Podcast interview with TrueFaced' John Lynch - Will you let your heart come out and play?

John Lynch is a blast.  He is the co-author of the popular books, Bo's Cafe and TrueFaced.  John and I talked about allowing our 'new nature to come out and play' -- rather than mistrusting our hearts, or assuming our first nature is sin.

Imagine a community that really believes that the heart of every believer is good and noble, and actually lives from that new identity:  recognizing the mess, but knowing that the mess is not our identity.  Imagine that kind of safe place.
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Photo:  John Lynch,  co-author of TrueFaced, and Bo's Cafe.

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Jim's podcasts on iTunes.

Update on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 2:35PM by Jim Robbins

Related video:  'HOW TO SHAME A CHRISTIAN.'

Update on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 9:52AM by Jim Robbins

Here's the link to the 8th Letter video John did, to which we refer in the video.  [The video is in the lower right corner of the page.]

Information rather than reward and punishment

"Our goal should be to have kids experience success and failure as information rather than as reward and punishment." 
-- Gerome Bruner, well-known educator

What if this is what God is after...with you?

What if this is what parenting is all about?

If there really is 'no condemnation for those who are in Christ" then perhaps God's response to us during failure and sin is to re-direct us.

What if God's intent is actually rescue and redirection?

What do you think?

THE HEART TAKES FLIGHT -- new e-book

My newest e-book.  It's free, and short [five pages]; but gives what I think is the rest of the 'grace' message:
E-book - The Rest of the Grace Message-Jim Robbins

You are not a commodity - How we've reduced our calling to a job

As Gary Barkalow suggests in his new book, It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here?,  your calling is not to a specific job, position, or ministry role.  It is broader and deeper than that. 

Though your job or role can certainly reflect your calling, it would be better to think of your calling as the weightiness of your life - the effect you have on those around you - the particular way in which you carry God's splendor into the world.  Your calling spills over into every role and relationship you have in your life, not simply what you call 'work' for 40 or 50 hours a week.

Pastors -- you are not called to be a 'pastor;'  although you might be called to shepherd people in their spiritual journey.  You can bring that shepherding and caring heart into each sphere of influence you hold.  It doesn't have to come with the role or title of 'Pastor.'

Teachers -- you are not called to the role or title or 'Teacher;'  although you might be great at bringing clarity and illumination to those around you.

Plumbers and electricians -- you are not called to be a 'Plumber' or 'Electrician.'  However, you may bring an ability to figure out how things work and how they can be repaired into every relationship and situation.  [You may also earn a living by doing what a plumber or electrician does, but your calling to bring your unique insight can't be contained in the hours you call 'work.']

Your calling cannot be fully contained and fulfilled by a job or position.  How could the weight of your life be defined by a list of functions or tasks?  Second, if finding your calling is tied to finding the right job or position, your calling would be limited to the extent of that work.  In a typical job, your life's purpose would be limited to forty hours a week. 

 - Gary Barkalow, It's Your Call

What do you do with your calling the other hours of the week?  Do you leave it at the office?  Of course not.  If you limit your calling to what you do for a paycheck, then you've made yourself a day-laborer, as Seth Godin cautions.  You've turned your value into a commodity -- reducing your worth to only those activities you get paid for:  equal pay for equal service.  Is that really the extent of your value?  Can you measure it by how much you're getting paid, or the hours you're putting in?  No!

Your calling is the brilliant effect of your life on others.  The unique splendor and perception you offer.  The way you see the world.  God is trying to tell the world something ... through you.  In you; as you.

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Feel free to Post a Comment below.

Related podcasts:  ORIENTATION - Calling Series, part one.  Special guest Gary Barkalow, author It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here? joins me for this series.

THE NOBILITY OF LIONS - podcast -- guest Bob Regnerus

Before you listen to the podcast below, watch the video.  Note:  This video is not for the faint of heart.  But it will help if you frame it in terms of the Kingdom, and the idea that we are living in the Great Battle.

New podcast:  THE NOBILIITY OF LIONS

After you have viewed the video, listen to the podcast I did with guest Bob Regnerus [Co-host of Renegade Christian Podcast].  Bob and I share our personal stories of how God has conferred nobility upon us through word-pictures given directly to us.  Explore the lessons we're learning about the nature of our noble identity, and how we're learning to live in a Kingdom at war.

Your greatest asset is your perception.

If you haven't thought of yourself as an artist, you should. 

An artist, in the broader sense of the term, is someone who sees differently. Artists have the ability to perceive things others don't. 

Your artistry unveils what is hidden and masked.

Your greatest asset as an artist is your perception.

• One artist sees the wound beneath the surface of his friend's addiction and knows how to join God in healing it.


• Another artist understands how to gather the people and resources necessary to tackle a project.


• A different artist can perceive beauty where others only see the mundane and common.


• Still, another artist understands how the inner life works and how people can be transformed into themselves.

What do you perceive that others may not?  What uniqueness of insight and perspective do you naturally tend to offer when you're around others?  What do you see that often remains concealed and veiled to others?

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Feel free to Post a Comment below.

Not threatened by the cage

My good friend, John, received a word-picture for me, a vision, while I was using the bathroom. 

Several years ago, we were meeting at our favorite breakfast place, and I had shared with him how confused and stuck I was feeling.  I wanted to move forward in my calling, but didn't know how.   The confusion had whipped itself into a white-out snowstorm and the car I was driving didn't have windshield wipers.   I felt like I had just blindly veered off the shoulder into a ditch, unable to get leverage or traction:  the wheels where spinning and spitting, with no hope of forward motion.

My friend, John, is not one who casually says he's received a vision for someone.  He's cautious about making such declarations, while listening for anything valid in what he might be hearing. Here's what he said when I returned from the Men's Room:

Jim, how trapped do you feel?  [Which immediately caught me off-guard.  I wasn't even aware that I was feeling trapped.]  Then he revealed the word-picture God had given him for me:

I see Aslan.  He's caged.  But he's not threatened by the cage.  He is struggling with patience... pacing.

Jim -- he's still Aslan, regardless of the cage.

I started crying.  Through this tailor-made imagery, God was conferring upon me an identity both noble and fierce;  and revealing that the lion's identity wasn't limited or defined by the cage.   Further, any sense of condemnation was absent:  rather than scolding me for feeling limited and impatient, God indicated that he understood my frustration and impatience. 

What are your 'cages' and what is God saying to you despite them?
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Related video:  Kingdom of Nobles

Feel free to post a comment below.

Not likely to sin.

There are some better ways to view temptation:

1.  Sin is not a foregone conclusion.  It's a lie that you're likely to give in.  You've been taught to see yourself, your heart, as weak and prone to wander.  It's no longer true.  You don't merely have the forgiveness of Jesus -- you have the noble heart of Jesus as well.

2.  The object of your sin [a woman, a guarantee of financial security, a drink] isn't what you really want.  The temptation is a false and shallow substitute for the real thing.  Underneath the tempation is a deeper [and good] desire for life and loving connection. 

So how can you walk with God and others --  to trust him for the life your heart most deeply wants and needs;  fulfilled in healthy, life-giving ways?

Feel free to post a comment below.

NO LONGER PRONE TO WANDER -- e-book for pastors

I wrote this for pastors and teachers in the area of Southern New Hampshire where I live; but the core idea holds true for churches across the country.  Feel free to share this.

E-book -No Longer Prone to Wander-withcover

What you are called to is your 'art.'

Do you see yourself as an artist?

In a broader sense, an artist is someone who refuses the tired and mundane scripts being offered, in exchange for the chance to actually change people's lives. Really change people's lives.

The artist intends to reveal something through his art.  There is a declaration behind it.  [Otherwise, the art becomes merely self-indulgent].  The art is the access point to a deeper, somewhat veiled, reality.  It provokes us, stirs us, and tells us rumors of another world. The resulting creative work is the artist's calling card, a trail of breadcrumbs that lead 'further up and further in' to this other world.

Not all artists paint or work with clay. It's not so much the tools of the artist that matter. For one artist, the medium they work in, is relationships. For others, it's the ability to bring clarity into confusion. For another, it's the art of piercing the darkness with beauty.

It's how the artist SEES that matters.

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Recommended reading: 
Linchpin - Are You Indispensable, by Seth Godin.  Not a 'spiritual' book, but surprisingly reflects biblical values of giving without expectation, creative freedom, and the idea that all are endowed with genius that can change lives.

Audio book--4-CD Sets and MP3's are available

Both the Four-CD Set and MP3 downloads are now available.

• Read by Jim Robbins
• Unabridged

Be a Provocateur

How many Christians do you know whose presence stirs you? 

Spending time with a provocative [intriguing, remarkable, compelling] person leaves you with questions: 

"How have I [we] been drugged?"  so to speak.
"How does this new insight or revelation set me [us] free?"

And the questions will not let you seek the safety of mediocrity or the tedium of dullness. Yet, as disruptive as the provocateur's questions are, shame isn't the provocateur's goal:  Recovery and restoration are.

Provocateurs are...

"passionate change makers willing to be shunned if it is necessary for them to make a point,"

says Seth Godin in his book, Linchpin. 

Provocateurs are not willing to be cogs in a machine, or passive wallflowers.  They know their presence was sanctioned by God and that the effect of their life reveals something about God.  A provocateur's presence in your life is indespensible.

A provocateur's presence in a system is rarely tolerated because, like the Borg Collective in the Star Trek series, the Collective declares, "You will be assimilated.  Resistance is futile."  But the provocateur's perspective is ironically, the very thing the system needs. 

False scripts and expectations
Provocateurs are not willing to yield their God-given splendor to false scripts and expectations, nor are they willing to keep quiet simply because it's an unpopular thing to say. 

Note:  Provocateurs are not unkind.  They proceed with humility.  People are not their target: Disabling and destructive assumptions are.   If they provoke, it is to bring about a better day.  Inspiration and aliveness follows them.  They raise questions from which there is no retreat.

They do it because they love.

What is Jesus provoking through you?

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Related podcast:  "THE UNIQUE GLORY YOU BEAR" [with fellow author, Gary Barkalow]

New podcast - DEVELOPING THE HEART NEEDED FOR OUR CALLING - special guest Gary Barkalow joins Jim

DEVELOPING THE HEART NEEDED FOR OUR CALLING:
What qualities of heart are needed as we mature in our calling?  These are the qualities that will keep us from inadvertently sabotaging what we most truly want. 

Special guest, Gary Barkalow [author of the upcoming book on calling, It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here?]  joins Jim for part six of their seven-part series.

*  You can listen to the other podcasts in the "Calling Series" here.

*  Download in iTunes.

MP3 downloads are now available for my audiobook

The MP3 downloads for the audio book version of my book, Recover Your Good Heart, are now available. 

[Click here.]

The physical 4-CD sets will be available by the middle or end of next week.

New e-book: "ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH"

I've just published this free e-book, "ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH -- How spiritual abuse sabotages the heart."  Feel free to download and share. 

You can also leave a comment by clicking, "Post a Comment" below.

E-book - "ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH - How spiritual abuse sabotages the heart" - by Jim Robbins

Sherpa carrying load photo:
Courtesy of PaulPrescott: paulprescott.com/

Update on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 4:18PM by Jim Robbins

Note:  Once you download the e-book, or open it in your reader, the clarity improves quite a bit.  What you see on screen here is the preview version, which lacks a bit of sharpness. 

Books I recommend

The following books take the idea of the Christian's good heart seriously. 
I highly recommend them:

by Larry Crabb
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by Dwight Edwards
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by Andrew Farley
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by Stone & Smith

What books do you recommend that take the Christian's good heart seriously? [Post a comment below.]

Related posts:

"How to Shame a Christian"  - video

"As the heart goes, so goes a life."

Audio book update!

The audio book is done!

The files and artwork have been sent off to the CD duplicator.  The audio book CD sets should be shipping to me at the end of the week, and I'll make them available on the blog next week.  [CD sets and MP3 download.]

New podcast - "DISCOVERING OUR CALLING" - Calling Series -- Part 5 - special guest Gary Barkalow joins Jim

How does God reveal our unique calling to us?  What's the pattern he uses?  Join special guest Gary Barkalow and Jim as they unpack how God brings us into a deeper clarity of our calling. This is part five of their seven-part podcast series on calling.

Gary is the author of the upcoming book, It's Your Call -- What are You Doing Here?  to be released in October.

Gary's website:  www.thenobleheart.com

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Download the podcast for iTunes here.

More podcasts here.

New e-book excerpt: "Enough is Never Enough - Abusing the Good Heart"

Non-commercial www.paulprescott.comThis excerpt is from a new e-book I'm writing on the idea of spiritual abuse -- specifically how spiritual abuse can kill the very life of our hearts.
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The particular kind of abuse I'm talking about is reflected in the following description of abuse.  It comes from The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by Johnson and VanVonderan:

"Spiritual abuse is the mistreatment of a person who is in need of help, support or greater spiritual empowerment, with the result of weakening, undermining or decreasing that person’s spiritual empowerment."

The authors go further:

"Spiritual abuse can also occur when spirituality is used to make others live up to a ‘spiritual standard.’  This promotes external ‘spiritual performance,’ …or is used as a means of ‘proving’ a person’s spirituality."

This abuse may not even be intentional, but kills the heart, nonetheless.

Notice the effects of this kind of abuse:

• weakening, undermining or decreasing that person’s spiritual empowerment.
• enforcing a 'spiritual standard,' 'spiritual performance,' a means of 'proving a person's spirituality'
  

The e-book is nearly completed, and I'll be announcing its completion soon.

As always, feel free to click the "Post a Comment" button below.

Update on Monday, August 16, 2010 at 12:06PM by Jim Robbins

P.S.  Some of your own stories of spiritual abuse will be included in the e-book; experiences that may resonate with your own painful journey. 

Book review - "Spiritual Abuse Recovery"

Book Review:  Spiritual Abuse Recovery - Dynamic Research on Finding a Place of Wholeness, by Barbara M. Orlowski
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From the book:

I have always believed that conflicts between Christians can be worked through when both parties submit their will to God.  Intentional, malicious action against me by a church leader blew me away.  The unwillingness of others involved to challenge the leader's actions, but instead look the other way in denial, preserving their positions, shattered my trust in church leadership.  [Quoted in Spiritual Abuse Recovery. Taken from the website, Kingdom Grace, 'Shattered Illusions.']

Spiritual abuse is likely to be minimized by those in Christian leadership.  However, it is affecting more Christians and churches than people want to admit.  Spiritual abuse is causing many very committed followers of Christ to leave abusing churches to seek out other options for Christian community.  Barb Orlowski provides a research-based, serious and needed look into the abusive dynamic occurring in many churches. 

What is "spiritual abuse?"  One definition the author uses is:  "Spiritual abuse takes place when leaders to whom people look for guidance and spiritual nurture use their positions of authority to manipulate, control and dominate."  Spiritual abuse often occurs when there is a distorted and unbiblical view of leadership authority. 

Barb Orlowski outlines distortions and belief systems that contribute to spiritual abuse:

1.  Legalism:  "When Christians struggle with feelings of shame, of never measuring up, and of feeling like they have to constantly try to earn God's approval, they often do not grasp why their Christian life is so spiritually draining." 

2.  A Faulty Hermeneutic [a faulty way of interpreting Scripture]:  "...makes a person vulnerable to erroneous teachings and the malpractices of controlling leaders."

3. Fully Understanding Healthy Church Leadership:  "Developing a biblically-sound understanding of Christian leadership based on Christ's teaching and the New Testament example will create a renewed appreciation  for godly leadership expressed in healthy communities."

4.  Personal Spiritual and Emotional Injury:  "A person's spiritual life has been severly marred by personal injury inflicted by church leadership."  Those injured can experience healing and restoration despite the trauma.

Spiritual Abuse Recovery includes the research results of the author's study on the topic.  A representative population of actual persons who suffered spiritual abuse were interviewed.  Some of the participants' comments read like these:

There was a tremendous dichotomy between what was said by leadership, and the message they actually conveyed.  They often spoke of the freedom we have as believers, as well as our individual value in God's eyes.  But any attempt to think or act with any degree of freedom was quickly and firmly labeled as unsubmissive to leadership.  An overarching theme in most of the subtle messages was that only a few were actually spiritual enough to hear and follow God for themselves, and that everyone else must follow them.

He [the pastor]  had left such a trail of hurting and damaged people, and I felt that I could no longer be a part of that type of destruction.

A toxic view of spiritual authority:  Orlowski outlines the flaws of bad, unbiblical leadership and delves into the restorative and biblical model of leadership hinted at in the Old Covenant and revealed in Jesus and the New Covenant.  This is particularly helpful for those who haven't given the issue much thought.  Assumptions can kill, and this book challenges faulty leadership assumptions.

Commenting on her own experience with leadership that wounds, the author says, "Those who had raised concerns were seen as agitators..."  Those who have also experienced wounding leadership will agree with her sentiments.

As Barbara Orlowski suggests, even the concept of spiritual abuse can be minimized by those who have never experienced it, or not even on the radar of many Christian leaders.  The issue of spiritual abuse needs to be exposed and addressed; and her book capably exposes this critical issue, giving the research results of her study into spiritual abuse.

Those who would most benefit from this book: 
.Pastors, church leaders, counselors, and seminary students - who want to know the research behind spiritual abuse and how it affects those who are marred by it.  The book also would serve to provide them with a deeper look into biblical authority.

.  Anyone interested in a more research-based look at spiritual abuse, that backs up claims of abuse with real data into the victims' of spiritual abuse traumatic experiences.

Author's website:  Church Exiters

Amazon link:  Spiritual Abuse Recovery - Dynamic Research on Finding a Place of Wholeness

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Reviewed by Jim Robbins, author of Recover Your Good Heart - Living Free From Religious Guilt and the Shame of Not Good-Enough