Healing our stories

I find myself increasingly frustrated with the Church's approach to healing.

From pulpit to prayer group, we assure ourselves that, "God heals the brokenhearted," but don't provide a safe place or sane process for that healing to occur.  Simply declaring a truth doesn't necessarily bring it about.

People need a safe place and a helpful process that more deeply engages their story and their pain.  

JIM'S OPPORTUNITY:
Perhaps you're like me and long for a caring place to process your story. Here's an opportunity I myself am taking advantage of: This August, I have an opportunity to participate in a potentially life-changing experience with the renowned, Dr. Dan Allender, and his staff: The Story Workshop .

The Allender Center, lead by renowned psychologist and author Dan Allender, offers a Story Workshop for those wanting to engage their own story of wounding and redemption more effectively.   

We are all the brokenhearted.  Becoming a Christian doesn't magically erase all your wounds. Anyone could benefit from taking a look at their stories of loss and redemption.  You can only bring others as far as you're willing to go yourself.  Engaging my story in a redemptive manner means I can enter into other's stories of heartbreak and redemption more effectively.  

I will not only be engaging my own story of brokenheartedness, but observing the process the workshop uses, and how it engages people's stories.  We'll see if God might use that in my own ministry to others.

WHAT IS THE STORY WORKSHOP LIKE?

*  4-day format
*  teaching sessions with Dr. Dan Allender
*  small groups led by skilled Facilitators
*  special one-on-one sessions with your Facilitator 

The Story Workshop will take participants like me more deeply into the themes of their life;  while offering, "a caring space for you to explore the difficult places where you have felt God’s absence or silence in your life."

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HOW YOU CAN HELP ME:
The Story Workshop I want to attend comes with a significant price-tag, particularly for someone like me who is traveling across the country to attend.  

Your support pays for my airfare, travel, meals, and the cost of the event.  If you'd like to donate, please click the "Donate Now" button on my GoFundMe page; or click the GoFundMe button below.  Thank you!

Honor & Delight, 

Jim

Our root problem: unreleased goodness

The guy confessing an embarrassing porn problem was sitting at the end of the table.  A big, burly guy, close to tears.  His sordid lust occupied every waking minute of his day: Its trap had sprung, and its iron teeth had shut fast around his heart.   The man was a faithful church attender, a solid family man, and took the Bible seriously.  But none of it was setting him free from his addiction.

I was on the other side of the table because I was leading the group of men through the Study Guide for my book, "Recover Your Good Heart."  Nothing I or the other men said could convince this good man that he was a good man.  His addiction had hijajcked his identity.

What is this Christian man's root problem?

An undisciplined will? Is he not spending enough time in prayer? Is he not busy enough with Christian service?  Is his core problem a wayward nature; a wandering heart? Or should we send him to a counselor to help him manage his addiction?  Should he explore any unresolved family history issues?

What if this addicted man's root problem doesn' t reflect any of those typical assessments?  What if his root problem is not ultimately resolved through either Christian discipline or therapy?

Unreleased goodness

Author of the book, Connecting, Larry Crabb asks the following question:  "What if the root problem in a Christian's life, beneath all the personal, emotional, and spiritual struggles, is unreleased goodness?"

1.  Not psychological disorder

2.  Not emotional baggage from dysfunctional backgrounds and buried traumatic memories

3.  Not irresponsible living [1]

It can often be helpful to gently confront sinful behavior; or to seek counseling or therapy; but often this misdiagnoses the root problem.  We don't always need more help with repentance, or analyzing our past; though healing can begin there.  We need a small community of a few who have a vision of the goodness beneath our mess - a God-given goodness that is stronger than the mess -  with noble appetities that are longing for nourishment and release.  This is what the Spirit is up to.  That's His invitation.

Our root problem as Christians is unreleased goodness; and we need others around us who have a vision of our [and their own] God-bestowed goodness.

[1] Larry Crabb, Connecting; p. 72

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Further resources:  My book, Recover Your Good Heart, exposes the myth that the Christian is still "prone to wander," and gives the reader a new vision of an astonishing and practical goodness they already have.  A goodness awaiting release.

The Cure for Shame

Shame will be our default position and the virus in every relationship -  unless it is healed. Shame says, "You are flawed to the marrow, have nothing significant to offer,  hopelessly addicted,  and inherently prone to blow it.   The good in you can never outweigh the bad in you.  You will never be enough."

A shame-consciousness will be the Achille's Heal for every leader, organization, and every family and parent-child relationship, unless we find the cure.  And there is a cure.

But when we look to the pulpit or Public Television or TED pundits for a cure for shame, it often sounds like one the the following, often reasonable-sounding antidotes:

Acceptance as an antidote to shame:

"I am loved, despite..."

"I am accepted."

Self-confidence as an antidote to shame:

"Practice positive self-talk."

"Believe you are worthy."

Forgiveness as an antidote to shame:

"I am forgiven."

"God's grace is greater than my sin."

Discipline as an antidote for shame:

"Step up your prayer life and spiritual disciplines."

"Try harder not to miss group meetings."

Release from guilt as an antidote to shame:

"It's not your fault."

Positive thinking or better self-talk can't handle this.
Yet, as helpful and often true as most of the above antidotes can be, none of these solutions is sufficient to heal the root of shame.  Most Christians think that one or more of those antidotes I listed above will do the trick; yet it often feels like we're up against something much bigger than positive thinking or healthy self-talk can handle. 

Our best efforts to fend off our critics [whether external or internal] often feel a bit like the leather-tough cowboy who pretends the bullet lodged in his gut doesn't hurt; or the female CEO who tries to casually shake off the brutal criticisms lobbed at her by the Board, while she privately sheds angry tears in the bathroom stall. 

We're tired of pretending we're o.k., and though we are reluctant to admit it, pretending only temporarily shoves away the pecking buzzards, knowing the scavengers will always return until the kill is devoured.    Pretending we're o.k. doesn't actually heal us.

The cure for shame
The best question to ask is, "What does Jesus think the cure for shame is?"  Does Jesus have a way to heal the root system of shame within the human personality, rather than asking us to coax ourselves into positive self-talk or try to act bravely in the face of our critics? 

In Jesus' own words, the cure he offers is this: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." [Ezekiel 36:26]  His answer is as astoundingly simple as it is unique.  The heart is the root system for a person's relational health.  Jesus restores the root system in order to restore the person.    The moment you enter friendship with Jesus, the diseased root system is removed:  The heart that has driven you into a shame-mindset your whole life is taken away.  In its place is emplanted a remarkable, noble and radiant heart - a new root system.  Everything you hoped you could be is embedded in that new heart you've been given, waiting to be affirmed and released.

What Jesus might say to set us free: 

Jesus might say,

"Let's be truly authentic here, no pretending.  There's no need for that.  You're safe with Me.  No mustering up a sense of worthiness that shields you from the critics;  instead, let's take self-defense off the table forever. 

When the Devil comes to Me and tries to accuse and slander you to My face, I point him to your new and noble heart.  It infuriates the Enemy because self-defense is the only thing he has to teach you.

Your new-hearted nobility is a gift from me, and no one feels compelled to defend something they know is a gift:   If you didn't create it, you're not responsible for defending it, right?  I defend you so that you don't have to.  Your new heart is how I defend you against your critics."

LEARN MORE:
To learn more about recovering your good and noble heart, you can check out Jim's book, Recover Your Good Heart - Living free from religious guilt and the shame of never good-enough.

Don't create a theology based upon your disappointments.

Too many times, we build a theology around our lack of something we hoped we should have by now; or our disappointments:

1.  Example One:  "That just doesn't happen in my life:  God just doesn't work that way."
You were hoping to be further along in your prayer life, but aren't where you expected to be after all these years.  You hoped you could experience more of the supernatural rescue of God, but wonder why it seems so fleeting and so seldom.  So you create a theology that says, "God just doesn't work that way anymore.  Or at least not in my life."

2.  Example Two:  "The Christian life is not about me becoming stronger."

You were hoping to see more growth in your life, a developing and maturing strength that others seem to have but seems meager and dwindling in your own journey.  So you create a theology that says, "God doesn't expect us to grow, or us to become more capable and stronger over time.  It's all Jesus' work anyway:  He'll act in and through us, but we aren't doing the growing.

But wait.  Why wouldn't you expect to see an increasing love for your enemy, or discernment, or  an unpressured "one another" kind of love developing over time?  The assumption that "Christian life is not about you doing all the right things"  is true; but if overstated, can turn you into a marionette puppet, where Jesus pulls all the strings and bypasses your will, your heart, and your mind; robotically moving you wherever he wants to.

This idea that "God doesn't expect you to grow" usually comes from the legitimate claim that we shouldn't be striving to live from the arrogant and self-aggrandizing energies of the "flesh."  Depending upon the flesh for the victorious Christian life is directly counter to walking in the Spirit.  However, the suggestion that "the Christian life is not about you becoming stronger" overstates it.  We should expect to grow, but how?   The answer is by cooperating with the Holy Spirit as he does the work of releasing our new appetites, desires and tendencies - those new cravings he placed within our new and noble hearts.

Otherwise, it would seem inconceivable that Jesus would live in you, yet leave you unchanged, without any sign of unpressured, yet increasing growth.   There may be pain, wounds and assumptions in the way of that growth; but you can expect to grow.  Your heart may be pinned down in places; but it's still noble and true. Yes, it's all radically dependent upon his work; but it still causes you to grow.  It's an unpressured growth...over time; but a maturing life where your new heart's appetites get released, your mind is increasingly renewed, and your body is more lead by your heart's new nature rather than by the movements of the "flesh."

Caution:  Don't turn a disappointment in your journey into a theology about how God works.  Be careful not to assume that a lack of something is a sign that what you hoped for doesn't exist.  It will lead you to resignation or short-change God's surprising work in you, rather than lead you to a more full-hearted life.

 

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The Good and Noble Heart Mug is here!

I have a few "go-to" mugs in my kitchen cupboard: 

• There's the one I bought in Acadia National Park in Maine because it reminds me of our family's roots there that go back to the 1700's. 


• Then there's the mug that I bought in the mountains of Colorado where I attended a men's retreat that taught me that the heart is central to life.


• Then there's the mug with signatures of friends I had coffee with daily at a coffee bar in Florida, who wrote their names in black marker around the sides of that mug, just before I moved a thousand miles away.

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THE GOOD AND NOBLE HEART MUG: 
"Your heart is your ally, not your enemy."

I designed this mug [ stein, and water bottle] for the GOOD AND NOBLE HEART community so that when you fill it with your favorite tea or morning coffee, or take the water bottle to the gym, you'll remember  that Jesus did clean the inside of your cup; and that because of your new and noble goodness, your heart is no longer your enemy, but your ally.

A friend of mine once invited his friends to celebrate Communion by bringing in their favorite mug instead of those plastic juice thimbles so often used, and that changed Communion for that group forever.

Which mugs in your kitchen cupboard are your "go-to" mugs and why do they mean something to you? 

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Ordering the GOOD & NOBLE HEART mug [or stein, or stainless water bottle]:

You can order the mug or stein or water bottle at my storefront in Cafe Press [- a well-known printing company that will handle payment and shipping to you.  After they factor-in their production costs, I receive a $2 to $3 royalty per item.] 

 

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Form a new-hearted group study - Including Skype call with Jim.

As many of you have already figured out, allies on the good and noble heart journey are important.  Do you have a small group of friends who want to learn more about their good hearts? Why not form a short-term group study with a few friends.  In your home or online, using either my book, RECOVER YOUR GOOD HEART, or the book's STUDY GUIDE.  I know of folks who have already done this.

Skype call with Jim, free:
If you do either Option One [Study Guide Group] or Option Two  [Book Group] below, I'll include one 45 minute Skype call [voice or video] with your group, at no cost.  It doesn't matter if one member is in Anckorage and another in Allagash.  [Up to ten people.]

What you'll need: 

• For Skype conference [voice-only] group calls, each member will need a Skype account.


• For Skype video group calls, each member of your group needs to have a webcam and be signed up with Skype. [At least two people, plus me.  Up to ten people max.]

The Skype call would allow the group to ask me follow-up questions or get further clarity on living from your new heart.  It will also be a great time to connect with each other.

• You'll need to get either my book, RECOVER YOUR GOOD HEART, or the STUDY GUIDE - depending on if you choose Option One or Option Two below.

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Option One:  If you have already read my book, "RECOVER YOUR GOOD HEART" then why not form an online study with a few friends, using the STUDY GUIDE. 

Option Two:  If you have not read the book first, use that.  It makes sense to read the book, RECOVER YOUR GOOD HEART first, unless you're already pretty familiar with my blogs and the Good and Noble Heart message.

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*You can email me if your interested. 

• Buy book on Amazon.


• Buy Study Guide on Lulu.com.

A reader's response: "After all this time, why am I still struggling to live from my new heart?"

A reader's reaction to my recent post, "Why Do Your Best Is Exactly What the Enemy Wants."  Many of you will find her honesty refreshing:

Jim, thank you for what you said in this newsletter. This speaks to part of my struggle. I've been struggling with circumstances lately that have made me feel really bad about my seeming lack of faith. I tried it for 7 years in the system and left. When I found people online showing me better answers, I left the system full of hope at the time.

Now 5 years later, I'm realizing I don't 'get' living IN Christ much better than I ever did. Oh, sure I can talk a good talk about it, but I'm not doing so well at actually walking it. I think what you speak of, learning to live from the new heart, is still a hindrance to many people because we don't believe, deep down, that God really, truly loves us, accepts us, and thinks well of us.

I'm not sure how much time this is supposed to take. You'd think after 5 years I'd 'get it' better, and I've even had other 'outside the box' Christians imply such to me. I'm not sure what the trick is to 'getting it' that God loves and accepts me, but I haven't found the key yet.

Please understand I'm not looking for advice or tips on how to 'get it.' I think I've already heard it all. I guess I just wanted to tell you this because you're a fellow introvert and you do get that. And as an introvert, you're not likely to take a "just do it" fix to a heart problem. Maybe there's some conversation out there to be had on this... maybe I'm not the only one...

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Note:  I'll have more to say later on why I think it's so hard to live from our new hearts and what the nature of that battle is.

You are just as holy as Jesus.

"You, Christian, are just as holy as Jesus." 
This is an audacious claim, isn't it?

In fact, it's so bold as to feel blasphemous, like an insubordinate and arrogant soldier who doesn't know his place.

But it has to be true if you are to be obedient to Jesus, to love as he loves ... "Love others as I have loved you." 

• You can't love well without his actual goodness having become your actual goodness.


• You can't love your abuser like Jesus would, if you have even an ounce of self-righteousness in your heart.


• You can't love your spouse, kids or friends, without any self-interests, without any expectation of benefit to you, without Jesus' stubborn affection for them.

But here's the difference between us and Jesus: 
Though we as "little Christs" now have the same nature [or "heart"] as Jesus, our actions don't always follow.  It takes time to trust your new goodness, to let it come out and play.   It takes time for the body to follow the heart; for the old habits of our former selves to succumb to Christ's death.

But be confident of this:  Those latent and discouraging habits of mind and body represent a person who no longer exists.  The old has gone, the new has come. 

Your new heart is just as holy as Jesus' heart - because he gave you his own heart.  His good nature is now in you, as you.  You, noble friend are the lighthouse.

Podcast: "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION:" PART 3 - author Andrew Farley joins Jim Robbins

This is the final episode, part three, of the podcast mini-series, "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION." 

Drawing from Andrew Farley's new book, God Without Religion,  Drew and I dig deeper into the confusing mess that religious compliance and performance has made of things:

1. Discover why it can't be your old nature that causes you to sin, or that tempts you.


2. Learn why we often mistake the voice of sin for our own heart's voice, believing our heart is still "prone to wander."


3. Explore why, even when we sin, as Andrew Farley points out, "There's something in us, that's not us;"  and why relaxing in your new and noble nature will set you free.

To learn more about "God Without Religion" visit Andrew's site:  www.andrewfarley.org.

  CLICK TO LISTEN.

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To hear Parts 1 & 2 of this podcast series:

To hear Parts One and Two of the "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION" podcast series, go to the podcast page; or download them in iTunes.

Podcast: "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION" - part two: Author Andrew Farley joins Jim Robbins

Podcast:  "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION:  Part 2.  Author Andrew Farley joins Jim.

In part two of our mini-series about Andrew Farley's new book,
God Without Religion, we'll ask why Christians need to attend their own funeral. 

• What are the benefits of knowing you're dead already?


• We'll also talk about the popular myth of "Dying to Self."


• Learn more about Drew's book at AndrewFarley.org. 

Similar podcasts:

• Listen to "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION:  Part 1"  here.

Grace won't work for just anybody.

Grace won't work for just anybody.  It's only intended for those who've been made new at the core.  It's our newness in Christ working with the freedom of grace that unleashes expressions of God's Spirit.  - Andrew Farley, God Without Religion

 
In other words, NEWNESS + GRACE = FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

While speaking at a men's event, a guy actually argued with me that God had only made us "positionally" righteous.  In other words, we were righteous 'in heaven,' or 'in the eyes of God' but not actually good and noble...not yet.  Another way to state this guy's claim is that God only imputed [or credited] us with his goodness, but didn't impart [give or infuse] his righteousness within us.

I told the man that kind of only-in-heaven-goodness wouldn't do him any good; that merely getting credited with something is a lousy substitute for actually possessing it.  How do you overcome addictions with only a 'positional' goodness and not actual goodness to overcome it?  [ In other words, with a righteousness that can only be tapped into in heaven, but is of no value to you on earth.]  That's like telling a convict at his review hearing that you've credited him with good behavior and time-served, but you're still going to keep him behind bars.

Grace will do you little good without newness:  What you needed was a restored and alive heart that  possesses the attractive and powerful goodness of Jesus.  If God hasn't given you a new heart, with new appetites and new inclinations, what would his "grace" have to work with?  God can't release a goodness in you if there is no goodness to release.  He can't shape within you a better character if there's no spark of nobility to work with, no well of Christ-like purity to work with.

A potter needs good and clean clay to work with.  Otherwise, his master hands will only be shaping wet gravel.  He has already made you clean, new, noble.  Enjoy it.

NEWNESS + GRACE = FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Related posts:

Enjoy your new nature

Isn't Jesus being good for us all we need?  No.

"I am no longer a good and noble man."

"I am no longer a good and noble man." 

This was the indictment against my heart last week, and my character was on trial.

Why had I come to this aweful conclusion about my heart?  ... My wife exposed my anger.

I'd realized I'd blown it with my wife and kids, and had been blowing it for the last nine months: 

...Chronic impatience and irritability with the kids,

...backing my wife into an ideological corner in order to be "right" and to dominate an argument,

...and treating my family like a dumping ground for all that ailed me.

My anger wasn't explosive or uncontrolled; it was more of a searing, wounded anger.  The kind of anger a man develops when he can't face one more betrayal of friendship, or another day of bleeding alone, or another hour of wondering why his Father has gone off and left him again.

It's the kind of anger a man feels when God is asking him to trust that "there is no shadow of turning" with Him, but the man can't quite believe it yet.

Faced with the knowledge I'd been wounding my dear family for many months, I went to a pretty dark place:  Not a place of simple and honest sorrow, but a destructive form of self-torture.  Indicting yourself is often a cheap substitute for the difficult task of receiving grace.

Here are some thoughts that were going through my head:

I am clearly unworthy of my family and can't be trusted with their well-being.

I am no longer the man I thought I was, and that terrifies me.

I am no longer a man with a good and noble heart.

Thank God he rescued me.  Thank God I have a very gracious wife, and understanding children.  I was able to finally come to my right mind -- like the man of the Gadarene tombs who cut himself with sharp stones and razored accusations...until Jesus broke his chains.

Do you see the treachery of the enemy there?  "Take out his heart by convincing him that he and his sin are one and the same.  Get him to identity so strongly with his sin that the restoring work Jesus has already done in him feels like a sham."

Here's where the truth is so practical [as it always is]:  If you don't believe your heart is good and noble, possessed by the very strength of Jesus' own goodness, you will likely get the emotional snot beaten out of you on a regular basis.  You need to believe you have a good and noble heart so that when kicked in the gut, you can still stand up...again, and again.

Dear brother, Jesus has cancelled Adam's legacy of shame against you.  On your worst day, you are deeply pleasing to God.

Dear sister, Jesus has denounced Eve's claim against you.   Despite your deepest fears, He has not turned from you.

Diagraming my journey: How I got my heart back

I wanted you to see how the journey of getting my heart back unfolded over the years; primarily how I discovered the message of Scripture that the Christian's heart is now good and noble -- ultimately leading me to write RECOVER YOUR GOOD HEART.

Share your diagrammed journey here. 
Email me [jim at thegoodandnobleheart.com]  with a sketch or PowerPoint diagram of your journey of getting your heart back.  Get creative.  Use stick figures - it doesn't matter.  I'll post it.

A new word for pursuing the clarity of your calling...

I'm going to invent a new word:  lucidentity. 
It's a contraction of "lucid" and "identity." 

I was driving my kids to the pool today when I saw the license plate of the car in front of me:  "LUCID."  Certain words "pop" for me, and "lucid" is one of them: 

lucid:

"Clear understanding and perception."

"Evident, clear, understandable."

"Radiant, luminous."

The title of the new book about calling and identity I'm working on will likely be called, "Shimmer."  This idea of "lucidentity" ... of possessing a clear, top-of-mind, and radiant view of ourselves is second to none for me.  With luminous clarity, I want each of my friends to be able to say, "I know with greater clarity the indispensable role I play in God's Story than I did last year."

Dan Allender, in his book, "To Be Told," offers this intriguing question: 

What about God am I most uniquely suited to reveal to others?

Lucidentity:  In other words, you are awake to the "why."  You may not yet know the "how" but that's God's bailiwick.  Trust him for the "how."  Ask him to give you greater lucidentity as you discover what God is trying to reveal to others through the unique splendor of your life.

Similar postings:

Podcast:  Calling Series:  THE GLORY OF YOUR LIFE, with special guest, Gary Barkalow - author of It's Your Call.

Futility is a man's deepest fear.

Image-courtesy Kansas' "Leftoverture" album coverFutility plagues a man’s life more than anything else:

“My life is of little consequence.  My best efforts are in vain.  I will be an obscure footnote in History's appendix.  I long for significance, but suspect my efforts are a pebble's drop into a dark, hollow well.   My life will be a long testimony to failure.”

It is the lament of the writer of Ecclesiastes:

"Meaningless!  Meaningless!" says the Teacher...There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow."  - Eccl. 1:1, 11

We’ve come to expect that breakthrough comes soon and comes at a younger age.  We’ve looked to the exceptions to give us our timeline:  Citizen Kane, Orson Well’s masterpiece was written at age twenty-five.  Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 was composed when he was twenty-one.  Many of Picasso’s most celebrated paintings were done in his twenties.  [What the Dog Saw, Malcom Gladwell]

However, as David Galenson, who has studied our assumptions about creativity points out, there are many other cases in which genius peaked much later:  Robert Frost wrote 42 percent of his anthologized poems after turning fifty.  Alfred Hitchcock directed his films, “Rear Window,” “Psycho” and “Virtigo” between the ages of fifty-four and sixty-one.  Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn was published when he was forty-nine, and Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe at fifty-eight.  The master painter, Cezanne’s, finest work was done in his senior years.  [What the Dog Saw, Malcom Gladwell]

Malcom Gladwell calls those who peak later in life, “late bloomers.” [What the Dog Saw] For me, it offers an antidote to a man’s fear that his life won't amount to much:  breakthrough is a slow bang.  It is a long fuse that culminates in vivid splendor only after it has burned that slow, steady, coil upon tedious coil of fuse. 

But note:  the fuse still gives off spark and light at each moment leading up to the bang.

Video: God Without Religion -- from Andrew Farley

I'm looking forward to reading this newest book from Drew Farley, author of The Naked Gospel.  If you liked my book, Recover Your Good Heart, his books will resonate with you as well.

What am I here to disrupt?

Do you consider yourself a disruptive person?  Do you even consider being disruptive a good thing?

...Not obnoxious, not pursuing an agenda at all costs, not combative; yet stirring, compelling.  Not acting out of a wound, but acting in order to heal.

Here's the point:  If you're going to make a sustainable difference, your presence in some way may well be disquieting to others.  It may come through the choices you make that break pattern with the unquestioned status quo.  It may come through the questions you ask that challenge current embedded assumptions. 

But sooner or later, because your presence is disruptive, someone will notice and find a deeper and truer life because you stirred something in them.  The clothes in the laundry will only come clean if the agitator in the washing machine is working.

You can use the following question to help you focus your disruptive mission:

"How can I disrupt the ______________________  [in the arena I hope to influence, or kind of people I'm most capable of reaching?]"

As a writer answering that question, I ask: 

"How can I disrupt the damaging assumptions Christians have about their identity?" 

And, as a professional musician/artist, I ask:  "How can I disrupt the Church's endorsement of mediocrity so that we can offer the world something more remarkable, reflecting the creative brilliance of Jesus himself?"

How would you answer the question?

*The disruptive question originates with Jesus, but can be found in a book called, Disrupt, by Luke Williams.

Indulge Your New Nature

A friend of mine told me that because of the message he was hearing in church each week, he expected to sin.  He didn't expect to love well, follow in Christ's footsteps, or live in the strength of the Holy Spirit.  He expected to sin.

His Christian leaders taught him to expect that.

And this is the message being offered most Christians on any given week.

It's like a Christian suffering with an addiction,  confirming the worst [and least important] thing about him at the weekly meeting:

"Hi.  My name is _______, and I'm an alcoholic."

Stop right there:  Your behavior and struggle is no longer a reliable indicator of your identity.  No matter how it feels to you, you are under a different, more powerful influence. 

The problem with the expectation to sin is that it contradicts the already-remarkable work of Jesus in the Christian.  Rather than fearing we'll indulge dangerous desires, seductive temptations, or selfish ambitions, we ought to think about indulging our new nature. 

• Bing on our new goodness.


• Dote on our new, God-given passions and desires.


• Cater to our circumcized hearts.


• Nourish our new purity.


• Pander to our new heart's super-natural potency.

By the way, this is exactly what the Holy Spirit is up to in you:  he is releasing the new and noble goodness he's birthed in your new heart.  He's inviting you to the bash he's throwing there and waiting to see what kinds of unadulterated love gets stirred up in you, spilling and splashing onto those who need your life.  Your new heart is a wellspring of life cascading out and advancing into barren places.  Indulge your new goodness and let it come out and play.


New video: "THE LONG DESIRE"

What have you done with your desires?  Can God be trusted with your deepest longings?  Can a Christian trust the desires of their heart?  Yes!

New video from THE GOOD AND NOBLE HEART MEDIA:

Podcast:  "THE LONG DESIRE:"
The podcast is paired with the video and is for those hungering to learn more about desire and their good and noble hearts.  God has given us permission to desire.  Our heart's longings matter to him.  Can we trust him with our heart's longings even amidst setbacks? Can obedience and desire co-exist?

This audio is excerpted from Chapter Nine of my audio book, Recover Your Good Heart. 



Podcast: Permission to Desire

Podcast: "THE LONG DESIRE:"  What have you done with your desires?  Do our heart's deepest longings really matter to God?  Can obedience make room for desire?  Yes!

The following podcast is excerpted from Chapter 9 of my audiobook, Recover Your Good Heart.

As many of you know, my creative side also shows up through music.  I've been a professional musician for many years and recently wrote a video music score for an upcoming video, "The Long Desire."  You can hear the music for that video here.