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Staff and students at the Living Loved Children’s Centre in Eldoret, Kenya

I’m sorry I’ve not written in awhile. Life has been pretty complicated over the past few weeks as we’re hard at work on the Jesus Lens and a few other projects. We are trying to pace ourselves here, but at times it seems a bit overwhelming. We do appreciate the support and encouragement so many people send our way. We should have some new announcements about the recent recordings in the next few days. But we’re going to enjoy a long holiday weekend and find some rest before we get too deeply into that process

Before we do, I wanted to update you of the ongoing need in Kenya. I’ve been blown away, as have the folks in Kenya at the generosity of so many who have helped get this new facility purchased, built, and staffed. A look at the picture above shows such joy and promise as these children are at a school assembly and are beginning to learn in their new environment. Unfortunately the government requirements of setting up this facility and purchasing curriculum and school supplies for the students has used up most of the money they needed to feed the children and support the staff. My commitment to them was that we would find them two years worth of staff support and food, while they looked for ways to support the children beyond that time-frame.

We need about $2,000.00 per month for the next 22 months to help make that happen. And that isn’t a hard figure. Costs for food have risen significantly just in the past few months and by what I can tell they are not at all being feed extravagantly. So, I thought I’d mention it again for those who want to support this project with us. We send them additional funds today beyond what we have received from others as our way to help them through a tough spot. If you can join us, please let us know.

For more information on our project here, you can read this earlier blog. If you would like to be part of this to support these brothers and sisters and see the Gospel grow in this part of Africa, please see our Sharing With the World page at Lifestream. You can either donate with a credit card there, or you can mail a check to Lifestream Ministries • 1560-1 Newbury Rd #313 • Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.

I had lunch today with some of the people who came from out of state to be part of our recording in the Indianapolis area. We had a great time. I enjoy conversations so much more than lectures…

Anyway, during lunch one of those present wanted to thank me for my involvement in helping bring Bo’s Café into print. Here’s what he said:

What The Shack did for my relationship with God, Bo’s Café did to help me find freedom from my anger.

He went on to tell us the story of how God unplugged a deep-seated anger in his life after reading the book three times. He’d been looking for this freedom all his life. What a great story and a great comment about the book.

That’s why I was excited about Bo’s when I read it. Here was a man trying to control everyone else out of his own fears, and then he comes to face to face with grace. It changes him in a wonderful way. If you haven’t read it, you might want to check it out.

Thanks to all of you praying for us during my time In Indianapolis recording The Jesus Lens. It wasn’t flawless, to be sure, but that was not my expectation. I’m pleased with what we were able to record and really blessed by the audience who gathered with us. They were incredibly engaged with the material and provided some wonderful interaction about it as well. Keep praying. We’re up for Round 2 this evening and Round 3 on Saturday morning. I suspect I’ll be pretty tired when we get this all done, but I am excited to have this much time to help people read Scripture with greater meaning and joy!

Sara and I will both be out of the office until May 18 and will not be able to fill orders for books or audio during that time. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience and delay and appreciate your patience. Orders sent in this week will be filled on May 18.

I don’t often use these pages to ask for personal prayer, but for those of you so inclined, I have a special request. This week will culminate more than 40 years of Biblical study and spiritual pursuit in a series called “The Jesus Lens: Reading Scripture in Light of the Revelation of Jesus.” I’m going to be recording it later this week in Indianapolis with some 30-40 people who are coming to be part of the audience. After we process the audio and video, we will make it available through this website like we do Transitions—free of charge. We want people to be touched by this series to engage the Scriptures with passion and joy.

Unfortunately many people who go on a relational journey with Jesus soon discover that part of the religion they’ve been sold is a misinterpretation of Scripture that is often distorted by the needs of religion either to promote fear or conformity. Turned off by the academic quibbling of many scholars and the arrogance that doctrinal discussions often foment they dismiss the value of Scripture thinking it either old-fashioned or irrelevant to their walk. They come away from reading it too often condemned and confused by the religious voices that still play in their heads. After all in his last words to his disciples in the upper room, Jesus didn’t tell us he would leave us a book to interpret and obey, but his Spirit to guide and empower us.

Others, seem to worship the Bible as a replacement for their own relationship to Jesus. They seem to worship the Scriptures and their interpretation of it, rather than let it guide them to the only one who has life for us. They have gotten lost following the dictates of a book rather than knowing him and being transformed by his power and wisdom.

I used to teach a 33 hour class helping people find the keys to unlock the incredible wisdom and power of Scripture. I don’t have that much time with people any more, but I have restructured that material into an 8-hour teaching series that I hope will accomplish much of the same objectives. I’m going to do 24 20-minute segments so that small groups can play it and discuss it togeteher. In addition I will be including over 50 pages of notes and diagrams to help people in their personal engagement with God in the Scriptures.

I am more excited about this than anything I’ve done in a long time. The wealth of Scripture’s pages has informed my journey throughout my life and underscore everything that I look to share with others. However, I’m also aware that doing this in a studio with the necessary time constraints so it can be video recorded is not the most conducive venue for the conversation I’d love to have. In addition, there is much going on around me that seeks to compete for the attention and passion I want to give to this. And I don’t think any of that is not without the participation of the enemy that would love to disrupt this.

So, if you have some extra time and energy in your prayers this week, especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when we’ll be taping, please ask Jesus to make himself known in this project and fill it with his light and wisdom. Some of this content I’ll be teaching for the first time, but it has guided my own engagement with Scripture for the past two decades. I have come to some conclusions about this book that may be controversial in some quarters (surprise, surprise!), but in the end I want to do honor the Lord’s truth in it all. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated and I am certain they will make a difference.

And when we get back, please be patient. It is going to take a while to get the video edited and the audio culled off for a new Lifestream Podcast page where we’ll be able to put recordings like this so people can easily download them for listening on their mp3 players.

It’s back to California tomorrow. I’ve had an great time hanging out with a community of young people near Chicago and now in southern Wisconsin with brothers and sisters who are on this journey. It has been a lot of fun.

A few weeks ago as I flew out of New England, the movie on the plane was the new Narnia movie, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader. I enjoyed keeping an eye and ear on it while I was reading some other things. I already referred to one of the lines in that movie that touched me in a previous posting.

I noticed another one this time around. It was advice given to the voyagers by one of their counselors on their journey.

“To defeat the darkness out there you must first defeat the darkness inside yourself.”

Why is it almost always true that when God shows us something about ourselves our mind first focuses on all the other people around us who should know this too? It is almost as if we use up our passion for what God says by trying to make others see it, before it has borne fruit in our own hearts. Is this why we are always seeking to remove the sawdust from someone else’s eye instead of taking note of the log that is in our own? Any time you’re trying to force your will on someone or convince them to embrace your insight, you might consider that you are taking on darkness in the wrong place.

When the light of God shines into your heart, embrace it. As long as I’m battered by doubts, driven by fears, and tormented by a false need to perform in my own righteousness, my freedom to help others will be limited. And that will mostly happen not by confronting the darkness in me, but embracing the light that is in him. The more preoccupied with who he is, the freer I become from the twisted places in my own heart. This is the joy of learning to live loved.

He first wants to take shape in us before we try to help encourage others. And what I’m finding is that the more he takes shape in me the less need I have to shape others. If we can’t let him defeat darkness in us, we’ll be of no use helping conquer darkness in others.

Well, I’m off again to the upper Midwest. I’ll be in the Chicago area and then into Wisconsin over the next few days meeting with two communities of believers I’ve never met before. I always look forward to seeing what God might be doing in such locales. There’s an anticipation in my heart about what might be ahead this weekend.

I am also reading through George W. Bush’s Decision Points these days. As many of you know the Bush presidency was one of the greatest disappointments in political affairs. He came into office talking about being a uniter and not a divider, and then had one of the most divisive administrations of my lifetime, just like the president before him. But I always want to hear a man’s story from his side of things, and not just as he was filtered through the media. The book had been interesting, though I am sad at many of the decisions he ended up making.

I did like this quote when talking about his growing up in the love of his parents:

“When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.”

While I don’t use the term “unconditional love” myself (because I don’t think there is any such thing as conditional love), I understand what people mean by it. To be truly loved just for who we are is the place where transformation begins. Real love disarms the need for rebellion, because it doesn’t seek to control. And real love is not based on performance so you don’t need to fear failure.

Imagine if all God’s people knew that reality about his love! There’s no need to seek your own way, when you realize how loved you are. And you don’t have to be afraid of making decisions because he is going to love you through your failures. And there is no mistake you can make that is so big that Jesus can’t be in it with you to redeem it for his purpose.

I honestly believe this is the kind of freedom Galatians 5 is talking about. It isn’t the freedom to indulge my flesh, but the joy of living in the reality of his love and that alone will disarm all the lies and appetites of the flesh…

Tomorrow I get to fly back home to enjoy a day with the friends that help us pray and listen to Jesus for what we do through Lifestream and The God Journey, and to have a day with our whole family. Looking forward to it.

Last week I found this email that so resonated with me as well:

It’s funny how when Christian folks find out we don’t attend a church, we kind of become their project to get us into their church. I’m sure I was exactly the same, not too long ago. A couple guys that I have become friends with are very intellectual in their pursuit of God. One attends a Catholic church, the other a Baptist church. Every so often, they will buy me a book to read or CD’s to listen to. I’m reading a book about a protestant who turned catholic and a book about Calvinism. I may have to start turning down their requests to read these books because I feel like I’m all cluttered up, if that makes sense.

Both are very passionate about doctrine. Their argument is that if you don’t have correct doctrine/theology, you can’t really get to know God. I appreciate their passion to know God better, I’m just not so sure of the route. God always amazes me and seems to reveal Himself to us, even when we aren’t “doing it right”, so I believe He will honor the desire of their hearts to know Him. I don’t really know if I’m a Calvinist or an Armenian or somewhere in the middle. I’m not really sure I care what camp I fall into. My focus and prayer for months has been:

• “Father, I want to know you more intimately, the way you want me to know you.”
• “Father, open my eyes and help me to see how much you love me and those around me, and teach me to respond to that love.”
• “Father, when I read the Bible, reveal yourself to me. Help me to see what you want me to see about you.”

Then I get around these real intellectual guys and I think, “is my approach too simple?”. But when I start studying all the heady stuff, I get all clogged up. When I go back to just my simple focus, I mentioned above, there is a rest and peace. I guess that answers my question, huh?

Yes, I think he did!

I know for me when my spiritual journey was more of a head trip than learning to live loved, I was much more enamored with doctrinal positions. While I still believe in the importance of sound doctrine and growing in the truthof who God is, I don’t think he is nearly so complicated as some scholars would have us believe. Learning to live in his love and love those around me, including those who cross my path each day, is far more joyful and far more intellectually challenging than all the other things that use to fascinate me. And his truth emerges in the loving.

I guess that’s what Paul meant when he said “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Living loved leads to correct doctrine, but rarely does correct doctrine lead to living loved.

For some time now, I’ve wanted to record a new series to help people sort through the truth of Scripture inside a relationship with the Loving Father that would be a companion to Transitions already on the website. I’m finally going to be able to do it this May in the Indianapolis area. Since we will be recording this for audio and DVD distribution, we need to do it at a TV studio. As uncomfortable as I am with doing something like this, I feel the resource is important for people who want to be engage the reality of God in the Bible.

Confusion abounds about the Bible and what it says about God. Is he a demanding deity, or a tender Abba? How do we reconcile the Old and New Testament depictions of God and come away from reading the Bible inspired to greater trust in the Father rather than condemned in our failures? Many have given up reading Scripture because they are either intimidated by its content or confused about how to interpret it. By looking at the whole of Scripture through the revelation of Jesus we can see that it was never intended to be a book of rules, but an unfolding story to show us who God is and how he thinks. In this series Wayne Jacobsen wants to help you read the Bible through the lens of Jesus that not only makes it easier to understand, but also resolves the seeming inconsistencies in its message and content. For 40 years Wayne has been a student of Scripture mining it for wisdom, encouragement, and insights that helped him follow God more accurately and hopes you will find the same treasure in its pages.

Recording sessions have been scheduled in Anderson, IN as follows:

• Thursday, May 12, 6:15 -9:30 pm

• Friday, May 13, 6:15 – 9:30 pm

• Saturday, May 14: 8:45 am – 1:00 pm

Since space is limited registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be no charge but we need a firm commitment so as not to rob someone else from coming. Because we are recording this will be a more formal environment, where we need people on-time and ready to go. If you would like to participate on one or all of these opportunities, you will need to sign up with Sara and receive location details from her.

Well, I’m off to Austin for the weekend and then to Central Florida for the early part of next week. If you want to connect with either, please click on the links above.

Also, the Dutch version of He Loves Me, is now available in Holland from Publishing House Shama, which also carries So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore.

And as much as I enjoy my own Kindle, I didn’t know you could subscribe to blogs on it until I had some people asked me why mine wasn’t listed. So, I worked through the process and now those who wish to subscribe to the Lifestream Blog on their Kindle can do so. It costs $1.99, but it will automatically sync new entries on the Lifestream blog with your Kindle each time you log on. Sorry about the cost. That’s THEIR charge, not mine.