Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Double Take

The word grace is thrown around a lot in Christian circles. We sing about God’s grace, preach it, post about it. There is nothing more Christian than grace. But do we get the depth of the meaning and the implications of Grace?

Divorce divides. Obviously. But not just spouses, but it can cause division between friends, families, and within churches. Whether you’ve been through a divorce, or know someone who has, we hope to help you understand, and to encourage you by sharing what we believe is God’s heart on this issue.

As we’ve said before, Rick is the “Big Picture” guy, and I am the “Practical” girl. He’s been flying the Freedom Plane, so now I’m going to attempt to land it. What specifically can freedom look like in our lives?

When we say yes to Jesus everything changes. We become a new creature. Not just washed or covered. Jesus didn’t put on a pair of rose-colored glasses so He could tolerate looking at us. Jesus doesn’t stand between us and God so He can apologize for our bad behavior. No, He made us new. Something that didn’t exist before. We are now the place where Holy Spirit abides. We replaced the Holy of Holies, the curtain that separated the inner court for the Holy of Holies was ripped from top to bottom. Holy Spirit left the box (although it was a nice one) and on Pentecost He entered into all who say yes to Christ. What are we free from?

Every new year begins with us wishing each other a Happy New Year. I have begun wondering what exactly a happy year looks like. What would it take to live the entire year happy? 

Sweet little baby Jesus in the manger, calm and quiet, halo around His head, with arms outstretched. That’s how we see Him portrayed in every nativity scene. It’s beautiful and peaceful and we get the point. But every mother knows how unrealistic that picture is.

The shepherds and the wise men are mentioned in another very familiar passage about the birth of Jesus. Here is a bit of storytelling about those nameless but favored people that were chosen to be major players in this supernatural event. 

We know her story well. And because the verses are so familiar we tend to tune out as they are recited each Christmas. But today we take another look at this innocent young woman who loved God with all her heart.

Obscurity is the fate of most men. Some travel a road that’s level and predictable, well posted with directions and destinations. Some build roads that cut through mountains of solid rock, and build bridges that span canyons and rivers, with nothing but determination and calloused hands. Some men travel roads up mountainsides carrying backpacks filled with dreams and hopes, up lanes with a promise that will heal blistered feet and tattered answers. Some men find contentment with where they are and treat inconspicuousness as confirmation of purpose not measured on any scale. One such man was Joseph from the lineage of David - destined to be the earthly father of Jesus. 

Life hurts sometimes. But “the joy of the Lord is your strength,” so why are you still sad? What happens when the simplistic “churchy” answers aren’t working? In today’s episode Lori introduces you to Rachel Williams, who has experience with this from both sides of the pew. She shares her own struggles and how church, and we as believers, can help each other.

We talk a lot about “the things of this world” and there seems to be some confusion about that. What exactly are those things? Now it’s Lori’s turn.

Rick goes first and shares with you what he thinks about “the things of this world.”

Faith: where does it come from? How much is enough? How does it affect my life as a Christian? Today we attempt to answer some of these questions.

Which is the church (little “c”) and the Church (big “C”). How does each function? What about leadership? And, what could be done better?

The Bible is the inspired word of God. But what does that mean? And where does Holy Spirit fit in? 

Although this is supposed to be about things we used to believe we still do believe a lot of this, and more. Sometimes it’s fleeting – in the moment, depending on what’s going on at the time. Triggers from the past. Current conflicts. New losses.

We are always growing in our faith and understanding. What we believe now is likely different than it was five years ago. Asking questions and searching the scriptures is important and necessary. In this series we share some truths we have learned.

As we move through this season of highly charged emotional disagreements over who should be our next president, we find ourselves involved in exchanges of opinions that can drive a wedge of beliefs that will divide, loosely translated from Luke 12:53 “father from son and mother from daughter.” Engaging in debates can be helpful if the discussions remain calm and the different ideas and disagreements are treated with respect. The sad truth, is that we as Christians have been arrogant and sometimes condescending towards those with whom we disagree.

Today we present a short recap of the entire series (Oneness, Identity, Flesh Patterns, About Women, About Men, Communication, Forgiveness). How do we put it all together when an argument begins? 

In the last podcast we talked about different, more accurate ways to define forgiveness. Today we are going to go a bit deeper. Let’s explore some things we may believe about forgiveness that aren’t true, and reasons we can find it difficult to choose to forgive. Understanding the truth about forgiveness helps us to make that healthy decision that is a fruit of our new nature in Christ.

It is normal in human interactions to experience anger – even in marriage (maybe especially in marriage)! The main cause of anger is blocked or unmet expectations.  A natural fruit of oneness is learning to give up our expectations and rights to God, and therefore prevent inappropriate expressions of anger. Acknowledging that it is God who promises to meet all our needs allows us to give up expecting our spouse to meet them. 

While communicating it is important to look for what you or your spouse is really trying to get out of the other.  For example, during one conversation a husband was trying to figure out whether or not his spouse valued his opinion and his decisions.  During the same conversation the wife was wanting to know if he heard her and cared for her.  Can you see why communication could be so difficult?  Each individual was trying to get something from the other that differed significantly and therefore their communication missed.

Communicating with someone of the opposite sex can be quite perplexing.  You see, men think that women think like men, and women think that men think like women.  Of course, this is not true, and it would be almost comical if the differences didn’t cause so much misunderstanding and hurt.  

The more we understand the way men think and process information, the better women can support and love them in the way we need to be loved.  Also the reverse is true. The more we understand the importance of how women think and process the more we can hear them and love them the way they need as well.

Lori shares her recipe for a summertime cheesecake using strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and a little lemon.

Men and women are different. I know – crazy but true.

Either men think they don’t understand their wives, or they think they do. Either way, you’re wrong. So let us help you out.

Rick shows us how to make a favorite campout dessert.

In this episode we talk about how the flesh for a believer is now all bark and no bite. Believing this enables us to make the choice to do marriage differently.

When we don’t live from our true identity, we tend to act out of the flesh. These flesh patterns become normal and affect all of our relationships. In this episode we begin to unwrap the truths about the flesh - especially as its relates to marriage.

What is our “new identity” and how does it relate to marriage? As God’s new creation we now have His very nature. We are now by His nature “others” focused.  We continue to grow in the understanding of oneness.  

Lori prepares her famous homemade lasagna for friends.

What does oneness in marriage look like? Adam and Eve were created with the capacity to be one with God and each other. The Father desires this same oneness for us.

Rick demonstrates how to brine and smoke whole chickens (NOT turkeys!).

There are gender roles and rules in the “small c” church. Often, they are unspoken but understood. Sometimes they are openly and proudly taught. There can be consequences for those who question or disagree. But there are also costs for following them.

A husband and a wife love each other, and love Jesus. They want to have a “biblical marriage.” But what if those traditional roles don’t quite seem to fit?  More than that, what if trying to follow the rules is causing the relationship to suffer?

If you mention Proverbs 31 to a group of Christian women you are likely to hear groans and see eyes roll. Many women are worn out from trying to be the woman in Proverbs 31:10-31. The way she is usually presented, anyway. 

Today Lori is in the kitchen making 4 simple but delicious things! Pesto, tapenade, olive salad, and 3 kinds of infused olive oils.

Has anyone noticed there seems to be a disconnect between how the church today encourages Christian women to look and act, and how the actual historical women of the Bible lived?

Rick cooks up a roast with all the fixins in his outdoor kitchen.

In the past fifteen to twenty years there has been a lot of clamor by the evangelicals and others, but mostly evangelicals about returning to “real manhood.” There were men, who were almost like carnival barkers, yelling at us to be loud, hard charging, ground plowing, aggressive leaders. Growling out orders for us to be like them. “Be warriors for Jesus, storm the gates of hell and take back the Kingdom by force!” they would roar.  

Why would we need to storm a place that He said would not prevail against His Church? Why would we need to protect anything Jesus built? Nonetheless, I tried to be one. I bought into this call to manhood.

Our last episode of Double Take on the road at the Network 220 conference in Texas a few weeks ago. We have two lovely ladies for you today:

Kim Francis, author & founder of His Heart’s Desire Ministries, Perryton TX, https://hisheartsdesireministries.com

Tracy Levinson, author & communicator, http://www.tracylevinson.com

Check out what's happening - starting June 18th!

Today we continue with Double Take on the road at the Network 220 conference in Plano, TX earlier this month.  The message of grace is spreading everywhere! More grace stories from these amazing people:

Ray Leight, Identity Coach/author at Faith by Grace, Annapolis MD, https://www.faithbygrace.org

Larry Eiss, of E3 with Larry Eiss, https://www.larryeiss.com

Phillip Moore, pastor of Eden Fellowship Ministries, Wichita KS, https://efmcogic.com

Sean Galloway, pastor of FBC Petersburg TX, http://petersburgfbc.org

Dani Daniel, attending from Tennessee

Double Take on the road! Three Minute Interviews (not one was only 3 minutes – they were too good to limit) for three days on location at the Network 220 conference in Dallas. We loved hearing stories of grace from the people there this year, and we are happy to share them with you over the next 3 episodes. This week we introduce you to:

Jackie Wilson, attending for the first time, from Waterford MI

Jacob Bushka, of The Way Bible Church, Warrenton VA, https://thewaybiblechurch.com

Jason Mueller of New Haven Ministries, Sioux Falls SD, https://newhavensf.org

Vernon Terrell of Grace Ministries International, Woodstock GA, https://gmint.org

“Separate” is the extreme opposite of “in.” Through bad theology and tough circumstances we can easily fall into the lie that we are separated from God. Although we may believe that lie, the truth is, as believers, He is in us.  Like a teabag put into water are no longer two separate things. They work together to become tea. Our spirit and His Spirit are meshed together, intertwined, inseparable, dissolved into something completely new and different – the new creation of 2 Corinthians 5:17.

I have been taught my whole Christian life that God is in Heaven watching my every move and that I am down here on earth trying to figure out how not to sin. And if/when I do, I must immediately fall to my knees, confess and repent. What a hopeless approach to living in a way that we think pleases God, who must be so disappointed in every one of us. What happens if I miss one or do something that is a sin, and I don’t know it. Who’s keeping track? My sins alone must keep a team of angels busy updating an already extensive list of bad behavior. And how much of eternity will be used up viewing them all on the jumbotron on Judgement Day? Something just doesn’t seem consistent with what I see in scripture. 

I often ask the question” what’s wrong with me?” I do, say, and think a lot of foolish things. I would imagine I’m not the only one who thinks this. We all have these standards about what is right and what is wrong. These standards are the results of belief systems, mostly corrupted beliefs. We have been taught to make judgements about who we are and how we behave based on these corrupt belief systems.

There is an important difference between guilt and shame:

Guilt – I’ve done something wrong. I was hurtful, I lied, I made a mistake. I sometimes make bad choices because I am human. Could have been due to outside pressure, painful circumstances, or underlying lies I believe about myself or God.

Shame – There is something inherently wrong with me. I did those same things, but it’s because I believe I am deeply flawed and it’s a permanent reality. It is just who I am.

The relationship God wants with us is very personal. And for that to happen at least three things had to occur. The sin issue had to be resolved, we had to be remade, and God had to move into us. He demonstrated His desire to make it personal by doing all three of these through the death and resurrection of Christ. He sent His son not to judge the world but that the world through Him might be saved. This was an astonishing act of love. And Gods love for us is unbelievably personal. He made us one with him.

God created us with needs for several reasons. So we would need each other, but mostly so we would need Him. Among those needs is affirmation. Affirmation is something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment. For believers it’s more than just positive thinking. It’s a good thing to remind ourselves of the truth. But where are you getting your truth?