together.
  • Why God doesn’t stand at a distance but meets us in the middle of our darkest places.
  • The role of safe community, patience, and tenderness when walking with someone through pain.
  • How God’s love reshapes even the most broken parts of our lives.

This conversation is raw and courageous, offering hope that no darkness is beyond God’s reach.  >>>>>Listen Here

 

As much as we have enjoyed the incredible beauty of nature on this trip, we’ve also enjoyed how God is taking shape in so many of his children. We’ve been with a lot of people who have lived in the darkness of legalism, trying to make sense of how their hard work was not meeting their desire to know Jesus. I cannot believe how widely they have opened their hearts to us. What we share has to be light-years from what they have known, and yet they have listened and processed their journey in light of the love that legalism only gave lip service to.

I asked a couple after one session how they think through what they’ve heard. Does it resonate with them, or is it so foreign they are tempted to discard it?

The husband responded, “No, it resonates. When I hear you talk about relaxing into God’s love, I know that somewhere deep inside, I already knew that. I didn’t realize it until you put it in words. That allowed me to recognize what I already knew.”

I love it when people say stuff like that. It confirms to me what a work of the Spirit his truth is. It doesn’t hit us out of the blue, but comes as a recognition of what he has already been seeding deep inside our hearts. I am so honored to have such conversations with people like I’ve met on this trip, and watch the eyes of their hearts pop open as his truth rises in their hearts.

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On Our Way to Calgary and Coeur d’Alene

Encouragement / / , , ,

Having traveled from California to Denver, Rapid City, SD, Sheridan, WY, Bozeman, MT, we have arrived on the doorstep of Glacier National Park to spend a few days together. We are in the most magnificent RV Park we’ve ever seen.

Last weekend we were in Yellowstone National Park, and yesterday we drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road (see above) through the heart of Glacier National Park. Such beauty is hard to contain, and we have felt wonderfully detached from all the political fear and animosity driving our world to deeper conflict and anguish. It truly is time for those who are at rest in the love of Jesus to be revealed in the way they treat others, especially those who are lost in darkness.

We saw breathtaking views around every bend and have reflected on the immensity of our Creator. It’s also quite a contrast between the beauty of what he made and the constant conflict among humanity that despoils his work.

We got into an interesting discussion in Bozeman, MT. Helping people discern between true and false ministries, we talked about the difference between those who give you the agency to follow Jesus and those who rob you of the freedom to do so. Misguided leaders would rather tell you what to do—what you can read, who you can associate with, what meetings you must go to, and even what to wear, or even what to eat. In Colossians 2, Paul warned us that those who tell you what to do have lost connection with the Head. Since they are no longer following him, they don’t think you can either, so they make you dependent on their rules.

One of the major causes of embedded trauma is that the person did not have the agency to manage the tragic events happening to them. They didn’t have the internal resources to deal with the pain, nor did they have someone to turn to for help. Those who represent Jesus will in the world help others find their agency by equipping others to discern and follow the heart of Jesus. They are not troubled by your mistakes, but encourage you to think and listen for yourself. (In this week’s podcast, Kyle and I will discuss how Scripture in the hands of a bully can weaponize passages that were meant for our healing and freedom, and how that devastates people. It will air this Friday.)

Tomorrow, we head north to Canada. This weekend, we will be with the folks of UChurch in Calgary, AB. They are meeting at a community center in a park at 10:00 am and again at 2:00 pm, with a lunch break in between. They are providing hot dogs and burgers, and asking everyone else to bring side dishes to be shared.  8551 Bowness Road NW  •  Calgary, T3B 0H8. If you live nearby come and join us.

Next week, will visit Banff National Park before we head back to the U.S.

Our first stop when we are stateside again will be Coeur d’Alene, the weekend of September 27-28. We are hosting a meet-up on Saturday, outside Coeur d’Alene, in Liberty Lake, WA.  Saturday, September 27, from 1 pm to 5 pm. We’ve had a lot of interest, so please RSVP and get more details by signing up here.

 

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Caught More Than Taught

7 Comments / Encouragement /

I am in Boise, ID this weekend sharing some of what it means to live loved through some of the brutal crises of life. We have some people here hurt from their association with a religious group that was overtly legalistic and has a significant number of their leadership involved in sexual predation of children. It’s horrific, but the people who are finding freedom from that that group are amazing people with hearts still leaning toward the love of God through all that pain.

There are others here as well who are just readers of my books or listeners to The God Journey. This is my first trip without Sara in three years. It feels weird, but we both felt this trip was something God wanted, while Sara stayed home to enjoy a visit from her college roommate.

As The God Journey approaches our 1,000th episode since its inception in 2005, we have asked listeners to share with us what the podcast has meant to them. We are going to read some of them on that podcast as Brad and Kyle both join in to celebrate the journey.  This morning, I woke up to this email.  It touched me deeply, encouraging my heart with gracious words, but more importantly how it shows that the life of Jesus is something we catch through a variety of inputs, rather than following a prescribed program from a seminar or book. That’s why we’ve put out so many different tools here, and why I’ve traveled to Boise this weekend, to help people see facets of a life born of love, so that they can discover more clearly how Jesus is making himself known in them.

I love this email, from someone in Austria enmeshed in a legalistic religious group, finding her freedom in the life of Jesus:

As an enthusiastic podcast listener from Austria, I am pleased to be able to speak up. A few years ago I read your book He Loves Me. It had appealed to me, but my heart was still so caught up in legalism that the truths could not fall on prepared ground. Seven years ago, after many years of legalism and serious but desperate discipleship, I found myself in a desert. I was totally burned out, taken out of the race and I just had to capitulate.

There, I had only one question: “Who am I?” Over the course of several years, Jesus took me by the hand and taught me step by step who Heavenly Father was and who I was. I came across the book: Finding Church and was shocked. It accurately described my situation and that of my very legal church. Suddenly I noticed that this book was by the same author as the book He Loves Me and So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore.

My curiosity was aroused and went online in search of sermons from you, Wayne. That’s when I came across Transition and I was totally moved. These lectures helped me so much. And then I searched your website and came across The God Journey. I was so hungry for these truths and wanted to know about people who lived what you had talked about in the talk. I didn’t know any Christians around me, and I was so grateful to see you, Wayne and Kyle, who talked about it and lived it in their lives. I then listened to your podcasts and soaked up everything that tasted like life and freedom – and there was a lot of it!!!

It was my provisions and my comfort in my legalistic environment!!

I have been able to learn so much through and from you in the last few years. I experienced your crises and victories a bit and you were role models for me! THANK YOU!!!

And what was one of the most exciting things for me: not only did I experience change, but I was able to experience “live” in the podcast how you changed under the loving gaze of the Father. I felt how you, Wayne, just in your brokenness due to your marital crisis, became softer and gentler. I think you can even see that in your voice and in your warmth. And you Kyle, through the years that I “follow” you, you have learned so many valuable insights and above all pastoral help yourself and passed it on to me/us.

Without your podcast, my life would be a lot poorer and more joyless. Every Friday I look forward to the new episode and often listen to it more often until the new one is broadcast again. I am fascinated by the fact that God can connect hearts with each other over so many kilometers and from such different cultures. But that’s what the Bible says. What a privilege that I can experience it in my life.

I thank you and I am happy that you have such a big heart for brothers and sisters who have also set out on the God journey!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

 

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