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!!
That email to you expresses so much that is similar to the path that my life has taken. Your books, The God Journey, and The Jesus Lens have all been life giving to me and opened doors to freedom. As a side note, I, too, have noticed a softer and gentler Wayne. You are living what you share about living loved in all circumstances. That is so encouraging to me and I’m sure to so many others.
Thank you, Paula. I’m grateful for what Jesus has let me experience in this world and how I get to encourage others to a life that is real and transformative. Blessings to you.
You asked for feedback about how Lifestream has impacted our lives. It’s hard to nail down one thing but I will share a personal experience from a meeting with you many years ago. We were at a gathering at a condo in downtown Denver, probably 15-20 people. One of the participants kept saying things like this: “ Wayne says, According to Wayne, Wayne’s book says….etc.etc.” You gently interrupted and said” This is not about Wayne or what Wayne wants.” It was at that moment that I realized our innate religious desire for a “sage on the stage.” The fact that the organized church has become an audience rather than participatory really came home to me. We were both licensed ministers in a denomination that will remain nameless but have seen the abuse, the turning of the blind eye, the “ in crowd “ dynamics etc. Keep doing what you’re doing. Let those blinders continue to fall from our eyes. Thank you.
That’s very sweet, Christine. Thank you for that memory. I found myself sharing some of that this weekend in Boise as well.
I didn’t realize that the God Journey had reached that landmark. The podcast has been my weekly go-to for decades. It’s been a long & winding road…
Thank you all!
Hi Wayne!
I attended the discussion group in Boise- so grateful you flew up there! We have a social media platform that is a bunch of people in and out of the church system I left. I was asked to share a bit about my experience getting to meet you! I wanted to share it with you as well- so I’ll post it here- thank you again for taking the time to meet with us and have such an open dialogue.
“Finding Each Other Outside the Walls
A Personal Reflection on a Day with Wayne Jacobsen in Boise
Driving over from Washington to Boise, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was walking into. I had read Finding Church and had been deeply impacted by Wayne Jacobsen’s words, but the idea of gathering with around 40 others—mostly fellow ex-members of the 2×2 church—felt both exciting and strangely vulnerable. What would it be like to sit face-to-face with others who carried the same spiritual wounds? Would it feel safe? Would it feel real?
The space was warm and welcoming. The hosts, locals from Boise, had rented a room that felt more like a large living room than anything else—comfortable seating, a corner for coffee and snacks, and people softly greeting each other like long-lost family. In a way, that’s exactly what it was.
Wayne flew in from California just for us. It had been three years since he had done a gathering like this, and he shared that he doesn’t plan events or charge to speak—he simply goes where he feels led. We were one of those places.
He started by sharing his own story. I was struck by how unguarded he was as he talked about being pushed out of his own church, the pain it brought into his family and marriage, and how that season reshaped his walk with God. There wasn’t a hint of bitterness in his voice—just raw honesty and a kind of peace that made me lean in. It wasn’t about theology or answers; it was about presence, about being met by God outside the systems we thought we needed.
After Wayne spoke, the meeting opened up into an organic dialogue. People shared freely, bravely. Some wept as they described years of spiritual abuse or how the ministry failed to show even basic care in their most vulnerable moments. Others wrestled out loud with their anger—how to move through it, not around it. The conversations ranged from big-picture issues like patriarchy and power structures to the small, quiet ways legalism had chipped away at our autonomy and sense of self.
There were moments when the pain in the room felt heavy—almost too much—but then someone would speak up with a reflection or a question that cracked open just enough light to keep us moving forward. It felt like healing in real time.
Wayne offered gentle guidance throughout, not trying to fix anyone’s story but encouraging us to keep our focus on Jesus, not the institution. He reminded us that the emotions we feel—grief, anger, confusion—don’t need to be suppressed or polished. They’re part of the process. But we don’t have to let them define the road ahead.
We broke for lunch and then continued the conversation, spending about six to seven hours together in all. It was fellowship—not in the programmed, surface-level way we once knew, but in the truest sense. Human. Messy. Sacred.
As I drove home, I felt a strange mix of hope and heaviness. Hope, because I know I’m not alone on this path. Heaviness, because the healing ahead still feels long. But I also carried a quiet sense of gratitude—that somehow, in a rented room in Boise, God met us in our honesty. No stage. No performance. Just people, finding each other outside the walls.“
Alisha, thank you for posting this here. I was deeply touched by reading your observations of the day and your responses to it. Wow! Just wow! I’m so sorry for all that you and your friends have gone through, and I know how disorienting it can be to find traction away from the group you’ve known all your life. I’m glad the day was as you described, “Human. Messy. Sacred.” That’s a great description of authentic community, and why all our attempts to sanitize it end up destroying genuine relationships between people who are learning to follow Jesus. I’m so glad hope is taking root in your heart and continue to pray for all of you that his light and love will surround your hearts, bring healing to the wounds, and direction for a future filled with his fullness.